Back in June 2015, Esther attended a Video Planning and Filming Workshop organised and run by Liquid Lens. The half day workshop, called “Shoot Yourself!” was presented by Darren and Jackie Cox at The Castle Rooms in Halifax. Here’s Esther’s review…
After a warm welcome and a good cup of tea (a good brew is always important!), Darren introduced the workshop and walked us through the basics of videography. The whole workshop was based around making the most of what you have (eg a smartphone) and how through making small investments in equipment, you can improve the quality of your home-made videos without blowing the budget!
Did you know that by having videos on your website you can improve its SEO?
The basic breakdown of the video workshop was:
- Intro
- Equipment
- Lighting
- Planning
- Practical
After the intro, Darren walked and talked us through the various equipment there is; from high-end fancy cameras to compact smartphones, microphones and other accessories. He also demonstrated the importance of getting the correct lighting and “what not to do!” It was really interesting to see how by making some small tweaks it can improve video quality so much.
After a tea-break, Jackie explained about the importance of planning your videos. Plan, plan, plan! Planning and storyboarding is the bulk of shooting a video. If the planning is done properly and thoroughly, like doing foundations, the shooting should be more efficient and clear…
The great thing about Darren and Jackie is that they are really down-to-earth people and they meet you where you are at. All 6 delegates (including me) were there to learn how to make the best out of their smartphones.
After a jam-packed couple of hours we had time to plan and film something for ourselves. Some delegates got their hands on the fancier cameras straight away and went outside to film. However, I decided to stay put and wrote out the draft plan for my Social Progress masterpiece! Watch out Stephen Spielberg!!
When it came to me actually doing something practical, I chose to stick to my iPhone and test out the different microphones there were. Two out of the three were compatible with my phone (the third one was a wireless microphone) and one was cheaper than the other. After testing them out, with the help of a fellow delegate, I could see how the quality of the video improved significantly just by using a mic!
Darren and Jackie crammed loads of info, recommendations, top tips and tricks into the workshop. The only downside was that I personally wanted to have more time to plan and film whilst I had the professionals with me. Overall it was a fantastic workshop and I’d have happily done a full day with them! I’m also keen to go on their “Edit Yourself!” Workshop later this year..!
Did you know that you get much more engagement from photos and videos on social media than text alone?
We have various “Social Media for Business” Workshops coming up including three video workshops by Liquid Lens. The three video workshops are:
- Shoot Yourself! – Video Planning and Filming
Thursday 11th February 2016, Thursday 24th March 2016
- Edit Yourself! – Video Editing
Thursday 12th November 2015, Thursday 18th February 2016, Thursday 31st March 2016
- Market Yourself! – Video Marketing
Tuesday 17th November 2015, Thursday 25th February 2016, Thursday 7th April 2016
The great news is that each of these workshops will be half-days! There will be plenty of time for learning, planning and filming with the professionals by your side.
Each workshop is 9:30am-12:30pm at Social Progress HQ, Honley and is £65 per person (includes Fairtrade refreshments).
To book onto the Video Workshops, do drop us an email to info@socialprogress.co.uk
For more info about the Video Workshops click here.
For more info about the “Social Media for Business” Workshops click here.
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