Get started with a tour of a California externship location. Or call us for more information at 800-600-6956.
* Not all programs are available in every state. Consult an Admissions Representative to learn more.
In the Film Connection for Film Production & Editing program, you will study directing, producing and screenwriting inside a real film production company in your city as you develop your movie idea with a professional filmmaker. Then, upon meeting the necessary requirements, you will be given the opportunity to fly to Los Angeles or New York and pitch your film idea to an executive who could buy or get your movie made.
Film Production & Editing DetailsIn the Film Connection for Cinematography program, you will learn the techniques involved in capturing a moving image and will start to develop “the eye of the DP.” The cinematographer is literally the set ‘magician.’ DPs are responsible for the technological wizardry required to get the needed shots and to shape light to achieve the director’s desired artistic effect.
Cinematography DetailsThe screenwriter is the person who creates, takes, or adapts an idea and formulates a screenplay. Without the writer, there would be no movie. Period. He or she is the starting gate. He or she is the person who gets the ball rolling down the hill.
In the Film Connection for Screenwriting workshop, you will learn the elements that make for a “Killer Script” by developing and writing your own feature length screenplay under the direction and mentorship of a working professional screenwriter.
In many ways the film editor is the most misunderstood of all film professionals. Often considered just a film technician, a good editor is so much more than that. He or she is also a qualified storyteller of the highest order.
In the Film Connection for Film Editing workshop, you will develop your knowledge of storytelling and screenplay structure as the foundational blueprint of a film. You will also develop your technical understanding of editing as an extern to a professional editor in a post-production facility.
From directing to producing to editing and screenwriting, our externship-based, mentor-taught programs avoid the unnecessary costs and unrelated requirements of ordinary film schools and programs. Work directly with an accomplished industry filmmaker at a film production company.
Film Connection’s mentor styled education is a cost-effective approach to hands-on, curriculum backed education in film production and editing and cinematography.
Learn More About Tuition
**Total cost varies by program
*Average Accrued Interest Charges
Sources: Sallie Mae student loan calculator - Nerd Wallet - Best Value Schools - Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Welcome to the Los Angeles Film Connection, the film school alternative that gets you inside an actual Los Angeles film production company as a film student extern learning directing, producing, editing, camera, screenwriting or general production. One of the smartest ways to break into the Los Angeles film business is to start inside a Los Angeles film production company as a film extern. And Film Connection can help.
You don't have to spend 10-50 thousand dollars on film school tuition; you can go to our alternative to film school in a real production company for far less. Learn directly from the pros, and get connected as you get educated. Our film school alternative is a smart, affordable and effective way to get a quality film education.
Los Angeles, California is not only the 2nd largest DMA in the nation—it's also the film capital of the world. Every year, thousands of aspiring filmmakers, actors, screenwriters and film school graduates flock to Los Angeles looking for their chance to "break in" to the business. Countless films and major television productions are shot on Hollywood sound stages an on location throughout the Los Angeles area. Celebrity spottings are common occurrence.
With all this film activity and so much demand for talent, you might think it would be easy to find your way into this business, but the opposite is true. Whether you want to produce, direct, edit, run camera or write screenplays, breaking in just by knocking on the doors isn't the way its done in Hollywood. Most hiring is done from within, and getting noticed and making connections can be quite difficult. Sitting in a classroom isn't a viable path in either. If you want to work in the filmmaking and/or television industry, finding your way to where the action is happening is what it's all about.
That's where the Los Angeles Film Connection comes in. By placing you as an extern for one-on-one. curriculum-backed training in a real film production company, we provide you with the inside track, the competitive edge to get you in the door and noticed, so when that opportunity comes knocking, you can be perfectly situated to be the one who gets chosen.
How do we do it? Simple: Film Connection is the mentored-externship alternative to school of film, and we provide each student with their own mentor, a working industry professional in the specific discipline chosen by the student. This mentor provides one-on-one training on real film sets, or TV stations, and production companies. While externing two to three days a week around the student's schedule over a period of six months, the student has the opportunity to acquire industry connections and contacts—connections that often lead to future work.
Check us out! You owe it to yourself to see what the Los Angeles Film Connection can do for your career!
Learn filmmaking in the real world with the Film Connection’s mentored externship-based approach. We make building relationships an integral part of what we do.
Film Connection mentors work in the real world where the competition is fierce and having the right gear matters. As an extern you have access to the latest hardware and tools of the trade.
Knowing how to handle yourself on the set is a prerequisite for any successful career in filmmaking. Your mentor will guide you through proper etiquette during real film shoots.
We believe the whole point of going to any film school or certificate program should be to learn how to make movies—especially YOUR movie. Our Film Production & Editing curriculum is designed around this concept, from start to finish.
We get it. This isn’t your normal four-year college requiring coursework not associated with your area of interest. We are a post-secondary institution or trade school that's different in its approach. Here's how you can get more info:
Why learn from teachers when you can learn from the professionals?
Ricky Lapkin full-service production company offering cinematic shorts and films, corporate audio visual services, and analog recording transfers to all digital formats.
Request an Invitation“I create music that connects people. It’s what I love to do and I’ve been doing it for over 25 years. I’ve worked with some if the best directors around on a variety amazing of projects in just about every medium there is, including computer games, full-feature and documentary films, websites, radio, television shows, commercials and custom music production.”
Clients: Discovery Channel, MSNBC, History Channel
Request an InvitationRichard Brandes (Jeepers Creepers, Penny Dreadful, My Daughter Was Stolen, Lifetime Network) is an accomplished writer, director, and producer of over two dozen feature films which have been released through well known companies including Alliance/Atlantis, Screen Gems, Sony, HBO, CBS, NBC/Universal, and Lionsgate, to name just a few. Known in the industry for creating highly commercial, profitable films, Richard has an impeccable reputation for completing his projects on-schedule and on-budget.
Request an InvitationSteve Rausch is owner and operator of focused motion. Focused Motion produces and shoot video content for commercials, industrial videos, surgeries and live sporting events. My company has worked on documentaries, programming for Discovery Networks and reality TV shows.
Request an InvitationAdam Weber is a multi-purpose media production addict who has specialized in copywriting, video production, audio production, front-end web development, digital advertising, media planning, and any other role you can think of in regards to making intangible things using software. He also likes to be creative by writing songs with his band Integrow and making delectable craft home brews in his free time.
Request an InvitationAimee Schoof is an entertainment executive, producer, and co-founder of Intrinsic Value Films with Isen Robbins. She has produced more than 30 feature films that have premiered either at Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Toronto, Venice, New Directors/New Films, and Berlin.
Request an InvitationProjects range from Multi-camera Live Webcasting to National TV Ads for Good Neighbor Pharmacies, Regulator Boats, and Product launches airing on Lifetime, The Learning Channel and The Golf Channel.
Request an InvitationDuring his tenure at CCH, Heppe was hired by legendary producer David Foster (The Getaway, Short Circuit, The Mask of Zorro) and quickly climbed to the position of Head of Development where he became involved with Foster’s productions: Collateral Damage starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hart’s War starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell, and The Core starring Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank.
As a hyphenate Producer/Director/Writer/Actor, some of Heppe’s work includes: Production of the docu-drama The Magic Was In The Music, a remake of Short Circuit, adaptations of the 80’s television mini-series V and cop series T.J. Hooker, among others. As an actor, he’s starred in such stage productions as You Can’t Take It With You, Life On The Bowery, Dracula and Picnic at Hanging Rock – several of which he directed.
Request an InvitationI began TAPROOT with a passion to create inspiring film and video content that would move people and maybe even make the world a little bit better place. There are projects that TAPROOT pursues and develops based on our interests, but I’m a firm believer that we all have our callings, and that collectively we can have the biggest impact. As a result, TAPROOT partners with businesses, agencies, and other organizations that are doing important work, helping them tell their stories and share their ideas through cinematic filmmaking.
Our team has a multi-disciplinary background that enables us to understand and compellingly translate your messages and ideas to the visual medium of film and video, and we create and execute projects of varying scale from start to finish. I run TAPROOT and provide direction on all our projects, which include: story-based branded content, television commercials, web based video of all sorts, and film series.
If you care about how you’re presenting your work to the world and want to do so in an honest, inspiring manner – we’d make a good match.
Request an InvitationSo, you have a great idea for a movie that you want to make. That’s excellent. But you’re unsure of your next step. That’s understandable. It’s also the reason Film Connection exists. We help you with the next steps.
Make no mistake about it, Los Angeles is a great place to pursue your dream. In fact, ever since filmmaking moved west in the early 1900s, Los Angeles (and Hollywood) has thrived as the movie capital of the world. This has created a great infrastructure for anyone wanting to learn filmmaking. Because the Film Connection film directing training is headquartered in Los Angeles, we can tap into the city’s film infrastructure in ways that most people can’t and help you pursue your dreams of making a movie.
In fact, a large number of Film Connection students come to us for just this reason—they have an idea for a movie and don’t know the next steps. First of all, having an idea for a movie is a great place to start. ALL movies start with an idea. If you’re passionate about your idea and determined to get it made into a movie then the Los Angeles Film Connection film directing externship should be on your checklist of next steps. Our directing training is designed to guide you and help you transform your idea into a movie. Here’s how we do it.
The late, great filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey; A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut) once said “the best education in film is to make one.” That statement is the fundamental principal of the Film Connection film director methodology–you come to us with your idea for a movie and we teach all the steps necessary to get your movie made. Using the auteur theory of film directing, here’s how we do it.
Remember that idea you have for a movie? The first step in getting your idea made is to create a screen play for that idea. Why? Because ideas themselves are essentially meaningless (unless you are a movie titan)—they are a lot like opinions; everyone has one. In the movie business, ideas that are backed up with a screenplay are a valuable currency. Screenplays can be sold. Ideas can’t.
So, The Los Angeles Film Connection film directing mentored-externship pairs you with a professional screenwriter who has feature film credits to help turn your idea into a screenplay. Throughout the training you will work directly with your screenwriting mentor to flesh out and refine your screenplay.
The importance of this approach cannot be overstated—without the screenplay, there is no movie. A good screenplay tells a story in a way that translates into film. This sounds a lot easier than it really is which is why we team you up with a professional screenwriter. Here’s what a few people you may have heard of have to say about the art of screenwriting.
“People have forgotten how to tell a story. Stories don’t have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning.”
-Steven Spielberg (writer/director of The Sugarland Express, Poltergeist, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, AI: Artificial Intelligence.
“A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end… but not necessarily in that order.”
-Jean-Luc Godard (leading French New Wave director famous for the auteur theory of directing).
“If your goal is to become a film director, you must master screenwriting.”
-Akira Kurosawa (lauded Japanese filmmaker who wrote Seven Samurai, Rashomon and Last Man Standing and whose screenplays were adapted for The Magnificent 7 and A Fistful of Dollars.
In order to make your idea into a film, you will need an understanding of all aspects of filmmaking. While you take our structured course curriculum online, we immerse you in the filmmaking process by placing you (as an extern) into a Los Angeles film production company.
Not only will you be observing first-hand how professionals go about making films, you will be thrust into the real-world filmmaking environment. You’ll learn hands-on and over-the-shoulder how films get made, step-by-step. You’ll learn about “hurry up and wait” and how to thrive in absolute chaos. And you’ll be working on turning your screenplay into your vision of your movie as you go through our film directing training.
In addition, you’ll learn what it means to be a film director by learning all the skills necessary to becoming a professional director.
What makes the Film Connection film directing approach special is something we alluded to earlier—we place you inside a Los Angeles film production company, as an extern, where you will be surrounded by film professionals while they work on real-world film projects. The benefits of this disruptive approach to film school should be obvious, but in case they aren’t, here’s what a few people, you’ve probably have heard of, have to say about traditional film schools.
“The real trouble with film school is that the people teaching are so far out of the industry that they don’t give the students an idea of what’s happening.”
-Brian De Palma (The Untouchables, Body Double, Mission: Impossible, Scarface)
“…the curriculum is often abstract and not relevant to real life, teachers and students don’t connect with resources and experts outside of the classroom, and schools operate as if they were separate from their communities.”
-George Lucas (American Graffiti, and the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises
Still remember that idea you have for a movie? By now, you will have been working with your screenwriting mentor for months to get your screenplay honed and sharpened and ready to be pitched. You will have learned a lot about film production and film directing and used that knowledge to make a sizzle reel—a short promotional video designed to sell your idea to those who can fund it.
Your mentors will prepare you for this pitch meeting, which will take place in Los Angeles in front of film and TV executives. You will go into the meeting armed with your elevator pitch, sizzle reel, screenplay, budget breakdown and plenty of guidance on what to expect from your mentors. If you’ve done it right and they love your idea and are impressed with you and the stars align, you’ll get the green light to make your movie.
Obviously, a lot of our students don’t get the green light to make their movie on their first try. Meanwhile, they’ve gained valuable experience on the screenwriting, production and pitching processes, made top level industry contacts and have gained a better understanding of how things actually work in the real world.
If you are serious about seeing your idea for a movie turn into reality, we encourage you to apply to the Film Connection film directing externship.
If you work hard, are dedicated and passionate, you can do everything we’ve been talking about in as little as six months. The Film Connection film directing training is open enrollment, which means you can start anytime. Are you ready to make your movie?
Los Angeles is the undisputed heart of the film industry, but that doesn’t mean you have to study here. The Film Connection has locations all over the United States, from Houston to Atlanta to New York to Philadelphia, and many other cities. Your path to Hollywood can begin right near where you live.
Learn near where you live. Advantage: Film Connection.
Don’t bury yourself in student debt to go to film school: you could kill your dreams before they ever take flight. We’ve developed a system of training you that is highly effective and affordable. Our tuition rate is so low that even if you finance, you can graduate with little or no student debt.
Low tuition, no add-on charges. Advantage: Film Connection.
Forget about classrooms: there’s no place for them in our program. Los Angeles has more real-world opportunities than any other town, and many industry pros agree that working on-the-job is the one of the best ways to learn. So we put you in a real film production company as an extern. Your “classroom” is on-the-job, and on the set of real film productions. You can’t get any closer to the action than that.
Real-world experience, no classrooms. Advantage: Film Connection.
As a film extern, you’ll be paired with a mentor, a seasoned industry professional with real film credits and connections. All training happens one-on-one, with no competition or interruptions from other students. Learn at your own pace. Ask any questions you like. Your mentor can open doors for you.
One teacher to one student. Advantage: Film Connection.
Who endorses the Los Angeles Film Connection? We’re endorsed by the best in the business because they see our results!
Lots of endorsements from real film professionals. Advantage: Film Connection.
Many of our externs don’t need any help finding work after graduation because they end up getting hired by the companies where they externed! We’re so determined to help you break into the film industry that every Film Connection (RRFC) student is automatically enrolled in our Stay Connected Program which offers active job placement assistance for up to 12 months after graduation.
We don’t just hand you a cold-call lead list when you graduate. We help you find work. Advantage: Film Connection.
Even in a major film town like Los Angeles, breaking in can be difficult if you’re not already on the “inside.” With the Film Connection, you’re on the inside from day one of your training because we place you as a working extern in a real film production company. You’ve got the opportunity to learn on-the-job and prove your skills to the people who matter.
Get on the inside track of the film industry. Advantage: Film Connection.
Stumped with homework? Never fear. We offer tutoring to all students in good standing.
Tutoring for when you need it. Advantage: Film Connection.
In this business, connections are everything. Isn’t it ironic that you could spend 2-4 years in a Los Angeles film school and never make enough industry connections to get you started? That’s because the film industry pros don’t hang out in the classrooms—they’re working on the set. This is perhaps your biggest advantage to being a Los Angeles Film Connection extern—you’re learning on-the-job where the pros are working, and you can make the connections you need for the future.
Real world film industry connections. Big Advantage: Film Connection.
Ask around and you’ll learn that it’s not enough to get a film education in Los Angeles: if you want to break into film, you need to have a film to pitch. The Film Connection’s curriculums are geared toward helping you develop your own original film idea, and when it comes time to graduate, we’ll arrange a meeting with actual L.A. film industry executives and give you the chance to PITCH YOUR FILM to them.
A real chance to break into Hollywood. Big Advantage: Film Connection.
The Film Connection film school alternative is endorsed by filmmakers who are making movies, maybe even the movies you love.
Professionals in the film business—including famous producers, screenwriters and directors—endorse Film Connection’s programs for one simple reason: they know our immersive hands-on method works.
Los Angeles Film Connection Film Institute
6300 Wilshire Blvd. Suite #640
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(213) 374-1101
Los Angeles Film Connection Film Institute
5111 Via Corona
Los Angeles, CA 90022
(213) 374-1101
Burbank Film Connection Film Institute
503 S. Flower Street
Burbank, CA 91502
(747) 200-1160
Email: [email protected]
Hours: M-F 9:00AM - 6:00PM
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