Teaching

Stolaroff has been writing, speaking, and teaching on the subject of low-budget and digital filmmaking for the past 20 years.  While at Next Wave Films, Stolaroff and Next Wave President Peter Broderick created a landmark presentation on the advantages of digital filmmaking, just as the new digital video cameras were coming onto the market.  Broderick and Stolaroff were invited around the world to give this presentation, which included clips from recent films that were taking advantage of this exciting new technology.  Many of these films had never been seen by most of the general public, and the presentation was instrumental in debunking a lot of misinformation that was being spread at the time.  Along with these presentations, Stolaroff also taught low-budget filmmaking classes at UCLA Extension, the Maine Photographic Workshops, and the Learning Annex, as well as appearing on numerous panels at film festivals and film conferences around the world.  

Stolaroff (right) with Guest Speaker Joe Carnahan at a No Budget Film School Class

In 2005, after completing the $50,000 digital feature True Love, Stolaroff established No Budget Film School, a unique series of classes specifically designed for the no-budget filmmaker.  Stolaroff has taught these classes all over the country, in between producing his own micro-budget features.  His flagship class is the 2-day weekend seminar, The Art & Science of No-Budget Filmmaking.  Guest speakers have included: Joe Carnahan, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Jay Duplass, Sean Baker, Dan Myrick, Alex Karpovsky, Destin Cretton, Ti West, Craig Zobel, Joshua Leonard, and many others. Since the pandemic, Stolaroff has started teaching virutally via Zoom, and offers a number of free and paid programs throughout the year.

Stolaroff writes on the subject of low-budget independent filmmaking for his No Budget Film School website and has been featured on other websites. He has written for several periodicals, including Filmmaker Magazine, MovieMaker Magazine, Film Arts Magazine, Scientific American, and Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and for the websites IndieWire, No Film School and Stage 32. He has been a guest on numerous Podcasts including: Indie Film Hustle, Just Shoot It, Indie Film Grit, Film Trooper, Dave Bullis Podcast, Be The Media, The Reel Truth, That Post Show, Digital Production Buzz, The Workbook Project, Film Courage, Stage 32, Rex Sike’s Movie Beat, The Geek Speak Show, The Cinematography Podcast, Film Festival Secrets, The Expert Process, Digital Media Dude, The Process.Ink, Us Vs Film, Selling Your Screenplays, and others.

Lecturing

Stolaroff lectures on the subject of micro-budget filmmaking at film festivals, film schools, film conferences, and for film organizations. Below is a list of selected speaking engagements:

     •      UCLA Film School

     •      UCLA Extension

     •      USC Film School

     •      USC Business School

     •      AFI

     •      Chapman University

     •      CalPoly (SLO Campus)

     •      University of North Carolina - Wilmington

     •      Mount St Mary's College

     •      Columbia College Chicago

     •      University of Texas in Austin (Semester in LA)

     •      CalArts

     •      University of Houston

     •      University of St. Thomas

     •      Houston Baptist University

     •      Houston Community College

     •      Tacoma Film Festival

     •      Durango Film Festival

     •      Phoenix Film Festival

     •      Sidewalk Film Festival

     •      Woods Hole Film Festival

     •      Anchorage Int'l. Film Festival

     •      Indianapolis Int’l Film Festival

     •      Thriller Chiller Film Festival

     •      Filmfort Film Festival

     •      St Louis International Film Festival

     •      Hollyshorts

     •      Dances With Films Festival

     •      Florida Film Festival

     •      BendFest

     •      Idaho Horror Film Festival

     •      Trinidad Independent Film Festival

     •      Story Expo

     •      Great American Pitchfest

     •      BAFTA

     •      Maine Photographic Workshops

     •      Veterans in Media & Entertainment

     •      Filmmakers Alliance

     •      New Heights Workshops

     •      Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP) - Houston

     •      IMAGE Atlanta

     •      Showbiz Expo

     •      Independent Film Coalition - Kansas City

     •      Southern Entrepreneurship In the Arts Conference

     •      DIY Days

     •      IFP/West

Next Program:

"The Indie Film Game is Rigged

(time for a new game!)"

A Free, Live Online Seminar

Sep 28, 2021 • 5pm PDT