Guests to Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2019) learned professional techniques of filming and photography for social media during the Deliver Your Content to the Public Through Colours Workshop yesterday. Accomplished filmmaker and social media expert, Sam Rose presented his insider knowledge to a group of both professional and hobbyist photographers and videographers keen to discover how to improve their results.

Sam explained that he travelled the world, with up to 90 percent of his time spent outside his home country, making films and shooting campaigns for world-renowned brands. But he said he was able to fit all the equipment he needed into a small backpack.

“I know people want to know about the technical stuff, the best camera and filters for certain jobs. I tell them that these days, equipment is getting better and better and more compact. But it’s not the equipment that matters, it’s your vision. How are you going to stand out from the crowd when you are shooting a beautiful sunset or a romantic walk on the beach, or people surf boarding when there are already hundreds or even millions of such shots? The only way is through your own individuality, your own vision. For that you can even use your camera phone because it’s not about the equipment, but finding your own style.”

Sam learned about this himself while at college studying graphic design. He explains, “We looked at colours and perspective, and I studied the use of colours by famous artists such as Van Gogh who used a lot of bright shades in his artwork. This helped inform my own shots. I learnt when to use certain filters to enhance colour, what works well and how.”

This, he says, is something individuals need to work out for themselves to find their own style. But there are a few tips he can give, such as, “keep your videos short”, as there is much data to suggest that
two- or three-minute films are viewed more than longer content and also remember audio because he said audio is one of the most important aspects in film making.