In your first term, you learn the fundamentals and explore the possibilities of storytelling, giving you both the narrative craft and visual techniques necessary to bring a story to life on the screen. You learn the basics of the five key filmmaking disciplines – Directing, Producing, Production Design, Cinematography, and Post-Production – as well as film theory essentials. You're introduced to the demands of assistant directing and get firsthand experience in the script development process. Finally, you develop teamwork and collaboration skills that prepare you to work effectively with your fellow filmmakers, as you take on six different crew roles on six short productions, and the creative leadership of one of them.

Fresh from your first intensive filmmaking experience, you expand your technical knowledge while learning to collaborate with outside writers. You learn how actors think, how sets are designed and constructed, and how dramatic lighting can change the emotional effect of a scene. In Post-Production, you edit the film you shot in Term 1, as well as add titles, sound effects, and music on your way to bringing the finished film to the screen. Finally, you bring all your skills together on the set of the Studio Intensive, working with instructors and a crew to experience full-scale studio production.

This term is about facing down some of the biggest challenges in filmmaking – and succeeding. You take on productions of rapidly increasing technical sophistication and difficulty, as you learn to blend location, studio, and green screen shoots and leverage cutting-edge technology to support your vision and broaden your creative options. You work as both a leader and a specialist on visual effects shoots, navigate the complexities of working with outside collaborators, manage larger crews, and make the most of limited production resources. By the end of this term, you have more credits to your name – and the sort of hard-won experience you'll need in your final three terms.

Now that you've experienced all of filmmaking's major disciplines – Directing, Producing, Production Design, Cinematography, and Post-Production – you choose two as your professional specializations. Advanced courses in each of these two disciplines challenge you both artistically and technically. You prepare for final projects by working in crew roles on two films led by the senior class, gaining more on-set experience and a unique opportunity to see what's ahead. You work with faculty to develop a proposal for the project you want to pitch for next term's Final Projects; the process is competitive, just like it is in the industry, and the projects selected are those that provide the best educational and production experience for you and your classmates. By the end of the term you're ready to enter the most intense production experience of your life.

You've begun establishing your personal expertise in your specializations, and now it's time to delve deeper into the life of the filmmaker. You take a break from the classroom this term and dedicate the majority of your time and energy to Final Projects, high-quality short films that form the cornerstone of every student's professional reel. You take on at least two key roles in six productions, and are now completely responsible for everything that entails. The success of the film depends on you. You're mentored by film industry professionals as you manage big crews of 15 people or more, and work with higher-end equipment as you hurtle toward your film's premiere and graduation day.

Everything you've learned culminates here. The last term is about making your final transformation from student to professional. You've matured both creatively and technically, and your production experience means you've proven yourself in the trenches. In this term, you assemble everything you've achieved throughout your year into finished demo reels that showcase your best work. You focus your career strategy and continue to build on your knowledge with advanced special topic courses in your areas of specialization – all aimed at giving you every advantage in the industry. Your year at VFS builds up to a screening of your work in a movie theatre – and the one-of-a-kind thrill of seeing your work on the big screen with an audience.