Urban Liberal Arts Foundation

Our Mission

Urban Liberal Arts Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit educational academy creating an affordable work study trade school environment for Film, Television, and the Creative Arts. With the practical application of the various departments associated with the entertainment industry. Each class with be focused on their respective departments and be expected to deliver network or studio quality productions for the academy platform, which will stream all the content created by the students. Knowing and understanding how to run a streaming platform will also be taught as a course encompassing all areas of the industry from inception to distribution.


This includes classes on digital marking and advertising for the entertainment business as well as on air news programming created in house for the academy in various categories of entertainment, sports, current events teaching students what they need to know to peruse a career in those fields. This would expand into professional radio broadcasting, to include the campus radio station created for the public by the students and academy staff.


The school will have classes taught by seasoned professionals with decades of experience in the industry. These various department heads will oversee the students ensuring that by the time they graduate they are proficient in their preferred areas of study. With acting, writing, directing, cinematography, production design, grip and electric, and all the other departments required to facilitate a production.


Each student who completes the course, will not only graduate with film and television credits that can be included on a resume, but will also have the opportunity to work on productions outside of the academy with partnering independent production companies. With industry standard facilities the academy itself will operate as a working studio for those partnering production companies to utilize at a much lower rate than if they went with a network or studio offering the same services. Any investments from those productions are treated as donations and will go to expanding academy programs and facilities.


By operating Urban Liberal Arts Foundation Inc. as a nonprofit anyone using the studio campus, talent, and services for their production will see their project budget as a fully tax-deductible investment.


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Our Courses

1. Basic Filmmaking & Understanding
This course will go over the basic functions of the various departments, the positions in those departments, and what those positions entail.  Giving the basic overview to the student of what it actually takes to make a feature film or television show, by giving a broad overview of how the departments work in unison and what the primary function of that department is, this will give the entering apprentice student a clear understanding of how all of these separate departments come together in order to produce a professional entertainment product. 
2. Acting Department
This course would be an introduction to styles and methods available for an aspiring actor to understand the differences between stage acting and acting for camera by using classic movies in our workshopping of scenes we will give the students an opportunity to bring to life forgotten scenes by legendary actors. They will then work with the other departments to film these scenes and they will be edited together to be used in their reels and as content for the academy streaming platform.  Master class students will also work with students from the other departments for their final short film thesis bringing together writing, cinematography, hair and makeup, wardrobe, etc. to perform in a short student film that will also be available on the academy streaming platform and possibly entered into short film festivals worldwide if up to quality standards. Students will also study audition and cold reading techniques with professional actors and casting directors. 
3. Physical Effects Department

This course will teach students the safe way to stage, block, and create a physical effect.  This includes the proper use and setup of pyrotechnics, demolition, screen fighting and stunt choreography.  This course also includes fencing, sword handing, and archery classes as well as weapons (i.e. firearms) training and safety class. Students will also learn how to use the standard stunt equipment that is used on a Hollywood action film such as ratchet pulls. Ratchet pulls are used to pull and launch actors and stunt performers in flying stunts. Using cables and the appropriate harnesses, a carefully rigged stunt employing a ratchet system helps give the illusion of a character flying through the air in an action scene.  A department safety course is a prerequisite requirement and is to be taken before the student may start this class.  
An additional course for the advanced student that will go more in depth in the subject matter taught is our limited Action Star Bootcamp lead by a guest instructor. 

4. Art Department
This course contains all aspects of Art necessary to create products for the entertainment industry including films, television shows, commercials, graphic novels, etc.  Starting with the art design job titles for film and television.  Positions/job titles being discussed in this course are: The Production Designer (PD), the Art Director (AD), Set Decorator (Set Dec), a Construction Manager (CM), and a Props Master (Props) skills for each will be taught in this course.

The Art Department is also responsible for hiring Illustrators, Storyboard Artists, Visual Effects artists (VFX), Graphic artists (GFX), and a team of people to coordinate all art department assets with the visual effects / CGI house during postproduction activities. 

5. Production Department

This course will teach students to develop their individual skill sets as a film, television,

commercial, and industrial producer. Production students will work alongside Producers, Directors and Supervisors for various projects and will perform several tasks. This is an all-encompassing course that is very hands-on, placing students on-set, in-office, with clients, with writers and directors, and fellow producers to increase their knowledge of exactly what the job of a producer is, and how to maximize their value to projects. Each student will be given specific, individual goals outlined at the beginning of this course. They will also be given assigned projects with a deadline that will need to be completed on time to successfully complete the course. In addition to the projects, they will be given daily goals and tasks in line with the required tasks and duties of a producer from the inception of a project, through development, pre-production, principal photography, post-production, and distribution/marketing.

6. Writing Department

This course will teach students the fundamentals of proper script formatting for film, television, and stage productions. They will also learn the basics of what the responsibilities are for a network television showrunner.  We will teach the skills necessary for script research and proper storytelling techniques from past to present. Students will also learn how to write a comedy sketch, material for a stand-up show, proper formatting for a television sitcom series and for a reality television series as well.  

Students will also learn the responsibilities of a script supervisor and continuity expert on a film or television production. 

        7. Directing Department

Students will learn directing techniques from notable directors with a history in directing film, television series, commercials, and other projects.  They will learn how to properly break a script down and create an official shot list, work with the art department(s) and create a storyboard to build a tangible picture of the director’s vision for the actors, camera teams (DP), G&E, etc. 

        8. Camera Department

This course will teach students the responsibilities of the Director of Photography, Camera Operators, and the First and Second Assistant Cameras.  They will learn the proper use of dolly grips, steady cams and drones taught by expert operators. Shooting the movie, television show or commercial is not the only job of a camera operator on a film set.  Still photography skills are also required in order to produce products such as actor headshots, action shots during camera setups, on-set promotional photos and journalistic style shots to be used for Electronic Press Kits (EPK), social media, pitch decks, and other marketing outlets used to market the project. 

Additionally, this course will also teach the different types of camera technologies and the editing and postproduction skills necessary to correctly process the different types of products produced by the cameras. 

        9. Sound Department

Students will learn the basics of onset production sound design, mixing and proper boom operation techniques. Postproduction sound and sound mixing skills will also be taught in this course to help with seamless integration with the postproduction department.  

Why Choose Us

Over 50 Years of Experience
Learn from pioneers in the entertainment industry including actors, directors, and producers from notable productions, films, and television series. 
Team Of Experts
Our instructors and department heads have many years of experience working in all areas of film production including, but not limited to Directing, Editing, Pre and Post Production, Acting, Writing, and Special Effects. 
50+ Courses
We have a list of specialty courses that can be taken, and many levels for each course from beginner to the master level.  Students will also work with the other production departments so that they can develop a holistic understanding of each necessary part of the film making process.