Simens packed a standard four-year film school curriculum into 16 intense hours spanning Saturday and Sunday.
Trivia. Spent four years in the American Army. First Lieutenant, Green Berets, Vietnam, 1968-69. Quotes. Filmmaking is a business. Movies That Influenced Me: Dov S-S Simens | Raindance
He served as a Green Beret officer from 1965 to 1969. dov simens wikipedia
His mantra is "Ready, Fire, Aim"—the opposite of traditional film school pedagogy.
In the 1990s, during the boom of independent cinema, Simens founded the Hollywood Film Institute. He launched his signature "2-Day Film School" seminar, a crash course designed to teach aspiring filmmakers how to produce, direct, and distribute their own independent feature films without needing to attend traditional four-year film schools. Simens packed a standard four-year film school curriculum
Famous faces who looked to him to understand the mechanics of production. The "Dov-ism" Philosophy
: He often promotes his methods as a cost-effective alternative to traditional film schools. First Lieutenant, Green Berets, Vietnam, 1968-69
Why isn't there a massive, hyper-detailed Dov Simens Wikipedia page? In many ways, Simens operates as an underground, counter-culture figure. He is an industry disruptor who chose to run his own institute rather than conform to academic institutions.
In State universities and elite private film schools like USC, NYU, and UCLA, film education traditionally required three to four years of study, heavy focus on film theory, and exorbitant tuition fees. Simens viewed this model as inherently flawed and predatory to aspiring creators.