Case Study: Video Assist at Jewel and Esk College, Edinburgh
The Learning Resources team at Jewel and Esk College in Edinburgh used Video Assist consultation to gain the skills to create a series of videos of various hair and beauty treatments.
JISC Digital Media assisted them by
- Giving feedback on their kit, the video they had already filmed and comparable videos available on the Internet
- Discussing additional equipment purchases
- Exploring possible locations for filming and debating their strengths and weaknesses
- Supervising the filming of the first video, suggesting appropriate techniques and ensuring the acquisition of all necessary footage
- Discussing and demonstrating some post-production techniques
Background
Jewel and Esk College is an FE and HE institution with a wide variety of both academic and vocational courses, including courses in Beauty and Complementary Therapy. Their facilities for vocational training at the Edinburgh campus include a complete gym and spa with treatment rooms for various therapeutic treatments.
Challenge
Jewel and Esk was introducing a City & Guilds in Beauty Therapy in the 2010-2011 academic year. To support this they intended to create a body of between 50 and 100 short video resources demonstrating various hair and beauty treatments. These were to be uploaded to the college’s VLE so that students could peruse them outside of college hours. They wished to make these videos in-house and needed to develop the requisite skills in their learning support team.
Response
Jane Robertson, the Learning Assistant Coordinator at Jewel and Esk, discussed the situation at Jewel and Esk with JISC Digital Media and a visit to the college was arranged. The day-long consultation consisted of a number of different activities. The team’s existing kit was looked at and its strengths and weaknesses discussed. A test film that the team made was critiqued and suggestions were given for future production. Possible equipment purchases were discussed including pocket camcorders and microphone systems.
Videos similar to the ones that the team wished to make were located on the Internet and viewed. The team was encouraged to analyse them from the points of view of what they were trying to accomplish and who they were intended for, considering such things as location, sound, positioning of the participants, lighting and editing.
Finally, the locations where the team intended to shoot their videos were toured. Suggestions were made about shot selection, lighting, set dressing and the logistics of working in a confined space.
Two months later another trip to Edinburgh was arranged. On this day the team shot an actual video. JISC Digital Media supervised the shoot, including pre-production planning, setting up equipment, discussing what was needed with the therapist being filmed, right through to the production phase itself, ensuring that plenty of footage was captured of sufficient variety to facilitate effective editing during post-production.
After clearing up following the shoot, some of the footage was uploaded to a computer and evaluated. Finally, the team were encouraged to consider various methods of editing the footage.
Benefits
Jane Robertson contacted JISC Digital Media with a specific project in mind, the creation of a video library of health and beauty treatments. Unfortunately, shortly after the Video Assist programme, priorities at Jewel and Esk shifted and the project was shelved indefinitely.
Despite this, Jewel and Esk benefitted from the programme. A team of learning assistants at the college received training in and developed an awareness of the details of video production, and this knowledge remains at the college. Video is still being created at Jewel and Esk, and any projects they are involved in will be influenced by their training from JISC Digital Media – as will the people they work with. The knowledge gained by Jewel and Esk will hopefully spread throughout the college, resulting in the creation of rich and fit for purpose educational resources.
I found it invaluable that Steve shared his expertise through the Video Assist programme. Having very little experience of shooting film, the sessions quickly gave me the confidence to try it for myself. Steve had a copious wealth of knowledge and his training style was friendly and professional.
I had some experience of filming and editing videos but Steve has provided me with lots of good tips about setting up the shot, lighting and editing techniques to make a more professional video.
Steve's Video Assist visits to the college have been really useful. He has provided the team with practical hands on experience of filming that we haven't had access to before. The way he shared his experience and knowledge with us was really helpful and he made what could have been a daunting experience, an enjoyable and painless one!
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