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The 1-year programme

There are two big secrets to our 1-year film foundation programme at EFC:

1. A constant shift between traditional class teaching, practical exercises and film production.

This offers you theoretical knowledge of film production as well as the chance to actually practice everything you learn in class. In terms of teaching, each course period consist of app. 25 teaching hours per week - and in terms of film production, our students produce more than 100 short films together during the programme.

2. The fact that students cannot pick a specific field of study, but are forced to dive into at least 3 different fields of filmmaking.

On one side, this allows our students to explore their true talent (maybe your talent is actually editing, and not directing?) – and on the other side, knowing more about other fields of filmmaking will make you better at your preferred field.

Did you know?

Between 35 and 50% of our students each year change their preferred field during the course of our 1-year film foundation programme.

The 9 teaching fields at EFC

At EFC, we cover the essential roles in a film production, and we teach both fiction and documentary. In the autumn semester, you will get the chance to take 3 courses out of the 9 mentioned below – one first priority and the remaining two according to availability and demand. And in the spring semester you will be able to either dive deeper into a preferred field or try out even more fields.

Producing / Production Management

We all understand what actors, writers, directors, even gaffers do, but what about that other very prominent name in the credits? Is producing just spending cash and smoking cigars? Rarely… if ever.

The job as a producer is a job than can be hair-raising one minute and hair-tearing the next. As a producer or production manager, you are the one doing everything possible to carry a film forward; from the early idea to the big screen.

Producing at EFC will take you into the world of short film producing, covering all elements: finding a project, developing the idea with a screenwriter and a director, budgeting and scheduling, casting for actors, working out deals, keeping the cast and crew happy, giving feedback on edits, completing the project on time, and finding an audience.

Screenwriting

The experience of screenwriting should be something you really enjoy; something that is born inside of you and magically appears in print. When you sit down in front of that keyboard, you have the power to do anything and go anywhere you chose!

Learning screenwriting is essential for everyone who wants to be a filmmaker; knowing what makes a story tick and ultimately come to life, is fundamental for everyone in a film production, whether you’re a born writer or not.

Screenwriting at EFC covers all the tools you need as a screenwriter: how to find your stories, developing your story and characters, location scouting – finding inspiration in the world around you, being realistic in terms of production value, and working with a director and with actors.

Acting

The acting course at EFC focuses on the relationship between the actor and the director and is also very relevant, if you wish to become a director. It is about finding that moment when a character expresses something that just can’t be expressed in any other way.

We explore ways to create a successful collaboration between actors and directors when finding the right way to act a specific story.

In this course you will: train your ability to work consciously with emotions, become more aware of your artistic side, be able to give and receive in the right amount, to examine a text or a script with your body and your mind, be able to work both as an individual and in a group, be more aware of the sense of time when doing a scene.

Directing

The directing course at EFC focuses on both dramaturgical, practical and formal aspects of cinematic storytelling from a director’s point of view.

In the directing course, you will learn about:

Researching and working with an idea and a story, imagination and practice: thinking of the film as its own idea and how it will meet the world, relationship between content and style in the film, working with actors – casting, rehearsal, and improvisation, collaboration with other filmmaking fields, the directors’ role in all elements of a film production chain, all the ‘nuts and bolts’ (mis en scène, blocking, floor plans, director’s breakdowns, production schedules and more).

Camera

The camera course at EFC offers all the building blocks of basic camera operation work. In all classes, theory will alternate with practical work.

Most often, you will work in groups of two students, sharing a camera and helping each other to learn the location and function of all the parts on the camera, train camera movements, work with focus pulling, and of course explore the endless possibilities of visual language!

After a camera course at EFC you should be able to: master the recording of correct images (exposure, contrast, color and focus), communicate with a director about the visual style of the film, plan and control the process of producing images for a short film production, and form the basic understanding of how film language works, seen from the picture side.

Documentary

Documentary at EFC is a foundation course which will introduce you to the world of documentary film; a world that requires many of the skills and mindsets from the fiction world, but then again, something totally different.

We will watch selected films, do various readings and have conversations, exploring the genre of non-fiction; from the observational ‘fly on the wall’-documentary to highly stylized and personal narratives, hybrid cinematic essays or experimental documentaries.

You will also learn to: conceive your ideas, develop concepts, direct and shoot a short documentary, and work with editors and sound designers. You will also learn how to edit your own documentary.

Lighting for film

Who wouldn’t like to learn to see film in a new light? The importance of lighting on a film is often overlooked by inexperienced filmmakers. And so, lighting for film at EFC is basically for all aspiring filmmakers, or anyone interested in filmmaking.

You will get a basic understanding of the different sources of light and how to see, understand, and control that light. You will learn the basics of color-temperature, lighting ratios and the use of gels and diffusions.

The course will give you a full understanding of lighting and how it plays an essential role in telling a story visually. You will learn: lighting for daylight exposure, lighting for ‘tungsten exposure’, how to archive detail and contrast, color correction and ND filters, separation of light for greater depth, communication across fields on a film, and you will receive a crash course in electrical power, power-circuits and safety.

Film editing

The editor makes the actual film. It is at the editing stage that the cinematic idea and concept comes to life! Editors are storytellers, using sound, picture, graphic and music to craft the final narrative. The editor’s aim is to create emotion and reach the audience without under- or overburdening them.

Editing classes at EFC are hands-on from the first day. You will learn how to use Avid Media Composer, which is the industry-leading digital editing software.

We will focus on what makes editing work creative. Editing, like all other film crafts, is about choices – the conscious and the subconscious choices. You will also learn how to: organize a project with multiple files and takes, set up bins, create your own settings in Avid, manage media, and deliver your final film.

Sound design

The only requirements for taking sound at EFC is an open mind and at least one ear… The main goal of learning sound for film at EFC is to awaken your hearing perception.

In the sound course at EFC you will learn to celebrate the fact that your ears do not have ‘earlids’! You will learn to stimulate and improve your hearing sense by listening to beautiful sounds and by learning the processes, techniques, theories and best practices within sound design and sound recording. This will enable you to enhance the narrative of a story in close dialogue with the rest of the film crew.

You will learn how to: use hardware such as microphones, mixers, recorders, be part of a film crew and preform as a sound person on set, use software such as editing and mixing in post-production, and finalize the film, having cared for its sound, from the idea to the finished product.

Career guidance

Throughout the 1-year programme EFC will offer you career guidance to help you make the right choice for your future.

Guest teachers