FAQs
Questions people ask me
On this page
These are the questions I get asked most, answered as plainly as I can. If yours isn't here, ask me and it may end up on this page.
Last reviewed 26 October 2026 by Nigel Camp
About The Video Effect
Who runs The Video Effect?
I do. I'm Nigel Camp, a filmmaker based in London. I set up my own production company, DevilBoy Productions, in 2011. I wrote the book The Video Effect in 2014, and I write every guide on this site myself. More about me.
Is The Video Effect a book or a website?
Both. The Video Effect is my 2014 book on making and sharing video (Rethink Press, ISBN 9781781330982). This website is where I keep that advice up to date and run the workshops that teach it. About the book.
Are the guides free?
Yes. Every article on this site is free to read, with no sign-up. The workshops are paid, because they're hands-on and private to your team, up to six people, with me running them.
Do you use AI to write the guides?
I use AI tools to help draft and tidy text. The experience, the examples and the opinions are mine, and I check every fact, price and setting before anything goes live. How I write the guides.
Do you make money from the kit you recommend?
No. None of the links on this site earn me anything. If one ever does, it will be labelled on the page, and it won't decide what I recommend.
Workshops, booking and practicalities
(For "Is it suitable for beginners?", "Do I need equipment?" and "Can you come to our office?", see the Workshops page.)
When is the next workshop?
There are no fixed public dates at the moment. Every workshop is arranged with the people taking it, as a team day at your office, one-to-one, or live online. Tell me what you need and I'll come back with dates and a quote. If you'd like to hear when a public date is set, say so in your message.
How much does a workshop cost?
A team day at your office starts at £1,395 + VAT for up to six people, and a full-day live online session for up to six people starts at £1,200 + VAT. Two-day courses are quoted, and one-to-one sessions are priced on request. The final price depends on how many people, where, and how long, so tell me those three things and I'll send a short plan and a fixed price. Ask for a quote.
How long is a workshop?
A full day or a half day, depending on what you want to cover. Most of it is hands-on filming and editing, not slides.
Where do workshops take place?
At your office, in London or anywhere in the UK, or live online. One-to-one sessions can also run at your premises. If you'd like me to book a room in London, the hire cost is added at cost.
Can I join from outside the UK?
Yes, through a live online session. You film on your own phone while I guide you, and the session runs on UK time.
Will it work on an Android phone?
Yes. The workshops are built around the phone you already own, iPhone or Android. Any reasonably recent smartphone is fine.
How many people can take part?
A team day is priced for up to six people, which keeps it hands-on. Larger groups are quoted, and a live online session works for a team too.
Can you help a team that's already making video?
Yes. As well as team days, I do advisory work, such as a second opinion on a brief, a review of the videos you already have, or help setting up a simple kit and workflow. Video for business.
Is storytelling part of the workshops?
Yes. Video for business starts with picking the video that gets the result you need and planning it with a simple storyboard and shot list, before anyone films. Visual storytelling for video.
Do you only teach on phones?
Mostly, yes. A phone is what most people already have, which is why it's the convenient place to start, and my workshops build from the basics on the phones your team already owns. Phones are closing the gap on film quality too. A professional camera still does more, but for most purposes, like shooting social content, a phone is more than good enough. The AI course adds AI tools to that footage. If you need training on professional cameras, tell me what you have and I'll say honestly whether I'm the right fit.
Do you teach AI video?
Yes. Alongside the phone-video workshops, I run a course for marketing teams on making content with AI tools, covering where they help, where they don't, and how to use them responsibly. AI-assisted video for marketers.
Can I talk to you before booking?
Yes. Email me with what you want to make and I'll tell you honestly which workshop fits, or whether you need one at all. I reply within two working days.
Can I have a one-to-one session?
Yes. Every workshop is bespoke, so a one-to-one session is planned around your own project, online or at your premises, and priced on request depending on length and format. Get in touch to arrange one.
What's included?
Hands-on time filming and editing on your own phone, use of my mics and lights on the day, and a checklist to take away.
Can I move or cancel a booking?
Yes. A 50% deposit confirms your date, and the balance is invoiced after the workshop. With more than 14 days' notice you can cancel for a full refund of the deposit, or move the date free of charge. Inside 14 days the deposit covers the preparation I've already started, so it isn't refundable, but I'll move your date once and carry the deposit over. If I have to cancel, you get a full refund or a new date, whichever you prefer. Full workshop terms.
Do I get a certificate?
No. I don't issue certificates, but I can give your organisation a short course outline for training or CPD records.
Do I need to be confident on camera?
No. Plenty of people arrive camera-shy, and helping people relax and sound natural on camera is part of the day. If your team will be presenting, tell me and I'll build more of it in.
Is there any support after the workshop?
Yes. For a month afterwards you can email me questions about what you're filming or editing, at no extra cost. Get in touch.
Can you invoice our organisation?
Yes. I invoice as Nigel Camp, trading as The Video Effect. I'm based in London, and my address is on request for invoicing. I can also provide a short course outline for training or CPD records.
Are you insured?
Yes. I hold public liability insurance. Full workshop terms.
Is the venue accessible?
Tell me about any access needs when you get in touch and I'll plan the session around them, including the venue.
How does this compare with free online courses like HubSpot Academy?
They're good for video marketing strategy, such as what to post and how to measure it. They don't teach you to film. In my workshop you light, mic, shoot and edit a real interview on your own phone, with someone checking your setup. Plenty of people do both, with the strategy online for free and the hands-on part with me.
How is your workshop different from other smartphone courses in London?
Mine is built for people who make video for work. We film an interview, get clean sound, light it with what's in the room, edit it, and talk about getting it found, all on your own phone. It's taught by someone who films for a living and wrote a book on exactly this, in sessions private to your team, up to six people, at your office or online. If you mainly want to make a short film, a college course such as City Lit's may suit you better.
The book
Where can I buy The Video Effect?
From Amazon UK or Booktopia, or ask any bookshop to order it with ISBN 9781781330982. About the book.
Is a book from 2014 still useful?
The principles are. Story, sound, planning and getting found haven't changed. The kit has, so most chapters now have an up-to-date guide on this site, linked from the book page.
Quick answers to common video questions
Short answers. The full answer lives in the linked guide.
Can you make professional-looking video on a phone?
Yes. Recent phones record sharp 4K video, and parts of 28 Years Later were shot on iPhone 15s, as its cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle told Definition magazine. What usually lets phone video down is sound, light and a shaky hand, not the camera. How to film an interview on your phone.
What's the first piece of kit worth buying?
A microphone. A clip-on mic that plugs into your phone costs from around £20 and will improve your video more than any lens or light. My budget phone rig, with UK prices.
Why does my video sound echoey?
The mic is too far from the speaker, in a room full of hard surfaces. Get the mic close, ideally clipped to the chest, and film in a room with curtains, carpet or soft furniture. Where the mic goes.
How do I stop phone footage looking shaky?
Put the phone on a tripod or in a grip, and keep handheld moves slow and short. For walking shots, use the phone's built-in stabilisation, or a gimbal if you film moving shots often. Budget phone rig.
What's the simplest lighting for an interview?
Sit the person facing a window, slightly to one side, then add one small LED on the other side to soften the shadows. That's two-point lighting, and it's all most interviews need. Two-point lighting setup.
How long should my video be?
As long as it takes to make the point, and no longer. Cut anything that doesn't add something, then check where people stop watching in your analytics. Video length by platform.
Do I need subtitles?
Yes, for almost anything you publish. Lots of people watch with the sound off, and captions make your video accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Subtitles and captions.
Which phone should I buy for filming?
Usually the one you already have. Any phone from the last few years shoots good enough video for social media and the web; the difference comes from sound, light and steady framing. If you're buying, prioritise good low-light video and enough storage. Budget phone rig.
What's a good free editing app?
CapCut and VN are both free, work on iPhone and Android, and export your own footage without a watermark. iMovie also comes free on iPhone. DaVinci Resolve also has a free version for iPad. Phone editing apps I've tested.
Still got a question? Get in touch. I read every message myself.