Filmmaking: Write, Direct and Distribute Your Feature Film
What you'll learn
- Write a screenplay
- Schedule and organize the entire film production
- Raise funds to pay for making the movie
- Find the cast, locations, costumes and props
- Film the movie using lighting and camera angles that tell the story
- Understand the basics of film editing
- Choose the right distribution options for releasing the movie
Requirements
- You need to have access to a computer with basic writing software.
- You will need access to an HD camera. (You could even use your cell phone.)
- You will need to download video editing software to your computer.
Description
This is an all-encompassing guide for making an independent feature length movie. By the end of this course you will have the information you need to successfully make a feature film that you can distribute around the globe to be seen by possibly millions of people.
I'm sharing with you my experience as a veteran screeenwriter, director, producer and editor of 11 feature films. Normally film students pay a lot of money to learn this information at universities, and often all they really learn is cinema theory.
These videos tell you what you need to do and how to do it to make your movie.
This course covers:
the basics of screenwriting
turning your screenplay into a shooting script
organizing and scheduling your film shoot
tips on saving money
calculating your budget
fundraising
contracts you'll need with cast and crew*
basic tips for filming, lighting and recording audio
basic film editing instruction and concepts, along with tips to make the editing easier
tips for finishing the film to give it the professional look
thorough review of distribution options for your movie
and tons and tons of details about all the steps in between
The videos include lectures, demonstrations and examples illustrating the information I'm sharing.
This course also includes sample spreadsheets, contracts, and a list of additional resources. You will get all the forms and resources I use to make a movie.
*** A special bonus video (Lecture 53) is included on filming with Covid-19 Safety Precautions. During the global pandemic it is possible to continue making films safely. The 24 minute video explains the basics of how filming adapts to safety precautions and how we can keep everyone healthy on our indie film productions.
I LOVE filmmaking. I LIVE to make movies. If you have a story you want to tell, this course gives you the tools to do it.
*I'm not a lawyer. These sample contracts are not legal advice.
Who this course is for:
- Anyone with a burning desire to make movies.
Featured review
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Course content
- Preview03:30
- Preview02:03
- 01:32Telling Stories on Film
- Preview03:41
- 03:11What Distributors Think
- Preview03:00
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 626 Reviews
- 3,322 Students
- 1 Course
I work outside the entertainment industry's studio system creating truly independent feature films for niche audiences who are not being served by the major corporations which dominate Hollywood.
I am a writer, director, producer and editor and make a new feature film in a year. I have nine feature films in global distribution, another film in pre-production and three more features in development.
My movies have been translated into dozens of languages and seen by millions of people. I've sold my films at the European Film Market in Berlin, Germany. In addition to film festivals, I've been flown to private screenings hosted by film fans and funders. Screenwriters hire me as their script doctor to make their stories 'work.' Filmmakers hire me to schedule and budget projects.
In addition to feature films, I've also produced web series, short films, and documentaries.
I started my career working as a union actor in Hollywood for seven years before learning how to produce and direct my own films. I still perform in front of the camera and record audiobooks because it's fun. My primary career is producing and directing feature films.
I love teaching new filmmakers about this incredibly exciting, fulfilling craft. I've guest lectured at UCLA Film School and helped students from NYU, Columbia, School for Visual Arts in New York, and the film program at the University of Texas, Austin.