The course was fast-paced, intense and really opened up my mind to different possibilities of using video in projects. Mark and Michele were great tutors, with excellent technical knowledge and lots of practical tips and applicable skills for academic and community projects. I didn't feel like I needed any previous experience, the course fed my curiosity, development and confidence.
I would definitely recommend Spectacle training to others! I am an anthropologist and PhD in Urban Studies. I wanted to apply film work in my postdoctoral research on the environmental futures of Venice, but I really had no idea about how to film. I decided to do a week course. Now, based on that, I'm able to plan a short documentary project and I feel very inspired to produce my first one!
The PV Workshop was beautifully designed and well taught. It provided me with the skills and confidence to manage a PV project from beginning to end!
The smartphone filmmaking and video editing courses were inspiring and informative. They are taught with good humor and patience by experienced film makers who understood the needs of academics such as myself. I left feeling ready and eager to start making and editing videos with confidence.
This was one of the most rewarding workshops I have ever attended during my whole academic career (and these were many)! Mark and Michele are a well-rehearsed team: They professionally convey course content and at the same time they encourage interaction among participants - it can`t get better on zoom than that!
“I think the course would be very useful to anyone seeking an introduction to filmmaking. It was not only informative and practical but really fun! (..) It covered all of the key topics I needed to know about, it was perfectly pitched, the facilitators were clear and approachable.”
“This is a fabulous comprehensive course that provides attendants with a good foundation on film-making. Combing theory and practical information, as well as an insight into industry standards and expectations.”
"What I liked most about the course was the in-depth nature of it. The fact that I was taught the essentials so if I wanted to go out and film a documentary now I could - not to the standard of a seasoned professional, however I have the tools, I just need the seasoning!"
“It was a small group so things were easily explained if not understood, and the direction could be catered towards our needs”
“I had no previous knowledge of the software, so I would have been completely scared of trying things on it — the course felt just right to begin this exploration and the information on codec and export was particularly helpful”
“Concise yet comprehensive, now I feel like creating a worthwhile video from scratch.”
"We loved our video training from Mark and Michele! It was a fantastic combination of clear technical instruction and illuminating practical work – all brought to life by their insider knowledge and priceless advice (not to mention hilarious anecdotes!) from decades of senior on-the-job experience. We left inspired, keen to do as much video as we could find the time for – and the results certainly show in our outputs. Thanks again to Spectacle – we thoroughly recommend!"
"I was looking for a cost effective course to extend my marketing skills to be able to offer short digital video production for my clients. As a freelancer, a lot of courses I looked at were too long, with content I didn't need, and frankly too costly...
Mark has a skill to extract exactly what you need from the course and flex content to suit you. My photography skills were basic at best, and decades old, but very swiftly updated!
I shall definitely be going back."
“The practicals were very revealing — the disparity of what I thought I’d shot to what I actually got! Also, the impact of quality audio was mind-blowing. I enjoyed the systematic approach to the theory — without reducing what is an exciting creative process to a ‘checklist’, it is fantastic to have logical principles to follow."
"I would definitely recommend the course. It broke the process of production into small steps that were easy to remember. Also, having a chance to put these into practice made me realise the benefits of this approach. This is a course that is perfect for anyone who wants to make a start at looking at including video production in their work."
"I wanted to use film work in my research and I really had no idea about starting to do that - what kind of equipment to buy, things like that. Mark was just great because he really started from the idea that I wouldn't know anything, just moving up from there.
I did a course in June, and then based on that I was able to get started in July and August filming in the field and I've already produced two short documentary films and I'm on the third right now. All my training is from Spectacle."
“This is the type of course every anthropologist should take.”
"The training packed lots in and covered all aspects of smartphone filming. It's given me lots of ideas to take away and put into practice."
"Good for beginners as an entry point into the world of filmmaking for non-professionals."
"The world of multi-media had been demystified this course was very practical, and hands-on the teachers were super helpful and extremely knowledgeable."
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