Directing: Core Elements (On Demand)
About this On Demand Course
This is an On Demand course. On Demand courses allow you to watch pre-recorded lectures at your own pace, with curated resources and other materials to support your work. You can begin taking this course at any time.
In order to serve more of the Sundance Collab community, we developed this On Demand course from existing self-paced course content. By doing so, we are able to offer Directing: Core Elements (On Demand) at a price that allows more people to benefit from the course content.
This course does not offer feedback on your work. If you would like feedback from a Sundance Advisor and to network with other filmmakers, consider taking Directing: Core Elements (Self-paced).
You have an interest in directing fiction films, but now you want an expert in the field to help guide you as you take the next step. In this On Demand course, you will learn about the directing craft, how to assemble and collaborate with your crew, work with actors, and translate work from script-to-screen.
What you’ll get from the course:
- An understanding of the creative role of the director in every phase of production.
- How to analyze a script and break down a scene.
- An understanding of the fundamentals of directing actors including casting, rehearsal, and on-set work to obtain the best possible performances.
- How to block a scene.
- Tools for mapping your shoot and designing your shotlist.
- Keys to collaboration.
- Preparing materials and a strategy for film festivals.
This course is ideal for:
- Aspiring film directors at any experience level
- Screenwriters wanting to direct their own work
- Content creators ready to level up their storytelling
- Film students seeking practical, industry-tested techniques
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
On Demand CourseAccessibility
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Submit our Request Accessibility Support form to arrange for services.
Outline
Topics covered include:
- Introduction & course overview
- The role of the director
- Film language & grammar
- Case study: Corbijn and Winterbottom
- Overview of the generic scene
Topics covered include:
- Elements of drama
- The spine
- Unpacking the script #1: Life Needs, dramatic blocks, and the fulcrum
- Unpacking the script #2: Themes, tone, and treatment
- Case study: Armstrong and Gerwig
Topics covered include:
- Film language & grammar: subjective vs. objective
- Lenses
- Shot vocabulary
- The rules
- Blocking & shotlisting
Topics covered include:
- Actor's vocabulary
- Beat sheet
- The casting process
- Blocking
- On-set communication
Topics covered include:
- Collaboration
- Production design
- Storyboards
- Make a shoot schedule
- Understanding the paperwork
Topics covered include:
- Production
- Shoot schedule strategies
- Tips for the set (or "setiquette")
- Set protocol
- Directing strategies
- Ethics and sustainability practices
Topics covered include:
- Director-editor collaboration
- Editing techniques
- Sound design & music
- The edit process
Topics covered include:
- Film festival strategy
- Preparing your promotional materials
- Quick tips for attending film festivals
- Building a career as a director
Instructor
Marie Jamora
Born and raised in Manila, Marie Jamora was the Producer/Director on the UNT. AVA DUVERNAY PROJECT for Starz. Marie recently directed an episode of the MATLOCK reboot starring Academy Award and Emmy winner Kathy Bates, as well as GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES for Paramount+. Her short film, FLIP THE RECORD, won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at Urbanworld and was shortlisted for the 90th Academy Awards. Her other short film HARANA was made at AFI's Directing Workshop for Women and won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Narrative Short at the Sarasota Film Festival. Her first feature, WHAT ISN'T THERE (ANG NAWAWALA), premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and is considered a cult classic coming of age film in the Philippines. Her TV directing credits include QUEEN SUGAR (OWN), THE CLEANING LADY (FOX), ALL RISE (OWN), THE RESIDENT (FOX), and both seasons of FIRE COUNTRY (CBS).
She graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in Film, where she learned Directing the Actor from director/author Lenore DeKoven and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Marie was Adjunct Directing Faculty for eight years in the Philippines and for three years at the American Film Institute. She is one of the leaders of the DGA’s Women’s Steering Committee’s Squad Mentorship program, the founder of Cinema Sala, her non-profit community organization, and proudly one of the few Filipinos in the Director’s Guild of America.
FAQ
Sundance Collab’s On Demand courses provide flexibility to learn on your own time, whenever you’re ready. On Demand courses do not provide you with feedback on your work, but they do provide suggested activities and curated resources.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for all of the On Demand courses and the certificate will include the name associated with your Collab account.
You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Collab account under “Courses.”
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs.