What You Get

  • Three on-demand classes: Build your skills in lighting, color grading and sound editing to improve the look and sound of your documentaries.

  • 48 video lessons: Over two hours of instruction in short, easy-to-revisit chapters, with supporting PDF references.

  • Learn with award-winning filmmaker Dandan Liu: Her simple, approachable teaching brings together the art and technique of filmmaking without overwhelming you with jargon.

  • Techniques you can put to work: Light an interview, correct and match color, clean up dialogue and balance your audio mix.

  • Certificate of Completion: Receive a personalized digital certificate when you complete each course.

Film Lighting Made Simple

  • Understand why lighting matters
  • Learn the core principles of lighting
  • Get familiar with essential lighting tools
  • Explore the building blocks of light
  • Follow a practical 5-step lighting method
  • See lighting applied in context of real-world examples

Color Grading

  • Get introduced to the essentials of color grading
  • Train your eye to notice color
  • Understand color grading as a storytelling tool
  • Learn the science and workflow behind color grading
  • Learn color correction techniques in Adobe Premiere Pro, with principles you can apply in other editing tools.
  • Explore the final creative and technical polish

Sound Engineering

  • Get practical tips for improving your sound workflow
  • Organize your timeline for cleaner audio editing
  • Clean up your sound before mixing
  • Edit and improve your sound using Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition
  • Understand EQ, sound frequencies and compression
  • Balance your final mix for a cleaner, more professional result

About Your Instructor

Filmmaker | Contemplative Creative Dandan Liu

Hi there! I’m Dandan, an ex-scientist turned Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker who loves foraging for unique stories around the world that reveal the connections between people and place.

I started making films while on a 4 year journey living in monasteries around the world and my 10th film 'Dottie' won a Regional Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

My work embraces a minimalist and heart driven approach to storytelling, with an intimate focus on the moments that carry the deepest meaning.

Cheering you on,
Dandan

Elevate Your Documentary

Three practical classes on lighting, color grading, and sound, taught by award-winning filmmaker Dandan Liu.

Build cleaner, more professional films with simple, focused techniques.

Price: $97

Get the Bundle