This micro-short course, part of the Open City Documentary Festival program, is an opportunity for a cohort of 15 students to come together and engage with several sessions with a professional filmmaker, to create a film on their smartphones, and engage with events at the festival.

Course Description

WHAT: This micro-short course, part of the Open City Documentary Festival program, is an opportunity for a cohort of 15 students to come together and engage with several sessions with a professional filmmaker, to create a film on their smartphones, and engage with events at the festival.

WHERE: In-Person, at UCL East (with optional events taking place at Rich Mix, Shoreditch)

WHO: Run by UCL mentor and professional filmmaker, Ashton John.

WHEN: 3 sessions.

COMMITMENT: 9 hours contact time.

WHAT YOU GET: An intensive overview of the filmmaking process guided by a professional filmmaker, to be part of a cohort of other aspiring filmmakers, and access to Open City Documentary Festival Events (Includes a Talks & Workshops Pass)

HOW MUCH: General: £125

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP: TBD.

AGES: 18+

This micro-course will teach you how to transform your smartphone into a camera. Mastering manual settings (ISO, Shutter, Frame Rates), moving beyond “shooting clips” to focus on the ethics of intimacy and the technical precision of mobile filmmaking. Understand how to go from raw footage to a fine cut, using free software DaVinci Resolve. You will learn how to build an engaging story structure in under one week.

Delivered in-person at UCL East, Stratford, London. It is open to all levels of experience.

Run by Hackney-based filmmaker Ashton John. Ashton’s work focuses on documenting diverse communities, everyday people that pass us by exposing audiences from the streets to the personal intimate portraits behind closed doors.

Session dates/times: Session 1: Tuesday 14^th 2-5 PM (in-person), Session 2: Thursday 16^th 2-5 PM (in-person), Session 3: Friday 17^th (15-minute 1-2-1 online) & Session 4:  Sunday 19^th April 11 AM – 2 PM (in-person)