Visual Storytelling: The Shot, The Image, and The Camera

Live Online Course

Mastering visual storytelling is like learning a new language—the language of the screen—and it is a critical component of a director’s work. Join filmmaker, author, and educator Peter Markham as he leads this live, online course. Over four weeks, gain expertise on the practical aesthetics of the moving image—explored from the perspectives of both shot and camera.


What you will learn:

  • What is inherent in visual language and what depends on context and usage.
  • The granular details of composition, mise-en-scene, shot selection, size, and framing.
  • How filmmakers create images to evoke the passage of time and the “flow of energy.”
  • The nature of images.
  • The effects of camera placement, angles, and movement.
  • The different types of camera function (observing, passive, dynamic, participatory, complicit).

In this four-week live online course, you will analyze scenes across genres and styles to learn how to command your own unique visual style. This course will provoke new ways of approaching your work and will allow you to share and connect with other directors.


This course is ideal for:

  • directors interested in visual storytelling who want to dive deep into understanding the language of the moving image with the guidance of an expert.

Course participants are encouraged to watch the below three films prior to the course:


The course also draws heavily on Markham’s experience as a second unit director on Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York (2002) and Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient (1996).


A limited number of need-based scholarships are available and are considered on a rolling basis as they are received. Those who apply earlier will have a greater chance of getting support. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the course registration form.


Sundance Collab 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.