Film Stills Fast Track A ten-week online photography course

Accelerate your film stills career with professional photographer Nicola Dove

Would you:

Love to get onto a film set and take stunning photographs?
Like to add an exciting niche to your freelance photography business?
Like to work with actors and directors?
Love to see your pictures published all over the world?

Have you:

Heard about the industry and wonder how to break in?
Tried to get onto a film set but made little progress?
Been on set but feel impatient with your progress in the film industry as a stills photographer?
Heard of other photographers getting great jobs and want to get those juicy opportunities as well?

It's time to get clarity on how to Fast Track

Your Film Stills Career

Whether you’re a photographer who is completely new to the film industry, or you have been on set already, I can guide your next steps.

I have been a professional film stills photographer for almost twenty years, and will share my systems with you on how to take great images in every situation, how to build relationships that will develop your film stills career, and how to create and develop a polished film stills ready portfolio.

What will you learn on Film Stills Fast Track?

How to think like a film stills photographer, even if you’re not on set yet.
How to work with light, actors, and crew.
How to make the best out of your equipment.
How your mindset directly affects your pictures.
The four mistakes to avoid making on set, at all costs
How to create a film stills style portfolio
Listings for getting onto a film set
Plus, how to pull off a stunning poster shoot (with examples from No Time To Die!)

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After Film Stills Fast Track you will have all the practical knowledge you need to build an exciting film stills photography career.

This is for you whether you’re:

A keen amateur who knows your way around a camera
Already a photographer and want another possible income stream
Already on set and want to step up to the next level
Motivated and ready to take action
Impatient and want to fast track your film stills career

Film Stills Fast Track - an online course with LIVE Q&A's

You’ll hear it all straight from me – I'm sharing twenty years of knowledge directly with you over 10 weeks.
One 60-90min module per week to watch at your own convenience, including a bonus poster shoot module.
Each module is jam-packed with information, pictures, insights, stories, and guidance on all aspects of film stills photography.
One live Q&A session each week, answering all your questions, sharing insights, and getting to know your cohorts.
A fantastic guest speaker line up carefully chosen to give you the insider's scoop on the industry.
An exclusive private FB group to share images, get feedback, and interact with your fellow students from around the world.
The first 5 students get access to me for a 1:1 session.
- You’ll be able to ask questions about your work, and your situation so together we get you ready for the next step in your film stills career.
The first 20 students will be eligible to take part in a group portfolio review session to get personalised feedback on their work from myself and Debi Berry from the BBC.

Hello, I'm Nicola

I’m a professional film stills photographer and I have worked on some huge films, including the latest Bond movie No Time To Die. But it wasn’t always that way.

In my late twenties, I was living in my small home town in New Zealand, busy not being a photographer and wishing I was one. I had studied photography but never really followed it through.

One day I suddenly lost all hearing in one ear. I had scans and they said it might be a brain tumor. Luckily it wasn’t, but the doctors couldn’t tell me why it had happened.

Afterward I made a decision. I wasn’t going to live a safe life anymore. I realized that at any moment your life can change.

I left my lovely little home town, with my camera, for the UK, and started shooting weddings, editorial and traveled shooting for various charities.

I also started shooting for free on short films, and slowly built my portfolio and networks. It took me a while but I got there.

I am still deaf in one ear, and I feel thankful every day for it (I’m always grateful it wasn’t an eye!). It continues to wake me up to the fact that life is for stepping outside your comfort zone and backing yourself.

I try to live by it still with how we raise our two kids for example and taking them on lots of adventures. They often travel with me to my international jobs, but that is for another story.

I’m looking forward to sharing more of what I know with you and inspiring you to reach your potential too.

Here’s the course I wish I had when I started:

Module 1: Let's get shooting!

We look closely at what makes a good film still to understand which images get used for publicity and which don’t, so you can start thinking like a film stills photographer.
We cover the four fundamentals for a stunning shot. We look at image examples and discuss how you can bring these elements into your work.
You’ll be given an assignment to start shooting straight away, even if you are not on a film set, so you can begin to build, or develop, your film stills style portfolio.

Module 2: Who's Who

You’ll learn the structure of a crew and what their roles are. I’ll guide you as to how to build the key relationships onset that help you gain the best access.
I’ll explain what a call sheet is and how to read one. This is the blueprint for each day’s filming and if you don’t understand it well you’ll miss critical opportunities.

GUEST SPEAKER: Unit Publicist Claudia Kalijndian. Claudia has worked on films such as No Time To Die, Dark Knight Rises, Chocolat, and The Da Vinci Code. Publicists are often the people who recommend photographers for a job.

Module 3: Get Set Prepared

Equipment: We’ll look at how to get the best out of your equipment, whatever kind of camera you have.
I’ll show you all the settings I use for different lighting and action situations, so you can work fast and effectively to get great shots.
We discuss any techincal issues and questions you have

Module 4: Good Access = Great Pictures!

If you get the following fundamentals right at the beginning, you build trust with the cast and crew, granting you access to get great images. If you get them wrong you may not be invited back on set!
I'll break down optimal positioning for different types of scene set ups so you get all the shots you need AND work optimally around the cast and crew. There’ll be diagrams!
I'll warn you of the MISTAKES TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS as a photographer on set!
I’ll explain the images you must achieve to cover a scene, and a film, well.
Plus, I’ll let you in on my secrets for how to be unobtrusive on set.

Module 5: An Inside Job

You'll learn how to work with actors to get the best performances for authentic pictures, plus some critical mistakes to avoid.
I'll give you tips on how to most effectively get set ups done if you need them.
We look at different genres of films and how to shoot accordingly - how to make a comedy shot funny, how to make suspense shots dramatic.
MODULE 5a: State Of Mind: Your attitude and mindset are critical to your film stills photography career, and a good one will become your greatest strength. I’ll be exploring with you how our state of mind creates the kinds of pictures we make.
I’ll teach you the strategies I have developed over the last twenty years for how to have great composure on set that will make you an asset, not a liability.

Module 6: Effective Workflow

At the end of a long day shooting you don't want to spend hours on downloading, editing and post production.
I’ll share with you my system for fast and efficient digital workflow.
I'll cover the important aspects of naming photographs correctly, how my folder systems work, plus backing up your work.

Module 7: Deals and Delivery

We'll discuss what the producers or studio expect and how to deliver your images.
How much can you charge? Who do you talk to to negotiate your rates? What other expenses can you charge for?
We’ll look more closely at unions in the USA and UK.

Module 8: Portfolio Ready!

Learn how to edit your work into an effective portfolio which contains the kinds of images that producers and studios want to see.
We'll look at different options for showing your work.
Now that you have learnt the fundamentals of film stills photography, and know how to put together a great film stills ready portfolio, you are almost ready to go on set!
We’ll explore ALL the options for increasing your chances of getting on set, and how to find and maximise them.

Bonus Module

How to Shoot a Stunning Poster

How to plan a poster shoot amidst a busy filming schedule.
Different lighting options depending on the genre of movie.
An equipment list for a poster shoot.
PLUS, I’ll lift the lid on the No Time To Die character poster shoots, including exactly how it was lit.

First 20 Students

Join a group portfolio review session to have your images reviewed and get personalised feedback. This year we will be joined by Craig Calefate, a photo producer from HBO.

This is an incredibly rare opportunity!!!

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Guest Speakers

It can be very difficult to talk to people on the inside if you are trying to break into the industry. Here, we bring them to you!

Laura Radford

Photographer

Laura is a London-based stills photographer who will be joining us to share how she went from shooting shorts to indies to now shooting for major studios.

Her credits include The Marvels for Disney, Road House starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Venom 3 and The Gorge for Apple.

Mystery Guest

Picture Editor

This guest speaker is someone who regularly hires film still photographers around the world for a major studio.

More details to come!!

Tamar Munch

Publicist

Tamar is a Publicist with three decades of experience specialising in entertainment and arts publicity and media communications. She regularly works with film stills photographers both on set, and for marketing shoots.

Tamar has a long list of credits including Spartacus, My Life Is Murder, The Convert and The Brokenwood Mysteries.

Craig Calefate

Photo Producer HBO/MAX

Craig is a Senior Photo Producer for HBO/Max, based in New York, having previously worked as a photo producer at Apple.

Craig will join us for the Portfolio Review, lending us his expert eye for what works best in a film stills portfolio.

Film Stills Fast Track

10 Recorded Modules plus LIVE group sessions on Zoom!

calls start the week of 14th April 2025

Film Stills Fast Track will be delivered as a combination of recorded videos; weekly, live online Q&A sessions via Zoom; and a private online group as a place for sharing images and information.

Time required - on average 2-3 hours of course time per week.

You'll become part of a film stills community where you can continue to ask questions, get support, and where knowledge is shared.

With all this inside knowledge you’ll have all the CONFIDENCE you need on set, which is critical to building a good name for yourself in the industry. That is how you’ll get your next job.

The two most important things you must do to build a long-term career as a film stills photographer are:

Build your network.
Create a stunning portfolio.

Both of these things stem from your on set skills.

If you know what you're doing on set, you build trust, and therefore the network of people that will refer you grows.

If you know what you're doing on set, you'll get great pictures and therefore build a great portfolio.

Let’s get started developing your on set skills together.

Student Results

Learn the Art of Film Stills Photography with Nicola Dove

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Single Payment

Film Stills Fast Track Course

USD $1497 once

8 x 60-90 minute Modules
One BONUS poster shoot module
A BONUS portfolio review
First 20 Students Qualify
10 x Live Q&A sessions
Lifetime access to the replays
Community of fellow students

JOIN NOW

Payment Plan 02

Film Stills Fast Track Course

USD $827 2 monthly payments

8 x 60-90 minute Modules
One BONUS poster shoot module
A BONUS portfolio review
First 20 Students Qualify
10 x Live Q&A sessions
Lifetime access to the replays
Community of fellow students

JOIN NOW

Payment Plan 03

Film Stills Fast Track Course

USD $457 4 monthly payments

8 x 60-90 minute Modules
One BONUS poster shoot module
A BONUS portfolio review
First 20 students qualify
10 x Live Q&A sessions
Lifetime access to the replays
Community of fellow students

JOIN NOW

VIP Mentoring Students get the Films Stills Fast Track Course plus 4 x 1:1 sessions with me:

Description

VIP Track

Film Stills Fast Track plus Mentoring

USD $2297 1 payment

8 x 60-90 minute Modules
One BONUS poster shoot module
A BONUS portfolio review
10 x live Q&A sessions
Lifetime access to the replays
Community of fellow students
4 x 1:1 mentoring sessions
6 places available for VIP

JOIN VIP

Payment Plan

Film Stills Fast Track plus Mentoring

USD $1297 2 payment

8 x 60-90 minute Modules
One BONUS poster shoot module
A BONUS portfolio review (for the first 20 students)
10 x live Q&A sessions
Lifetime access to the replays
Community of fellow students
4 x 1:1 mentoring sessions
6 places available for VIP

JOIN VIP

It can sometimes feel like a long and lonely road to becoming a successful film stills photographer, and you wonder if you are on the right track.

Use these sessions to:

develop your portfolio further together with my feedback,
get additional support for getting onto a film set,
ask in-depth questions about any situation you are experiencing on set,
get additional mentoring to develop your career.

Having an ally alongside you as you develop your film stills career can be invaluable.

Matthew Towers Photographer, London, UK

Matthew is currently shooting a feature film, with others in the pipeline. He talks about which aspects of the course, and the 1:1 VIP sessions he had, that helped him the most.

Jax Photographer, New Zealand

Jax talks about how the course helped her land her first TV series.

Rich Lowe Photographer, Melbourne, Australia

Rich shares what he found most useful, and how its helped him get onto shorts and with a feature film lined up.

This course doesn't just fast track you it propels you on a hyper-speed journey into the world of film stills photography. Nicola's wealth of experience, along with the array of excellent guest speakers, has given me the knowledge and the confidence to get on set and shoot without fear.

David Gennard

Liverpool, UK

FAST TRACK ME!

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FAQs

I don’t have a silent camera. Can I still do the course?

Do I need to be on a film set to do this course?

I don't have enough time! I have other commitments and may not always be able to attend the online training sessions. Does that matter?

You will be able to watch recordings of the modules on the private Facebook group page at your convenience, as many times as you like. In fact, you'll have lifetime access to the modules which will be full of useful so you may want to re-watch some, even if you did attend live, to squeeze as much knowledge as you can out of each module.

However, I do recommend attending the live modules when you can, as you’ll get a chance to ask questions and get feedback within a small group.

I’ve already been on set a couple of times. Is there anything of value for me here?

It feels risky to invest in this course right now because I don’t know if I’ll ever get on set.

Getting onto a film set is about knowing the right places to look. There may be productions in your vicinity, who would love to have a film stills photographer on set. On smaller films, they often don’t realize the importance of still pictures, so it’s great to understand how they get used and why, so you can tell them how much they need you! In this course, I will be listing all the ways you can get on set.

What is the refund or cancellation policy?

Will it be value for money?

Surely I can learn all of this myself, as I go along?

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Four Lights PTY Ltd and Nicola Dove, trading as Film Stills Academy and this training is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Facebook, LLC