Course Overview
Every great film starts with a story only you can tell.
In this intensive two-week program, you’ll discover how professional filmmakers bring ideas to life‚ from the first reading of a script to the final cut on screen.
Whether you’re drawn to narrative drama, documentary, comedy, horror, or experimental film, this course meets you where your creative interests are and gives you the tools to realize your vision. You’ll learn how working filmmakers approach every stage of the process‚ pre-production, production, and post-production, through hands-on experience, not just theory.
Working in small production teams, you’ll collaborate with fellow aspiring filmmakers to produce original short films (1-3 minutes) that reflect your unique voice and creative perspective. Along the way, you’ll gain real-world experience with industry-standard equipment and workflows in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Over the two weeks of the course, students will work on short projects that are 1-3 minutes in length. Short film is the creative lab of cinema and that is how we approach the course. There will be a mini film festival on the final day of class.
For the seventh consecutive year Syracuse University was ranked by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the “Top 25 American Film Schools.” The 2023 list, which The Hollywood Reporter compiled after consulting with educators, industry professionals and alumni, ranks Syracuse at No.19.
All students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and have the opportunity to request a Syracuse University noncredit transcript.
Learning Objectives
- Plan a Film Production
- Learn how professional filmmakers move from idea to action. You’ll break down a script, identify what each scene demands, and build a production plan that turns creative vision into a roadmap your team can follow.
- Understand the Fundamentals of Cameras, Lenses, and Lighting
- Get hands-on with the tools that shape every image you see on screen. You’ll learn how cameras capture light, how different lenses change the way a story feels, and how lighting setups create mood, depth, and emotion. These aren’t just technical skills‚ they’re the building blocks of visual storytelling, and you’ll practice using them to bring your own ideas to life.
- Develop a Visual Strategy
- Every shot is a choice. You’ll explore the fundamentals of visual language: framing, composition, camera movement, and color. You will learn how filmmakers use these elements intentionally to guide an audience’s attention and emotion.
- Post-Production
- A film comes together in the edit. You’ll learn the essentials of editing along with an introduction to color correction, the process that gives a film its final look.
- Collaborate as a Team and Experience Life on Set
- Filmmaking is never a solo endeavor. You’ll work alongside your peers in small production crews, rotating through key roles and learning how each position contributes to the whole.
You’ll experience the energy, rhythm, and creative problem-solving of a real film set, discovering firsthand how trust, communication, and shared purpose turn a group of individuals into a team that can tell a story together.
- Filmmaking is never a solo endeavor. You’ll work alongside your peers in small production crews, rotating through key roles and learning how each position contributes to the whole.
Course Information
Course Prefix and Number: SCN 099
Format: On Campus (at Syracuse University)
Eligibility: Students must be of rising high school sophomore, junior, or senior status – or a 2026 high school graduate.
Credit: Noncredit
Grading: Pass/Fail
- Residential: $4,995
- Commuter: $4,024
Program rates are subject to change and will be approved by the board of trustees. Discounts and scholarships are also available.
Program Information
Summer College – On Campus: Experience what college is really like: take a college-level course, live in a residence hall, have meals with friends in a dining hall, and participate in activities and events on campus.
“Film has always been a great passion of mine, both to create and to analyze, and Syracuse University gave me the opportunity to hone both of those skills. I did so through the high level of enrichment provided by my film instructor and teaching assistants and their expectations that my fellow students and I could meet the challenges presented in this college-level course. We stepped up and worked together to make films with each other despite not knowing each other beforehand…”
— Samuel M., Summer College Filmmaking Student, 2020
Course Dates and Details
| Program | Course Dates | Class Time (Eastern Time) | Credit/Noncredit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer College – On Campus | 2-Week Session I: Sunday, July 5 – Friday, July 17, 2026 | MTWThF 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Noncredit |
| Summer College – On Campus | 2-Week Session II: Sunday, July 19 – Friday, July 31, 2026 | MTWThF; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Noncredit |
To see if this course is ‘open,’ refer to the full course catalog.
Course Requirements
Technology Requirements
Basic film equipment is available for students to borrow. You are also welcome to bring your own camera & laptop, in which case please make sure you have those covered by insurance.
Please remember that filmmaking is not about fancy or sophisticated equipment, but about the ability to see, your imagination, and creativity. As filmmaker and cultural icon Agnès Varda put it, “In my films, I always wanted to make people see deeply. I don’t want to show things, but to give people the desire to see.”
Student Expectations
Filmmaking requires self-discipline. A significant commitment in time, focus, and creative effort outside of scheduled class meetings is necessary and expected on the part of students to successfully complete this course. If students fully invest themselves into their creative work, we will be able to create successful portfolio projects.
Typical Day
Tentative Schedule
Students are required to attend morning and afternoon classes, and an evening open studio / open screen session. It is also expected that you will find yourself writing scripts, filming on set, editing your project, or reviewing and discussing your project-in-progress or final edit with your instructors or classmates outside of scheduled class time. The instructional team will work with students in small groups and in individual mentoring sessions. This is a fast-paced, intensive, hands-on program. Students will have open lab/screen hours from 7-9 p.m.
When class is over, and on weekends, students can look forward to various Summer College – On Campus activities to meet and connect with other students! Check out our On Campus Experience page for more information!
Faculty Bios
Donato Rossi
Donato Rossi is a filmmaker and educator, and the Equipment and Production Studio Manager and Instructor in the Department of Film and Media Arts at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. He holds an M.F.A. in Film from Syracuse University and an M.A. from the University of Siena, Italy.
Since 2016, he has taught courses spanning introductory filmmaking through advanced cinematography and storytelling production. In his managerial role, he oversees the department’s equipment resources, production lab facilities, and technical infrastructure supporting student work. He previously managed the video team, studios, and all production and post-production activities at Syracuse University’s Center for Online and Digital Learning.
His films have screened at festivals internationally, earning multiple awards. He has also worked as a cinematographer, camera op. and editors on independent films, documentaries, and video art installations.
Originally from Martina Franca, Puglia, and shaped by years living in Siena, Tuscany, Donato brings to his teaching a deep connection to the Italian tradition of visual storytelling — where light, composition, and atmosphere are not just technique but a way of seeing the world. It’s a perspective he carries into every classroom and onto every set, encouraging students to look closely, trust their instincts, and find their own way of telling stories through images.