HTFS LIVE · FILMMAKING FUNDAMENTALS
A Live Online Filmmaking Course for Beginners
Ever watch a scene and wonder how they pulled it off? HowToFilmSchool LIVE takes you behind the camera to explore how films get made, from the first idea to the finished edit.
Join us for 12 weeks of live online classes covering storytelling, screenwriting, producing, directing, camera, lighting, sound, editing, and finishing a film. Ask questions, break down scenes, and explore the choices that take an idea from the page to the screen.
Course Dates
January 11–March 29, 2027
Live Class Time
Mondays, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
Eastern Time (Toronto)
Live Instruction
12 three-hour classes · 36 hours total
Format & Level
Online livestream · Beginner
Explore the course: What You’ll Learn · Schedule · What’s Included · Instructor · FAQs
What You’ll Learn
Filmmaking gets much more interesting when you understand how the pieces fit together. We’ll follow the process from story and script through planning, shooting, and editing, exploring how decisions in one department affect the work of another.
- Before the shoot: Develop your understanding of story and screenwriting, then explore budgets, schedules, locations, crew, and the essentials of production design. Learn how directors work with actors, plan coverage, and use blocking to tell a story.
- On set: Get to know crew roles and set etiquette, camera settings, lenses, exposure, composition, simple lighting approaches, and recording clear dialogue. A scene breakdown connects those subjects through shot priorities, continuity, and the decisions involved in running a shoot.
- After the shoot: Explore how selecting takes, shaping performances, and adjusting pacing build a scene in the edit. Then cover sound editing, basic colour correction, titles, and delivery before looking at sharing your work, film careers, and your next steps.
Who This Course Is For
This course is for people who want to start making films, explore a possible crew career, or better understand what happens behind the scenes. You don’t need previous filmmaking experience, just curiosity about the process and an interest in learning.
If you’re already drawn to writing, directing, production, cinematography, sound, or editing, you’ll also get a clearer sense of how that work fits into the bigger picture. The aim is to build a useful foundation and help you decide which skills you want to develop further.
Your 12-Week Class Schedule
Classes run live online every Monday from January 11 to March 29, 2027. We meet from 7:00–10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Toronto), for a total of 36 hours of live instruction.
| Week | Date | Class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 11, 2027 | How Film Production Works: People, Process & Set Etiquette |
| 2 | January 18, 2027 | Storytelling Fundamentals: Ideas, Characters & Structure |
| 3 | January 25, 2027 | Screenwriting Fundamentals: Turning an Idea into a Script |
| 4 | February 1, 2027 | Producing & Preproduction: Budgets, Schedules, Locations & Crew |
| 5 | February 8, 2027 | Directing: Actors, Blocking & Visual Storytelling |
| 6 | February 15, 2027 | Camera Fundamentals: Lenses, Exposure & Composition |
| 7 | February 22, 2027 | Lighting Fundamentals: Daylight, Practicals & Simple Setups |
| 8 | March 1, 2027 | Production Sound: Recording Clear Dialogue |
| 9 | March 8, 2027 | Planning & Running a Shoot: A Scene Breakdown |
| 10 | March 15, 2027 | Editing Fundamentals: Building a Scene |
| 11 | March 22, 2027 | Finishing Your Film: Sound, Colour & Delivery |
| 12 | March 29, 2027 | Film Careers, Sharing Your Work & Your Next Steps |
What’s Included
Live Classes & Community
- 12 three-hour live classes with practical demonstrations, scene breakdowns, and interactive discussions.
- A private Discord community for your cohort to connect, share work, ask questions, and collaborate.
- 12 weeks of Patreon feed access for additional HTFS content, updates, discussions, and resources.
Course Documents & Resources
- Downloadable course documents: PDF copies of the documents presented throughout the course.
- The Film School Reality Checklist to help you think through your learning options.
- Access to the 24 Call Sheet Templates Bundle for planning and organizing shoots.
Your Instructor
The course is taught by Igor Alves, a cinematographer, gaffer, and educator who has worked in film since 2007 and taught cinematography and camera fundamentals at Toronto Film School. Lessons draw on that experience to explain both the creative possibilities and the everyday realities of filmmaking.
What makes a story work on screen? How do you turn a script into a realistic shooting plan, and how do the choices made on set affect the edit? We’ll explore questions like these through practical explanations, scene breakdowns, and live discussion.
Course Questions
Do I need previous filmmaking experience?
No. This is an introductory filmmaking course, with the fundamentals explained as we go. It’s a place to build your understanding of the process and the work involved.
Is this a live course or a self-paced course?
The course is taught live online over 12 weeks. Classes run on Mondays from 7:00–10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Toronto), starting January 11, 2027.
Is this focused only on camera and lighting?
The course follows the whole filmmaking process. Storytelling and screenwriting have separate classes, as do editing and finishing a film. Camera and lighting each have one dedicated class, alongside producing, directing, production sound, and a scene breakdown.
Start Seeing How Films Get Made
Come with questions and bring your interest in the movies you love. Spend 12 weeks exploring how those ideas become choices on the page, on set, and in the edit.
Curriculum
- 12 Sections
- 0 Lessons
- Lifetime
- Week 1 | January 11: How Film Production Works: People, Process & Set Etiquette0 Items
- Week 2 | January 18: Storytelling Fundamentals: Ideas, Characters & Structure0 Items
- Week 3 | January 25: Screenwriting Fundamentals: Turning an Idea into a Script0 Items
- Week 4 | February 1: Producing & Preproduction: Budgets, Schedules, Locations & Crew0 Items
- Week 5 | February 8: Directing: Actors, Blocking & Visual Storytelling0 Items
- Week 6 | February 15: Camera Fundamentals: Lenses, Exposure & Composition0 Items
- Week 7 | February 22: Lighting Fundamentals: Daylight, Practicals & Simple Setups0 Items
- Week 8 | March 1: Production Sound: Recording Clear Dialogue0 Items
- Week 9 | March 8: Planning & Running a Shoot: A Scene Breakdown0 Items
- Week 10 | March 15: Editing Fundamentals: Building a Scene0 Items
- Week 11 | March 22: Finishing Your Film: Sound, Colour & Delivery0 Items
- Week 12 | March 29: Film Careers, Sharing Your Work & Your Next Steps0 Items
