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About the program
This intensive filmmaking course is designed for high schoolers aspiring to create something true, good, and beautiful. A good film is one that is complete in all of it’s parts, compelling to audiences, has a universal marketable appeal, and is not offensive. The principles at work are objective, measurable, and knowable; once the principles are known, they are concretely applicable. After the learning process, consistent repetition develops true artistic skill – and that is exactly what we hope to offer your students. Through three phases over one academic year, under the tutelage of an actively working screenwriter and film director, students will write, film, and edit a short film right here in town. The film will subsequently be submitted to the Steubenville International Film Festival. This program is effective because it is structured, beginning with a philosophical foundation and building upward, coupling this knowledge with concrete application in the creation of a beautiful work of narrative art to share with the world.
“Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
- Anton Ego, Ratatouille
Learn the basics of script formatting, story philosophy, plot structure, character development, setting, conflict, and theme. Students will complete writing assignments, read the screenplays of their favorite movies, and learn from an actively working film writer/director, right here in Steubenville. After the course, students will have the opportunity compete to write and submit a short film that will go into production in the next phase of the program. The winning writing student will participate in phases 2 & 3 at no cost, and have the opportunity to co-direct the film if they wish.
Mon-Fri, October 19-23
3:30 – 6:30 P.M.
Cost: $75
Deadline to Register: October 5th.
Learn each of the different parts of film production. Producing, directing, production design, cinematography, and sound design. At the end of the first week, students will be assigned a role in the production of the film – the winning script from the screenwriting phase – and we will enter into a week of pre-production. Finally, we will complete the production phase, completing filming in the following week.
Mon-Fri, Feb 1-19*
3:30 – 6:30 P.M.
* 15th-19th times are dependent upon production considerations
Cost: $250
Learn the basics of film post-production. Organizational structure, assembly editing, polishing, sound design, motion graphics, and, if applicable, VFX. During the second week, students will be placed in editing teams and assigned to edit scenes from phase 2.
Mon-Fri, April 5-16
3:30 – 6:30 P.M.
Cost: $150
Please register at the link below at least two weeks in advance of the start date of the program. Registration is not complete until payment is received. If less than 10 students are registered for phases 1 & 2, the program will be cancelled and a refund will be issued. To sponsor a student or for more information please email Jeremy Pope at:
Students can register for all three phases in advance for only $300
Deadline to register for phase 1: October 5th.
Meet the Instructor
Jeremy Pope is a devoted Catholic, husband, father to twelve children, and an award-winning writer/director whose film and video work has won awards at top festivals and competitions around the country. Jeremy began making films after the death of his son, Stephen, directing a documentary about his short life. In creating this film, he learned the power of a story, and has since written and directed film projects that have been distributed on major networks around the globe. He has written and directed theater productions and audio dramas, and his work has been seen and heard by millions both in the United States and internationally. Jeremy has a Master of Fine Arts from Regent University, and teaches digital filmmaking and screenwriting at Grand Canyon University. He is currently in production on his debut animated feature film as a director.
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