10 Online Summer Film Programs for High School Students
If you're a high school student interested in storytelling, cinematography, or screenwriting, online summer film programs are a good opportunity to develop your skills. These programs expose you to college-level academics and life, filmmaking techniques, and valuable industry insights. Online programs offer affordability and flexibility, allowing you to balance your creative education with other summer activities.
If you plan to study film in college, participating in a summer program can show admissions officers your commitment to the field. These programs offer a chance to learn from professionals, collaborate with peers, and even build a portfolio of work. Whether you’re interested in directing, editing, or writing for the screen, participating in an online summer film program can help you gain real-world experience and build connections in the industry.
Here is a list of the top 10 online summer film programs for high school students.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas, including film studies. The program pairs you with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as film, writing, history, art, literature, culture, and more! You can find more details about the application here!
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
This online screenwriting program for high school students offers an introduction to writing for film and television. You will develop story ideas, characters, and scripts while collaborating with peers worldwide. The program combines pre-recorded lectures, weekly assignments, and live one-on-one video sessions with an NYU Tisch instructor. Through exercises and film analysis, you will learn storytelling fundamentals, script structure, and film language. By the end of the workshop, you will have completed scenes, a short screenplay, and a feature film or TV series synopsis.
Cost: $7,664. Limited need-based scholarships are available.
Dates: July 6 - August 2.
Application Deadline: April 18.
Eligibility: High school first-years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors can apply.
This four-week online summer film editing program offers high school students experience in storyboarding and sequence design. It covers the evolution of editing from early cinema to modern techniques. You will explore different editing styles, such as classical Hollywood and experimental methods, while studying the work of celebrated editors like Thelma Schoonmaker and Walter Murch. Through scene analysis and re-editing exercises, you will learn to control pacing, rhythm, and emotional impact across genres like action, horror, comedy, and drama. The program culminates in a final project where you will create a short video for social media.
Cost: $299.
Dates: Summer I: June 9 - July 6 | Summer II: July 14 - August 10.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility: High school students are eligible to apply. Completion of Film Production 101 or equivalent knowledge and/or experience is required.
The three-week UCLA Emerging Filmmakers TV Writing Track introduces high school students to episodic television, where they work under the mentorship of a TV writing professional. You will learn how to develop original series concepts, understand the contemporary media landscape, and use industry tools to gain visibility in a competitive field. Through collaborative workshops, you will refine your storytelling skills by creating beat sheets, first-act outlines, and pilot script teasers. Professional development sessions cover topics like pitching, building a strong portfolio, and understanding the role of a writer’s room. In the final week, you will receive virtual portfolio reviews from industry experts who will discuss your writing and career strategy.
Cohort size: 10-15 students per class.
Cost: $2,955.
Dates: Session A: June 23 – July 12 | Session B: July 14 – August 2.
Application Deadline: Applications open on February 15 and close on June 15.
Eligibility: High school students in 9th – 12th grades in the spring with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply.
This online summer filmmaking program allows high school students to learn digital filmmaking and gain college credit. This program helps you develop writing, directing, shooting, and editing skills through collaborative projects. You will create short films inspired by daily video lectures and receive feedback through one-on-one video meetings with a Tisch instructor. You will complete a crew-based documentary, a music video, three technical assignments, and a final narrative film that you write and direct. Early projects will familiarize you with filmmaking equipment and different styles like documentary, experimental, and narrative approaches.
Cost: $7,664. Limited need-based scholarships are available.
Dates: July 6 - August 2.
Application Deadline: April 18.
Eligibility: High school first-years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors can apply.
The DIY Filmmaking online summer program enables high school students to create a short film using the resources available to them, such as smartphones, tablets, or cameras. Through practical exercises, you will strengthen your writing, directing, shooting, and editing skills, applying the core principles of visual storytelling. These skills will culminate in the production of a 3-5 minute original short video project. The program combines scheduled live virtual classes on Zoom, asynchronous learning materials, and independent work. You will explore story development, working with actors, basic camera and audio techniques, and editing with Adobe Premiere.
Cost: $595.
Dates: July 7 - July 25.
Application Deadline: January 7.
Eligibility: High school students in 9th – 12th grades can apply.
This online summer filmmaking program gives high school students the skills to use simple tools like smartphones or tablets as professional-quality storytelling devices. The program is led by Sanford Bookstaver, a director and producer with over two decades of experience on shows like Dexter: New Blood and House MD. You will learn every stage of the production process, from preparing a script and assembling a team to capturing essential shots and managing post-production. The course covers location scouting, working with actors, and creating storyboards. In post-production, you will edit footage, apply sound design, and finalize your short film. By the end of the program, you will have made a polished short film and earned a certificate of completion.
Cost: $2,025.
Dates: Self-paced program with multiple start dates from May through August.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines. Varies depending on the course start date.
Eligibility: High school students at least 14 years old can apply.
This three-week Online Film Camp offers high school students the opportunity to write, direct, shoot, and edit their own creative projects using mobile devices and digital editing software. The program is structured around the production of two short films. Through online sessions in production, editing, writing, cinematography, and directing, you will understand filmmaking's creative and technical aspects. The summer program covers key filmmaking disciplines, including Director’s Craft, where you will learn the language of cinema, visual storytelling, and how to prepare for production and work with actors.
Cost: $2,025.
Dates: July 21 - August 8.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted up until 10 days before the start of the program.
Eligibility: High school students aged 14-17 years are eligible to apply.
In this online summer program, high school students will learn to generate story ideas, create memorable characters with emotional depth, structure a compelling narrative, write engaging dialogue, and tell stories visually. The course covers essential techniques for revising drafts and preparing scripts for pitching. Through creative writing exercises, expert insights, and case studies, you will complete a polished short film script. The self-paced program includes recorded lectures, readings, and assignments. Approximately 20–25 hours of coursework will be completed over four weeks, though students have 90 days of access for added flexibility.
Cost: $2,025.
Dates: Self-paced program with multiple start dates from May through August.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines. Varies depending on the course start date.
Eligibility: High school students at least 14 years old can apply.
This online summer program explores major cinematic movements, regional and national film traditions, and their connection to historical and cultural developments throughout film history. Covering early cinema, German Expressionism, Soviet Montage, Italian Neorealism, and contemporary movements like the Iranian, Taiwanese, and Korean New Waves, it examines global cinematic trajectories and their interconnectedness. You will investigate how pre-cinematic art forms such as opera, theater, and painting influenced the evolution of film. By studying both dominant and peripheral film histories, the course reveals how cinema has shaped and narrated historical events while highlighting structural inequalities.
Cost: $8,248.
Dates: May 27 – July 2.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility: Current 10th- and 11th-grade high school students are eligible to apply.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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