Sneak On The Lot was co-founded by Darrin Fletcher and Chet Thomas — the Contest Chairs of the SkillsUSA National Digital Cinema Competition, the largest high-school CTE film contest in the country. Between them, Fletch and Chet bring over 60 years of combined experience in the film industry. They've spent years watching what works and what doesn't in film classrooms across the country, judging thousands of student films, and talking to the teachers in the trenches. The platform is the answer to everything they wished existed when they were running contests on spreadsheets and Google Forms.
Sneak on the Lot's mission is to improve student’s knowledge and filmmaking skills while also simplifying the lives of video production teachers. In addition to the tools and all the curricula, they also host seminars and film competitions along with summer workshops in Los Angeles working on real sets of real film projects.
Whether you are a seasoned instructor or an aspiring filmmaker, Sneak on the Lot puts the necessary tools in your hands to be successful on set and in the classroom.
This is accomplished via:
Use the links above or contact your Regional Manager for more information. Also, we can provide you with temporary access to the website for free! Just let us know you're interested!
Watch the videos to the right for basic information about the website.
Online Multi-tier Curriculum
For the special educational cost of only $20 per seat annually (just $400 for 20 students) you get:
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10 complete courses designed by working Hollywood professionals
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Progressive skill-building from "Introduction to Film" through "Capstone Film"
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Blind peer review system — 5 reviews per film, 10-point scale, anti-gaming protection
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Built-in music library, sound effects library, script library, screenplay writer, and interviews with pros
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6 tracked crew roles with Fame scores, a 10-level career ladder, and leaderboards
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Gamified system that makes students compete, review, and create voluntarily
Working alone or in a group, the instructional workflow combines entertainment and education into a single package that makes learning fun again. With 10 fully interactive courses that will guide students through the filmmaking process from development to distribution.
Sneak on the Lot includes:
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Teacher Dashboard - See every student's progress at a glance. Track Fame, Prestige, and crew role scores across your entire roster. Get AI-powered insights that flag students who need attention before they fall behind.
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Peer Review System - Every submitted film receives 5 blind peer reviews scored on a 10-point scale across 5 craft categories. Reviewers earn Prestige — the currency required to climb the career ladder. The system teaches students to evaluate work critically and articulate feedback professionally.
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Production Asset Libraries - Professional-grade music, sound effects, and stock footage built directly into the platform. Every asset is cleared for student use — no YouTube copyright strikes, no takedown notices, no awkward conversations with your IT department. Students search, preview, and download inside their Canvas workflow, and your dashboard shows you exactly what they're pulling for each project.
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Screenplay Writer - A full screenwriting editor built directly into the platform. Students write properly formatted screenplays with scene headings, action lines, dialogue, and transitions. The AI coverage engine provides professional-grade feedback on story structure, character, and pacing.
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AI Script Coverage - Every screenplay your students write can receive professional coverage — the same kind of analysis working studio readers produce for spec scripts. Students get a Pass, Consider, or Recommend verdict, plus detailed notes on structure, character, dialogue, and pacing. And the bar rises with the writer: beginners are judged on fundamentals, advanced students are held to industry submission standards. The feedback is specific, actionable, and written in the vocabulary real writers use.
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Interviews with Professional Filmmakers - Hours of exclusive interviews with working directors, editors, cinematographers, writers, and producers. Students earn Prestige for watching — and they can't skip ahead. The anti-scrub system ensures genuine engagement with every answer.
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Tutorial Library - A complete craft curriculum delivered through video — organized into the five real phases of filmmaking: Development, Preproduction, Production, Postproduction, and exclusive "A Night On The Lot" sessions with industry veterans. Students move through in sequence as a standalone curriculum, or jump to whichever skill their current project demands. Every tutorial is locked behind a watch-verification gate, so credit only lands when the learning actually happens.
Please contact your Regional Manager for more information.
Summer Workshops
Sneak On the Lot workshops were created to assist filmmakers and instructors in the classroom and give them personal experiences behind the scenes of a motion picture. This experience could then be taken back to their classrooms and be dispensed to their students.
To enable educators and students the best filmmaking knowledge possible, Sneak On The Lot offers a workshop that engages participants in the various stages of film production—from working on set with professionals to participating in various filmmaking workshops, Sneak On The Lot has a proven track record of thorough filmmaking training.
Every workshop is built on three pillars — each designed to give you an understanding of filmmaking that no textbook, tutorial, or weekend seminar can replicate.
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On-Set Production - Rotate through every department — camera, lighting, sound, art, makeup, wardrobe, and directing — working side-by-side with professionals who do this for a living. You don't watch. You work.
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Studio Access - Tour the facilities where films are actually made. Past visits include Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Deluxe Film Labs, Todd A.O., and Soundelux. Facilities rotate each year.
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Hollywood Culture - After wrap, experience the city — the Dolby Theatre, the Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, CityWalk. Understand the culture that surrounds the industry.
Teachers and administrators who attend the workshop qualify for 60 hours of in-service credit — a combination of classroom filmmaking instruction and on-set practical experience with industry professionals. You'll leave with Sneak On The Lot's highest certification level and the confidence to transform your program.
In addition to participants working on a film in Hollywood, Learning Labs/Sneak on the Lot can provide regional workshops that are given in your local area.
In July 2025, a film teacher from Kentucky let us know of his experience at the workshop:
"The workshop was the best thing I've been to.
Sometimes you attend a PD because it has a good title and seems relevant to you but then you don't really learn anything.
This was nothing like that.
This was a childhood dream come true. Actually being on a true and real film set, doing true and real film things with true and real film people with true and real film equipment...it was awesome. I learned a ton but barely scratched the surface. I've talked about doing it again."
Justin H., Film Teacher, Hardin County, KY
Please contact your Regional Manager for more information.
