Video Production in Edinburgh

Note: This course is currently at capacity for Summer 2026 and registrations are closed. If you would like to be added to the wait list, please fill out the Interest List form and we will reach out if seats open up.

Join the video production team as we spend the month documenting the art, food, culture, and overall experience of Edinburgh, Scotland. Led by UMW Digital Studies instructors Dr. J.D. Swerzenski and Cartland Berge, this course goes beyond the typical tourist videos by using advanced production skills, including live video broadcasts and personal documentary projects, as a vehicle to explore one of Europe’s most historic and vibrant cities. 

• Get Field Experience: Build proficiency behind the camera and with a range of other advanced production equipment as you record your exploration of the city. 
• Engage with the City: Interview Edinburgh locals and subject experts as part of your documentary work.
• Broadcast Live: Work alongside the production team to plan, write, produce, and stream live video programming each week focusing on the stories and experiences we discover.
• Develop Advanced Editing Skills: Build proficiency in Adobe Premiere and After Effects in producing both live broadcasts and your final documentaries.
• Share Your Story: Use your final documentary project to explore your passions, be it culinary, sports, history, or otherwise.  

No course prerequisites or prior media production experience is required. Enrolled students will learn the basics of video production through a week of online instruction before the trip and class sessions conducted in Scotland.

For additional course information and registration, visit the UMW Center for International Education page.

What’s Included

Academic Credit/Tuition

Students earn 6 academic credits (the equivalent of two UMW classes). The credits will appears on students’ transcripts as two separate classes:

• DGST 301R – Media Production Abroad
• DGST 301F – Documentary Film

This can satisfy major and general education requirements, including:

• Beyond the Classroom or Diverse and Global Perspectives general education requirements
• 300-level elective requirements (by permission of the department chair)

Housing

Students will stay in individual dormitory rooms on a shared hall at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University. Kitchen facilities, laundry facilities, and internet access are available at the residence.

Travel within Scotland

Students will receive a public transit pass good for the duration of our stay in Scotland. A guided tour of the Scottish Highlands is also included.

Equipment

Cameras, microphones, and other video production equipment will be provided. A computer lab with the Adobe Creative suite is available on-site at the University.

Airfare and most meals are not included in the registration price.

Tentative Schedule for Summer 2026

These dates are subject to change as plans are finalized.

• June 15-27
  • Online Instruction: Fundamentals of Video Production & Live Broadcast
• June 28
  • Travel to Edinburgh
• June 29
  • Tour of Edinburgh and welcome dinner
• July 1 – 3
  • Classroom: Video Production & Live Broadcast Technology
  • Experiential: Film B-roll and establishing shots
  • Excursion: Old Town Edinburgh & the Royal Mile
• July 3
  • Produce Live Show 1
• July 7 – 10
  • Classroom: Interview Strategies & Live Broadcast Scripting
  • Experiential: Film initial interviews
  • Excursion: Day trip to the Scottish Highlands
• July 10
  • Produce Live Show 2
• July 14 – 17
  • Classroom: Editing & Graphics
  • Experiential: Film supplemental interviews and location footage
  • Excursion: Leith & the Edinburgh waterfront
• July 17
  • Produce Live Show 3
• July 21 – 24
  • Classroom: Crafting Your Documentary’s Narrative
  • Experiential: Film pick-ups & reshoots
  • Excursion: Hike to Arthur’s Seat for panoramic city views
• July 24
  • Produce Live Show 4
• July 25
  • Farewell dinner
• July 26
  • Return to US

Program Objectives

The coursework combines two UMW classes: Digital Media Studio taught by professor Cartland Berge and Documentary Film Production taught by professor J.D. Swerzenski. Students who have already taken these courses on-campus may still enroll in the course.

Course objectives include:

Technical

• Build familiarity operating in a variety of roles for a multi-camera livestream broadcast
• Develop camera proficiency in the field and studio environments
• Learn basics of interview setup, including lighting, framing, and sound recording
• Build video editing skills in Adobe Premiere

Critical

• Build intercultural understanding through interactions with filmed subjects
• Broaden interpersonal communication skills by working in production team with fellow program members
• Deepen their knowledge of a chosen subject area while learning to communicate the topic via the tools of documentary filmmaking

A version of the course comprising only the live broadcast elements was taught by professor Berge in Paris in 2024. You can watch a trailer for that course below.

Get in Touch

scotland.umwlive.com