Captivate
Film Mentorship
The 6-Month Program begins
April 1st - September 30th, 2024
Ignite Your Film Journey
Are you a budding filmmaker with a burning passion for storytelling and the magic of cinema?
Look no further! The Captivate Film Mentorship Program is here to guide you on your path to success and help you unlock your fullest creative potential.
What is Film Mentorship?
Our mentorship program provides filmmakers with personalized attention from experienced mentors who are dedicated to helping participants reach their fullest potential.
The mentors are professional filmmakers and educators that work closely with you to explore your personal perspectives and translate those ideas into compelling stories that resonate with a global audience.
This 6-month program offers you a tailored approach to learning and growth, giving you the necessary tools, knowledge, and resources to guide you through every stage of production.
This unique opportunity will help you identify your personal voice as a storyteller, refine your visual craft as a filmmaker, and bring your film projects to life.
By participating in weekly mentorship calls, monthly immersive workshops, and film screenings, you will gain a deeper understanding of cinematic language, receive practical training, and develop your storytelling techniques. Through Captivate, we are committed to providing all that you need to turn ambitious projects into successful films!
Discover the power of your film potential!
What is Included in the Program?
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Personalized Mentorship
Every week, you will receive a one-hour mentorship call to help you map out your goals, track your progress, learn new film techniques, improve your time management skills, strengthen your confidence, sharpen your vision, craft your story, overcome your fears, maintain accountability, and expand your filmmaking abilities. Participants are paired with a mentor based on their project genre and film trajectory to ensure they receive the best guidance to achieve their goals.
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Monthly Immersive Workshops
Every month, we offer an 8-hour full-day workshop that provides practical training, innovative film techniques, and insights from expert filmmakers. With access to industry-standard equipment, these tailored workshops offer real-life experience, time to work on your film projects, and education on all stages of production. Our goal is to meet individual project goals while fostering a supportive and collaborative environment to help you refine your craft.
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Collaborative Film Community
We create opportunities to connect you with a community of like-minded filmmakers who are dedicated to developing their artistic vision and pushing the boundaries of the storytelling. In addition, we encourage collaboration among our participants, enabling you to share your knowledge and ideas, and develop lasting connections that can support you throughout your film career. We believe that our community is an essential part of the filmmaking process.
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Special Film Screenings
We love seeing how your film can impact an audience, that's where the real reward in filmmaking comes from. We offer opportunities for our participants to showcase their projects through special screenings that are open to the public. We believe in helping our participants establish their reputation and credibility in the industry, so they can continue to make great films and achieve their dreams. We desire to support you and your passion for filmmaking!
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Our filmmaker series is a curated collection of renowned filmmakers, industry professionals, and film scholars that will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table, offering valuable insights and perspectives from their unique film journeys. These sessions will be hosted on Zoom and recorded for future access.
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In addition to the educational aspect, our program will emphasize networking and industry connections. We will organize networking events, where participants connect with potential collaborators and form valuable relationships that may lead to collaborations, job opportunities, and a lifelong network of like-minded individuals. By fostering these connections, we aim to increase the visibility and opportunities for our mentees within the film industry.
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During the program, participants will receive insider techniques, video tutorials, and professional resources to support their filmmaking journey. Topics covered include crafting treatments, screenwriting, budgeting, story development, script breakdown, directing actors, shot listing, post-production, licensing, distribution, and standard practices. Our goal is to equip filmmakers with the necessary tools to succeed as professionals in the film industry.
Additional Program Benefits
Meet the Mentors
We believe in the transformative power of cinema and the ability of films to inspire, educate, and create social change.
By encouraging filmmakers to share empowering stories, we hope to amplify marginalized voices, challenge prevailing narratives, and spark conversations that can lead to a more inclusive society.
Charly Louise
Director of “In Tune: The Ben Tucker Story” PBS Feature Documentary
Executive Producer of “Yatra: The Documentary” Feature Film
Producer of “Little Elegy” International Award-Winning Short Film
Director & Producer of over 20 short films - narrative & documentary
Film Work currently on Netflix, Showtime, and the NFL Network.
| Director & Producer
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Executive Producer & Director
Charly Louise is a talented producer, visionary director, educator, and founder of Venus Rising Media. With over 12 years of professional experience and a BFA in film production from the Savannah College of Art and Design, she has become a powerhouse in the industry. Her work is focused on conscious evolution, social change, transformation, and spiritual fulfillment.
In 2018, Charly made her directorial debut on PBS with the feature documentary "In Tune: The Ben Tucker Story". Over the past decade, she has collaborated on feature-length and short films, which have been released on popular platforms such as Netflix, Showtime, the NFL Network, Sundance, and international film festivals. Additionally, she has worked with a diverse range of brands, from international tech companies like Lucia Light and ReSource Finance (a cryptocurrency) to non-profits such as the Foundation for Climate Restoration and Earth Path Education. Her current focus is on documentary film clients, film mentorship programs and exploring the realms of film therapy.
Nova Scott-James
Director of “Wild Darlings Sing the Blues” Feature Narrative/Doc
2023 Sundance Grant Recipient for Wild Darlings
Director of “Handmade in Thamaga” Award-Winning Short Doc Film
Director of “Third Eye” Award-Winning Short Narrative Film
Former Adjunct Film Instructor at the NYU Tisch School of The Arts
| Director & Producer
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Director & Producer
Nova Scott-James is a filmmaker, artist and creative coach from Harlem, NYC. Her childhood experiences of being flooded with the sounds and culture of jazz has impacted her creative aesthetic greatly as her work honors improvisation, altered states of consciousness, ritual and collaboration. Nova is an adjunct instructor at the NYU Tisch School of The Arts teaching filmmaking in intensive programs for high school students.
Two of her short films have played at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in the New York African Film Festival: Handmade in Thamaga, a documentary short about a women’s pottery collective in Botswana, and My Third Eye, a narrative short about a young girl’s spiritual awakening after being sexually abused by a family member. Nova is also a reiki practitioner and dedicated intuitive worker – she uses these abilities to serve people as a director and creative coach by guiding them in honoring their creative genius.
The Wild Darlings are a pro-black, pro-LGBTQ+ media and healing arts collective from NYC. This 10-episode documentary/narrative hybrid series follows them on a spiritual and physical pilgrimage from a sacred indigenous sanctuary in upstate New York.
Emmy Award winning Independent Producer and Director of Photography
Over 20 years of professional videographer in NYC Film & TV industry
Camera Operator on Blockbuster Hit “Don’t Look Up”
Director of “World Peace & Prayer Day” Documentary
Founder of Pro Video Productions
| Director of Photography
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Director of Photography & Producer
Emmy Award winning Independent Producer and Director of Photography Perry ‘Waska’ Finkelstein founded Pro Video Productions with a clear vision of offering exemplary quality, outstanding service and a commitment to value and building relationships.
With over two decades of professional hands-on experience behind him producing video presentations for clientele in various industries including: corporate, commercial, sports, music, legal, documentary, political, internet and broadcast television. Initially cultivating a diverse, loyal and impressive client base in New York City and in 2021 establishing a presence in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina; providing professional video production & editing services on locations around the world.
Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker
Co-founded the investigative news non-profit Public Herald
Writer, Director, & Producer of Feature Film “Invisible Hands” with Executive Producer Mark Ruffalo
Recipient of Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship
She has conducted over 400 lectures, panel discussions, and film screenings
| Filmmaker & Journalist
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Filmmaker, Writer & Journalist
Melissa Troutman is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker whose work spans more than a decade and includes multiple collaborations with Emmy-winning actor Mark Ruffalo. Through her films, Melissa has unveiled environmental injustice and corruption while inspiring audiences to think deeply about the roots of systemic harm – all without any formal media or communications training whatsoever.
Between 2013 and 2023, she wrote, produced, directed, and managed post-production of four independent documentary projects, including her latest – "Lake Erie, Our Kin" – which aired on PBS in April. She has conducted over 400 lectures, panel discussions, and film screenings. In 2019, she received the Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship for her media work.
Austin Lottimer
Award-winning Filmmaker and Photography
7 year recipient of Olympus Visionary Sponsorship Program
Camera Operator for Good Time Golf, 52 Episodes on FOX Sports
Creative Director at Baram Entertainment, Colorado Production Company
Director and Cinematographer for documentary feature films, commercials, television shows and music videos.
| Director of Photography
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Director of Photography & Editor
Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Austin Lottimer got his start making short action films using his father’s cameras before the age of 10. At age of 16, he started working professionally for Good Time Golf, a travel golf adventure television series for FOX Sports. There he began cultivating his trade, working on 52 episodes as a sound man and camera operator. Over the next several years, Austin worked on numerous independent film projects, music videos and documentaries, filling varied roles from key grip to video editor to director of photography, until he and his brother started their own film company Formerly Trine Films.
In 2012, Austin and his brother Maitland caught the attention of Olympus when they won a 48 Hour Film Challenge at the Vail Film Festival with their short film Running Colors. This accomplishment introduced Austin into the Olympus Visionary sponsorship program which he professionally represented Olympus as the only Filmmaker for 7 years. Since then Austin has directed and shot multiple documentary feature films, commercials, Industrials, television shows and music videos.
Andrew Vilar
Actor, Stuntman, Writer, Director & Musician based in Atlanta
Member of SAG-AFTRA
Represented by Avenue Agency
Credits on Lifetime, Oxygen, CMT, Amazon Prime, & Shudder,
Acted in short films that are currently playing in international film festival circuit.
| Actor & Writer
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Actor and Writer
Andrew Vilar is an actor, writer, stuntman, musician, and songwriter based in Atlanta, Georgia. He holds a BA in Advertising and Multimedia from George Mason University and is currently represented by The Avenue agency. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and holds acting credits on networks such as Lifetime, Oxygen, CMT, Amazon Prime, Shudder, and is acting in short films currently playing in film festivals internationally.
Take the next steps in your filmmaking journey and join us for this exciting film mentorship program!
Program Dates: March 1st to August 31st, 2024
Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. And I will choose how the story ends.
-Brené Brown
Program Purpose
Personal Guidance
We aim to provide filmmakers with a comprehensive range of resources and guidance to meet them on their path. We tailor the mentorship to their specific needs and aspirations so to encourage them to excel in film.
Empowerment
Our goal is to offer the creative structure, support, and unparalleled professional insight so that filmmakers can be empowered to hone their creative voice and vision to produce exceptional films.
Accountability
Our commitment is to create a dynamic, hands-on environment that nurtures emerging filmmakers through a system of accountability and encourages expansion of their artistic edges.
Are you ready to discover your authentic voice, expand your creative vision, and hone your visual craft as an emerging filmmaker?
We are excited to offer an opportunity for aspiring filmmakers to jumpstart their careers today without spending 100K + on a college film degree and 10 + years slaving away as a Production Assistant in the film industry. Instead, we want you to be able to have the support, education, and resources you need today to be able to share your visual stories and have the confidence to direct your own film career. With our combined 30 + years of expertise and guidance, we hope to save you valuable time, money, resources and energy to help you navigate the realm of film and complete your projects with a sense of accomplishment.
The 6-Month Captivate Program Investment is $4,500
Get ready to create powerful, compelling visual narratives that have the potential to transform our culture and world.
