Discover 8 filmmaking jobs you can master and kickstart your career in the industry today.There are many ways to start your career in the film industry: get a higher education, take additional courses, or get your bearings with free video lectures and podcasts. Together with the “Cultural Marathon,” we found out where and how to master eight cool professions: from actor and producer to makeup artist and sound engineer.
Screenwriter
Movies based on a gripping story are especially captivating. The screenwriter is responsible for creating it: writing from scratch or adapting an existing work. It is necessary not only to come up with a plot, but also to describe in detail the characters and dialogues between them. To do this, the screenwriter needs to know the laws of storytelling, understand human psychology and be a diligent person to see the work through to the end.
Where to learn
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Film and Television Screenwriter Program , Wordshop Communications Academy . You can choose a blended or online learning format. The program lasts a year, costs 320 thousand rubles. Students will be taught how to write scripts and adapt literary works for film adaptation.
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Course “Scriptwriting. Short and full-length dramaturgy” , HSE . Full-time study in Moscow. The course lasts 9 months, costs 330 thousand rubles. As a result, students will create a professional portfolio: write scripts for two short films, a screen reality script, and create a full set of documents for a full-length film (application, synopsis, treatment, first draft of the script).
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Course “Scriptwriting” , online school “Netology” . Online training through webinars, quizzes and workshops. A four-month course costs 80 thousand rubles, a yearly course costs 200 thousand rubles. As a result, students will write a script for a pilot episode and receive an expert review, and will also be able to pitch their work to industry professionals.
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Free video lessons from the Higher School of Directors and Scriptwriters . You can follow announcements of master classes on the website.
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Master classes and lectures on the YouTube channels of the Moscow and St. Petersburg School of New Cinema . For example, you can learn about the importance of details in the dramaturgy of a film.
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Podcast “Episode Clan” . Here, three screenwriters — Roman Kantor, Nikolai Kulikov and Konstantin Mayer — reveal the subtleties of the profession.
What to read about the profession
1. “Save the Cat! And Other Secrets of Screenwriting” by Blake Snyder
2. “Cinema between Hell and Heaven” , Alexander Mitta
3. “The Million Dollar Story” by Robert McKee
4. “Hollywood Standard” by Michael Haig
5. “Film Script: The Basics of Writing” by Syd Field
Director
A director is a person who controls almost all processes on the set. Usually, film scenes are not shot in the order in which we see them in the cinema: the director’s job is to divide a large story into separate fragments, film them, and then ensure that the integrity is not violated. The director has his own vision of what the finished film should be and creatively interprets the script. He also plans the shooting, manages the cast, supervises the work of the director of photography and chooses what from the footage will be included in the final version of the film. To manage the process, the director needs technical knowledge, leadership qualities and organizational skills.
Where to learn
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Course “Director’s Mastery” , Moscow School of New Cinema . Full-time and part-time format of study. The program lasts 2 years, the cost is 330 thousand rubles per year. The school has workshops with unique author’s methods, for example, from Artur Aristakisyan and Gennady Ostrovsky.
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Intensive course “Film marathon: the profession of a film director for beginners” , Higher School of Film Directors and Screenwriters . The online course lasts 30 days and costs 13,500 rubles. VShRSiS offers intensive courses of different levels of difficulty: for example, a beginner can choose a preparatory course, and those interested in documentary film can take a closer look at one of two thematic areas.
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Course “Film Directing” , online school GeekBrains . The online course lasts a year and costs about 150 thousand rubles. Students will receive a diploma of professional retraining.
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Course “Director’s Workshop” , film school of Alexander Mitta . You can study in person or online. The course lasts 2 months, the cost varies from 50 to 85 thousand rubles depending on the format of participation. Students are offered a lot of specialized materials from experienced Russian and Soviet directors, including Mitta himself, who shot the films “Crew” and “The Tale of Wanderings”.
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The course “I am a director” from the Far Eastern University, the “Universarium” platform. You can take it for free: it will give you the first knowledge about the profession.
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Short video essays from Kinopoisk. They can be used to start getting to know cinema and to learn about the director’s work in general.
Producer
While a film director primarily manages the actors and crew, a producer deals with more global issues: attracting attention to the project, distributing finances, and overseeing production from behind the scenes. This is a generalist. His responsibilities include working at different stages of production, developing the idea and concept of the project, resolving issues related to the budget, meeting the deadlines for film production, and organizing an advertising campaign. This person must be a PR person and a manager in one bottle, have communication skills, and easily meet people, since he will have to constantly look for them for the team. And also be disciplined, creative, and enterprising. Typically, future producers study film production, marketing, and distribution in depth.
Where to learn
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Course “Producing” , Moscow Film School . Full-time and part-time format of study. The program lasts 2 years and costs 390 thousand rubles per year. In addition to core subjects, the course also includes the basics of related professions: directing, marketing, cinematography, artistic production, editing, sound engineering and post-production.
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Course “Producing: from idea to implementation” , HSE Art and Design School . The program lasts 4 months and costs 35 thousand rubles. According to the organizers, graduates can work not only in the film industry, but also in theaters and digital agencies.
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Course “Profession of a film producer” , online school Skillbox . The online course lasts a year and costs about 250 thousand rubles. Students will also get free access to the courses “History of Cinema” and “Art of Communication”, and the best graduates will undergo an internship on the set and in post-production.
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English language course Film Distribution: Connecting Films with Audiences . These are free lectures.
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Lectures “Producing Impact Content” , Film and Television School “Industry” . This training can also be taken for free.
What to read about the profession
1. “Catching the Big Fish” by David Lynch
2. “Producer. Instructions for use” , Ekaterina Kononenko
2. “A Brief Guide for the Beginning Producer” by Alexander Atanesyan
3. “The Producer Comes Out” , Alexander Rodnyansky
Director of photography
The director determines what to shoot, and the cameraman decides how. The main task of the director of photography is to visualize the script. The specialist manages the camera crew, looks for a filming location, and makes a list of equipment that will be needed in the process. He also builds the frame, thinks through the exposure, and uses color to convey the emotional state of the characters. For example, red can be used to emphasize the character’s determined attitude, and cold shades can be chosen to convey sadness and loneliness – this is how Wes Anderson works with color in the frame.
In general, the work of a director of photography is both creative and technical – he needs to feel the space, understand how to work with equipment, manage the camera crew and sometimes carry heavy equipment.
Where to learn
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Course “Cameraman skills” , film and television school “Industry” . Classes are held in person in Moscow and online. The program lasts 2 years and costs 471 thousand rubles per year. The school provides the necessary equipment and teaches how to use it.
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Cinematography craft course , New York Film Academy . The four-week online course costs $1,900 (about 140 thousand rubles). Here you can get a feel for the profession and communicate with industry representatives.
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Intensive course “I am an operator: introduction to the profession in 3 days” , online school Skillbox . Free classes will introduce you to the basics of video shooting.
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Video on the YouTube channel “Khokhlov Sabatovsky” . Another way to get acquainted with the profession for free. Here are collected interviews with domestic and foreign specialists of the film industry and practical recommendations on filming. For example, they tell how to shoot beautiful videos.
What to read about the profession
1. “Composing a Film Frame”, Sergey Medynsky
2. “Profession: Operator” , Mark Volynets
3. “Movie Cameras and Lighting Equipment” by David Samuelson
Actor
Actors are recognized on the streets, they appear in advertisements and confide in interviews, they make spectacular appearances at festivals and fashionable parties. But in reality, acting is castings and a long wait for a role, millions of rehearsals and run-throughs, endless reshoots of the same scene, long work shifts and sometimes difficult filming conditions.
An actor needs charisma, emotional flexibility and psychological stability. And to quickly transform into a character, a good memory, clear speech and stage movement skills will come in handy. It is also worth preparing for a long wait for the role of your dreams: directors are much more often looking for extras than for the main characters, and the first appearance on screen may last only a few seconds.
Where to learn
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The Acting Practices and Modern Communications program , HSE Art and Design School . Classes are held in person and online. The program lasts 6 months and costs 120 thousand rubles. According to the organizers, the goal of the training is to provide specific tools that can be applied in real life.
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“Actor’s Laboratory” , “Gogol Center” . Classes last 3 months, cost 59 thousand rubles. Future actors learn to control their bodies and emotions.
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Course “Fundamentals of Acting” , studio “Postscriptum” . Cost of classes in a group – 9,500 rubles per month. The course is based on the programs of theater universities based on the Stanislavsky system.
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Acting course by Konstantin Raikin , platform “Legends’ Lessons” . 12 lessons in the format of video lectures cost about 15 thousand rubles. The classes tell how to create images of heroes, work with partners on the set and the director.
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30-day online acting course for beginners , Easy People school . The marathon costs 990 rubles, a package with feedback from a mentor costs 4900. The marathon is held on Telegram and VK. Every morning, students receive an assignment that will take 15 minutes to complete: this way, you can gradually get to know the profession.
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Free lessons in the 4brain and Sol-x databases . You can learn about the Stanislavsky system, ways to manage emotions and stage speech techniques.
What to read about the profession
1. “A Complete Course in Acting” , Konstantin Stanislavsky, Sergei Gippius
2. “Training Forever” , Yuri Alshits
3. “On the Technique of the Actor” , Mikhail Chekhov
4. “Actor’s Craft: The Chubbuck Technique” by Ivan Chubbuck
Make-up artist
These specialists not only apply makeup, but also completely develop the actor’s image, and are responsible for how he will look on camera. At first glance, the work of a makeup artist resembles that of a make-up artist, but there are differences. The task of makeup is to correct the features of appearance and emphasize those that are especially pleasing. The task of makeup is to globally transform the appearance of an actor and transform a living person into a character. Sometimes this change is beyond recognition: you need to visually age a person, give him a hooked nose or “put a bruise” after a fight. The better the makeup is applied, the hair is styled, the plastic pads are made, the more realistic the result on the screen.
A good makeup artist needs developed fine motor skills, a lot of patience and an excellent memory. Knowledge of the characteristics of different materials will come in handy in order to recreate complex images time after time.
Where to learn
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Course “Theatre, Film and TV Make-up Artist-Prop” , School of Make-up and Prop “Grim Lab” by Dmitry Tkachenko . The full-time program lasts 6 weeks if you study on weekdays, and 9 if on weekends. Cost – 120 thousand rubles. The course is designed for those who want to master the profession of a make-up artist and become a master of special effects in cinema: imitating bullet wounds, burns, baldness and age wrinkles.
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Course “Make-up Artist” , UHD Film and Television Training Center . The program lasts 11 months, cost 19 thousand rubles per month.
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Free lesson by makeup artist Irene Darbaeva, “Generation M” . You can watch it for inspiration to get your first knowledge about the profession.
What to read about the profession
1. “Make-up for theater, cinema and television” by Li Beigan
2. “Makeup” , Rudolf Raugul
3. “The Art of Make-up and Make-up” , Irina Syromyatnikova
4. “Make-up” , Encyclopedia of stage self-education
Production designer
The film crew always includes a production designer. He is responsible for creating the world in which the story unfolds, developing interior design, working with the background, selecting materials for props based on verbal descriptions or sketches from the director. It is important for such a specialist to be able to make things with his own hands, have artistic taste, and ideally have an architectural education.
Where to learn
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Course “Artistic production” , Moscow Film School . Some classes are held in person, some are remote. The program lasts 2 years and costs 355 thousand rubles per year. Among the disciplines that students study are the skill of a production designer, spatial modeling, painting and drawing, the basics of aesthetics and styles, layout, storyboard art, the basics of prop and decorator skills.
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Free courses from Mosfilm. They are held from time to time, you can follow the information on the website. The classes last from three to eight months.
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Vasily Krasnikov’s stream . In the video, the production designer and animator talks about the basics of the profession.
What to read about the profession
1. “The Art of Color” by Johannes Itten
2. “Visual Storytelling: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV, and Digital Media” by Bruce Block
3. “Profession: Film Artist” by Fionnuala Halligan
Sound engineer
A sound engineer is a technical specialist with a keen ear and sometimes a musical education. His tasks include preparing equipment, recording noise or voice, creating new sounds or melodies.
In addition to the sound engineer, the sound team may also include other specialists. Initially, the sound is recorded by a sound engineer or boom operator (also called a “microphone holder”) during filming. Then the voiceover occurs: the actors re-record unsuccessful takes. At the post-production stage, the sound designer comes into play. He creates a sound background that will immerse the viewer in what is happening on the screen as much as possible and provide the effect of presence.
Where to learn
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Course “Sound Engineering and Sound Design” , Moscow Film School . Classes are held in person and online. The program lasts a year and costs 355 thousand rubles. As a result, graduates will create a portfolio: work on the sound for a series teaser and a commercial, and also create a sound design for a fragment of a feature or animated film.
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Course “Sound Engineer, 1st level” , International School of Professions . Online training in a group 21,300 rubles, individually ― 27,700 rubles. The course lasts 13 academic hours. Professional equipment is provided for the duration of training at the school.
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Course “Sound designer” , online school “Netology” . The online course lasts 6 months and costs 72,500 rubles. As a result, students will write several tracks, make a selection of sounds for a mobile application, prepare sound and music design for a fragment of a film and a computer game.
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Free master classes and webinars from sound engineers and composers at the Musicheads music production school. Classes are held from time to time, information can be found on the school’s website.
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Lessons from Rochester University. Students can learn the basics of working with sound.
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Podcast “Noise and Brightness” . In it, music critic and radio host Lev Gankin talks about music in cinema: soundtracks, composers, directors and how sound complements the image. You can broaden your horizons and learn more about the different techniques of sound engineers.