See What Students Are Saying
DFA has helped creators around the world make their documentary and elevate their skills as a visual storyteller.
“I genuinely cannot tell you how much this course has lifted my confidence. I now have what Seb calls a three-act structure, a treatment, and I could pitch my idea to a room of people and feel confident and assured in what I'm saying. Thank you, Seb, this course has just been incredible and I can not recommend it enough!"
Angharad George-Carey
Beginner Filmmaker
“DFA has even more detail than my filmmaking degree but summed up much more efficiently and taught in a much more engaging way, for a fraction of the cost. The story section is fantastic! I had so many lightbulb moments where things I hadn’t grasped at uni suddenly made sense. Seb perfectly summarises the content so it’s really easy to understand, but without oversimplifying it. And he doesn’t just teach you, he shares his journey with you so it feels less overwhelming as you know he’s faced the same challenges too.”
Henry Donald
Film Graduate
“Such a fantastic experience! This has been a smooth and clear step-by-step guide through making a documentary. I was able to learn at my own pace and go back to sections I wanted to repeat with ease. The stunning visuals kept me engaged while also serving as examples for each lesson. Above all, the ability to learn from Seb's own experience and feedback is worth more than any price tag.”
Erin Wallace
Content Producer
“There are so many things to praise about DFA! Seb is a fantastic teacher and his bite-sized lessons are not only easy to fit into your day, but they’re also something to look forward to! I studied documentary directing for four years at university and have worked in factual entertainment ever since, so doing the DFA course has been such a brilliant refresher and also brought to light so many things that had never fully ‘clicked’ until now.
Something I’ve found most powerful in the DFA lessons are Seb’s personal, real, raw filmmaking experiences. These make each lesson engaging and empowering and are something that so many other courses lack! Normalising some of the harder tasks or scenarios when filmmaking really struck a chord with me as it can be so hard to see a way forward when you’re in these positions, yet no one ever talks about them or how to work through these. Until now!
Seb has such a wonderfully personable nature and his passion is infectious. I challenge you to do this course and not come out feeling inspired and fully equipped to crack on with your own project!!”
Stella Staab
Assistant Producer
“DFA is well structured and easy to navigate, with clear indicators of what you’ll be learning at each stage. Seb’s a brilliant teacher and manages to share knowledge in an engaging and accessible way. I really like the downloadable templates that you can use and tweak to work for you; they’re such a valuable resource. I made a career change a few years ago, moving into production without any prior experience. DFA would have been absolutely brilliant for me then, but even now, several years down the line, I’ve learned a huge amount from the course.”
Rebecca Groves
Content Producer
"DFA has been such a great resource and community for learning the principles of filmmaking for me. Seb is very knowledgeable, clear, and approachable. I’ve been making films for years and there are several things I wish I had known before that I have learned from this course! Great community and no stone unturned. I highly recommend it at any skill level! "
Zak Bentley
Documentary Filmmaker
“Entering the Documentary Film Academy, I was pleasantly surprised by how the programme was packaged. Sebastian's concise and practical lessons in documentary filmmaking are steeped in personal experience, something my university film course lacked. Learning about Seb's creative journey helped me to connect to each lesson more completely; and hearing how he has overcome issues during his filmmaking career is the kind of invaluable information that a newcomer to the industry, like myself, isneeding to hear. The way in which each course component showcases the skills he is talking about is done so in an intuitive and approachable way. It was impressively easy to maneuver from topic to topic and to hone in on the aspects of production that my tertiary education glossed over. I will definitely be coming back to certain sections whenever I am in need of a refresher.”
Logan Jeffries
Film Graduate
"Excellent course for any filmmaker in any stage of their career! DFA provides you with a solid grounding in all areas of filmmaking. It covers a lot of information, delivered in concise chunks that are easy to absorb. The structure is clear, logical and effective, and you have access to download templates and other assets which are incredibly helpful. But it isn’t just about that, Seb is a wonderful teacher, obviously an expert in his field, and the fact that he shares his own experience as a filmmaker in every lesson is helping me so much to battle nervousness and address certain fears I have. I can’t praise Seb enough - It’s been an absolutely amazing experience!"
Cristina Ballesteros
Editor
“Documentary Film Academy is an incredible resource for any aspiring filmmaker. I’ve used it myself and learned a lot along the way. From pitching / producing projects, to streamlining gear, to shooting for the story, it’s clear that Seb has a ton of experience with the entire filmmaking process. He’s a practical teacher and a really nice guy (which counts for a lot in my book!). It’s important to invest in gear, but if you're looking to build a career as a creative, you have to invest in your knowledge and skills. That’s the greatest competitive advantage any of us have. I really enjoyed this course, and for the price of a cheap lens, I think it’s a worthy investment.”
Ted Hesser
Adventure Photographer
“This course has been incredibly valuable to my development in documentary filmmaking. I refer back to modules at all different times and each visit I get a load of inspiration and guidance for my writing and work. Sebastian goes into such detail for you as a doco filmmaker it acts like a mentoring programme throughout the entire process.
Each step flows organically and I'm able to build on my ideas from all aspects. I would highly recommend DFA to anyone interested in unlocking their creativity through the art of documentary filmmaking."
Amanda Mitchell
Beginner Filmmaker
“I was hugely impressed at how comprehensive each module was and how Seb concisely explained every topic in an engaging and easy-to-understand way. I have no doubt that the DFA course will supercharge the storytelling and technical skills of any visual content producer, regardless of what format they specialise in or their prior experience.”
Matt Traver
Adventure Filmmaker
“I've really been enjoying your course so far! So much great advice and tangible action steps that are really helping me move forward with my current doc about reforestation in Guatemala. I especially have been enjoying the production binder spreadsheets you put together. They've been super helpful already. Looking forward to learning more from you!”
Walker Hull
Documentary Filmmaker
“I would recommend Documentary Film Academy to any budding or aspiring filmmakers looking to begin the process of making their own documentary films. If you want to learn in a practical way, then this is the course for you.
One of the things I find as a filmmaker and director is that often it can be really hard to observe other directors doing their craft and learn from their process. That's one of the coolest things about this course; Seb is an active, working documentary filmmaker and really lets you look into his world. The course really shows you his process as a filmmaker, and as a creator, and I just found that extremely beneficial – to learn from someone who is actively working and up-to-date, not just someone who worked in the past and is now teaching after their career. It's so great to be able to learn from his process.”
Hunter Williams
Documentary Filmmaker
“Documentary Film Academy is a catalogue of information, ideas and experiences sharing everything you need to know to get started as a documentary filmmaker. I highly recommend it – anyone who's interested in making documentaries should get this course. I know I'll definitely be returning to specific segments as different things arise in my filmmaking career."
Simon Cade
YouTuber
