This is a review of Seth Worley’s Short Films 101 Course that is on MZed Pro.
- Is Short Films 101 worth watching?
- Are there better options available?
- Who even is Seth Worley and why should I listen to him?
Whenever I saw a new short popped up from Seth Worley, I was excited. I knew I was going to be treated to a funny and clever short film, with a nice mixture of action and VFX.
Here is one of my favorite shorts that he has made:
I always wondered, though, how Seth Worley approached short films. And now, I don’t have to wonder anymore.
In his course, Short Films 101, Seth sets out to show the essential steps to make an amazing short film, ranging from finding your unique voice, figuring out why you should make a short in the first place, all the way to post-production and getting creative with VFX.
Though, is it worth your time and investment?
Short Films 101 by Seth Worley: Verdict
Short Films 101 by Seth Worley is a concise, value-packed course that will teach you the guiding principles Seth brings with him to his short films. You will have many light bulb moments and be taking lots of notes, as Seth says many noteworthy things while teaching. If you want to learn the short film process from someone who does short films very, very well, then this is the right course for you.
Pros of Short Films 101
Cons of Short Films 101
Let’s take a deeper look at Short Films 101 by Seth Worley and see if it’s worth it for you.
Who is Seth Worley?
Seth Worley is probably best-known as a short film creator for the software and product company Red Giant. He has produced many shorts for them that promote their products. Some of my favorites include Form 17, Plot Device, and Spy Vs Guy.
Here are the benefits you can expect by taking Seth Worley’s Short Films 101 course:
Topics Covered in Seth Worley’s Short Films 101
Seth Worley’s Short Films 101 course contains a nice selection of modules that cover the main elements needed for a successful short film. These include:
- Intro & Overview
- Voice
- Why Make a Short?
- Ideas
- Structure
- Writing
- Production Design
- Shotlists
- Storyboards
- Directing Crew
- Directing Actors
- Visual Effects
- Fixing it in Post
- Sound Design
- Finishing
Seth Worley’s Short Films 101 Course Content Style
Short Films 101 is taught by Seth Worley who tackles the course lesson by lesson with relatively small, bite-sized videos.
The videos consist of a talking head of Seth teaching on the topic accompanied by on-screen text and visual references to the short films that he has created as examples to illustrate his points.
In some sections, like the post-production section, we get to look over the shoulder as Seth works in After Effects to tackle common problems he runs across in his productions.
Overall, Seth is a very entertaining presenter with a good sense of humor and a fun teaching style. His on-screen graphics are great as they essentially serve as him taking notes for us, the viewers.
How to Write Short Films
Seth does a great job getting right to the point in his videos. With a full runtime of 1 hour and 6 minutes, this course does not waste any of your time and gets right to teaching you the material you came here to learn.
Though, with some courses, you may watch a number of their videos and think, “Now what?” and be unsure of what you actually should be doing with the knowledge you just learned.
With Seth’s teaching method, he will be giving you direct tips and pieces of advice that are highly actionable.
In addition, he ends every single video with homework so that you can apply what you actually learned. For those that enjoy the structure of having an action item or homework task when taking online courses, you’ll like all the cool prompts that Seth has come up with to guide your learning.
You Will Be Motivated to Shoot a Short Film
I love taking courses that motivate and inspire you to go out and act – and Seth’s course does just that. The entire learning experience is set up in a way that gives actionable advice, makes learning fun, and ignites your passion for filmmaking.
Seth talks a lot about finding your own style, the importance of failing, and the necessity of making things that are “bad”.
As you begin to take the journey into making a short film, Seth’s words and wisdom will serve you very well in helping you navigate some of the difficult parts of the process, especially when things get tough and you want to give up.
In many ways, this is a great video for those in a creative slump that just need Seth Worley to come into their life and drop some wisdom on them to get them back on the right path.
The Verdict for Short Films 101
If you are a fan of Seth Worley, this is a must-take course.
If you are someone who is interested in making short films of any kind, you will find tons of value in this course. If you are someone who is interested in making short films or just want to get to pick a creative brain that makes incredible films, you will have a hard time finding a better way to spend 1 hour.
Short Films 101 can be purchased individually or accessed as part of an MZed Pro subscription. I watched it through my MZed Pro subscription, which gives you access to a ton of other content for one low cost. With their money-back guarantee, there’s little risk to seeing if MZed Pro is a good fit for you.
Are you ready to make short films as Seth does?
Happy learning and I hope this review was helpful for you!
