Workshops & CoursesSpring 2011 - Spring 2012

For children, young people, families and adults

Thank you for picking up a copy of our Spring 2011 to Spring 2012 Learning Brochure.

Signals Media Arts Centre has been a base for media learning and creativity since 1988, offering a great

range of creative media workshops, as well as providing educational projects, exhibition opportunities,

production equipment and facilities for hire. We are passionate about media training and production.

Our new range of courses for children, young people, families and adults have been developed to help

all kinds of people learn more about the expanding world of digital media. Whatever your passion,

hobby, skill or career, I’m sure we’ve got a course that’s just right for you.

Signals is also a designated Learning Destination for the Colchester Children’s University scheme.

Learning Destinations’ are places and organisations which provide high quality learning opportunities

and activities, validated by the Children’s University. Here the Children’s University students can get

their ‘Passport To Learning’ stamped which in turn will lead to the award of National Certificates. To find

out more about this scheme, follow this link: http://www.colchesterchildrensuniversity.co.uk

I look forward to welcoming you in our newly refurbished studio!

Lisa Wright Education Co-ordinator at Signals Media Arts Centre

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Welcome Page 3

Adult Courses Page 4

Adult Courses for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Page 9

Workshops for Children and Young People Page 11

Youth Film Club Page 15

Course Booking Form Page 16

Equipment Hire Page 17

Course Planner Page 18

Welcome

Contents

PO Box 9272, Colchester, CO1 9AX Tel: 01206 863835Email: mail@cyocolchester.org.uk Web: www.cyocolchester.org.uk

Director: Rachel Hipkiss

Education Co-ordinator: Lisa Wright

Production Co-ordinator: Paul Johnson

Operations Co-ordinator: Diane Bishop

Filmmaker: Will Wright

Graphic & Web Designer: Shaloam Wren

Lunchtime ScriptwritingTuesday 3rd May 2011 (and 10th, 17th, 24th and

31st May), 12 – 2pm, £25 (or £5 per session) or

Friday 2nd March 2012 (and 9th, 16th, 23rd and

30th March), 12 – 2pm, £25 (or £5 per session)

If you’ve ever wanted to write a Hollywood

blockbuster or have a place to share your ideas,

this five-week-long Lunchtime Scriptwriting

group is a great place to start. It’s an informal

place to talk through scriptwriting conventions,

storytelling rules, formatting, plot and character

development. It’s also a chance for you to

meet people who could collaborate on future

scriptwriting projects.

Social Media WorkoutThursday 12th May 2011, 6 – 8pm, £5 or

Tuesday 6th September 2011 10 – 12pm, £5 or

Friday 27th January 2012, 12 – 2pm, £5

If you feel left behind by the digital world and

don’t know your Facebook from your Twitter, this

informal drop in workshop will take you through

social networking and the wonders of the web

step by step.

Adult CoursesOur adult courses are taught by experienced tutors who work in the media and creative industries.

We use professional equipment and offer courses for the absolute beginner and for people who

already work in media.

Four Week Filmmaking Course: How To Make Better FilmsSaturday 7th May 2011 (and 14th, 21st and 28th

May), 10 – 4pm, £200

This course is designed to unleash the creative

filmmaker within by showing you how to make

better low-cost movies with the easily available

equipment you may already own. Over four

weeks you will learn writing, directing, producing,

cinematography, sound recording and post-

production whilst producing a 3-5 min short film.

Led by Will Wright, a local filmmaker and director

with years of teaching experience.

Camera Drop-In Tuesday 7th June 2011, 6 – 8pm, £5 or

Saturday 17th September 2011, 10 – 12pm, £5 or

Wednesday 11th January 2012, 3 – 5pm, £5

Want to make the most of your stills camera but

don’t know where to start? This informal drop in

session is a chance for you to bring your camera

along (whether it’s a point-and-shoot camera or

digital SLR) and get some basic tuition on how to

take great pictures.

Photography for BeginnersTuesday 14th June 2011, 6 – 9pm, £25

This short workshop will give you all the tips and

tricks you need to create beautiful photographs

at home, Bring your own equipment along if you

like, we’ll show you how to make the most of

your camera using the different settings.

Alternatively, you can use one of Signals Canon

Digital SLRs to help you practice a range of

professional techniques.

Photoshop for BeginnersThursday 23rd June 2011, 6 – 9pm, £25

This course introduces Adobe Photoshop.

Covering a range of techniques, from basic

airbrushing to creating beautiful images using

layer masks, this crash course will help you make

the most of your photos. Use one of our photos

or bring your own digital photos (on a hard drive).

Stop Motion AnimationSaturday 2nd July 2011, 10 – 4pm, £40 or Saturday 10th March 2012, 10 – 4pm, £40

Learn the fundamentals of stop motion animation in this 2-day practical course. Using a range of artist materials including plasticine and gaining experience of animation software, you will create your own short animated film.

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Web Design Wednesday 6th July 2011 (and 7th and 8th July), 6 – 9pm or Wednesday 21st March 2012 (and 22nd and 23rd March), 6 – 9pm, £100 (or £90 if you bring your own laptop with Dreamweaver installed)

This course will take you through the steps to create your own website. Our professional designer, Shaloam Wren, has tons of experience in creating beautifully crafted websites using Adobe Creative Suite tools such as In-Design and Dreamweaver.

Filmmaking for Beginners Saturday 6th August 2011 (and 13th, 20th and 27th August) 10 - 4pm, £140

Make movies now with the equipment you have at home or in the office. This course is designed to unleash the budding filmmaker within, in easy, practical steps. Learn the principles of story telling, film language and video production, using the type of camcorder and computer editing software you may already own.

Scriptwriting for BeginnersSaturday 3rd September 2011, 10 – 3pm, £30

This introduction to scriptwriting will show you how to create a film script using free professional software and give you advice on genre conventions, character development and story arcs.

Filmmaking: Next Steps Saturday 10th September 2011 (and 24th September, 8th and 22nd October, 5th and 19th November), 10 – 4pm, £50 per session or £300 for all six sessions

Led by Will Wright, these masterclasses are designed for emerging filmmakers looking to develop their professional skills in specific areas within the production process. Every session will give you an insight into advanced filmmaking techniques and methods. Block book them all for a complete course, or choose the sessions that suit you. Please bring examples of your own work and future film ideas. Saturday 10th September 2011 Session One: Film Narrative Learn the mechanics of what makes a good story and

improve your own writing and script reading skills.

Saturday 24th September 2011 Session Two: Producing Learn how to make your films happen, organise cast and crew, locations and contracts. Make the most of your low to no budget and still be professional. Saturday 8th October 2011 Session Three: Directing Have all the answers on set, apply artistic leadership skills and make better movies.

Saturday 22nd October 2011 Session Four: DOP / Sound Recording Learn how to employ practical camera, lighting and sound recording skills on set.

Saturday 5th November Session Five: Production Design Art Direction on a budget. A practical guide to locations, costumes, props, dressing and blagging. Saturday 19th November 2011 Session Six: EditingLearn why editing is ‘sculpting in time and space’ with tips, concepts and ideas on how to build your film with sound and vision.

Autumn PhotographyTuesday 18th October 2011, 10 – 2pm, £20

A complete short photography course to capture this beautiful time of year. Bring your digital camera or borrow one from Signals. We’ll go to Castle Park (weather permitting!) and show you all you need for taking great pictures outdoors. Then back to Signals studio to capture and edit images in Photoshop.

After Effects for Beginners Saturday and Sunday 11th and 12th November 2011, 10 – 3pm, £150

The post-production programme that people most want to learn about. This two-day workshop is an introduction to Adobe After Effects, helping you create professional post-production effects.

Christmas Card Workshop using PhotoshopThursday 1st December 2011, 10 – 2pm, £20

Bring photos along on a disc or memory stick and we’ll teach you how to edit them using Photoshop to create a memorable Christmas card your family and friends will treasure.

“As a graphic designer I get real insight into all kinds of businesses - everyday is different ” Shaloam Wren - Graphic & Web Designer

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Digital Photography Saturday 18th June 2011, 10 – 4pm, £50

This course is a great introduction to digital

photography where you will learn all the tips and

tricks you need for creating beautiful, professional

images using a digital camera. Bring your own

camera in or use one of our Canon digital SLRs. If

you regularly take photographs for work and are

looking to extend your knowledge of photography

and take better pictures, this one-day workshop

will suit you. We’ll show you all the techniques

you need to improve your digital photography

skills and edit your pictures using Photoshop.

Build Your Own Website Saturday and Sunday 26th and 27th November

2011, 10 – 4pm, £150 (or £125 if you bring your

own laptop with Dreamweaver installed)

Aimed at creating a website for business

purposes this short course over two days is a

great start to get your website up and running.

Covering all the basics from purchasing a domain,

designing a site using Dreamweaver and syncing

your website with services like Vimeo, Twitter and

eBay, this is a chance to get yourself and your

business online with professional support.

Teaching Video Production CPD / INSET (Basic)Thursday 13th October 2011, 9.30 – 4pm, £75

Designed to equip teaching staff and youth workers with the necessary practical knowledge and experience in moving image production. Become familiar with the operation of cameras, mics and editing software (iMovie/Windows Movie Maker). The course will provide ideas of how to construct production sessions and share best practice.

Teaching Video Production

CPD / INSET (Advanced)Friday 14th October 2011, 9:30 – 4pm, £75

This course is designed to help teachers or youth workers who want to further develop their practical production skills and update techniques. This will include opportunities to share best practice and advice on equipment and software. Teaching Video Production Basic and Advanced can be booked together for a complete course in digital production.

Adult Courses for CPD(Continuing Professional Development)

These courses are designed for those who are looking to develop their creative skills within their job.

If you regularly take photographs for work or are looking to build a website to promote your business,

Signals CPD / INSET courses will increase your knowledge and skills, helping you to develop further

within your role at work.

“I make films because that’s how my mind works and wants to express itself”

Will Wright - Filmmaker

Will is a local professional director and filmmaker with 20 years of experience including; short film, documentary, viral,

music video, corporate and performance art documentation.

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Creative Camera Workshop (age 12+)Wednesday 1st June 2011, 10 – 2pm, £30

This fun and practical workshop uses small Flip video cameras in a variety of interesting ways to create innovative shots. This workshop is great for young people who want to be more creative with a camera and do something different.

Creative Editing Workshop (age 12+)Thursday 2nd June 2011, 10 – 2pm, £30

Using footage recorded on the Flip Camera workshop or your own work, this session will focus on editing the shots together using professional software, Final Cut Express. We’ll show you a range of editing techniques including how to edit the film to music and using filters and transitions. The Creative workshops can be booked together for a complete production course.

Family Wildlife PhotographyFriday 3rd June 2011, 12 – 2pm, £20 per child

A fun workshop where families have an opportunity to learn together in a trip to photograph the flora and fauna in Castle Park. Bring your own camera or use one of Signals, either way our photography tutor will help you take great pictures using a range of techniques. If it’s nice weather, bring a packed lunch along and we can picnic in the park and have a look through the photos.

Family Claymation Monday 25th July 2011, 10 – 3pm, £30 per child

If you love watching Wallace and Gromit with your family, then why not learn how to create your own clay-animation together? Using a range of art materials, you’ll work together to create characters and sets, then bring them to life in

your very own mini-movie.

Workshops for children, young people and familiesWe have a great range of filmmaking, animation and photography holiday workshops. Because we want everyone to have fun and get involved, all our workshops are with small groups (12 or less) and this year some our courses are for the whole family. Bring your Children’s University passport along to our workshops and get it stamped. Once you’ve completed 30 hours of learning, you’ll be eligible for a Bronze Award. For more information on the Colchester Children’s University scheme, follow this link:

www.colchesterchildrensuniversity.co.uk

“It’s just a great feeling, passing on a creative

skill to someone else and watching them flourish”

Lisa Wright - Education Co-ordinator

Lisa has a BA (Hons) in Scriptwriting for Film and Television. She is a keen

filmmaker and has been teaching media workshops and courses for three years.

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Five Day Film School (age 12+)Monday 1st – Friday 5th August 2011,

10 – 3pm, £200

An intense, practical course for young people

that will give them the experience of filmmaking.

Participants will work in small groups to create a

short live action film. Activities will include:

Day 1: Film screening and discussion, ideas

workshop, scriptwriting and storyboarding

Day 2: Camera and Sound Skills Workshop,

Production Roles, Filming

Day 3: Filming

Day 4: Filming

Day 5: Editing Skills Workshop, Post

Production, Screening

Comic Book Heroes (age 7+)Tuesday 9th August 2011,10 – 3pm, £25 or

Wednesday 11th April 2012, 10 – 3pm, £25

An exciting workshop for any child that loves

super heroes and comics. Take photos, draw

pictures and create a story. Tutors will then

show participants how to upload them into our

MacBooks to create their very own comic.

Stop Motion Animation (age 12+)Wednesday 17th August 2011, 10 – 4pm, £30 or

Friday 13th April 2012, 10 – 4pm, £30

If you’ve ever wondered how animated films are

made, then this workshop will show you how it’s

done. Using a range of artist’s materials including

plasticine, you will create your own short

animated film and edit it together on professional

animation software.

Claymation (age 7+)Thursday 18th August 2011, 10 – 3pm, £30 or

Monday 13th February 2012, 10 – 3pm, £30 or

Thursday 5th April 2012, 10 – 3pm, £30

Our most popular workshop. Create your own

characters and sets then learn the basics of stop

frame animation using modelling clay to create a

short animated film.

Drawn Animation (age 12+)Thursday 25th August 2011, 10– 3pm, £30

This is a fun workshop for young people who love

to draw. Our tutors will show the group how to

bring their drawings to life using our professional

lightboxes and software.

Family PhotographyFriday 2nd August 2011, 10 – 2pm, £25 per child

A fun workshop that will show everyone how

to think about images and sound in new ways.

Families will take photos of their surroundings

and create a photo slideshow and soundtrack.

Make Your Own ‘B Movie’ (age 12+)Monday 24th – Tuesday 25th October 2011,

10 – 4pm, £80

This two day film workshop is guaranteed to

get your pulse racing as we show you all the

skills you need to make your own horrifying B

Movie! Learn how to script, storyboard, film, edit

and soundtrack your masterpiece in time for

Halloween. Not for the faint hearted…

Photoshock! (age 12+)Wednesday 26th October 2011, 10 – 2pm, £25

Release your inner beast. Our Halloween-inspired

workshop will show you how to transform a photo

of yourself into something truly monstrous using

the wonders of Adobe Photoshop.

Little Shop of Horrors (age 12+)Thursday 27th October 2011, 10 – 3pm, £30

Bring along your scariest action figures and small

toys then animate them in our spooky animation set.

Creepy Claymation (age 7+)Friday 28th October 2011, 10 – 3pm, £30

Our popular Claymation workshop is back, but

this time with a creepy Halloween theme. Create

terrifying characters and sets and learn how to

bring them to life (or back from the dead!) using

animation techniques.

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Take Two Filmmaking (age 12+)Monday 19th – Tuesday 20th December 2011,

10 – 4pm, £80 or Wednesday 15th – Thursday

16th February 2012, 10 – 4pm, £80

Ever wanted to direct your own short film? This

basic filmmaking workshop will teach you all you

need to know including:

Day 1: Storyboarding, Scripting, Camera Skills

Workshop, Filming

Day 2: Filming, Editing, Screening

Christmas Toy Stories (age 7+)Wednesday 21st December 2011, 10 – 3pm, £30

“Twas the night before Christmas and all through

the house, not a creature was stirring not even

a mouse…”

If you were wondering what happens on the

night before Christmas then join Signals for this

fun workshop where we’ll be using stop motion

techniques to bring a Christmas themed set to

life. Bring your favourite small objects, toys and

anything Christmas-y along and we’ll help you to

create amazing animated sequences.

Christmas Claymation (age 7+)Thursday 22nd December 2011, 10 – 3pm, £30

Claymation with a Christmas theme. We’ve got

plasticine, glitter and tinsel, now all we need

are some budding animators to make some

festive films. We’ll spend the morning working

on our storyboards, characters and sets and the

afternoon creating short animated films.

Family Easter-Mation Monday 2nd April 2012 10 – 3pm, £30 per child

This workshop is aimed at families who want to

learn a new skill together. Using a range of Easter-

themed art materials, you’ll work together to

create characters and sets, then learn to animate

them in your own short film.

Take One Filmmaking (age 12+)Tuesday 3rd April 2012 10 – 4pm, £40

This basic filmmaking workshop is for older

children and teenagers. The group will work

in teams to produce a short live action film.

Activities will give participants skills in the

following areas: storyboarding, scripting,

camera skills, filming and editing.

Youth film clubAre you aged 11 – 16? Are you interested in making films? Are you free on Monday evenings from 6 – 8pm?

Signals Media Arts Centre runs a regular Youth Film Club here in

Colchester. It’s a chance for you to share your ideas, learn filmmaking

and media skills and make new friends. You will work as part of a team

to create your own films and meet people working in the industry.

For more information about getting involved, visit our website

or email lisa@signals.org.uk

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Birthday parties

Signals now offer bespoke birthday parties for children, which are fun,

affordable and unique. We can work with a group of up to 15 children in

our studio in an artistic 2-3 hour workshop where they can create their

own short film. Choose from one of three packages: drawn animation,

stop motion animation or filmmaking.

We’ll work with you to determine a theme for the party in advance and

entertain your group with lots of fun games and activities throughout the

day, leaving you free to enjoy your child’s party. Prices start from £150.

For more information call Lisa on 01206 560255.

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Equipment hire

To help you make your own film, Signals Media Arts Centre has a range of video

cameras and equipment to suit your needs. Our cameras include Sony PD150’s,

HDZ1’s and the Canon 5D Mk ii – the camera that started the DSLR revolution.

We also have a range of Apple Macbooks that can be hired – featured software

includes Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Studio.

Call Paul for prices on 01206 560255 or see our website www.signals.org.uk

Workshop Booking Form

If you would like to book a place on a workshop or course, please fill out the form below and post it back

to us with your payment. Please make cheques payable to Signals Media Arts Centre. You can also book

through our website or call 01206 560255.

Workshop Name: ___________________________________________ Workshop Start Date: ________________

Workshop Cost: _________________ No. of participants:__________Total Payment: ______________________

Participant(s) Name(s): ____________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________Postcode: _____________________

Phone Number: ____________________________ Email: _______________________________________________

If participant is under 18, please fill in this section.

Does the participant have any medical conditions, allergies or learning disabilities we should know about?

This does not affect a child's place on the workshop, but in most cases we will be able to make suitable

provision to accommodate them beforehand. Yes No

Details __________________________________________________________________________________________

Next of kin details and phone number: ______________________________________________________________

Consent signature of Parent or Guardian: ____________________________________________________________

Please tick if you would like to join our mailing list and receive information on future courses and events.

How would you like to receive this information? Post / Email (please circle)

Where did you find this brochure? __________________________________________________________________

Please return this form to Signals Media Arts Centre, Victoria Chambers, St. Runwald Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1HF.

1716

We advise you to telephone Signals on 01206 560255 to check availability of places before sending your booking form with payment. For multiple bookings, please call the office on the same number to arrange booking forms and payment. Please note that your payment is non-refundable 7 days prior to the workshop. In the unlikely event that we should have to cancel a course you will receive a full refund. Courses are booked on receipt of full payment.

Course / Workshop Name

Date Price per person

Lunchtime Scriptwriting May 2011 – 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st March 2012 – 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

£5 per session

Four Week Filmmaking Course May 2011 – 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th August 2011 – 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th

£200

Social Media Workout May 2011 – 12th September 2011 – 6th January 2012 – 27th

£5 per session

Camera Drop-In June 2011 – 7thSeptember 2011 – 24th January 2012 – 11th

£5 per session

Photography for Beginners June 2011 – 14th £25

Digital Photography CPD * June 2011 – 18th £50

Photoshop for Beginners June 2011 – 23rd £25

Stop Motion Animation July 2011 – 2nd March 2012 – 10th

£40

Web Design July 2011 – 6th, 7th and 8th March 2012 – 21st, 22nd and 23rd

£90

Filmmaking for Beginners

August 2011 – 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th £140

Filmmaking: Next Steps September 2011 – 10th, 24th October 2011 – 8th, 22nd November 2011 – 5th, 19th

£50 per session or £300 for all six

Scriptwriting for Beginners September 2011 – 10th £30

Teaching Video Production - CPD (Basic) *

October 2011 – 13th £75

Teaching Video Production - CPD (Advanced) *

October 2011 – 14th £75

Autumn Photography October 2011 – 18th £20

After Effects November 2011 – 12th and 13th £150

Build Your Own Website CPD * November 2011 – 26th and 27th £150

Christmas Card Workshop Using Photoshop

December 2011 – 1st £20

Course Planner

1918

Course / Workshop Name

Date Price per person

Comic Book Heroes August 2011 – 9th April 2012 – 11th

£25

Claymation August 2011 – 18th February 2012 – 13th April 2012 – 5th

£30

Creepy Claymation October 2011 – 28th £30

Christmas Toy Stories December 2011 – 21st £30

Christmas Claymation December 2011 – 22nd £30

Course / Workshop Name

Date Price per person

Creative Camera Workshop June 2011 – 1st £30

Creative Editing Workshop June 2011 – 2nd £30

Five Day Film School August 2011 – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th £200

Stop Motion Animation August 2011 – 17th April 2012 – 13th

£30

Drawn Animation August 2011 – 25th £30

Make Your Own B Movie October 2011 – 24th and 25th £80

Photoshock October 2011 – 26th £25

Little Shop of Horrors October 2011 – 27th £30

Take Two Filmmaking December 2011 – 19th and 20th February 2012 – 15th and 16th

£80

Take One Filmmaking April 2012 – 3rd £40

Course / Workshop Name

Date Price per person

Family Wildlife Photography June 2011 – 3rd £20

Family Claymation July 2011 – 25th £30 per child

Family Photography September 2011 – 2nd £25

Family Easter-Mation April 2012 – 2nd £30* CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Courses designed for professional development

Workshops for age 7 +

Workshops for age 12 +

Workshops for families

Workshops & courses for adults

Signals Media Arts CentreVictoria Chambers,

St. Runwald Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1HF Telephone: 01206 560255Email: info@signals.org.uk

Charity No. 802376

Company No. 227759

Signals Media Arts Centre is a base for independant filmmaking and education. We provide opportunities for everyone to participate in creative media production through production,

education, exhibition and signposting. Signals works directly with filmmakers, artists, children, young people and disadvantaged groups to produce innovative work that develops knowledge,

understanding and skills.