Benjamin Leonberg

I learned so much, I'm not sure where to even being. I learned so much essential information on how to write, produce, direct, edit and submit a short film for film festivals and other purposes. I learned about equipment, technology, industry semantics, organizational skills, and general technical information on every aspect of filmmaking at this level.

This was such a great class. I learned some essential filmmaking strategies and some helpful industry tips. I learned a lot about the process of making a film as well as organizing a crew, finding funding, and some basic editing skills and tricks.

I learned a lot about the pre-planning, making of, and post-production of making short films. I learned about the detailed aspects of planning a film, and what to do with it after, as well as what makes a good short film.

Professor Leonberg is probably one of the best Columbia professors I've had. He's incredibly nice, supportive, and encouraging to all his students. He also is really fun to talk to about movies, cinema, video games, etc. He genuinely wants all of his students to succeed and pursue film careers. I loved this class and am so happy I was able to take it!

I learned so much, not just in how to be a better director but I gained a deeper understanding of the process of making a film.

I gained a much more in depth understanding of the current state of the film industry from the creative side, enhancing my filmmaking craft while also learning how to turn it into something profitable.

The course covered development, pre-production and production well and just touched upon the post-production process. AFPP should be required for any Film major because it gives the student an overview about how to make a film from script to post. Throughout the semester, students practice development, pre- production, and production skills (the main focus of the course in on development, pre-production, and production). Students also learn how to access equipment from NASH (Columbia Production Center) and IMATS (Barnard). It's the most hands-on production course of the undergrad Film program. There are in-class screenings of short films, live readings and w/ feedback, all of which proved to be great practice. Our instructor also gave us a short but good list of books to read (not required, but highly recommended). Definitely recommend the course to non-beginners or those who have some experience in producing films/short films.

- Extremely limited access to Columbia production equipment from NASH does not help. That has to change. Undergraduate students should have access to better equipment that Columbia owns.

Not much, a lot of things I had learned in middle and high school.

-Pitch, outline, and screenwriting a 5 min short script -Script revisions -How to be prepared for your film short -How to edit, sound mix