Videomaker Course

Lesson 1 • Core Video Terminology

Introduces frame rate, resolution, aspect ratio, and codec vocabulary. Provides the technical language needed to operate equipment and software confidently.

Lesson 2 • Understanding the Production Pipeline

Breaks down pre-production, production, and post-production phases. Establishes the workflow framework every subsequent chapter builds upon.

Lesson 3 • Developing Your Creative Vision

Teaches how to define a project's tone, audience, and message before shooting. Connects intentional creative decisions to stronger final videos.

Lesson 1 • Equipment Planning and Prep

Details how to compile comprehensive gear lists, complete camera and lens checklists, verify battery and media availability, and establish redundancy plans, ensuring no critical equipment failures occur during production.

Lesson 2 • Budgeting a Video Production

Builds line-item budgets covering crew, gear, locations, and post. Teaches cost estimation and contingency planning for projects of any scale.

Lesson 3 • Scheduling and Call Sheets

Creates shooting schedules, call sheets, and day-of logistics documents. Keeps cast, crew, and equipment aligned throughout production days.

Lesson 4 • Location Scouting and Management

Provides a systematic method for assessing sites for lighting, sound, logistics, and story fit, plus templates for location agreements and backup plans to handle shoot‑day contingencies.

Lesson 1 • Pacing and Rhythm in Editing

Controls clip duration, music sync, and montage rhythm for emotional effect. Teaches editors to feel and manipulate the tempo of a sequence.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Editing

Covers continuity, match cuts, J‑ and L‑cuts, and cutting on action, while integrating Walter Murch’s six editing criteria—emotion, story, rhythm, eye‑trace, design, and surprise—to make every cut purposeful and engaging.

Lesson 3 • Titles, Graphics, and Lower Thirds

Explains how to design and animate on‑screen text, lower thirds, and motion graphics, focusing on hierarchy, timing, and seamless integration so titles enhance information delivery without disrupting visual flow.

Lesson 4 • NLE Software Setup and Workflow

Configures project settings, bins, and timeline in industry-standard NLEs. Establishes an organised editing environment that scales to any project size.

Lesson 1 • Recording Clean Audio on Set

Details gain staging, real‑time monitoring, and room acoustics, offering steps to set headroom, cut background noise, and prevent common on‑set audio problems before post‑production.

Lesson 2 • Microphone Types and Selection

Compares shotgun, lavalier, condenser, and dynamic mics, noting polar patterns, frequency response, and ideal placement, helping creators pick the right mic for distance, environment, and subject to capture clear audio.

Lesson 3 • Boom Operation Techniques

Teaches proper boom pole handling, positioning, and shadow avoidance. Integrates boom operation into single-operator and crew-based workflows.

Lesson 1 • Creative Colour Grading

Applies LUTs, curves, and hue-saturation tools to build a visual look. Connects colour palette decisions to genre, mood, and brand guidelines.

Lesson 2 • Log Footage and Camera Profiles

Explains log gamma curves, S-Log, and flat picture profiles. Teaches how to correctly expose and grade log footage for maximum dynamic range.

Lesson 3 • Grading Software Deep Dive

Navigates DaVinci Resolve's node-based workflow for professional grading. Covers node structure, power windows, and tracking for precise control.

Lesson 4 • Colour Correction Fundamentals

Balances exposure, white balance, and contrast using scopes and wheels. Produces a neutral, technically accurate image before creative grading begins.

Lesson 1 • Mastering Camera Settings

Covers aperture, ISO, shutter speed, and white balance in video context. Enables correct exposure and colour accuracy across varied lighting environments.

Lesson 2 • Lens Selection and Focal Length

Explains how focal length affects perspective, compression, and storytelling. Guides lens choice decisions for different shot types and genres.

Lesson 3 • Shooting in Challenging Conditions

Addresses low light, high contrast, and outdoor variable lighting scenarios. Equips filmmakers to maintain quality when conditions are imperfect.

Lesson 4 • Composition and Framing Principles

Explains how to apply the rule of thirds, leading lines, headroom, and eye‑level considerations to moving images, turning raw clips into deliberately composed frames that guide the viewer’s eye and reinforce narrative intent.

Lesson 1 • Properties of Light

Defines intensity, colour temperature, hardness, and direction of light. Builds the perceptual foundation for making intentional lighting decisions.

Lesson 2 • Budget and DIY Lighting Solutions

Demonstrates affordable alternatives to professional lighting gear. Enables quality results with LED panels, clamp lights, and household sources.

Lesson 3 • Natural and Available Light

Shows how to use window light, golden hour, and mixed ambient sources, teaching evaluation, shaping, and supplementing natural light with reflectors, diffusion, or minimal gear for balanced exposure without a full kit.

Lesson 4 • Lighting for Mood and Genre

Applies high-key, low-key, and motivated lighting to specific visual styles. Connects lighting choices directly to emotional storytelling outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Story Structure Fundamentals

Applies three-act structure, hero's journey, and problem-solution arcs to video. Gives every project a clear beginning, conflict, and resolution.

Lesson 2 • Writing for the Screen

Teaches industry‑standard screenplay format—scene headings, action lines, and dialogue—so writers can convey visual info clearly and create scripts easy for directors and crew to interpret on set.

Lesson 3 • Storyboarding and Shot Lists

Converts scripts into visual storyboards and detailed shot lists, offering step‑by‑step guidance on sketching key frames, annotating camera moves, and organising coverage to reduce on‑set confusion and capture all shots.

Lesson 4 • Interviewing and Documentary Techniques

Covers question design, subject coaching, and B-roll planning for docs. Builds skills for capturing authentic, story-driven non-fiction content.