A practical workshop for business communicators who want to improve their video skills

Don’t just press REC

Discover the secrets for creating memorable videos audiences watch and connect with emotionally

• How to add professional production values to low budget videos
• How to bring story telling, script writing, casting, lighting, sound and filming together for memorable scenes
• How to use editing techniques to transform scenes into a meaningful sequence of shots.

During this day-long workshop our Cannes short film maker will share professional cinematographic techniques to help improve the quality of films and videos you produce in your job

Format of the workshop

This workshop is very practical and looks in-depth at the essential film making techniques - story telling, script writing, planning, production, casting, camera work, sound and editing.

Our day together is divided into segments that mix theoretical concepts with a step-by-step project in which you create your own short film.

We start by defining the goals for our videos, then create the scripts, decide location and cast, film our scenes, look at the rushes and finally edit them down to our two-minute finished video.

At the end of the day you will leave with a short film you have created, as well as the knowledge and skills to create more films of equal quality back at your workplace.

There will be lots of time working with our Cannes film maker one-on-one and in pairs as this workshop is limited to eight delegates.

We ask you to bring the equipment you use at work – digital camera, camera phone, voice recorder, Apple Mac or PC laptop, editing software – so that what you learn is completely relevant to your own set up. We will also have professional equipment for you to try out.

What’s included

We promise an intellectually challenging and creative day. You will leave with a short film you have created yourself, plus the knowledge to create high quality videos at work with the equipment and software typically found in companies.

You will receive plenty of individual attention and support during the day, as the workshop is limited to eight delegates. This ensures that we can meet your individual needs.

You’ll take home an invaluable manual containing detailed background information. Everything you learn will be at your fingertips long after the workshop ends.

Your films will be loaded on our website so you can share your achievement with colleagues, family and friends if you wish.

We will have a follow-up session a fortnight after the workshop. to help you work through any issues you encounter applying your new film making skills in your workplace.

Here are just some of the problems this workshop solves

“We don’t have budget or support to create professional videos”
During this workshop you will learn the rules of professional film making so you can make high quality videos you are proud of; using the equipment you already have in your office – a camera, laptop and editing software.

“There is no point in having videos as no one watches them anyway”
Discover techniques for being creative and making more interesting films. Then you can create memorable videos that stand out from the crowd and that your audiences choose to engage with.

“Isn’t producing videos wasteful in the current economic climate”
Any activity that is not revenue earning needs to demonstrate it is worth doing. Video is an effective tool for reaching people in different offices and countries with clear and consistent messages that have strong calls to action.

“We have different audiences who have different interests, we can’t create videos for all of them”
Your audiences will share common interests and concerns, probably around key business goals and how your leadership is responding to marketplace pressures. They’ll appreciate videos with simple and strong messages that explain these clearly.

“Won’t producing videos ourselves be time consuming, we already have lots going on”
Film making does not have to be time consuming. During this workshop you will learn production, filming and editing skills so you are efficient with your own time and that of the subjects you film.

“Our videos are all the same, it feels like we’re making videos for the sake of it”
This workshop is fun, creative, interactive and practical. We’ll be learning from each other, as well as from our Cannes film maker, how to be more creative and make much more interesting films.

“We’ve used professional film makers in the past who have set a high standard we know we can’t match ourselves”
You’ll be learning cinematographic techniques to improve the quality of videos you produce, and the specific rules of film making professionals follow so you can produce films to a high standard. This will also help you get the best out of independent video production companies if you use them.

“We have space on our intranet home page for videos, we want each to have impact”
You’ll learn lots of creative techniques to create impact using location, lighting, sound, camera angles, camera movement, pacing, your characters’ words and actions, tag lines and editing. Using these techniques you can inject variety into videos your audiences connect with emotionally.


What we’ll cover during our day together

During our Producing modules you will plan a short film from initial story idea to finalised production schedule including

• Creating a clear and compelling story and messages
• Writing a video script for the story
• Creating characters that bring your story to life
• Casting actors to play each character
• Finding an evocative location for filming the story
• Adding production values to low budget films.

In our Directing modules you will shoot raw video footage according to your directing schedule, including

• Using filming and sound equipment
• Creating dramatic effects while filming including close up, wide angle and camera movement shots
• Creating memorable scenes using lighting, acting and sound.

During our Editing modules you will edit your raw footage into a two-minute film, including

• Joining different video clips together
• Attaching sound files to video files
• Writing tag lines in video format
• Using editing techniques to transform scenes into a meaningful shot sequence.

Hear what previous delegates have to say

Bernardo is a factory for creating and feeding passionate creatives. His courses are hands on experience, practical and highly collaborative. It has  changed forever the way I see movies.
Manuel Pueyo
http://oole.eu

Bernardo’s workshop gave me a clear overview of the craft of screenwriting and the film industry in general. Through language and visuals, and in a structured manner, he went through the elements of what makes a good film, how to get it on paper and techniques on refining the storyline. Now I feel confident about what is expected of a good screenplay and where I might fit in this world.
Mei-Yin Teo
http://www.mytcommunications.com/

Introducing your workshop leader

Bernardo Camisao MA

Bernardo Camisao is a Member of the Board of the Portuguese Society of Writers and Playwrights, and founder of the film screening cinemainvisível in Oporto.

As Creative Director of Utopia Filmes, Lisbon, he has written and directed TV commercials, video clips, short-films for clients including MTV Portugal, Ferrero Rocher-Group and RTP 1 (the Portuguese National Broadcasting Co).

Additionally Bernardo has worked with Madragoa Filmes, Hop!, Zed Films and Utopia Filmes in Portugal; and Eyeworks and Caviar Films in Brussels. He has collaborated with the directors Manoel de Oliveira, Rodrigo Areias, Pedro Flores, Alexandre Cebrian Valente, José Nascimento, Nicholau Breyner, Miguel Gaudencio and Eric Lamens.

His short film Should The Wife Confess? was presented at the Cannes Film Market 2011,  the New York Film Food Festival and the Berlinale 2012.

More recently he has created a series of training videos for the Carlson Rezidor Group, a promotional film for Missing Children Europe, supported by Google and Youtube, and the docu-fiction Secret Brussels supported by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund.

Bernardo studied sound and image at the Catholic University in Oporto, Portugal, specialising in screenwriting. He then studied at Sint-Lukas Hogeschool in Brussels under the supervision of Belgian screenwriter and director Marc Didden.

Introducing your workshop host

Jo Ann Sweeney BA FCIM FIIC

Jo Ann Sweeney is a communications consultant who helps transformation teams win the support of their sponsors, senior executives and end users.

She is known for her ability to help teams understand the change from their audiences’ perspectives, as well as developing communication activities that catch their interest.

Jo Ann specialises in helping clients develop activities that take audiences on a journey from awareness, through understanding, to support, involvement and commitment. Teams are able to deliver sticky change.

Programmes have spanned skills development, product launches, office relocations, redundancies and redeployment, CRM rollouts, business process re-engineering, political lobbying, technology rollouts and brand makeovers for corporates, government departments and charities.

She also develops and delivers marketing, PR and communication training programmes for clients. Today’s workshop is part of her Creativity in Comms programme.

Jo Ann has more than 25 years experience and is a trained journalist, chartered marketer and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, fellow of the Institute of Internal Communications and member of the Institute of Directors.

This workshop can be run in-house at a venue of your choice and can be delivered anywhere in Europe. Please phone +44 (0)7801 290 938 to discuss.

By email: support@sweeneycomms.com