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

We’ve brought the magic of filmmaking to Joplin and we need you! We’re Film Connection Film School in Joplin, MO, the only program that puts you next to local professionals and gives you an industry foot in the door. We’ve got an amazing 6-month behind-the-scenes program that pairs you up with working film specialists who will mentor you in their studios or production houses. Develop your craft while, more importantly, learning what it’s like to work in a professional environment. The second, more comprehensive, the path is our 8-month directors track. Your mentors will work with you as you write, direct, and edit your project from idea to its final form. And the director track also gives you the chance to work with a dream mentor and pitch your project during your final week when we fly you out to L.A!

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

Joplin, Missouri is a city of around 50,000 people, located along Interstate-44 (historic Route 66) in the southwest corner of the state, near the borders of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas. Situated near the foothills of the Ozarks, Joplin offers easy access to a variety of natural scenery, including plains, rivers, mountains, and caves–plus, it is within driving distance of numerous major cities, including Kansas City, Tulsa, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, and the sprawling Fayetteville-Springdale metro of Northwest Arkansas. These factors combine to make Joplin a strategic place for finding locations for filmmaking. Add to that a generous tax incentive package offered by the state of Missouri to attract filmmakers to the area, and you have a great location for any aspiring film editor, film producer, or film director to get a quality education.  FILM CONNECTION helps get you hooked into the heart of it all.

Meet Our Mentors

Adam Weber

About This Mentor

Daniel Lir

About This Mentor

Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs

About This Mentor

Alejandra Huerta

About This Mentor

Daniela Larsen

About This Mentor

Get Real World Film Production Experience in Joplin

Missouri has been the location site for many films, commercials, television shows, and documentaries.  The 2000 documentary film Route 66: Main Street America did filming in Joplin, as well as in nearby Springfield. Other films shot around Joplin and the surrounding regions of Missouri include Bruno, Winter’s Bone, The Sky Has Fallen, and Abbey of Thelema, to name a few. This area is no stranger to television production, either; Joplin and vicinity have seen location shooting for Kendra, Great American Road Trip, and even TV classic series like The Beverly Hillbillies.

Our Joplin Film Industry Mentors Help you Build Real World Connections

The secret to FILM CONNECTION’s success is our mentor-extern approach. We pair you with a working film or television professional who serves as your personal instructor and mentor during a six-month program, guiding you through hands-on training on real film and video shoots, and helping you make valuable industry contacts.  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. Come find out how FILM CONNECTION of Joplin can help you launch your career!

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!

GET STARTED

Success stories

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

READ THE STORY

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

READ THE STORY

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

READ THE STORY

Fill out the form below to contact admissions and learn about your opportunities.

Contact Us Form

"*" indicates required fields

*Not all programs are available in every state. Consult an Admissions Representative to learn more.

YOUR JOURNEY

STARTS HERE

Bring Your ideas to life

800.600.6956

Our admissions team is ready to help you.