Today I was back at Shooityourself in Witney, Oxfordshire this time to teach the team how to use Adobe After Effects.

This week I trained Oxfam's digital campaigns and communication team how to create and improve their video output for social media.

This week I taught 6 delegates from 5M publishing/Benchmark holdings PLC how to shoot and edit video for journalism.

​​The team required practical support to help them shoot interviews that were of sufficient quality to use in their content marketing and social media campaigns. We began the day  exploring the different scenarios in which the team may be acquiring video. Then we examined various types of recording equipment with a discussion about the pros and cons of each in different applications - such as Vox Pops and Testimonials captured on location.
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​This was followed by an exercise where the group set up and filmed a more formal seated interview. Students had the opportunity to get ‘hands-on’ with the kit including camera, sound and lighting. ​Roles were assigned in rotation - including Director, Producer, Interviewer, Sound Recordist, Camera Operator and Lighting technician. 

Over the weekend I delivered a bespoke introduction to Adobe Premiere Pro editing course for Marshall Street Editors. If you don't work in the industry you may not know them but chances are if you occasionally watch TV or go to the cinema, you'll have seen their work. These are the guys behind-the-scenes editing commercials for brands like BT infinity and MoneySupermarket. 

This week I delivered another bespoke filmmaking workshop through Film Oxford for communications staff on-site at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy.

I recently delivered a 3 day training course through Film Oxford at a charity in Northampton. My role was to teach a team of four in the e-learning department how to record and edit better interviews at their offices. The team already had some experience but wanted to improve the quality of their output to make their films more enjoyable to watch. This included making more out of their existing equipment and considering new kit. ​

Over the weekend I was teaching After Effects at Film Oxford. One of my students was Peter Lang. Peter a is broadcast animator whose TV shows I watched as a child. Do you remember Pigeon Street or even Ludwig? He helped create these and many others. His classic cut-out animation style originally used stop-motion and rostrum camerawork. While this pre-dated the digital systems employed today, these often fail to achieve the charm of those 'old-school' techniques. Over the years I have taught many people of all ages, abilities and aspirations - but it's rare to meet anyone with Peter's pedigree.
He thanked me for demystifying a subject which he found interesting and absorbing. It's always a privilege to teach but I was especially proud to teach someone who influenced me. I'm confident that Peter will be able to multiply his veteran experience with his new skills and go on to inspire the next generation. It just goes to show that in filmmaking, even if your a master, there's always more to learn.

You can find out more about training here.