My name is Olaf De Fleur, and I am a do-it-yourself filmmaker with over two decades of experience. Through my film career, I've directed actors like Academy Nominee Florence Pugh (Black Widow, Little Women), James Cosmo (Braveheart), Johnathan Price (Brazil), Michael Imperioli (Sopranos), and JJ Field (Captain America), just to name a few.

In this class, I'll share all the tools that I've learned by completing seven feature documentary films. In this step-by-step guide to Documentary Indie Filmmaking, you'll teach yourself how to complete a short documentary film independently through manageable action steps. This course is for anyone who is just starting or has done a couple of documentary projects; in either case, this class will deepen your understanding of documentary filmmaking. I'll share the fundamentals of what I've learned - for you to discover your unique style. All you need for this class is a camera, something to write on, and a computer to edit your film. Here are some of the things you'll learn in this class: * Experience hands-on a complete documentary film process * The fundamentals of documentary filmmaking * Develop your style as a visual storyteller * Receive documentary production tips that can save you from unnecessary agony * Complete a documentary film on a micro-budget We'll start with your documentary Idea, talk about my favorite development tools, Theme, Genre, and the Fairy Tale tool. We'll discuss Production, Cinematography, and Directing before hitting the post-production phase. I'll be inviting you to do tasks and challenges along the way. This course will not only demystify the documentary process, but it'll also illuminate your creative strengths and help you identify areas of improvement and opportunities. Let's get started! Instructor bio: Olaf de Fleur is an award-winning filmmaker from Iceland with over 20 years of experience and twelve feature films to his name. He has worked with acclaimed actors such as Florence Pugh (Little Women), Jonathan Pryce (Brazil), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad). Passionate about teaching the fundamentals of visual storytelling, Olaf helps learners build confidence and develop their creative voice. Alongside directing and writing, he teaches at film schools, speaks publicly, and offers creative coaching — always aiming to make filmmaking approachable, inspiring, and practical.

Have you ever wondered what exactly color grading or correction is? Or you know what it is but have always been too intimidated to try to do it yourself? Well this class is for you!

In this course, taught by Fred Trevino, he breaks down color correction and grading to its most basic steps. The skills learned in this course transfer over to many programs (not just Da Vinci Resolve) so whether you work in Premiere, FCPX or any other program, you will walk away knowing how to make your images look better. This class is for any beginner who wants a crash course (just the basics) and wants to get up and running in their first grade. In this course, Fred even includes all the media used so that you can easily follow along. In this course we'll go over: * Lift, Gamma, Gain * Highlights * Shadows * Contrast * Saturation * Color Temperature * Tint * Secondaries and More! Watch the first few lessons and I'm sure you'll learn something you'll use on all your projects! About your teacher: Fred Trevino is a colorist at Beambox Studio and a Skillshare Top Teacher, grading projects for filmmakers and clients around the world. He has worked on over 60 feature films as well as hundreds of music videos, shorts, documentaries, commercials, and web spots. Fred’s corporate clients include HBO, ESPN, Shiseido, Under Armour, Sundance Channel, TruTV, and Pepsi. His work has screened at major festivals like Sundance, Cannes, and Slamdance. Based in New York City, he also enjoys street photography. Fred’s courses guide learners from beginner-level color grading to advanced industry techniques, including creating cinematic looks, matching shots, and professional workflows in DaVinci Resolve.

Is matching the toughest thing for you when it comes to color correction? Well, you're not alone! In this course, taught by Fred Trevino, we'll go over some proven tools and techniques that will make your matching skills get to the next level.

This is an advanced class for those of you that already know the basics of Da Vinci Resolve, cinematography, and understand tools such as keys, scopes, as well as using windows and curves. In this class we'll cover: * Why shots don't match in the first place. * Breaking down shots so you know what needs to happen. * Good tools to use to match your clips. * Bringing it all together to match a short scene. So, if you're looking to gain one of the more powerful tools as a colorist then this class is for you! About Your Teacher: Fred Trevino is a colorist at Beambox Studio and a Skillshare Top Teacher, grading projects for filmmakers and clients around the world. He has worked on over 60 feature films as well as hundreds of music videos, shorts, documentaries, commercials, and web spots. Fred’s corporate clients include HBO, ESPN, Shiseido, Under Armour, Sundance Channel, TruTV, and Pepsi. His work has screened at major festivals like Sundance, Cannes, and Slamdance. Based in New York City, he also enjoys street photography. Fred’s courses guide learners from beginner-level color grading to advanced industry techniques, including creating cinematic looks, matching shots, and professional workflows in DaVinci Resolve.

If you’re completely new to motion design and ready to dive into the world of animation, this course is the perfect starting point. Taught by designer and motion graphics expert Hongshu Guo, this beginner-friendly course walks you through everything you need to know to open After Effects with confidence and start creating animations from scratch.

You’ll learn how to navigate the interface, organize your files, and build your first composition using key animation tools like position, scale, and opacity. Through step-by-step lessons and a hands-on project, you’ll understand how animation works and how to bring basic objects to life on screen. By the end of the course, you’ll know how to animate simple sequences professionally and efficiently using core After Effects tools. Whether you're pursuing motion graphics as a hobby or a career, this course lays the solid foundation you need to build your skills and create with confidence. Instructor bio: Hi, I’m Hongshu Guo, a Motion Graphics instructor with over 40,000 students online. I help beginner animators master After Effects through clear, hands-on courses. You can also explore free tutorials on my YouTube channel, Motion Circles, or join our community on Discord to connect with fellow learners.

Ready to take your animation skills to the next level? In this intermediate step of the After Effects journey, instructor Hongshu Guo helps you go beyond the basics and start animating like a pro. This course picks up where the fundamentals left off, diving into transitions, layered effects, and polished animation techniques.

You’ll learn how to offset layers, use trim path and masking effects, animate text and complex compositions, and add the kind of visual polish that makes motion graphics stand out. With each lesson, you’ll build toward a final project where you’ll design and animate a custom title or logo reveal. By completing this course, you’ll gain the confidence to animate more complex scenes, explore After Effects’ deeper toolset, and finish your projects with creative flair. If you're looking to build a portfolio-ready animation and unlock the next phase of your creative journey, this course is your launchpad. Instructor bio: Hi, I’m Hongshu Guo, a Motion Graphics instructor with over 40,000 students online. I help beginner animators master After Effects through clear, hands-on courses. You can also explore free tutorials on my YouTube channel, Motion Circles, or join our community on Discord to connect with fellow learners.

Are you new to video editing and just the feeling of having to learn it seems overwhelming and complicated? Not after you take this course with Enrico Luzi!

You will learn everything you need to know to easily create short-form video content for your social media platforms using a free and fun software on your desktop / notebook called Capcut. Capcut is an easy-to-use but super powerful tool for video editing, and it can take your videos to the next level. Throughout the class, you will learn a range of video editing skills: * How to create and set up a new project * Adding videos, sounds, and text on the timeline * How to animate position, size, speed * Engaging users with fun music and sound effects * Generating easy auto captions * Making it all more dynamic with effects and transitions * Adjusting light and colors So you'll go from the basics to more advanced techniques for creating engaging and entertaining video content. You will learn how to edit and enhance your videos with various effects and transitions, add text and captions, and use sound and music to make them even more immersive. You will also learn how to use the video inspector to adjust parameters such as rotation, stabilization, and masking. We won't forget to explore features such as stickers, color filters and LUTs, stabilization, and much more. Who's this course for: This course is designed for beginner video editors or creators of all kinds looking to improve their skills and create professional-looking videos for their social media platforms. Whether you're creating content for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or TikTok, this course will give you the tools and techniques to make your videos stand out and engage your audience. Hi, I'm Enrico Luzi! I'm a passionate digital content creator with many years of experience producing multimedia content for a wide range of clients, such as Oppo and AirBnb, and self-publication. Throughout my career, I've been creating engaging video content for various platforms and learned how to use video to entertain, educate, and inspire viewers. What do you need for this class? All you need is a desktop or notebook computer, PC or Mac; Capcut will work even on very old machines, being a very lightweight software with many features to make editing super smooth. By the end of this class, you will be able to create professional-looking videos that will grab your audience's attention. You will have the skills and techniques to create unique short-form video content. So if you're ready to take your video editing skills to the next level, join me on this journey of discovery with Capcut. Instructor bio: Enrico Luzi is a landscape and commercial photographer and videomaker who helps brands tell their stories through compelling visuals. Originally trained as an engineer in Brazil, a transformative backpacking trip across South America inspired him to pursue a creative path and build a location-independent business behind the lens. Today, Enrico combines his professional practice with teaching, sharing photography and videography techniques to make technology an ally in visual storytelling. Based in Bologna, Italy, he creates courses designed to empower learners with both the technical skills and creative mindset needed to bring their ideas to life.

Find success as a freelance editor by combining the power of taste and technical knowledge.

There are a lot of things Ryan Kao wishes he had known before starting his career as a freelance video editor and cinematographer. From learning editing essentials to finding his distinctive visual style to properly managing client projects and marketing himself on social media, developing skills like these have helped Ryan go on to secure opportunities with brands like Nike, Adidas, and IKEA as well as cultivate a community of almost 250K across YouTube and Instagram. Now, Ryan wants to share everything he’s learned about starting a career in freelance editing and things he wished he could’ve told himself when he got started. In this class, you’ll learn the must-knows of a successful video editing freelance career, common mistakes and pitfalls and how to avoid them, and general tools to help you develop strong client relationships. With Ryan as your guide, you’ll: - Decide which of the three video editor types you are - Discover key editing terms, skills, and definitions - Define your editing rate and what success means to you - Learn the exact steps to take to get your career started Plus, Ryan will share a downloadable guidebook that will help you through your first few months of becoming a freelance video editor. Whether you’ve been exploring the idea of freelance editing for a while and are looking for a way to jumpstart your career or you are an entry-level editor who is looking to gain more confidence and a better understanding of the industry, you’ll leave this class knowing what it’s like to be a full-time freelance editor and what actionable steps to take towards your dream career. No freelance editing experience is required to take this class. Some understanding of the video editing industry and video editing as a craft will be helpful but not necessary. Consider printing out your guidebook or bringing paper and a pen to take notes as you watch. Instructor bio: Ryan Kao is a cinematographer and video editor based in Los Angeles. What started as a simple childhood hobby over 15 years ago has grown into a thriving and transformative career as a full-time freelancer in the video industry. With cinematography and post-production work ranging from commercial, documentary, and narrative pieces. He is proud to say that his work has taken him all over the world. Making and learning from mistakes along the way has allowed him to discover some unique perspectives and strategies over the years. He's also been so honored to share his knowledge and experiences on YouTube with an audience of over 200,000 subscribers. This creative community has fueled his career beyond anything he could ever imagine possible, and he's beyond excited to share even more with you, here on Skillshare! Clients include Nike, Adidas, Alo, Trip Advisor, Hennesey, and more.

Take on any project without the stress by optimizing your project management, folder organization and overall workflow.

There are a lot of things Ryan Kao wishes he knew before starting his career as a freelance video editor and cinematographer. From learning editing essentials to finding his distinctive visual style to properly managing client projects and marketing himself on social media, developing skills like these have helped Ryan go on to secure opportunities with brands like Nike, Adidas, and IKEA as well as cultivate a community of almost 250K across YouTube and Instagram. Now, Ryan wants to share everything he’s learned about project management, staying organized, and how to speed up editing workflow through project templates and presets. In this class, you’ll learn how to optimize your data management, create a cohesive folder structure, and gain more confidence in your overall editing workflow. With Ryan as your teacher, you’ll: - Organize and name incoming media with a strong folder structure - Set up and organize your footage - Understand how the benefits of cloud storage and hard drives - Move through large quantities of data with ease Plus, Ryan will share a downloadable version of his folder structure so you can use it the next time you need to organize incoming media. Basic video editing knowledge and experience will be helpful when taking the class. You’ll need your computer to get started as well as any hard drives or video content to practice with. You can also bring pen and paper to take notes. Instructor bio: Ryan Kao is a cinematographer and video editor based in Los Angeles. What started as a simple childhood hobby over 15 years ago has grown into a thriving and transformative career as a full-time freelancer in the video industry. With cinematography and post-production work ranging from commercial, documentary, and narrative pieces. He is proud to say that his work has taken him all over the world. Making and learning from mistakes along the way has allowed him to discover some unique perspectives and strategies over the years. He's also been so honored to share his knowledge and experiences on YouTube with an audience of over 200,000 subscribers. This creative community has fueled his career beyond anything he could ever imagine possible, and he's beyond excited to share even more with you, here on Skillshare! Clients include Nike, Adidas, Alo, Trip Advisor, Hennesey, and more.

Stop scrolling thumbs in their tracks by using visual effects to create out of the ordinary video content.

Emonee LaRussa’s experience as a motion graphics artist and director began as a teenager when she started making amateur music videos with her friends. Access to a laptop and design apps like Adobe Effects helped bring Emonee and her passion for video effects to places she never imagined possible. Now a two time Emmy-award winning artist, Emonee’s trippy creative style has helped her gain over 200K followers and given her the opportunity to work with artists like Lil Nas X, Ty Dolla $ign, and Megan Thee Stallion as well as Saturday Night Live, The Grammys, and Rolling Stone. If you’re curious about visual effects, an art form which flawlessly integrates computer-generated imagery with live-action video footage, jump into Emonee’s first ever full-length class where she’ll walk you through her exact workflow to help you to take your video content to the next level. Throughout this course you’ll learn to: - Brainstorm your concept - Prep and plan your shoot - Discover the art of the green screen - Organize your digital workspace and composite your scene - Finalize your piece by creating a mask, blending, and adding your final details before editing it into a loop Plus, you’ll get a behind the scenes look into Emonee’s own work and how she goes about pre-production, production and post-production for a project as a full-time motion graphics designer. Whether you’re looking to unleash your inner motion designer for the first time or improve on the video editing skills you already have, joining Emonee will help you create video content that will have everyone asking how you did it. No previous motion design or video editing skills are required for this class. To follow along with Emonee, you’ll need a computer, access to Adobe After Effects, a green screen, and a camera phone or DSLR camera. You can also use extra lighting and lenses if you think it will work well for your project. Instructor bio: Emonee LaRussa is a Motion Graphics Artist working with Lil Nas x, Meg thee Stallion, The Grammy’s, Saturday Night Live and more. Along the way, Emonee has won 2 Emmys during her time working at CBS. She has created a non-profit JumpStart Designers focused on getting digital art to lower-income kids. Emonee is looking to continue her path on building a better future for all.