COURSE
Smartphone Video Production
Course Overview
On this course we introduce video production, as we explore the different stages of creating videos, using the simple tool of a smartphone. The aim is to empower people at a grassroots level to be able to amplify their voices, share stories, record and monitor, video marketing and as a means for creating change. In this workshop we share skills and knowledge, and also aim to draw this out of the participants in discussion and practice, so that attendees learn from the facilitators, from each other and through their own experience. The facilitation includes a mix of critiquing existing videos, exploring skills and techniques as well as a hands on practice, so that at the end of the workshop everyone has created a video and gathered the skills to go forth and continue their journey of storytelling through film. The creation of good videos is not about the whizzes and bangs, it’s in the subtleties, and it’s those subtleties that we delve into on this course.
Course content
Storytelling
We work through the process of building a story – creating a storyboard, choosing/developing characters and considering locations/environment, as well as some of the different approaches of videos, the flow of a story, and how to best connect with a target audience.
Pre-production
We discuss the things to think about and plan when getting ready for your shoot.
Production
We look at the technical and creative skills of this process, including interview techniques, lighting, audio, equipment, framing, style and different techniques for taking quality video footage with a smartphone.
Post Production
We learn how to edit on either a smartphone or mac/pc (depending on the preference of the group). While we cover the basics of the editing application, our primary focus is on the practical process of editing – stitching the elements together to create the story, adding in cutaways, music, text, an identity and call to action, to create professional looking videos that have impact.
Dissemination
We touch on exporting videos and where or how to upload your videos for sharing.
Facilitators
Lara Taylor | Film Maker
Producer, director, videographer and editor of Content Lounge, Lara Taylor, comes from a Social Anthropology background and has been telling stories and making films for the NPO & corporate sector for over 18 years. Her company is a full-house, digital agency offering videography, photography, research, writing, producing, editing, directing and training. Most recently Lara has branched out into social media, bolstered by the proliferation of social media platforms and the huge demand for short sharp ‘webisodes’. She produces video clips, web series and interviews on her iPhone 8, and is teaching her students to do the same. Participatory filmmaking is a passion and clients have included GroundUp news, Activate! Leadership, Forward Fund Film School, Rustenberg Junior and Vredendal High School.
Natalie Nolte | Film Maker & Designer
Natalie has a love for multimedia as a tool for communication. Born into a family of artists, creativity runs through her veins. With 15 years experience working in various medium from graphic and web design to film, she has a vast overview of how these facets can pull together to create material that is both engaging and has effective messaging. Her passion lies in using these tools to create change towards environmental regeneration and community upliftment. So as to work affordably with organisations that are close to her heart, Natalie focuses on cost effective film production using smartphones as her videography tool of choice. She has vast international experience working in agencies in London, museums in Dubai, with organisations in Canada and on a multitude of projects in South Africa.
