4th Wall Lodge

Sparrow Art Films and Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers have teamed up to bring you 4th Wall Lodge, our first filmmaking lab! Come by Sparrow Artspace to play with tools of the trade, learn about the many facets of film creation, and experiment with translating your own ideas into moving pictures.

4th Wall Lodge will introduce you to components of filmmaking through themed stations:

  • set design & props

  • wardrobe & costuming

  • sound & music

  • scripting

  • camera & lighting

  • editing, special effects & animation

Be sure to follow us on Instagram for our film challenges which will be posted throughout January! Select videos will be included at our final screening and closing exhibition on January 27th.

A NOT-SO-INTENSIVE FILM LAB

Opening Event:
Thurs Jan 12, 5 - 8 PM

Closing Event & Screening:
Fri Jan 27, 5 - 8 PM

Runs throughout January 2023, Thursdays - Saturdays, 11 AM - 6 PM

What is the Fourth Wall?

The fourth wall is an imaginary wall that separates the story from the real world. This term comes from the theatre, where the three surrounding walls enclose the stage while an invisible “4th wall” is left out for the sake of the viewer. The 4th wall is the screen we’re watching. We treat this wall like a one-way mirror. The audience can see and comprehend the story, but the story cannot comprehend the existence of the audience.

If you break that wall, you break that accord. This is called “Breaking The 4th Wall.” It can also be described as the story becoming aware of itself.

Why break the fourth wall?

Breaking the fourth wall is a major filmmaking decision, and you have to approach it with some caution and careful consideration. This is for good reason because if you do it wrong, you will destroy the suspension of disbelief and pull the viewer out of the story — not just for one scene, but for the entire piece.

If you do it right, you can connect with your audience and elevate your material. You can build trust, be funny, or take us into a character’s psyche. In other words, breaking the 4th wall can communicate vital information and evoke deeper emotions within the viewer.

- from studiobinder.com