Preparing to Direct Your First Feature Film with Andrew Ahn (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 live online course content. By doing so, we are able to offer Preparing to Direct Your First Feature Film with Andrew Ahn (On Demand) at a price that allows more people to benefit from the course content.
You’ve explored the short-form format and now you’re ready to take the next step towards making a feature-length film. In this On Demand course, you will learn from award-winning director, Andrew Ahn, what he wished he knew before embarking on the journey of the first feature - from casting and pre-production planning, to post-production, hiring key collaborators and finding your audience.
- Module 1: Building Your Plan
- Module 2: Creating Materials Beyond the Screenplay
- Module 3: Building Your Team
- Module 4: Producing Concepts for Directors
- Module 5: Pre-Production
- Module 6: Production
- Module 7: Post-Production
- Module 8: Finding Your Audience
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
Andrew Ahn is a queer Korean American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Ahn's latest film The Wedding Banquet starring Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, and Kelly Marie Tran premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and is distributed by Bleecker Street and Universal International. His previous film Fire Island (Searchlight Pictures) was nominated for two Emmy Awards and won the Ensemble Tribute at the 2023 Gotham Awards and a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Film Streaming/TV. Ahn's sophomore feature Driveways premiered at the 2019 Berlinale and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards.
Ahn's first film Spa Night premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and won a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. The film went on to win the 2017 John Cassavetes Film Independent Spirit Award. Ahn has directed both fiction and documentary television, including shows Bridgerton and Generation. He has promoted diversity in the arts by mentoring youth filmmakers through programs like Pacific Arts Movement’s Reel Voices, Outfest’s OutSet, and the Sundance Institute's Native Filmmaker Lab. He graduated from Brown University and received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
All course videos are closed-captioned. For other accommodations and support services, please email us at accessibility@sundance.org.
On Demand CourseOutline
Topics include:
- Making short films vs. making feature films
- Defining your story
- Honing your vision
Topics include:
- Written materials
- Visual materials
Topics include:
- Finding producers
- Finding other collaborators
- Attachments and communicating with your team
- Joining a team
Topics include:
- What is the budget necessary to execute your vision
- Financing
- How to make your project stand out
- Applying to labs and workshops
Topics include:
- What happens in Pre-Production?
- Director’s prep and binder
- Collaborating with your department heads
- Developing a Cinematic Thesis
- Shot lists and storyboards
- Scouting
- Casting
Topics include:
- Feature film sets vs. short film sets
- Leading the set
- Key relationships on set
- Where are you shooting?
- Workflow on set
- When disaster strikes…
- Directing actors
- Taking care of your instrument
Topics include:
- Post-Production overview
- Post-Production workflow
- Working with your editor
- Notes and feedback
- Locking picture
- Score, music and sound design
- Color and VFX
Topics include:
- Film festivals
- Finding distribution
- Self distributing
- Community screenings
Team
Andrew Ahn
Instructor
Andrew Ahn is a queer Korean American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Ahn's latest film The Wedding Banquet starring Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang, and Kelly Marie Tran premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and is distributed by Bleecker Street and Universal International. His previous film Fire Island (Searchlight Pictures) was nominated for two Emmy Awards and won the Ensemble Tribute at the 2023 Gotham Awards and a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Film Streaming/TV. Ahn's sophomore feature Driveways premiered at the 2019 Berlinale and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards.
Ahn's first film Spa Night premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and won a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. The film went on to win the 2017 John Cassavetes Film Independent Spirit Award. Ahn has directed both fiction and documentary television, including shows Bridgerton and Generation. He has promoted diversity in the arts by mentoring youth filmmakers through programs like Pacific Arts Movement’s Reel Voices, Outfest’s OutSet, and the Sundance Institute's Native Filmmaker Lab. He graduated from Brown University and received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
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.