Creating a route map from shoot to edit

As part of our Step Up strand, we’re offering training to help individuals coming back into the industry after a break, moving into a new role or responsibility level, or improving skills in unscripted TV. 

The vast majority of editors have never been on a shoot and shooting APs and PDs today rarely get into an edit. So you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out why there’s a disconnect between those two critical parts of any unscripted production. This course bridges that gap, giving unscripted film makers the tools to build planning time into busy shoots at no extra cost, structuring sequences for the edit rather than killing themselves filming everything that moves.

I’ll also show you how to write a shooting script!  This is a new element to the course. It’s become apparent that a lot of people haven’t been taught how to break their ideas down into a script that could carry them through the shoot and into the edit. We’ll make up an idea for a half hour factual show then write a shooting script in real time. 

Who it's for

Shooting APs/PDs and PMs, hiring them for high-volume, low-budget formatted unscripted shoots. We’d all love to believe that everyone’s working to best practice – but until budgets change as much as industry attitudes, we’ve all got to make it work in the same time!

We are committed to ensuring all our courses are accessible to everyone. This course is designed to be as interactive as possible.

Please email USF@screenskills.com if you have any access requirements and we will be delighted to help, be that clarifying the form such interaction is likely to take or discussing reasonable adjustments.

What it covers

• How to approach your shoot, (planning for formats, observational documentaries, blue light, features and fast turnaround docs).
• How to take control of your shoot from the minute you meet the contribs.
• How to shoot for the edit, (from basics like syncing up multi cam with time of day time-code, shot sizes, shot types, how long to hold GVs, sit down interview do’s and don’ts, to use of prime lenses).
• How to structure your ideas into a shooting script.  We’re going to write a shooting script in real time – demystifying how to turn an idea into a structured plan, breaking down what you need to tell your story so you can get to the next stage of booking and budgeting. 
• Top ten wish lists from unscripted editors, (planning for formats, observational documentaries, blue light, features and fast turnaround docs).
• Critical shoot info to feed back to the edit. Your role as shooting AP or PD doesn't end with the upload. I'll show you how to take ownership of your story and be a virtual presence in the edit, including templates and tips to make sure the editor knows where to find the best and worst of the rushes!

Trainer

As an experienced unscripted producer who has shot her own material and directed crews over 20 + years for the BBC, Discovery, Channel 5 and Netflix, Vanessa Frances-Georgianna knows what it’s like to be the person on the ground who has to cut through the noise, stop everything and break whatever’s in front of her down into usable pieces of sync, and the sequences and shots that will turn them into a story. Spending the last four years back in the trenches as an edit producer, (among other things) has shown her how siloed production roles have become and what’s needed to put that right.

How to apply

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘get ticket’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to apply for your place: you must login or register before you are able to complete your application.

If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the “decline ticket” function on the right hand side of the page so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.

This session is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

This course would normally cost participants to attend, but thanks to this support, we are able to offer it to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else.