Feature Film Course Melbourne - Direct your First Feature Film

Do You Want to Be a Movie Director? Make a Full Length Feature Film - Work with Other Likeminded People

FEATURE FILM COURSE
Starts Late January 2025
MELBOURNE

Overview

Become a Feature Filmmaker by actually working on and making a real, feature film.
Shot on a RED 8K Cinema Camera ( Netflix Approved)
The course runs for 12 months and includes 4 separate 4 Day film shoots (over weekends), which are edited together to make one feature length film.
Once completed, the feature film will be eligible for festival submission and international distribution.
Students who successfully complete this course will receive a Director, Producer and relevant crew credits on an international feature film.
Evening and weekend classes and shoot days – you can continue to work full-time and still make a feature film.
You will know how to make a Feature Film
Interview Essential Email: enquiry@australianfilmcentral.com
Or Phone 1800131166

Micro-Budget Movies that
we Have Made - Trailers

Tabernacle 101 Movie - 94 Minutes

Dealing With Destiny - 85 Minutes

The Makeover - 94 Minutes

How it works:

Learn the entire filmmaking process by doing.
Create the story and write a screenplay.
Cast professional actors.
Preproduction (rehearsals, scheduling, production design, locations etc.).
1 evening class per fortnight with additional weekend and evening classes closer to shoot days.
At least 16 full shooting days spread across 4 Day weekend Shoots
Post production process (editing, colour & VFX, sound post and music).
Each student will be given distinct scenes and approximately 2 shooting days as the Director on set.
Work across all crew roles to learn the process with support from professional filmmakers.
Work with professional cinema equipment including a Netflix approved Red 8K Camera and cinema lenses.
This is a one off chance to Take Years off your Film Career Progress and become a Film Director now of a Feature Film.

Who’s this for?:

First time filmmakers with some crew experience wanting to learn the process and kick-start their career
People with a passion for filmmaking and a transferrable skillset (e.g. professional photographers or videographers, creative directors etc.)
Indie filmmakers who want to work with a bigger team and receive professional support to leap into a feature film.
People who have graduated from our 5 Month Film School
This course is NOT for complete beginners. Due to the complexity of making a feature film and the requirements of each student some prior to transferrable experience is required.
If you are a complete beginner please see our 5 month filmmakers school which is specifically for novices.

You will learn how to create a winning screenplay

The story is the foundation for any feature film production . We will spend time to ensure we have a suitable screenplay for a low budget, independent film. The goal of this film is to make a film with audience appeal that will be seen by the biggest audience possible.

Creating a story framework e.g. choosing a genre
The 4 act structure and Planning the Story:
Creating compelling characters
Creating important moments, plot points, obstacles to overcome and conflict.
Writing the screenplay – approx. 80 pages of action and dialogue in professional format
Revisions and refinements to create the ‘Shooting Script’
Review by ” We Screenplay” assessors to make the script great.

Part 1 Creating the Story

You will learn how to Cast a Feature Film

Casting We set up the casting

You experience how to set up a real casting with real actors. From the casting, you will pick actors for the Feature Film

Real Casting Nights with Actors attending the audition.
This is where you learn how to choose the best Actors who then act in the Feature Film.

We will have a first Round of Castings and then a Short List Casting picking the very best actors.

Part 2 Casting the Best Actors

You will learn how to do
Preproduction for a Feature Film

For each shoot we will work together on preproduction tasks. These include finding the right locations, discussing and planning production design (e.g. set dressing, wardrobe, props) and scheduling the shoot days and sending call sheets to actors and crew.

Location Scouting
Production Design
Set Dressing
Wardrobe
Props
Scheduling
Paperwork, e.g. call sheets

Part 3 - Preproduction

Learn to Rehearse - Directors Preparation

During rehearsal, we will improve the performance and refining the dialogue (contributing to the final draft shooting script).

In preparation for our shooting days we will cover the mechanics of shooting a scene and the equipment we will be using, including a RED 8K cinema camera and cine lenses, professional lighting and sound equipment. We will cover blocking actors, directing performances and working with the department heads.

Blocking
Directing a Scene & Performances
Shooting a Scene & Coverage – Shot Lists
Technical Departments, incl. Sound, Lighting and Camera departments.

Part 4 - Rehearse - Directors Preparation

The Amazing Film Shoot - 16 Days on
4 Day Shoots on Weekends

The feature film will be shot across 4 ‘mini-shoots’ of 4 days each – 16 days in total shooting).

This enables students to continue with full time work and actors more flexibility than if we were to shoot all at once.

Importantly shooting this way also enables a staggered Pre production and post production process, meaning we can review our principal photography after each shoot and start the editing process, breaking post production into smaller, more manageable chunks.

The mini shoot process also means that we have an opportunity to learn from the previous shoot and improve as we go throughout the year.

Shoot days will be booked in advance for the 12 months and intended to ensure we stick to schedule and deliver a feature film within the 12 month course period.

Part 5 - The Film Shoot on Location

Learnt to Edit and Post Produce the Feature Film

The post production process for a feature film is exponentially more difficult than that of a short film or student film. In order to ensure we create the best possible finished film we will break our post production process into chunks, spending time to ensure that every scene, transition and camera angle is right for our film. We will also spend time in sound post and colour grading to ensure we deliver a high quality finished outcome.

Part 6 - The Edit and Post Production

Screening Release and Marketing

Once finished we will organise a private screening of the film, where students will be able to invite friends and family to a private theatre. We will keep this to a private audience only as we will submit the finished film to Film Festivals and Distributors who may wish to have screening exclusivity.

For the finished feature to have a chance of being successful we need to partner with a distributor, manage a release plan and marketing. This whole process, the business side of filmmaking, will be supported by experienced professionals and industry experts giving us the best possible chance of having cinema and streaming distribution in place.

Part 7 - Getting your Film Seen

The Film Instructors Taught by Filmmakers for Future Filmmakers

Colm O'Murchu

Colm founded Australian Film Base in 1997 and has since taught emerging filmmakers to make professional films. Colm has guided and instructed over the years on 175 short films made. His new film Tabernacle 101 has just been released theatrically in the USA and ia available on Amazon Prime, Google Play and Apple TV. With a wealth of film teaching and film making experience Colm O’Murchu is one of the very best film instructors. Main Focus: Casting & Directing

John Hresc

John has worked in the film, television and music industry for the last 25 years,and is a member of the Australian Screen Sound Guild. He worked for Channel 9 for ten years sound posting many of the TV shows and promos you see on TV. During his work in Television he also collaborated with a number of short and feature filmmakers, as a sound and dialogue editor, sound designer, sound supervisor and sound mixer. This has culminated in over 20 national and international award winning short and feature films to date. Main Focus Sound Postproduction

Our Most Recent Feature Film - Tabernacle 101

Why we made this course?

We’ve been helping people pursue their passion for filmmaking for over 20 years now and in that time we have seen countless students go on to become industry professionals and feature filmmakers.
Over the years we have also made or been a part of making indie films in Australia and seeing that segment grow and change.
Today we believe the barriers to becoming a feature filmmaker are fewer than they have been before and that there are incredible opportunities for people from anywhere to be a part of this great tradition of creative storytelling.
We realised there was nothing like this course available in Australia, so we made it!
We wanted to provide a pathway for people new to filmmaking moving from either student films, professional commercial work or short films to move into feature filmmaking. Completing this course and film you will not only receive a filmmaking certificate but the film will be eligible for industry credits, such as iMDB.
Although not the primary goal of the production, the feature film will have the potential to earn royalties for cast and crew, including the student filmmakers.

Fill in the form if interested in applying. We will arrange a meeting

Feature Film Course Interview Request

Please fill in the form

We will call you to arrange an interview
We will discuss the Course Fee at the Interview.
We will also outline the investment return that may occur.

Feature Film Course Starts Late January 2025

Phone Inquires 1800131166

10am – 7pm Monday- Friday
Email enquiry@australianfilmcentral.com

This is a one off opportunity and is open to only 10 People.