film, video & TV training | professional development
Customised Training
Upon request, courses are designed to suit the needs of individuals, groups or business within metropolitan and regional Victoria.
As a Registered Training Organisation with a 35-year history of delivering quality training, Open Channel is able to draw on its extensive resources to customise training to meet your needs.
We offer one-to-one and group workshops for individuals, corporations or community organisations in film, television and multimedia.
We can design intensive short workshops and seminars to get you up to speed, or tailor comprehensive courses, complete with assessment and nationally recognised Certificates that utilise the National Training Package.
Customised Training can be delivered at Open Channel's premises in Docklands or at your preferred location, anywhere in Victoria. We can provide training resources including production and editing equipment, access to post-production software, handbooks, tailored information handouts and DV or DVD media stock.
All trainers are experts in their field and are actively working in the film, television and multimedia industries.
Create Stand out Video Content for the Web
Customised 3 day intensive
Learn how to produce promotional web videos or short documentary pieces and transform your company website with this intensive practical course. Designed for beginners, this course gives your company team a solid technical and creative foundation.
CTDOCFI has been successfully run over the last two years in government, not-for-profit and community organisations.
We run the customised 3 day intensive course with 6 - 12 participants training your staff with your department or Open Channel equipment.
Be guided by an experienced filmmaker to:
- Examine storytelling basics
- Understand story development
- Understand legal and ethical issues
- Learn "The Art of the Interview"
- Use camera, lighting, sound and editing equipment
- Collaboratively shoot and edit a short documentary exercise
- An overview of how to embed video content into your website
Case Studies
Open Channel teams up with Al-Taqwa College
The Open Channel mobile training unit visited Al-Taqwa College last year to run a 3 day intensive, involving 12 students who were selected for the course through winning a school-run short film competition. Teacher Michael Harding describes the experience:
“We worked closely with the trainers to design a three day film training program for our students. As the first point of contact, the Open Channel trainers introduced our staff to the possible formats of the course, and communicated the opportunities that would be provided to our students.
Open Channel coordinated the involvement of additional film professionals, who worked as a team to deliver practical filmmaking activities. The tight three-day schedule was necessitated by the ‘crowded’ secondary school curriculum, and they worked very hard to ensure that all projects were completed to a high level, despite the time limitations placed by the school on the project. Information and skills were effectively conveyed to students, and cross-age groups formed so as to maximise learning opportunities.
Open Channel willingly contributed time to an additional day of planning and training, allowing students to begin the course with the requisite knowledge and clear expectations.
It was very impressive to observe the ways in which Open Channel worked to develop the students’ initial videos – made without teacher support – into new and improved works of narrative cinema. By making the effort to understand the students’ films, the tutors were in a position to recommend improvements and suggest new ways of delivering the competition theme of The Importance of Prayer.
Al-Taqwa is a coeducational, Islamic school, and as a non-Muslim, Open Channel’s interpretation of this theme has been commended by the College community. Open Channel’s tutor confidence, sensitivity, and clear communication are testament to their skills as trainers and filmmakers. Students were highly engaged throughout the training program, and will keenly use their learnt skills to develop visual media into the future.”
Michael Harding
Art Domain Leader
Bully Planet
Open Channel & Moonee Valley Council present: Super Terror
ise Me presents Bully Planet
The Australian Government's Youth Development and Support Program, which is managed by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, provided funding in 2012 in support of a production initiative between Open Channel and Moonee Valley Council to deliver a community based ANTI BULLYING project for Young People aged between 12 and 25. The project called Super Terrorise Me: The Web Series provided young people in Moonee Valley City Council with the opportunity to develop and produce an original anti-bullying web series with mentoring from established award-winning screen industry professional, Nick Moore. The production process helped the young group to develop skills in writing, directing, producing, cinematography, lighting, sound, set design, performance, music, editing and web compression. "
Super Terrorise Me – Bully Planet
Students harness film to explore mental health
The 24 January Premiere at Cinema Nova was a special night for Open Channel’s student filmmakers with the debut screening of their two short films examining media and mental illness issues, Medication Time (horror/comedy short film, image to right) and Media and Mental Illness (short documentary).
The films were the accumulation of three months hard work and creativity for the students who all experience mental illness. The unique training program was funded by Doutta Galla Community Health, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and supported by television training organisation Open Channel, and Penguin Artists.
The project involved students, volunteer crew, actors, industry professionals, and trainers.
Doutta Galla CEO Dianne Couch expressed her enthusiasm for the project: “Congratulations to the students on their films and completion of Certificate III in Media (Filmmaking); a Nationally Recognised Statement of Attainment. This is a fantastic outcome that will open up further opportunities for them. We also look forward to working with our partners to offer other community projects in the future."
"The CPE project screening was a great result and I was really impressed by the quality of work, and the achievement of the students. The drama film was certainly a strong and highly accomplished short film. Open Channel is proud to have been part of this partnership and this valuable program". Jennie Hughes, Executive Director of Open Channel, Executive Producer of films such as Dirty Deeds, Crackerjack, Bad Eggs, Gettin Square and International Sales Agent Macleods Daughters.
Greek Film Festival: Teacher Filmmaker Bootcamp
The Greek Film Festival has for the past three years run a Student Film Festival, in which students from Primary, Secondary and University can submit short films. The films are generally produced by students in groups, under the guidance of their teachers.
This year, to support teachers with the production of these films, the Greek Community of Melbourne (which operates the Greek Film Festival) offered filmmaking workshops to these teachers, which also contributed towards their professional development.
The Open Channel Filmmaking Bootcamp took place onsite at the Greek Community of Melbourne's community centre in Lonsdale Street. The introductory course provided teachers with the basic skills to produce a solid short film, with improved production values, which were then screened, as part of the competition, at the Greek Film Festival.
The teachers were enthusiastic - and some of them extremely competitive - the competition is a tight! For further information about the Festival visit: www.greekfilmfestival.com.au
Celluloid Soup
In 2010, Open Channel provided training to Celluloid Soup’s inaugural Digital Filmmaking Workshop. An initiative of the Jewish Museum of Australia, the Celluloid Soup Film Festival has been one of the highlights of the Museum’s calendar since 1998.
In the workshop, fourteen novice filmmakers received training in digital filmmaking, and collaboratively shot two short films based on an Open Channel script.
www.jewishmuseum.com.au
www.celluloidsoup.com
Peripheral
In 2007, Open Channel was proud to be involved in a unique training program teaching filmmaking skills to young people, helping to breakdown the myths and misconceptions of mental illness.
Burrinja in partnership with the Shire of Yarra Ranges Youth Services team and Open Channel worked with a group of young people aged 14 to 21 helping them create a short film exploring mental health issues through personal experience.
The participants gained a range of filmmaking skills working closely with Open Channel tutors. The Open Channel team was able to create an environment where sometimes painful issues could be raised and worked creatively into the storyline.
PERIPHERAL was launched by the Yarra Ranges’ mayor Tim Heenan on October 11 2007 as part of Mental Health Week, at Burrinja in Upwey, in partnership with the Shire of Yarra Ranges Youth Services team, VicHealth and Uniting Care community Options.
Previous clients include:
| SBS Radio Channel 31 Doutta Galla Community Health Victorian Dept. of Justice World Vision Australia National Institute of Circus Arts 'Today Tonight' (Channel 7) |
ABC TV Koori Heritage Trust Moyne Shire Council Australian Media Group Public Records Office Victoria Celluloid Soup/Jewish Museum Dubsat |
Testimonials
“Open Channel was very helpful - provided a lot of assistance to ensure the training would be what we needed.”
STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA
Country Football Living Memory Project 2006
“Most satisfactory areas of the training was being able to ask any questions, having the course tailored to our requirements and the approachability / friendliness / knowledge and experience of the staff”
Caroline, November 2007
CAMERA & LIGHTING TECHNIQUES
“The Tutor’s flexibility and delivery of material to the individual was amazing. His honesty and integrity was so welcome (if he didn't know an answer he would research it for the next day). The course was great because we were taught at our own pace and style. The class size was great! (The Tutor) was perfect for us! Loved his experience; he easily explained shortcuts/ materials in a way that I could retain"
FINAL CUT PRO INTERMEDIATE, September 2007
For a quote contact the Short Course Coordinator on:
Phone: (03) 8610 9300
Email: shortcourses@openchannel.org.au
