Science Filmmaking Workshop
DATE 22 - 24 APRIL 2024
LOCATION
Folly Farm Centre, Stowey, Pensford, Bristol BS39 4DW
PRICES
£600 + VAT - Course + lunches
£850 + VAT - Course + lunches + 2 nights accommodation, breakfast and dinner.
INCLUDED
3 days tuition
Lunch
Breakfast and dinner for residential guests
GROUP SIZE
Small group size up to 10 students
HOW TO BOOK
Email: george@bluefirefilms.com
Join us on a three-day workshop teaching the basics of film-making. By the end of this course you will will understand how to tell your story and engage your audiences. As well as the theory and planning, you'll gain the practical skills to be able to shoot and edit your own footage.
This is a professional course aimed at researchers, academics, science communicators, post grads, post docs, healthcare professionals and others working in scientific industries.
Course outline
George brings his 25+ years of experience in the film industry to guide you in making a short documentary about your work. He’ll cover:
Documentary theory: what makes a good film? How to think about using film and video to promote your work. The language of film: Shot sizes, camera movement, and how to use them.
Pre-production: Planning your film, researching content, organising shoots. Understanding equipment, copyright and permissions, and story-boarding.
Production: Shooting interviews, shooting additional material, getting good quality sound, and lighting your interviews
Post-production: Editing your film, boosting the colour and audio of your film, best use of music, adding simple graphics, titles and web links.
Promoting your film: Upload to Youtube, search engine optimisation, social media, getting your film seen.
Each day will combine learning theory in the classroom, with practical, hands-on experience of filming techniques, and analysing footage. Each participant will have the opportunity to be involved in every stage of the film-making process. They are invited to come prepared to make their own film on the course, and will be taught all the stages to produce a finished film after 3 days.
Accommodation
The course and accommodation are both at Folly Farm in Somerset. The venue is an 18th Century restored farm house set in a 250-acre nature reserve. 100% of Folly Farm’s profits go to the Avon Wildlife Trust. For more information about accommodation, click here.
What to bring
A camera that shoots video: A DSLR or dedicated video camera.
A laptop
Editing software: We recommend either professional editing packages like Premiere Pro or free-ware such as iMovie or HitFilm Pro. Contact George in advance if you need more advice on what to download.
Students can also bring: Tripod, audio equipment including microphones, external hard drive but these items are not essential.
TESTIMONIALS:
OUR PAST LEARNERS CAME FROM…
University of Bristol, NHS, International Science Council, University of Exeter, British Geological Survey, Global Petcare, University of Kent - Physics Engagement, Oxford University - Zoology, University of Swansea, Medical Research Council, SSERC, International Lead Association, Royal Society of Pathologists, University of Madrid, University of Lund, KLM, University of Evora, UK Space Agency, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, University of Edinburgh, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, University of Manchester, Francis Crick Institute, Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Bristol Centre for Academic Child Health, University of Kent, Igenomix, Edinburgh University.
“This course was an eye-opener from start to finish! Understanding the complete process from storyboarding through to shooting, angles, sound and editing techniques has given me a much clearer understanding of how to achieve what I want, and what my work needs. I would totally recommend this course for anyone with an interest in film making.”
“If anyone else out there is thinking about taking this course, I would say it’s fantastic. There’s a really excellent balance of very thorough, very detailed information, but all of it kept at a very practical level.”
“I think filmmaking is really important in sharing people’s stories. I do a lot of work with people who are suffering, particularly with their mental health, their life circumstances, and I think hearing other people’s stories can really trigger healing in people. It can make a huge difference. And there’s something about the way people can tell stories on film. I think that’s very, very powerful.”
“The course is really well taught. George is really clear, professional and really helpful. And any time I have a question, I know I can just ask him and I’ll get a really useful answer.”
“I’m definitely going to use all the things that I learned. I work in communication for a big airline and I can use all the techniques that I learned in this week. I would definitely recommend this course.”
“As Managing Editor of Ecography, I often help our authors to communicate their research via social media. This course gave me additional tools to make short videos for authors. I gained understanding in film-making theory as well as how to shoot films and what to think about when interviewing researchers. In addition, I learned how to edit film material in film-making software, and with simple tools, make a film look really professional. I highly recommend this course!”
“I’m a biologist, and it’s important to talk not just to your peers, but to the public. What was great about the course was it covered all the stages of film-making and we got a good idea how to make effective movies that we can use in our jobs. The teacher’s background and effective communication skills were very important in conveying such a huge amount of information.”
“I would strongly recommend this course to anyone wanting an all-round introduction to different aspects of film-making - from planning a narrative to filming and interviewing, to editing and choosing a soundtrack. It really helped me to understand the many different things to keep in mind when planning and making a science video, and gave me a stronger appreciation of the work of professional film-makers.”
“I thought that the course was excellent. The best thing about it was the sheer volume of information I took away with me. George could have kept going for another 3, 4, 5, days and I would have been happy to stay! I also enjoyed the informal atmosphere which I felt put people at ease and it was great to meet people from so many different backgrounds.”