Learn How To Produce Content at NYFA
A Producer oversees and manages all aspects of creating a film, television show, or multimedia project. In the 15-Week Online Producing Workshop, students get a comprehensive overview of the entire producing process, learning through hands-on projects under the guidance of industry professionals. Students will take courses that include Producer’s Craft, Line Producing, Pitching, Entertainment Law, Film Finance, and Film Festival Strategies, as well as an introduction to the various crafts of filmmaking. Graduates of the program will gain practical and pragmatic skills, tools, and knowledge, enabling them to develop and hone their creative skills.
Workshop DescriptionWorkshop Name: 15-Week Online Producing Workshop
The 15-Week Online Producing Workshop is an opportunity for aspiring Producers to explore every aspect of Creative Producing and get an introduction to Screenwriting, Directing, Camera/Lighting, Sound, and Editing. Students also learn how to use Movie Magic Scheduling and Budgeting software.
Prerequisites – This is an introductory workshop, no prerequisites are required, nor is any prior experience expected.
To learn more, request more information.
Class Details
Producer’s Craft
This course explores every aspect of the Producing process. From identifying ideas through the development of scripts, assembling commercially viable packages, as well as financing, production, marketing, and distribution, Producer’s Craft lays the groundwork for students to develop their passion. Through lectures, discussions of industry developments, handouts, and individual research assignments, students get hands-on experience.
Line Producing
Students learn about the physical aspects of production: scheduling and budgeting, crew descriptions, paperwork and reporting mechanisms (permits, call sheets, production reports), pay rates, working with unions, insurance guidelines, and more. Students are instructed in the use of Movie Magic Scheduling and Budgeting software.
Pitching
Pitching is an essential producing skill. In this class, students learn the appropriate pitching techniques for a variety of meetings and settings. Each student will practice and gain critical and fundamental pitching skills, including writing effective loglines, identifying the audience, and perfecting the pitch.
Entertainment Law
Producing students will study legal issues regarding television, films, recordings, live performances, and other aspects of the entertainment industry, including copyright, intellectual property, talent representation, and financing/distribution arrangements.
Story and Screenwriting
Producers play a key role in the development of scripts. Students will gain firsthand knowledge of fundamental screenwriting elements such as structure, conflict, character, premise, plot, and thematic point of view. They will gain insight into working with writers, story analysis, and overall management of the development process.
Film Finance
This course focuses on successful strategies employed in the finance of studio and independent films. Topics include equity investment, sales agents, foreign territories, pre–sales, gap financing, production incentives, subsidies, and government funds, as well as the revenue waterfall, for instance, how investors get their money back.
TV Industry Overview
An introduction to the way television is developed, produced, and sold. Covering diverse topics such as the roles of various TV producers, Reality TV, Licensing and Syndication, deficit financing, TV packaging, TV Studios, Pilot season, The Upfront, Nielson ratings, Product integration, the foreign TV market, and Old vs. New TV business models, including streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
Film Festival Strategies
With the proliferation of film festivals around the world, this course will offer an opportunity at a “low cost” option for the submission of their films and a means to develop a film community of their own. Film Festivals are expanding as technology explodes in the digital universe. Topics include festival selection, social media campaigns, and the case study of a specific film to examine the process of working the festival circuit and achieving potential distribution deals.
Case Studies
This course will use specific in-depth examples of an already produced project to introduce students to the specific issues, problems, and solutions of the development, financing, pre-production, production, post-production, distribution, and exhibition of studio and independent films.
Film Crafts
Producers must have a fundamental understanding of the various crafts involved in the filmmaking process:
- Intro to Camera/Lighting: Students learn the basic fundamentals of using a camera and light for film capture utilizing the latest digital technology. This course will provide the student with enough knowledge to deal with basic production cameras and lighting issues.
- Intro to Sound: An overview of sound production recording to understand the importance of sound, to learn to record sound in different environments, and to assemble and troubleshoot the sound recording equipment.
- Intro to Editing: Students will learn the fundamentals of editing. This course will provide the student with enough knowledge to deal with simple editorial production issues. Topics include Introduction to Editing Theory, Interface, and Workflow, components of FCP and terminology, how to “log and transfer” HD footage and organize media, and introduction to basic editing tools.
- Directing for Producers
Understanding the role of the Director helps a Producer run a set. This overview of directing will introduce the student to the language of directing and the basic elements of the director’s craft, including working with actors, composition and blocking, shots and shot lists, continuity, text vs. subtext, crew positions, and the budgetary restraints of the creative process.
Times and Breakdown by Week
The 15-Week workshops follow the same curriculum as the 4-Week Workshops spread over 15 weeks and are designed to meet the needs of students with other commitments. The 15-Week workshops will meet as a class with a live instructor Tuesdays and Thursdays, with an additional class on Wednesdays for weeks 14 and 15.
Scheduled classes are as follows:
- 1 x 2.5-hour class on each meeting day, as indicated above.
- There are two program schedule options to choose from:
- All 15-Week Online workshops (excluding Screenwriting) are offered in Time Zone Option 1: 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time (for the start time for other time zones, click here)
Total Course Hours = 80
Program and Software Requirements
This course requires the following software and equipment:
- Laptop or desktop computer
- Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting software ($300 using NYFA student discount code, shared during the course)
Students will own the Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting software even after the course is completed.
Students will join this class remotely. To get the best experience from our online workshops, we recommend that students have a reliable computer, external hard drive, strong internet connection, and a quiet place to work.
During the workshop, students will create a film package, as well as a story and script analysis. Projects are subject to change.