The Nature Filmmaking Academy
A VIDEO MASTERCLASS BY BENJAMIN HARDMAN
preorder offer: 30% off and payment plans now available. head further down the page to see the pricing options.
What is the Nature Filmmaking Academy?
This is an online filmmaking masterclass by Benjamin Hardman on how to create compelling footage of nature.
With over 50 in-depth videos both in the field and in the studio using Davinci Resolve, you will learn a series of cinematography and editing techniques for drones and handheld cameras to maximise the potential of your landscape footage.
Take control of your filmmaking gear
Craft powerful video sequences
Master the art of filming nature with drones & gimbals
Take your Edits & colour grading to the next level with Davinci resolve
Meet Your Instructor
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Cinematographer
Benjamin is a landscape photographer and filmmaker based in Iceland. Over his decade long career, Benjamin has worked on assignments for global brands and companies such as Netflix, BBC, National Geographic, DJI and 66°North.
Five years ago, Benjamin transitioned into natural history cinematography, working as a cameraman and drone operator on the Netflix series ‘Life On Our Planet’ and ‘Our Universe’. Utilising drones and handheld gimbal cameras, these productions set Benjamin on a new path into filming nature that has since become his main career focus.
A filmmaking course fit for all skill levels
Covering a wide variety of cameras and drones, from entry level through to professional cinematography setups.
UNLOCK THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR FOOTAGE
Colour grading can seem like an overly complicated process. In this course, we will transform your footage using a series of simple and easily repeatable steps.
Once you have the basics down, the course will provide you with several more complex grading case studies from Benjamin’s polar expeditions to push your footage to the next level.
Benjamin has developed an approach colour grading that uses photographic editing principles at its core. This course fits well to those who are looking to expand on photography and dive into their filmmaking journey.
PRICING OPTIONS
$499 $349.50
You are preordering the Nature Filmmaking Academy with a 30% discount. The course material will go live on December 1st.
2 monthly Payments of $199.50
You are preordering the Nature Filmmaking Academy at a 20% discount with a 2 month payment plan. You will get lifetime access to the course material once the course goes live on December 1st.
The Course outline
Over 50 videos covering Benjamin’s entire filmmaking process
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Gear breakdowns for entry level, run & gun and cinema level filmmaking
My go to drone setups
Sound recording setup
Hard drive & storage breakdown
Computer requirements for speedy editing
Camera settings for video
Drone Settings
Codec & frame rates for filming nature
Understanding LOG profiles and In Camera LUTs
Importing and organising footage
Preparing RAW footage for edit
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Travelling with gear - Tips & Tricks
Location planning & shoot conceptualisation
Composition & story telling in nature
Sequence building and development, Wide & Tight Approach
Drone & ground camera combinations
Cinematic drone filming techniques
Immersing your viewer in a scene with stabilised gimbal shots
Uses for ND’s in various environments
Polar region tips and tricks
Filming and flying drones from boats
The importance of building an archive
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Setting up your media pool
Project settings and colour space
Using the Cut page
Crafting your video timeline
Creating vertical timeline for reels & shorts
Keyframing and dynamic moves in post
My most used tools and shortcuts
Working with foley sounds to create immersive soundscapes
Export settings for commercial delivery, youtube and social media uploads
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Understanding the Davinci node system
Using LUTs & CSTs
My Adobe Lightroom approach to grading
Grading tools breakdown - go to techniques
Effective use of local adjustment masks
Working with objects
Sharpening, NR & final touches
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Greenland Short Film
Svalbard Short Film
Volcano Documentary Short Film
Instagram Reel & YT Shorts
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Follow Benjamin’s post production workflow from his North Pole expedition, focusing on a Polar Bear sequence and vertical reel.
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My thoughts on sharing video vs stills
Strategy for posting reels & shorts
Tips for youtube video editing
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The commercial opportunities of filming nature
Licensing your footage
How to get into the natural histroy industry
Key takeaways from the course
even an iphone video has potential
Build your social media presence with vertical video for Instagram Reels and Youtube Shorts. From reviving an iPhone shot to a carefully crafted vertical crop of camera footage, you’ll see behind the scenes on some of Benjamin’s most viral video content.
50+ filmmaking TUTORIAL VIDEOS
The Nature Filmmaking Academy gives you lifetime access to the episodes, which will be available to watch on any device, anytime that suites you.
DOWNLOADABLE RAW FOOTAGE
You’ll have access to download a series of Prores 422 and Cinema DNG video files to use the throughout the Davinci Resolve modules in the course.
COMMUNITY FORUM & filmmaking workshops
Academy members will be invited to a private FB community page and have exclusive access to filmmaking workshops in Iceland with Storm Expeditions.
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All you will need to get started is a laptop and the free version of Davinci Resolve. You can use the provided sample footage or utilise the course techniques with your own footage.
Please note I will be covering some tools only available in the studio version of Davinci Resolve. This does not however affect the potential of using the free version as a base for your edits.
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The Nature Filmmaking Academy course material will become available to watch on December 1st, 2024.
The course will be hosted on Teachable. After completing the purchase, you will receive an email to create an account. I will let you know via email once the course is live! -
This course contains information for people at all levels of the filmmaking process, from entry level setups and the basics of Davinci Resolve, through to my cinematography setups and most in depth grading methods.
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This course focuses soley on Davinci Resolve as I believe this is the best platform for this type of filmmaking. Both the free and studio versions will work!
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Yes! You will have lifetime access to the episodes, which will be available to watch on any device.
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While Benjamin will be focusing on filming nature, the techniques demonstrated can also be applied to many other genres of filmmaking. The course material will give you the foundation to create sequences and grade your footage, you can pick the subject!
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Yes, a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.
If for any reason you finish the course and feel unhappy with the learning material, I will provide you with a full refund. Please email hello@benjaminhardman.com for refund enquiries.
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You will find a link to the group inside the masterclass on Teachable upon the launch of the course material on December 1st.
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The course will be taught in English with subtitles available in five different languages (Spanish, French, Mandarin, German, Hindi).