CERTIFICATE · 1 MONTH · HYBRID

AI Film-Making

A four-week certificate that takes you from your first prompt to a finished 60 to 90 second AI short film, screened at a JDFM showcase. AI is the tool, not the shortcut: story, shot design and editing stay at the centre.

4 Weeks · 12 Sessions · Online + Mumbai Campus · Next Batch: Announcing Soon · No Prior Experience Needed

Key art on this page: AI-generated, the way this course teaches

Overview

AI as a tool, not a shortcut

In four weeks and twelve sessions you go from your first prompt to a finished AI short film. Each week runs Learn (online), Make (lab) and Critique (studio): theory happens at home, campus time goes to hands-on making and feedback.

Built for aspiring filmmakers, content creators, design and fashion students, marketers and working professionals. Batches stay at 20 to 25 learners, so faculty are at every desk in the lab. No film or coding experience needed.

You Leave With

A 60 to 90 second AI short film, premiered at the JDFM showcase
Four portfolio pieces, plus 9:16 social cuts of each
The JDFM Certificate in AI Film-Making
A whole pipeline, not one app: a toolkit you can swap as the market moves

Curriculum

What you learn, week by week

Four weeks, twelve sessions. Every week ends with something you can post.

Week 1 · Foundations: story, prompt, picture

Goal: think like a director before touching a generator. Output: a 15-second AI mood reel.

Session 1 · Online · The AI Filmmaker’s Mindset: where AI sits in the film pipeline today, how generative models work in plain language, film grammar refresher, prompt anatomy, ethics primer
Session 2 · Lab · Prompting the Frame: account setup, text-to-image drills (one scene, ten variations of camera, light and lens), style references and seeds, your own prompt library
Session 3 · Studio · First Motion: image-to-video basics, camera-move vocabulary for AI, assembling clips with music in DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, first critique round

Week 2 · Image and motion: building a consistent world

Goal: solve AI’s biggest problem, consistency. Output: a film look-book and poster, plus a 30-second scene.

Session 4 · Online · Writing for AI: concept to logline to beat sheet to a 60-second script, shot lists and storyboards, character bibles, Indian storytelling formats that travel
Session 5 · Lab · Character and Location Consistency: reference sheets, style locks, location plates, lighting continuity, your film’s look-book and key-art poster
Session 6 · Studio · Directing the Shot: first and last frame control, motion brush and keyframes, coverage thinking, fixing artefacts, a 30-second dialogue-free scene

Week 3 · Sound, edit and hybrid production

Goal: make it feel like cinema, and make it pay. Output: a 30-second spec ad and a process reel.

Session 7 · Online · Sound Is Half the Film: sound design theory, AI voice and Hindi or regional dubbing with consent rules, AI sound effects, licensed music from Epidemic Sound, Artlist and Musicbed, lip-sync workflows
Session 8 · Lab · Edit, Grade, Finish: pacing and hiding seams, colour grading in DaVinci Resolve, upscaling and grain to remove the AI sheen, titles and credits, masters plus 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 exports
Session 9 · Studio · Hybrid Shoot Day: live action meets AI, green-screen plates for AI backgrounds, set extension and relighting, consent and release forms, capstone pitches

Week 4 · Advanced and capstone

Goal: work like a professional AI studio. Output: a 60 to 90 second AI short film, premiered on campus.

Session 10 · Online · Advanced Workflows and the Business of AI Film: ComfyUI node pipelines, multi-model workflows, shot trackers and credit budgets, career paths, pricing and pitching AI video to brands, Indian rules on synthetic media
Session 11 · Lab · Capstone Production Sprint: a full lab day with one-on-one faculty reviews, midpoint rough-cut screening, sound mix and grade pass, poster, trailer and social cutdowns
Session 12 · Studio · Premiere Night and Graduation: public screening open to families and guests, jury awards for Best Film, Best Visual World, Best Sound and Audience Choice, director Q&A, certificates and next-step counselling

Theory at home, making on campus

sessions across four weeks

contact hours, plus guided self-study

portfolio pieces you post

learners per batch, at most

Tools

The pipeline, not one app

Core tools change as the market moves, so the list is refreshed before every batch. The current core set:

Claude

Midjourney

Adobe Firefly

Google Veo

Runway

Kling

HeyGen

ElevenLabs

DaVinci Resolve

Premiere Pro

ComfyUI

Careers

Where this takes you

AI Content Studios

Studios producing AI shorts, pre-viz and social content hire people who can run the whole pipeline.

Ad Agencies and Brands

Spec ads, product films and campaign variants, generated and finished in days rather than weeks.

Music Videos and Pre-viz

Directors use AI for music videos, pitch films and pre-visualisation before a real shoot.

Freelance AI Video

Price, pitch and deliver AI video to local brands with the showreel you build in this course.

Graduates get next-step counselling at the premiere and a discount pathway into JDFM’s longer film and multimedia programmes.

What You Make

Five portfolio pieces, one premiere

Every assignment is a piece you will want to post, and you keep full creative credit. Four build toward the capstone; the fifth is the film itself.

My City, Reimagined

Reimagine your hometown or neighbourhood in a genre: cyberpunk Mumbai, 1920s Tezpur, monsoon fantasy.

The Film That Doesn’t Exist Yet

A 6 to 8 page look-book and a key-art poster for an imaginary film.

The 30-Second Spec Ad

An unsolicited ad for a real local brand, or for a JD sister brand.

Behind the Prompt

A before-and-after process reel, prompt to frame to motion to final, with your on-camera intro.

Capstone: AI Short Film

An original 60 to 90 second film, from pitch to premiere night.

Admissions

Four steps to a seat

Apply

Submit the form. Takes two minutes, no film or coding experience needed.

Counselling Call

A counsellor maps your goals to the right course, within one working day.

Campus Visit

Optional but recommended. Walk the floor, meet current students.

Enrol

Paperwork, fee plan, seat confirmed.

Fees and the AI tool-credit plan are shared on the counselling call.

FAQs

Asked before every batch

I have never made a film or written code. Can I join?

Yes. The course starts from the first prompt and assumes no film or coding experience. Beginners and working professionals learn in the same batch.

What do I need to bring?

A laptop with 8 GB RAM or more, a smartphone and a Google account. Fees and the AI tool-credit plan are explained on the counselling call.

How much is online and how much on campus?

One live online session and two campus sessions a week: a 2.5 hour online class (recorded), a 3.5 hour lab and a 3 hour studio or screening session. Between sessions: recorded lectures, a private learner group, weekly 30-minute office hours and a shared drive of prompt libraries.

What are the timings?

Three rhythms, chosen per batch: weekday evenings (Mon online, Wed and Fri, 6:30 to 9:30 pm), weekend-heavy (Thu online 7 to 9:30 pm, Sat and Sun 11 am to 3 pm) or intensive mornings (Mon online, Tue and Thu, 10 am to 1:30 pm).

How do I earn the certificate?

60% overall and 75% attendance. The four assignments count for 60%, the capstone film 30% and participation 10%. 85% and above is a Distinction, 70 to 84 a Merit, 60 to 69 a Pass.

What are the rules on using AI?

An ethics code signed at enrolment: no real person’s face or voice without written consent, no imitation of copyrighted characters or living artists’ signature styles, commercial-safe music only, every published piece labelled AI-assisted, and process files kept to prove authorship.