Producing Your First Short Film

How do you make sure you set yourself and your creative vision up for a successful first short film?

YES. You are making your first short film and that decision, in itself, is gold and perhaps the biggest hurdle. But how do you make sure you set yourself and your creative vision up for success? In this 3-week workshop we will define and explore the steps involved in bringing a short film to life including crafting and locking your screenplay, financing opportunities, hiring and working with key creatives/crew, finding and casting actors, pre-production logistics, on-set dynamics and how to plan your shoot, post-production workflow, festival and distribution avenues, and how to remain true to your artistic vision in the midst of the wild and exciting ride that is indie filmmaking.

Instructor: Julia Hutchings Julia Hutchings is an award winning filmmaker based in Toronto. Her work has screened at festivals around the world and been showcased by art institutions and media competitions. Fascinated with the crossroads between media and life—her films explore the immediacy of performance, personal vs collective narrative, and the collaborative relationship between a story and its audience. In addition to directing and producing her own work, Julia’s professional dossier includes working in reality television, teaching screenwriting and filmmaking mentorships, developing experimental live cinema events, and producing and assistant directing independent films. Julia is an alumna of the Women in the Directors Chair program, holds an Honours BFA in Film Production from Simon Fraser University and is currently completing an MFA in Screenwriting at York University.