This isn’t a boring Rapid City film school classroom. This isn’t an overcrowded college laboratory. This is life. Real Life. YOUR LIFE.

You don’t have to go to a big city and blow your life savings just to learn filmmaking. Launch your career with Film Connection film school in Rapid City, South Dakota. We provide more bang for your buck, by giving you more than just a degree. We provide mentorships with working film professionals who will be your first industry contacts. Choose our behind-the-scenes program to learn the technical side of filmmaking. Or select the directors program, which gives you several mentors to guide your project from idea to pitch. You’ll even be flown out to Los Angeles to pitch your idea before an industry executive.

To APPLY for our Rapid City, S.D. Film School, click here.

Don’t Spend More on your Film Education if You Don’t Have to

Rapid City, South Dakota is located on the west side of the state just east of the Black Hills, hosting a population of over 67,000 people. It’s currently a rapidly growing community, reflecting a growth rate of over 12 percent during the past decade. Rapid City is unique in that it has a ridge of mountains that divides the city east to west–just one example of the wide diversity of beautiful natural scenery to be found in this region.  Mountains, plains, creeks, and badlands are all part of the surroundings, making Rapid City a great place for on-location filming.  If you are considering a career as a film director, film producer, editor, lighting tech, or otherwise, you’ll find a surprising amount of opportunity here–especially with FILM CONNECTION to help you.

Movies, commercials, TV shows, and documentaries are filmed throughout South Dakota regularly, including in and around the Rapid City area. Perhaps the most famous films that were shot in these parts are Kevin Costner’s epic film Dances with Wolves and the classic western How the West Was Won, among others.

Meet Our Mentors

Adam Weber

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Daniel Lir

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Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs

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Alejandra Huerta

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Daniela Larsen

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Get Real World Film Production Experience in Rapid City

During our inexpensive, 6-month course, you’ll be paired with a working film or television professional who serves as your personal instructor and mentor, guiding you through hands-on training on real film and video shoots. Along the way, you’ll also make vital industry contacts that can lead to future jobs. The fruit of our revolutionary system is in our graduates; many of them get hired in the industry, many times before they even finish our program. You owe it to yourself to see what FILM CONNECTION of Rapid City can do for your career!

To APPLY click here.

Our Rapid City Film Industry Mentors Help you Build Real World Connections

Learn the skills you need to take your idea from paper to the big screen.

Real world film education by filmmakers for filmmakers, optimized for today!

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Success stories

Since he started his extern program with Uptone Pictures in Raleigh, NC, Grant Gilbert has been taking…

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Please take the time to read the experiences of one of our own, Korey Hehn of Pineville, OR…

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The Film Connection program provided me with an opportunity to "see it and believe it"!…

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