Black Girl Film School Courses
OUR PROGRAMS FOSTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY STEAM SKILLS IN MULTIMEDIA AUTHORSHIP, CRITICAL THINKING, ETHNIC STUDIES, DIGITAL LITERACY, AND TECHNOLOGICAL DECISION-MAKING.
Overview of BGFS Courses
The BGFS Foundations curriculum hones in on the topic of Black women in film and keeps this subject matter at the epicenter of the experience. From there, we branch out to a curriculum of key production-related courses designed to instill knowledge of history, craft, and technical foundations of motion picture processes and best practices.
COURSE LISTINGSBlack Girl Film School Foundations I
In this course, students will examine a variety of creative and technical production roles, viewed through the lens of Black women’s contributions. These roles include screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, editors, and costume designers.
Black Girl Film School Foundations II
In this course, students will build upon the BGFS Foundations I lessons, and apply their knowledge of creative and technical production roles to a single project. By the end of the course, students will walk away with a professional 3-5 page treatment that can be used to produce an original film project.
Black Girl Film School: History of the Pioneers
In this course, students will learn how to be active viewers of film and media while learning about Black women pioneer filmmakers. We will watch, analyze, discuss, and evaluate the work of these pioneers across form and genre. The course will explore the history and craft from five different Black women in film pioneers and document best practices from their work in our Pioneer reference workbooks.
SPECIALTIES
BGFS Screenwriting Foundations I: Process & formatting
In this course, students will learn the technical rules and best practices in drafting a professionally formatted screenplay. Students will become adept in industry-standard screenwriting software, writing development templates, as well as editing tools. With this essential foundation, they’ll be privy to industry standards in the field of screenwriting.
BGFS Directing Foundations I
In this course, students will learn the essential groundwork that sets a director up for success in their productions. Before a single frame is shot, a director relies on her tool kit that, including scene analysis, and a strong shot list. This course builds upon Film Foundations I.
BGFS Cinematography Foundations I
In this course, students will learn how to craft strong visual language by being introduced to 25+ composition techniques and the right moments to use them. Students will build upon the Director’s notebook they created in BGFS Foundations II with a focus on cinematography and the relationship between a DP and a Director.
BGFS Camera Foundations I
In this course, students will explore both technical and artistic choices behind uses of the camera. They will dive into a high-level introduction to cameras, filmmaking, and editing. Its intent is to teach the basics of digital media production. The course will consist of a mixture of assigned media, writing assignments, reading, planning, and hands-on media making
BGFS Editing Foundations I
In this course, students will learn the technical rules and best practices to edit a 30-second segment utilizing industry-standard editing software, post production templates, and editing tools. Editing is a vital aspect of post-production and an essential skill for a well-rounded filmmaker.
BGFS Costume Design Foundations I
In this course, students will learn about all of the elements that a costume designer is tasked with before production occurs. Students will have the opportunity to bring a single character to life via a costume design project. In this project, students will engage in costume design research and planning using best practices.
