From the director of Jailer 2
For anyone who wants to write or direct films
Full refund within 7 days if you've watched less than a quarter. Refund policy
560+ people have bought this masterclass
His films, 2018 to 2026
Kolamaavu Kokila, Doctor, Beast and Jailer each get their own lessons. Jailer 2 opened on 15 October 2026.
Jailer 2 (2026)
In cinemas now. Not a lesson topic; lesson 13 tells how one scene kept him stuck for two months.
Jailer (2023)
Lessons 14, 18 and 26
Beast (2022)
Lessons 15 and 17
Doctor (2021)
Lessons 10 and 16
Kolamaavu Kokila (2018)
Lessons 7, 9 and 17
What you get
Included
Bonuses worth ₹19,999, for every buyer
Price
₹2,499
One payment of ₹2,499. GST included.
Get the masterclass ₹2,499Full refund within 7 days of buying, if you have watched less than a quarter of the course. Refund policy
Pay by UPI or card, through Razorpay.
Watch first
01 · The route in
He didn't know how to get an assistant director's job. He started at Vijay TV and went on to direct Rajinikanth.
Lessons 2 to 5
02 · The calm set
A calm director gets better work. On a shoot, 300 people wait for your call.
Lesson 24
03 · The tone
A serious story can make people laugh. Doctor is a kidnapping told in a quirky tone.
Lesson 10The lessons
2 h 33 min in all, in Tamil with English subtitles.
Lesson 1: Why I teach filmmaking
There is no single way to make a film. This is Nelson's; keep what helps you.
Lesson 2: How I got into cinema by accident
He planned to be an engineer and barely watched films as a boy.
Lesson 3: Photography and my first visual lessons
How Visual Communication classes taught him what a shot is.
Lesson 4: From Vijay TV to cinema
He did not know how to become an assistant director, so he made his own opening at Vijay TV.
Lesson 5: How I watch films, sometimes on mute
He missed most films from 1995 to 2004. How he studies a film now.
Lesson 6: The directors who shaped me
Director Sridhar's films, told to him by his father in five minutes, and Mani Ratnam.
Lesson 7: Cracking Kolamaavu Kokila
How to hold an audience for two and a half hours without a hero's entry.
Lesson 8: Find what you are good at
Name your own talent, then work on it every day.
Lesson 9: Where the Kolamaavu Kokila idea came from
An innocent-looking girl inside a drug cartel.
Lesson 10: Doctor: a serious story in a quirky tone
A kidnapping plot told so the audience laughs.
Lesson 11: How to narrate your story
Make a hero or producer see the film you see in your head.
Lesson 12: Practise narration like a skill
Even with listeners who refuse to react.
Lesson 13: My writing process: five lines first
Lock the story in five lines, fix the big turns, then write scene by scene.
Lesson 14: Designing characters people remember
Why the character matters more than the plot, from Tom and Jerry to Rajinikanth.
Lesson 15: The Beast opening and the corridor fight
Veera Raghavan's guilt, the low-light corridor, the camera on a ceiling track.
Lesson 16: Staging Doctor's interval block
The longest lesson in the course, on one sequence from Doctor.
Lesson 17: Character arcs across my films
Kokila does not know her strength. Doctor hides his. Beast shows it in the first scene.
Lesson 18: The Jailer flip
Everyone knows he will change. The craft is choosing what makes him change.
Lesson 19: Dialogue that does not sound regular
He writes his own lines and tests them on his assistant directors.
Lesson 20: Take every suggestion, then decide
Hear everyone out; keep what is valid.
Lesson 21: From budget to set design
Write within the budget, then build the set around the scene.
Lesson 22: Why I skip storyboards
Lock 10 shots on paper and the crew stops thinking. Storyboards only for VFX.
Lesson 23: Briefing my team in pre-production
How he gets ideas from the DOP, art director and costume designer.
Lesson 24: Keeping the shoot happy
300 people wait for your call. Arrive with the answers.
Lesson 25: Visuals come first
Respect the frame even when the story fails. Even a trashcan can look good on screen.
Lesson 26: Directing stars and newcomers
Bring every actor in a scene to the same level. He trained Dhanraj for three months for Jailer.
Lesson 27: Editing starts in the script
Pauses and tempo are planned on paper. Trial screenings decide the rest.
Lesson 28: Working with Anirudh
Some scenes start from a piece of music. How he briefs Anirudh on the few that matter most.
Lesson 29: Find your own space
He signed his first film at 25 and saw it released at 33. Find the space no one else is in.
What you learn
Lock a film idea in five lines.
Build a character the audience remembers.
Plan an action opening, shot by shot.
Stage a big interval sequence.
Narrate your story so a producer sees it.
Write dialogue that does not sound regular.
Design a set around a scene, within budget.
Run a calm set for 300 people.
From the lessons
From the masterclass, English subtitles.
That's when I understood that, even if we're nobody, if we make a really good story, the story itself will take you and land you where you're supposed to be.
... when I was doing the Jailer 2 script, I got blocked somewhere and it was there for 2 months. But I went to the other scene only after I cracked it.
Because when it comes to a shooting, 300 people will be waiting for your command. We shouldn't look stupid in front of those 300 people.
So, if someone gives me a storyboard, I will dismantle it first.
I won't touch a story without Rajinism with Rajini Sir. If there's no Rajinism, we can do that movie with anyone.
I signed my first film as a director at the age of 25. But my first film was released when I was 33 years old. There were 8 years in between.
Anirudh is someone whom if we ask 10, he will give us 20.
Reviews
Quoted as written in our feedback form. Each card names the course it reviews.
Originality is the key to success. Believing in ourselves and simultaneously accepting the comments and customizing them according to our idea is the takeaway from the master class. The uniqueness will attract the audience instead of repeating the usual pattern.
KAVERI N.
ENGINEER AMBITIOUS SCRIPT WRITER
The way neslon broked rules and provided me a new way to make films
Taruneesh
Student
The way he share his experience and his idea about beast movie shorts his usage of lighting Thank you Nelson sir
Leslie A.
Student and searching for a job
His simplicity how he creates that vibe from his previous learnings he got
Gaurav G.
Social Media Creator
Leaning about how to make actors to act and really enjoyed about the character development
Ulaganathan A.
Filmmaker
Learning the practical difficulties on the set
Gandhi E.
Director
Technical challenges and logistics difficulties
Dhanaseenuvasan
IT
Being a film making aspiring I have attended this workshop without any expectations. But finally it turned out as a major learning source of multiple dimensions of the film direction and script building. I would say full paisa vasool guys. Vizil podu..
Moulali K.
Operations Manager
I have a story coming to my mind from two to three years. I had all the characters and events in that story but could not go ahead in terms of TV serial. I do not know whom to talk. How it is written? How to adapt in TV serial? I think I got answer to most of question. Very grateful to you
Rohini P.
Medical Transcription
Before I this session. I was curious because I did three unfinished scripts with improper order but now I can see there is more too it , more perspectives around the techniques around a writing and scene… All I can say is Thank you 🙏
Abishek J.
Preemployed and MBA student
Quite a few things actually might look miniscule but at the same time enlightening: The contrast between incident vs story beautiful explained with a daily routine example The importance of theme, well defined goal as well as rising conflicts / stakes to make an engaging story References to movies like pursuit of happyness, munna bhai, the whole story arc on godfather were quite insightful info
Kshitij G.
Financial Analyst
Seven buyers of this masterclass left a written review. Four gave 5 stars; three gave 4. The other cards come from LevelUp programmes on writing and direction.
Read all reviewsBefore you buy
For you if
Not for you if
Value
You pay once and keep it for life.
You pay
₹2,499once
Paid once. No subscription.
about ₹86 a lesson, across 29 lessons
Certificate
Finish the lessons and get a Certificate of Completion. Download it as a PDF, print it or share it.
No risk
Buy it
Start watching straight away. Watch up to a quarter of the course.
Not for you?
Email support@leveluplearning.in within 7 days of buying.
Get it all back
You get the full amount back.
Full refund within 7 days of buying, if you have watched less than a quarter of the course. Refund policy
FAQ
Nelson speaks Tamil. Every lesson has English subtitles. There is no dubbed version.
29 lessons, 2 h 33 min in all. Most run 2 to 6 minutes. The longest, on Doctor's interval block, runs 17 minutes.
Anyone who wants to write or direct films, in Tamil or any language. Beginners are welcome. It is not for you if you want camera settings, editing software or screenplay format.
No. Buyers who reviewed it include an engineer, students, a social media creator and an IT worker.
Email support@leveluplearning.in within 7 days of buying. If you have watched less than a quarter of the course, you get a full refund. Refund policy
For life. You pay once. There is no subscription and nothing renews.
In the LevelUp app or website, on your phone, tablet or laptop. Lessons stream; they cannot be downloaded.
Yes. Finish the lessons and you get a Certificate of Completion signed by Nelson Dilipkumar.
Every buyer gets PDF workbooks and case notes, and access to the LevelUp creative community. Together they are worth ₹19,999.
Interviews ask about his films. These lessons show his method, step by step: how he locks a story in five lines (lesson 13), how he built the Beast opening (lesson 15), how he staged Doctor's interval (lesson 16), why he skips storyboards (lesson 22). He recorded them for LevelUp.
No camera settings, no software, no screenplay format. It covers how Nelson writes, casts, designs sets and runs a shoot.
No. These are recorded lessons, not a live class.
No course can promise that. This one shows how one working director thinks.
Yes. GST is included. Nothing renews.
Still have a question?
Ask us on WhatsApp29 lessons · 2 h 33 min
Full refund within 7 days of buying, if you have watched less than a quarter of the course. Refund policy
560+ people have bought this masterclass
Nelson on the Kolamaavu Kokila set.
Keep learning
Writing and direction
Lokesh Kanagaraj
15 lessons · 1 h 34 min
₹1,499
Filmmaking
Karthik Subbaraj
24 lessons · 3 h 4 min
₹2,499
Film music
Ravi Basrur
15 lessons · 5 h 12 min
₹2,499
Photography
G Venket Ram
21 lessons · 2 h 19 min
₹2,499
Film editing
Anthony Gonsalvez
19 lessons · 3 h 3 min
₹1,999
Art direction
DRK Kiran
20 lessons · 1 h 52 min
₹999
