Filmmaking

Program Overview

Filmmaking Programs

Year Program

The year program in filmmaking is designed to bring the participant to a level of professional competence upon course completion. Films made in the course of the course reflect a gradual progression from the basics of filmmaking to the successful completion of a well-crafted film. Each stage of the process is developed under the supervision of the faculty whose courses cover theoretical and technical topics aimed at deepening knowledge and honing technical skills.

Content of the 1st Semester

• Foundation Courses (obligatory)
  • Screenwriting Course
  • Directing Course
  • Cinematography Course
  • Editing Course
• Elective/Specialization Courses (each student takes 2 courses)
  • Acting
  • Art Direction
  • Advanced Cameras
  • Aspects of Film Language
  • Blocking
  • Central and East European Cinema
  • Czech Language
  • Directing Actors
  • Directing the Camera
  • Documentary Theory and History
  • Experimental Film
  • Film Industry
  • Film Comedy
  • Film Analysis
  • Lighting
  • Master Shot
  • Photography for Cinematography
  • Post-production effects
  • Post-production workflow
  • Screenwriting Feature Film
  • Sound
• Production Workshops (obligatory)
  • Operation of filmmaking equipment (camera, lighting and sound systems)
  • Crew production protocol
  • Sound production (recording, mixing, design)
  • Grip equipment (camera support systems)
• Studio Work: End of Semester Film
  • 64 hours of studio work.

Content of the 2nd Semester

• Specializations
  • Screenwriting Specialization
  • Directing Specialization
  • Cinematography Specialization
  • Editing Specialization
• Elective Courses (each student takes 1-2 courses)
  • Acting
  • Art Direction
  • Advanced Cameras
  • Aspects of Film Language
  • Blocking
  • Central and East European Cinema
  • Czech Language
  • Directing Actors
  • Directing the Camera
  • Documentary Theory and History
  • Experimental Film
  • Film Industry
  • Film Comedy
  • Film Analysis
  • Lighting
  • Master Shot
  • Photography for Cinematography
  • Post-production effects
  • Post-production workflow
  • Screenwriting Feature Film
  • Sound

Second Year Directing Program

The second year program aims to refine and broaden filmmaking skills through master class sessions with some of the Industry’s top international professionals. The program trains students for the production of longer format projects and involves them in substantial full-time work on sets.

Details of the Program

• First Semester
  • Workshops with visiting filmmakers
  • Course work
  • Consultations
  • Film projects
• Second Semester
  • Preproduction and consultations prep work for film
  • Production of films
  • Post production
  • Seminars on sales, festivals and distribution

Second Year Cinematography Program

The second year PFS cinematography program deepens the skillset developed in the year course through hands on workshops in the classroom and full-time work on film sets.

Details of the Program

• First Semester
  • Shooting for genre and the film camera
  • Show reel development and shooting for commercials
• Second Semester
  • Shooting up to 30 minute-long films
  • Students are in production for 45 to 60 days
  • Following the production of the film, students will be involved in post production (including color correction), post production workshops and classes relating to show reel development

Semester Program

The semester program at Prague Film School is a highly-intensive, praxis-oriented course with a steep learning curve. The objective of the program is to instruct concrete craft skills through substantial production and course work. By the program's end, students will have developed a certain fluency in both the technical aspects of filmmaking and in film language in general.

Content of the Semester

• Foundation Courses (obligatory)
  • Screenwriting Course
  • Directing Course
  • Cinematography Course
  • Editing Course
• Elective/Specialization Courses (each student takes 2 courses)
  • Acting
  • Art Direction
  • Advanced Cameras
  • Aspects of Film Language
  • Blocking
  • Central and East European Cinema
  • Czech Language
  • Directing Actors
  • Directing the Camera
  • Documentary Theory and History
  • Experimental Film
  • Film Industry
  • Film Comedy
  • Film Analysis
  • Lighting
  • Master Shot
  • Photography for Cinematography
  • Post-production effects
  • Post-production workflow
  • Screenwriting Feature Film
  • Sound
• Production Workshops (obligatory)
  • Operation of filmmaking equipment (camera, lighting and sound systems)
  • Crew production protocol
  • Sound production (recording, mixing, design)
  • Grip equipment (camera support systems)
• Studio Work: End of Semester Film
  • 64 hours of studio work.

Summer Workshops

The four-week summer workshops at Prague Film School are designed to lead the student from story idea to finished short film.

Workshop Schedule in Detail

• Week I (classes)
  • Screenwriting: 9.30 - 11.15
  • Directing: 11.30 - 13.15
  • Cinematography: 15.00 - 16.45
  • Editing: 17.00 - 18.45
• Week II (classes, consultations & pre-production for film shoot)
  • Screenwriting: 9.30 - 11.15
  • Directing: 11.30 - 13.15
  • Cinematography: 15.00 - 16.45
  • Editing: 17.00 - 18.45
• Week III (shooting of student films)
  • Students shoot their own films, and crew for other students.
• Week IV (post-production & evaluations)
  • Post-production
  • Public screening: 9.00 - 11:30
  • Evaluations with faculty: 12.00 - 17.00
  • Closing event: 20.00

Faculty

• Gabriel M. Paletz, Ph.D. - Screenwriting
• Diego Fandos - Screenwriting
• Kaveh Daneshmand - Directing
• Steen Agro - Directing / Introduction to Comedy
• Masa Hilcisin, Ph.D. - Directing, Documentary Film, Experimental Cinema
• Michael Brierley - Cinematography
• Thomas Krivy - Cinematography
• Ziya Demirel - Screenwriting
• Robert Gottman - Editing, Sound
• Luka Knezević - Editing, Aspects of Film Language, Modern European Cinema
• Mary Angiolillo - Directing Actors
• Claudia Cazzorla - Production Design
• Gary Griffin - Cinematography
• Alejandro Hernandez - Screenwriting
• James Duff - Directing
• Neal Dhand - Directing
• Saimir Bajo - Directing, Film Analysis
• Claudia Kubiszova - Czech Language
• Josef Pecak - Cinematography
• Martin Raiman - Film Production, Film Business
• Prarthana Gupta - Art Direction
• Ružica Eterović - Finding Your Inner Voice
• Adam Trachtman - Animation
• Will Tizard - Screenwriting for TV
• Steve Reverand - Film Production, Film Business