🎬 The Filmmaker Starter Pack
No film school required.
A free cinematic toolkit to kickstart your first feature-including Nicole Sylvester's funding guide, scheduling replay, templates, and free live discovery call via Zoom.
📘 PDF Guide
5 Essential Steps to Funding Your First Film.
🎥 Video Access
Scheduling your film properly to get it in the can!
📋 Bonus Tools
Free Discovery Call + Budget template + Filmmaker's Checklist.
As Featured In
🎥 Still dreaming about your first feature? Grab my free guide and start turning that idea into a funded film today.
Get Instant AccessYou Have the Vision,
But Not the Hollywood Budget.
You’ve written and rewritten that script and probably watched every behind-the-scenes interview, yet your film still lives in your head because every next step feels impossible.
🎥 Film school is too expensive.
💸 Investors want proof you can deliver before they invest.
🎞️ Crew, permits, post-production, everywhere you look, it’s dollar signs.
Meanwhile, your story sits on a hard drive, waiting.
You just want to make your movie, even if your budget is tiny and your team is small.
It's entirely possible to create a professional-quality feature without film school debt or Hollywood connections.
The tools, strategies, and structure already exist.
All that's needed is the commitment to start and a system that shows exactly how to make it happen...
"I took the class from my hospital bed - that's how excited I was. I've been writing unproduced screenplays for years now and after this class I feel like I'm ready to finally make one!"
- Teddy Burt
Skip the Film School Debt.
Learn From Doing.
Funding strategies
that don’t feel like begging
Realistic Budgets
and shootable schedules
Producing tools
that make you the grown-up on set
Directing tactics
that pull award-level performances
Post-Production, Distribution,
templates, guides & more
Whether you're stuck on your first draft or frozen by imposter syndrome, the tools, confidence, templates, and insider guidance we provide will help you get your film made - for real!
I’m Nicole Sylvester, a Brooklyn-based award-winning filmmaker. I’ve done the work. I’ve made the mistakes. And I’m here to show you how to make it happen.
I can't promise you'll be the next Ryan Coogler, but also, I can't promise you won't.
🎬 Choose Your Path - Learn How to Make Your Movie
Free 15 Minute Discovery Zoom Call
Do you have questions about directing or producing a movie that you want answered? Interested in discussing the impact of AI on the industry? We'll use this time to see if we're a good fit or just answer any basic questions you may have about the masterclass or filmmaking in general.
Free
Self Paced Course Producing Essentials
This SELF PACED mini-class gives you the exact foundational skills you need to take your film from “I’ve got an idea” to “We’re rolling” and answers the question, "what does a producer do"? In short, everything. Learn how to hire crew, what legal paperwork is necessary and budgeting tips.
$27.00 USD
Self-Paced Moviemaking Masterclass: From Writing to Distribution
Available February 9th. Inside the Self-Paced Masterclass, you’ll learn how to: Develop a microbudget screenplay, Build a budget + schedule, Cast talent and hire crew, set up your film properly, Direct with confidence, Finish strong in post, create a self distribution plan.
$297.00 USD
"This was so awesome because it really took you through step by step process of making a film. It exceeded my expectations. It would be great if it were more classes."
- Arlette Thomas-Fletcher
🎬 Don't just Dream About It!
Make Your Film Happen
From 25+ years, I've seen every version of indie filmmaking - from scrappy shorts, to award-winning features. You don't need to reinvent the wheel (that's why I built this platform) or wait for permission. You just need a plan that works.
Nicole Sylvester...
I am the Queen of high quality low-budget filmmaking - a title I previously hated. My talent for making high quality films comes from producing several independent feature films and working in the Hollywood system on big budget projects for networks and streamers like HBO, NBCUniversal, Starz, Lionsgate, Amazon and others.
But for all my experience, I still had one big dream that I was afraid to make happen: directing my own feature film. I'm sure you can relate. One day I just woke up tired of waiting for an opportunity and decided I needed to create my own.
So I just did it! I wrote, directed, and produced Maya & Her Lover, a microbudget feature film made entirely on my terms. The film premiered at festivals, won two Best Director awards, and landed a distribution deal.
