Media & Broadcast Training
Our team at Sparks Fly have extensive broadcast and production experience. We travel the world sharing these skills through a variety of media training courses and workshops. We have extensive broadcast and corporate clients including; the BBC, ITV, STV, GBC, Facebook, Oracle, Dropbox, Service Now, MediaCorp, U.A., BBC Media Action, the Frontline Club, Journalism.co.uk and many others. Sparks Fly particularly specialises in craft and story telling courses. We have been delivering camera and edit training for over 15 years, MoJo smartphone filming training for over 10 years and documentary and storytelling training for the last 8 years.
Face to face
Conventional face to face, location based training
Recorded modules
Pre-recorded, online courses available when you want.
Live webinars
Live online, individual or group, webinar masterclasses
Hybrid Training
Mixing pre-recorded modules with live online training time.
Our team have created ground breaking processes for helping producers find the essence and heart of a story that will compel and engaging audiences. This technique has demonstrated a day and night transformation for those newsrooms and broadcasters who have adopted it.
Sparks Fly designs and delivers bespoke courses for clients particular needs. These courses include…
- Documentary development and production training course/workshop
- MoJo, Filming and editing with iPhones & smartphones training course / workshop
- Video Journalism training course/workshop
- FCP X, Adobe Premier, AVID Media Composer and KineMaster editing training course / workshop
- Viral video production and online engagement training course/workshop
- Creative production and storytelling training course/workshop
See our full list of regular media training workshops and courses below, but we also regularly design and deliver bespoke courses for clients.
Listed below is an overview of the regular media training courses we deliver to clients all around the world. In each case click on the ‘more details’ for a full course syllabus breakdown.
AI IN NEWS & MEDIA PRODUCTION TRAINING COURSE
AI Media Expert, Dean Arnett has developed a number of broadcast standard AI Training courses covering specific areas of AI in Newsgathering and Media Production. These Artificial Intelligence for Media courses are suitable for digital publishers, broadcasters and news producers.
Dean travels the world sharing these skills for a portfolio of broadcast and corporate clients including; the BBC, ITV, STV, AP, Meta, IREX, MediaCorp, Financial Times, Press Association. Thomson Foundation, WAN IFRA, the Frontline Club, Journalism.co.uk and many others.
DOCUMENTARY DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION MASTERCLASS
Got a documentary idea but not sure how to: move it forwards, get some interest, get it funded, commissioned and broadcast?
This course applies to online documentaries, broadcast TV documentaries and one-off theatrical release documentaries. During the day we break down the development process, working through what’s needed to create a compelling pitch, then a fully rounded proposal, a treatment, shooting schedule, budget and sizzle teaser.
SMARTPHONE MOJO FILM-MAKING TRAINING
This course is generally a two day workshop taking delegates through all the detail of shooting broadcast quality video on their Android devices, iPhones or iPads. The course covers what shots you need to get, how to frame interviews, sound and lighting. We look at all the accessories currently available to make your production more professional. The delegates then edit, package and publish their finished films using a smartphone or tablet. This course has been delivered to broadcasters around the world including the BBC and various corporate clients.
A more Mac OS focussed version of this course is available.
ONLINE VIDEO – STRATEGY & SUCCESS
Simply publishing video on as many platforms as possible is not the way to build a success. This course looks at the best narrative arcs and treatments for online audiences and how they should be optimised for each platform. It busts the myths about what success looks like and identifies what the real goals you should be aiming for to build an audience that engages with you in the way that suits you.
This course covers everything from the wider overall online video strategy of your brand (something so few companies or broadcasters understand or consider), to building audience loyalty, improving your chances of appearing in their news feeds, to the more specific algorithms and analytics of each platform and how best to use them to be successful.
EDITING WITH FCP X
This course goes from the very basics of Apple’s FCP X editing software through to advanced editing functions such as Transitions, Sound Mixes, Graphics, Effects, Keying, Compositing & Animation. But the course isn’t just about button pressing, we explore the often ignored craft of ‘editing grammar’. We learn how to edit faster and more creatively by introducing discipline and sorting processes into your workflow. We look at some short cuts and practice some regular challenges that face editors on a daily basis.
EDITING WITH ADOBE PREMIER
This course goes from the very basics of Adobe Premier editing software through to advanced editing functions such as Transitions, Sound Mixes, Graphics, Effects, Keying, Compositing & Animation. But the course isn’t just about button pressing, we explore the often ignored craft of editing grammar. We learn how to edit faster and more creatively by introducing discipline and sorting processes into your workflow. We look at some short cuts and practice some regular challenges that face editors. We’ll also explore how Premier fits in with other software in the Adobe CC suite.
CREATIVE VISUAL STORYTELLING COURSE
This is a 3 days course exploring storytelling techniques, filming techniques and creative narrative structures that engage and compel audiences. We’ll look at editing and how montage and juxtaposition can be played with and adapted to enhance the storytelling. We’ll look at new technologies and new working practices that will give storytellers a short cut to better engagement.
VIDEO STUDIO DESIGN & LIVE STREAMING TRAINING
Design, create and build the ideal video and live streaming studio for you, from layout and equipment to set design, virtual sets and staffing, running and production of your content.
Whether you want to create a small home studio, or you’re looking to build a video studio for your media department, organisation, digital publisher or you want a full multi-camera, broadcast quality, TV studio, this course will take you through every step you need to consider.
We deconstruct the whole live streaming process, explaining each step, so you can focus in on the right live streaming solution for you. No other media production tool supercharges audience reach, audience engagement and build audience loyalty like video live streaming.
LIVE STREAMING, WEBCASTING & PRO WEBINAR MASTERCLASS
There’s a massive and still rapidly growing sector of your potential audience that wants to consume
your content live, as it happens. Add to that, recent world events which have meant we all have to
find new ways of working, and you realise you cannot afford to not be on top of Live-Streaming
and Webinar software and technology.
CAMERA & VIDEO JOURNALISM TRAINING
This is a generic two day camera training course which can be adapted and re-focussed to particular cameras (where possible). It covers both semi-automatic shooting for complete beginners, and moves up to full manual operation. The course balances technical and creative training, looking at framing and lighting as well as some editorial considerations that may effect how you shoot.
There are 3 and 5 day versions of this course. The longer versions allowing for shooting exercises to really hone the shooting and V.J. skills.
