# Video Production Course Online (Self-Paced) Canonical URL: ## Overview Produce professional video without a studio or a costly cinema package. Working with the smartphone you already carry, the free Blackmagic Camera app, and an inexpensive scene kit, you will develop working skills in pre-production, casting, manual camera control, lighting, sound, composition and coverage, and directing. The course moves through documentary, commercial, and narrative production, and it covers the paid local work videographers are hired for most often: live events, real estate video, and music videos. AI is used across the workflow for script breakdowns, shot lists, storyboards, teleprompting, transcription, captions, and repurposing footage for each platform. Instructors review every project and return constructive feedback while you build one polished, portfolio-ready video. ## What you'll learn - Turn a finished script into a shoot by building script breakdowns, shot lists, storyboards, schedules, budgets, and the rest of your pre-production paperwork. - Run a smartphone camera manually, controlling exposure, shutter, ISO, frame rate, white balance, focus, ND filters, and Log capture in the Blackmagic Camera app. - Frame strong shots and gather usable coverage through deliberate composition, shot sizes, camera angles, movement, continuity, cutaways, and b-roll. - Light a scene with three-point setups, natural and available light, modifiers, and practical methods for managing contrast, shadows, and color temperature. - Capture clean, professional sound with wireless lav and shotgun microphones, careful placement, live monitoring, room treatment, and AI-assisted cleanup. - Direct talent and interviews, assemble and deliver a finished video, and take your production skills into paid local work such as live events, real estate listings, and music videos. ## Curriculum #### Module 1 · Story, Pre-Production & Releases - **Story and message:** hooks, narrative arc, and message-first planning, working from a finished script (documentary, commercial, or short narrative scene). - **Breakdown:** break the script into scenes, locations, cast, and gear needs. - **Shot lists and storyboards:** plan coverage shot by shot, using AI to draft shot lists and real storyboard frames. - **Releases and rights:** talent and location release forms, where you can legally shoot, and music-licensing and copyright basics. #### Module 2 · Casting - **Finding actors:** friends, classmates, Backstage, Actors Access, Craigslist, Facebook groups, and local theater programs looking for reel material. - **Auditions and self-tapes:** running simple in-person auditions or reviewing recorded submissions, and what to look for beyond line delivery. - **Directing in the room:** giving adjustments, reading adaptability, and keeping the environment relaxed. - **Chemistry and callbacks:** imagining actors together, pairing them in callbacks, and communicating your vision once the cast is set. - **Releases and agreements:** standard talent releases, union vs. non-union considerations, and what actors and crew expect before they step on set. #### Module 3 · Location Scouting - **Finding spaces:** starting with what you already have, plus platforms like Peerspace and outreach to local businesses for off-hours access. - **Sound assessment:** listening for traffic, HVAC, appliances, and background noise that competes with dialogue. - **Light, power, space, and consistency:** evaluating and controlling existing light, outlet access, room for camera and crew, and locking access for the full shoot. - **Releases and permits:** location release forms, permit requirements, noise ordinances, and liability basics. #### Module 4 · Budgeting - **Food and crew:** why feeding people matters, and how to think about compensating collaborators — in cash, food, or portfolio credit. - **Equipment costs:** buying, borrowing, or renting — factored into your plan before it becomes a surprise expense. - **Location, transportation, and delivery:** free spaces vs. hourly rentals, travel costs, storage and backup, and delivery from hard drives to streaming platforms. - **Financing a project:** self-funding, crowdfunding, investor pitches, production loans, and grants. #### Module 5 · The Phone as a Pro Camera - **Manual control, one app in depth:** shutter, ISO, aperture equivalents, frame rate, and white balance in the free Blackmagic Camera app. - **ND filters, the 180° shutter rule, and Log:** holding cinematic motion blur in daylight, and shooting flat/Log for more control in post. - **Lensing and movement:** focal length, depth of field, and steady, intentional moves — handheld, on a fluid-head tripod, and with a gimbal. - **Setup, rigging, and reliability:** the mic/light/ND kit on a phone cage, managing storage, battery, and heat on a long shoot — and the craft you'll add on a bigger camera. #### Module 6 · Composition & Coverage - **Composition:** rule of thirds, leading lines, headroom, and frame balance. - **Shot sizes and angles:** wides, mediums, close-ups, cutaways, height, Dutch, and POV. - **Coverage and continuity:** shooting enough angles, holding the 180-degree line, and capturing the b-roll that lets a scene cut together without gaps. #### Module 7 · Lighting Fundamentals - **How light behaves:** the inverse square law, hard vs. soft light, modifiers, and light sources from LED to practicals. - **Three-point lighting:** key, fill, and back light, and how each shapes the subject. - **Natural and available light:** mixing window and practical light with your kit, plus simple modifiers and bounce. - **Mood and problem-solving:** shaping shadows, controlling contrast and color temperature, exposure tools, and fixing color casts. #### Module 8 · Audio: Capture, Monitoring & AI Cleanup - **A real mic system:** a wireless lav (or two) for dialogue and a shotgun mic for scene coverage. - **Placement and levels:** mic distance and positioning, setting gain, and avoiding clipping for close, clean dialogue. - **Monitoring and room:** monitoring on headphones so you never record blind, plus controlling echo and noise and recording room tone. - **AI audio cleanup:** rescuing takes with Adobe Enhance Speech, Descript Studio Sound, or Krisp — and the limits of what cleanup can fix. #### Module 9 · Interviews & On-Camera Production - **Interview setup:** clean backgrounds, lighting and framing an interview subject, two-camera and single-camera setups, eyelines, and question flow. - **Directing talent:** getting natural performances from non-actors and clean, usable answers. - **On-camera presenting:** delivery to camera, plus an AI teleprompter to stay on script. - **Continuity and pickups:** matching takes and capturing the pickup shots that save the edit. #### Module 10 · Production Workflow, Assembly & Delivery - **File management:** ingest, naming, folder structure, and reliable backups. - **Assemble one scene from your coverage:** the test that reveals coverage gaps, crossed eyelines, and missing cutaways while you can still reshoot. - **Light assembly, color, sound, and captions:** a clean cut, basic color correction, an audio mix, titles and lower thirds, and AI captions in DaVinci Resolve or CapCut. - **Export, archive, and client review:** platform export presets, archiving projects you can reopen years later, and a professional review-and-revision workflow. #### Module 11 · Crew Roles & Responsibilities - **Above the line:** executive producers, producers, line producers, showrunners, directors, and writers — and how creative and money decisions get negotiated. - **On set:** the camera and lighting departments, sound, art and wardrobe, and the AD department that keeps a set running on time. - **Post-production roles:** editors, colorists, sound designers, foley artists, composers, and the post supervisor. - **You are the crew:** mapping every role to the skills you've built, how crews scale as budgets grow, and which role to hire first (it's sound). #### Module 12 · Expanding Your Services: Live Events, Real Estate & Music Videos - **The working videographer:** finding local clients, pricing (day rate vs. per-deliverable), simple proposals, and managing scope. - **Live events:** planning from a run-of-show, multicam coverage with no second takes, clean audio from the sound board, and highlight-plus-program deliverables. - **Real estate:** the stabilized walkthrough, wide framing, exposure against bright windows, and a repeatable listing package with fast turnaround. - **Music videos:** the treatment, playback and sync on set, full-song performance coverage across setups, and cutting to the track. - **Packaging client work:** deliverables per gig, one-page agreements, testimonials and referrals, and a portfolio that wins the next job. #### Module 13 · Content for Digital Platforms - **The platform landscape:** how content-sharing platforms evolved, the major players today, and which platforms reach which audiences. - **Format and aspect ratio:** horizontal, vertical, and square, and framing to support all three from one shoot. - **Platform craft and professionalism:** hooks, pacing, captions-on viewing, thumbnail-friendly framing, and why Vimeo signals a different audience than YouTube or TikTok. #### Module 14 · AI in the Workflow & Responsible Use - **AI foundations:** a brief history of AI, the difference between large language models and generative image and video models, and choosing the right tool for each stage. - **Plan and produce with AI:** script development, shot planning and storyboard frames, plus the AI teleprompter on set. - **Post, repurpose, and generate:** transcription and captions, one-to-many platform cuts with AI-drafted titles and chapters, and generative b-roll — with a clear-eyed view of where that line sits. - **Use AI responsibly:** AI-content disclosure and labeling (YouTube, Meta, TikTok, C2PA), caption accuracy for accessibility (ADA / WCAG), and verifying AI-drafted facts before you publish. ## FAQ ### Is this course open to beginners? Yes. No prior video experience is assumed. The course opens with story and planning, then builds each craft from the ground up. You will need a smartphone (iPhone or Android) and enough comfort with apps to install and use them. ### What gear do I need to buy? You shoot on the smartphone you already own, using the free Blackmagic Camera app. For full scene work we recommend an affordable kit: a wireless lav mic system, a shotgun mic, a three-light LED kit, a clip-on ND filter, and a fluid-head tripod. A single clip-on lav and good window light are enough to begin. ### Does this course cover editing? Not in depth, and that is deliberate. This is a shooting course. You will do light assembly, captions, and platform exports in a free editor (DaVinci Resolve or CapCut), which is enough to deliver finished work. For deep editing and motion graphics, we point you to the dedicated AI for Video & Motion Graphics course. ### Is the course entirely online? Yes. There is no studio, no rental kit, and no in-person component. The course is self-paced and instructor-guided: each lesson opens with a short instructor video, and instructors review your projects and give constructive feedback throughout. ### Do these skills transfer to a professional camera? Yes, and that is the design. Exposure, lensing, lighting, composition, and audio fundamentals carry over to any camera. The camera-specific craft you add later, such as true shallow depth of field, interchangeable lenses, and focus pulling, is named as you go, so nothing surprises you when you move up to a mirrorless or cinema camera. ### What do I walk away with? A polished, portfolio-ready video, which is the real credential in this field, plus a Certificate of Completion you can share on LinkedIn and a 45-document sample library covering six complete productions to reuse on your own shoots. ### Can I earn money with these skills? That is the goal of Module 12. You will study the three gigs working videographers are actually hired for, which are live events, real estate listings, and music videos, along with pricing, proposals, one-page agreements, and packaging work that wins the next job. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $2995