01. Orientation- Meet your instructor and learn about the overview of this class - Essential software and tools for the course

02. Creation of a Cinematic Shot- Exploring different shot types and their impact on storytelling - Understanding the artistic and technical effort behind a single shot - The roles of different artists involved in creating a shot

03. Script Analysis and Breaking Down a Scene- Analyzing a script to understand shot planning - Comparing the script to its final cinematic execution - Choosing a scene to develop or writing an original concept

04. The Power of Research and Visual Inspiration- How research strengthens visual storytelling - Sourcing high-quality references for realism and consistency - Selecting visual inspirations that align with the shot’s mood

05. Initial Reference Gathering and Moodboarding- Demonstrating how to collect useful references - Organizing references into an effective moodboard - Creating a moodboard for your cinematic shot

06. Fundamentals of Composition in Film- Exploring framing techniques, balance, and visual hierarchy - Analyzing iconic film compositions - Applying composition techniques to your moodboard

07. Color and Light in Cinematic Storytelling- The psychological effects of color in film - How lighting influences mood, depth, and storytelling - Studying color and lighting in cinematic shots

08. Narrative in a Single Frame- Understanding how to tell a story with a single shot - Conveying character emotion, theme, and subtext visually - Analyzing how different shots serve the overall story

09. Storyboarding Techinques and Styles- Why storyboarding? - Exploring different approaches to storyboarding - Analyzing various storyboard styles from animation to live-action

10. Rough Sketching in Storyboarding- Translating a scene into a visual sequence

11. Understanding Set- The importance of environment in storytelling - Setting shapes composition and shot dynamics

12. Set Planning- Sketching a rough layout of the set

13. The Fundamentals of Shot Direction and Cinematic Flow- The 180-degree rule and its impact on continuity - Camera directionality and its effect on viewer perception - Planning dynamic shots to enhance storytelling

14. Introduction to Blender for Story Boarding- Basics of Blender for shot layout and camera setup - Understanding 3D blocking for cinematic storytelling

15. Building the First Layout of Your Shot- Making a first layout of the scene

16. Asset Placement and Set Dressing- Downloading, creating and placing 3D assets to construct the set

17. Add Cinematic Lighting to Your Shot- Adding basic lighting to establish mood and depth - Using lights to guide the viewer’s eye

18. Finalizing Camera and Composition Choices- Experimenting with different camera angles - Rendering test shots to evaluate composition

19. How to Give an Order to the Renders that Serve the Story- Choose the renders and give them an order that follows the emotions of the story

20. Choosing the Key Composition for the Final Look- Selecting the strongest shot for concept development - Refining the visual structure for storytelling

21. From Pre-Vis to Concept Art- Taking the render to final using different digital painting and photobashing techniques - Where to find good images to download license free for photobashing (and later Mattepainting)

22. Breaking Down the Concept for Shooting- Identifying which elements will be practical vs VFX - Planning a shooting schedule and approach

23. Introduction to Cinematic Shooting- Basics of how to shoot a scene - Key roles and workflow in a live-action shoot - Tips for shooting on a budget or working solo

24. Insights from Indie Film and VFX Production- Organizing a team, scheduling, and managing resources - Avoiding common pitfalls in low-budget shooting

25. Analyzing the Material After Shooting- Understanding what has changed from your initial concept and how you will adapt to still have a strong visual look that serves the story

26. Concepting Over the Plate- Readapting your concept based on what you've shot - Revisiting your concept and trying to go further than the initial idea

27. Deciding How You Will Approach the Final Shot- Understand different roles in postproduction and how usually VFX shots are done

28. What is Mattepainting?- Understanding what mattepainting is

29. Mattepainting Basics- How to organize mattepainting - How to edit the images in a non destructive way - How to match values and colors

30. Delivering the Mattepainting- How to create alphas and export the mattepainting

31. Understanding Compositing- Understanding what a compositor does on a typical VFX pipeline

32. Making the Final Shot in Photoshop- Making the final shot in photoshop like if it was our compositing software

33. What is Nuke?- Explaining what Nuke is and its use

34. Nuke Basics- Explaining basics of color grading, keying, doing rotos and how to export a shot - Focused not on deeply learning Nuke but on having a moving image by the end of the course

35. Giving Movement to the Image- Learning how to use transforms to move elements in Nuke

36. Merging All the Elements Together and Exporting the Final Result- Merging all the elements together and exporting the final result

37. Final Thoughts and Advice on Compositing- Final thoughts and detailed advice on compositing

38. General Overview of the Course and Keypoints- What are the most useful things we learned - How to use those things based on your role in a production

39. Challenges of Making a Cinematic Production- Advice for pursuing a career in concept, filmmaking and/or VFX

40. Final Words- Final thoughts