This is the best Udemy Documentary Filmmaking with Soul coupon code discount for 2026.
So if you’re interested in Dandan Liu’s “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul” course, which will help you increase your Photography skills, get your discount on this Udemy online course up above while it’s still available. (The coupon code will be instantly applied.)
Documentary Filmmaking with Soul review for 2026
In our review of this course, we try to help you answer all of your most important questions about Documentary Filmmaking with Soul as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that you can determine whether this online education training is worth your time and money.
Feel free to jump to whatever question you want answered the most.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
Why use DFWS as an abbreviation of the course name?
During our Documentary Filmmaking with Soul course review, you might sometimes see us refer to it as DFWS for the following 2 reasons:
- We created the acronym by taking the first letter of every word (which was very ingenious and innovative, we know)
- We’re lazy and DFWS is simpler and easier for reviewing purposes
The full course name is 32 characters long, including blanks, while DFWS is 4 characters long.
You do the math.
Okay, we’ll do the math. We’re saving 28 characters every time we use DFWS.
So, just a heads up that we’ll be using this abbreviation sometimes, so you’re not left scratching your head and wondering what the heck we’re talking about whenever we refer to DFWS throughout the remainder of this review.
Is the Documentary Filmmaking with Soul course for you?
To determine whether Dandan Liu’s Udemy course is a good fit for you or not, ask yourself the following questions down below.
The more you answer “yes” to each question, the more likely it is that you’ll like this course.
Can you understand what Dandan Liu’s course is about in 30 seconds or less?
Hopefully, you can easily grasp in 10 seconds or less what this online course is about simply by taking a look at the title that Dandan Liu chose for the course, “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul”, as well as its subtitle: “How to Create a Modern, Cinematic, Story-Driven Documentary from Start to Finish”.
This combo of title and subtitle should be enough to communicate the purpose of the training if Dandan Liu is a good, clear communicator (which, of course, you want in a teacher).
In our opinion, if you still don’t know what DFWS is about after looking at these two things, then this is a red flag, and you might be better off not taking this class.
Among other things, it means Dandan Liu hasn’t clearly and accurately conveyed what the course is about and might not be the best teacher for you.
For similar reasons, it’s important that you’re able to clearly understand what Documentary Filmmaking with Soul is all about from the first few lines of the course description.
So take just a few seconds to read the opening lines down below and see what you think of them.
Opening lines of Dandan Liu’s official description of DFWS
It’s time documentaries get a fresh lift. Typically, they are taught with outdated methods which stem from the 90’s, with boring talking heads and bad imagery. This class, instead, teaches you how to make modern, cinematic, and story-driven character docs that engage viewers both visually and emotionally.
This class will cover the whole doc making lifecycle, covering how to plan, how to shoot, and how to edit. Part travelogue, part course, all of these lessons are designed to be applicable and get straight-to-the-point. Showing behind-the-scenes footage, they bring you along Dandan’s journey of making her beautiful short doc in Tokyo about a female boxer.
All of the lessons are designed to be applicable, get straight-to-the-point, and use minimal equipment.
(Read more about this course on the official course page.)
Does DFWS pass the 30 Seconds Test?
You can read a lot more about Documentary Filmmaking with Soul on the official course page on Udemy, but the point is this: are the title, subtitle, and just the first few lines of the description enough to help you understand what the course is about?
If so, Dandan Liu has done a good job and can be considered more trustworthy and a good communicator, which are important qualities for any teacher.
And, if not, maybe you’re better off looking at other Photography classes that are more clearly defined and more tailored to your specific interests.
Did Documentary Filmmaking with Soul appeal to you in 30 seconds or less?
Now that you’ve done the 30 Second Test with DFWS above, what is your gut reaction to this Photography course with only the basic information of its title, subtitle, and the first few opening lines of its official course summary?
Did Dandan Liu do a good job conveying its subject matter, and did it immediately get your attention and appeal to you?
If so, Dandan Liu’s online course is certainly worth considering some more.
But if not, perhaps it’s in your best interest to consider some other Photography courses instead, because clear communication and being able to hook and maintain your interest are two very important qualities for your online learning success.
Does Dandan Liu sound like a course instructor you’d like to learn from?
You’ve already learned how to use The 30 Second Test to make a quick evaluation of whether the DFWS course is worth taking.
We have a similar 15 Second Bio Test where you read only the first few lines of an instructor’s background — in this case, Dandan Liu’s background — and then you make a quick, snap judgment as to whether you think the instructor would be ideal for you.
There is no right or wrong answer. It’s just about going with your gut instinct. What might appeal to one potential student might alienate another, and vice versa.
(FYI, all Udemy instructors, including Dandan Liu, have a Udemy profile on their course page, so you can easily check for a bio and background on the Udemy website that way. We’re only including the first few lines of the bio down below for The 15 Second Bio Test).
Opening lines from Dandan Liu’s Udemy bio
I come from a long line of scientists, so I’m not called the “black sheep” of the family, but the “genetic mutant” as a self-taught commercial and documentary filmmaker. My love of filmmaking came when I embarked on a four year journey living with people of different religions and lifestyles around the world. From waking up at 3 am with Zen Buddhist monks in Japan to running a guesthouse with nuns in Jerusalem, I started making films as a way to understand the local realities around me. These films have since taken me to film festivals around the world, and opened doors for me to work full time on film crews. But why do I continue to do it? I do it because I totally believe in the beauty and power of filmmaking, with an emphasis on cinematography, as a way to understand what it means to be human and create connections among people.
(Learn more about this instructor on the official course page.)
What did you think about Dandan Liu after reading just the first few lines of the bio above?
After reading just the first few lines about Dandan Liu, did it make you more or less interested in taking the DFWS course?
And did it make you feel like Dandan Liu was more or less credible and qualified to teach Documentary Filmmaking with Soul?
Finally, overall, did you feel like you’d receive the proper training from the instructor of this Photography course?
As always, we encourage you to listen to your gut instinct, which is different for every student.
Are the DFWS lessons clear, specific, and organized well?
Part of the (good) problem with Udemy’s online courses, such as the Documentary Filmmaking with Soul course, is that the instructors are constantly updating them, including adding and renaming lessons.
So it makes no sense whatsoever for us to list out all the modules and lessons in the DFWS course here, because you can just as easily go to the Udemy course page and get all the up to date course structure as of right now.
We do, however, have some tips about reviewing Dandan Liu’s course structure, so that you can get a better sense of whether this program is worth your time or not.
In a nutshell, you want to scan the the titles of the different sections and lessons of the course, and verify that they are clearly relevant to the course’s name, Documentary Filmmaking with Soul, as well as the course’s subtitle, How to Create a Modern, Cinematic, Story-Driven Documentary from Start to Finish.
If the section names and lessons are clear, specific, and relevant, then it’s a good sign that DFWS is potentially a good, useful course for you, and you can have more confidence in Dandan Liu’s teaching abilities and lesson planning.
On the other hand, if the module names are confusing, vague, or irrelevant, then this is a red flag, which might indicate that the program is worth skipping.
Have you taken some free lessons from Dandan Liu that you enjoyed?
Have you already learned something from Dandan Liu that you valued or enjoyed?
For example, does the Documentary Filmmaking with Soul training have some free lessons that you can try? (Almost all Udemy instructors will give you at least one or two lessons for free to help you make a better, more informed decision before enrolling in their course.)
But if you weren’t able to get any DFWS lessons for free, have you perhaps watched a YouTube video by Dandan Liu, or perhaps come across this instructor’s thoughts on Quora, Facebook, LinkedIn, Github, Reddit, or some other platform?
Or have you perhaps even taken one of Dandan Liu’s free courses or free webinars? (Many online teachers offer these freebies, which is a great way to get to know them and evaluate their teaching methods before buying one of their courses.)
In any case, the more familiar you are with Dandan Liu’s teaching methods, and the more you enjoy them, the more likely it is that Documentary Filmmaking with Soul will be a good fit for you.
(P.S.: We strongly encourage you to seek out some free instruction from Dandan Liu before purchasing this course, since it’s one of the best ways to determine whether DFWS will be helpful for you.)
Are “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul” reviews generally positive?
On the bottom of the DFWS page, you can read student reviews of the class.
Prior to October 30, 2026, there were 1,588 students enrolled, 539 reviews / ratings, and it was overall rated 4.4 out of 5.
Obviously, the more highly other students rate DFWS the better, but no matter what, keep an open mind when reading the reviews, since you might still like a course a great deal that other students dislike.
After all, everyone’s got their own opinion.
We recommend that you spend only a couple minutes scanning the DFWS reviews to get an overall sense of them. You don’t have to read each one!
Is Dandan Liu responsive to student questions in the DFWS training?
You can see what other students have to say about this in their DFWS reviews.
But, our simple all time favorite way of gauging an instructor’s responsiveness is to simply email the instructor and see if or how they respond.
In this case, Udemy has a messaging system for students / anyone who has an account, and you can send Dandan Liu a message through this system quite easily, even if you haven’t bought DFWS yet.
For example, you could say, “Hi, and I came across DFWS while looking at Photography courses on Udemy. If I enroll in your training, would you mind if I asked you any questions along the way?”
If you use this approach, the response (or lack of response) from the professor will tell you everything.
Obviously, the quicker the response the better!
Are you comfortable going through the lessons in Documentary Filmmaking with Soul on your own, online?
This is a big one, because Documentary Filmmaking with Soul is an online course as opposed to a course that you physically take in a classroom.
Of course, you will need a good internet connection to have access to the course material and lessons, but beyond that, you also have to be comfortable being self motivated to some degree, being on your own, and not having any physical interaction with any of the other students taking Documentary Filmmaking with Soul.
Yes, you will be able to interact with the students and the teacher, Dandan Liu, online, but it’s a different kind of experience than what you’d get if you were interacting with them in person.
This is not a big deal to most people, but it might be something for you to consider if you feel like you do better taking classes in person rather than learning online.
Do the pros / benefits of DFWS make it worth your time?
Ideally, if you’ve gone through the evaluation steps above, you have a list of positive things about the Documentary Filmmaking with Soul training that looks something like this:
- The purpose of DFWS can be clearly grasped and understood, and its lesson structure is clear, specific, and well organized
- Dandan Liu is well qualified to teach this subject matter, has good teaching abilities, and is responsive to student questions
- Other DFWS students have great things to say about the program
Other benefits include:
- You get to go through DFWS at your own pace
- You join a community of 1,588 other students taking the course
- You get lifetime access to the training
- All updates to the training are free
- You have a 30 day money back guarantee
Even if there are some things that you don’t like about the program, so what?
The question is simply this: do you think that DFWS would be worth your time, even if there are some things that could be better about it?
Can you comfortably afford DFWS?
Can you comfortably afford the cost of Documentary Filmmaking with Soul?
This is an important question to answer, because even if you think DFWS sounds like the greatest online class in the world, it’s still not worth taking if you can’t comfortably afford it!
Before October 30, 2026, the price was $12.99 before any Udemy discount, and you were able to pay with a credit card.
Keep in mind that this is a Udemy online course, and there’s a great chance that you can get a solid discount on DFWS with Udemy coupons / promo codes, especially with the strategies we provide for helping you find the best, most popular coupons available.
We’ll cover that in greater detail in the next section, because at the end of the day, its important that you can learn whatever you want to learn without getting into a lot of credit card debt.
How can you maximize your discount on Documentary Filmmaking with Soul?
By far, the easiest way to get the best and biggest discount on this course is to use the Documentary Filmmaking with Soul discount code link at the top of this page.
It will instantly give you the best coupon code we could find for Dandan Liu’s online training.
We don’t believe there’s a bigger discount than the one we provided, but if for some reason you’d like to try find one, you can use the methods below to hunt for the best DFWS course coupons and promo codes you can find.
FYI, the methods below will help you not just with getting DFWS for a better price, but also with any other Dandan Liu Udemy course that you’d like to get for cheaper.
How can Google help you get a DFWS discount?
To use this method, do a Google search for the DFWS training, but in your search query, be sure to add words like coupon code, promo code, deal, sale, discount, and Udemy.
For example, you might do a search for “Udemy Documentary Filmmaking with Soul promo code” or “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul udemy coupon codes” and see what turns up.
Similarly, you can use the same combination of search terms with Dandan Liu’s name and see what happens.
For example, you might do a Google search for “Dandan Liu Udemy coupons” or “Dandan Liu course coupon codes” and see if that helps you.
However, in general, it’s far more powerful to do a search for deals and coupon codes with the actual training’s name, than with the instructor’s name.
So in this case, for example, prioritize searches for “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul coupons” rather than “Dandan Liu coupons”.
How can a Udemy sale get you DFWS for cheaper?
Every once in while, Udemy will do a sitewide sale where they offer all (or almost all) their courses at a discounted price. For example, one of the best sales is where every course is only $10 or $9.99.
So, if you’re interested in saving as much money as possible, you could wait and see if you can get DFWS for this cheaper Udemy sale price one day.
The problem is that these sales only occur sporadically, so you might be waiting for a while. Also, if Dandan Liu decides not to participate in the site wide sale, then you won’t get a discount on DFWS, even though you could get a great discount on almost any other class at Udemy!
To understand this, think of there as being two different coupon categories for the DFWS course. Category one is an official Udemy coupon (which instructors can opt out of), while category two is a coupon offered directly by the instructor.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what kind of a coupon tag you’re dealing with (for example, “officially from Udemy” or “officially from the instructor”), as long as long as as you’re dealing with active coupons that get you a better price.
How can you get a DFWS discount from Dandan Liu?
If you’re really serious about getting “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul” for the cheapest price possible, then perhaps one of the most powerful things you can do is get a coupon code straight from Dandan Liu, instead of waiting for a Udemy sale.
To do this, you can use either the direct approach or an indirect approach to try to get your discount.
With the direct approach, the big idea is to simply get Dandan Liu’s contact info in some way or another (whether it’s email, or Twitter, or whatever else).
Then you send a message saying something like “I’m interested in enrolling in Documentary Filmmaking with Soul. Do you happen to currently have an active coupon code for it that I could use?” (And then, hopefully, you’ll get a reply with your discount code.)
On the other hand, with the indirect approach, you join Dandan Liu’s mailing list, if you can find it, and then you hope that at some time DFWS will be promoted to you at a discount.
By far, the more powerful approach is the direct approach, because it tends to get results faster. But you can experiment with the indirect approach and see if it works for you.
Can you get DFWS for free?
Of course, the best possible price for the DFWS training is free! As in, you pay no money whatsoever.
And guess what? Sometimes Udemy instructors provide coupon codes that enable students to take their courses for free. So, perhaps it’s possible that Dandan Liu has done this.
Basically, if you’re trying to get this program for free, you will want to search for the course’s name along with other words like free coupon, or 100 off coupon.
For example, you might do a google search for “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul free coupon” or “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul 100 off coupon” and see what happens.
But keep this in mind: often, Udemy teachers will offer a free coupon for their course when it first opens to get some publicity and reviews. And then, after a few days, they’ll make the coupon expired.
So even Dandan Liu has offered free coupons for DFWS in the past, the odds are likely they will all be currently expired. This is a common pattern that we have found.
What about a DFWS free download?
It’s important to understand that there’s a difference between getting full access to the DFWS training for free legally with a free coupon code vs. finding a way to download DFWS illegally.
If you really want to go the download route, you can do a google search for something like “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul download”.
And if that doesn’t get you the results you want, you can add the word “free” to your search.
For example, perhaps you could do a google search for “Documentary Filmmaking with Soul free download”.
However, even if you get some results from these searches, we do not recommend that you take this course of action.
First of all, there are some shady sites out there that could be trying to infect your computer.
Second, Dandan Liu created this course and deserves monetary compensation for it.
And third, if you go the free download route, you’ll be missing out on a lot of value, because you won’t be able to ask the instructor questions or interact with the other 1,588 students enrolled in the program.
Can you get a refund on Documentary Filmmaking with Soul if you don’t like it?
Let’s say that you used our tips above, and you were able to buy the DFWS training at a fantastic discounted price. So at this point, you’re super excited.
Then, you actually dive into Dandan Liu’s course, and you discover that it just isn’t for you for whatever reason.
And now you’re super bummed, because you feel like it wasn’t money well spent.
Well, guess what?
Udemy offers a rock solid 30 day money back guarantee on all their courses, so you can get a refund on DFWS no matter what. And this means there is absolutely no risk.
Indeed, even if you left a super negative, critical review on the DFWS training, and then asked for your money back, you’d get a refund. For better or worse, there’s nothing Dandan Liu could do about it, since it is simply Udemy policy.
To sum it up: yes, you can get a full refund, so at the end of the day, don’t worry about the possibility of purchasing DFWS and not liking it, since you can always get your money back.
What is OCP’s overall rating of Documentary Filmmaking with Soul?
During this DFWS review, you’ve learned about some of the unusual ways we like to evaluate courses, such as with The 30 Second Test and The 15 Second Bio Test.
So our overall review process is perhaps a little unusual and different from other reviews out there. Keep this in mind when you consider the overall rating / score that we have given this course.
Anyway, after taking a look at the DFWS training, the instructor, Dandan Liu, and reading what other students have said about this program, we give it an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5.
Ultimately, though, what matters most is what you would rate it based on the same criteria.
What are some potential alternatives to Documentary Filmmaking with Soul?
If you like this course, you might also be interested in:
1. Flash Photography for Beginners
Learn how to master Flash photography both on and off camera through some simple, straightforward teaching.
Taught by Photographer
2. COMPOSITION : learn the artistic side of photography
Unhappy with your photos? Struggling with camera settings? Confused with technical jargon? Learn the FUN stuff FIRST !
Taught by Pro photographer | Qualified teacher | Photoshop expert
Enhance your Photos with the Best Set of Photoshop Plugins Around!
Taught by Designer
4. Step by Step Mobile Phone Travel Videos
Smart Phone Video Creation made Easy.
Taught by Travel Video creators
5. Learn The Photography Business From A Pro
Promotion and Photography Business
Taught by Travel Photographer, World Traveler and Best Selling Author
TLDR: Just the quick facts about DFWS
Okay, if all of this was Too Long Didn’t Read for you, here is the Cliff’s Notes version of what DFWS’s online training is all about:
DFWS coupon & course info
Course Name: Documentary Filmmaking with Soul
Subtitle: How to Create a Modern, Cinematic, Story-Driven Documentary from Start to Finish
Instructor: Taught by Dandan Liu
Category: Photography
Subcategory: Video Design
Provided by: Udemy
Price: $12.99 (before discount)
Free coupon code: Get Udemy coupon code discount at top of page (no charge for coupon, especially since we are compensated for referrals via affiliate marketing)
DFWS review info & popularity
Prior to October 30, 2026…
Students: 1,588 students enrolled
Ratings: 539 reviews
Rank: ranked #260 in Udemy Photography Courses in Udemy Photography Courses
Rankings tip: rankings change all the time, so even if Documentary Filmmaking with Soul is a bestseller or one of the top Udemy courses one year, it doesn’t mean it will be a top Udemy course the next year
DFWS final details
Languages: English
Skill level: All Levels
Lectures: 51 lectures lectures lessons
Duration: 2 total hours hours of video
What you get: Plan, shoot, and edit a strong, cinematic documentary with deep storytelling roots.
Target audience: Anyone who wants to learn how to make a story-driven, cinematic, and engaging documentary.
Requirements: A dSLR camera, an Adobe Premiere Pro free trial, a tripod, and basic audio recording equipment.
Access: Lifetime access
Peace of mind: 30 day money back guarantee
Availability: available online, as well as on iOS and Android
Download options: check course to see if you can download lessons
