Directing crew and multi-camera shoots

As part of the Mind your business strand, we're offering training in a range of finance, HR and business affairs-related areas, giving you the tools you need to thrive in your chosen field in unscripted TV.

Overseeing this kind of shoot can be very challenging, there's crew to manage, camera angles to choreograph, (without getting in each other's shots), contributors to support, and sometimes there's even walkie-talkie chat to master. This interactive session is therefore designed to help. 

By using clips as talking points, we’ll walk through how you manage and get the best from several crews. You’ll be asked to think about optimal camera angles and the dreaded ‘line’, and as groups you'll work up a shoot plan to cover a specific scene. 

All this is aimed to boost both your coverage and your confidence - crucial elements when it comes to these kinds of shoots.

Please be prepared to have your cameras on during this session and to get involved in discussions and exercises.

Who it's for

This course is suitable for anyone from researcher to exec level in unscripted TV.

The majority of the Unscripted Skills Fund (USF) online short course offering is for those at early career stage and above. As a result, we generally require applicants to have at least three credits (unless working in a traditionally uncredited role). If you strongly feel you would still benefit from the training, please email USF@screenskills.com so we can assess if an exception should be made.

We are committed to ensuring all our courses are accessible to everyone. This course is designed to be as interactive as possible. Please email the above address if you have any access requirements and we will be delighted to help, be that clarifying the form such interaction is likely to take or discussing reasonable adjustments.

Trainer

Sarah Kerley-Burton is a series director and senior edit producer with 20 years experience making factual programmes. Having spent most of her career wielding a camera, her directing credits include: World's Strictest Parents, Mary's Bottom Line and Young Mums' Mansion.

As an EP Sarah made films such as Beyond the Beach, the Hell and the Hope, Celebrity Hunted, Lodgers for Codgers, and The Savoy. 

How to apply

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘apply now’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to apply for your place: you must login or register before you are able to complete your application.

If you need additional support to complete your application or require the application form in an alternative format please contact USF@screenskills.com

Places on these free online courses are limited and applications are often highly competitive. To stand the best chance of securing a place, please be sure to consider the following:

• When asked to list your three most recent credits, please include the programme title and your job role
• When asked what you hope to gain from the course, please be concise but ensure you cover the specific elements of the topic you would like to gain knowledge of and what gaps in your skillset you believe the course may address
• A rewording of the course title or a general comment on career progression does not tell us much about how this course would benefit you

If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the 'decline ticket' function on the right hand side of the page so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.

This session is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

This course would normally cost participants to attend, but thanks to this support, we are able to offer it to you for free. If you fail to attend, we reserve the right to request reimbursement of costs, unless your place can be taken by someone else.