The International Academy of Film and Television’s Certificate Program in Filmmaking is the perfect course for novice filmmakers looking to hone their skills and take their film and production craftwork to the next level. This immersive, hands-on course teaches every step of filmmaking from pre-production to post; how to approach each step both technically and artistically.
During the 20 week program (two 10-week terms), you’ll not only learn the ins and outs of crafting a compelling screenplay, but also the essential skills required to direct, produce, edit, and more.
We recognize how important it is to build a body of work for yourself as you make your way in the film industry. By the end of the course you will have a completed an individual film as well as a group film to add to your portfolio. These completed films can be your entrée into your career and our programs guide you to producing them as part of your coursework.
Program Description:
The Certificate program is a concentrated exploration into the processes of filmmaking conducted over two 10-week terms. Students learn to write, direct, shoot and edit a group short film/video project and an individual short film/video project. There are four main concentrations of studies: Screenwriting, Pre-Production, Production, and Editing. Students attend class 4 days or evenings a week with an additional 8 1?2 hour on-campus lab period per week. The maximum number of students-to-teacher ratio in a classroom or lab session is 12:1.
Program Objectives:
The educational objective of the Certificate Program in Filmmaking is to train people for entry-level work in the film and video industry as camera operators, videographers, grips, screenwriters, producers, directors, production assistants, assistant editors, lighting assistants, assistant directors, dolly grips, video editors, lighting technicians, director’s assistants, and audio recorders.
Students will learn to:

• Understand the fundamental principles of storytelling
• Write and edit screenplays for short films
• Set up and operate professional level cameras and lenses
• Set up a range of lighting equipment
• Produce and direct a short film
• Supervise production crew and actors
• Light indoor and outdoor scenes and compose shots to effectively communicate a script’s ?message or theme
• Work with camera support and movement systems, such as tripods, dollies, jibs, cranes ?and others
• Record and mix sound
• Organize and edit raw video and sound footage to reflect the story detailed in a script
• Incorporate video and sound effects into edited material
• Add text and graphics to a film and video presentation
• Communicate and work effectively with other film crewmembers
• Plan and coordinate the crew and production components necessary to produce a short ?film
• Distribute a completed film through a variety of platforms
• Follow professional etiquette to facilitate successful and effective overall crew performance.