Filmmaking Courses

Filmmaking is the process of creating a film, or an audiovisual work of art that captures the motion of characters, environments, and camera movements in concert with sound — both diegetic (sound from the narrative, such as dialogue and environmental sources) and non-diegetic (such as soundtrack music or narration). A filmmaker's job is to collect those images and sounds using cameras and sound recording devices. In basic terms, the filmmaker creates scenes, captures scenes, then edits the scenes together into a narrative structure. They almost always collect these pieces out of order. Each scene is planned before shooting, down to the camera angles required to construct it. Those individual shots come together to form a scene, scenes stitch together to make a sequence, and individual sequences create the entire narrative. Typically, dozens of people make a film: creatives, production staff, postproduction dept. Understanding the different roles is key to understanding filmmaking.

There are three basic stages of filmmaking: preproduction, production, and postproduction. Preproduction is all about the development and planning of the filmmaking project. First, there is a screenplay written. Then a script breakdown will identify everything the project needs. That includes the budget, cast and crew, equipment, locations, wardrobe, makeup, sets, props, storyboards, shot lists, and a production schedule. From there, all of those items need to be secured. Then, production begins. Those are the days and nights you capture principal photography for the project, lensing every scene and camera angle on your shot list as scheduled. Once production wraps up, you move into postproduction: editing, sound design, special effects, pickup shots, soundtrack, sound mix, color correction, additional dialogue replacement, foleys, and titles. The final stage of postproduction is marketing and selling the film. Think festival screenings, internet exposure, and industry events.

As is the case with any technical work, there’s a big difference between a hobby and expertise. You can absorb the concepts behind each of the elements of filmmaking fairly easily. Fundamentally, you are capturing images and recording sound then assembling those elements into a sequence. But there’s a lot of moving parts that go into filmmaking. Learning how to conduct all of them into a final work that is cohesive, engaging, and rewarding to audiences means employing a harmonic execution of dozens if not hundreds of craftspeople. It begins with watching film and studying film theory: everything from the rules of editing to lighting and acting. To become a truly successful filmmaker, one must understand them all and how they work together.