DIGITAL FILMMAKING PROGRAM
1-YEAR INTENSIVE

SPRING 2008
Program Start: MARCH 24, 2008
Tuition: $28,900

The Digital Filmmaking Program is an intensive, hands-on program designed to prepare students for a career in the motion picture industry. The innovative curriculum is taught by award-winning filmmakers and is project-based, with students creating five (5) of their own movies and working on a professional feature-length motion picture. 

Over the course of the year, every student will create:
- One 3 to 5-minute narrative fiction film
- One 3 to 5-minute documentary film
- One 4 to 6-minute “challenge” film (either documentary or fiction)
- One 30-second commercial with special effects
- One 8 to12 minute thesis movie in any genre
and:
- Crew with professionals on a feature-length motion picture

Students learn the art and craft of filmmaking and work in a variety of genres – fiction, commercials and documentary. The class is structured around small production teams in which students produce their own movies and crew on team member projects. In this way, students get personalized instruction, maximum experience with the equipment, and create material for their demo reels.

SFSDF is proud to be a small school, with only two new class starts a year, in March and September.  Unlike other film schools that have a “conveyor belt” mentality and start a new class every month, our class sizes are limited in order to offer students maximum access to both equipment and instructors.   Our mission is not to turn out large numbers of students with little knowledge – it is to train a small group of passionate students and prepare them for entering the professional world of filmmaking.

SFSDF student movie projects are strategically designed to allow students to build their skills in an organic and increasingly challenging way.   After completing their first own film projects movies and crewing on as many as 25 of their teammates movies, student have the skills and confidence necessary to crew on a feature-length digital motion picture.  SFSDF is the only film school in the country offering students this valuable and unique experience. 

On the movie set, students fill in key crew positions and continue to develop their craft by working side-by-side with professional crew members from San Francisco and LA.  During the course of filming, students rotate through two feature production departments and receive credit on the finished film.  This on-set experience allows students to gain critical real-world knowledge and invaluable contacts in the movie business.

Students that successfully complete this Program receive the three essential tools for launching their career--a demo reel built from their best work, motion picture credits including work on a feature film, and contacts in the industry.  Students enter the filmmaking program at SFSDF as students and leave as professionals.

The SFSDF Digital Filmmaking Program is offered concurrently at two different times, daytime and evening. The evening schedule helps to meet the needs of working students. Both the evening and daytime classes offer the same course of study with the same number of hours. 

Daytime, M-Th (9a-3p)
Evening, M-Th (6:30p-10p) and Sat (9a-6p)

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
SFSDF offers financial assistance options through SLM Financial, a SallieMae Company. These are credit-based loans and offered to students that qualify based on credit history.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FINANCIAL INFORMATION

NEXT START: FALL 2008
Program Start: September 15, 2008
Tuition: $29,900

APPLICATION PROCESS:
CLICK HERE TO BEGIN

For more information or questions please call Admissions at 415-522-1200

DIGITAL FILMMAKING WORKSHOPS

The Digital Filmmaking Workshops are five or six week hands-on classes designed to introduce students to the art and craft of filmmaking.  These workshops are an excellent exploration into the language of cinema and the tools of digital filmmaking.  Each workshop student writes, produces, directs and edits their own short film and crews on classmates' productions.  Students learn fundamental digital filmmaking skills using professional equipment.  Students produce their work using Sony HD cameras; professional lighting, grip and sound equipment; and state-of-the-art sounds stages.  Students edit their films using the latest Apple computers and Final Cut Pro HD.  At the end of each workshop, students premiere their films in front of family and friends.

SUPER SUMMER FILMMAKING WORKSHOP

We are excited to offer an extended “super” version of our very popular digital filmmaking workshop.  In this 6-week intensive, every student makes their own short fiction or documentary film - from start to finish.  Along the way, students learn the fundamentals of cinematic storytelling, screenwriting, producing, directing, cinematography, lighting, and editing.  As with all of our classes, instruction is hands-on using HD cameras, professional filmmaking gear, and Final Cut Pro HD.  This class meets during the day and offers students an unprecedented amount of access to our facility and equipment.

SUMMER 2008

Dates: June 23 – August 3
Schedule: M-Th 9a-4pm
Tuition: $4,500

FALL & WINTER FILMMAKING WORKSHOPS

This is our very popular and often sold-out evening filmmaking workshop.  In the Fall this workshop teaches the basics of documentary filmmaking, and in the Winter the focus is on fiction filmmaking.  As in all of our workshops, each student writes, produces, directs, and edits their own work.

Sample 5-week Schedule – Documentary Workshop*

Week 1
HD Camera Fundamentals/ intro to Documentary Storytelling / Pitching Ideas / Lighting for Motion Pictures

Week 2
Doc Proposals Due / Producing 101/ Essentials of Directing / Location Sound / Tech Rehearsal

Week 3
Movie Production

Week 4
Final Cut Pro Basics / Principles of Digital Editing / Documentary Editing / Editing Labs
Week 5: Rough Cut Due / Audio Post-production & Music/ Creating Titles / Output to QT & iDVD / Movie Premiere

*Scheduling is subject to change due to holidays, etc.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
SFSDF offers financial assistance options through SLM Financial, a SallieMae Company. These are credit-based loans and offered to students that qualify based on credit history.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FINANCIAL INFORMATION

APPLICATION PROCESS
CLICK HERE TO BEGIN

For more information or questions please call Admissions at 415-522-1200

Thank you and we look forward to seeing your movie!