One of the courses I took this summer, in my third year going towards my fourth, is Shooting the Set with Professor John Greyson. It was challenging, intensive, and beautiful. There are many reasons why I loved it (and why you should take it!), but I will list my top 5 reasons.
We filmed two movies on a green screen
The class of 30 was divided into three groups, and each group made two movies on a green screen at York Motion Studios at Cinespace. Shooting the Set course is a chance you should grab – to get such an amount of experience in such a short time; it’s rare. You can also help other groups filming – you can be on six sets in five weeks in Cinespace. Cinespase is a film studio in Toronto with 29 active stages. Some films/shows filmed there are Umbrella Academy, Fubar, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Handmaid’s Tale and others.
Taking multiple roles
Another great thing about filming is that you take multiple roles. I was a writer, art director, and boom operator, but working on two sets was already a fantastic learning experience. As an art director, I went to rent props from Wiseacre Rentals, a company that has many props—literally a warehouse full of props, some of which have been in Star Trek and other shows. I never did stage design, and this was quite an experience. I also learned more about the Unreal software for backgrounds on green screens.

Amazing guests
In almost every class, we had guests from the Canadian film industry. We talked about working with actors, visualization, storyboarding/shortlisting, different styles of new neo-realism, and many other things. Some of the guests were former York students, and it was great to see their journey. Also, our professor was excellent, John Greyson – Berlin Film Festival and TIFF winner – but more importantly, a genuinely great educator.
Intensity just as I like
Everything was moving fast and was intensive, which I loved. Drafts of the script were coming quickly, as were production meetings and table reads. Pre-production meetings were also good for learning about the importance of planning.
The last class was the film showcase – open to the public
Being with the audience when they watch a movie I wrote is priceless. That was the case in this course, as the last class was a screening of the movies we filmed, open to the public. After the movies, there was a social mixer, an excellent networking opportunity.