Levi is inviting you on an adventure that will forever change your filmmaking. Five days sailing the Pacific Coast of Canada.
A small group, real lessons, new friendships, and everything you need to take your filmmaking to the next level.
Five days sailing the Pacific Coast of Canada with Captain John and Levi Allen. Incredible locations, great adventures, and a week dedicated entirely to deepening your craft. This is the Adventure Filmmaking Masterclass, Sailing Edition — and there are only five spots.
Most filmmakers obsess about the gear. Fewer know how to tell a story worth watching.
This workshop changes the way you approach the videos you make. Over five days sailing the BC coast, Levi walks you through the exact process he uses on every storytelling project.
The goal is to equip you to tell the kind of stories that move people. Helping you develop your own practical framework built for solo filmmakers working with minimal gear.
The setting isn't a backdrop. It's our subject and classroom.
They're the ones who put themselves in situations where they have no choice but to figure it out. Cold hands. Unpredictable light. A story unfolding in real time with no safety net.
That's where your filmmaking actually moves forward.
After creating over 500 videos and 12 of these workshops, that truth hasn't changed once.
If you're ready to stop consuming and start doing, this trip was built for you.
One of the biggest mistakes a creator can make is thinking you need complex formulas to make a video that connects with people.
My approach to story is simple. Five questions. You keep asking them from the beginning of a project to the end. They help you stay connected to your audience, and develop your own instincts instead of replicating someone else's.
There's no formula, because there isn't one. Each story, each adventure, each project takes on a life of its own.
That's what we press into on this trip.
Five days on the Pacific Coast of Canada. A group of five filmmakers, one sailboat, and Captain John at the helm.
There are dedicated teaching sessions. And then there's an adventure to be had.
Real locations, unpredictable conditions, stories unfolding around you that you didn't plan for.
This isn't a hotel boardroom. This is an Adventure Film Academy workshop.
No sailing experience is required. Captain John has spent his entire life sailing the BC coast. He takes care of everything on the water and with the boat. That means your only job is to show up, be ready to haul up some sails, film, and be present. He's also just a genuinely good human to spend five days with. The kind of person who has a story for every stretch of coastline we pass. By the end of the trip, he's always one of the highlights.
No passive learning. You're filming, making decisions, and getting feedback in real time.
I believe the best way to learn things is by putting them into intentional practice over and over. Each day we will have training sessions with new material to dive into and explore.
Questions don't wait for a Q&A slot. Levi is with you on the boat, all day. Whatever you're working on or wanting help with.
The Pacific Coast of BC is one of the most cinematic places on the planet. Fog, mountains, open water, golden light. You're not hunting for good locations, you're surrounded by them.
Small by design. Levi tailors the experience to the specific people in the group. Every group is different. Some people come to go deep on the craft. Others need to reconnect with why they picked up a camera. Levi reads the trip and shapes the experience around the people who show up.
You'll leave with footage you're proud of, a clearer sense of your own voice, and a filmmaking process that actually works in the real world.
Stop waiting. Start creating. Build the skills to make films that matter—on your own terms.
This is my favorite place on the planet. We will sail up the Sunshine Coast to Princess Louisa Inlet, stopping at a new anchorage each night. Every morning you wake up somewhere different — mountains, fog, open water. No two days look the same.
There are very few places left that feel this untouched. We get to film all of it.
I describe sailing like a wilderness road trip. Except the road is a wild coastline, and the camper van is a 58-foot sailboat built for exactly this.
Captain John teaches sail training, and while our trip is focused on filmmaking, he also has much to share about sailing the coast and living a full life.
We sail the protected inland waters. We wont ever be out on the open ocean. This trip is all about exploring inlets and little islands. The massive Vancouver Island creates a natural barrier from open ocean conditions, which means smooth travel 99% of the time. S.V. Porpoise is a stable vessel. It's much closer to standing on a dock than getting tossed around in the open ocean.
I discovered sailing when I was 18. That first trip left such a mark on me that I've spent the fifteen years since trying to drag everyone I know out here to experience it.
In 2017 I decided to stop describing it and start bringing people along. I met Captain John and learned how he shares the same passion. Except Captain John actually owns a boat, and takes groups of people on trips as his ultimate retirement life.
This trip is intimate by design. The boat is a shared space — close quarters, and real community forms. That's why there's an application process. It matters to me that everyone who comes feels genuinely welcomed. If living in close community for five days sounds like a challenge you're not ready for, this probably isn't the right fit.
Storytelling doesn’t need to be complex. You’ll learn my 5 essential questions to capture moments as they unfold and how simplifying your approach can make your stories more powerful and impactful.
I’ll teach you my system for knowing what to film without the stress. By using “Show, Don’t Tell,” you’ll gather footage that has story built into it, moving beyond generic B-roll montages.
Feeling awkward on camera? This session is all about helping you feel comfortable and natural in front of the lens, so your personality shines through and connects with your audience.
Learn my tricks for getting cinematic shots of yourself. I’ll cover the gear I use, how I pack it, and how you can capture high-quality, solo footage that looks professional.
Doing more with less is key. We’ll explore three gear levels—budget-friendly to advanced—and how to get the most out of your existing setup without needing to spend a lot on new gear.
Solo filmmaking doesn’t have to limit you. I’ll show you the skills to create compelling solo documentaries, and how working alone can actually improve your storytelling, not hold it back.
In this session, we’ll go on location as I show you how to choose shot angles and capture cinematic images. You’ll learn the practical steps to get visuals that enhance your story.
I’ll teach you how to build a YouTube channel that gives you creative freedom. You’ll learn how to create content you love without being boxed into one style or format, and how to grow along the way.
To put it bluntly, this trip isn't for everyone. If you find you have a problem with people based on who they are or where they are from, or how they identify, this isn't your trip.
This trip is for people who've made videos before and are wanting to create a healthy community.
Over 12 trips, we've had attendees from every walk of life, every experience level, and varying beliefs and values. I want to assemble a group that reflects different backgrounds, different perspectives, different stories. That's what makes the community on these trips so good.
The application process exists for one reason: to protect this space.
I take the environment on this boat seriously.
Five people in a shared space for five days is an intimate experience. But that only happens when everyone in the group is genuinely committed to showing up for each other and being gracious crew mates.
I will not tolerate a toxic environment. If you are behaving in a way that does not contribute positively, Captain John will take the boat to the next port and drop you off.
If you're accepted, you can trust that everyone else in that boat was vetted with intentionality. I can't promise people won't make mistakes, but I can promise I will hold everyone to a high standard. You'll be surrounded by people who are there to grow, create, and contribute to something good.
Hey friend, I’m Levi. I’ve been making videos for over 15 years, and I started my first YouTube channel shortly after picking up a camera. Along the way, I’ve learned some hard truths while creating over 500 videos.
For the first five years, I was disappointed with almost everything I made. I spent countless hours learning how to use cameras, achieve that perfect blurry background, and edit my footage together. I was constantly googling things like “how to color grade cinematically” or “best lenses for cinematic video.”
But no matter how much gear I researched, my videos always felt the same—montages set to music that even my own mom struggled to finish. It was crushing because I didn’t pick up a camera to make glorified slideshows. I wanted to make people feel something.
As a kid, I’d go to mountain film festivals, and the rush of watching outdoor stories on the big screen left a mark on me. That feeling of the hair standing up on the back of your neck in a packed theater was what I wanted to recreate with my films. But instead, I was leaving people looking for any excuse to stop watching.
For the longest time, I thought the reason my stories weren’t landing was that I needed a full crew to create something impactful. I spent so much time focusing on production value, trying to make things more cinematic, that I missed the bigger picture—connecting with the viewer.
In this adventure film academy masterclass, I’m going to show you the lessons I’ve learned, so you can skip the years of frustration and start telling the stories you’ve always wanted to create—no crew needed.
The trip is a total cost of $2894 usd.
The trip is 5 days, 4 nights. The starting day is May 30th. You will need to be in Vancouver area the day before.
You’ll develop a full understanding of how to tell impactful adventure stories as a one-person team. Key takeaways include:
No experience required! Captain John is an incredible host, and is great at introducing people to their first sailing experience.
Captain John is a certified CRYA (Canadian Recreational Yachting Association) sailing instructor with a lifetime of experience on the BC coast. You are in good hands on the water.
That said, this is a real sailing adventure. Weather changes. The ocean is unpredictable. There is inherent risk in any wilderness experience and this trip is no different.
Every attendee is required to sign a liability waiver before the trip. All activities and outings are suggestions — nothing is mandatory. You are always free to stay on the boat. Your safety is ultimately your own responsibility, and we trust you to make the right calls for yourself.
If you have specific health concerns or physical limitations, reach out in your application notes and we'll have an honest conversation about whether this trip is the right fit.
I am not certified by any organizing body for teaching filmmaking. I am teaching what I have learned creating my body of finished work.
I have an anti-guru policy.
I'm not here to be your hero or your drill instructor.
I'm here to share what I've learned and help you find your own approach.
On this trip, you're in charge of your own experience. Nothing is mandatory. No pressure to push beyond what feels right for you.
In the application there is a link to a fully detailed packing list.
S.V. Porpoise is a stable 58-foot vessel and we sail protected inland waters — so conditions are generally calm. On windier days there can be some motion. If you're prone to nausea, bring Gravol. It does the trick.
The Adventure Film Academy Community is a supportive space where filmmakers come together to finish projects, share ideas, and receive real-time feedback from Levi.
By the end of the course, you’ll have developed your own personalized filmmaking process, with a deep understanding of how to:
Absolutely! This course is for a range of filmmakers. Because it is a small group, we can really customize the specific sessions to those who actually attend. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refine your skills, this workshop provides clear, actionable steps to take your filmmaking to the next level.
Don’t let another moment pass by. Take charge of your filmmaking journey and learn how to create impactful stories that resonate.