The goal of this course is to demystify the filmmaking process, making it the fun experience you know it can be. Have you always wanted to make a film? Let’s get that crossed off your bucket list! In a bit more than two days you will come up with an idea, shoot it, and edit it, all while being supervised by an experienced and entertaining instructor!

I have tailored this course to make it flexible enough to accommodate people with absolutely zero experience as well as for people who have done a bit of filming. With this course you don’t need any fancy equipment, you can use whatever you have for a camera and a computer. This is a very hands-on workshop, the bulk of the learning will come through the process of actually making your own short film. You will learn the basics of how to structure a story, the art and techniques of visual storytelling, and how to piece it all together in the edit.

The workshop will be taught in English and will include 2+ days of instruction, in field help and that sweet sense of accomplishment you will get from making your own film. In order to make sure you get the attention you need, the class is limited to a max of 12 people.

Story

is the bedrock of any film. If you don’t have a good story, no amount of dazzling visuals or great editing will save you. I will teach you the basics of how to write an engaging story and help you workshop your story idea to make sure it is something achievable.

Editing

is also known as the final draft of the script. There is a lot of room in the edit to play with the story and make changes to make your story stronger. I will go through how to use the free editing software, but I will focus more on the why you cut and how to make a strong edit. You will edit your footage with me there to guide you as well as answer any questions.

Friday equipment check & brief storytelling

In addition to the two days of instruction and practical film work we will hold a pre-meeting on the Friday before the workshop, from 19:00 – 21:00, which is of course included in the cost of the workshop. These two hours will allow me to check your camera and computer, making sure that they are capable enough to shoot and edit footage. I will also make sure you have an editing program installed which you will be using on Sunday. There will also be a brief story/script session which will give you some tools to help guide your story writing process so that you can hopefully have an idea prepared for the next day. This Friday session has been added in order to assure that the workshop runs super smoothly, plus we will all get to meet a bit before and hang out! If you cannot make the Friday session please let me know so we can discuss your equipment.

Requirements

A camcorder, DSLR or mirrorless camera with video capabilities, or a phone that can shoot video (make sure to have enough space to record onto it). You will also need a laptop for editing on Sunday.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the workshop, reach out to me at alex@berlinfilmcommunity.com.

Schedule

About the Workshop Leader

Hi, I’m Alex DePew and I will be your guide on this filmmaking adventure. I have been working in the film industry for over 17 years and have led many filmmaking workshops. I absolutely love teaching beginners the ropes. I get tons of joy when I see someone light up as they make a connections between what I am teaching and something they have seen in a movie. And when they apply that to their own film it is a thing of beauty.

I am a Cinematographer and Gaffer working primarily on short films, music videos, and commercials. For the 12 years before coming to Berlin I worked on both large and small sets in various roles. I have worked with all kinds of cameras from old school 16mm film cameras up to the Alexa Mini and I have worked on the lighting for no-budget shorts, up through high budget ad campaigns. I grew up in New York City and got my start in film there. I worked my way up the ladder, first as a one-man-band, where I produced, shot and edited content for small commercial projects. Then eventually I moved onto larger commercials in the camera department as a camera assistant. After doing that for several years I moved to New Zealand and continued to work on ever larger projects including commercials for Samsung, New Balance, Corona, Adidas and a host of other large companies. All the time I was always working on the skills I would need to become a good Cinematographer by shooting shorts and helping directors realize their visions.

Together with Linda Paganelli, we run the Berlin Film Community, a community of filmmakers and people interested in film. We host events such as the Pitch & Planning Session and Drink, Watch, Talk. We are nearly 20,000 people strong at the time I'm writing this and I am very proud to be a leader of this community. Helping to teach as well as connect the next wave of filmmakers with each other so they can get their first films made is a great source of joy for me.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the workshop, reach out to me at alex@berlinfilmcommunity.com.