The Complete Filmmaking Curriculum

Over a hundred Hollywood professionals helped build a comprehensive filmmaking curriculum.

Producing

The film industry is a business, and while art is important, so is the business side of filmmaking. Emmy and Academy Award winning producers walk you through every step of how to produce a film, including financing, unions, vendors, and liability protection.

Section 1: Development

Discover how the studio system works, the life-cycle of a script, and how the business and art of filmmaking intersect.

The Studio System

In this module, you’ll explore the studio system, learn who the players are, who the mini-majors are, the ever-evolving role of the studios as new corporate conglomerates, the types of movies they are making, and how you can be part of it. (32:38)

Working for a Studio

Learn how to get your project through the studio approval system, what studio executives are looking for, and how studios work with directors and producers. (26:05)

Making a Business Plan

Learn, step-by-step, how to build a business plan that will appease even the savviest investors. Hollywood producers take you through the process so you can go into the fund raising process confident in the movie you’re selling. (28:56)

The Reality Television Story Process

We have all seen reality programming on television, but what happens behind the scenes? Veteran reality producer Troy DeVolld takes into the fascinating world of reality production, its challenges, and the process of keeping the audience gripped in the drama of its characters. (22:22)

Packaging Your Movie

Learn how to choose the right actors for your movie, work with distributors in the development process, determine the value of your creative talent, how to attract top-tier talent, and ultimately make your movie attractive to distributors and audiences. (28:41)

Agents and Managers

Learn the different between an agent and a manager, the roles each fulfill, how to get one, the costs involved, and how to use their services to promote your career. (23:16

Section 2: Producing

The film industry is a business, and while art is important, learn the importance of the business side of filmmaking. Emmy and Academy Award winning producers walk you through every step of how to produce a film, including financing, unions, vendors, and liability protection.

Forming a Production Company

Learn how to choose the right corporate structure, set up a company, open the proper accounts, establish the legal framework for the production, work with an attorney, and set-up the production office. (32:54)

Raising Money

Learn how money is raised for motion pictures, from equity and debt financing to tax incentives. (39:30)

Tax Incentives

Learn how to take advantage of tax incentives, the difference between rebates and credits, how to convert credits into money, what to expect during the auditing process, and how to collect your money. (21:54)

Hiring the Crew

Learn how to hire an experienced crew, work with above the line vs. below the line, union vs. non-union crew members, manage pay-or-play deals, work with independent contractors and employees, address personal conflicts on set, and ultimately assemble the most talented professionals for your project. (30:31)

Managing Money

Learn to manage the budget, set-up a bank account, manage the flow of money throughout the production including payroll, loan outs, kit fees, per diems, mileage, and petty cash. (36:07)

Working with Vendors

Learn to find qualified vendors in your shooting area, manage relationships with vendors, the financial workflow from purchase orders to invoices, and tips to making sure you get the resources you need on set (18:34)

Unions and Guilds

Learn how the unions function, the benefits for members, the key unions: IATSE, DGA, SAG, and WGA, the differences in hiring union and non-union crew, how productions flip, and how to shoot in a “Right-to-Work” state. (35:40)

SAG-AFTRA

Learn how SAG functions, the ramifications of the SAG-AFTRA merger, how signatories work, how the Taft-Hartley act admits new members into SAG-AFTRA, and the benefits and drawbacks of Financial Core. Be prepared when working with SAG-AFTRA actors on your production. (25:47)

Production Insurance

Learn how to insure your production against liabilities and costs incurred from accidents, the types of insurance you’ll need, where you can buy production insurance, the costs of insuring a production, cast insurance, film and video tape insurance, equipment insurance, and E&O insurance. (19:54)