Smartphone vertical video workshop

In this hands-on mobile journalism workshop, you will explore the historic Giuditta Brozzetti Museum and weaving atelier in old town Perugia to create short-form vertical video stories using your smartphone. Led by mobile journalism educators Assistant Professor Rob Layton and Associate Professor Aphrodite Salas, the session blends traditional reporting techniques with creator journalism, designed for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and others. You will learn how to use generative AI to enhance scripts, and record pieces-to-camera using the Instagram Edits teleprompter on your phone for vertical videos. Limited to 35 participants. Scan the QR code to register.
Note: Participants are to meet at the museum, which is a 20-minute walk from Hotel Brufani. Please leave Brufani at 11:30 to ensure the 12:00 start time.
Workshop structure:
> Welcome and overview of the workshop goals
> Brief introduction to the Giuditta Brozzetti Atelier and its cultural significance
> What is Creator Journalism? Key principles: Authenticity and personality-driven storytelling, platform-native formats and aesthetics, journalistic integrity in short-form content, overview of the Instagram Edits app (participants must download Edits prior to the workshop)
> From Thread to Textile – a visual journey of the weaving process
> Meet the Makers – short profiles of artisans and their craft
> Sounds of the Loom – an ambient audio-driven piece
> Weaving History – a mini-doc on the museum’s legacy
> A Day in the Atelier – a vertical vlog-style narrative
Each participant or group selects one concept to pursue.
Shot Composition:
> Wide: Show the audience where you are. Establish the space and atmosphere
> Medium: Tell the audience who this is about. Capture artisan interactions
> Close-up: Explain what they are doing. Focus on textures, tools, hands at work
Smartphone Tips:
> Creative angles using the phone’s portability
> Stabilization techniques (tripods, handheld methods)
> Capturing ambient sound and brief interviews
Participants film their chosen stories throughout the museum. Participants can record directly into the Instagram Edits app, or use their phone’s native camera.
> Download a free AI model such as Microsoft Co-Pilot, Perplexity, Google Gemini, or ChatGPT
> Copy and paste your script into the app and give it a prompt, such as “I am a creator journalist and need to enhance this script for a vertical video for social media. Ensure the tone is friendly and engaging yet authoritative and professional. Give me a one-line hook to begin the script and engage an online audience”. Refine your prompts as needed
> Ensure the final AI output is accurate. Edit the AI script to ensure it reflects your tone and insights for journalistic integrity
> Copy and paste your script into the Teleprompter field of the Edits app (refer to the provided Instagram Edits Workflow for specific instruction)
> Find a suitable background for your PTC, or select Green Screen in the app and change the background to a photo of your choice
> Hold your phone at arm’s length (or in a tripod) and record your script
> Add any b-roll overlays, auto captions, music (ensure its roytaly-free), and duck the music against your dialogue
> Export your video (refer to Workflow document)
Limited to 35 participants. Scan the QR code to register.
Supported by Blackmagic Design.