Learn the art of
Family Films
FILMINGLIFE® - THE ULTIMATE FILMMAKING ACADEMY FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Join the world’s largest community of family filmmakers and learn how to create unforgettable family films that will make people laugh, cry, and cherish the beautiful, authentic moments you capture forever.
NEXT INTAKE OPENS
January 1st
6:30PM Central Standard Time (USA)
Master the skills you need to make heart-centered family films while transforming your passion into a successful & fulfilling business—just like I did.
FilmingLife® Academy gives you everything you need to master family filmmaking, from camera settings to storytelling techniques, and from video editing to marketing your business.
Whether you're looking to create films for your family or turn this craft into a full-fledged career, our courses and community will guide you every step of the way.
You’ll learn the ins and outs of filmmaking without the overwhelm, so you can confidently create films that evoke real emotions and lasting memories.
If you find yourself struggling with…
Camera Confusion: Struggling to understand video settings and unsure if you're doing it right.
Editing Stress: You’re uncertain about how to edit video, choose music, and color grade footage effectively.
Storytelling Doubts: You’re unsure which moments to capture and second-guessing your choices, leading to overanalysis and missed opportunities.
Crickets on Social Media: Posting your films but not getting the attention or high-paying clients you desire.
No Community: Feeling isolated and looking for a community that understands your filmmaking journey and offers support.
Procrastination: Want to make films for your family but keep putting it off without someone pushing you to start.
FilmingLife® can help with all of this and more.
FilmingLife® Membership Benefits:
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Monthly Film Critiques with Courtney Holmes:
Monthly film critiques offer invaluable, personalized feedback to help you grow as a family filmmaker. By submitting your film, you’ll receive detailed insights into what you're doing well and specific suggestions for improvement, tailored to your style and skill level. This individual guidance not only sharpens your technical and creative abilities but also boosts your confidence, allowing you to refine your filmmaking techniques and elevate your storytelling with each new project.
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Community of Like-Minded Creatives:
Joining our membership not only gives you access to expert-led courses and personalized film critiques but also connects you with the largest community of family filmmakers in the world. This thriving, supportive environment is a safe space where you can share your work, exchange ideas, and receive encouragement from like-minded creatives. Being part of this community allows you to learn from others, gain fresh perspectives, and build lasting connections, all while growing your skills and confidence as a filmmaker.
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8 Comprehensive Courses Designed for Photographers:
You'll gain instant access to a complete suite of courses designed to transform you into a skilled family filmmaker. From mastering the technical aspects of shooting and editing, to building a strong portfolio and implementing strategic marketing plans, each course is designed to help you create, promote, and grow a thriving family filmmaking business. Whether you're just starting out or looking to elevate your craft, this membership provides all the tools, knowledge, and guidance you need to succeed.
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Business Growth Workshops with Courtney Holmes:
By attending these monthly business growth workshops, you'll gain invaluable insights into every aspect of running a successful family filmmaking business. From marketing strategies and client management to goal setting and creative problem-solving, these workshops offer practical advice and expert guidance tailored to filmmakers. You'll also benefit from live Q&A sessions, mindset coaching, and industry-specific tips, helping you stay motivated, overcome challenges, and continuously grow your business.
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Hands-On Projects and Showcase Opportunities:
By participating in these quarterly themed film projects, you'll have the opportunity to dive deep into specific areas of filmmaking, enhancing your skills and creativity with focused practice. Each project comes with educational calls, expert guidance, and hands-on tutorials, allowing you to develop new techniques while receiving real-time feedback from industry professionals. The live Zoom sessions, Q&As, and resources provided ensure you stay inspired and connected with the community, while the opportunity to submit your work to the ArtHouse Showcase motivates you to push your filmmaking boundaries and create standout pieces for your portfolio.
FilmingLife® is where
Heart + Storytelling
meets Creative Filmmaking
I’ve taught filmmaking to over 50k photographers around the globe through my course on CreativeLive, at conferences in Australia, NZ and the USA, and of course through my online courses here at FilmingLife® Academy.
Like many of you, I started out overwhelmed and unsure how to translate my love of photography into filmmaking.
I had no roadmap, just trial and error. But as I persisted, I discovered that filmmaking offered a deeper way to tell stories.
What started as a small experiment turned into a six-figure business, and now I want to share everything I learned with you.
I’ve created FilmingLife® Academy so that you don’t have to go through years of trial and error like I did. I’m here to guide you through the process, show you how to avoid the mistakes I made, and help you build a fulfilling business you love.
Courtney Holmes
Founder & Lead Educator
Kylie Purtell
Community Manager & Educator
Our mission at FilmingLife® is to provide you with the knowledge and skills you need, to be able to craft the kinds of stories that you want to tell.
To create a welcoming space where you can connect with other creatives, as you learn and grow as an artist. And to nuture a community of filmmakers who will be there to support you along your journey and celebrate your success.
It’s our mission to see you succeed in family filmmaking so that you can feel confident about giving this gift of memory preservation to yourself and to others.
listen to our podcast
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listen to our podcast 〰️
What you’ll learn inside the Academy:
Camera Settings & Gear Guidance: Learn how to set up your camera for video without needing expensive equipment.
Audio & Sound Design: Capture high-quality audio and blend it seamlessly with music to tell a compelling story.
Editing Mastery: From the fundamentals of video editing to advanced color grading, you’ll gain all the skills you need.
Natural Light Mastery: Learn how to work with different lighting conditions to create beautiful, well-lit films.
Cinematography Techniques: Discover how to elevate your storytelling through creative composition, perspective, and camera movements.
Client Workflows: Get step-by-step guidance on how to work with clients, from initial inquiry to delivering the final film.
Storyboarding & Storytelling Techniques: Learn how to develop authentic, unique stories for each family you film.
Business Marketing Strategies: Master the art of attracting high-paying clients and building a successful filmmaking business.
What's Included in the FilmingLife® Academy:
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![Master the Art of Family Filmmaking: Turn Everyday Moments into Cinematic Stories]()
Unlock the full potential of your photography business by diving into the world of family filmmaking. This comprehensive course is designed for photographers who want to enhance their storytelling through video, transforming cherished moments into timeless films. From camera settings to sound design, you'll learn how to capture authentic family connections with professional-grade quality.
Through hands-on modules, you'll explore essential video techniques—understanding frame rates, mastering handheld filming, perfecting exposure, and working with both natural light and audio. Each module includes practical homework to build your confidence and skill set. By the end of the course, you'll have the tools to seamlessly integrate video offers into your business, creating heartfelt family films that stand out.
Whether you're looking to enhance your client offerings or simply expand your creative horizons, this course will guide you through every step of the family filmmaking process, from scene setup to final production.
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![Video Editing Fundamentals Course]()
Dive into the art of video editing with this in-depth course, designed to help you transform raw footage into polished, cinematic family films. From mastering Premiere Pro’s workspace to advanced storytelling techniques, this course walks you through the entire post-production process. You’ll learn to organize your footage, edit music and audio, apply transitions, and enhance your films with color grading and special effects. With hands-on projects and step-by-step guidance, you'll refine your editing skills and discover advanced techniques like sound design, overlays, and double exposures to bring your films to life.
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Unlock the full potential of color in your family films with this comprehensive course on color theory and color grading. Designed for filmmakers who want to achieve professional-quality visuals, this course dives deep into the technical components of color, how cameras capture and process color, and the creative use of color in storytelling. Learn how to read and use Lumetri scopes, perform primary and secondary corrections, and add a unique style to your films using LUTs and color grading techniques. Through hands-on exercises and practical workflows, you’ll master the art of bringing vibrant, cinematic looks to your films.
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Discover the art of family filmmaking and learn how to turn heartfelt moments into cinematic stories with this in-depth course. Perfect for photographers and budding filmmakers, you'll explore different types of family films, client preparation strategies, and portfolio-building techniques. From running client consultations to filming in real-world environments, you'll gain practical insights and step-by-step guidance. Watch behind-the-scenes footage of real family sessions and follow along as I edit the films and photos. You’ll also learn how to price, market, and grow your family film business with confidence, creating lasting memories for your clients.
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Ready to elevate your family filmmaking business? This course provides a step-by-step guide to building a professional portfolio that attracts clients and showcases your unique style. You'll learn where to find families for your shoots, how to create and promote your call-out, and how to gather and select applicants. From shooting sessions to delivering final films, each phase is carefully designed to help you build experience, refine your craft, and receive valuable feedback. With real-life case studies and proven strategies, this course is your blueprint to launching or enhancing your family film portfolio with confidence.
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Take the guesswork out of marketing your family filmmaking business with this comprehensive course designed for creatives. Learn how to create an effective marketing plan that bridges the gap between creativity and strategy, guiding you through each essential step. From conducting a SWOT analysis and defining your target audience to setting SMART goals and developing a promotional strategy, you’ll gain the tools you need to reach your ideal clients. With real-world case studies and practical assignments, this course will help you confidently market your films, set clear objectives, and grow your business.
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Building on the skills and strategies from your previous family filmmaking courses, this course takes you through the process of creating a standout showreel that highlights your best work and reflects your unique brand as a filmmaker. Learn how to define your brand, carefully plan the structure of your showreel, and craft a captivating visual story that will attract your ideal clients. With a step-by-step approach, you'll go from concept to completion, finishing with a powerful showreel ready to share across platforms to elevate your business.
ArtHouse Film Projects
Once you’ve learnt the basics of filmmaking, we invite you to further strengthen and expand on your skills with our ArtHouse Film Projects
By participating in these quarterly themed film projects, you'll have the opportunity to dive deep into specific areas of filmmaking, enhancing your skills and creativity with focused practice. Each project comes with educational calls, expert guidance, and hands-on tutorials, allowing you to develop new techniques while receiving real-time feedback from industry professionals. The live Zoom sessions, Q&As, and resources provided ensure you stay inspired and connected with the community, while the opportunity to submit your work to the ArtHouse Showcase motivates you to push your filmmaking boundaries and create standout pieces for your portfolio.
New themes released each quarter!
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New themes released each quarter! 〰️
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We asked our members to think about a LIMITATION they could impose on their filmmaking, in order to push themselves creatively and think outside the box in order to create films that ultimately utilised or overcame those limitations.
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We asked our members to think about how they could use BLUR in their films to achieve a dreamy, nostalgic feel, to draw their viewer’s eyes to certain parts of their frame, or how they could use BLUR to allow them to match old footage with new.
We also asked them to consider using specialist techniques, such as freelensing (detaching the lens from your camera) or using a specialist creative lens such as those made by LensBaby to incorporate blurry goodness into their films.
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We’re true believers that the best camera you have is the one you have with you, and for this theme we asked our members to embrace filmmaking using the cameras we always have on us, our phones!
We also asked them to consider using an action cam like the GoPro to capture short films using a camera they don’t usually use and find creative ways to capture & edit their footage with these compact cameras.
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It’s very easy as filmmakers, and specifically family filmmakers to get stuck in a rut of similar music choices and styles for our films. Lindsey challenged our members to try and think outside the box when it came to the types & styles of music they use for their films, but also in how they use music in their film and incorporating more than one piece of music in their work.
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We decided to challenge our members to revisit and repeat one of the previous ArtHouse themes. The themes we choose for the ArtHouse are designed to give our members extra skills, tools & techniques that they can take away & incorporate into their films going forward, whether they be personal films or client work.
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Sometimes less is more when it comes to creating films, and we wanted our members to really push themselves to not only make us really feel something with their films (without being really obvious about it) but to also edit their work down to it’s very best core by limiting how long their films could be.
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It’s very easy as filmmakers, and specifically family filmmakers, to get stuck in a rut of using just one type of light (often the easiest or prettiest) for our films. Courtney challenged our members to try and think outside the box when it came to the types of light they use for their films, but also in how they use light in their film and using light to tell a story. This really pushed our members!
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Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames is played back.
Beth challenged our members to have fun creating a short stop motion film, or incorporating the technique into a longer film and the results were so much fun. A lot of members decided to include their kids in the creative process and by all accounts everyone enjoyed this collaborative theme.
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At their most basic, an overlay is a term for any layer that you place over your existing video layer. An overlay can be text, a filter, an image or video. If you place it over the top of an existing video layer, it's an overlay. It’s something that every videographer will use in their work at some stage. and we wanted to push our members to have some fun playing around with overlays in a creative way.
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Composition is how we arrange the elements of a scene within our frame. We can intentionally utilize one or more composition techniques to create a balanced frame that draws the viewer into the story we are telling. For Level One COMPOSITION films we asked our members to create a film that intentionally uses one or more composition techniques you normally don't utilize. For Level Two COMPOSITION films we asked members to create a film that uses composition to create an overall feeling.
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A lot of our members have gotten really comfortable with using different types of natural light, so for this theme we really wanted everyone to push themselves and seek out alternative light sources to film in.
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As photographers & filmmakers we spends a lot of time learning the rules of photography and filmmaking when we first get started. There is so much to learn and it can be hard to wrap your head around it all.
Eventually though we get to a point where we can shoot intuitively and we follow the rules we've learnt without really thinking.
Now that you've learnt those rules it's time to break them.
Intentionally!
Frequently asked questions
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The biggest difference between FilmingLife® and the CreativeLive class is the depth and amount of content included in the courses along with access to Courtney for Q&A and critique plus all the support you’ll receive through the FilmingLife® Network. At FilmingLife® you get access to more editing tutorials and case studies, as well as a lot more in depth information on working with families and more recent behind the scenes videos, plus you get access to tons more content through our classes on business, sound design, and more. Think of the CreativeLive class as a beginner class, and the Academy as the next step afterwards. There’s a lot more to learn than the basics! The CreativeLive class just scratches the surface!
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There are lots of places online where you can buy a filmmaking course outright, but we aren't one of them. We update our content regularly, add new courses each year, and put a lot of effort into providing you with up to date education and resources on a daily basis. In addition to that, we are actively invested in your progress through our participation in the FilmingLife® Network on a daily basis. This is the reason our Academy is subscription based instead based on a one time purchase model. We actually think it's better for our students in the long run to have access to up to date content as they need and want it, and to be part of a thriving community of filmmaker's who have the same goals.
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No, you're not locked in to the membership plans, although we do suggest a commitment of at least 6 months to ensure you get the most out of your membership. We understand that people learn at different speeds based on their availability and circumstances, so there is no obligation and you can cancel at anytime!
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We can’t offer credits or refunds to members who don’t log in during their active subscription. We encourage you to log in and keep track of your time so that you’re dedicating at least an hour a week to either learning or engaging with the community while your subscription is active. You are free to cancel your membership at any time during your billing cycle, through logging into your account and accessing your details in your account profile.
Cancellations must be made at least 3 days before the end of the billing period to have time to process in our system. You will be able to set your account to cancel at the end of your billing cycle and still access the content through the remainder of the month. If you have any questions or issues cancelling your membership please contact us using the chat box in the bottom right corner of the screen.
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+ You will need to own a DSLR or Mirrorless Camera with video functionality, any wide angle prime lens, and a camera strap in working order.
+ You will also need a fast SD or CF card made for filming. You do not need to have any audio equipment to do this course, in camera audio is fine.
+ Computer with at least 16gb RAM (32GB is better) and enough memory/storage to work with video files.
+ A subscription to Adobe Premiere Pro CC (or you can also use Final Cut Pro or another editing software)
+ A stretchy camera strap (our favourite is a scarf strap)
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You need to be comfortable shooting in manual mode. All courses are taught with the assumption that the photographer has a competent working knowledge of their camera settings and how to achieve correct exposure in manual mode.
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Courtney just uses her camera strap to stabilize, and all demonstrations you'll see are done without any gear apart from her camera strap. She does discuss the options for stabilization gear, but it is not a requirement to go out and buy any of them.
Courtney recommends using in camera audio to start with so you do not need a microphone to do the course. She does provide links and information on microphones should you decide to purchase one, but it is not a requirement to go out and buy one beforehand.
Courtney uses only natural light during her sessions. You do not need to purchase any lights prior to joining the school.
Have questions not answered above?
