Bring Your Story to the Big Screen
Whether you’re drawn to crafting compelling stories or shaping your cinematic vision on screen, the USC School of Cinematic Arts offers two online courses to jump-start your film journey. Explore "Screenwriting: From Ideation to Writing Your First Script" and "Directing: Creating Your Short Film" below.

Directing

Directing: Creating Your Short Film

Interested in learning how to direct a professional-looking film without a big-scale budget? In “Directing: Creating Your Short Film,” hone your filmmaking skills and build your portfolio as you learn from industry veteran and USC alum Sanford Bookstaver, the director and producer of hit TV shows and movies, including Dexter: New Blood, House MD, Power, Chicago Fire and many others. In this course, you’ll be guided through the complete production process as you pick up tricks of the trade to bring your cinematic vision to the screen.

In the process, you’ll:

• Build a collaborative film team, scout locations, arrange sets and prepare actors
• Conceptualize a script through creating a storyboard, shot list and schedule
• Understand commercial filmmaking tools, how to use alternative DIY equipment and how to use creativity in lieu of professional resources
• Execute the most classic types of coverage to capture a master shot
• Use different camera movements, lighting setups, filters and lens to achieve a range of cinematic styles
• Undergo post-production to assemble footage, edit, apply elements of sound design and music to arrive at a final cut
  • Make a great short film with your smartphone — and master the entire process of film production. Throughout this four-week course, Sanford Bookstaver will guide you on how to prepare a script for filming, assemble a highly collaborative team, scout filming locations, work with actors, utilize readily available tools to pull off a successful shoot, navigate post-production and bring everything together for an edited final cut.

    At the culmination of the course, you’ll engage in creative exercises, hear from industry experts, get inspired from film clips and real-world examples of movie-making in action — plus walk away with a completed short film.

    Featured Topics

    • Pre-production
    • Actors and Casting: Bringing Your Characters to Life
    • Production Part 1: Preparing Your Scenes
    • Production Part 2: Using Your Tools
    • Post-production

    Learning Outcomes

    This course guides students through the entire filmmaking process from the early logistical stages of pre-production to successfully executing a film shoot and editing that footage. Through strategically using easily accessible tools and equipment, students will learn how to make a short film as professionally as possible with any budget — and earn a certificate along the way.