Midpen Media Offers a wide variety of hands-on, creativity-forward media production workshops. With opportunities to learn and create available for students of all ages and levels of experience, we invite you to explore our upcoming educational offerings. All classes will be held at the Midpen Media Center unless otherwise indicated.
Studio Television Production
Studio Production Basics
Want to produce or star in your own cable TV show or want to help other community members bring their show ideas to reality? In this class, you’ll learn all the necessary skills in our high-definition, all-digital studio. As a class, you’ll PRODUCE, CREW, or STAR in your own show, which will air on the Midpen Media Center’s cable channels and simulcast on the Web.
Studio Director Basics
Bring your studio production skill set to the next level! This class will focus on the technical skills that can help make your studio time look as professional as possible. During this hands-on training, you’ll gain a deeper sense of confidence in the studio control room and tricaster functions. Together we’ll master the sound board, illuminate the light board, and reprogram our understanding of the new studio tricaster–including the use of complex graphics and green screen backgrounds. With a limited class size, each participant will have the opportunity to independently direct a short high-quality clip of their own.
Video Production and Editing
Video Production Basics
This is the perfect class for aspiring filmmakers, YouTube creators, community journalists, or those who seek to bring professional production value to their home videos. This hands-on workshop will cover the basics of high quality video production with both Panasonic digital camcorders and Sony mirrorless cameras. Using professional videography gear, students will gain practice and confidence in every aspect of video production
Intro to Editing with Adobe Premiere
Get the knowledge and experience you need to tell your video stories using Adobe Premiere, one of the most powerful and versatile editing tools in the business.
In this three-hour class, you’ll learn the basics of Premiere and of video editing and get hands-on time to practice and explore this widely used program. With class size limited to eight, each participant can count on individualized instructor help.
Media-Making & Tech
Micro-Cinema: TikTok, YouTube, Reels
How do you tell a good story in under 60 seconds? In what ways can you apply professional filmmaking techniques to improve a video made with no set, only yourself as a performer, and a single smartphone for a camera?
This three-hour course strips the TikTok video production process down to its elements. Together we’ll examine the common visual and storytelling tools employed by TikTok creators and use this understanding to produce our own engaging, entertaining, and “like”-worthy content.
Mac Computer Skills
This hands-on, 90-minute beginner’s course will provide students with confidence and a sense of direction that will help them along their journey as skilled computer users. This course will cover the necessary steps for using the basic features and programs of a Mac, accessing and understanding how to use the Internet, and protecting personal information when online.
Podcasting Basics
This 90-minute workshop is designed to get you started toward creating a podcast of your very own. Together, we will discuss:
- The use of basic audio recording equipment (smartphones included!)
- How to plan and structurally outline your podcast
- Tips and tricks for editing audio files like a pro
- Your options when it comes time to publish and distribute your work
Screenwriting Basics
This 90-minute introductory course will guide you through the basics of Film and TV storytelling and screenplay development. Together, we’ll discuss:
- Cinematic storytelling structure
- Reliable formulas to get you through your first draft
- Industry-standard formatting
- Loglines and pitching your screenplay
- Tips for taking the next step from screenplay to production
Youth Production Workshops
The Live Reporting Workshop
This one-day, four-hour workshop will introduce you to live reporting, sports broadcasting, and community journalism. You will learn how to operate and produce on-the-go video with Midpen Media Center’s mobile production studio and broadcast truck. Through the lens of community journalism and local sports, and while confidently using high-tech news cameras, you’ll learn how to transform footage of a live event into a video segment worth sharing. Additionally, upon completion of this workshop, students are invited to attend local sports games and community events to put their new live broadcasting skills into practice.
Holiday-Themed Workshops
A youth studio production experience offered throughout the year. Each session focuses on a different holiday. This eight-hour workshop gives kids between 5th and 12th grades the opportunity to plan, produce, and star in a holiday special at their local television studio. Students will work together to script, film, and perform in short holiday-themed video stories of their own design. These video segments will be compiled into a television special that will be broadcast on local cable and viewable by households throughout the Bay Area.