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Get started with a virtual tour of an Illinois 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 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 in-person or online.
Other students learn in classrooms...
OUR students learn in:
REAL Radio Stations
REAL Recording Studios
REAL Film Production Companies
Where jobs get filled.
When jobs become available, our students are often the first to know and get hired.
Other students learn in classrooms...
OUR students learn in the same places where jobs get filled.
REAL Radio Stations
REAL Recording Studios
REAL Film Production Companies
From directing to producing to editing and screenwriting, our 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 or receive direct one-on-one training online.
Film Connection’s mentor styled education is a cost-effective approach to real-world, 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.
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 careers in the film industry. 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?
The BSP editing facility sets the standard for editing in Colorado. Three video edit suites utilize “Premiere Pro CS6”, “Final Cut Pro” and “DaVinci” and project Panasonic High Definition 1080p images on to 110” Stewart Screens.
Request an InvitationOdd Thomas, 13 Sins, Blood Out, Left Behind, Season of the Witch, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, The Outsider
Request an InvitationSteve is an award winning producer, director and writer of over 250 films, documentaries, television shows and home video properties, including specials from the Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series, NBA and NCAA Championships, and college football bowl games.
Request an InvitationAvery O. Williams works steadily in both the film and theater worlds. He is the co-writer of the feature film Directing Eddie starring Valerie Perrine and Jade Barrymore, directed by Lawrence Kaldor which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and was voted Best Comedy at the 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. He wrote and directed the industrial film for the City of Atalanta entitled Surviving Domestic Violence and he wrote and co-produced the film short The Willie Witch Projects, which was showcased at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival and is distributed by Trimark Pictures in their compilation entitled The Bogus Witch Project. Other short subject screenplays that have been made into films include Notes In A Minor Key, The Willie Witch Projects and The Chocolate Factory, Part 1.
Request an Invitation“The Film Connection Program uses real world people to mentor real world jobs.”
-Harry Findysz, Tucson, Arizona, Southern Arizona Video Productions
Producer of Live Television, Music Videos, Documentaries, Winner of Ashbury Best Music Documentary 2016 Linda Chorney The Cantina
Request an InvitationGreg Freeman is an award-winning Director of Photography with nearly two decades in news, sports, entertainment, special programming, documentaries, and commercials. Greg has directed projects for nearly every major television network including ABC, Discovery, ESPN, HBO, HGTV, NBC, PBS, and more.
Request an InvitationThe Alphabet Killer, Love N’ Dancing, The Attic, Hero of the Underworld, Law & Order: SVU
Request an InvitationPast productions include LMN’s Monstresses; Investigation Discovery’s Cuff Me If You Can; America’s Most Haunted and UFO’s Crashed my Vacation; America’s Most Secret and I Faked My Own Death for Discovery; National Geographic’s 42 Ways to Kill Hitler and Don’t Try This At Home; Vampire Secrets and Ancient Ink for The History Channel; Las Vegas Bikers for truTV; Weather Channel’s Full Force Nature; True Confessions for WE-TV as well as Beyond Death and Investigative Reports for A&E.
Request an Invitation“All aspects of filmmaking are primarily experiential, so a program like this one gives the students what they need most- the opportunity to DO.” — Matthew Temple, Producer of “The Advocate” and Universal’s “Dragon Nest: Warriors’ Dawn”
Matthew Temple has long stood at the crossroads of art and social action–his work and passion split between telling stories and participating in the creation of new paradigms wherein new stories for the future can be created. As a storyteller, he works as a screenwriter, director, producer and actor. As a social entrepreneur, he is the founder and president of the non-profit WeStrive, where he is the executive director of the Wandering Reel Traveling Film Festival. Temple is currently VP of Production and Development for Mili Pictures Worldwide.
Request an InvitationNick is your basic military brat. Except for the fact that neither of his parents were actually in the military. But, like many military families, his family moved several times during his youth, living in Omaha, Chicago, and Minneapolis among other places. And although he wasn’t living on military bases, he developed a deep interest in History, and all things military. Ask him about the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, and you may just get an entire lesson on the Pacific Theater of World War II. When he’s not painting tanks for his war game simulations, Nick works here. He shoots video. He edits video. He talks about World War II. A lot. Anyone who comes into contact with Nick will become much better versed in the history of mankind and all the wars it has produced over the years. Nick provided 50% of the formula that founded Full Effect Productions over 18 years ago, and has played a vital role in its success. Nick is a 1987 graduate of the University of South Dakota, and his previous experience includes working at a local TV station as Commercial Videographer/Producer. Not taking a cue from his parents, Nick has decided to keep his family in one city, and has called Sioux City, Iowa home since 1988. He has a wife of 29 years and an adult son and daughter. In his free time, Nick can be found studiously painting small military ships, tanks and airplanes. He has amassed large numbers of these items that comprise entire military units used for battles at the MAGECON gaming convention. He’s a film buff who’s recently installed home theater has him positively giddy, and hardly ever seeing daylight.
Request an InvitationLogan is a lifelong filmmaker. With 8 years of experience in Event and Experiential Marketing, Logan has a passion for communicating the brand message and essence with artistic quality and creativity.
Request an InvitationClear a space for all those filmmaking awards you’ll win with Peoria-Bloomington Film Connection. We’ve partnered up with various production companies in both Peoria and Bloomington to get your career started through mentorships.
Our 6-month behind the scenes program gives you the chance to work with mentors who are filmmaking professionals in the Peoria-Bloomington area. You will go to their studios or production houses and gain invaluable experience that will put you ahead of any other film-school graduates who have nothing to show for their time but lectures and a student film.
For those that want the fully immersive filmmaking experience, we also offer the 8-month directors track. This comprehensive program pairs you up with many mentors as you write, direct, and edit your own project. No other program in the world offers its students a chance to pitch to Hollywood insiders like we do.
To APPLY for our Peoria-Bloomington Film School, click here.
Located in central Illinois, the cities of Peoria and Bloomington, Illinois host populations of about 115,000 and 75,000 people, respectively. This area is home to many historical buildings, beautiful countryside, and rests within driving distance of major cities such as Chicago and St. Louis–making the Peoria-Bloomington area a good central area for location filming. These cities benefit from Illinois' generous tax incentives for filmmakers (up to 30 percent tax credit), and several production companies can be found in the area. For people considering a career as a film producer, film producer, film editor or related professions, the Peoria-Bloomington area can be a great alternative to relocation, thanks to FILM CONNECTION's unique system.
Just a few of the productions that have seen location filming in Peoria-Bloomington and the surrounding region of Illinois include movies like The Only Way, Jo Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling, The Dark Knight and Eagle Eye; television shows such as WWF Raw; and documentaries such as Capitalism: A Love Story and Elvis in East Peoria.
FILM CONNECTION’s Mentor Apprentice Programs in both Film and TV have been placing students in film and TV jobs for over two decades. Through our inexpensive 6-month program, we can place you with a working professional who will be your instructor and mentor, giving you valuable connections and hands-on experience with real film and video shoots. Many of our graduates get hired, often by the very companies in which they do their schooling. Can we help launch your career in Peoria or Bloomington? You bet we can.
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 real-world method works.
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