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.
CCC | Summer | 2026
FILM 1: Introduction to Cinema
Starting this summer, 2026, our FILM 1 course –designed for aspiring filmmakers and casual movie fans alike– will help you transform your relationship with the medium. We’ll trade passive viewing for active analysis, providing the technical vocabulary and critical tools to deconstruct how your favorite films and videos are actually made. Whether setting you up for producing your own motion picture stories, or simply enriching your lived experience, you’ll leave with a keen understanding of the history, art and science behind the motion picture arts.
Dates / Times
July 8, 2026 – August 26, 2026 (Eight Classes)
Once per week on Wednesdays: 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Location
Towler Hall Room 201, Clatsop Community College Lexington Campus
Fees
$115 General Public | Currently Enrolled CCC Students TBD
High School Student Scholarships Available (Ages 16+) – Contact Us to Apply!
Registration
Coming Soon!
Instructor
What to Expect
From the First Shot to the Final Cut
This isn’t just a lecture series—it’s a hands-on exploration of visual storytelling as an art form, a business, and a powerful cultural product. Over eight 90-minute sessions, we’ll balance expert insights with intensive film clip analysis and lively discussion. Here’s a peek at just some of our roadmap:
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”.
Why Take This Course?
Beyond helping you become the most insightful person at your next movie night, this course serves as a bridge to our FILM 2: Introduction to Filmmaking course. By understanding how visual storytelling works from the inside out, you’ll build the essential foundation needed for hands-on filmmaking in advanced coursework.
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.
