Following the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects, including the self-isolation measure taken in most countries around the world, the Sundance Institute has decided to offer all masterclasses in its archive free of charge.

The initiative aims to support filmmakers who wish to enrich their knowledge, but also film enthusiasts who want to learn more about the industry.

The mentors are some of the most experienced people in the film industry, and the masterclasses cover a wide range of topics in film production. Each masterclass lasts about three hours.

To get access to them, all you have to do is create a free account on the Sundance platform. Then select the desired masterclass and press the register button to start watching.

Some of the themes you can choose from:

Social Activism Through Storytelling – Making media that addresses social issues and has the desired impact on the audience.

Documentary Filmmaking with Jennifer Fox – An in-depth, interactive conversation with the director of The Tale about how to make a documentary film, from concept through distribution.

Film Music – Creating the Soundscape for Your Film – Peter Golub, composer and Director of the Sundance Film Music Program, speaks with several guests about the meaning and creative process of music for film, about how composers “read a film” and make specific choices as to tone.

From Short to Feature Film – A masterclass with director and screenwriter Jim Cummings (Thunder Road) about the transition and development of a story from short to feature film.

Pitching for Success – How to present your project, how to connect with your audience, how to speak in public and which strategies to adopt in getting the perfect presentation are just some of the topics covered in this masterclass.

Filmmaker’s Legal Toolkit: From Protecting IP Through Negotiating Distribution – Janis Nelson, General Counsel at the Sundance Institute, moderates a panel discussion for producers, directors and screenwriters on copyright law, the concept of intellectual property and how to manage – and protect – intellectual property from development through distribution.

Comedy Writing for Features – The class focuses on how to develop compelling characters, a strong story and, last but not least, a comedic dialogue for what is often considered the hardest genre to write, comedy.

How Games Tell Stories with Nick Fortugno – The right masterclass for those interested in other ways of telling stories, besides through film, and for traditional screenwriters who can learn from game designers and writers how to improve their stories by adopting storytelling techniques used in the narrative process of creating games.

Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.