Summer Springboard
Filmmaking & Drone Cinematography
ON THE CAMPUS OF UC SAN DIEGO
GAIN EXPERIENCE WITH DRONE OPERATIONS, MANEUVERABILITY, AND ACTUAL FLIGHT IN AN OPEN FIELD THROUGH THIS IMMERSIVE COURSE IN SAN DIEGO
Filmmaking & Drone Cinematography @ UC San Diego
- Get hands-on practice with drone operations, including flight control, maneuverability, and real-time flying in open field environments.
- Explore the entrepreneurial and engineering sides of drone cinematography and discover how to turn your passion into a career.
- Learn what it takes to move forward as a Drone Cinematographer, including FAA licensing, selecting the right equipment, and gaining specialized skills in mapping, editing, and advanced flying.
- Master a 5-step framework to determine the best types of shots for any project, and analyze professional clips and films through this lens.
- Build your own cinematic story using the 4 P’s framework, applying creative and technical skills to bring your vision to life.
- Have the opportunity to practice flying drones around San Diego and meet with industry professionals in the area.
Summer Springboard
Filmmaking & Drone Cinematography
About This Course
A film program for teens on a university campus in San Diego
Summer Springboard’s Filmmaking & Drone Cinematography course at UCSD offers a unique opportunity to blend your love of drone flying with the art of cinematography. Since drones have become more popular and accessible to everyday consumers, they are being sold and flown in record numbers for a wide range of uses—including aerial surveying, reconnaissance, product delivery, and cinematography. This course delivers a thorough introduction to both the technical skills and creative techniques of cinematography, teaching students how to capture diverse shots by mastering lighting, framing, and meeting client requirements.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
This course offers a hands-on experience that blends drone operation with visual storytelling. Students will practice real flight in open fields, explore the technical and entrepreneurial sides of drone cinematography, and learn essential skills like licensing, equipment selection, and editing. Through frameworks focused on shot selection and story development, students will gain practical tools to begin building a path toward a future in drone cinematography.
Career Exploration
With drones becoming increasingly popular and accessible, career opportunities in drone technology and cinematography are rapidly expanding. Participants will gain real-world experience operating drones in open-field settings and off-campus locations like Crown Point in San Diego, where they also connect with industry professionals. The course explores career pathways in drone cinematography, including licensing, equipment, and specialized skills in editing and mapping. Students will also learn entrepreneurial and engineering applications, develop storytelling using the 4 P’s framework, and apply a 5-step process for capturing cinematic shots, equipping them with the tools to pursue this field professionally.
RESOURCES
Course Infosheet
Click here to view or download the printable infosheet for this course.
Program Catalog
Click here to request our catalog to learn more about our summer programs and courses.
Campus Page
Click here to view the website page for this campus and learn more.
“Summer Springboard has been an amazing experience that has given me a great opportunity to grow mentally, socially, and has allowed me to determine what path to take in the future. Summer Springboard is a great way to not only prepare you for the future, but also allow you to enjoy the present. It was a fun and engaging learning experience.”
-Sam B. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Filmmaking & Drone Cinematography
Meet Your Instructor
Micajah Truitt is a Professor of Photography & Digital Imaging at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California and a strong believer in education. He values how art can teach a person to think critically, and to develop a person to work hard and pursue his or her individual dreams.
Micajah is a born and raised Texan who had to leave due to the fact that he loves mountains and the West. He has embarked on several paths in life before becoming a professor including teaching outdoor living skills to teenagers, working for the National Park Service, and working as a freelance photographer. When Micajah can get away from art and teaching, he is also a climber, a canyoneer, a skier, a mountaineer, and occasionally a surfer. Micajah has a strong desire for adventure that influences his life and many of the concepts behind his artwork.
MICAJAH TRUITT
“It was great here. Almost everything was perfect and I genuinely feel that I gained something from this. I finally know what I want to do in life and want to work hard for it.”
-Malcolm C. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Filmmaking & Drone Cinematography
Dates & Tuition
| 2025 Dates |
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| Session 1: June 29 – July 11, 2025 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
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| Residential Tuition: $5,698 |
| Commuter Tuition: $3,298 |
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
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| City: San Diego |
| State: California |
| Campus: UC San Diego |
Summer Springboard programs are not run by our campus partners (with the exception of Cal Poly and NYSID which are run in partnership with SSB). Universities and their affiliated departments and partners do not control and are not responsible or liable in any manner for any part of the Summer Springboard program.