GA Workshop: Mobile Video: Produce Content Like a Pro

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while! I attended my first General Assembly workshop on the 21st of January. After searching for a short course on quick-and-dirty video production, I came across this workshop and thought I’d give it a whirl. At £35 there wasn’t a lot to lose! I was really impressed with the instructor and the venue and really felt as though I learnt a lot. I came away with some valuable skills which I’ve been busy putting into practice!

The workshop was held at the London GA, Whitechapel and lasted appropriately 3 hours. Nigel Camp, who is the author of The Video Effect, was the instructor and brought along a plethora of video equipment.

Nigel used a mix of video and PowerPoint presentation, as well as some useful demonstrations.

It was surprising to see just how much power there is in a mobile phone – the workshop focused on what could be achieved with very little equipment. Nigel went through some of the basics such as camera positioning, audio and lighting. The takeaways of the workshop were listed as:

  • Understanding of mobile specific equipment that will enhance your project
  • Learn basic camera shots which will improve any video
  • Basic fundamentals on how to pull together popular shots into a mobile editing platform

Nigel also suggested a range of apps for Android and IOS that can be used for video editing.

SUMMARY

I would recommend this workshop to anyone who wants a basic overview of recording audio and video on a mobile phone. I like that I was able to get hands-on with some of the equipment. My personal takeaways from the session were:

  • Always shoot video in 4k
  • Positioning “The Rule of Thirds”
  • Creating B-roll, Wide, Mid and Closeup
  • Lighting, key lights and fill lights
  • Basic equipment overview

Since attending the workshop I have decided to attempt to create my own short. b-roll style video. It’s a work in progress at the moment, but I hope to share here when it’s done.

I’ve booked a few other workshops at the GA which I will hopefully blog about too! If you want to know more about courses and workshops at the GA, you can visit the General Assembly website.