Directing Experimental Short Films
A course by Jiajie Yu Yan, Director and Filmmaker
Learn to create a short film based on an image that inspires you
In conceptual film work, the real star is the director. The creative flexibility inherent in arthouse cinema gives the director the freedom to imprint their own personality and experiences onto the piece itself. These characteristics perfectly describe the work of Jiajie Yu Yan, a film and advertising director whose short films and music videos have been nominated and awarded at numerous international festivals.
In this course, Jiajie teaches you the process that a conceptual film director follows to carry out their projects—from the initial idea to shooting and post-production.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 33 downloads
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Jiajie Yu Yan and how he went from acting in a Pepsi commercial to directing his own short films. Discover the directors, composers, and photographers who influence him, and see how he puts together an inspirational mood board.
Now start crafting your personal style by choosing the aspect ratio of your work, the framing, composition, color, and camera movements.
Learn to make a visual film treatment based on a photo that inspires you, exploring the stories an image can evoke through mere observation.
Next, create the shooting script for your audiovisual piece by documenting each shot on a template provided by Jiajie.
Lights, camera, action! After choosing a shoot location, learn how to direct actors and effectively communicate the character you want them to interpret.
It’s a wrap! Move on to the post-production phase and discover what decisions a director makes in terms of editing, color, and music to add those finishing touches to your project.
- 98% positive reviews (657)
- 18,645 students
- 17 lessons (2h 45m)
- 33 additional resources (14 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe Premiere
Final Cut ProWhat is this course's project?
Create a short film based on an inspirational image.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Filmmakers, screenwriters, editors, and anyone who loves cinema, photography, and the audiovisual world.
Requirements and materials
Some knowledge of cinematographic language, photography, and an editing program is recommended. Any lighting and art direction skills are also a plus in terms of achieving visually appealing results.
You need access to a video camera and a computer with an editing program installed (Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, Avid, etc.).
Reviews
Jiajie Yu Yan
A course by Jiajie Yu Yan
Jiajie Yu Yan is a film director and commercial filmmaker. His first experience on a film set was in 2007 as an actor for a Pepsi ad, which is when he realized that what he really wanted to do was to get behind the camera. He earned a degree in audiovisual communication from the Ramón Llull University in Barcelona and did a master's degree in screenplay and film direction at the Bande à Part film school. Thanks to a scholarship, he moved to Madrid to study a master in digital cinematography at EFTI.
He has received awards at the Thailand International Film Destination Festival for his short films A Lonely Trip (2014) and Blissful City (2015). His short film Aliens (2016) was filmed in Benidorm and has been nominated in more than 40 national and international festivals, including the Málaga Film Festival, the Sant Joan d'Alacant Film Festival, and the Curtocircuíto International Short Film Festival in Santiago de Compostela—all of them qualifiers for the Goya Awards. His latest music video for the song Soul (2018) by the group The Prussians was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick and has been shared on platforms such as NOWNESS, Booooooom, Directors Notes, and in magazines such as i-D Vice, Metal Magazine, and Kluid Magazine. He recently finished his latest short film Xiao Xian, which is in the process of being distributed at festivals.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences I
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Influences II
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U2
Meditation
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Format
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Frames and compositions
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Color as narrative use
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Camera movements
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U3
Inspiration
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Catch the golden fish
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Creating a Visual Treatment Document
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Film language guide
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Creating a Technical Script
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U4
Awareness
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Location and filming set
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Direction of actors
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U5
Creativity
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Mounting
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Colour
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Sound and music
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Do you want to see how my final piece has been?
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FP
Final project
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Direction of conceptual audiovisual pieces
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
This is an intermediate-level course, perfect for those who already have basic knowledge of film, photography, or audiovisual media and want to deepen their understanding of visual storytelling and short film directing.
It's recommended to have a basic grasp of audiovisual language, composition, and camera handling to fully benefit from the course content.
You will learn how to develop a personal style, create visual treatments, direct actors, plan shoots, work with composition, color, and lighting, and distribute your short film at festivals.
The course covers visual storytelling, shot composition, camera movements, editing, use of color and sound, and creating atmospheres to convey emotions without dialogue.
You'll learn how to find inspiration through images and organize visual references using platforms like Pinterest and Vimeo for audiovisual preproduction.
Yes, you'll learn basic color correction and grading, sound and music editing, and musical montage techniques to enhance your project's narrative and atmosphere.
The course guides you through analyzing references, experimenting with formats and visual resources, and defining your own style in directing and producing audiovisual work.
Adobe Premiere
Final Cut Pro
Increíble curso! Me sirve mucho para mis proyectos audiovisuales personales.
Jiajie Yu Yan muy grande!!
muy interesante
very good course
va bien el video, pero lo estoy escuchando con auriculares y me esta matando el silvido que hace, me gustaria mas si estuviese bien el audio, pero el contenido esta muy buenoo!!!
good course