The Academy
Get better at filming. Then send us the footage.
Preview our filming method for free, the five rules, the fourteen shots and the weekly rhythm. Create a free account for the first two lessons; Foundation Members unlock the full course.
Unlock the full Academy
Create a free account to watch the first two lessons free. Foundation Members unlock the full course, the rules and shot library below are free to browse.
Start here
Five rules that fix most phone footage
Master these before you press record and you're already ahead of most venues.
Shoot into the light, not with it
Put the light behind the subject or raking across it. Morning and late-afternoon golden hours make wine and glassware glow. Mid-day indoors? Shoot toward a window.
Lock the phone down, always
A $30 mini-tripod, a wine barrel, a bar mat, a stack of napkins, anything. Handheld reads amateur within a second and a half.
Audio matters more than you think
Even for a silent reel, ambient sound, ice cracking, steam hissing, a cork pop, laughter, is the spine of the sound design. Film in the quieter parts of service.
Vertical first, then horizontal
Shoot 9:16 vertical as the default for Reels, TikTok and Shorts. Then grab a 16:9 version for the website and ads. Thirty extra seconds doubles your usable library.
Lock exposure and focus
Tap and hold on the subject before you record. It stops the bright-dark-bright hunting that ruins most phone footage. This one fixes the single most common problem we receive.
“Clean lens. Locked phone. Tap to focus. Good light. Press record.”
The one line to memorise.
The shot library
The 14 cinematic shots
Every venue should be capturing these. The hero pour, the detail macro, the golden-hour exterior, each one with how to shoot it and the pro tip that makes it sing.
The curriculum
The 8-part video course
Eight short videos, 8–14 minutes each, plus a template pack (shot lists, hook swipe file, content calendar, gear list) and a monthly live Q&A. The first two are free with an account.
Reference
Filming reference library
The technical how-to, settings, angles, the 14 shots, light & sound, and managing your footage. Multi-part modules, included with membership.
The habit
Twenty minutes minimum, once a week
Monday
Set the intent
Open this week's brief. Five shots, exact prompts. Decide when on the floor you'll grab each one.
Tue – Thu
Film in the gaps
A minimum of twenty minutes total, spread across service. A pour here, a plating there, the room at golden hour.
Friday
Upload & done
Drop the clips into your folder. That's your week. We take it from here.
The one-minute pre-shoot checklist
- ✓Is the lens clean? Wipe it on your apron every time.
- ✓Settings on 4K, 30fps? Gives the editor room to crop and reframe.
- ✓Airplane mode on? Stops a call interrupting the take.
- ✓Horizon level? Turn the grid on and align to the lines.
- ✓Anything in frame that shouldn't be? Bin bags, cords, the specials board. Clean the frame, not the edit.
Start free
Two lessons free. The rest with membership.
Create a free account for the first two lessons. Foundation Members unlock the full course and the member portal. Prefer a PDF? Grab the Playbook.