The Aloha Film School has merged with the IFGA and we are offering a variety of courses for free to all members of the Guild.
You must be a member to take a course (all courses are free to members).
The following courses will be available for personal or professional growth. We are also looking at adding new courses, so if you have an area of specialty that would benefit members, let us know!
The IFGA online courses are constructed to be self-guided and they are FREE to take for members of the IFGA.
If you would like further review and evaluation for this course, we do have a Portfolio Review and Course Certification option for each course, as well as a Certificate of Mastery option when you complete five or more courses. The cost for Course Certification and Portfolio Review is $49 per course or all courses can be bundled for $199 (complete each course on your schedule)
The Portfolio Review Add-On allows you to upload your Assignments / Journal. We will then review and evaluate each assignment. We will then return our assessment. If your assessment does not meet 90% of our criteria, then you may resubmit your portfolio (repeatedly if necessary) until you meet 90% of the criteria. Portfolio Reviews are typically completed within 5-7 days.
Once you reach 90% of the criteria, you can download/print up a Certificate of Completion Certified by the Independent Filmmakers Guild of America.
What does it mean to have a Certificate of Completion Certified by the IFGA? It means we will be putting our 5-star Seal of Approval, acknowledging that you have mastery over the skills outlined in the course. Certifications can be framed and put in offices and/or used on resumes.
You can also receive a subject-based “Certificate of Expertise” by completing five or more IFGA online courses.
Benefits of Certification:
- Professional Development
- Skill Mastery
- Resume Inclusion
- IFGA Certified Filmmaker Certificate
TAKE THIS COURSE! Whether you are trying to learn how to take better pictures with a mobile device or take your skills as a hobbyist to a higher level or looking for a way to make photography a part of your professional career, this introductory course is designed to give you the building blocks necessary to accomplish your goals, focusing on the basics of equipment, exposure, and composition.
Here are the units in this course:
- Unit 1: Overview
- Unit 2: The Equipment
- Unit 3: Exposure
- Unit 4: Composition
- Unit 5: Wrapping Up
Whether you are (or planning on being) a photographer, a videographer, or a filmmaker, the visual principles of each is founded in having an understanding of the skills taught in this course.
This course will introduce students to the basics of film production. It serves as a core course to learn the key elements of the entire process from pre-production to production through post-production. This is essentially a production course, with a focus on micro-short form narratives. You will be provided a foundation in the process and be expected to produce multiple short pieces, learning about the roles of director, producer, screenwriter and editor.
This course will also introduce students to various perspectives on the study and production of film and media theory and production. Students will gain a historical understanding of media as well as its application.
REQUIREMENTS: This class expects students to be able to have access to a video camera. A smartphone with video or a consumer camcorder will be adequate. More advanced consumer, prosumer, or professional cameras are fine as well. We will discuss a wide variety of equipment and how to use what you have. This is a keystone course. For our more advanced filmmaking courses, we expect students to have the skills and understanding of the elements presented here.
In this introductory Film Studies course, we take an in-depth look at the art form of film. In this course, we delve deeply into film aesthetics, adaptations, Oscar winners, and literary films. Students will view and evaluate movies in the way we address the written word — literature. We will look at a variety of feature films, short films, and clips from additional films in our studies.
To achieve the full impact of this course, you will need to have access to the following movies: No Country for Old Men, The Silence of the Lambs, Inception, The Matrix, A Few Good Men, The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, There Will Be Blood.
In this advanced-level Film Studies course, we continue our in-depth look at the art form of film, this time focusing on genres. We look closely at transcendent films in the following genres: Sports, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Animation, Action, Western, Horror and Classics.
To achieve the full impact of this course, you will need to have access to the following movies: Rocky, Raging Bull, Raising Arizona, Alien, King Kong (1933), The Searchers, Wall-E, When Harry Met Sally, The Magnificent 7.
Advanced Filmmaking will build upon your skills and further develop you as a filmmaker. After gaining knowledge regarding the basics of film production, in Intro to Filmmaking, we will continue to help you reinforce those skills toward mastery while introducing new concepts to further your level of expertise.
You will gain hands-on experience with lighting concepts and how to properly light a variety of sets and how to effectively use one, two, or three lights in a production environment. Additionally, you will be introduced to audio on a more complex audio — not just how to get the most out of a camera’s on-board audio, but how to use digital recorders for audio reinforcement to ensure a high-quality outcome. And, yes, we will delve much deeper into camera work with a focus on advanced techniques focused on filmmaking.
Lastly, this course will also introduce students to various perspectives on the study and production of film and media theory and production. Students will gain a historical understanding of media as well as its application. View the course outline here.
Take this Course!This course will walk you through the basics of equipment, pre-production, post-production, and marketing. You will see how industry professionals shoot weddings and other events to fully understand the business of event video production with a focus on weddings.
As a video production expert, a filmmaker, a video production specialist, weddings and events provide and consistent avenue of income and allow for creativity as well. Plus, weddings are generally happy and fun.
Other events include plays, performances, birthdays, anniversaries and sporting events (just about anything really). People are constantly looking for new ways to archive and remember the important events in their lives.
The following additional courses are on the horizon as well:
- An Intro to Screenwriting
- Short Film Production
- Feature Film Production
- Documentary Film Production
