Tal Lazar - Sundance Collab

Tal Lazar is a cinematographer, educator, and author whose career spans more than two decades of on-set work and fifteen years of teaching at institutions including the AFI Conservatory, Columbia University, Berklee College of Music, and the City College of New York. His films have reached audiences worldwide across genres from thrillers and action to comedy and drama, and he is a founding partner of the New York–based production studio MiLa Media.

His book Cinematography Beyond Technique (Focal Press, 2025) offers students and working professionals a framework for the creative and intellectual dimensions of visual storytelling. Drawing on additional experience as a startup founder, Tal now works at the intersection of filmmaking, education, and technology, helping institutions and professionals navigate the age of AI. His podcast Visium explores the non-technical skills filmmakers need to create effective images, and his articles and workshops appear online and on Sundance Collab.

Collab items I'm associated with:

Live Online Course

Directing: Visual Storytelling

Instructor: Tal Lazar

$750

Directing: Visual Storytelling

Beginner to Intermediate

Instructor: Tal Lazar

$750

Live Online Course

How to Effectively Collaborate with Your Cinematographer

Instructor: Tal Lazar

$395

How to Effectively Collaborate with Your Cinematographer

Intermediate

Instructor: Tal Lazar

In this intermediate four-week online course, you will build on your understanding of the language of visual storytelling and how to effectively communicate your ideas with your collaborators.

$395

Advisor Studio

Leading a Creative Partnership with Your Cinematographer with Tal Lazar

With: Tal Lazar

$10

Leading a Creative Partnership with Your Cinematographer with Tal Lazar

With: Tal Lazar

In this interactive 60-minute session, Lazar shares practical methods directors can use to lead creative collaborations with their cinematographers, regardless of their technical expertise. You’ll learn to find subtext in a scene, link it to effective visual methods, and gain authority through your understanding of the story. The session ends with a Q&A session, where audience members ask questions to gain insights tailored to their own filmmaking journey.

$10