Movie Maker Academy Program Details
Do You Have A Message To Share With The World?
The Movie Maker Academy
Movie Maker Academy is a 12-week boot-camp that will give you the tools you
need to conceptualize, fund, create, and successfully market your film – via both
conventional and – our favorite – guerilla marketing techniques.
People have begun to feature the majority of their content online (instead of television or in theaters), and as a result, an unprecedented opportunity has been handed over to both filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers.
Using a few simple techniques, it’s now possible to promote your documentary or narrative online and inspire a massive movement, while making an incredible living in the process.
The Movie Maker Academy
Whether you’re a newbie filmmaker with an exciting vision or an advanced producer with a portfolio of past projects, the Movie Maker Academy will help you:
- Generate and test your concept
- Dial in your audience with specific research tools
- Find the money to create your project
- Map out your production before you hit the record button
- Determine the perfect gear list
- Assemble a winning film crew
- Produce a compelling film
- Start a buzz around your project long before it's complete
- Implement powerful marketing strategies to turn your movie into a movement
- Make Good Money With Your Film
- Create a passionate community around your work that will support your future projects
And you’ll do all of this in a way that’s fully aligned with your mission and highest ideals.
This wonderful film course is worth its weight in gold. Pedram, Nick and Jeff share their unique take on the business of filmmaking, clarifying what can be a very confusing topic. Even though the course is only 12 weeks, I learned far more about the business side of filmmaking than what I did in an entire year at film school. The system they teach is cutting edge, and gives the power back to the filmmaker… you. If you want to make Hollywood entertainment films, this is NOT for you. This course is for filmmakers with an intelligent message they want to share with the world. It’s about films that make a difference. I highly recommend this course to anyone who has something important to say.
You don’t need to go to film school or have any inside connections in Hollywood to execute the blueprint that we have laid out for you. It comes down to a few core principles that will change the way you look at the art of filmmaking forever.
It used to be that only people who went to a renowned film school or got a lucky break could create a well-produced, impactful film that is seen by millions.
Things have changed.
Camera and sound technology that was once too expensive for most startup filmmakers has become cheap and readily accessible to the masses – and will continue to drop in price. The mainstream platforms and networks that were once almost impossible to access are now begging for new and interesting content.
But most importantly, we filmmakers are no longer dependent on these old channels of distribution to get our message out. In the Movie Maker Academy, will show you how to create a thriving network of your own that takes your projects to thousands (and often millions) of grateful viewers.
If you have a positive message for the world and are willing to work hard, we want to help you get it out there.
The internet and the digital revolution have democratized the arts and impoverished the artist. These successful filmmakers have found the formula to use the technological revolution to do their art and make a good living. These appealing and successful filmmakers come from a place of wanting to make the world a better place. And their offering these invaluable lessons is testament to that philosophy.
I’ve been a filmmaker for forty-six years and talk about teaching an old dog new tricks, this course is chock full of important lessons. I would highly recommend it to anyone setting out to make a documentary film. And to those like me trying to figure out how to make a living from one’s filmmaking passion. It’s the Bible baby!
You Can Participate From Anywhere
No Travel Required
The Movie Maker Academy is entirely online so you can access it from your home, office, café, or via mobile.
All program materials, including a number of downloads such as video transcripts, MP3s, gear lists, as well as assorted waivers, contracts and other bonus documents that we use in our own productions are available in our online member portal.
The LIVE monthly calls will air online through our platform as well – this is where you’ll be able to ask questions, get feedback and connect with fellow filmmakers online.
The private filmmakers forum is a wonderful resource to form relationships with other students and bring any challenges you might have to our collective of students and alumni. This is also 100% online and accessible from anywhere.
Go As Fast Or Slow As You'd Like
If you would like to complete the Academy in the 3-month semester, we recommend setting aside 4 hours per week to dedicate to each of the 12 modules in the program.
However, you are free to go at your own pace as well.
Once you are enrolled, you have lifetime access to all course materials, live calls, and the private filmmaker’s forum. Many of our students are also working full-time jobs and take the course over the course of a year in chunks of time that works for them.
Both approaches yield great results! Once you’re in, we are here to support you for the long haul.
We will support you every step of the way.
Live Calls
On the last Thursday of each month, Pedram, Nick, and Jeff host a live call where all of your questions can be sent in and answered. There is always a lively chat thread during these calls where students pose additional questions, counter points, and bits of advice from their own experience. We all look forward to this lively interaction and we don't stop until everyone feels like they've gotten what they need.
Thriving Student Forum
Perhaps one of the most powerful parts of the Academy is our thriving private members forum, where students get to know one another, network, pose questions whenever they come up, and share the finer details of the projects they are working on. When a member is having a challenge and asks for help, we're there throughout the week to provide some insight, but more often than not, an Academy alumni will jump in and provide help before we even have a chance to. This is a tribe and we look out for one another.
Hyper-responsive support team
If you feel stuck along the way and need some extra assistance, you can always send an email into our all-star support team and they will make sure you are connected with the right pro, based on the area you need help in.
Massive FAQ Knowledge Base
We are compiling an enormous database of frequently asked filmmaking questions in real-time from the inquiries we receive during our LIVE calls, on the members forum, and via our support staff. Like everything else in our Movie Maker Academy, this is a living resource that is continually expanding with each new wave of students that come through the program.
Nick, Pedram & Jeff thank you so much for choosing to share your learning and your experiences by creating the Movie Maker Academy and making it available to those who wish to make documentaries or movies. It goes beyond your sharing as each of you have a goal of building communities and creating movements to help people make informed choices through your films, supporting materials and e-mails. Your combined energies, expertise and sharing of tools and information at our weekly seminars and the Movie Maker Academy web site made for a very informative and comfortable learning environment, one that would benefit anyone who wished to become a movie director and fits the profile of what you wish to achieve and have others achieve as well.
The Academy Curriculum
There are 12 modules in the program – in addition to the live monthly calls and private members forum. We have arranged the sections in an order that what we feel matches up with what a producer or director will need along the arch of a typical film project.
Module 1 – Concept
Module 2 – Research
Module 3 – Funding
This section is worth the price of the course in itself. We give you all of our strategies for raising money for a film project, whether you’re coming to the table with your own money or starting without any funding. A little secret: Jeff Hays shares some priceless techniques on how to use crowd-funding to pay for your entire film… He’s one of a tiny number of people in our industry with this knowledge (featured in Forbes Magazine). We’ll also share the investor agreements that we use for our films – that cost us over $50,000 in legal fees to create.
Module 4 – Pre-Production
Module 5 – Production
Module 6 – Post-Production
Module 7 – Distribution
Distribution can be highly impactful, but you need to know how to play the game. We’re going to teach you how to keep your rights and still leverage your title on multiple channels. The key is in understanding how to properly use your film on your own website for lead generation and product monetization. There are cross-platform plays that roll out from there.
Module 8 – Promotion
One of the most daunting aspects of filmmaking is getting people to come and watch it once it’s been made. This is where we thrive. We’ve broken all the rules and have designed an innovative promotion strategy that can turn your movie into a movement. We’ll teach you how to turn your film into a rally point for like-minded people who want to make real change. Your film can be a spark to ignite the minds of the masses… if you know how to position it. Making friends and developing networks is key to your success here.
Module 9 – Monetization
Module 10 – How to start a movement with your film
Module 11 – How to find sponsors for your project
Module 12 – Filming and promoting docu-series
Reviews from our alumni and current
students:
Kevin
I too can’t believe it’s done, yet in reality it is all just beginning! I am so thrilled with all I have learned from each of you and excited to use it to launch my film this November. The timing for this has been incredible because I was already on the free 10 day screening path for our film and had ideas of how to market, promote and build the community around it, but you all really clarified the focus for me and gave me incredible direction as well as revealing the pitfalls to avoid!
I could go on and on, but I will take this moment to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the incredible openness, honesty, humility, and fun you all provided consistently throughout the course. I feel as if I know you and truly do look forward to having drinks with you at “the pool” someday. I am a huge fan and believer in Mastermind groups and sessions and you guys are totally doing it and reaping the benefits from it as well!
Please do keep me posted as you craft your Deep Dive group, I would love to know about that when you put that together.
When you have your next MMA course ready to launch please let me know as I would love to get set up to refer people to you.
With gratitude! Let’s go change the world!
Diane
This course has set me on a different path. I feel empowered-albeit extremely nervous-to set out on it. Just a FEW of the things I’ve learned along the way (and I could go on all day):
- How to combine a sense of business, purpose and art
- How to research a potential audience
- How to think on a much bigger scale
- That a team can create so much more than one
- A much better understanding of back end and crowd funding, and more
- The piece about legacy was so insightful, it’s still resonating
There are hundreds of more things I learned, and I plan to go through all the videos again to pick up the hundreds I’m sure I missed.
I’m looking forward to sharing my movie(s) with you guys some day on a professional level. That may be a while though. Right now I feel like the kid who has decided to join the swim team but currently can only dog paddle.
Thank you for not only the knowledge to continue forward, but the courage. This is the best class I’ve ever signed up for!
James
The internet and the digital revolution have democratized the arts and impoverished the artist. These successful filmmakers have found the formula to use the technological revolution to do their art and make a good living.
These appealing and successful filmmakers come from a place of wanting to make the world a better place. And their offering these invaluable lessons is testament to that philosophy.
I’ve been a filmmaker for forty-six years and talk about teaching an old dog new tricks, this course is chock full of important lessons. I would highly recommend it to anyone setting out to make a documentary film. And to those like me trying to figure out how to make a living from one’s film making passion. It’s the Bible baby!