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Private Film Story Development & Screendance Mentor Part-Time / Project-Based | Primarily Remote | San Francisco Bay Area We are seeking an experienced filmmaker, screenwriter, director, or screendance artist to provide one-on-one mentorship to a 15-year-old high school student who is beginning development of an original approximately 10-minute dance and multimedia short film. The student has more than ten years of ballet training and approximately ten years of Mandarin Chinese language study. She is interested in developing an original work that may bring together ballet, choreography, music, Mandarin language and Chinese culture, Thai history, European art and history, Brazilian art, travel, and multicultural identity. The project is currently in its earliest conceptual stage. We are therefore looking for a mentor who can teach the student how filmmakers develop an idea into a coherent story before production begins. Initial Assignment The first phase of the mentorship will focus on film study, story development, and screenplay/visual-treatment development, rather than production. The mentor will help the student: Learn the fundamentals of short-film storytelling and screenplay development. Understand how narrative can be communicated through movement, choreography, cinematography, music, sound, editing, imagery, and relatively limited dialogue. Study the particular language of dance film/screendance, music videos, experimental shorts, narrative shorts, and multimedia filmmaking. Develop the ability to critically analyze short films. Identify successful techniques that could inform—but not be copied in—her own work. Develop an original central theme and artistic point of view. Translate initial ideas into a written treatment, visual treatment, storyboard, and ultimately a screenplay or shooting script. Film-Festival Research Component An important part of the initial assignment will be helping the student identify and study noteworthy short films, dance films, music videos, and experimental works that have appeared at established film and dance-film festivals. Of particular interest are works associated with or representative of programming at: Center for Asian American Media / CAAMFest San Francisco Dance Film Festival Dance on Camera Hong Kong International Film Festival Paris International Film Festival Other respected international dance, Asian/Asian-American, experimental, music-video, and short-film festivals The mentor should help assemble an initial viewing curriculum of approximately 20–30 short works and meet with the student to discuss selected films. We are particularly interested in examining films that successfully combine two or more of the following: Dance and narrative Ballet and contemporary filmmaking Music and movement Asian or Asian-American culture Multicultural identity Language and communication Art history and visual art Museums and cultural institutions Architecture and historic locations Travel and place Family or cultural heritage Europe and Asia Brazil and multicultural Brazilian culture The objective is not to imitate these films but to teach the student how to watch and analyze film as a filmmaker. The final concept has intentionally not yet been determined. Possible elements include ballet and original choreography, with The Nutcracker potentially serving as one artistic reference or starting point. Filming may eventually take place in: San Francisco Bay Area Southern China Thailand Europe South America The project could eventually combine live-action dance, music, narration, Mandarin, visual art, historic locations, photography, animation, archival material, or other media. The mentor should not be expected to force all of these elements into the film. One of the mentor's most important responsibilities will be helping the student determine what belongs in the film—and what should be eliminated. Educational Objective This is fundamentally a student-led educational project. We are not seeking someone simply to write a screenplay for the student. The mentor should teach the student the creative process and encourage her to develop her own ideas, make choices, revise her work, and gradually assume greater creative responsibility. The student should ultimately be able to explain: What her film is about. Why she chose its subject. Why particular locations, artworks, music, languages, and movements appear. How the choreography contributes to the story. How her concept changed during development. Which ideas she rejected and why. What she personally contributed to the finished work. Possible First-Phase Deliverables Over approximately four months, we anticipate working toward: A curated viewing list of approximately 20–30 short films. Weekly or biweekly film-analysis discussions. A film-analysis/creative journal maintained by the student. Development of several possible film concepts. Selection and refinement of one central concept. A short written concept statement. A 5–10 page film treatment. Visual references and mood boards. Preliminary choreography concepts. Storyboards or shot concepts. A preliminary screenplay, visual script, or shooting treatment. Recommendations for the next production-development phase. Ideal Background We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in one or more of the following: Narrative filmmaking Screenwriting Short films Screendance/dance film Choreography for camera Music videos Experimental film Documentary or essay film Asian or Asian-American filmmaking International filmmaking Visual arts or museum-related filmmaking Prior film-festival participation is highly desirable. Experience with films screened at established international, Asian-American, dance, short-film, or experimental festivals would be particularly relevant. Teaching Experience The ideal candidate enjoys working with intellectually curious young people and understands the difference between mentoring a student filmmaker and producing a film for a client. Formal teaching credentials are not required. Experience teaching or mentoring high-school, college, or emerging filmmakers is desirable. Working Arrangement The initial mentorship can be conducted primarily by Zoom. We anticipate approximately: One 60–90 minute session per week initially. Independent viewing, research, and writing assignments between meetings. Review and written feedback on the student's treatments and scripts. Approximately two to three months for the initial story-development phase. The relationship could potentially continue through pre-production, filming, and post-production if there is a strong fit. The eventual film project may extend over approximately 18 months. Compensation This is a paid consulting/mentorship position. Please provide your normal hourly consulting or teaching rate, or propose a fee for an initial 8–10 session engagement. We are willing to consider highly experienced professional filmmakers as well as university-level instructors, MFA graduates, working screenwriters, choreographers, and emerging filmmakers with particularly strong dance-film experience. Application Please provide: Brief biography. Film and/or teaching résumé. Links to two or three representative works. Film-festival screenings or awards, if applicable. Teaching or mentorship experience. Experience with dance/screendance, if applicable. Your proposed hourly rate. Your general availability. A short explanation of how you would approach mentoring a 15-year-old student through the development of her first serious short film. Please also identify three short films you would recommend that the student watch during her first month and briefly explain why you selected them. The immediate goal is not to begin filming. It is to help a young dancer learn how filmmakers think, learn how to analyze excellent work, discover what she wants to say, and then develop that idea into an original film of her own.

Aug 9, 2026

Location: Los Angeles, CA

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