LearningWorks
SheridanWorks offers courses in filmmaking. Some courses are offered regularly, and others based on interest. Be in touch if there is a course that you would like but that is not currently listed.
Courses are taught by experienced and practicing filmmakers. Most courses do not require any previous experience but please see the course descriptions for any requirements. The courses are held in Boston, MA or online. Courses are for adults 18 and older. If youth media courses are of interest, please be in touch.
Questions? Please email us or call 617-834-7206
Courses
Student Work
Teachers
This six-session [Camera Work and Visual Storytelling] workshop was one of my best-ever learning experiences. It opened up a whole new artistic discipline and effectively combined the aesthetic and technical aspects of visual storytelling. – Melissa Shaak
Michael Sheridan is one of the best teachers one could hope to have. He has a genuine commitment to facilitating students’ ability to realize their vision, which is backed by a deep understanding of technology and technique. I had the pleasure of hiring Michael to teach over twenty years, and student reviews were always excellent. – Anne Marie Stein, Former Executive Director, Boston Film/Video Foundation and Dean Emeritus, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Filmmaking Courses
One-on-one Mentoring
Need some one-on-one project guidance? Are you struggling with story structure? Want to get suggestions for how to improve you camera, sound or editing skills?
Email or call 617-834-7206 to arrange sessions on your own schedule at $65/hour.
Student Work
A Day in the Air
by JP Parnas
JP took Digital Video: Camera + Sound, Digital Video: Post-Production + Editing and Documentary Boot Camp. All are seven-week intensives taught by Michael Sheridan. The Editing and Camera/Sound courses are part of MassArt’s Digital Certificate program. Boot Camp is an elective offered through the Adult Programs.
Tiny Things
by Brenna Getzin
Brenna produced Tiny Things during Documentary Boot Camp. She had previously taken Digital Video: Post-Production + Editing. Both are seven-week intensives offered through MassArt’s continuing education program and taught by Michael Sheridan.
I am a Ceramic Artist
by Don Waldron
Produced by Don Waldron during a one-week intensive documentary filmmaking course hosted by MassArt.
Our Lady’s Guild House
by Lydia Eccles
Produced by Lydia Eccles as one exercise during a 14-week course hosted by MassArt that covered the fundamentals of filmmaking in any genre.
She’s an American Child
by Rafael DeLeon
Produced by trainee Rafael DeLeon with editing by Zayde Buti during 15-week training hosted by Community Supported Film.
Ghetto Green, Ghetto Clean
by Steeve Colin
Produced by trainee Steeve Colin with editing by Yrvelt Lamour during 5-week training hosted by Community Supported Film in Haiti.
Bearing the Weight
by Mona Haidari
Produced by trainee Mona Haidari with editing by Hamid Arshia during 5-week training hosted by Community Supported Film in Afghanistan.
Teachers
Michael Sheridan
Michael Sheridan is a filmmaker, educator and activist whose documentary films address issues of social and economic development and the tipping point between order and chaos. For over 25 years Michael has engaged the public in stories from Asia, Africa and the Americas about people in poor and developing communities challenging the status quo and struggling to improve their lives.
In 1996 he co-founded Oxfam America’s documentary production and since then has worked to break new ground in the effective use of media to educate and change policy. Michael has taught documentary filmmaking for 20 plus years at the community and university level, including at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Northeastern University. From 2007-08 he served as a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Indonesia.
Michael founded Community Supported Film (CSFilm) in 2010. CSFilm seeks to take the foreign out of foreign correspondence by providing intensive training in documentary filmmaking to storytellers and activists in conflicted and developing communities. Their stories are screened in public engagement campaigns to educate concerned citizens and policymakers about sustainable paths to a more equitable and peaceful world.