People,
who they are and what they do, create communities. Over time, people and the
trades and environments they live and work in, change and pass away. You can
enjoy capturing the characters and stories of your community on video, using
just your smartphone and some low-cost accessories and apps. Designed for
complete beginners, this course will give you all the knowledge and skills you
need. It will take you from planning your project through to capturing engaging
interviews and compelling 'B roll' to editing and sharing your masterpiece.
The course offers a practical introduction to every aspect
of producing simple yet effective compelling video that looks and sounds great.
The focus is entirely on using the latest phone technologies
coupled with established film making techniques to create videos that tell
stories - harvesting oral history and profiling local trades, activities and
characters.
The course assumes no prior knowledge of film making and
across the week covers every aspect of the workflow. Subjects covered will include:
- Equipment and apps
- Storytelling in video
- Planning
- Shooting
- Interviews and 'B roll'
- Getting the best out of people
- Editing
- Curating your creations
It's a practical course, so you will be encouraged to
practise your newfound knowledge and skills on one or more projects, either
working alone or in pairs. By the end
of the course you will have produced at least one finished video profile or
story.
You should bring your own phone, and accessories if you have
them. Please note the training is focused on using iPhones or Android phones,
as these platforms are best suited for video production.
We will be working with one of two editing apps, depending
on your phone type. If you have an
iPhone, check you have iMovie downloaded. It's free. If you have an Android phone, download an app
called Kinemaster. It's free as a trial.
Video consumes large amounts of memory space and battery
power. Please ensure your phone has
plenty of memory available and bring a charger.
John Whyte-Venables
About John
John Whyte-Venables is a former BBC radio, television and
online journalist. He now specialises in smartphone video training and
currently leads on multimedia skills training at the UK Chartered Institute of
Public Relations (CIPR). John's particular interest is shooting and editing on
the same mobile device, making the most of phone video's key advantages of
portability and flexibility. He is passionate about storytelling in various
media and the creative possibilities of modern media technologies. In his spare
time he plays the bass guitar and saxophone.
