DP Philip Bloom has been on the film education and workshop circuit for as long as we can remember, and now he has released what looks to be his most comprehensive online course yet. Bloom's Cinematic Masterclass contains seven, hour-long modules plus a bonus intro session that you can watch free just for signing up. The broad topics covered are: camera basics, visual storytelling, interviews, slow motion, timelapse, drones and aerial cinematography, story (putting all the pieces together in a real-world shooting scenario), and post-production. In his blog, Bloom says that the essential skills of lighting and audio are covered throughout the series, rather than in individual episodes.

In the free intro class, Bloom gives you the bare essentials of what gear you need for your first kit, like a fluid head tripod, camera, lens, monitor, mic and headphones, and, more importantly, what specific qualities you should look for in your purchases. 

The class is not meant for a specific camera, and most of Bloom's advice should be platform-agnostic, but he does share a list of the gear used in the series:

You can order an individual session of Bloom's class for $79 or own the whole course for $199. It is hosted by the MZed platform, which offers a whole host of other filmmaking related courses, from Introduction to the Canon C200 to The Art of Visual Storytelling taught by veteran Saturday Night Live DP Alex Buono. You can purchase individual courses, or join MZed Pro, where you can stream 140 hours of classes for $299 a year.

Featured image from PhilipBloom.net.

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Cinematography & Cameras