Mobile filmmaking for conservation workshop
Storytelling for the environment and conservation is a powerful tool for nonprofits in Canada. Video, especially, has the strongest power to pull audiences into experiences and form a bond with causes like never before.
In June, WorkCabin Creative’s Gregg McLachlan presented a one hour live video workshop from his 30-acre forest for a conservation nonprofit’s staff across Canada. Staff watched from offices and in the field across Canada. The organization hired Gregg for his environmental visual storytelling know-how and deep experience in the conservation field as a filmmaker and photographer.
During the presentation, Gregg hiked the forest and presented live narrated examples of how to shoot better videos, what to look for to get better and more immersive scenes, how to better manage time, and how to tell effective stories.
The unique power of this workshop is that it is live from the forest, not pre-recorded, or done in a conference hall. The format makes it a truly unique workshop in Canada for learning how to make better mobile and smartphone videos for conservation.
The workshop also covered:
- Simple mobile filmmaking gear that can help improve videos and workflow for field technicians and biologists
- How to stabilize shots so they are less jittery
- How to use a simple tool to nail correct exposure every time
- Two settings you need to lock down before hit record
- How to deal with bright sun
- The three basic video elements to telling any conservation story in two minutes or less
Staff learned 7 essential types of shots
Gregg also demonstrated live examples of how to shoot seven types of cinematic video shots. He showed body position and the required movement. And then he flipped the camera around to film the scene so that staff could instantly see the the effect created with the cinematic movement technique.
Q&A
The one-hour workshop wrapped up with staff asking questions about differences between smartphone videos and professional DSLR videos, and what scenarios does a smartphone make sense. Questions were also answered about the best smartphone video apps, camera apps, and camera settings.
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