So You’ve Always Wanted to Become a Commercial Film Director

Name: So You’ve Always Wanted to Become a Commercial Film Director
Rating: 4.3 (27 reviews)

Breathing Life into an Actors Portrayal of a Role

Created byAcademy of Film Fashion and Design

Last updated 3/2018

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Control a film’s artistic and dramatic aspects, visualize the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of the vision.
Budgeting for a film
Casting for a film

Course content

4 sections • 25 lectures • 5h 13m total length

1.1 Introduction15:57
Explore the basics of filmmaking from cameras and lighting to directing and working with actors, sharing how creativity and vision drive commercials and features.
1.2 Breaking Down A Commercial 129:36
Break down a commercial from storyboard to budget, location, casting, and execution within a 30-second frame, including edit, animal and food styling considerations, and working with real people.
1.3 Roles and Budget26:48
Explore the APCP budget format and the full range of crew roles from producer and AD to DP, gaffer, and grips, across preproduction to postproduction.
1.4 Breaking Down A Commercial 217:49
Learn how a commercial director breaks down campaigns with storyboards and vignettes, orchestrating casting, wardrobe, props, locations, and pre-production to deliver effective ads.
1.5 Framing33:04
Explore how framing and composition shape film storytelling by mastering rule of thirds, eyelines, depth through foreground and background, camera height and focal length, and lighting to guide the viewer.
1.6 Art Direction 110:20
Explore art direction and framing to create depth through lighting, contrast, and mixing warms and cools; use wardrobe, backgrounds, and camera choices for separation and mood.
1.7 Art Direction 218:35
Master the 180-degree rule, eyeline continuity, and screen direction for convincing two-shots and close-ups. Apply rule of thirds, headroom, depth, lighting, gels, and background separation to elevate art direction.

2.1 Table Read16:44
Perform a table read to test the script, establish character blocking, and plan camera coverage with master shots, 50/50s, and three-shot setups.
2.2 Directing a Scene 19:48
Direct a scene by planning a master shot for framing and coverage, tracking eye lines and line of action, and guiding performance while avoiding line crossing.
2.3 Directing a Scene 211:09
Direct the scene by blocking actors, varying shot sizes, and using over-the-shoulder angles for editor-friendly cuts. Maintain precise eyelines and marks to preserve continuity.
2.4 Directing a Scene 310:34
Direct the scene by tightening blocking, adjusting camera left/right, and rack focusing while maintaining eyeline, energy, and two-light lighting for intimate close-ups and over-the-shoulder shots.
Lecture 12 : 2.5 Directing a Scene 411:48
Direct a scene through blocking, eyeline matching, 180-degree rule awareness, and coverage planning, using master, medium, close, and over-the-shoulder shots, with lighting cues and safety singles to ensure coherence.
2.6 French Overs 11:51
Plan wardrobe and art direction for an outdoor scene with two characters. Use French over back shots and subtractive colors to create contrast and keep them visible against green grass.
2.7 French Overs 25:42
Demonstrates French over coverage for a two-person bench scene, showing a master shot and over the back angles while guiding wardrobe and background for warm tones.
2.8 Doorway Shooting4:30
Explore doorway shooting in commercial film directing, mastering eye lines, left-to-right eyelines, and using geographic frame references for safe staging and clear cuts.

3.1 Color Temperatures 18:55
Balance color temperature and white balance to unify daylight, tungsten, and fluorescent lighting and protect skin tones. Use settings like 4300K or 7000K to adapt to interior and exterior light.
3.2 Color Temperatures 26:03
Learn color temperature and kelvin, apply the color wheel with red, green, blue and their opposites, and use wardrobe and background contrasts to create warm-cool separation.
3.3 Aperture and Depth of Field20:38
Explore how aspect ratios and lens choices shape mood and depth of field, using aperture, focal length, and selective focus to control what's in focus.
3.4 Light Sensitivity7:58
Explore how light sensitivity, camera ratings, and f-stops control exposure and depth of field. Learn how doubling sensitivity affects grain and how neutral density filters enable outdoor shoots.
3.5 Indoor Lighting 13:57
Learn to light with natural window light and one fill light, using daylight balance for interviews and simple setups; employ negative fill and black cards to shape eyes and wrap.
3.6 Indoor Lighting 25:52
Learn two-point indoor lighting by aligning the key and fill with a back light to shape the eyes, rim, and cheekbones, while avoiding white nose.
3.7 Outdoor Lighting2:59
Master an easy outdoor lighting setup with a white reflector to backlight the subject and bounce light for flattering fill, using daylight and a long lens.

4.1 Editing a Scene 130:43
Learn how to edit a scene from master shot to coverage, match action, and eyelines, using cutaways and clean singles to fix jump cuts and maintain continuity.
4.2 Editing a Scene 22:01
We fix sound and balance the mix after the rough cut, using ambient loops to cover gaps, then color balance and exposure to keep the edit seamless.
4.3 Conclusion0:06
Apply the course learnings to go out there and make some great films. Enjoy what you learned and use it to create compelling commercial films.

Requirements

There are no prerequisites or previous knowledge needed for in order to take this course

Description

A film director is the equivalent to a conductor in an orchestra or the captain on a ship guiding its course and responsible for every aspect of the journey. A director is responsible for breathing life into the actor’s portrayal of the role.
Generally, a film director controls a film’s artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualizes the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, production design, and the creative aspects of filmmaking.
Class is partially in classroom and on location. Basics are covered visually in the classroom and then on location and actually go through the process of shooting a scene. We go through a table read with the actors, blocking, lighting, camera angles and coverage, screen direction, etc. while the entire time notes are given by the director to actors, capturing a viable and real production situation. We cover commonly made mistakes and solutions. Then footage is taken to the editor and edited in the classroom. The production process and the editorial process are explained in this video explaining the overall exercise and show the finished product.

Who this course is for:

Anyone interested in starting a career as a commercial film director
Anyone interested in controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects.

So You’ve Always Wanted to Become a Commercial Film Director

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction to Directing a Commercial7 lectures • 2hr 32min

On Set Part 18 lectures • 1hr 12min

On Set Part 27 lectures • 56min

Editing a Commercial3 lectures • 33min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: