Training

The demand for stories continues to grow and it’s not enough to have budget to commission professional productions, organisations also need well-trained staff and solid infrastructure to be able to manage their own story gathering. We will help you get there.

We have a range of training programmes and easy-to-use toolkits that help you, your frontline staff and volunteers, and programme partners develop a nose for a story, an eye for a good shot and an ear for sound quality. We combine teaching with practical exercises and mentoring to ensure your teams can approach their story gathering with confidence. We run practical skills courses in photography, smartphone filmmaking, editing and advanced interview techniques.

We will tailor-make your course to meet your needs and the experience levels of your delegates. You can combine components of the following four courses into one and two day courses.

Due to COVID-19 our courses are all currently delivered online. We will phase our face-to-face training back in when it is safe to do so. 

• Smartphone filmmaking

  

  Most of us carry in our pocket the technology needed to make broadcast-quality films. This course covers the basics of filmmaking, including framing and conducting interviews, sound skills, using B Roll effectively and how to avoid easy mistakes.

• Introduction to storytelling

  

  Building internal support for storytelling is the foundation of effective story gathering. This introductory course teaches delegates about the science of storytelling, how they help people learn about and engage with issues and how they can be used to influence.

• Planning your story gathering

  

  The biggest barrier to story gathering can be poor planning that puts last minute pressure on frontline teams to help you find case studies. This course helps you think through strategic planning, mapping your story needs and techniques for building relationships and securing your story pipeline.

• Interview skills

  

  Getting the perfect interview is about more than having a good case study. This course talks through how to plan an interview, how to structure questions, the differences between film and print interviews, building rapport, capturing emotion and detail, and how to manage difficult situations.

• Editing skills

  

  Whether you are using a smartphone app or professional editing software, the basics of editing are the same. This course covers selecting, cutting and trimming footage, balancing sound, laying out B Roll, transitions, music, and subtitles.

• Photography skills

  

  Our photography course teaches you how to use your camera, but more importantly it teaches you how to get a great shot, whether you’re using a smartphone or the latest DSLR. You will come away with new skills in framing, lighting and using images to tell a story.