What's in the workshop
The Social Justice Filmmaking Workshop is divided into 10 MODULES, consisting of over 45 video lessons and 150+ workbook pages, which are designed to guide you the through the process of making your first social justice documentary.
The entire workshop will become available to you when you join the community, and is designed to be taken entirely at your own pace. Each module contains a series of short video lessons, which break down the subject in a way that is clear, visual and easy to digest.
Video lessons come with an accompanying WORKBOOK, which summarizes the key points covered and outlines next steps to help you on your journey to making your nonfiction film.
Module 1 - Intro to Social Justice Filmmaking & Pre-Production
Module 2 - Production: Cinematography
Module 3 - Production: Lighting
Module 4 - Production: Audio
Module 5 - Production: Interviews & B-Roll
Module 6 - Post-Production: Intro to Premiere
Module 7 - Post-Production: Nonfiction Editing Principles
Module 8 - Post-Production: Audio
Module 9 - Post-Production: Finishing Touches
Module 10 - Social Media & Social Justice
Meet your instructors:
Lyntoria Newton
Lyntoria Newton is an independent documentary filmmaker, producer and arts educator based in Chicago. Her work has been shown at festivals across the U.S and internationally. She has produced award-winning content for outlets such as The Boston Globe, Google, The Ford Foundation, and others.
Lyntoria currently serves as an Impact Producer on the award-winning documentary, Mossville: When Great Trees Fall and the critically-acclaimed Tribeca If/Then short film, Status Pending. She holds a B.A. from Hampshire College and an M.F.A. in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University.
Jeremiah Birnbaum
An educator and filmmaker for over 30 years, Jeremiah was educated at Wesleyan University and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He spent the first ten years of his career working as an editor and producer on social issue documentaries.
In 2005, Jeremiah founded Fog City Pictures, which has produced and co-produced more than a dozen independent feature films and documentaries. His work has screened in theaters, TV, VOD and at dozens of film festivals around the world. He is also a founder of the San Francisco Film School, a nationally accredited college that teaches the art and craft of filmmaking to an international student body.
Morgan Butler
Morgan Butler is a social media expert, photographer, videographer, and creative director, currently serving as the Engagement and Outreach Manager for Public Policy at Twitter. She began her career as Communications Coordinator for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. From there, she made the jump to Capitol Hill where she worked as a digital and creative director for the Joint Economic Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic Caucus, and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn. She also serves as an adjunct instructor at San Francisco Film School, teaching digital media production and management.
Morgan holds a Master of Communications degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Grambling State University.
Why join Social Justice Filmmakers?
Be part of a supportive community of social justice documentary filmmakers
Expand your filmmaking community, get advice, and workshop your ideas with our community membership, moderated by experienced social justice filmmakers.
Get exclusive access to the Social Justice Filmmaking Workshop
Work your way through a comprehensive self-paced course that teaches filmmaking skills and walks members through the process of making a film step-by-step.
Join monthly live seminars and panels with industry professionals
Keep up to date with the ever-changing world of social justice filmmaking through monthly talks and panels featuring social justice filmmakers, organizations and funders.
Join now and become a member of the SJF Community!
Commonly asked questions
What is the San Francisco Film School?
What happens if I sign up and then change my mind?
What will I get as a member?
Do I need any filmmaking experience in order to join?
How long will the workshop take?
When will I get access to the community and workshop?
Will there be any live instruction?
What kind of equipment do I need?
Do I need to purchase editing software?
How many videos are in each module? How long are the videos?
Who can I contact if I have any questions?
Use your VOICE
Learn filmmaking in a way that is accessible, affordable and flexible. Be part of a community of like-minded filmmakers who will support you in making a film that will get your message out and your voice heard!
A reminder of what you'll get:
Access to the workshop
Over 45 video lessons and 150+ workbook pages designed to guide you through the process of making your first social justice documentary
Monthly live content
Monthly live talks and panels with social justice filmmakers, organizers & funders, to keep you up-to-date with the world of social justice filmmaking
A supportive community
Get advice and connect with like-minded people through our community membership, moderated by experienced filmmakers
Our guarantee
We want you to feel completely happy with the choice to join this membership, and as such, we are offering a 7-day refund policy. If within the first 7 days of membership you decide that the community is not right for you, you can contact us for a full refund.
Get a FREE workbook
Sign up to our mailing list to receive a free workbook that walks you through how to find a story for your social justice documentary film