I was part of Patrick's workshop in 2020, right before the lockdowns started. I had seen Patrick speaking at an event earlier, where he mentioned the classes he gives at Berkeley DFI. I signed up for a 7 week course, one class per weekend, along with 7-10 other people. The value you get for the cost of the workshop is well worth it. Each class lasts about 6 hours and covers a different theme. By the end of it you'll come out knowing the basics to make your own film as a director/producer, from raising money to shooting a scene. All lessons are theoretical except for the last one, where you get to shoot a project along with your classmates (this last part I didn't experience, as we had to use Zoom due to the pandemic). Don't expect to come out of it with too much technical knowledge. You'll still have to hire a director of photography and/or editor if you don't have those skills, but you'll know how to produce and direct your own film, and how to speak the language of the people in the set that do. Patrick is a great teacher, and I learnt enough to feel I can make my own film, which I must say feels very damn good and keeps me motivated to keep going. read more

I could not attend his class due to health reasons and after attending half of the first class, I asked for a partial refund. Although initially Patrick promised to honor the partial refund, he did not return any of it and stopped communicating. read more

Waste of money. Run by Patrick Kir something, he has a directing program and he has NEVER DIRECTED A FILM. The cinematography is garbage, actually thats an understatement, when I was there the teacher wasn't, he was off on paid gigs instead of teaching, and forget making a real scene, you'll be limited to dialogue in a booth, try getting your big break with that. No motion graphics instruction, Final cut course that lasts a semester could be taught in a week. When I was there they only had an hvx200 with no P2 cards. We shot on DV TAPES! Its a disgrace especially when theres the HDDSLRS out there. ONLY A NOVICE TO FILMMAKING WOULD BELIEVE THAT THE INSTRUCTION HERE IS BENEFICIAL. YOU CANNOT BUILD A CAREER IN FILMMAKING HERE. Take the 40 grand that this school will steal from you and buy a couple canon 5d's with some l series or ziess glass, kino flo light kit, an audio kit, and a supped up imac with i7 processor 16 gbs of ram and final cut 3. You'll be able to make money with that rather than going into debt for a certification that matters no where. WASTE YOUR MONEY WITH BDFI OR START YOUR OWN PRODUCTION COMPANY read more

I took the 7 weekend course at BDFI this summer and have nothing but great things to say about the class and Dean Patrick Kriwanek. The entire course was extremely helpful, and I would recommend anyone considering breaking into the film business to definitely sign up! I've learned so much in such a short amount of time. From producing, directing, writing, camera work, and casting, to how to get financing, the list goes on and on. I came into this class not knowing much at all about the film industry and I left with so much confidence and knowledge that I am already in the process of creating my first piece of work. Patrick, himself, is an amazing teacher. He is very professional and genuinely cares about his students. He is honest and will tell you the truth about how things will really be in the film business, both the good and bad, and I greatly appreciated that. He goes above and beyond, and makes himself easily available. If you are on the fence about taking this class, don't be. Just take it! You will not regret it. For me personally it is one of the best decisions I've ever made. read more

Kirwanek's class will benefit anyone who is interested in filmmaking and is commited to finding her own niche in the film industry. It's an amazing introduction course that will take you through the nuts and bolts of film production and give an insight to what that production entails. Kirwanek teaches a way to orchestrate cooperation between you and a camera crew, working with actors, seeking out locations etc. I got to learn a lot about framing, composition, camera direction and received wonderful tips on editing. The course helped me realize how much of filmmaking depends on the skill of storytelling, communicating and connecting with the audience as well as seeking your individual voice in doing so. After the course I kept developing my feature film idea. I soon will be done writing my first script ever! read more

If you're looking for a good place to learn about the art and business of film making, BDFI is great. I took a short workshop with Patrick and he really helped me home my script writing and get me up to speed in the digital film world. I went to film school at UCSB in the early nineties when we used actual film, it was great to have a place to learn about the technical advances of digital film and editing. I know have confidence when I buy equipment and shoot my own videos. I am able to charge people more money because I know what I'm doing and talking about! They get a better product thanks to my time spent at BDFI. read more

Part school, part production company, BDFI offers extensive experience working on narrative fiction, music videos, and documentary films. You choose what you want to focus on, whether it be directing, editing, writing, producing, etc. The school adapts to your needs. The faculty is fun and extremely knowledgeable, not to mention available outside of class time to help guide you. Friendship and community is also a huge part of what makes this school great. Highly recommended for those looking to make movies. read more

I recently just finished the 7-week intensive program at BDFI, and I would say that Patrick is an exceptional teacher with an exceptional school: I cannot speak in part for the semester program since I did not take it, but the 7-week intensive was exactly what I was looking for and more. I am currently a student at UC Berkeley majoring in film studies and business administration, and I sought out BDFI for classes that could educate me more on screenwriting, directing, and producing. Many other programs I looked to join were in-your-face about marketing and money and flashy equipment. I would say BDFI is fundamentally different in a better, more academic way. Other programs treat students as "inputs" and "outputs," as in they all learn the same technical information that, in my opinion, you can find online or figure out yourself. BDFI takes an approach on teaching you all the knowledge, responsibilities, and yes...burdens, of being a producer, director, and a leader in the film industry. Being a director/producer is extremely difficult, and from the beginning of the class he made it very clear that it was a leadership course. If you want to learn how to use a camera, I would recommend you to take a camera class. If you want to learn Final Cut, there are a million editing classes you can take. If you want hands-on experience, then sign up for a class in LA that will put you on sets. However, this sets you up to be a crew member on a set along with the other hundred kids that just finished the class with you. Although they are all very valuable resources that I do indeed recommend, if you truly want to become a director or producer, then you have to understand it is a entrepreneurial process that can't be handed to you by a program about using equipment. However, this course with BDFI sets you up to be ahead of the pack of cameramen that know how to use a camera, but don't know how to shoot a decent film. Patrick is very knowledgable about the film industry, and the proof is in his lectures. He speaks to you one-on-one and gives plenty of opportunities to feel out the class before taking it. The class is very lecture heavy with a small amount of students in an intimate and comfortable environment that gives you the chance to ask anything you want as well as pitch and develop your future projects. The information he has is extremely valuable in the film industry as a whole, yet it is still structured in a way to prepare yourself to make your first films professional ones. If you seriously want to consider becoming a director or producer, I would highly recommend this course. read more

I had a great experience with BDFI 7 week program. I took the course in March/April 2014. My wife and I took it together. It changed the way I think about film. Patrick Kirwanek is an excellent teacher. He inspires confidence and encourages his students to produce. He brings his real life experience. He is in the process of making a film and hearing the stories of the Shelby movie are helpful. Sandra was our screenwriting teacher. She changed my life and I'm writing my screenplay with plans to shoot it when it's ready (this year :)) 7 busy weekends.....a crash course in film making that will change your life as it did mine 4 stars ( I went into the class thinking we would have a lot of camera time.....However, I now feel that movie making is really about scriptwriting. Camera shooting is another topic. It's important, but will not replace a good solid script. I now understand that read more

I took the two-month summer intensive a few years ago. My experience was overall a good one. One of the best parts of the training was the hands-on experience of working with classmates to create short films. Volunteering for others' projects in different crew capacities, such as sound, grip, gaffer, location scout, production assistant, and producer, was a great experience in understanding the production and logistics of film creation. Later on in the program I also directed my own short film. BDFI had some cameras and other film making equipment like lights and props, as well as insurance, available for students' shoots. I took the program out of personal interest rather than for professional purposes, but I see how some of my classmates have gone on to pursue careers in the creative arts and multimedia. The facilities were not brand new but served their purpose well. Some people in other reviews have complained about the director making too many claims about other students' successes, and "name dropping". I feel that is besides the point; regardless of any claims about other people, my learning experience at the school was good. Some people also noted that the school director has not directed any films. Even if that were the case (I am not sure), he was very insightful into the film making process, being a good teacher, which is what mattered most to me. The director also made himself available an accessible to all the students. Also for prospective students, the director makes himself available for a personal interview and a visit of the facilities, making it much easier to get a good sense of what the school offers, which I also appreciated. The program I took was the short intensive one, not the full 18-month one, so I can't directly attest to the latter. My program could have benefited from a more clear structure and course syllabi, especially in getting more into the operating the camera. However, I understand that there is just that much you cant fit in a few weeks. I did collaborate with some people of the full 18-month program, and I felt that some of them were talented and very motivated. Most of the instructors that I learned from were good at teaching me at the introductory level, which is what I needed. I can't talk about the teaching for advanced filmmaking because that was out of the scope of my introductory program. In a nutshell, I feel the success depends very much on each individual. The school will not change a students' future just by virtue of attending it. Rather, you will get out of it as much as you put in. The school best facilitates your learning by providing the infrastructure with editing rooms, cameras, other materials, and most importantly a student body to work with. The in-class teaching also provides value. read more

I had a really positive experience with Berkeley Digital - I attended a short workshop in hopes that I would be able to do more web video work as part of my job and make short films on my own time (something I've been interested in and working on for a long time). I worked primarily with Patrick - the schools director, but also with Eric. I have a fair bit of experience in film making and production, so I wasn't expecting to be blown away, however, I was happily surprised. I was floored by the amount of information, intuition and authenticity the tutors displayed. Patrick totally seemed willing to go out of his way to answer my questions and had really practical advice about filmmaking, pitching ideas to the industry and problem solving budget constraints. It seems as though the school is still young (and probably experiencing some teething problems) but as far as faculty go - I couldn't have asked for more. Obviously every learning experience is different and indeed the school could certainly use a bunch more equipment - but that's a problem I've experienced at most art schools, so it didn't rate as a high irritation for me. All in all, I was pleased with the bang I got for my buck and although some people here have expressed annoyance about the list of film festivals that student films did make it into, personally I was kind of impressed that for such a young school so many students have had successes. read more

I was very excited to hear that Patrick had opened a digital film institute, because digital film was the newest emerging technology, and Patrick was proving, as always, to be way ahead of the curve; teaching his students the real meat and potatoes of what they need to know to find work in a constantly changing industry. I knew nobody could teach this new medium quite the way Patrick could. I had earned my BFA at the Academy of Art University in the Motion Pictures and Television department, during the years when Patrick was the dean of the program and so many successful students came from that program, especially at that time. Those happy, successful students were my classmates. Patrick was not just our dean but also our friend; we all knew him on a first-name basis and we could hang out with him and we could always reach him; he always had time to work with us one-on-one, and meet with us one-on-one. He did everything in his power to help each one of us perfect our own individual projects. We talked to him about film, we talked to him about life. There was no other film school that offered the same level of personal connection, in fact, I had come to the school with the plans to major in animation, but I changed my mind entirely because of Patrick. Animation was a major I had spent a lifetime working up to, through life drawing, etc., but it did not come with the same kind of entertainment and humor that Patrick would deliver for film-making, so I changed my major to film because I liked his teaching style, and just his willingness to be a great help to his students. You can get the "do A, then do B, then do C" kind of instruction anywhere; heck, just buy a manual if that's what you want. You can only get the real-life nuts and bolts, the details and warnings of every way you can possibly go wrong in this business, from someone who has industry experience to share, and who also knows how to spin it with a little humor to deliver memorable lessons in film-making. Patrick had insider tips and secrets that no book will ever tell you, and they work. Patrick had a real gift for teaching, and he delivered the most important tips he had learned during his many years of first-hand experience; the types of tips that protect beginner students from making very expensive mistakes, in their careers. I remember he started out one class at AAU stating: "I am going to teach you how to make $14,600 in one day!" He emphasized this promise by writing the figure on the board. Patrick's style of teaching was very enthusiastic and infectious. He would get us all very excited to be a part of his program. I also watched as his students, one by one, would have to leave the program early to heed calls from ILM and Disney and Mirimax, for internships and then full-time work, and seeing this happen right in front of me got me much more excited to be at a place that offered so much opportunity. I was young and completely new to film-making, but Patrick had the patience to steer the least experienced of his students to success, caution against beginner mistakes, as well as build upon the skills of his more mastered students. Since I had recently been put out of work by several film company shut-downs in 2010, I knew I needed to brush up on my skills, and I would not have wanted to do so at any other place where Patrick would not be teaching. After completing my BFA with Patrick as the dean of my film school, and the teacher of many of my classes, I had just recently finished some years of very successful film employment, learning to work with digital cinema on the job at both Pixar and Deluxe/Technicolor, as the requirement to grasp the new concepts of digital film became more and more important, to sustain work in this growing and developing industry. I chose to further build my skills at BDFI by taking the 7-week intensive training courses, which provided some much needed refresher courses to get me prepared to re-enter the film industry. Now that everything is digital, there are a lot of game-changers and the way to stay on top is to always be willing to learn new things. What I learned from Patrick prepared me to take on the role of film recordist on the first and second Shrek movies, and then continue down that path of film knowledge to work on The Incredibles and Cars, which introduced me to the same digital cinema concepts that Patrick was now teaching his new students - all at the same time, keeping up in pace with the largest and most technically advanced movie studios in Silicon Valley. Patrick knows what his students need to learn to be successful, and he keeps up with the new technology, at the same time that the industry points in a new direction, and usually before then. Both times I got my education from him, the career payoff was much more than I had expected for the price of admission. read more

He hassles me for money after I have left the class because I can't pay anymore and it's not living up to what I expected. The website says it is $2500 for equipment, books, and supplies for the 7 week program and I didn't recieve ANY of that! Just lectures (which were good but not $2500 worth), him talking about his shelby movie project, and visits from a screenwriter in LA. The class and what we learn is good but call it a workshop and not a school, which is what I believed it to be. I really only learned a couple new things from my previous knowledge. He is threatening to take me to court read more

I did took my class from Patrick. I do not feel any other place you will get such an next level film education. In order to take and understand what they teach is not a joke. I learnt so much from Patrick and we all learn in day to day life. So, my suggestion - take what Patrick have to offer (he offers next level education), come and practice for 2 to 3 years. Each class (or workshop - whatever you call it as) is a month or 3 months of your practice - remember that. I have done few short films and writing few features as well. The fees that you give is not rip off, remember - it's worth money for the film education seed - it will give fruit if you make sure water it properly. You cannot become a director or big actor in 3 months or 1 year. There should be stages which you have to go thru and some time you fail, some time you succeed. Don't worry!!! One day you will be there. read more

My experience at BDFI was perfect for my situation as a mom, and allowed me to pursue a career that I wished I would have started earlier in my life. As a photographer coming in, I segued nicely into the program, and worked closely with Fred Ritzenberg who mentored me while writing a feature length screenplay which we plan to shoot in 2012 called Fish Can't Scream. I have also partnered with fellow classmate Jules Kobelin to from ARTiDOCs which is our small production company that creates documentaries on artists. One of the great things about the program are the great relationships that are formed and nurtured as there are so many shoots required giving everyone lots on hands on experience. This really helps students identify their specific field of interest. As a whole, the work coming out of the school is every bit as impressive as work I've viewed at festivals and online from students coming out of top schools. It is an intimate school, with a lot of personal attention, so the opportunities are there for the wise who take them. The school started out as a small program but has grown both in terms of student body and equipment. Patrick, the founder of the school, is very passionate about his work and his commitment to the students and makes every effort to support them. He has a great support team himself including Eric Katsuleres who is his assistant that tends to the nuts and bolts of the program. For a person who is willing to take advantage of opportunity, this is a great school. read more