CCF: Film Studies for the Career Focused

Greenlight your film career in one year.

The 30-credit Certificate in Collaborative Filmmaking at Maine Media College provides participants with an intense hands-on, creativity-driven entry route into the film, television and web media industries. Students are prepared to work as independent filmmakers or for film-production positions in the areas of cinematography, lighting, directing, sound, editing, visual effects, writing, and the like. Graduates of the program can apply these skills to work in a number of media arts genres including narrative film, documentary, corporate video, and web-based media creation, to name just a few.

A Film Certificate Program Instructed by Industry Professionals

Throughout the program, students will explore new modalities of expression in order to broaden their artistic range, strengthen their skills and techniques, and experience the dynamics of collaboration. Students work at close range with instructors who are also experienced professionals in the craft areas they teach, and they will have access to standard industry equipment with which to work. Instructed by accomplished industry directors, writers, cinematographers and editors, students will also learn the nuances of navigating the industry as a professional.

View our Jan 19, 2023, CCF Open House to hear from current students and the Maine Media team.


The many filmmakers who have trained in workshops and classes at Maine Media include Academy Award-winning directors Alejandro González Iñárritu (back-to-back Best Director Oscars for Birdman and The Revenant) and Laura Poitras (Best Documentary Feature – Citizenfour); Emmy-winning director Michelle MacLaren (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The X-Files, and The Walking Dead), actor/writer/producer John Leguizamo (Bloodline, Ice Age), and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Brokeback Mountain, Babel, The Wolf of Wall Street).

Financial Aid & Goals & Objectives

This program has financial aid options available to students. Learn more about our financial aid options. You can also learn more about the programs goals and objectives here.

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Testimonials For the Certificate in Collaborative Filmmaking

“I was a junior cinematographer in Thailand and I came to Maine Media to learn from professionals. I had good technical understanding of the camera, but I wanted to learn how to better tell a story. In CCF I got to work with great cinematographers and filmmakers who taught me new ways to think about visual language and how to develop an artistic voice.The best benefit of the program is you work very closely with lots of other filmmakers and become close to each other. You share ideas and become friends and you learn how to work together. You get to know each other on a deeper level. My collaboration with these classmates and instructors has continued beyond Maine Media.”

– Tanakorn “TK” Krailassuwan, CCF 2019

 

“Before studying at Maine Media Workshops + College, I was largely self taught. This was good for a while but I eventually decided that I needed more. The CCF program provided all the support and hands-on experience I could have ever wanted. The one-on-one mentoring I received went well beyond my expectations. With the work I was able to do in the CCF program, I was accepted into a competitive graduate program on a significant scholarship. I came away from the program with a stronger portfolio, larger network, and the knowledge and confidence to continue my creative career.”

– Eric Butler, CCF 2020

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Ready for the next step?

Applications now being accepted for the 2023 program!

Applications are accepted on a space-available basis. Apply now! Enrollment is limited to 12 students.

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Who Should Apply?

● College graduates seeking the expertise, skills and connections to get started in their career.
● Mid-career professionals pursuing a career change.
● Filmmakers looking to expand their skills and deepen a knowledge of their craft.
● Individuals seeking an alternative to the traditional four-year film degree.

Why choose MMW+C?

● Small class sizes (average class size is 12)
● Hands-on with top gear from Canon, Arri, Panavision, Panasonic and others
● Learn from working professionals in the film industry
● Maine Media has over 45 years of experience in presenting world-renowned professional workshops and multi-week intensive courses in film and video storytelling.

Program Schedule & Curriculum

Students seeking to earn a Certificate in Collaborative Filmmaking must complete all three terms of the program in their entirety. Terms must be taken in sequence, but a student may have up to three years to complete all three terms.

Spring Term

March–May, 2023

The first term immerses students in the key dynamics of filmmaking. Learning and experiencing the components unique to each discipline equips them to effectively communicate with colleagues across craft areas. Students collaborate on exercises and short films, supporting their peers in diverse production roles, learning to be well-rounded filmmakers.


A Four Week Film School provides a foundational understanding of visual storytelling, cinematography, directing, and editing. Each student creates at least one short film. Subsequent classes take students more deeply into the techniques and aesthetics of filmmaking as they explore Film History & Theory, Story Structure & Character Development, and Production Dynamics. A two-week Spring Film Project lab allows each student to implement techniques they have studied over the preceding weeks as they make a short film. The term concludes with The Art of Editing, in which students examine the dynamics of the craft with a professional editor.

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4-Week Film School

Alex Burnett
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Film History and Theory

Kenneth James
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Story Structure and Character Development

Wayne Beach
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Making the Film: Prep & Production Dynamics

TBD
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The Art of Editing

TBD
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2-Week Spring Film Project Lab

TBD

Summer Term

June–August, 2023

The second term allows students to focus on crafts of specific interest to them. In consultation with their advisor, students select ten electives from the extensive array of MMW+C summer week-long workshops taught by film industry professionals. Classes offer specialized instruction in aspects of cinematography, directing, editing, screenwriting, documentary, and more. From these, students may elect to join a “track” and fully immerse themselves in their chosen facet of film production, or they may select an array of diverse workshops and continue to develop skills as a well-rounded filmmaker.


Building on the foundation afforded by the first term, students are guided by accomplished professionals as they work both collaboratively and independently, learning the practical nuances of each craft. Concurrently, with the guidance of a mentor, students begin developing the film they will make during the Fall Term.


Listed below are 2 structured, summer intensives that Maine Media runs each year. CCF students may choose 10 total courses from one, or both of these intensives. You will also have access to a wide array of additional electives in all facets of filmmaking to create your customized curriculum.

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Cinematography Track
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Directing Track

Fall Term

September–November, 2023

Guided by staff and mentors, each student focuses on the production and editing of a culminating portfolio project, a short film of less than 15 minutes. An individually customized Project Development lab allows students to finish writing and development of the fall project under the guidance of a mentor. Students work independently and collectively during the ensuing nine weeks of preparation, production and post-production while living on campus. They make use of resources available with regard to crew, equipment, talent, and the support of program staff. In addition to helming their own project, students crew for the projects of their peers. Final projects are premiered in a public exhibition.


Students leave the program with industry-ready skills, a firm grasp of the dynamics that lead to effective collaboration, understanding what it takes to develop a sustainable professional practice, and having produced portfolio-level work.

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