Online High School Filmmakers Workshop

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.

Application and Program Dates:

Fall 2025

Monday, October 13, 2025 - Friday, November 21, 2025

Application Deadline: September 9, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

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

• The fall workshop is a six-week course with daily deliverables. 
• The summer workshop is a four-week course with daily deliverables.

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.

This is an online workshop for college credit. Participation is required and assignments and projects have deadlines and will be graded (students will receive letter grades). While the online format provides flexibility in that students may participate remotely from wherever they are, students should consider the time commitment for this workshop if simultaneously enrolled in other courses or extra curricular activities.

The program requires students to participate in group projects where students must collaborate with fellow crew members. Every crew member can be in a different time zone and often in different countries; it is each student’s responsibility to communicate with their crew members for how to collaborate on parts of the project asynchronously or to find a time to meet and collaborate on their project to meet assignment deadlines. Crew collaboration and active class participation positively impact a student's experience in the 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.