Training

‘I’ve been raving about how good your training was .  To end up with something close to a finished and seriously professional-looking/sounding audio slideshow after just 2 days was awesome.

Before doing this training I felt I could have a decent stab at recording audio in the Congo. I now know that it would have taken some sort of miracle for me to get really useful audio. I now have the tools to come back with something a bit special. Thank you.’

Robin Meldrum, publications officer MSF

Olivia and Jean-Marc from MSF getting into the groove.

Training is in duckrabbit’s veins.  Not only are we passionate about multimedia but we’re also very good at sharing our skills.

At duckrabbit we offer four main types of training

1. We train individuals in audio, photography and multimedia production.

2. We train companies/NGO’s in photography, audio and multimedia production.

3. We run group workshops.

4. We speak at events.

Courses last between one and seven days and are devised after talking through each clients needs.

‘You were a very inspiring speaker opening  their eyes to exciting and powerful new ways of telling stories about human rights, which was exactly what we had hoped you would bring to the panel. I think proof of this is that in the film-making workshops I ran afterwards, students were talking about what you had said and shown and I think it inspired them in the way they approached the films they made.’

Laura Francis, Amnesty International, writing after Benjamin spoke at their student conference 2009

Heard enough?  Then get in contact.  Need to know more? Then keep on reading.

Audio slideshows and multimedia can completely change the look and feel of websites, that’s why the worlds biggest on-line media providers are increasingly using them, including the Guardian, The Financial Times, the New York Times and on the front page of the BBC website:

Why tell a story with text or static images when there are now so many simple, creative and more dynamic ways of getting your messages out there?

If you have two hands, a head and a heart then with a little support from duckrabbit you too can make cracking multimedia. Whether you’re a photographer, print journalist, radio producer,  press officer of even Chief Executive duckrabbit can train you.

Don’t take our word for it, just ask Ciara Leeming. She came on one of our courses in the summer of 2009:

‘I just sold my first multimedia feature to the BBC. I’m very happy about this for several reasons. Firstly, simply the fact that it’s the BBC – which is a confidence boost in itself. Secondly that I’ve being paid for multimedia – something that perceived wisdom says all media outlets expect for free at the moment. But finally it just shows what a good decision I made by getting even a couple of days worth of audio training with duckrabbit.

Benjamin’s feedback on my final edit was invaluable and without his encouragement I wouldn’t have even tried to get it published anywhere.

Ciara Leeming

And this is the piece that Ciara produced during the training:

Zen and art of Sandcastles

Still need convincing? Then talk to Guy Watson who owns Riverford Organics, the UK’s biggest organic veg box producer. We trained him in photography and audio and sent him off to Togo and this is what he brought back:

Not bad for an amateur hey! Of course this was not intended to be seen by you, but by the customers of Riverford who have an interest in this area, but it does give you a sense of what can be achieved.

Our training is fun, participatory, empowering and results driven.

Typically by the end of a course trainees will have co-produced high quality media ready to go on-line.  Through continuous mentoring we can ensure that participants remain confident in their ability to plan and produce engaging multimedia.

Members of our team have devised and delivered training programmes both in the UK and Internationally for the BBC World Service Trust, Birmingham City University, MSF, LCC, the Prison Radio Association, Radio Ethiopia, Ariel Trust, INTERNEWS, The World Food Programme and others.

Give Benjamin a call or drop him an email  0044 (0)7791405697  benjamin@duckrabbit.info

‘Benjamin Chesterton is a powerful speaker. I first heard him talk at Warwick University, describing his work with communities in Africa and demonstrating his use of audio documentary combined with still images -the affect was overwhelmingly powerful.’

Matt Grimes, Degree Leader Music Industries, Birmingham University