3 Months Filmmaking Evening Course - Prague Film Institute

Our general Filmmaking Evening Course allows you to dip your toe into the world of filmmaking without taking a full plunge. Through hands-on experience guided by active filmmakers, we give you a taste of the full spectrum of filmmaking from scriptwriting and pre-production, to directing and cinematography, to the final edit. You will leave the course with a short film in-hands to propel you forward into your next creative endeavor.

This three-month evening course in taught in English and runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6 – 9pm), with additional sessions every second weekend (cca 9 – 5pm) during the first two months. In the final month, classes are held more frequently, occurring Tuesday, Thursday, and every weekend. We teach in the historical heart of Prague in small class sizes of 5 – 15 people, coming from a variety of cultural and career backgrounds. The diversity of our tight-knit filmmaking community contributes to an environment of synergy and inspiration which you will never forget.

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Requirements

Price List

course highlights

Why take this course?

Versatile

This is a versatile program that teaches the essentials of various filmmaking elements. It will be ideal for you if you are a beginner or don’t know which specialisation you would enjoy for further work or study.

Accessible

Designed to seamlessly integrate into your busy schedule, our course allows you to pursue education without compromising your work or family commitments.

Career-oriented

Acquire skills directly applicable to careers in filmmaking. You will gain hands-on experience and the course culminate in the shooting of a short film.

what will you learn?

You will explore the basics of each main filmmaking department and end your course by shooting a final film in cooperation with your peers. Your project will be shot on various cameras, such as the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, or action cameras like the GoPro Hero 6, or similar. For editing, you will be using the professional standard software DaVinci Resolve.

The total course duration is 213 hours, with 33 hours dedicated to the production of the final film.

Scriptwriting

Story structure
Writing to theme
Writing to character
From concept to final draft – a screenwriter’s workflow
Supervision of scripts by teachers

Directing

Formats
Blocking, continuity, pacing, and rhythm
How to get the most out of actors’ performances; rehearsal techniques
Shooting exercises

Cinematography

Basic principals of cameras and lenses
Operation of equipment
Training on HD cameras
Lighting types and techniques

Production Design

Basics of design
Colours theory
Production design budgeting with limited sources
Moodboard
Make-up
Costumes

Production

Basic elements of producing films (from pre-production to post-production)
Project planning and development
Budgeting
Scheduling (script breakdowns, call sheets, production schedules, etc.)
Location management
How to make a casting call
Talent management
Pitching of final film
Final film consultation

Editing

Basics of editing software
Continuity
Montage and rhythm
Basic editing techniques
Final film consultation

Sound

Essential elements of sound
Using sound recording equipment
Basics of sound postproduction
Final film consultation

Shooting of Final Film

During the course you will shoot a final film together with your course mates. The length of the project will be up to 4 minutes.

additional details

What To Bring?

We recommend that all new Prague Film Institute students purchase their own:

Portable external drive with minimum storage 2 TB
Laptop for self guided learning and post-production practice. Our goal is to teach students how to use their own computer for high quality results. Make sure that you choose a laptop which meets the minimum recommended specification. However, for tasks which requires specialist software tools, you will be also allowed to use Prague Film Institute’s computer equipment.

Component	Minimum Requirement	Recommended Requirement
CPU	Intel COre i7 or AMD Ryzen 7	Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9
RAM	16 GB	32 GB+
GPU	4 GB VRAM	8 GB+ VRAM
Media Storage	SSD or RAID	SSD, Direct Attached RAID or NAD RAID (10 GbE)

Budget for your film – our school emphasizes the importance of practical learning by making films. Unlike standard classroom education, the cost of practical filmmaking can vary a lot depending on your script and the vision of the director and cinematographer. For teacher-led workshops the school will cover all or most production costs. However, for shooting of your final film, you and your classmates must pay yourselves. As part of our curriculum we will teach you how to be resourceful when it comes to production expenses. The school will provide for you a bundle of filmmaking equipment and a transportation van, but all other production costs will be your responsibility. We encourage you to plan carefully about the budget of your short film. Write or choose a script that matches the funds you have available to produce it.

What is Included

We understand that by choosing to study with us you are making a big financial commitment. We want to make sure you understand exactly what your tuition fee will cover when you decide to become a Prague Film Institute student.

Lectures, workshops & master classes
Teaching materials
Filmmaking equipment (see more here), in this course you will primarily work with the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k
Licences to Premiere Pro/Da Vinci/AVID Pro Tools
School van for student projects
Green-screen and cinema room on-site
Discounts at our industry partners
Certificate after successful completion of the course

Not Included

Airfare
Visa fees & health insurance
Living expenses (housing, food, transportation)
Production cost for your film (such as locations, props, actors, fuel)

However, Prague is still cheaper than many European cities. The capital offers very safe living environment with high rating in housing and healthcare.

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