Creating Film Projects from Scratch
A course by Sergio Castro San Martin
Filmmaker and Photographer.
Tulsa, Chile.
Joined April 2021
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, Filmmaker and Photographer
Joined April 2021
Develop an original movie idea and put together a director’s folder for a fiction film, documentary, short film, or TV series
- Spanish with subtitles in English
- 100% positive reviews (23)
- 701 students
Develop an original movie idea and put together a director’s folder for a fiction film, documentary, short film, or TV series
- 100% positive reviews (23)
- 701 students
- 13 lessons (2h 15m)
- 19 additional resources (7 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish
- Spanish, English, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Want to launch your own film project but not sure where to start? In this online course, filmmaker Sergio Castro San Martín teaches you how to prepare a director’s folder for a fiction film, documentary, short film, or TV series based on an original idea. Sergio has directed films like La Mujer de Barro, screened at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and Berlinale, and TV series such as La Jauría, on Amazon Prime.
Using a full-length film as a reference, learn to identify and develop the fundamental concepts required to meet audiovisual industry standards and compile them into a director's folder, which you can use to present future projects in international markets, at film festivals, and even to investors.

What will you learn in this online course?
Course table of contents
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U1U1. Introduction
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U2U2. The Original Idea
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U3U3. Materials for the Director's Dossier
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U4U4. The Director’s Folder and What to Do With It
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FPFP Final project
Sergio Castro starts the course by telling you a bit about himself and how he became a fiction and documentary film director. He also shares his biggest influences and sources of inspiration.
Next, explore your own influences and interests, and discover techniques to help you find ideas for your project. Learn the fundamentals of storytelling to piece together a narrative based on your vision as a director, composing the tagline and storyline.
Follow up by writing a letter of motivation that explains what sets your film apart from the rest. Then draft a script and start building the universe for your project, complete with characters and locations.
To tie everything together, Sergio teaches you how to create a convincing audiovisual proposal with the most representative images from your mood board and design a professional-looking director's folder. Wrap up the course by learning about the film industry's standards and how to successfully pitch your ideas to get backing for your project.
What is this course's project?
Prepare a director's folder with all the essential elements for your film or audiovisual project, which you can present in international markets, at festivals, and even to investors.

Who is this online course for?
Anyone with an inclination towards art, literature, or film who is interested in and motivated by the idea of telling stories through an audiovisual lens.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience in film projects is necessary for this course. All you need are a few tools like a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, and any program that allows you to work with text and images, like PowerPoint.

Reviews

A course by Sergio Castro San Martin
Sergio Castro San Martín is a photographer and filmmaker. He graduated as a director from the Escuela de Cine de Chile with his thesis film Paseo, which won Best Chilean Film at the 2009 Sanfic.
His next major breakthrough came on the heels of his 2015 feature-length film La Mujer de Barro, which propelled him to the international stage at Berlinale and the San Sebastián International Film Festival. In 2019, he directed the full-length documentary El Negro and joined forces with Lucía Puenzo to codirect his first fiction drama series La Jauría, featured on Amazon Prime. In 2022, he codirected the first Chilean TV show for Disney alongside Pepa San Martín and directed the fiction film El Gol Más Triste, as well as his first international film Il Cileno.
He's been a member of the Chilean Film Academy since 2020 and is also a film professor at several universities where he teaches film production, editing, scriptwriting, and title design.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
The Original Idea
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The Genesis of an Idea
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Transformation of the Original Idea
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Tagline and Storyline
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U3
Materials for the Director's Dossier
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First Plot Synopsis
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Your Own Story
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Characters
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Environment and World
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The Audiovisual Proposal
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Mood Board
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U4
The Director’s Folder and What to Do With It
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The Director's Dossier
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Pitching
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FP
Final project
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Creating Film Projects from Scratch
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
edwinurbina
un curso que te puede hacer marcar la diferencia en redes sociales
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amylewiz
Excellent course for understanding the initial stages of creating a concept through to pitching, with some really helpful resources!
sgersua
PlusExcelente curso, muy claras las explicaciones y buena calidad del material complementario. Estare atento a mas cursos de Sergio Castro
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dawild
Fantastic course.... I hope for more courses from the instructor maybe something for advanced learners.. :)
ramsesnut
PlusMe parece un curso estupendo
El profesor genial y el contenido muy fácil de entender
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