A Shrewsbury training hub for television reporters and camera operators, teaching through practice since 2014.
elupho began in 2014 in Shrewsbury with a simple idea: reporters and camera operators learn best by doing the job under guidance. We teach field camera technique, on-camera delivery and live coverage skills in small groups and practical shoots.
We started because many people entering television news were expected to learn on the job, often under pressure and with little feedback. A reporter might deliver a hundred pieces to camera and never be told why the third sentence always sounded stiff. An operator might hold a camera for years with a habit nobody had the time to correct.
So we built a place where there is time to look closely. Sessions are small, equipment is available to every learner and recordings are reviewed together. Tutors can pause a take, show you the frame and explain what changed and why it matters to the viewer.
Our teaching covers the whole working chain: field camera operation, on-camera reporting, live coverage, audio and lighting for location, and interview technique. Reporters and operators often train in the same room, because on a real shoot they depend on each other and should understand each other's constraints.
We also run classroom workshops for newsroom teams and student cohorts, planned around what the group needs. Some want to tighten camera handling, others want better scripts or calmer live crossings. We agree the content with the client beforehand rather than offering a fixed formula.
Twelve years on, the approach has not changed much. We keep groups small, we keep the kit in people's hands and we give plain, useful feedback. The work is a craft, and craft improves through repetition with someone watching who knows what good looks like.
Every course follows the same working pattern, whether it is a single session or a longer programme. It keeps the time spent on the things that change how people work.
TrainingLearners operate cameras, microphones and lights themselves from the first session, with a tutor close by to correct technique as it happens.
Mixed groups let each side see the other's job, so crossings, cues and framing decisions are practised as a crew rather than alone.
Each recording is watched back with the tutor. We look at what the viewer sees and agree one or two things to change next time.
We agree the length and content of a course beforehand, so busy newsrooms and students alike know what each day will cover.
Three ideas shape how we plan sessions, choose exercises and talk to learners. They matter because television work is unforgiving: a soft frame or a muddled sentence is visible to everyone. Training has to build habits that hold up under pressure.
Craft means treating camera work and reporting as skills with details worth getting right. We spend time on grip, focus pulls, breathing before a piece to camera and the order of words in a sentence. Tutors show the small adjustments that separate competent footage from footage an editor is glad to receive.
Clarity applies to pictures, sound and speech alike. We teach learners to ask what the viewer needs to understand in each shot or line, and to remove what gets in the way. Our feedback follows the same rule: specific, plainly worded and focused on what to change next.
Practice is where the learning happens, so most of the course is spent shooting, recording and repeating. Learners try an exercise, review it, adjust and try again. Repetition with feedback turns a technique you understand into one you can use calmly on a live, unpredictable job.
Choosing training is easier when you know how it will run. These notes describe how we handle planning, the sessions themselves and the time afterwards, so there are few surprises.
We begin with your enquiry and a conversation about who is attending, their experience and the skills you want to strengthen. From that we suggest a programme and group size. You receive a written quotation or confirmation, so the scope is clear before any date is fixed. Tom, our course coordinator, handles schedules and classroom resources, which means the practical details are settled in advance.
Sessions alternate between short briefings and hands-on work. Learners film, record sound, deliver pieces to camera or run live crossings, and tutors give feedback straight away. Groups are kept small so equipment is shared fairly and nobody waits long for a turn. We adapt the exercises if the group moves faster or slower than planned, because the aim is useful practice rather than finishing a fixed list.
We close with a review of recordings made during the course, so learners can compare early and later work. We suggest what to keep practising and which habits to watch. Payment is by invoice and bank transfer after the written confirmation, and cancellations follow our payment and refund policy. If questions come up once you are back at work, you can still write to us.
Write to us: hello@elupho.com