WHERE: GLASGOW (CITY)

WHEN: Sat 29 & Sun 30 April - 1000 to 1600

COST: £299 + VAT

**£270+VAT if pay by the 1st of April

**£270+VAT if two participants book/pay together

(booking & payment closes Thursday the 20th of April)

Start 2023 as a confident Self Shooter.

This is a quick, but intensive weekend course for near-new or new shooters in the broadcast industry - Researchers, Assistant Producers, Producers, or Runners, with a little, or no experience handling a camera and shooting.

Want to learn how to do the basics really well (which means you’re doing better than most!) - including exposure; focus; sound; composition

Want to learn the ingredients of sequences and how to bring back exactly what is needed for the edit?

Want to dip your toes into actuality? (most people want this off the bat, so we’ll cover a wee bit of this toward the end of the course)

Want to be considered for self-shoot jobs because you actually know what you are doing?

WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF THIS COURSE …

·        The course is personalised – from one filmmaker to another – with knowledge of exactly what is required for self-shoots, what is often asked of us, and what’s realistic/what’s not

·        It will help you manage a self-shoot confidently, whether on your own, or with another PD or DOP

·        You will learn the language of shots and composition - you’ll know your MS from your MCU and LS; and about headroom, looking room and the rule of thirds, (which will make you stand out from the rest)

·        By the end of the course you will know how shoot a sequence with confidence, with the required elements, including how to shoot the very best cutaways, and how to bring some creativity to what you shoot (including interviews). And you will have a learnt (a wee bit) about actuality and what’s expected for observational documentary

·        You’ll learn how to set up for cross shooting, and what to actually shoot that will support a Shooting PD or DOP

·  You’ll know how to ‘work a room’ in terms of turning a dry, featureless room, into an interesting interview backdrop

·        You’ll no longer need worry about an editor complaining about lack of shots, bad shots, or asking ‘who the hell shot this?!’

·        You’ll learn it’s all about planning – and why you should NEVER wing it!

·        Learn the pitfalls and mistakes before they happen (things like: dark shots, bad focus, distorted sound, incorrect timecode) and how to avoid them (e.g., checking your kit, setting things up)

·        Learn what to do if you’re a short person (like me!) and how to get around heavy set ups, and how to pack your kit for easy carrying

·        You’ll learn many camera tips and tricks (whilst I’m not a camera ‘technician’, I have a really good knowledge of cameras, that started for me at the NZ Broadcasting School in 1994 where I got a really thorough grounding in how cameras work, lighting, and composing shots! Having navigated so many iterations of cameras over the years, I have had to work out a lot of things out as I’ve gone along).

·        Finally, I don’t know everything, especially in the radically changing world of camera technology, but if I don’t know, I’ll do my very best to find out

OTHER BENEFITS OF THIS COURSE…

·        Course numbers are limited to 7, so I can personalise advice – it’s small and contained, and can be tailored to your needs

·        There will be a number of cameras to try out that we are expected to use on shoots (no mobile phone shooting, or old cameras that are now redundant) For example, the likes of…C300, FS7 (pending availability)

·        The course never ends - you will have access to me forever (within reason!) if you ever have questions while shooting (I am often giving advice to peers and industry professionals and enjoy doing this)

·        The course fee is in line with other similar courses, even though it is not yet subsidised by the likes of Screen Skills. I don’t know how long it will stay like this, so get in this time!

FURTHER ORGANISATIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THIS COURSE (& TERMS) …

·        This course is not open to the public, and by application and invite only for industry professionals and those in training – please apply using the button at the top of the screen, so I can check your suitability and I will then send you an invite with payment details

·        Course booking closes on Wed 19th of April

·        Please note, this course can only run with a minimum of 4 people (due to overheads). If by chance the course does not meet numbers, you will be notified before the event with as much notice as possible and given a full refund. Or (if agreed by both parties) the course fee will be used for a 1:1

·        Course fees are refundable within 14 days of the event (minus administration / booking fees). After 14 days, no refunds can be made due to your own cancellation, but other arrangements could be made such as fee transfer to another course or 1:1 training.

·        Details of course are subject to change at the course providers discretion, based on the needs of the group and other factors

·        If you can’t make the weekend, I am offering 1 day 1:1 training at the gorgeous Lochside hall where I live in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. For 1:1 the fee is around £450 for the day (subject to type of camera request).

A BIT ABOUT JANINE WHO WILL BE RUNNING THE COURSE…

I picked up a camera when I was 16 to make a youth series called SALAD for a regional TV station in New Zealand, and I’ve never looked back!  I learned the literacy of composition way back then, and this improved when I went to NZ Broadcasting School in 1994 where I learnt the mechanics of cameras and lighting. (I have been using cameras for a very very long time)!  I never thought I’d be able to be a camera person back then, as the cameras were massive and too heavy for little me, however things (and cameras) have changed massively.  Over the years I’ve had to navigate changing technology, which is something you have to get your head around as a self-shooting PD. I have a real passion for camera work, and some people have said this is my calling card!  How did I make the jump from shooting ‘wee’ bits for TV, into shooting whole 1 hours? I went and made my own film!  I travelled to Mexico and shot a short film about Mexicans living on garbage dumps, which I was able to broadcast on BBC World. From here I moved straight on to shooting 3 x 1 hours about Green Travel. My my most recent shoots have been a 1-hour observational documentary for the BBC called MND AND 22-YEAR-OLD ME, and BBC4s INSIDE THE BAT CAVE (scripted specialist factual / science).  I now know my way around infrared filming for wildlife and my SP commented at the time that I was probably now the most experienced bat photographer in Scotland! I also wrote a camera bible for the Canon5D MK4 when it came out, and ran a 1-day course on it for the APs who would be shooting behind the scenes on BBC’s Earth’s Sacred Wonders. I’ve also trained complete novices to use cameras for campaign films when I was running the film unit at the World Wildlife Fund. I’m often getting phone calls from colleagues asking me questions about shooting, and I love helping people understand what they’ve never been told or learned inside the industry! I have all these successes and experiences, but of course, I’ve made plenty of little mistakes along the way, which would have been really good to know about before they happened!  So, what you’ll get from me is an honest and authentic expression of what ‘I’ do to shoot well, to help you get the very very best out of your shoot days!  This will hopefully be fun / from one filmmaker to another, kind of training! 

ENDORSEMENTS …

“I did some self-shooting as an AP when Janine was PD/ing a project. She made me feel confident to pick up the camera, with clear direction on the shots you need to build a piece. I’ve also read manuals she’s put together for crew on other projects that really helped focus the look. I’ve asked advice from Janine when directing myself on lenses and actuality, and as always felt informed and more relaxed and confident before the shoot. Whether it’s specialist factual or ob doc, Janine’s advice is invaluable.”

Christine Johnston, Shooting PD

“A big recommendation from me!!! I interviewed Janine for my Creative Industries Study and she gave me amazing advice that I hadn't heard before. Years of experience and one of the most patient, imaginative and practical people I know.”

Carrie Day, Visionary Artist and Filmmaker

“Janine recently undertook a very complicated shoot for our organisation. Because she was working with a room of vulnerable people, she was asked not to interrupt the event or the contributors at any point, but to capture everything for an observational type of film. She demonstrated a high level of technical proficiency,  operating three cameras, a gimbal and a complicated sound set up. From an editorial perspective Janine was tasked with telling the story of our entire project, whilst coming in at the end.  She managed to create a very dynamic and interesting film on the fly, with clever scripting, which we are extremely happy with.”

Co-director, A Place in Childhood

"Janine was a wonderful teacher and shared exactly the right skills I needed for the Arctic trip I was about to go on!"

Casper ter Kuile, WWF Ambassador