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 LISTINGS
Black 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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: Spring/Summer duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 HOUR W/ INSTRUCTOR AND LEARNING COACH
Film Foundations I ONLINE COURSE
film foundations I
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: Spring duration: 6 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 HOUR W/ INSTRUCTOR AND LEARNING COACH
Film Foundations II ONLINE COURSE
film foundations II
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: TBD duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 hour w/ instructor and learning Coach
Black Girl Film School: History of the Pioneers ONLINE COURSE
black women film pioneers
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: Launching Spring 2024 duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 hour w/ instructor and learning Coach
BGFS screen writing foundations I online course
BGFS LEARN
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: TBD duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 hour w/ instructor and learning Coach
BGFS directing foundations I online course
film-poster_photo 44
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: TBD duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 hour w/ instructor and learning Coach
BGFS cinematography foundations I online course
Photoshop work 4
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: Summer and Fall duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 hour w/ instructor and learning Coach
BGFS camera foundations I online course
Photoshop work 3
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered: TBD duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, 4 hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 hour w/ instructor and learning Coach
BGFS editing foundations I online course
Photoshop work 5
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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.

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COURSE LOGISTICS Time Offered:TBD duration: 12 weeks
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COURSE SCHEDULE Self-guided, # hours of course work per week Times of live instructions: 1 hour w/ instructor
BGFS costume design foundations I online course
film-poster_photo 44
Sponsorship opportunities available for this course. Contact us to learn more.
Admissions applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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