Diploma/Certificate Program in Filmmaking

Building off the Certificate Program coursework, IAFT’s Diploma Program in Filmmaking is an advanced course that will polish your skills and provide you with the experience and credentials that make you an asset to any studio in LA.

This course is only for those who are absolutely serious about filmmaking and pursuing a career in film and digital production.

The 900 hour, 44 week program (four 11-week terms) will train you in every detail of filmmaking to help you cultivate a successful film career. The program culminates with a 10-minute student thesis project.

You will actively learn about cinematography, editing, screenwriting, pitching, sound, directing, casting, production design, location scouting, and much more.

By the time you have completed this intensive course you will be an expert in film production, with a solid portfolio and diploma to match. A career in filmmaking will be within your grasp when you complete IAFT’s intensive course.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Over the course of four 11-week terms, the Diploma program provides students with the widest range of filmmaking experiences at IAFT. Students learn to write, direct, shoot and edit several group and individual short film/video projects. There are four main concentrations of studies: Screenwriting, Pre-Production, Production, and Editing. Students attend class 4 days or evenings a week with an additional 8 1⁄2 hour on-campus lab period per week. The maximum number of students-to-teacher ratio in a classroom or lab session is 12:1.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:

The educational objective of the Diploma Program in Filmmaking is to train people for entry-level work in the film and video industry as camera operators, videographers, grips, screenwriters, producers, directors, production assistants, assistant editors, lighting assistants, assistant directors, dolly grips, video editors, lighting technicians, director’s assistants, and audio recorders.

Students will learn to:

• Understand the principles of storytelling to an advanced level
• Further write and edit screenplays for short films
• Set up and operate professional level cameras and lenses in a wider range of settings
• Set up a greater variety of lighting equipment in multiple locations
• Continue to produce and direct short films and a final thesis project
• Supervise a greater variety of production crews and actors
• Scout a wide range of locations appropriate to the script and production budgets
• Consider and plan for production design needs at a professional level
• Light a wide variety of indoor and outdoor scenes and compose shots to effectively 
communicate a script’s message or theme
• Work with a greater variety of camera support and movement systems, such as tripods, 
dollies, jibs, cranes and others
• Record and mix sound at an advanced level
• Further organize and edit raw video and sound footage to reflect the story detailed in a 
script
• Incorporate a wide range of video and sound effects into edited material
• Learn specialized software to add text and graphics to film and video presentations
• Communicate and work effectively with a wider variety of other film crewmembers
• Gain further experience planning and coordinating crews and production components 
necessary to produce short films
• Produce non-fiction and unscripted short films
• Distribute completed films through a wide variety of platforms
• Gain further experience following professional etiquette to facilitate successful and effective 
overall crew performance
• Prepare an effective demo reel and resume
• Build a network of professional contacts for future employment opportunities