Welcome to HowToFilmSchool LIVE: Filmmaking Fundamentals
HowToFilmSchool LIVE is a 12-week online filmmaking live stream designed to make professional film education more accessible, practical, and affordable.
The goal is simple: Give aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to learn directly from an experienced industry professional without the high cost of traditional film school.
Unlike traditional online courses, HowToFilmSchool LIVE focuses on live instruction, practical demonstrations, real-world production techniques, and community building.
Each week, students participate in live filmmaking classes covering cinematography, lighting, directing, production, and post-production. Students also have access to dedicated office hours, where they can ask questions, receive feedback on their work, and get personalized guidance on their filmmaking goals.
The program is designed to be interactive, flexible, and accessible to students around the world, with recorded classes, downloadable resources, and a community of filmmakers learning together.
Our philosophy is straightforward: You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to start learning how to make films. You need practical knowledge, hands-on experience, constructive feedback, and the opportunity to learn from people who actually work in the industry.
What You’ll Get
- 12 Three-Hour Live Classes – 36 hours of live filmmaking instruction, practical demonstrations, scene breakdowns, and interactive discussions.
- Private Discord Community – Access to your cohort’s dedicated Discord channels to connect with fellow students, share work, ask questions, and collaborate.
- 12 Weeks of Patreon Feed Access – Exclusive access to the HowToFilmSchool Patreon feed for additional content, updates, discussions, and resources throughout the program.
- Downloadable Course Documents – PDF copies of the production documents, templates, guides, and other resources presented throughout the course.
- The Film School Reality Checklist & more!
HowToFilmSchool LIVE is a 12-week online filmmaking program built around live classes, practical demonstrations, and personalized mentorship.
Learning filmmaking from experienced industry professionals shouldn’t require tens of thousands of dollars in tuition.
Whether you’re interested in Cinematography, Lighting, Directing, or Production, this interactive course gives you the opportunity to develop real-world filmmaking skills, ask questions, receive feedback, and learn directly from working film professionals.
Join our next cohort and take your filmmaking skills to the next level.
Update notes and changes will be listed below so you can see what has been added, revised, or fixed.
Curriculum
- 8 Sections
- 52 Lessons
- 12 Weeks
- 101 Film History6 Items
- 1.1Film History – Unit 1 – The Birth of Cinema (1890s–1910s) (Copy)
- 1.2Film History – Unit 2 – The Silent Era The Silent Era (1895–1929) (Copy)
- 1.3Film History – Unit 3 – The Birth of Studio Storytelling (1910–1930) (Copy)
- 1.4Film History – Unit 4 – Golden Age of Hollywood – (1930–1960) (Copy)
- 1.5Film History – Unit 5 – Film Noir (1941–1958) (Copy)
- 1.6Film History – Unit 6 – The Blockbuster Era: Hollywood Reinvented (1975–2000) (Copy)
- 102 Intro to Storytelling6 Items
- 2.1Intro to Storytelling – Unit 1 – What Is Storytelling? (Copy)
- 2.2Intro to Storytelling – Unit 2 – Character (Copy)
- 2.3Intro to Storytelling – Unit 3 – Structure (Copy)
- 2.4Intro to Storytelling – Unit 4 – Theme (Copy)
- 2.5Intro to Storytelling – Unit 5 – Generating Ideas (Copy)
- 2.6Intro to Storytelling – Unit 6 – Making a Beat Sheet (Copy)
- 103 Intro to Screenwriting7 Items
- 3.1Intro to Screenwriting – Unit 1 – Screenplay Basics (Copy)
- 3.2Intro to Screenwriting – Unit 2 – Idea. Premise. Logline (Copy)
- 3.3Intro to Screenwriting – Unit 3 – Character Engineering (Copy)
- 3.4Intro to Screenwriting – Unit 4 – Different Structures (Copy)
- 3.5Intro to Screenwriting – Unit 5 – Worldbuilding (Copy)
- 3.6Intro to Screenwriting – Unit 6 – Writing Scenes (Copy)
- 3.7Intro to Screenwriting – Unit 7 – Dialogue (Copy)
- 104 Intro to Production7 Items
- 4.1Intro to Production – Unit 1 – Intro (Copy)
- 4.2Intro to Production – Unit 2 – Film Language (Copy)
- 4.3Intro to Production – Unit 3 – Script Breakdown (Copy)
- 4.4Intro to Production – Unit 4 – Storyboards and Shotlists (Copy)
- 4.5Intro to Production- Unit 5 – Pre Production (Copy)
- 4.6Intro to Production – Unit 6 – Production (Copy)
- 4.7Intro to Production – Unit 7 – Post Production (Copy)
- 105 Intro to Directing7 Items
- 5.1Intro to Directing – Unit 1 – What a Director Actually Does (Copy)
- 5.2Intro to Directing – Unit 2 – Breaking Down a Script (Copy)
- 5.3Intro to Directing – Unit 3 – Working With Actors (Copy)
- 5.4Intro to Directing – Unit 4 – Shot Choices and Visual Basics (Copy)
- 5.5Intro to Directing – Unit 5 – Blocking and Working on Set (Copy)
- 5.6Intro to Directing – Unit 6 – Editing Mindset for Directors (Copy)
- 5.7Resources for Directing (Copy)
- 106 Intro to Cinematography7 Items
- 6.1Intro to Cinematography – Unit 1 – What a Cinematographer Actually Does (Copy)
- 6.2Intro to Cinematography – Unit 2 – Camera Fundamentals (Copy)
- 6.3Intro to Cinematography – Unit 3 – Composition & Framing (Copy)
- 6.4Intro to Cinematography – Unit 4 – Intro to Lighting (Copy)
- 6.5Intro to Cinematography – Unit 5 – Colour, Tone and Mood (Copy)
- 6.6Intro to Cinematography – Unit 6 – Movement & Coverage (Copy)
- 6.7Intro to Cinematography – Unit 7 – Working With a Crew (Copy)
- 107 Intro to Video Editing9 Items
- 7.1Intro to Video Editing – Unit 1 – What Editing Actually Is (Copy)
- 7.2Intro to Video Editing – Unit 2 – How Cuts Work (Copy)
- 7.3Intro to Video Editing – Unit 3 – Time, Rhythm, and Pacing (Copy)
- 7.4Intro to Video Editing – Unit 4 – Types of Cuts and Editing Styles (Copy)
- 7.5Intro to Video Editing – Unit 5 – Scene Structure and Narrative Shaping (Copy)
- 7.6Intro to Video Editing – Unit 6 – Shaping Performance in the Edit (Copy)
- 7.7Intro to Video Editing – Unit 7 – Sound and the Invisible Edit (Copy)
- 7.8Intro to Video Editing – Unit 8 – Documentary vs Narrative Editing (Copy)
- 7.9Intro to Video Editing – Unit 9 – Editing for Modern Media (YouTube & Social) (Copy)
- 108 Intro to Audio3 Items
