Any Questions?

Frequently Asked Questions.

Question 1 - How many people can be trained at once?

Most of the hands-on smartphone filming / editing courses require a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 8 people.

This allows sufficient one-to-one time with each student throughout the course, but also enough people to team up on the practical exercises.

If you want to train more people at once it can be arranged, but it will require a second trainer.

Smartphone Shooter founder Toby Sadler has given lectures to large groups of more than 100 people. If you require an expert speaker for your next event please get in touch: +44 208 243 8860 info@smartphoneshooter.com

Question 2 - What facilities and equipment do we need for training?

The training normally takes place at your offices. We need a room large enough to seat the students with sufficient space to erect a tripod and some lighting stands.

The practical filming exercises then take place in and around your offices or in the nearby vicinity. (We are happy to go outside in all weathers – but if your team are fair-weather filmmakers it’s worth having a backup dry venue.)

We’ll also need a large screen / TV to connect a laptop via HDMI.

If you don’t have an appropriate space a third party venue can be arranged for an additional fee.

In terms of equipment, we provide everything apart from the smartphones. So in general terms that is microphones, tripods, lighting and gimbals. The idea is that you get to try out a few bits of kit before spending your budget.

We often find people need to buy much less than they thought.

In terms of the smartphones – the newer the better. Many apps will still work with phones as old as the iPhone 5s, but not all. Older Android phones are a little more hit and miss.

Please get in touch if you want to talk through any of these details: +44 208 243 8860 info@smartphoneshooter.com

Question 3 - Can training take place anywhere in the UK?

Yes. I am based in Hanwell in West London but am happy to travel anywhere in the UK.

Normal travel expenses for fuel / public transport apply.

If the training location is much more than a two hour drive then I’d also need a hotel in order to start the training first thing in the morning.

There might also be a travel day fee to pay.

Please get in touch if you need more information: +44 208 243 8860 info@smartphoneshooter.com

Question 4 - Can training take place outside the UK?

Yes. I am based in London but happy to travel outside the UK to train.

There would be the normal travel expenses to pay. So transport / bed / breakfast / evening meal.

There might also be a travel day fee to pay.

Please get in touch if you need more information: +44 208 243 8860 info@smartphoneshooter.com

Question 5 - How much does the training cost?

I know this is an annoying answer – but each course is different – so it’s impractical to put a figure here.

Please get in touch to talk through your training needs. That way I can put together a training package that is built around you.

Equally if you are just starting to think about using video and want to bounce a few ideas around I am happy to have a no obligation chat.

Fancy a coffee? If you are in London I’m also happy to come to you to talk things through. Please get in touch: +44 208 243 8860 info@smartphoneshooter.com

This was the most valuable two days of hands-on training I’ve done. If we even produce one film in-house that would have been done externally, we will have saved money.

Dan Barley – Schroders
I feel totally empowered to go and make great films. Absolutely great, fun, learning, inspiration – what’s not to like?

Richard Crabb – Tesco
“Toby is absolutely at the top of his game and our go-to person for smartphone video training. We trust him to train ambassadors, military personnel, and most importantly our own staff. I cannot recommend him highly enough”

Adam Waters – BFBS Creative
Toby was great; he is exceptionally personable and made the 2 days training a lot of fun. I highly recommend Smartphone Shooter – this training was one of the best sessions I have had in my career.

Susan Diemer – Direct Line Group
Very valuable, learned a lot about filming, lighting and editing…Toby was very helpful and patient. He made the two day experience very enjoyable.

Sofia Mumtaz – Cazenove Capital
Extremely valuable. I feel much more confident to go and film. Thank you Toby! You’re a great teacher.

Bryan Carter – Euronews NBC
This is a well delivered course, useful tips and feedback throughout. Good selection of equipment available to allow for experimentation.

Alex Chrysandreas – Tesco
Fantastic training session. Loved being hands on filming and editing. Toby was great! Very helpful

Lucy Hay – AECOM
Thanks to the team at Smartphone Shooter for two really excellent and stimulating sessions. The training was exactly what we were after. Everyone who took part found it extremely helpful.

Alistair Smith – The Stage
Really valuable. I am very happy, it covered everything I needed to know. Toby was great.

Nicole Carey – Schroders
Very valuable. I came in with only a very basic knowledge of filming and no editing experience. I now feel confident in putting a video together. Thank you!

Jessica Shaffner – Tesco

AECOM

Engineering firm Aecom wanted to train up staff from its internal and external comms departments as well as marketing and events teams. Smartphone Shooter provided a series of one-day courses teaching all the fundamental elements of filmmaking on a smartphone.
Tesco

Tesco made a few bookings with Smartphone Shooter. For example one project was to train up the brand team to show off their work to the rest of the company. They were taught how to shoot on the phone then edit on the Mac. Another training session was focused on the technology team. This was another internal comms job. The team learnt how to shoot and edit on their phones – allowing them to educate Tesco employees about their role and the projects they were doing.
Schroders

Schroders have been a regular client of Smartphone Shooter. Repeat bookings have resulted in training for press, PR and marketing teams as well as events and internal comms. These two-day courses allowed in depth training on the technicalities of filmmaking but also video storytelling for a digital audience.
Direct Line Group

This training focused on NIG which is the commercial insurance arm of the Direct Line Group. Smartphone Shooter taught a two day Android based shoot / edit course so the team there could make engaging video for both internal and external audiences.
Euronews NBC

Smartphone Shooter trained Euronews NBC journalists to shoot and edit broadcast quality video on their smartphones. Sessions were carried out both in London and Brussels. The station was relaunching and made a commitment to using iPhones as their primary newsgathering camera where possible. This meant shooting for both recorded and live reports.
Cazenove Capital

Wealth management company Cazenove Capital wanted a mix of people trained from the content to the charities team, plus some internal comms people. I was able to tailor a course that met everyone’s needs. They all came away with practical video skills they could use right away.
NIG

NIG is the commercial insurance arm of the Direct Line Group. Smartphone Shooter taught a two day Android based shoot / edit course so the team there could make engaging video for both internal and external audiences.
Fitzroy

Fitzroy is a fantastic charity who support people with learning difficulties. Their marketing team were trained to shoot and edit video on their phones. This allowed them to increase engagement on social media with planned campaigns. It also meant they could capture spontaneous moments with people they help. Smartphone shooter was also rehired to train new members of staff and also to shoot three corporate films for the charity.
Bfbs Creative

BFBS has been working with Smartphone Shooter for several years. Brought in to provide specialist training under the BFBS name. Clients have included the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. Regular training has also been given to the Ministry of Defence along with sessions for The Foreign Office and Department for Exiting the European Union.
Cardiff University

Smartphone Shooter was hired by Hard Truth media to collaborate on this training. We helped train cancer research scientists to make films about their work so they could get more charitable donations to support future research projects. It was a huge success and one of the more humbling projects to work on.
City University

Smartphone Shooter founder Toby Sadler was invited to be a guest lecturer to the post graduate Broadcast Journalism Students at City University in London. This is one of the best courses of its type in the country. The lectures focused on emerging trends in mobile journalism as well as practical training in smartphone filmmaking.
F1000

F1000 is an Open Research publishing platform for scientists, scholars and clinicians offering rapid publication of articles and other research outputs without editorial bias. We trained their marketing and comms team to better tell the story of the organisation with self-shot smartphone video.
The Stage

The Stage magazine wanted to bring video to their digital storytelling. Smartphone Shooter taught their journalists how to shoot video on their phones in the often challenging environment of the red carpet. This training like so many also focuses on what good storytelling with video looks like.
WAFA

This was such an exciting project. Smartphone Shooter taught this fitness start-up company how to shoot and edit on the phone and tell their story with video. The films WAFA now makes help drive business through Facebook advertising. This is a company on the up.
BJTC

The Broadcast Journalism Council accredits the leading higher eduction courses in the field. Smartphone Shooter founder Toby Sadler was invited as a guest speaker to talk to the heads of these courses at the BJTC’s annual conference. This was an expert view on which broadcasters are embracing mobile journalism and how that is shaping the industry.
Sherlock

Sherlock are a retail and graphic design agency in Brighton. This training came about through their association with Tesco. The course not only gave their team the skills to shoot and edit video with a smartphone, but also acted as a team building away day.
Wolff Olins

Wolff Olins is a brand agency that works with the likes of Tesco, TikTok and Uber. They wanted to be able to tell the behind the scenes stories of some of those relationships using smartphone video. This course taught those filmmaking skills plus desktop editing.

Contact

Phone: +44 208 243 8860

Email: info@smartphoneshooter.com