UBC DIY Media Workshops Fall 2025

How to make video more accessible? Captions, ASL, descriptive video…. it can be overwhelming.

We will reveal solutions from free and do-it-yourself to professional. You’ll find practical tips, guidance and best practices for reaching a variety of communities that experience barriers with video. Join us as we explore together the barriers and opportunities in the work toward universal design in video production.

Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Michael Sider, Producer at UBC Studios

Planning a media project can be overwhelming. Where to begin?

This workshop will provide guidance from media professionals on the many things to consider when planning a media project, whether your project is simple or complex. Minimize your suffering; plan effectively! It doesn’t have to hurt!

Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Chris Spencer and Michael Sider, Producers at UBC Studios with Jamil Rhajiak, Project Manager, Enterprise Communication Initiatives at UBC Brand and Marketing

What is a script? What is a storyboard? Do you need them? How do you build them?

This workshop will explore the fundamentals of DIY media scripting and storyboarding. We’ll look at examples of the wide range of approaches that can be taken, and give tips and tricks on how to get the most out of pre-production for your media project. Please arrive with your own projects and creative briefs in mind, so that we can help you accomplish the scripting and storyboarding dreams that you never knew that you had!

Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Chris Spencer and Michael Sider, Producers at UBC Studios

How do they get such great footage?

Are you planning on filming your own video content? This workshop will provide advice for DIY camera, lighting and audio. Media professionals will share tips, tricks, and best practices. Whether you’re filming outside, in an office, or in a professional studio, we can help you move from “good enough” to media that you’ll be proud of.

Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Chris Aitken, Chris Spencer and Michael Sider of UBC Studios

Are you a faculty or department communicator, UBC instructor or staff member looking to capture striking images that support and elevate your work? Join this in-person workshop to learn how to create compelling photography from start to finish.

What you’ll learn:

• Camera basics: Choosing the right settings for sharp, well-exposed shots
• Composition: Framing subjects, using lines and patterns, balancing elements
• Lighting techniques: Working with natural light, simple and low-cost methods of lighting
• Post-production tips: Quick edits for colour correction, cropping, post-workflow and leveraging AI-powered Lightroom tools for automated enhancements.
• Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Andrew Wang, Photographer and Media Specialist at UBC Studios

Post-production can seem daunting, but it really doesn’t have to be. Let’s make you an editor!

In this workshop, we’ll give you an overview of the post-production process: from organizing your camera footage to exporting your final masterpiece with the optimal settings. We’ll walk you through the basics of the editing process. Along the way, we’ll give you quick tips and tricks that can save you hours on your project, help you to use the creative brief to guide editorial decisions, point you to campus media production resources, and help you prepare your video for distribution.

Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Gustavo Fonseca, Editor at UBC Studios

This workshop will reveal proven techniques for conducting effective on-camera interviews. Discover methods on how to establish rapport with your subjects and how to put them at ease. Find out what types of questions to ask and how to ask them in order to get the most revealing answers, plus learn valuable production tips that will ensure you capture interview footage that will result in a successful edit for your media project.

Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Danny Sayson, Producer at UBC Studios

Want to get started with podcasting but not sure where to begin? Or do you want to improve the audio quality in your videos? Then this session is for you!

During this workshop, we’ll cover a number of topics including: audio recording and editing, getting your podcast heard, and specific tips on telling stories in audio through scripting, sound design and narrative techniques. We’ll also go over the resources available here at UBC to support podcasting.

Presenter Bio:

Since 2006, Duncan has co-taught LFS 400, a podcasting/audio storytelling course at the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems, where he works as a Digital & Instructional Media Producer. He is also a long-time volunteer at UBC’s CiTR 101.9fm, where he hosts Duncan’s Donuts, a weekly music show.

Presented by UBC Studios in collaboration with the UBC Digital Media Community of Practice

Led by Duncan McHugh, Digital & Instructional Media Producer, Faculty of Land and Food Systems