Film Directing School

Let’s face it: very few of us want to sit around and read about history. For some people, it’s hard to see the point, and it can be really boring. But it doesn’t have to be boring. Every time you sit down and watch a movie, you are watching history. Think about this for a minute: if there had never been a movie made before, would you know anything about what a good movie looks like? Every time you sit down and watch your favorite movies, you are building ideas about what you like and what you don’t like as…

Having a strong pitch is almost more important than having a strong script. They’re also much harder to write. A good pitch must reveal your story’s set-up, your characters, the central conflict, as well as hint at a resolution, all in just two minutes. In this lesson, we will help you develop a killer pitch that will leave even the most hardened cynic dying to know more!   Continue Reading... « Prev Choose a Lesson... Lesson 1 - Intro to Genre Lesson 2 - History of Film Lesson 3 - Developing a Pitch Lesson 4 - The Script Lesson 5…

If every script begins with an idea, then every film begins with a script. A script is the blueprint for your film. This lesson begins your long and arduous journey of being a full-fledged screenwriter. Time to strap on your seat belt and prepare for the ride! During this lesson, you’ll be learning how to put the building blocks of a script in the right order. You’ll learn how to tell which ideas are good and which are not. You’ll also start outlining your idea during this lesson. An outline is a point-by-point summation of everything that is going to…

As a director, it is important to know and understand the duties of the different people on set. The AD (assistant director) is in charge of all on-set, day-to-day operations. Under him is a second assistant director who is a liaison between the director and the rest of the crews. Things like time cards, call sheets, tracking the daily progress against the production schedule, and maintaining a general sense of order, are the responsibilities of the AD. In this lesson, you will understand the importance of having an AD you can trust.   Continue Reading... « Prev Choose a Lesson...…

Time to turn in your first act! The first act is the most important part of any screenplay. Your first act is what is going to sell your film. Hollywood’s a dog-eat-dog world. If your first act isn’t great, whoever’s reading it will stop reading. It’s that simple. You need to have an amazing opening to keep the reader/buyer/producer/whoever interested. During this lesson, you will get to meet with a professional screenwriter who’s been in the business for years! He/she will help you to perfect what you’ve already written, and also offer constructive advice on how to move forward. You…

The sound department is the smallest department of a production. The sound mixer is responsible for on-set sound. Under him are a boom operator and a cable wrangler. There is also the post-production sound designer, who is responsible for developing the various audio textures that are needed to draw an audience into a story and increase “production value.” When going into the filmmaking world, it is extremely important to know everyone’s job. There are a myriad of reasons for this, ranging from being able to call someone out when they’re not working their hardest to being able to jump in…

Here you get to check in with our screenwriter again to evaluate your progress! At this point, you’ll have heeded the screenwriter’s advice: you’ll have gone back and re-written large chunks of your screenplay, if not the entire script. You’re now returning for round two. You’ll have a new and improved script that features content so exciting that you can practically see it leaping off the page. Our screenwriter will sit down with you again and evaluate what you’ve changed, and what new content you’ve generated. The goal of these lessons with our screenwriter is to improve your ability to…

Cinematography is more than a science: it is an art. A good cinematographer can manipulate a camera and a set of lights to capture beautiful, striking imagery. Cinematography has evolved considerably since the beginning of motion pictures. It started out as a duty of the director, and the position itself evolved out of the advancement of technology. As the cameras and lights became more complicated, it became necessary for an entire department to be in charge of cameras and lights. In this lesson, you will learn the finer points of lighting and cinematography, including 3-point lighting, and what is meant…

So you’ve reached the end of your second act. Time to check in with our screenwriter once again! He/she will offer helpful guidance and tips as you prepare to plow forward into the climax of your story! Second Acts are always the most difficult. They require an expert writer who knows exactly how to ratchet up the tension without overdoing things. They are the most difficult part of any screenplay to write, but they are often the most memorable in the finished film. Our screenwriter will evaluate what you have written and assist you in fixing rough spots and eliminating…

Line Producing is one of the areas of the film industry that most people have little to no inkling about. The line producer is someone who assists and oversees the crafting of a budget, the needs of the day-to-day production, and ensures that everything is being done on budget and on schedule. The line producer usually has no say in the creative or narrative sides of a production; he or she is only responsible for the logistical side of production. In order to craft a good budget, you must have several things: a locked script, a total amount to budget,…

Guess what? You’ve just written a feature-length script in only 12 weeks! Congratulations! Now the fun REALLY begins. During the next two weeks, we’ll work with you on revising your screenplay and writing a second draft. Then it’s full steam ahead! Second drafts are where you keep all of the great aspects of your film and you throw away everything else. You’ll be taking your script to the beauty salon and giving it a makeover. You’ll be re-writing everything that doesn’t work about your script. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson, you’ll have a thoroughly awesome second draft of…

It’s a common misconception that you have to be able to draw to make storyboards. Nothing could be further from the truth. With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can make some KILLER storyboards! Storyboards are important because they save time, and therefore save money. Storyboards are what tell the director of photography (DP) and the camera crew what they will be shooting that day. It’s never a good idea to show up to a set and just wing it. Filmmaking is all about preparation. Storyboards are a part of this process.   Continue Reading... « Prev Choose a Lesson...…

Every script must be broken down going into pre-production. This typically happens as the producer reviews a finished script, marking certain elements that need to be handled before going into production. Most importantly, a script breakdown is needed before anything can be budgeted. This lesson will teach you how to break down your script so that when it comes time to pitch your story to a Hollywood executive, you’ll be completely 100% PREPARED to answer all the tough questions!   Continue Reading... « Prev Choose a Lesson... Lesson 1 - Intro to Genre Lesson 2 - History of Film Lesson…

Pre-production is undoubtedly the most important part of making a movie. Pre-production begins the moment that you have two things: script lock and financing. Script lock is when you are completely, perfectly happy with the script and you don’t want to change a thing. Financing is simply having the money in the bank waiting to be spent. This is the time when you assemble the puzzle. The job that sits before you, the producer, and the UPM and Location Manager is to figure out how you are going to get everything where you want it and when you need it…

Actors can be very difficult people to work with. Having said that, if you cast an actor that is difficult to work with, you have no one to blame but yourself, because you made the decision to hire him/her. Acting is a very creative process that does take a considerable amount of skill. This lesson is designed to help you understand the best ways of communicating with your actors and the kind of language you want to use when speaking with them. Here you will also cast actors in a scene from your completed script!   Continue Reading... « Prev…

Shooting a movie can be one of the most challenging, intense, creative and fun experiences a person can have. In this lesson, you’re going to choose one of the most dynamic and interesting scenes from your script, and your mentor is going to help you shoot it!   Continue Reading... « Prev Choose a Lesson... Lesson 1 - Intro to Genre Lesson 2 - History of Film Lesson 3 - Developing a Pitch Lesson 4 - The Script Lesson 5 - Hierarchy of a Production Part 1: The AD Lesson 6 - Act One Lesson 7 - Hierarchy of a…

While there’s no longer a “cutting room floor” in the filmmaking business, a video editor still plays an important part in any commercial, tv show, short film, or feature film production. While the director is still the quarterback of the team, consider the editor as a running back. When the director and cinematographer are done with principal photography all of the footage gets handed off to the editor to be put together and assembled into the final product. What You’ll Need It’s been said that a craftsman is only as good as his tools. Of course, it’s also been said…

In today’s fast paced world, most directors attempting to pitch a project create what are referred to as pitch reels, or sizzle reels. They serve as a trailer for the film with the goal of quickly establishing tone and atmosphere. A pitch reel is usually constructed with repurposed footage from films with a similar tone. Are you directing a film about a masked axe murderer who kidnaps a small child? Then you’d use re-contextualized footage from Halloween and Home Alone. Maybe your Dr. Loomis character is intended to be an homage to John McClane, so you include footage from Bruce…

This is the final step of the program. The last few feet until the end zone. The final seconds on the clock. This is crunch time. Your adrenaline should be pumping. You should be excited and nervous. You’ve studied, prepared, and trained for precisely this event. You will have the option of flying out to L.A. or New York to pitch your movie to an established producer who has the resources to GET YOUR MOVIE MADE!   Continue Reading... « Prev Choose a Lesson... Lesson 1 - Intro to Genre Lesson 2 - History of Film Lesson 3 - Developing…

There’s no way of knowing whether the Hollywood executive to whom you pitch your script will have any interest in purchasing it. There are tons of variables in play, and it’s more about timing than anything else. So what do you do if the agent doesn’t bite? You do what hundreds of indie filmmakers before you have done: you raise money on your own! So before you leave L.A., we will pair you with someone well-versed in raising cash from the ground up who will offer you a two hour consultation on what’s legal and what isn’t (including how to…