My first ever documentary is LIVE! Filmed on an old but brilliant iPhone 12 Pro, and edited on iMovie. As you may know, I'm working through the Local Creator Cashflow course alongside you, making myself 'famous' in my hometown first, and building up from there. I've done it in several areas before, but not in my new Manchester location. My usual method is to make short funky reels, which require very little narrative structure. Quick to bang out, but about as mentally nutritious as a Big Mac and fries. The film is only five minutes long, but it took me three weeks to conceptualise, film, edit, voiceover, finesse and upload. Here's how I did it: 1) Found a topic of public interest that I could film for free. In this case, it was upgrades to a local square that was originally a cluttered, anonymous street corner. 2) Found an angle. The square was named after a nuclear pioneer, Ernest Rutherford, so the film is about him, and all of the interesting upgrades to the area. This took some serious thinking and re-editing. 3) Went out filming on a sunny day. ALWAYS try to film in the sunshine - I've noticed videos get many more views with blue skies, sharp shadows and bright light. 4) Spent days hunched over my desk putting it together. I'm trying to emulate BBC documentary style here, with concept, pacing, voiceover, sound design, shots, etc. 5) Completed thumbnails, artwork, description, hashtags...and eventually managed to upload it, after some fraught rendering. Over an hour to save a five minute piece? I really need a new laptop. 6) Uploaded it to my Youtube and my new Facebook page, Withington TV. I highly recommend setting up a Facebook page for your local videos, and naming it TOWN/ AREA TV by the way. Even if you're not a proper TV station, it generates interest and makes you look official. I used Canva for my artwork and logo design. 6) Once it was live, I tagged in relevant venues and organisations. As it happened, while I was co-working, I met the lead responsible for the town's regeneration. A tremendous stroke of luck! He provided me with archive images and quotes, and even watched the full film when I asked him to 'proof' it.

Blimey, what a few weeks I've had, setting up my own Local Creator Cashflow system here in Manchester. I'm working through this course in real time with you, so you can see exactly how I make local connections and turn them in to well-paying customers. I've zeroed in on my local high street, and a big regeneration project. I've made my first ever documentary about improvements in the town (only five minutes, but it's high-concept, and it's taken me two weeks to edit!). I've set up and branded my Facebook and Youtube, I've found a free 'studio' for my live streams, where I can broadcast daily, and I'm already a familiar face on the high street because I've been going in and introducing myself. I've also started co-working, my first time doing that too. Couldn't believe my luck, on my very first day, I met the decision maker in charge of the local regeneration. I've shown him the film, he's helped me with archive images, and he's watched it too! SCORE. I'm on his radar, and hopefully he may commision me, and / or give me referrals. I've also been getting used to my new camera, the DJI Osmo Action 6. It's robust, it looks great, but I've got to be honest, I don't think the quality is much better than my old iPhone 12, and the sound is certainly not as good. So loads of fiddling with cables, microphones and settings. If you want to build your influence, I absolutely recommend starting hyper local and rippling out from there, rather than competing against the trillions of vloggers online. You become known, trusted, and useful far faster when you focus local. Visibility compounds quickly. One conversation leads to another, and doors start opening. It's easier to leverage local Facebook groups, community pages, and word of mouth when people recognise the places and faces you are talking about. Here's some of my branding and art work. Once I finish this bloody documentary I'll upload that too. I'm quite proud of it. How are your local efforts coming on? @Abigail Thomas @Abdullah Rizwan @Dovile Rancaite @Megan Fitzpatrick @Sophia Gaston

Hey @Abigail Thomas, @Dhruv Merai @Molly Burtonwood @Megan Fitzpatrick @Dovile Rancaite, here's a question for you: What is stopping you from posting your first local video? No confidence No ideas No time Worried it will flop Not sure how to start Something else Let me know and we'll work it through together.