Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Most frequent questions and answers
How will I benefit from attending the 5 Month Filmmaking School?
After you graduate with the Film Directors Certificate, you will have the blueprint and knowledge to produce and make your own 10 minute film. You will have learnt how to make your film professional.
You will have gained valuable new skills in film editing on Adobe Premiere Pro. You will have learned how to colour your own film and source music.
You will have learnt how to cast you film. You will have learnt how to organise a shoot. You will have learnt how to shoot for 3 Days on location getting all the necessary shots and performance from real actors.
You will have forged creative alliances and friends.
These are some of the benefits of the Film Course.
Do I need Film Equipment?
All Film Equipment is supplied by Australian Film Base. This includes the amazing Black Magic Designs Ursa Camera, professional sound and light equipment and grips equipment. Do not buy equipment till you have attended the technical training sessions.
You will clearly know what to buy at that point. . Many people rent film equipment rather than buying film equipment. As you will be a past graduate, after Five months, you will be entitled to a special discount on rentals from Australian Film Base along with a DOP.
How long have you been in business?
26 Years. The First Film Course was presented by Colm O’Murchu in May 1997 and has remained continuous since then. We are a quality long term film training organisation. We train people in how to make films the right way.
Hundreds of short films have been produced on our Film Courses. So many people who have started their film careers with us, have gone on to work successfully in the film business
Why do you only take 15 people per course?
This is the best number for a Hands On Film Course where you are dealing with film equipment and a shoot. We do not take more as we want the course to be quality. Our film course is based on quality not quantity and the objective is to train you into making films professionally.
Is the course social? Will I get to know people on the film course?
The Film Course is very social. You will get to know everyone well
Our teachers regularly organise a social mixer after the film course where you can socialise with everyone in nearby bar. This is voluntary.
By the nature of the film shoot and preparation, you will also get to know everyone really well. We find people stay friends with each other for years afterwards, collaborating on future film projects, completing them and submitting to film festivals.
Also after the film course concludes, we have Indie Film Club where people who have attended previous film courses socialise and network.
We have a speaker and people get to pitch their film projects. This keeps you meeting new people from different courses.
One of our members originally did the film course in 2001. We frequently have members attend as professional speakers from previous film courses.
Corona Virus Policy 2022:
If you would prefer to wear masks, please do so. This is currently at your discretion.
In case of an unlikely lockdown before the course, we will postpone the first night to when the lockdown completes.
In case of an unlikely lockdown, during the course, we will have bonus extra Zoom sessions on the same night as the course would have been. They last about 90 minutes and are totally complimentary.
When the lockdown completes, we take up the course from where we left off with the very next session, so you do not miss a thing. You will get the full value of the course, no matter what happens.
The official refund policy still applies as outlined below.
Do I get to make my own film?
On the 5 Month Film School, everyone gets to write a screenplay for the film.
Everyone gets to edit their own version of the 10- minute film. Everyone gets the chance to source music for the film. Everyone gets a say in who is cast for the film. Everyone gets to colour their film
Everyone gets to do the various crew roles on the film set including directing, DOP and Sound Recordist.. Only one Film is made total on the 4 Month Film Course. But there can be up to 12 different versions of the film.
Everyone gets to write version and edit a version of the film. We do one film properly, so you learn effectively. You also get to revolve around all the key roles, Director, DOP, Sound Recordist
If you want to make your own high standard passionate 10-minute film, please complete your screenplay as the course proceeds. Once the Film Course Shoot completes, you can then proceed to make your own film soon after.
After the 5 Month Film School, we have the Advanced Course and the Advanced Premium Production Course Support. You must be a graduate of the 4 Month Filmmaking Course to qualify.
Do I need my own editing equipment for the Editing Sessions?
You will need Adobe Premiere Pro software and a laptop or Desktop computer with a minimum of 8GB of Ram . It is advisable to have an external drive with at least 1 TB of space. You do not need to worry about getting these items till the 4th Month of the filmmaking course.
You can choose to just observe the edit sessions or actively partake and learn editing. The choice will be yours and you can make this choice at the end of the 4th month of the filmmaking course.
We will also supply you with the Online Editing Tutorials which will teach you how to edit a film. This will be in addition to the editing classes. You will be invited to edit a version of the short film shot on the course. This may take 20 – 30 hours of homework time to complete the whole film. Of course editing the film is voluntary and you do not need to edit the film to enrol on the 4 Month Filmmaking Course. The choice will be completely yours.
When do I get the certificate? Will I get a Credit on the Course short Film
You must have good attendance at the 5 Month Film School and you must be present on days of shooting and be present on the last night of the film course. If this is the case, you will receive the Film Directors Certificate on the last night of the 5 Month Film School..
All people, who successfully complete the Five month film School, are credited as Directors on the film. This will be your first important credit. This is what builds film careers as you will have your first credit.
Who are the Teachers.
All our film teachers are active filmmakers. This means you are learning off active filmmakers who are out there making their own movies are working as DOP or Sound Designer on professional films.
It is best to learn off Film Teachers who are actually filmmakers.
Will the filmmaking course help me get work in the film industry?
Yes it is the very first important step. While you may not get work directly after the 5 Month Filmmaking School, but you will be on the way. We have plenty of work particularly in editing and colouring and we have employed many people from past film courses on a contract basis.
Of course, one has to show talent and commitment to qualify. For the determined, work will happen for that person provided they commit to the steps needed. We currently have people working with us who originally started at our Film Course. Also Attachments are a regular feature of Film Guilds and we will show you how to apply for that. Having completed the 5 Month Film School, this will give you an advantage when you apply.
Please read the following article on getting work in the film business. This gives you the process step by step of how you go about getting from where you are today to working in the film industry.
Will I BE ABLE TO MAKE MY OWN MOVIE AFTER THE 5 MONTH FILM COURSE?
Yes, you will be able to make your own films after the 5 Month Film School.
Over Five months, you will have experienced and learnt the process to make a movie. This will be done by actually making a film on the 5 Month Film School. This is the best way to learn.
Provided you commit and follow the steps learnt on the 5 Month Film School, you will be making (producing & directing) your very own films after the film course.
The way to become an advanced quality filmmaker is to produce and direct your own films, using the step by step process learnt and practically done on the 5 Month Film School A Filmmaker loves to make films.
We have so many previous film course students both working in the film industry and making their own passion films
How do the payment plans work ?
Please note that payment plans are available. The payments plan generally work on 5 Monthly Payments.
The first payment is always paid directly to Australian Film Base. The subsequent payments are paid to our administrative partner company Debit Success.
They are Australia’s number one debit company and will create an easy automatic debit system for your payments.
All matters relating to payments will be via Debit Success once operational.
Once you have started a payment plan, you are liable for all payments and must make the payments, even if you do not complete the 5 Month Film School. This will be in the schedule that you signed to.
What is the refund policy?
Please note that the refund policy.
The Deposit that you pay, is 80% refundable up to One Month in advance of the starting date of the 5 Month Film School. That means that you get 80% refunded provided the 5 Month Film School is more than one month away from the start date.
One month or less, before the start of the 5 Month Film School, the Deposit of $1195 or payment plan deposit is non-refundable.
If you do not proceed with the 5 Month Filmmaking Course, you will not receive your deposit back, if it is less than one month to the start of the 5 Month Film School. As we are a limited numbers course, it is very challenging to do transfers.
If there are exceptional circumstances, we will accommodate a transfer to a future course and credit your deposit.
Once the course has started and you have paid the balance, there are no refunds.
If you are on a payment plan, you are liable to pay out the payment plans.
Does Australian Film Base produce Movies?
Yes we do. We are an active Production company with our Movie production wing International Film Base. You can see our new movie Tabernacle 101 on the Home Page of our website
It is one hour 39 minutes movie, and was released theatrically in the USA in late 2019 followed by VOD on multiple platforms worldwide, DVD and Blue Ray release in the USA.
It won 18 Best Film Awards and was screened in 38 International Film Festivals .You can watch it now on the Home Page