SPRING 2027 · Production Lab
Make A Movie TOGETHER In 8 Weeks!
Develop it. Write it. Shoot it. Shape the edit. Then watch it with its first audience.
Additional Dates
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This Is the Whole Filmmaking Journey
Every decision has to survive the next stage.
Five Phases. One Film. A Real Release.
This isn’t a syllabus of isolated lessons. It’s one continuous build — five cinematic phases carrying a single movie from a blank page, onto a real set, and out to a live audience.
The crew generates the concept, sets the scope and story engine, decides creative roles, and writes the first draft — knowing from day one that they’ll have to shoot what they write.
The script isn’t a theory exercise. It’s the movie you’re about to make.Lock the script, work through casting and locations, set the visual approach, build shot lists and floorplans, plan props and wardrobe, schedule the shoot, and assign crew roles — including the required March 31 & April 1 pre-production meetings.
Planning stops being homework when the cameras are about to roll.Four weeks of development and prep now meet an actual set. The Full Production Day — see below — is where everything the crew planned has to work for real.
Then the cameras roll. ↓Post-production — shaping the film the crew actually captured. This is editing for story, not software training. Tyler drives the system while students make the creative calls: assembly, rough cut, fine cut, pacing, sound, score, color direction, titles, and final polish.
The edit is where you discover what movie you actually made.After the Lab, CT Story Labs continues refining the film. The finished film then screens multiple times through our library and community screening circuit alongside our professional indie web series #FareLife. Students stay connected through Discord for screening news, audience response, release updates, and opportunities to help promote the movie they made.
A finished film deserves an audience — so we go find one.The Script Isn’t an Exercise
That is what makes this Lab different. Each stage teaches the next because the decisions are real and the movie keeps moving forward.
The Production Day Explained
This is the crown jewel: the day everything from Weeks 1–4 becomes real. Four weeks of story, revision, planning, shot lists, locations, scheduling, and creative decisions all lead here. This is the day nobody wants to miss.
Professional equipment, filmmaking instructors, and a professional DP are on set. The students have a movie to make.
Students may perform in the film as part of making it — but this is a filmmaking program, not an acting program.
Week 8 · The First Audience
In Week 8, invited guests become the film's first audience, a focus group premiere. Students get to watch what happens when choices that made sense in the writing room, on set, and in the edit finally meet real human beings.
Note for Parents / Guardians:Parents, friends & family are warmly encouraged to attend the Week 8 focus group premiere and be part of the film's first audience.
The Lab Ends. The Movie Doesn’t.
After Week 8, CT Story Labs continues finishing and sharing the film while students stay connected through Discord to see where their work goes next.
One crew. One film. A story that keeps going.
Students Make the Creative Decisions
Working filmmakers guide the process. Students make the creative calls.
Beginners Belong Here Too
No previous filmmaking experience is required. You'll learn by making the film with working filmmakers beside you. Already have experience? Good. The Lab gives you bigger creative problems to solve.
Meet the Filmmakers
Lead Instructor | Writer-Director
Writer and director whose work spans scripted and commercial media. Brian leads story, directing, and the creative through-line of the film — helping the crew shape an idea into a movie and guiding the shoot.
Producer | Instructor
Producer and educator with years of experience teaching advanced storytelling at the college level. Allie runs producing and pre-production — scheduling, logistics, and the planning that makes Production Day work — and keeps the crew organized and generous.
Director | Editor | Post-Production Lead
Award-winning director and editor and a guest lecturer at Sacred Heart University. Tyler leads post-production and drives the editing system while students make the creative calls — teaching editing for story, not software minutiae.
Plus a professional DP on set. A professional Director of Photography will join the crew for Production Day to help the students capture the film.
Why Only 20 Students?
Enrollment is capped at 20 by design, not for scarcity. A whole film — development, pre-production, production, and post — only works when every student has room to speak, pitch, make decisions, take responsibility, work with the equipment, contribute to the edit, and become a known member of the crew.
What’s Included
One crew. One original film. The whole filmmaking journey — from first idea to first audience.
Student & Parent Voices
Real voices from the CT Story Labs community.
“CT Story Labs gave me the opportunity to work with a team. If you want to get that experience, go for it and don’t be scared — because everyone is kind, and it’s going to be okay.”
Ava GHigh School Senior
“CT Story Labs really helped me work with a team. Definitely more confident. Definitely do it — it’s worth it. Just be confident enough to make friends when you get there, because it makes it so much better.”
Michaela CHigh school junior
“I realized you don’t need to be a genius to make something great. It’s a lot more collaborative than I thought — and that’s what made it fun.”
Carlos Ahigh school junior
For Parents
Tuition & Reserve Your Spot
Early Registrant Price$997 $1,197Enroll by Feb 21, 2027 — tuition goes up to $1,197 after.Max 20 students · March 9–April 27 · Tuesdays 2:45–5:00 PM
Additional Dates
Fairfield County, CT · Location Coming Soon
Claim one of 20 crew spots and spend eight weeks taking an original film all the way from first idea to first audience. Fill out the quick registration below, then continue to secure checkout — with your details already filled in.
We’ll email you registration details for the Production Lab. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.
Questions & Answers
No. Beginners and experienced students work side by side on the same crew, and the whole point is learning by doing with professional filmmakers guiding every step. Nobody is expected to arrive knowing how a set runs — that’s what the eight weeks are for.
A film crew runs on many different roles — writing, camera, sound, editing, directing — so there’s a real place for quieter students, not just the loudest. Because everyone works toward one shared film, your teen has a clear way to contribute and connect from day one.
It’s real production work on a real deadline. Students develop and write an original film, prep it, shoot it on a full Production Day with a professional DP, and shape the edit. There’s a finished movie and a live audience at the end — the structure holds them to it.
The eight Tuesday sessions build on each other, and three dates are essential milestones: Pre-Production on March 31 & April 1, and Production Day on Saturday, April 3 (9:00 AM–5:00 PM). Missing those means missing the shoot itself, so please check those dates before you reserve.
Working filmmakers and educators lead every session, and a professional director of photography runs Production Day alongside them. Adults are present and in charge throughout — keeping the set focused, safe, and respectful while students do the creative work.
CT Story Labs handles final refinement while students stay connected through Discord for audience responses, screening news, and future release milestones — so the experience, and their credit on a real film, keeps going after Week 8.
Feel free to reach out to hello@CTStoryLabs.com and a member of our team will be happy to help. We look forward to collaborating.
Your Spot on the Crew Is Waiting
The idea became a script. Now it’s call time on Production Day — camera set, sound rolling, a crew of people who’ve spent weeks building this moment, and a professional DP beside you. Someone calls “action,” and the film you all dreamed up becomes real. Not a class, a real production. And there’s a spot on the crew with your name on it. Only 20 spots. When they’re gone, they’re gone.
