Online High School Filmmakers Workshop

Aspiring young filmmakers anywhere in the world can learn digital filmmaking and experience the best of The Kanbar Institute of Film and Television degree program with the online filmmaking course. High school students can develop writing, directing, shooting, and editing skills and produce a variety of short films through self-paced learning and collaborative projects. The online filmmakers workshop for college credit is offered every summer and fall.

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Video still image showing the NYU flag hanging from a building with the following text in white overlaid, "We asked a high school student about their Tisch experience."


High school students will work together in this online digital film production course to create and upload skill-building projects, inspired by daily exclusive video lectures. There are one-on-one video meetings with a Tisch instructor in real time to get valuable feedback. Each student will be expected to deliver a crew-based documentary, a crew-based music video, 3 technical assignments, and a final narrative film that they write and direct.

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"I was interested in the flexible schedule that an online program allows, but also how it leaves more of the responsibility up to the student to get their work in on time and forces us to take the initiative to reach out to our film crews via online collaboration tools. The flexible schedule allowed for me to have time to participate in other activities and travel while still being an active member of class. I was also able to use the resources around me in terms of nature and actors that I would not have been able to use had it not been online."

— Evelyn Telloni, summer 2023
Online High School Filmmakers Workshop

Core Curriculum

Filmmakers Workshop

SPEC-UT 200
4 units
Summer 2025 Tuition: $7,664


This online workshop introduces students to the theory and techniques of developing and producing short films that are shot and edited digitally. As most students enter the program with little or no experience in film or video, early assignments familiarize them with equipment as well as documentary, experimental, and narrative approaches. Working in online crews, students will collaborate to develop their directing, shooting, and editing skills as they produce music videos and short films (three to five minutes in length). Special emphasis is placed on storytelling through visual language. Students learn the basics of screenwriting through writing exercises, reading assignments, viewing online media examples, as well as the script development and research of their short films. Through streaming lectures and video meetings this online workshop will highlight the fundamentals of story structure, character development, communication of thematic statements, and visual storytelling, among other topics.

Notes:

  • The fall workshop is a six-week course with daily deliverables. 
  • The summer workshop is a four-week course with daily deliverables.
  • Students should be prepared to dedicate 6-10 hours per week for this course.
  • Students are required to supply their own technology – camera, sound, and editing – for this class. 
  • Students can shoot with their own prosumer camera, DSLR or cell phone that can shoot high quality footage. 
  • Students must use a desktop or laptop computer with a webcam, microphone, and audio capability. 
  • This online course works best with a fast, reliable internet connection, and requires Chrome web browser.

Application and Program Dates:

Summer 2025

Sunday, July 6 - Saturday, August 2, 2025

Application Deadline: Friday, April 18, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Meet the instructors.

Course Format and Schedule

This class will be delivered through an asynchronous model, which means you will not have to meet at a designated time each day. Instead, the program is offered through online lectures that are pre-recorded and released each week. You can view those modules at your own pace. However, there are daily deliverables and/or weekly assignments you will have to complete and upload onto the Smashcut platform by the deadline provided in your syllabus, and faculty/TA/classmates will be interacting/collaborating with your work on this timeline. The entirety of the class takes place on the Smashcut platform. Synchronous sessions will be scheduled during the term with your professor/TA/classmates. We understand you signed up for an online course to have the flexibility of online learning, so you will have the opportunity to choose the best meeting time for your schedule.

Attend a virtual information session for the Tisch Online High School Filmmakers and Screenwriters Workshops. RSVP here.

Read these articles about online high school workshop alumni on the Tisch Special Programs Blog:

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Program Dates

Summer 2025

Sunday, July 6 - Saturday, August 2, 2025

*Students should be prepared to dedicate 6-10 hours per week for this course.

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Tuition and Fees

Summer 2025 tuition is $7,664.

Please review the Tisch Special Programs cancellation policy.

Admissions

Summer 2025

Application Deadline: Friday, April 18, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Eligibility

Open to high school first-years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

  • Online application fee: $75

Please read through the Online High School Workshops Application Requirements.

Additional important dates are available on the Tisch Admissions Calendar.

Scholarships

Tisch has a limited number of scholarships for high school students to attend the Tisch summer online workshops. Scholarships are not available for the fall term. Scholarships are given to students who demonstrate the most financial need.

Review the Online High School Workshops Scholarships page for more information.