You'll never learn how to make a film just by visiting a website. But Shoot Out Online (shootoutonline.com), a class taught by Variety editor in chief Peter Bart and Mandalay Entertainment boss Peter Guber, can teach you how and why movies get made.
The (free!) nine-week class is, at heart, an interactive version of their recent book ''Shoot Out: Surviving the Fame and (Mis)Fortune in Hollywood,'' which in turn is based on a popular class at the UCLA film school. The video-based course details moviemaking from the pitch meeting, through script revisions, packaging stars and directors, to the finished product's marketing campaign. Guber and Bart illustrate each lesson with juicy stories about such stars as Warren Beatty and nearly every studio exec of the past few decades. Also, there are guest lectures by Angelina Jolie, ''Rush Hour'' director Brett Ratner, ''Rain Man'' scripter Ron Bass, and Fox Filmed Entertainment honcho Tom Rothman.
The series may seem daunting to some: It assumes its pupils will be helming major Hollywood flicks in the near future. Nevertheless, anyone who thinks picking up a camera is the most romantic and adventurous part of making a movie can probably learn a thing or two.
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