WELCOME TO THE ACADEMY

About the Academy

Secret Level Academy is a professional-level education platform built for filmmakers, creatives, technologists, and storytellers who want to work at the cutting edge of modern production. This is not theory, hype, or surface-level tools. It's real-world knowledge pulled directly from how Secret Level builds films, series, campaigns, and story worlds today using AI-native and hybrid workflows.

We created the Academy after realizing a massive gap existed between how the industry is evolving and what people are being taught. Secret Level Academy is designed to close that gap, focusing on craft, taste, storytelling, production pipelines, and the practical application of AI at scale.

Limited Time Offer

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Lock in your spot at a discounted rate. The Secret Level Academy officially launches February 2nd.

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$999 one-time payment

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What is Included

Secret Level Academy is structured around the full filmmaking pipeline, showing you how AI fits into each stage of modern production while keeping story and craft at the center.

Foundations

You'll learn how AI actually works in a professional filmmaking context, how to think ethically and responsibly, and how to approach tools as a director rather than a technician. This stage establishes the vocabulary, mindset, and workflows that everything else builds on.

Creativity & Ideation

Learn how to use AI as a creative partner to develop ideas, stories, characters, and worlds. You'll explore story structure, narrative arcs, and how to turn a loose concept into a clear creative direction using large language models without losing your voice or taste.

Pre-Production

This is where ideas become a plan. You'll learn how to build worlds, design characters, write prompts like a director, create shot lists, and develop visual language and consistency before generating motion. Think of this as AI-native location scouting, casting, and storyboarding.

Production

Learn how to generate cinematic images and video, control camera language, lenses, lighting, performance, and motion, and choose the right AI tools for each task. You'll understand when to use text-to-video, image-to-video, or hybrid workflows to maintain quality and control.

Post-Production

You'll finish your work like a professional, learning AI-assisted editing, visual effects, sound design, music, color, and final polish. This stage focuses on quality control, cohesion, and delivering work that feels finished and intentional, not experimental.

By the end of the course, you'll understand how to move confidently through every stage of AI-native filmmaking and create polished, portfolio-ready work.

Learn from the Best

Secret Level is an AI-native entertainment studio building the future of film, television, music, and storytelling. We combine world-class creative talent with hybrid and AI-driven production to deliver cinematic work at scale, without sacrificing craft, taste, or narrative depth. From original IP to global brand campaigns, Secret Level exists to push storytelling forward and redefine what modern production can be.

Meet the Instructors

Jason Zada

Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Jason Zada is an Emmy Award–winning director and founder of Secret Level, a premium AI-native entertainment studio. He is known for pioneering interactive and technology-driven storytelling, including Take This Lollipop (Daytime Emmy winner) and the cultural phenomenon Elf Yourself. Jason's work spans film, television, music, and global brand campaigns, and he has spoken extensively about the future of storytelling and production at events including TED, CES, Sundance, SXSW, Cannes, Television Academy, and industry forums around the world. Through Secret Level, he continues to push the boundaries of cinematic craft, hybrid production, and AI-driven storytelling at scale.

Trace Slobotkin

Writer, Producer, and Director

Trace Slobotkin is a writer, producer, and director known for his versatility across genres in a wide-ranging career spanning film, television, and branded entertainment. His feature film credits include writing the cult comedy Kickin' It Old Skool, writing and directing Serial Killing 4 Dummys, co-producing To Leslie (which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 2023), and most recently writing Shakey Grounds (2025), a dramatic exploration of music and personal loss. Trace has worked on over 300 episodes of television across a diverse slate of series, including Haunted, Disaster Date, The Biggest Loser, and Pop Up Video, which earned him two Emmy nominations.

Gary Tang

AI and VFX Creative

Gary Tang is a Los Angeles–based AI and VFX creative with over a decade of experience in post-production across feature films, episodic television, animation, and commercials. His career includes work at leading studios such as Blur Studio, Encore VFX, DreamWorks, FuseFX, and Crafty Apes. In recent years, Gary has held senior leadership roles, serving as a VFX Supervisor both on-set and in-house at Ingenuity Studios, and most recently as Head of CG at Swing-Set Productions. He also contributed to the Wizard of Oz experience for the Sphere in Las Vegas while at Magnopus, prior to joining Secret Level.

Alumni Network

Level Up Community

Level Up is a private alumni community for creators who have completed Secret Level Academy and want to stay connected, supported, and ahead of what's next. It's designed as a space to share work, give and receive thoughtful critiques, and continue growing alongside peers who are actively building in AI-native and hybrid production.

Exclusive Access

First access to job opportunities at Secret Level, invitations to exclusive events, and sneak peeks behind the scenes of our projects.

Ongoing Network

An alumni network built to keep talent connected to real opportunities, real feedback, and the evolving future of production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Secret Level Academy. Can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our team.

About the Program

What is Secret Level Academy?

Secret Level Academy is a premium AI filmmaking education program designed for professionals in film, television, and advertising. It combines recorded masterclasses from working artists at Hollywood's leading AI-native studio, hands-on creative briefs, and an alumni community. The program is built to help you translate your production skills and build the confidence to make informed creative decisions in this new landscape.

Who is this program for?

This program is for professionals in film, television, advertising, and adjacent creative industries who know production and have honed their craft. Whether you're a cinematographer, producer, writer, editor, or creative director, the Academy speaks your language and helps you navigate the next chapter of filmmaking with confidence.

Is this beginner-friendly?

This program assumes professional experience in filmmaking or adjacent creative industries. As for AI, we expect curiosity more than expertise — if you've experimented with LLMs or image generation, you're ready. If you're brand new to AI tools, we'll point you to resources to build foundational skills before diving in.

What will I learn?

You'll learn how to use AI tools across the entire production pipeline — from expanding your ideation process with LLM collaboration, to generating cinematic images and motion, through post-production and VFX. The curriculum covers prompting techniques, synthetic casting and wardrobe, world-building and location design, cinematography and composition, sound and music, and editorial workflows. By the end, you'll have completed portfolio pieces — a trailer, short film, or commercial — that test and demonstrate your ability to execute a full AI-native production.

About the Tools

What tools will I need?

Required tools details coming soon.

How much will I spend on software?

Software cost details coming soon.

Do I need to know how to code?

Coding requirements details coming soon.

About the Cost

How much does it cost?

The regular price is $1,499. For a limited time, we're offering a pre-order discount of $999 (save $500).

Are there payment plans?

Payment plan details coming soon.

Is there a refund policy?

Refund policy details coming soon.

About the Community

What's included in the VIP community?

VIP community features details coming soon.

How do I connect with other students?

Student connection details coming soon.