Documentary Filmmaking Courses and Certifications

Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Make documentaries the Ken Burns way: choose a story, write treatments and scripts, source archival material, conduct interviews, and shape the edit, music, and sound design.

• MasterClass
• 4 hours 56 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Trial Available

Documentary Filmmaking with Soul

1282 ratings at Udemy

How to Create a Modern, Cinematic, Story-Driven Documentary from Start to Finish- An Emmy Award-winning approach!

• Udemy
• 1 hour 49 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Making a Short Documentary

58 ratings at CreativeLive

Making a Short Documentary with Ed Kashi, Julie Winokur

• CreativeLive
• 10 hours 41 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Shooting Documentary Short Films

54 ratings at CreativeLive

Shooting Documentary Short Films with Griffin Hammond

• CreativeLive
• 5 hours 17 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Environmental & Humanitarian Filmmaking

Environmental & Humanitarian Filmmaking with Taylor Rees, Kenna Klosterman

• CreativeLive
• 59 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Digital Case Method

Create digital case studies for teaching: shoot documentary-style footage with a smartphone, stabilizer or DSLR, light interviews, edit in Adobe Premiere, and run a student case program.

• Coursera
• 4 weeks, 3 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Career Certificate

Create and Finance a Short Documentary Film

10 ratings at Coursera

Write, film, and edit a short documentary, practice storytelling in 10-second increments, and build a pitch deck to secure financing from investors.

• Coursera
• 4 weeks, 10 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course
• 3 courses

Film Documentaries: Write, Film & Edit A Short Documentary

Write, shoot and edit a micro-budget short documentary: develop the idea and screenplay, plan production, light interviews, log and cut footage, then color grade and mix audio.

• Coursera
• 7 weeks, 1 hour a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Advanced Videography: Documentary and Promo Editing

Shoot documentary-style promos: plan the story, run two-camera interview setups with lighting and audio, and capture beauty portraits, gimbal moves, focus pulls and cinematic B-roll.

• Coursera
• 3 weeks, 2 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Shooting Documentary Short Films (Self-Paced)

See how to spot powerful real-world stories and turn them into compelling documentary short films.

• CourseHorse
• Self-Paced
• $24.00

DV Lab: Documenting Science Through Video and New Media

Documentary video making as a lens on science and engineering: hands-on camera, sound and interview labs paired with readings in documentary theory and social studies of science.

• MIT OpenCourseWare
• Self-Paced
• Free Online Course

Chengdu University

DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION

Learn documentary theory, ethics, research, interviewing, shooting, sound recording, narrative construction, and editing through collaborative production of a short documentary film.

• XuetangX
• Self-Paced
• Free Online Course

HDDSLR: From Still to Video

13 ratings at CreativeLive

A photographer’s transition to filmmaking through HDDSLR production, documentary and cinematic shooting, pre-production, b-roll, and editing workflows.

• CreativeLive
• 17 hours 34 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Werner Herzog Teaches Filmmaking

Learn storytelling, cinematography, location scouting, self-financing, documentary interview techniques, and how to bring your ideas to life.

• MasterClass
• 5 hours 50 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Trial Available

DOCUMENTAL! Nuevas tendencias, nuevos formatos / DOCUMENTARY! New Trends, New Formats

Explora las nuevas tendencias y formatos del documental audiovisual en el siglo XXI y desarrolla una perspectiva global del género documental y su evolución. Explore new trends and formats of 21st cen

• edX
• 4 weeks, 4-6 hours a week
• Self-Paced
• Free Certificate