A community film school on the Oregon coast. For everyone.
The APS Film School is a year-round filmmaking education program rooted in Astoria and open to the entire community. High school students. Working adults. Complete beginners. Experienced creators. People who have always wanted to make something and never had the tools, the time, or the right room to try.
Clatsop Community College Community Education | Fall Term | 2026
FILM 1: Introduction to Cinema
You’ve seen hundreds of films, but have you ever stopped to ask why one scene makes your heart race while another brings you to tears? Introduction to Cinema teaches you to read film the way filmmakers make it — through the language of framing, light, editing, sound, and story. Each session pairs short clips with guided discussion, giving you the tools to understand what’s really happening on screen. No background in film required.
(Students looking to take their curiosity further will find FILM 2: Intro to Filmmaking a natural next step.)
FILM 2: Introduction to Filmmaking
You’ve watched films your whole life. Now learn how they’re made! Film 2: Introduction to Filmmaking takes you inside the creative decisions that shape every scene — how a camera angle implies power, how light builds mood, how a single edit can change what a moment means. Through live demonstrations, in-class exercises, and hands-on exploration of camera, lighting, and sound, you’ll develop the language and instincts of a working filmmaker.
Students who have completed Film 1: Introduction to Cinema will find this course a natural next step — but no prior experience is required.
Dates / Times
FILM1: Sep 23 – Nov 18th, 2026 | Wed for 8 weeks from 7:00 – 8:30 pm
FILM2: Oct 6 – Nov 10th, 2026 | Tue for 6 weeks from 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Location
Towler Hall Room 201, Clatsop Community College Lexington Campus
Fees
FILM1: $115 General Public | FILM2: $95 General Public
Currently Enrolled CCC Students TBD
High School Student Scholarships Available (Ages 16+) – Contact Us to Apply!
High School Scholarships & Registration
Community members register on the CCC Website!
High School students (Ages 16+) seeking a scholarship, contact us to apply!
Instructor
What to Expect from FILM 1 & FILM 2
From the First Shot to the Final Cut
Between the two courses, we cover the full arc of visual storytelling — from watching like a filmmaker to thinking like one. FILM 1 is eight 90-minute sessions of critical viewing and analysis; FILM 2 is six 90-minute sessions of hands-on production. Take one on its own, or take both back to back. Here’s a peek at just some of our roadmap:
FILM 1: Reading Cinema
Technical Foundations
Master the “big four” of film language: Mise-en-Scène (the world in the frame), Cinematography (the camera’s eye), Editing (building continuity), and the “invisible dimension” of Sound.
Experimental Synthesis
Dive into the fast-paced world of Music Videos to see how narrative rules are broken and reinvented.
Critical Frameworks
Explore Genre (from Westerns to Sci-Fi), Auteur Theory (the director’s signature), and the real-world impact of Documentaries.
The Social Mirror
Analyze how cinema shapes our understanding of identity, race, and gender, and learn to “read against the grain”.
FILM 2: Making Cinema
Story First
Build a film concept from scratch, starting with the single sentence that has to carry the whole thing: the logline.
Behind the Camera
Get hands-on with a real camera and lighting kit, and see how a single choice in framing or light can imply power, mood, or meaning before an actor says a word.
Cutting and Sound
Rearrange a scene by hand before you ever touch a timeline, then build the “invisible dimension” back in with a sound design pass.
Greenlight This
Pitch your own film concept to the room in two minutes — the same way working filmmakers pitch to collaborators, festivals, and producers.
Why Take These Courses?
Beyond helping you become the most insightful person at your next movie night — or the most prepared person at your first pitch meeting — FILM 1 and FILM 2 are designed as a single arc. FILM 1 teaches you to see how visual storytelling works from the inside out; FILM 2 hands you the tools to build it yourself. Take them in order, or jump straight into whichever one matches what you’re chasing.
Program
In addition to our community education program developed in partnership with Clatsop Community College, we will eventually run three tracks, including a youth program developed in partnership with Astoria High School, and a workshop series developed in collaboration with other local partners. All tracks feed into the same community: a growing network of local filmmakers, storytellers, and people who take moving images seriously.
The Film School and the festival are designed to work together. Student and community work made in the Film School has a home at the Astoria Picture Show each year. The festival brings in filmmakers and educators who feed back into the school. It’s a loop, not a ladder.
Partners
Clatsop Community College
Our adult and community track is developed in partnership with Clatsop Community College, integrating with the college’s continuing education and workforce development programs. Courses and workshops are available to community members of all backgrounds, with CCC providing infrastructure and APS providing curriculum and instructors. We’re on track to offer the following courses:
- FILM 1: Introduction to Cinema (critical analysis of the motion picture art, industry, and medium)
- FILM 2: Introduction to Filmmaking (the craft behind the art of motion picture production)
Astoria High School
Our youth track is currently in development and will be delivered in partnership with Astoria High School — enabling AHS students to access curriculum, instruction, and a direct pathway to the festival. The school will provide space, some and students; APS brings the expertise and the opportunities.
Community Workshops
Our community workshop track is currently in development and will be delivered in partnership with other local film and cinema organizations — providing stand-alone workshops and instruction on a myriad of subjects.
The Film School Guiding Ethos
The best way to learn filmmaking is to make films. Not to study films, not to watch lectures about films, not to take quizzes about films — to make them. Everything we do in the Film School is organized around getting to know the processes behind the productions. For those who want to make their own motion picture media, our courses will help them plan it, do it, finish it, and show it.
We also believe that filmmaking education shouldn’t be a luxury. The APS Film School is free or heavily subsidized for young people. Adult programming is priced to be accessible. We’re not here to serve people who already have access — we’re here to extend it.
