Syllabus

Ten weeks, week by week

Ten lectures that follow a film from first idea to final cut, with each of our five teachers leading two of them. The order may still change before the course begins.

Week1

Creating a Character

Sun, Jan 24 Led by Juli Del Prete

A great plot will entertain you. A great character will stay with you for life.
Through a series of writing and visual exercises, you'll learn how to build dynamic characters, and leave class with an iconic character of your very own.

Week2

Secrets of the Short Film

Sun, Jan 31 Led by Andrew Wells Ryder

Before you make a feature, you should make some shorts. But what are shorts? Just little movies? Or are they… different?
We'll look at a smattering of short films and break down what works and what doesn't, and how you can use structure and form to your advantage.
Come away knowing which shape fits the story you're trying to tell.

Week3

The Sequence Method

Sun, Feb 7 Led by Fiona Obertinca

Do you dread the empty page? Same, bestie. The truth is that a first draft of a feature screenplay should never take you long, and the Sequence Method is a proven tool to get you there in record time.
You'll learn to break your story into eight simple sequences, so writing never feels so daunting again.

Week4

Pre-Production Tools

Sun, Feb 14 Led by Ari Shapiro

Tools shouldn't leave you with one vocabulary, they should teach you new languages. Using ShotDeck to inspire, Shot Designer to plot, and storyboards to plan an edit, you can make your film before you shoot a frame, and we'll look at one of Ari's films and the prep behind it.
Learn to plan shots that work with each other using overheads, combining camera moves and finding smart angles that save days and money on set.

Week5

What Type of Director Are YOU?

Sun, Feb 21 Led by Greta Díaz Moreau

What makes a film feel like it was made by a particular director? We'll look at minimalists, romantics, expressionists, auteurs and mainstream directors, and at how camera, performance, design, sound and rhythm create tone.
Find what you're naturally drawn to, and lean into it to develop a stronger directing voice.

Week6

Genre Genre Genre!

Sun, Feb 28 Led by Juli Del Prete

Horror and romcoms, sci-fi and superheroes — what is a “genre film” and why do we care?
We'll look at clips from films that follow the rules of their respective genres, and a few that bend and break them, to decode genre conventions and see what we can steal for our own filmmaking.

Week7

Casting Call

Sun, Mar 7 Led by Andrew Wells Ryder

They say 90% of directing is casting. We'll examine what goes into that 90%, looking at real life examples.
How to run auditions, write for actors, know who's right for a part, and find and approach actors in real life.
Come away with a casting process you can run yourself on a student film.

Week8

Script to Screen

Sun, Mar 14 Led by Greta Díaz Moreau

How do you take a scene from the page and bring it to life? We'll learn to read a script as a director, understand what makes the scene work, and plan how to shoot it.
The choices a director makes with actors, blocking and camera, so every decision has a purpose and helps tell the story.

No class Sunday, Mar 28 (Easter weekend)

Week9

Directing the Unexpected Way

Sun, Mar 21 Led by Fiona Obertinca

We've all been told that somber music, a downpour of rain and a desaturated color palette is what you need to construct a sad moment. What if that was all wrong, and there was a much more powerful way to convey that feeling?
You'll learn to use the core cinematic building blocks in unexpected ways, to make movies that make audiences lean in.

Week10

Documentary Editing & Industry Q&A

Sun, Apr 4 Led by Ari Shapiro

What does it take to assistant edit, junior edit, and lead edit for a company like Food Network or Discovery+? We'll go start to finish on the process, on working with clients when the notes get difficult, and above all on how to feel an edit out when there's no script.
Then we open it up: your questions, a bit on each of our paths, and where you go next.

Ready to join?

Enroll in the course on its own, or with four individualized workshop sessions.

Enroll