Directing: Workshopping Your Feature (Jun. 2021)

Course applications are now closed. APPLICATION DEADLINE WAS: Monday, May 24 at 2pm PT. 

Acceptances start after the deadline, and occur on a rolling basis.

Expand on your director's toolkit with experienced directors as your guides. In this live, online course, you will shoot a scene from your feature script, after lessons on translating your work from script-to-screen, breaking down your story, directing actors, and visual storytelling. 

In class sessions, you will focus on analyzing scenes from films and will review exercises with classmates and course advisors. Weekly homework designed to move your prep work on story, visuals and performance forward is reviewed by your advisor. The course concludes with a one-on-one mentoring session with your advisor focused on your project. 

By the end of the course, you will: 

• Understand the foundations of storytelling (objective, obstacles, conflict).
• Improve your understanding of the character journey.
• Develop a character analysis for your script.
• Create a thematic statement for your project.
• Hone your project logline and short synopsis.
• Breakdown a scene from your script and complete a scene analysis.
• Learn what to look for in key collaborators.
• Develop language and a process for working with actors. 
• Craft language and an approach to visual storytelling.

This course is ideal for:

• Directors ready to make a feature film who want to dive deep into their creative prep work with the guidance of an experienced filmmaker. 

Course enrollment is approximately 36 participants per session, with a participant to advisor ratio of nine to one. To apply, you must have a feature film screenplay that you plan to direct (you do not need to have written the screenplay) AND have completed at least one fiction short as Director OR have completed Sundance Co//ab’s Directing: Core Elements.

COURSE DETAILS

The course will be held live in our virtual classroom. All sessions are recorded for registered participants who are unable to attend live. If you have any questions about the course, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.

• DURATION: Nine weeks, June 14 - August 22
• SCHEDULE: Monday, 10am - 12pm PT
• Extended first class session: Monday, June 14, 10am - 12:30pm PT
• No class: Monday, July 5
• Extended last class session: Monday, August 2, 10am - 12:30pm PT
• One-on-one mentoring sessions are held between Aug 16 - Aug 22

Sundance Co//ab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.