San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking

I am leaving a more detailed review because that was used as a reason to remove my previous negative review.
The San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking is unprofessional and disorganized. Often with no lecture notes or shoddily provided instructions. Sessions over-​run and so some content is covered in great detail while others are skipped over due to lack of time.
Find any other school instead.

First and foremost thank you! The staff and curriculum at SFSDF have been an incredibly positive influence in shepherding the early part of my career. Being involved in SFSDF as a student nourished my education in more ways than I can explain. I’m so grateful to Jeremiah Stephen, Milena, James and everyone who helped me along the way, because it prepared me for where I am.
I’m currently working at one of the most well-​respected editorial houses in Los Angeles that will surely be a catalyst for everything I want to do in the future. I hope this would be used as testimony for incoming, current and past students that the program works and if you keep working at it you will find success. I can’t ever thank the school enough!

Talk about ethics Jerimiah doesn’t know the definition. Now here comes the lies. Firstly, to address your comments you act as if I was attending a graduate course in psychology. For your information I’m a great student when I have the necessary tools such as a … handout or book. Per your response you do not provide any type of handouts! I attempted on numerous occasions to speak to you about the school and a reimbursement of my paid $ 3000. but you refused to correspond and now you are on Unilocal?I guess the dead does come to life. Don’t forget the time I was the only one in attendance in class and you state I don’t show up and late. Check your facts! Maybe you should tell everyone how you discouraged a nice young lady from Santa Cruz from doing a totally ethical documentary on the Green Life of a famous author. You told her in front of all of us to do something very trashy, which is to betray her trust and do a documentary on her kids showing hatred on the way they live which was against their mother’s belief. I guess she didn’t drop the class either? Don’t forget I have the student attendance sheet with emails and etc which were 9 in the beginning but now you only have 3 students who have had previous film experience; the proof is in the pudding as they say. Remember I have a masters in psychology and communications and I was floored when your instructor spoke about the history of film and how it began in the United States. Sorry, it actually began in Europe — get the facts straight! Tell everyone how you can’t get equipment on the weekends because it is backed up. Well I rest my case, I’ll see you in Court!

Quick update — I have worked effectively full-​time as a freelancing DP/​AC for the last two years. (My web site:
) To be honest, it is difficult to say how much my year at SFSDF contributed to things going in the right direction but it’s safe to say it played a meaningful part.
If you make the most out of your time there it will definitely give you knowledge and experience that would be incredibly hard to pick up in just a year without going to a program like this.

I went to their one day workshop just to evaluate the school and to see what was involved in making films. They covered EVERYTHING. The class was from 10 to 5 and it was packed with every aspect of film making. It was hands on. I was impressed and it was worth the money. I think there is a groupon dscount as well.
This is a professional school with excellent teachers and professional equipment.
If film is your thing there are many classes to take. I am going to do the 5 week program which is offered at night and during the day.

Had a great time at their one day boot camp, learned quite a bit in a short time. Staff was great, very knowledgable of the craft. Too bad I live in Sacramento, would love to do their longer and more extensive programs.

I just completed the 5 week Short Film Workshop and had such a great experience with the school and great group of 5 other students. As someone with no experience in filmmaking, the hands on approach was exactly what I was looking for, we each wrote, directed and edited our own short films while crewing on everyone else’s shoots in different positions such as Director of Photography, Audio and Lighting. The instructors Jesse and Brandon were very helpful during the whole process and provided a lot of insights with their experience. The course provides the student with the inspiration and confidence to keep honing their new found craft by making more films.

Last month, I took the 1 day course titled «Intro to digital film making».
The class was introduced, and greatly taught by the schools founder, Jeremiah Birnbaum. Right off the bat, I felt a vibe of «this is the real deal».
I’m a still photographer (and photo instructor) transitioning to motion pictures. Though I know the camera stuff, film theory, business skills and advanced editing using the latest softwares are foreign to me. It blew my mind how much info they were able to pack into a 1 day workshop-​like class without loosing a full group to boredom.
Jesse who taught the camera and lighting portions was also very good for the beginners. I did pick up a few «film only» tips which were appreciated.
I remained intrigued till the very end and at the conclusion we all enjoyed a screening of Jeremiah’s very own, award winning film: Torn.
The setting is professional and comfortable. People are friendly and there’s lots of equipment to get your hands on.
I would highly recommend this class, beyond being a ‘crash course’. I am considering further classes at the school but my only hang up is distance. If you are in the SF area, go for it!

Jeremiah Birnbaum didn’t shy away from being opinionated. I found his insights and grounded perspective extremely valuable and of great value.

This review is based on my 1 day course «Intro to digital film making».
I purchased a Groupon for this and came in not really knowing what digital filmmaking is all about, so for me the intro course was perfect.
It’s a 6 – 7 hour course which was broken down into different aspects of film (Pre-​production, Production, and Post Production). In terms of gaining expertise, this is probably NOT the class to take since it’s so short, but it’s a great way to just get a peek of what you may be getting yourself into (if you’re thinking of the longer time frame courses).
I felt that the quality of the presentations were great and the instructors (Jeremiah and Jessie) were very patient and courteous. Additionally, I was very happy with the group of people who showed up that day. We had a group of diverse and multitalented chill people.

I attended the one-​day Intro to FilmMaking class and it was everything I could have hoped for. As someone who has been interested in film for a long time but has never had any kinds of hands-​on experience, this was money and time very well-​spent. In about 6 total hours they give you a great overview of the whole process of filmmaking and you even get a good amount of hands-​on time with cameras, lights, and the editing suite. The instructors were great, took lots of questions, and were treated everyone in the class with respect. Am considering taking more classes here based on this good experience.

In January 2013 I signed up for the 3-​month program at SFSDF. We had a great class — there were 6 of us in the program and we had an very talented instructor who was working on his own indie feature film during the program which was really exciting.
It was a great experience, and I learned so much from both our instructor and the school’s founder, Jeremiah Birnbaum. During the 3 months each of us wrote, directed, and edited our own short films. We also had the opportunity to crew on each others short films. We had an awesome premier night where we invited our friends and family to come see the fruits of our labor.
I enjoyed the course so much that I’m now enrolled in the 6 month documentary program, which Jeremiah teaches. I’ve enjoyed the small, focused classes and continuing to learn about filmmaking. I’ve made great friends and built a great network here at the school. I’m not sure what I’ll do at the end of the documentary program, but I am grateful for the experience I’ve had at SFSDF and would definitely recommend the school to my friends and those who are interested in filmmaking but not sure where to start.

Wow — where to start after reading all that.
My experience was as outstanding as I let it be. It rocked !
Being a older student who already had a feature along with lots of industrial experience, I didn’t really know what to except. What a roller coaster ride. From day one they give you cameras and said «show us what YOU see». At the time we were still in the patch. Which had its good points for sure. From day one the diverse staff at the time, pretty much told you what they thought. If you wanted to hear it or not.
Hence some of the problems I read here. Do you want to be lifted be the painful truth or have your apple shinned by a clown?
Some of the advice and feed back was hard for me to take, but take it I did… and the out come has been stellar.
Yes yes it was not perfect. What is? I traveled to New York, Chicago and checked into a dozen programs. Nothing was like SFSDF.
Did I sometimes feel the staff could have been more available? Yes them and my X girlfriend. With so much to learn it’s hard to teach it all.
Here is what I did learn — Angles, lighting, scene in’s — out’s, story line from James S ‚
most of all a confidence of being on the set. Knowing you worked on what seems like well over 30 shoots. If you really put yourself out there and work on everyones films the experience is priceless!!!
From graduation I have worked on two (Paid, 80% of my gigs) features. One as a DP the other as a EPK shooter. Literarily hundreds of paid still shoots.
If you would like details and web links contact me.
Why five stars? Because at the end of the day, its what YOU make of it. My experience was 5 star.

I’m not a student at the school, but a potential student. My experience with the school was very brief. I called today and asked to talk to an advisor. The lady answered the phone said she was one. I asked for some information on the differences between the various programs offered. The lady hung up on me while I was talking. I called back and the same lady answered again. She said she hung up because I was talking «over» her as if I didn’t hear her so she «thought it was a bad connection» and hung up. I again asked her for some information on the programs at the school. She asked me whether I read the info on the website. I told her yes. She seemed to wonder why else would I need to call for more info. When I said I wanted to know the differences between the 2-​week vs. the 5-​week film workshops, she was silent for a few minutes (reading up on the school’s website) and told me that in the 2-​week program, students just get an intro into filmmaking. The 5-​week gives you time to make a short film. That was the difference. We hung up. I checked the website … again … and saw that in both programs, the students make their own films. I thought the advisors at this school would be happy to tell potential students about the school and how it can help them. Instead, a rude lady with a bad attitude who’s eager to hang up on potential students answered the phone and sounded annoyed that I was calling. Oh well. That’s that for the school. If the person on the phone is this rude, how would the rest of the faculty and staff members be?

I use the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking as part of our SF Hub Media Lab Membership. It has been a great opportunity to learn about the art of Cinema and Films. I would highly recommend the SFSDF to anyone interested in learning about the art of video productions. They have great equipment, hands on classes, a full media lab and highly recommend it.

Based on my post-​graduation experience, I still think this is the best film school in SF. Yes, seriously.
Just to show you what a properly motivated class can do: Class 14, whom we refer to ourselves as «Super Seven», have among them two award winning shorts that they produced as part of their combined efforts during the 12-​month filmmaking program from September 2011 to 2012. Four of these student films (and counting) have been screened at multiple film festivals all over the world.
So, when you hear about haters who complain that the school is not giving enough to them, just understand that some of it comes from the student themselves. Without bringing your own motivation to the table, you get out of the experience what you brought. Our class was energetic and driven from day 1 to day 365. We supported each other, pushed each other to do better, and dragged each other across the finish line.
Now this isn’t to say that SFSDF is without some growing to do. Based on my original review, many of the same problems persist, including an overwhelming sense that once you’re onto your thesis work, the faculty tends to become aloof and distracted by other things. Our class never did get (though none of us insisted on it) a so-​called «exit interview» where we discussed our career goals once we finished with the program. And once we graduated, we generally don’t hear from the school unless the faculty or staff want something from us. There is a sense that they’ve moved onto the next group of students and we are «out in the world.»
But when you compare that to schools like Academy of Art, it’s no different. Once you’ve completed your program, it’s normal to look at former graduates and think, «hey, what are you doing here, why aren’t you out there making movies?» And so, to a large extent, our band of brothers and sisters known as Super Seven stays in touch on a regular basis, but we’ve largely moved on to actually making a living in this industry.
So, SFSDF haters are gonna hate, but this film school is legit, and it delivers what it says it does. Our results show what’s possible if you bring your own drive, and don’t rely on your instructors to motivate you.

I recently signed up for the school’s 1-​day workshop which was a general intro to filmmaking. I have had experience in the past working on my own short films, but never went to school for it and have always wondered whether or not I should have, so when their deal popped up on Amazon LocalDeals I jumped at the chance.
So my review is based on my 1-​day intensive experience at the school. They divided our 6 hour day into sections: Overview & Terminology, Directing & Cinematography, Editing, Screenwriting, and Lighting.
Terminology and Jargon was like a vocab lesson for those not in the know. Directing and Cinematography explained the differences between shots (i.e. Extreme Close Up vs. Close Up), Editing took a hands on approach to the Final Cut Pro interface where each one of us got to sit at our own editing workstation and learn the basics, Lighting allowed us to get up close and personal with different cameras and learn the basics of a 3-​point light setup as well as each student setting it up on their own and getting to see how that translates to the camera. And Screenwriting gave an overview of what makes a good story, etc.
A lot of what they explained wasn’t new to me, but I don’t feel that it was a waste because you can always learn something new, and I did pick up a few tid bits I hadn’t known about before.
The location is on Mission near the 5^th and Mission garage so it was close to parking and a variety of lunch options. I also appreciated the security of a dial-​in entrance, so random people weren’t able to walk in off the street.
The space is not huge but well thought out and conducive to a hands-​on classroom environment. I believe 4 – 5 classrooms consisting of editing workstations or screening rooms with a large main room good for hands on practice of using equipment and an open kitchen/​break area.
When I asked how many students to a class they said they capped it at 10 which is great if you want some one on one attention. From what I understood they offer a 5-​week and 3-​month program which are exactly the same classes (same instructors, same curriculum) just spread out over different days and times. And also a 1-​year program, with the option on each to focus on documentary or fictional filmmaking.
Overall, I think they crammed a lot of useful information into a day. I would definitely recommend taking this intro class if you have no prior knowledge or just need a refresher. If you’re interested in filmmaking I would also recommend taking this intro course to get your feet wet and see if you think the school is all it’s cracked up to be. They do boast some pretty impressive results like 89% of 2011 graduates now holding jobs in the film industry.

I attended the 1-​day digital filmmaking class today with my 13 year old son. It was very educational and we learned a lot in one day. I have no experience in filmmaking, but after the class I now know many industry terms, pre production planning, what type of shots to take, how to apply lighting, post production editing, and write a storyline.
You will not become an expert in one day since this is an introductory class, but you will definitely get a lot of hands-​on experience.
The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Well worth the money.

I have a college degree and some post-​grad school. With three full time careers under my belt, I was looking for a more creative line of work. I had wanted to make films for almost 20 years, but never got the courage to take the leap. Then I found the one-​year filmmaking program at SFSDF.
This is a completely hands on program, with minimal time spent sitting in classrooms studying theory. The full-​time faculty was excellent and the pace of the program challenging but at the same time exhilarating. Cameras, lighting, green screen and lots of other equipment is readily available.
At the end of the year, I had written, cast, shot, directed and edited five shorts, worked as crew on 30 others and was the associate producer for a feature film. Two of my shorts aired at Frameline, which was my goal when I started the program.
The weak link in the program was the sound training. However, because we had access to the equipment and professional that could bridge this gap, it ended up being much less of an issue.
The «up by the bootstraps» approach is tough, no doubt about it. But if you have the resolve to stick with it and believe in yourself, you will be amazed at what you accomplish in one short year.
Now that school is over, I’m producing a full length feature film, writing a feature length screenplay, and starting to direct some shorts and commercials. This was definitely the right choice for me.

I acted for many years when I was younger, in a number of movies (IMDB me). Last year I decided to really get back into it, and was lucky to have a class with Hester Schell, a wonderful larger-​than-​life teacher full of knowledge and energy, who brought out the best in everybody in the class.
Hester also teaches a «business of show business» class that helps make you look and act professionally.
The ability to work in student films in an invaluable first-​hand learning experience.
As an actor, you get experience auditioning – and then acting in films as the directors here cast first from acting students. It’s a good way to start your reel.
You will also meet other actors who will become friends.
As with all acting teachers, you will agree with some, not with others. My experience was exactly 50/​50, one teacher was fantastically encouraging and really got me going. The other just didn’t work for me despite meaning well – but that’s how it goes. In this biz, some people will get you, some won’t, and vice versa. Valuable lesson right there.
–Daniel Will-​Harris
(Hey, I’m an actor, I have to market my head shot, resume & reel!)