The Mattering Studio · Online Course · Ages 14–18
Find the story in your family or community that is in danger of being lost — and make a film about it.
The invitation
Somewhere near you, there is probably someone whose story has never been recorded. A grandparent with memories that exist nowhere else on earth. A neighbour whose life would stop you in your tracks — if you only knew it. A community elder whose knowledge will disappear the day they are gone.
Preserving Our Stories is an invitation to become the person who shows up with a camera and says: your story matters. I'm here to listen.
This is an online filmmaking course for homeschool students aged 14–18, anywhere in the world. You will learn to use your smartphone and today's AI tools to make a real short documentary film. You don't need a film camera. You don't need experience. You need a story worth telling — and we will help you find it.
Now enrolling
Online course · The Mattering Studio · 2026
Questions? hello@preservingourstories.org
What you will learn
Every skill in this course comes from thirty years of classroom practice — adapted for the age of smartphones, AI, and students who want to make something that actually matters.
The complete filmmaking process — story development, storyboarding, shooting, editing, and distribution. Every phase. A real finished film at the end.
Students learn to direct an AI Film Crew — using the C.R.A.F.T. prompting framework to think critically, communicate precisely, and stay in the director's chair.
Finding a story worth telling takes skill. Students learn to listen to their community, identify subjects, develop a pitch, and write a logline — the foundation of every great documentary.
How to ask the questions that open people up. How to listen so deeply the subject feels truly heard. How to capture truth on camera — the heart of documentary filmmaking.
Camera technique, natural lighting, audio capture, and mobile production using the tools students already carry. No expensive equipment required.
Eighteen tutorial videos take students from raw footage to finished film — cuts, transitions, titles, colour, and the emotional arc that makes audiences feel something.
Shot lists, scheduling, deadlines, and the discipline to complete a creative project from first idea to finished film. Habits that serve students in every area of life.
Who gets to tell which stories? What do we owe our subjects? How do we handle sensitive material with care? Documentary filmmaking asks ethical questions at every step.
How to share a film with family, online, and at student festivals. How to build an audience for work that matters. Your film is made to be seen.
The C.R.A.F.T. method
Every student learns to use AI as a creative collaborator — not a shortcut. The C.R.A.F.T. prompting method teaches them to communicate with precision, think critically, and stay in the director's chair.
Explain what you're working on and why it matters
Choose which AI crew member you need — researcher, editor, DP
State the specific task you want completed
Define how you want the response delivered
Ask AI to explain its reasoning so you stay in control
The curriculum
The course follows the five phases of filmmaking — development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution — with each chapter building directly on the last.
The invitation, the mission, and what you will make
Research, community listening, and identifying your subject
The pitch, the logline, and the story you want to tell
Storyboards, shot lists, interview preparation, and scheduling
Camera technique, lighting, audio, and mobile production
How to ask, how to listen, and how to capture truth on camera
Using AI for research, scripting, music, and generative footage
18-video tutorial series — from import to final cut
What your audience hears is half of what they feel
Sharing your film — with family, online, and at festivals
Reflection, portfolio, and what comes next
"Somewhere near you, there is someone over seventy who has never once been asked to tell their story on camera. They have memories, experiences, and knowledge that exist nowhere else on earth. And they are waiting for someone to show up and say — your story matters. I want to hear it."
— Nikos Theodosakis, Preserving Our Stories
About the instructors
Your instructor
I have been making films and teaching people to make films for thirty years. I built this course because I believe the most important stories in the world aren't in movie theatres — they're in your home, your neighbourhood, your family.
I am the author of The Director in the Classroom: How Filmmaking Inspires Learning, used by educators in more than a dozen countries. I have facilitated filmmaking workshops across Canada, the United States, and Europe. And I have spent a career trying to answer one question: what does it mean to make something that matters?
I have Parkinson's disease. It doesn't change what I know, or how much I care about getting this right for you. But it did mean I had to think creatively about how to show up for every lesson. So I made a filmmaker's decision — I created Avi. She delivers every lesson on screen. Everything she teaches comes directly from my work and my experience. Think of her as my voice in the room, showing up for you every single day.
The next great documentary filmmaker might be watching this right now. I think it might be you.
Your on-screen guide
Avi is short for Avatar — and she is your on-screen companion through all eleven chapters and seventy lessons of this course. She is warm, direct, and deeply knowledgeable about every phase of the filmmaking process.
Avi delivers everything Nikos designed — his thirty years of teaching experience, his love for the craft, and his belief that every student's story is worth telling. Think of her as the teacher who shows up for every lesson, ready to help you make something real.
At the very start of the course, you will also meet Nikos himself — in person, on camera. That moment is the one thing Avi cannot deliver. It is the filmmaker saying directly to you: I built this for you. Now let's begin.
Meet Avi
AI course guide · Preserving Our Stories
What educators say
"In an area that abounds with material in the use of multimedia in the classroom, it is refreshing and encouraging to discover a book that demonstrates how teachers can weave film production into the curriculum."
Bernard McCloskey
FIS Project Creative Director, Dublin, Ireland
"This is the best production handbook for teachers that we've seen. The chapter on why filmmaking belongs in the classroom deals with the same questions we in Israel are asking too."
Dorit Balin
Ministry of Education, Israel
"The Director in the Classroom is aimed directly at teachers who want to empower their learners and allow them to demonstrate their learning in innovative ways using current and emerging technology."
Susan Crichton
University of Calgary
Every day, stories disappear. The people who carry them grow older. The details fade. This course exists because we believe students like you can change that — one film at a time.
Enrol today and start makingQuestions? Email hello@preservingourstories.org
Get in touch
Whether you're a homeschool parent wondering if this course is right for your student, an educator exploring documentary filmmaking, or simply someone with a question — get in touch. We read every message.
Or email us directly at hello@preservingourstories.org
Thank you — we'll be in touch shortly.
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Part of The Mattering Studio
Preserving Our Stories is the flagship course of The Mattering Studio — Nikos Theodosakis's production studio and publishing imprint, based in Penticton, British Columbia.
The Mattering Studio
The umbrella brand for all of Nikos's work as a filmmaker, educator, and author.
Visit →The Director in the Classroom
The landmark book on filmmaking education, now in its third edition.
Visit →Nikos Theodosakis
Thirty years of teaching, writing, and making films that matter.
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