Summer School

Chinese Cinema: 
ARRI Camera Certification, Writing with Light, and Virtual Production Filmmaking

This programme welcomes domestic and international students seeking to develop high-end film production skills or enter the film industry, with a particular interest in virtual production filmmaking. It combines the study of Chinese cinema aesthetics with hands-on training in ARRI camera systems and industry lighting fixtures, helping participants understand how to carry their creative ideas through into practice.

Each day begins with a lecture on Chinese film aesthetics, offering context for visual style, form, and cultural approach. These sessions feed directly into the practical work.

The first phase includes ARRI-certified training in camera systems, alongside practical exercises. This is followed by dedicated foundational lighting training, with a focus on technical application, problem solving and on-set workflow.

In the final stage, participants work in a virtual production environment, using their camera and lighting skills to explore and recreate styles drawn from Chinese cinema. The emphasis is on how creative intentions are realised through production processes, linking what is discussed in the lectures to what is achieved on set.

Overall, the programme takes a practical, process-driven approach, supporting participants in connecting aesthetic understanding with advanced production skills.

Programme Details

This programme offers ARRI-certified training in camera systems, delivered over the first 2½ days. Upon completion, participants will have strengthened their understanding of the operational use of the ARRI ALEXA 35, and ALEXA Mini LF. The programme also provides a detailed introduction to REVEAL Colour Science, ARRI Textures, ARRIRAW and other recording formats, ARRI look workflows, and the ARRI Electronic Control System.

This is followed by two days of dedicated lighting training, introducing participants to the foundations of high-end film lighting. Students are introduced to a range of professional LED lighting fixtures, including ARRI SkyPanels and Orbiter units. The training also covers essential tools and techniques for shaping light cinematically.

In the remaining days, participants build on their camera and lighting training as they move into virtual production filmmaking. Working in the UNNC ARRI Virtual Production and Motion Capture Studio–the first of its kind in Asia–they develop an understanding of how these skills translate into a virtual production environment.

Students are introduced to key workflows and gain a clearer sense of what is realistically achievable in virtual production, as they apply their knowledge in practice.

Highlights 

• Hands-on experience in the UNNC ARRI Virtual Production and Motion Capture Studio, with a focus on real-world workflows.
• Emphasis on high-end production workflows and what is realistically achievable in virtual production environments.
• ARRI-certified training in camera systems (ALEXA 35, Mini LF), delivered in the first part of the programme.
• Dedicated lighting training over two days covering some of the industry-standard fixtures (ARRI, Aputure, Nanlite, Godox)
• Daily lectures on Chinese cinema aesthetics, directly linked to practical exercises in the hands-on workshops.
• Combines theory and practice, helping participants turn aesthetic ideas into practical camera and lighting decisions.
• Taught by award-winning international filmmaking staff and certified trainers in ARRI camera systems at UNNC. 

Fast Facts

• Date: 29 June - 8 July 2026 (Arrival Date: 28 June 2026; Departure Date: 9 July 2026)
• Location: University of Nottingham Ningbo China
• Language: English
• Target group: Domestic students, as well as international students from partner universities of UNNC
• Teaching method: Interactive lectures, case studies and practical workshops
• Tuition fees: 12,000 RMB, on-campus accommodation (standard room at LA Hotel) is covered by UNNC

How to Apply

• Please click here to complete your registration.
• Application and fixed payment deadline: 29 May 2026
• For questions about the application process, please contact fhss_events@nottingham.edu.cn; for inquiries regarding the programme content, please kindly reach out to levi.dean@nottingham.edu.cn.

Tentative Schedule at a Glance

Detailed Daily Lecture and Workshop Overview

Day 1:

Lecture: Chinese Cinema – Historical Beginnings: This introductory lecture will begin by exploring the meaning of 'Chineseness', 'national cinema' and 'cinema studies'. The class will address early Chinese film history and in particular the development of Chinese cinema in the 1930s and 1940s and how this became significant throughout the region.

Workshop: This workshop provides a practical, hands-on introduction to ARRI camera systems, covering key features, applications, hardware, and camera build. The training then moves on to system menus and web remote operation, alongside further camera exercises, helping participants become familiar with professional interfaces and workflows through direct use. It also introduces mounts, lenses, filters, recording media, and formats, with participants working directly with the essential components of ARRI camera systems.

Day 2:

Lecture: Fifth Generation: This session examines the filmmaking aesthetics of the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, analysing how various cinematic forms and their impact on the international art film circuit in the 1980s.

Workshop: Students are introduced to ARRIRAW, Rec. 709 and ARRI LogC, as well as ARRI Looks, developing an understanding of recording formats. The workshop covers exposure, focus control, and metadata systems, providing key technical skills for on-set cinematography. It also focuses on ARRI’s colour science, demonstrating how colour pipelines influence the look and feel of a production, as well as outlining the importance of colour management within a VP environment.

Day 3:

Lecture: Sixth Generation and the New Documentary Film Movement: This session examines how film aesthetics shifted during China’s Sixth Generation and how their works were received and interpreted abroad. Finally, it examines China’s New Documentary Film Movement of the 1990s and 2000s, and how the aesthetics of China’s documentary films have shifted over the past forty years.

Workshop: The session concludes the ARRI Camera System course before moving to the next phase of the programme through focusing on the fundamentals of lighting, with an emphasis on various contemporary lighting fixtures, exposure control, and the tools used to shape light. Participants gain a practical understanding of how different lighting units behave, how exposure is managed on set, and how modifiers and accessories are used to control quality, direction, and contrast. Through hands-on exercises, students begin to develop a working approach to lighting that fuses technical understanding to enable creative implementation.

Day 4:

Lecture: Negotiating Film Distribution in Contemporary China: Strategies for Ethnic Minority Filmmakers: This course explores the complex film distribution ecosystem in contemporary China from the perspective of ethnic minority filmmakers. It examines how these filmmakers secure funding, navigate traditional and digital distribution channels, and harness social media to promote and sustain their creative endeavors. Through a series of case studies and critical discussions, students will analyze the negotiation processes with streaming platforms, major production companies, and other industry stakeholders, and assess how these interactions influence creative decisions, narrative forms, and cultural representation. Drawing on media ecology and cultural studies frameworks, the course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the evolving dynamics in Chinese filmmaking and the strategic responses of ethnic minority voices within this landscape.

Workshop: This session focuses on high-contrast lighting, developed collaboratively through practical exercises. Participants work together to build and adjust lighting setups in real time, exploring how contrast, direction, and exposure are controlled to achieve different visual effects. The session emphasises hands-on problem-solving and decision-making to support mood, depth, and narrative intent.

Day 5:

Lecture: Virtual Production Workflow and the Role of the Studio Manager: This session explores Virtual Production as a workflow, exploring key roles within the VP studio and how creative ideas are translated into practical, achievable setups. We will look in particular at the role of the Studio Manager and Virtual Production Supervisor, why early decisions matter, and how VP reshapes pre-production compared to traditional filmmaking.

Workshop:  This workshop introduces digital environments and asset development for virtual production, focusing on how digital worlds support story, mood, and emotion. Participants explore how choices around location, scale, and atmosphere shape the audience’s understanding of a scene, and how early decisions about environments affect what is achievable later in the production process. The session also examines the role of the Art Department within the virtual production volume, and how physical and virtual elements are combined to create a believable on-screen space. Through practical work, participants consider how depth, composition, and scale are constructed, and how foreground sets, props, and textures interact with virtual backgrounds.

Day 6:

Lecture: AI in Video Production: This class explores AI’s transformative impact on video production workflows. It covers the core AI theories and concepts the algorithmic principles to computer vision. This lecture will also cover practical use of LLMs (ChatGPT/Gemini), text-to-video models (Kling/Dreamina), Agentic AI (Pexo and DDream), node-based tools (Liblib), and world models (Marble) to streamline scripting, generation, editing, and 3D model building efficiently.

Workshop: This workshop explores how lens choice and camera movement contribute to making virtual production environments feel believable on screen. It examines how lenses shape depth, scale, and spatial relationships, and how camera movement can either support or undermine the illusion of a coherent space. The session also focuses on how cinematographers “cheat” the shot—curating space so that it reads convincingly on screen. Participants work through how spatial illusion is created through framing, camera placement, blocking, and the relationship between physical elements and digital backgrounds.

Day 7:

Final Day: The final stage of the course centres on an independent applied shoot, where participants work with greater autonomy to plan and execute shots using the camera, lighting, and virtual production techniques developed throughout the programme. This session encourages participants to consolidate their skills and translate creative ideas into practice within a structured production environment.

A concluding Q&A session provides an opportunity to reflect on the work, and address questions arising from the practical experience.

The programme concludes with a showcase of student work, followed by graduation and the awarding of ARRI certification in camera systems.