
SF FILM SOCIETY CINEMA
FILM ARTS FORUM
SFFS Film Arts Forum: Digital Distribution Now
Tuesday, February 7, 7:30 pm
Tuesday, February 7, 7:30 pm
SF FILM SOCIETY CINEMA
FILM SOCIETY CINEMA
FILM SOCIETY CINEMA
SF INT'L FILM FESTIVAL
Merrill Garbus (tUnE-yArDs) with Buster Keaton Shorts
Monday, April 23, 8:00 PM
Monday, April 23, 8:00 PM
Upcoming Classes & Workshops
Download the current SFFS Education calendar (pdf)
Most classes are held at the San Francisco Film Centre (39 Mesa Street in the San Francisco Presidio) or the Ninth Street Independent Film Center (145 Ninth Street). Please read the Classes & Workshops FAQs before enrolling.
To begin exploring class and workshop offerings, click on one of the categories listed below:
Most classes are held at the San Francisco Film Centre (39 Mesa Street in the San Francisco Presidio) or the Ninth Street Independent Film Center (145 Ninth Street). Please read the Classes & Workshops FAQs before enrolling.
To begin exploring class and workshop offerings, click on one of the categories listed below:
Script Consulting
Instructor:
Lisa Rosenberg
Highly experienced story analysts offer comprehensive single reads and critiques of completed screenplay drafts, providing several pages of typed notes plus a one-hour follow-up consultation.
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$450 SFFS member
general
Screenwriting Level III: Complete the Journey
Instructor:
Various instructors
Act Three of your screenplay should not just be a wrap-up of the narrative, but a resonant, emotionally satisfying culmination of your main character’s journey and your final spin on the multiple layers of your story.
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Five sessions, TBA
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$465 SFFS member
$495 general
$465 SFFS member
$495 general
Level I: Launch Your Screenplay
Instructor:
Lisa Rosenberg
This class introduces the art of storytelling for the screen through lecture, discussion, film clips, writing exercises and writing workshops.
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Tuesdays, February 7–March 27, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$465 SFFS member
$495 general
$465 SFFS member
$495 general
Level II: The Challenge of the Second Act
Instructor:
Lisa Rosenberg
Beginning with notes from the instructor on your first act, this course will enable you to write and workshop your second act in three sections, while meeting regular deadlines.
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Thursdays, February 9-March 29, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$465 SFFS member
$495 general
$465 SFFS member
$495 general
Writing the Short Narrative Film
Instructor:
Natasha V.
Now that short films rule the Web, it’s time to develop your great idea into a script! Methods for writing screenplays, structuring stories and developing characters will be introduced in this intensive three-week workshop.
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Thursdays, February 9–March 1, 7:00-10:00pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
Achieving Your Goals: Writing the High Concept Screenplay
Instructor:
Steven Arvanites
Learn and gather the tools to identify your writing obstacles and achieve your screenwriting goals. Identify and outline the three "must-haves" needed for a viable high-concept script including the all important "hook.”
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Saturday, March, 10, 11:00 am-2:00 pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Scheduling and Budgeting for Motion Pictures
Instructor:
Debbie Brubaker
Having a concise budget is essential for any business plan if you’re going to raise money for a movie project. This class will cover the script breakdown process.
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Read more...
Wednesday, February 8, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Film Festival Marketing and Publicity 101
Instructor:
Hilary Hart, Tiffany Woolf
You’ve just finished your film. Now what? Better yet, you’ve just decided to make a film, what should you do now and moving forward to prepare for your future publicity and marketing campaigns?
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Wednesday, February 15, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Grant Writing Essentials
Instructor:
Michele Turnure-Salleo
Learn how to craft an effective grant proposal for your project that can be adapted for multiple applications.
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Read more...
Tuesday, March 6, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Measuring Impact 101
Instructor:
Michael A. Behrens
What is impact and how do you measure it? Increasingly, foundations and individuals want proof that your film is making a difference.
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Read more...
Wednesday, March 14, 7:00-10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
SFFS Fiscal Sponsorship Orientation
Instructor:
Michele Turnure-Salleo
Whether you’re a filmmaker with a seed of an idea, are heading into production, have just finished your rough cut or are putting your distribution strategy into action, fiscal sponsorship can help you access funds from foundations and donors.
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Tuesday, April 10 7:00–8:30 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
Free SFFS member
Free general
Free SFFS member
Free general
Structuring the Character-Driven Documentary
Instructor:
Karen Everett
Acquisition executives from HBO, PBS and Sundance want story-driven films that deliver an engaging narrative. This two-day seminar will reveal essential narrative building blocks.
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Read more...
Saturday–Sunday, February 25–26, 9:00am–5:00 pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
Producing and Directing Documentary Film
Instructor:
David Brown
How do you turn a captivating idea into a viable documentary film? This intensive two-day workshop covers crucial issues of producing and directing a documentary.
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Read more...
Saturday–Sunday, March 24–25, 10:00 am–6:00 pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
Aesthetics of Editing
Instructor:
Richard Levien
This class investigates the many competing issues that editors must keep in mind when cutting a film. Students will analyze early versions of scenes from documentary and narrative works, comparing them to the finished scene.
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Read more...
Monday, February 6, 7:00–10:00 pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Craft of Producing: Preproduction and Planning
Instructor:
Debbie Brubaker
This class will cover the development and preparations that go into getting ready to make a film. Both narrative and documentary filmmaking will be discussed.
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Read more...
Wednesday, February 22, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Shooting HD With Digital SLR Cameras
Instructor:
Matt Notaro
Learn how to manage beautiful moving images affordably and take control of a new and potentially industry-changing technology.
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Read more...
Wednesday, February 29, 7:00–10:00 pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Craft of Producing: In Production
Instructor:
Debbie Brubaker
How do you know when you’re ready for production? What are some of the pitfalls of production, and what can you do to prevent them? In this class we will talk about the process of production.
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Read more...
Wednesday, March 7, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
Director’s Guide to Actors
Instructor:
Marty Pistone
This course is designed for film directors with an interest in the actor’s process. No previous acting experience on or off camera is necessary.
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Read more...
Mondays, March 19-26, 7:00-10:00pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$100 SFFS member
$125 general
$100 SFFS member
$125 general
Craft of Producing: Post Production
Instructor:
Debbie Brubaker
Different avenues of narrative and documentary filmmaking postproduction will be looked at from the producer’s point of view.
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Read more...
Wednesday, March 21, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
The Craft and Theory of Sound
Instructor:
Dan Olmsted
We tend to think of films as something we “watch,” but we of course “hear” them too—and sound can significantly influence how we see a movie, in ways both obvious and subtle.
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Read more...
Wednesday, April 4, 7:00–10:00 pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
$50 SFFS member
$70 general
The Slasher Genre
Instructor:
Aaron Kerner
This course surveys the history of this grisly horror subgenre. Dubbed “slasher” films because of the machetes, axes and knives used to dispatch unwitting victims, these films are loaded with social anxiety.
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Read more...
Monday, March 12, 7:00-10:00 pm
The Roxie Theater
$15 SFFS member
$20 general
$15 SFFS member
$20 general
Bay Area Experimental Cinema (1960-1970)
Instructor:
Dominic Angerame
Amidst the hippie movement of the ’60s and ’70s, experimental filmmaking began to blossom, with many artists turning to alternative cinema.
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Monday, April 2, 7:00-10:00pm
The Roxie Theater
$15 SFFS member
$20 general
$15 SFFS member
$20 general
Filmmaking Is Art and Commerce
Instructor:
Peter Belsito, Sydney Levine
Making a great film is job one, but getting a great financing deal along with international sales and proper distribution, marketing, publicity that will allow you to pay all of the players and actually get your film seen by your intended paying demographic is an integral part of the process.
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Saturday-Sunday, March 31-April 1, 10:00 am-6:00 pm
Ninth Street Independent Film Center
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
$190 SFFS member
$220 general
Character Comes First: Costume Design in the Movies
Instructor:
Deborah Nadoolman Landis
Academy Award-nominated costume designer and author Deborah Nadoolman Landis will share her remembrances and anecdotes from 35 years of creating iconic costume designs.
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Friday April 6, 1:00pm-3:00pm
San Francisco Film Centre, The Presidio
$25 SFFS member
$35 general
$25 SFFS member
$35 general








