Curriculum
Six modules taken in order, each with practical exercises on your own cameras, leading from basic colour settings to a documented multi-camera workflow.
Module by module
The full programme, from white balance to handover notes
Each module has a clear subject, a practical exercise and an outcome you can check. You should already be comfortable operating your camera's menus and have at least one camera available. Later modules are most useful if you run two or more cameras.
01White Balance and Colour Basics
You set and verify white balance across mixed studio and event lighting, using grey cards and simple colour checks. The exercise has you shoot the same card under different sources, compare the results and record a reliable starting point for each room. Outcome: a documented white balance routine for your usual locations.
02Exposure and Light Control
You read histograms and waveforms and set exposure consistently, then keep portrait lighting predictable from shot to shot. In the exercise you expose a sitter under fixed lights, note the readings and repeat the setup. Outcome: an exposure method you can explain and repeat, rather than adjusting by eye each time.
03Frame Rate and Shutter Planning
You choose frame rates and shutter settings that suit the delivery format and keep every camera in sync. The exercise starts from the format you actually deliver, works backwards to the settings and checks that all cameras share them. Outcome: an agreed frame rate and shutter plan written for your production workflow.
04Focus Checks and Monitoring
You use peaking, magnification and test targets to confirm sharp focus before and during a shoot. The exercise has you check focus on a target at working distance, then repeat the check on a live subject. Outcome: a short focus checklist suited to your lenses and monitors.
05Matching Multiple Cameras
You compare footage from different camera models side by side and bring skin tones and contrast into line. The exercise places each camera on the same subject and lighting, then adjusts settings until the images agree. Outcome: a settings table per camera model, so a mixed set of cameras gives one consistent look.
06Review, Test Session and Handover Notes
You plan a setup review, run a test session and write clear handover notes the whole team can follow. The exercise brings the earlier modules together in one rehearsal on your own cameras. Outcome: a written setup sheet and notes that another operator could use to reproduce your results.
How each module is worked through
Every module follows the same rhythm, from agreeing what your cameras need to leaving with written results. The routine stays steady so you can focus on the subject, not on the format.
Share your kit
You list your camera models and recording requirements before the module begins. This lets exercises run on the gear you actually use and the delivery format you actually work to.
Demonstrate the method
The instructor shows the technique on a camera, explaining what each reading means. You see the setting, the check and the result before trying it yourself.
Practise on your cameras
You repeat the method on your own equipment in the room, with the instructor checking your readings. Mistakes are corrected on the spot while the settings are still in front of you.
Compare and adjust
Where more than one camera is involved, footage is placed side by side and settings are adjusted until the images agree. Differences are noted rather than ignored.
Record the result
You write down what was chosen and why, in plain words. These notes feed the handover sheet completed in the final module.
Before you start the first module
The course works best when you arrive with your own cameras and a clear idea of the work they do. A little preparation means the practice time goes to the exercises, not to finding out what each camera can do.
Bring every camera you intend to use together, with batteries, memory cards and the lenses you normally mount. If you run different models, bring all of them, since the matching exercises depend on seeing their footage side by side under the same conditions.
Write down your camera models and the settings you currently use. Note anything that has gone wrong on past shoots, such as one camera looking warmer than another or footage that would not cut together. These examples give the instructors something concrete to work on.
Decide what you deliver. Knowing whether your footage ends up as short web clips, event recordings or portrait sessions determines the frame rate, shutter and colour choices in later modules, so settle it early.
Think about who else touches your setups. If colleagues or freelancers run your cameras, mention them. The handover notes written at the end are meant for exactly those people, and their questions shape how the notes are worded.
Prerequisites are modest. You should be able to navigate your camera's menus and record a clip. Experience with colour or exposure theory is not required, because each module begins from the basics and builds from there.
A setup is only finished when somebody else can repeat it. If the notes are clear, the cameras stop being a source of surprises on the day.
Megan Hollis, Lead Instructor, Colour and Exposure
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