An online film school that fits your life, not the other way around.
Shoot yourfirst film
India's only online film school. Live classes every weekend for 12 weeks. Write, shoot and finish your own short film or micro-drama, guided by mentors working in the industry.
90% of filmmakers never move beyond planning.
The idea lives in your notes app. The script is “almost ready” for the third year running. Stuck in pre-production isn't a phase. It's the default.
This is the Breakthrough
Filmmakers' Program.
Built to break exactly that cycle. BFP is India's only online film school: a 12-week live cohort that runs on your weekends, taught by mentors who work in the industry, covering every department of filmmaking from script to screen.
You don't leave with notes. You leave with a film. Watch what a BFP cohort actually makes:
The Breakthrough Filmmakers' Program ShowcaseTap to play
Your MVP
or micro-drama
Scripted, shot and finished by you across the cohort. It's the calling card that opens the industry's doors.
Mentored LIVE by practicing filmmakers
Weekend after weekend, your film gets personal feedback from mentors who work on real sets. You always know your next step.
A filmmaker community for life
Lifetime access to India's largest filmmaking community: collaborators, crew and filmmakers from across the globe to make your next films with.
Walk out ready to pitch
Your idea packaged as a pitch deck and film treatment, the way producers and OTT platforms expect to see it.
Learn from thecreators behind
12 weeks. 7 modules.
Script to screen.
Every aspect of filmmaking, in the same order a real film gets made. Open any week. Nothing is hidden.
Master the art of storytelling.
Week 1 Psychology behind storytelling
- Exploring the role of a storyteller
- The connection between the mind and narratives
- The hormonal impact of storytelling
- Understanding the secrets of powerful storytelling
- Case studies of the world's greatest storytellers
- The emotional investment in storytelling
Week 2 Core elements of screenwriting
- Ideation process and development of the world
- Arcs, characters and their development
- Narrative screenwriting structures
- Writing for emotional payoffs: foreshadowing and symbolism
Week 3 Advanced scene & dialogue crafting
- Using subtext in dialogue
- Writing a scene and an opening of a film
- Screenwriting software tutorial: Final Draft
- Movie pitch deck & its film treatment
- Protecting and marketing your screenplay
Plan every step of your film with clarity and precision.
Week 4 Production planning essentials
- Scene, location, scheduling and budgeting breakdown
- Advanced storyboarding tools and techniques
- Mood boards, set design and visual composition
- Creating a shot division list
- Auditions process and rehearsals
A clear vision for every scene.
Week 5 Cinematic directing techniques
- Understanding the tonality of a film
- Advanced camera techniques for emotional impact
- Cinema objectivity and subjectivity
- Understanding film grammar and screen direction
Week 6 Directing your actors
- How to block and stage your actors
- Composition of shots and their aesthetics
- Shot and scene perspective
- Film pacing and narrative beats
- Editing and sound for directors
Week 7 Film production process
- Understand the production team and crew: types and jobs
- Role of the production team before, on and after the shoot
- The director's call; accounts, finance and production design
- On-set duties and responsibilities
- Film crew unions and legalities
Capture every shot with purpose.
Week 8 Cinematography fundamentals
- Director's expectations of a cinematographer
- Camera movements, angles and framing
- Shot composition and framing rules
- Camera gear and crew, and their responsibilities
Week 8 Advanced cinematography
- Lighting types and techniques
- Camera lenses: their types and features
- Maintaining shoot continuity with the direction team
- Advancements in cinematography and their future
Understand how seamless editing and sound elevate the story.
Week 9 Advanced video editing for films
- Film editing: principles and techniques
- Types of cuts and transitions, and their meanings
- Making an edit report and working during pre-production
- Colour correction and colour palette
Week 10 Sound design & music integration
- Foley: elements, methods and artists
- Sound recording gear and equipment
- What are sound designing and sound mixing?
- Guide to stock music and tracks
Bring your film to life.
Week 11 Advanced post-production workflow
- Cutting for emotional impact and working with post-production teams
- Organising data and maintaining workflow efficiency
- Advancement of technologies and deliverables
- Delivering content to multiple platforms, ensuring compatibility
- Editing workflow and analysis
Take your film to the world.
Week 12 Business and pitching
- From concept to distribution: roles and responsibilities
- Grants and crowdfunding
- How to negotiate OTT deals
- Financing a series vs a film
- The pitch deck and film treatment
Week 12 What happens after the final cut?
- OTT vs traditional releases
- What's required to promote your film?
- What makes a good teaser and trailer?
- Advertisement and distribution
- Navigating film festivals and submitting for awards
Learn. Practice.
Apply. Grow.
The weekly loop that carries you through all 12 weeks, built to fit around your job or degree, not replace it.
Learn
Live weekend sessions with award-winning mentors, following a curated curriculum that covers each step of filmmaking, with a Q&A to get every question answered.
Practice
After each session, assignments and projects on your own film, with set deadlines that keep you on track and turn knowledge into real-world skill.
Apply
Personal feedback on your assignments at the next session: what you did well, where to improve, and how to apply it in your future projects.
Grow
Your film, your network and lifetime access to India's largest filmmaking community: offline meetups, collaborations and the doors they open.
Every department, taught by
someone who works in it.
Not career teachers. Working writers, directors, cinematographers, editors and sound engineers with credits you'll recognise.
Prashanth G
Former Creative Director at ZEE5 Tamil and Executive Producer at May6 Entertainment. Short films with 1M+ views; 30+ ads for brands like Zomato and CRED.
Rahul G
Award-winning filmmaker at Festival Angelica 2023, Lasalle College alumnus, mentor to 2,000+ filmmakers. Recently directed an ad for Uber India.
Praveen R
Mentored 150+ students at L V Prasad Film Institute; trained 25,000+ aspiring filmmakers through 180+ workshops across India.
Rahul Srinivas
Built India's largest filmmaking community of 20,000+ creatives; directed masterclasses featuring Karthik Subbaraj and Lokesh Kanagaraj.
Sharanya Chander
Collaborated with PS Vinod; worked on Vakeel Saab and Sita Ramam. Cinematographer on 35+ ad films as associate and second camera operator.
Praveen KL
National Award-winning editor with 140+ feature films across 7 languages.
Venu Chander
Music producer and sound engineer with credits on international films including The Flash and Aquaman.
Santhosh Mathevan
Nearly a decade in the industry; screenwriter and contributor to The New Indian Express, collaborating with leading production houses.
India's largest
filmmaking community.
LevelUp Learning is more than a platform. IT'S A COMMUNITY.
The filmmakers we have worked with
Our mission
To make learning accessible, affordable and engaging, by working with the finest minds in India to bring their expertise directly to our students.
That's who we are. The network below is the impact we have created.
Your network is your net worth.
You don't graduate. You become part of the network. We built India's largest filmmaking community, and it's open to the filmmakers in this cohort: directors, writers, editors, creators. All in one place.
The Offline Experience2 min · Tap to play
0
in the community
0
learners
0
collaborations
0
cities
This fuels our heartbeat.
Tap to play
Loved the entire breath of topics that were touched upon. The most valuable information throughout the whole program is the insider current day information on how things work, this is something that isn't easily or available at all online. The teachers were highly knowledgeable. Great course curation.
Neeraj MohanIT Professional
Tap to play
Dedicated and focused teachers. Patient, trying to answer all questions and this holds for all the teachers. They are present in the moment. I have attended other courses and not seen that anywhere. This really blurs the online/offline divide. And making this feel more of a community
Avantika SharmaFilmmaker
Tap to play
Before this, filmmaking felt too big and out of reach. But the way the concepts were taught made it feel possible, and even exciting. I finally feel confident to start working on my own ideas.
Vikram DAspiring Filmmaker
Tap to play
What I loved most was the honesty. No sugar-coating, just real insights from people who've been there. It gave me a clear picture of what it actually takes to be in the industry.
Sneha PVisual Storytelling Enthusiast
Tap to play
It was very informative and it was great learning it from the scratch,many process of the film's make more sense now after today's session, it was great learning it from the mentors,Thank you soo much team levelup.
Michael VEngineering Student
Built for the ones who
can't stop thinking in scenes.
The working professional
You have a career, and a film you keep postponing. Weekend-live classes mean you don't have to choose.
The student
You want a filmmaking career without betting 3 years on film school first. Test it, build a portfolio piece, then decide.
The creator
You've outgrown 60-second content. Learn the craft that turns creators into filmmakers, and reels into films.
The storyteller
The script exists: in your head, in your notes. What's missing is the machinery to get it on screen. That's teachable.
Who it isn't for
BFP takes the top 5% of applications, and honestly filters for the rest. If you're looking for passive recordings to binge someday, a gear-review club, or a shortcut that skips the actual work of making a film, this cohort will frustrate you. Deadlines are real here. That's the point.
The room you're in
matters.
So we handpick it. Anyone can apply, no film background needed, but only the top 5% of applications make it into the cohort.
Request an invite
A short online application. About 5 to 7 minutes.
Pay a refundable application fee
Fully refundable. It filters for intent, not income.
Interview with the admissions team
A conversation about your goals, not a film-trivia quiz.
Decision within 48 hours
No weeks of silence. You'll know fast.
Confirm your seat
If selected, lock in your place in the cohort.
Join the experience of a lifetime
And start making the film you've been postponing.
Invest in your
filmmaking dream.
12-week online program · Next cohort
- 24 live weekend sessions across 12 weeks
- Your own short film or micro-drama, finished
- 8 industry mentors, one-on-one feedback
- Hands-on assignments with real deadlines
- Lifetime access to the LevelUp filmmaking community
- Offline meetups in 4 cities + graduation ceremony
- Exclusive discounts on industry-grade equipment
- Showcase opportunity at the Sony Future Filmmaker Award
- Certificate from India's largest filmmaking learning platform
Asked, answered.
I have zero filmmaking experience. Can I apply?
Do I need a camera or expensive gear?
How much time does it take each week?
What if I miss a weekend session?
What do I actually walk away with?
Is the application fee really refundable?
Why is there an interview?
Who runs BFP?
Action.
The script in your head has waited long enough. Twelve weeks from now, it can be a film with your name on it.