Video Editing and Production Training Course

Duration 10 days 18 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Communications Officer, Content Producer and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-MJ-002

Before you join: Participants should be comfortable using a desktop or laptop computer, managing files and folders, and working from a communications or editorial brief.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Professional video teams are expected to turn briefs, interviews, events and campaign material into clear, watchable films under tight deadlines. The difficult work is not only operating editing software. Editors and producers must define the audience, shape a story from imperfect footage, maintain technical quality, manage review cycles, clear rights, prepare accessible versions and deliver files that work on the intended platform. Poor planning or weak editorial decisions can produce expensive footage that never reaches a usable final cut.

This course develops the practical production and post-production skills needed to create short-form professional video. Participants work through briefing, treatment writing, story structure, shot planning, camera operation, location sound, lighting, media management, editing, sound design, colour correction, motion graphics, captions, quality control and delivery. They learn to use Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve workflows, apply Rec. 709 and EBU R128 requirements, and make editorial choices that serve a defined audience and communication objective.

Teaching combines concise technical briefings, instructor demonstrations, production cases and guided editing work. Cases reflect communications, journalism, public information, NGO campaigns, internal communications and corporate content. Participants build and improve real video material from the first week, receiving structured critique against a brief, story plan and delivery specification. They leave with a completed short video, a production pack and reusable templates for planning, editing and approval.

The course suits communications, media, marketing and journalism professionals who already work with video or are moving into an in-house production role. It is also suitable for subject specialists who commission video and need stronger control over briefs, quality standards and supplier outputs.

What you will be able to do

  • Interpret a video brief into an audience profile, message hierarchy and measurable delivery requirements
  • Plan a short video using treatments, beat sheets, scripts, shot lists and production schedules
  • Capture usable interview, B-roll, location sound and lighting material for an editorial brief
  • Organise footage with folder structures, metadata, proxies, backups and version-control conventions
  • Edit a coherent short film using assemblies, J-cuts, L-cuts, continuity and pacing techniques
  • Mix dialogue, music and effects to EBU R128 loudness and intelligibility requirements
  • Grade footage for consistent Rec. 709 colour, exposure, white balance and skin tones
  • Deliver and present a finished video with captions, quality-control records and platform-ready exports

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produces credible short-form video without relying on trial-and-error editing
  • Builds a portfolio-ready film with documented editorial and technical decisions
  • Gives clearer briefs to camera operators, designers, contributors and external editors
  • Diagnoses common picture, sound, pacing and export faults before publication
  • Moves from raw footage to an approved cut through a repeatable workflow

For your organisation

  • Reduces re-editing caused by unclear briefs, missing coverage and unmanaged approvals
  • Improves consistency across public information, campaign and internal video outputs
  • Brings basic production and post-production capability closer to communications teams
  • Reduces technical publishing failures through defined audio, caption and export checks
  • Creates reusable planning, rights and quality-control documents for future productions

Course modules

18 modules over 10 days

Participants can define a video’s purpose, audience, message hierarchy and editorial approach.

  • Editorial purpose, audience need and viewing context defined before production
  • Three-act structure mapped to factual, corporate and campaign videos
  • Message hierarchy separates primary claim, evidence, action and supporting detail
  • Treatment documents translate a brief into visual and editorial decisions
  • Beat sheets sequence information, emotion and visual change across runtime
  • Reference-film analysis identifies pacing, framing, sound and graphic conventions

Participants can convert stakeholder needs into a controlled, measurable video brief.

  • SMART communication objectives distinguish awareness, understanding, behaviour and response
  • Audience personas identify prior knowledge, barriers, motivations and viewing habits
  • Creative brief sections define deliverables, channels, approvals, budget and timeline
  • Runtime decisions reflect message complexity, platform behaviour and available footage
  • Acceptance criteria specify editorial, technical, legal and accessibility requirements
  • Stakeholder mapping assigns decision rights, reviewers and escalation routes

Participants can develop an editorially sound script and visual plan for a short video.

  • Story premise states subject, tension, audience value and intended response
  • Interview-led narratives use claims, evidence, scenes and reflective moments
  • Scripts distinguish spoken words, voice-over, natural sound and visual direction
  • Two-column scripts align picture descriptions with narration and synchronous sound
  • Openings establish relevance within the first fifteen seconds of viewing
  • Call-to-action wording matches audience readiness, channel and organisational purpose

Participants can prepare a production pack that controls scope, time, people and permissions.

  • Shot lists convert story beats into required framing, action and sound
  • Production schedules sequence locations, contributors, equipment and contingency time
  • Call sheets confirm timings, contacts, access requirements and contributor roles
  • Location recce checks power, noise, light, permissions and safety issues
  • Release forms record informed consent, usage rights and contributor restrictions
  • Risk assessments address travel, equipment, weather, public access and safeguarding

Participants can capture stable, correctly exposed footage that provides usable editorial coverage.

  • Frame rates selected for delivery, motion rendering and slow-motion requirements
  • Shutter angle or shutter speed controls motion blur consistently
  • Exposure triangle balances aperture, ISO and shutter speed intentionally
  • White balance settings maintain consistent colour across changing locations
  • Wide, medium and close coverage supports continuity and editorial flexibility
  • Tripod, handheld and gimbal choices match story energy and shot purpose

Participants can record credible interviews and supporting visuals that advance the story.

  • Open questions elicit complete answers without prompting rehearsed language
  • Eyeline, headroom and lead room create consistent interview composition
  • Active listening identifies follow-up questions, specifics and emotional turning points
  • B-roll planned around action, detail, environment and transition requirements
  • Sequence shooting captures wide, medium, close and cutaway alternatives
  • Contributor safeguarding protects dignity, consent and sensitive personal information

Participants can record clear dialogue and usable ambient sound under typical field conditions.

  • Lavalier and shotgun microphones selected for source, setting and movement
  • Gain staging prevents clipping while retaining sufficient recording headroom
  • Headphone monitoring detects handling noise, interference, wind and room tone
  • Room tone captured for dialogue edits, ambience beds and noise repair
  • Wind protection and microphone placement reduce outdoor recording failures
  • Dual-system sound uses slates, timecode and waveform synchronisation

Participants can light interviews and practical scenes for natural, consistent image quality.

  • Three-point lighting balances key, fill and backlight for interview subjects
  • Soft sources control contrast and reduce unflattering facial shadows
  • Daylight colour temperature matched with fixtures through gels or settings
  • Negative fill shapes faces when uncontrolled ambient light reduces contrast
  • Practical lights add depth, motivation and visual separation within scenes
  • Lighting continuity maintained across setup changes, pickups and multiple cameras

Participants can organise project assets for efficient editing, recovery and team handover.

  • Folder conventions separate camera originals, audio, graphics, exports and archives
  • Three-two-one backup rule protects media through separate copies and locations
  • Checksum verification confirms complete file transfers from cards and drives
  • Metadata logging records subject, location, rights, keywords and technical details
  • Proxy workflows support responsive editing with high-resolution source media
  • Project templates standardise sequences, bins, naming and export destinations

Participants can create a structured assembly edit from organised video and audio assets.

  • Source monitoring marks selects, subclips and usable soundbite boundaries
  • Timeline settings match source format, frame rate and intended delivery
  • Radio edits establish narrative logic before B-roll and visual polish
  • Stringouts preserve interview context while surfacing themes and repeated material
  • Marker conventions identify quotes, graphics, fixes and stakeholder comments
  • Keyboard-driven trimming speeds selection, insertion, overwrite and timeline review

Participants can refine an assembly into a coherent edit with purposeful pace and continuity.

  • Continuity editing maintains screen direction, eyelines, action and spatial clarity
  • J-cuts and L-cuts smooth transitions between dialogue and supporting visuals
  • Match cuts connect related shapes, actions, sounds or editorial ideas
  • Pacing adjusts shot duration, information density and emotional breathing room
  • B-roll edits conceal jump cuts while adding evidence and visual variety
  • Paper edit comparisons test whether final structure follows the approved story

Participants can build a clear, balanced soundtrack that meets delivery loudness requirements.

  • Dialogue editing removes distractions while preserving natural speech rhythm
  • Noise reduction addresses hum, hiss, wind and intermittent background interference
  • Equalisation improves speech intelligibility without producing artificial vocal tone
  • Music cues support pacing, emotional transitions and spoken-word clarity
  • Room tone and ambience beds prevent abrupt silences between dialogue edits
  • EBU R128 loudness targets guide final mix measurement and adjustment

Participants can correct footage and create a consistent Rec. 709 viewing look.

  • Waveform monitors assess exposure, black levels and highlight clipping
  • Vectorscopes identify saturation balance and skin-tone hue accuracy
  • Primary correction aligns exposure, contrast, white balance and saturation
  • Shot matching reduces visual jumps between cameras, locations and takes
  • Secondary correction isolates skin, skies or distracting background colours
  • Rec. 709 monitoring prevents unsuitable contrast and colour decisions

Participants can add readable titles and restrained motion graphics that support the editorial message.

  • Lower-thirds identify contributors with consistent typography, timing and hierarchy
  • Safe margins protect titles across common displays and social platforms
  • Graphic hierarchy prioritises key message, evidence, labels and source attribution
  • Keyframes animate position, scale, opacity and simple transitions purposefully
  • Data visualisation simplifies figures without distorting context or proportional meaning
  • Brand guidelines govern fonts, colours, logos and end-frame treatments

Participants can prepare video content that is accessible, appropriately cleared and ethically publishable.

  • Closed captions transcribe speech, speaker changes and meaningful sound cues
  • Caption timing follows readable phrase units and sensible line breaks
  • Audio description planning identifies visuals essential to narrative understanding
  • Music licences distinguish synchronisation rights, territory, duration and platforms
  • Archive footage clearance records source, permitted use and attribution wording
  • Editorial ethics protect accuracy, privacy, dignity and informed participant consent

Participants can run a controlled review process that produces focused decisions and traceable versions.

  • Review copies include timecode, version numbers and clear feedback deadlines
  • Consolidated feedback separates factual corrections from subjective preferences
  • Change logs record requested edits, decisions, owners and completion status
  • Version naming prevents accidental publication of superseded or unapproved files
  • Editorial triage evaluates requests against brief, audience and production constraints
  • Approval records document final sign-off, rights status and release authority

Participants can export, inspect and package video files for specified channels and audiences.

  • Codec selection balances file size, image quality, editing and playback needs
  • Export presets match aspect ratio, frame rate, bitrate and platform requirements
  • Master files retain high-quality sources for future versions and derivatives
  • Quality-control checklists inspect picture, sound, captions, graphics and metadata
  • Device testing checks playback on desktop, mobile and presentation displays
  • Delivery packages include masters, captions, thumbnails, project files and documentation

Participants can produce, quality-check and present a complete short video supported by a professional production pack.

  • Brief interpretation confirms audience, objective, key message and delivery specification
  • Production pack assembles treatment, script, shot list, schedule and releases
  • Selected footage and recorded material form an organised editable project
  • Final edit integrates narrative structure, dialogue, B-roll, sound and graphics
  • Quality-control review checks Rec. 709, EBU R128, captions and export settings
  • Presentation explains editorial choices, revisions, technical decisions and delivery rationale

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Video creative brief template
  2. Treatment and two-column script pack
  3. Shot list and call sheet templates
  4. Media management and backup protocol
  5. Post-production quality-control checklist
  6. Completed captioned short video

Who should attend

  • Communications Officer — creates public information, internal communications or campaign video
  • Content Producer — plans and delivers regular video for organisational channels
  • Journalist — edits interviews, explainers and field reports into publishable stories
  • Marketing Executive — produces brand, product and customer video assets
  • NGO Media Officer — documents programmes and builds ethical participant-centred stories
  • Video Coordinator — commissions, reviews and quality-checks work from internal teams or suppliers

Skills and tools covered

Editorial story developmentVideo production planningNon-linear editingLocation sound recordingColour correctionVideo quality control

Tools and standards

Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Rec. 709, EBU R128

How the course runs

Training methodology

Short instructor briefings introduce each production or post-production method before participants apply it to realistic video cases. Demonstrations show camera, sound, editing, colour and export decisions in Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Group work examines briefs, rushes, review comments and delivery failures from communications, journalism and campaign settings. Participants plan, shoot or select material, assemble edits, conduct peer reviews and revise against defined criteria. Individual application planning links course methods to current video responsibilities and organisational approval processes.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should be comfortable using a desktop or laptop computer, managing files and folders, and working from a communications or editorial brief. Some prior experience filming, editing or commissioning short video is useful because the course moves quickly into production decisions and non-linear editing. Participants should understand the purpose of the videos their organisation produces and be able to discuss audience needs. Professional camera experience, motion-graphics expertise, coding, advanced photography knowledge and prior certification in Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve are not required.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should be comfortable using a computer, managing files and working from a communications or editorial brief. Some familiarity with video is helpful, but you do not need professional camera experience or prior Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve certification.

Bring a laptop if you want to work with your own software and current video material, subject to organisational permission. If possible, also bring an anonymised brief, existing footage or an example of a video challenge from your role.

It is designed for communications officers, content producers, journalists, marketing staff, NGO media officers and video coordinators. It also helps managers who commission video and need to assess briefs, cuts and delivery standards more confidently.

Camera-only courses concentrate on image capture, while software courses often focus on application features. This course connects editorial planning, production, post-production, accessibility, rights, review and delivery so participants can complete a professional video workflow.

Participants leave with planning, rights, backup, review and quality-control documents that can be adapted for current assignments. The methods apply to interviews, explainers, public information films, campaign content, event highlights and internal communications.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first part builds planning, shooting and media-management capability; the second part develops editing, finishing, delivery and the final capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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