B-Roll: Capture Now, Thank Yourself Later

Sometimes you head out to film with a clear brief, a script, and a shot list.
And sometimes… you don’t.

You just see something interesting:
light falling across a bench, steam rising from a kettle, students concentrating, a sail flapping, a close-up of equipment humming quietly in the background. You hit record, not knowing exactly why.

That footage? That’s B-roll gold.

Months later, when you’re editing a video, cutting a short for social media, or rescuing a section that feels visually flat, you suddenly realise:
“I’ve got a shot for this.”

Why Filming B-Roll Without a Project Is a Smart Habit

1. B-roll ages well
Good detail shots, atmospheres, and processes are often timeless. A clip filmed today might fit perfectly into a project a year from now.

2. It speeds up future edits
Instead of scrambling to re-film, you already have visual material to:

• cover jump cuts

• illustrate ideas

• add pacing and rhythm

• make explanations feel more real

3. It captures authenticity
Unplanned B-roll often feels more natural. No pressure. No performance. Just real moments happening.

4. It builds a personal visual library
Over time, you’re not just filming clips—you’re creating a stock library of your own work, tailored exactly to your style, subjects, and brand.

What’s Worth Filming “Just in Case”?

• Hands working (setting up kit, tying knots, adjusting controls)

• Close-ups of tools, instruments, screens, notebooks

• Environmental shots: rooms, labs, boats, desks, corridors

• Transitions: walking, opening doors, setting things down

• Light changes, weather, movement, texture

If it catches your eye, there’s a good chance it will catch an editor’s eye later too.

A Simple Rule of Thumb

If something makes you pause for two seconds and think “that looks interesting” — film ten seconds of it.

Storage is cheap. Missed moments aren’t.

 Using a Multispectral Camera to Tell Artificial Grass from Real Grass

To the human eye, real grass and artificial grass can look almost identical—especially when the plastic version is new and neatly laid.

But switch to a multispectral camera, and the difference becomes impossible to hide.

🌈 What a Multispectral Camera Sees (That We Can’t)

A multispectral camera captures light beyond visible colour, particularly:

• Red

• Near-infrared (NIR)

This is crucial, because living plants interact with light in a very specific way.

• Real grass absorbs red light for photosynthesis and strongly reflects near-infrared light.

• Artificial grass reflects light much more evenly and does not show the NIR “vegetation signature.”

(In this artificial grass, we can see the moss growing as it is a different colour)

🧪 The NDVI Test (The Dead Giveaway)

When multispectral data is processed into indices such as NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index):

• 🌱 Real grass shows up clearly as vegetation (bright tones in false-colour or NDVI maps)

• 🧱 Artificial grass appears dull, flat, or even indistinguishable from paths, roofs, or plastic surfaces

No chlorophyll = no vegetation signal.

🔍 Why This Is So Powerful

This technique is used routinely in:

• Agriculture (crop health & stress)

• Environmental monitoring

• Land-use mapping

• Urban heat and green-space studies

And it works just as beautifully at the scale of:

• A school field

• A garden lawn

• A playground

🌍 Why It Matters

Artificial grass is often marketed as “green” and low-maintenance—but multispectral imaging reminds us:

• It isn’t biologically active

• It doesn’t photosynthesise

• It doesn’t cool the environment like real grass

• It doesn’t support ecosystems in the same way

Looking green isn’t the same as being green.

🎓 In Education & Outreach

For teaching, this is gold dust:

• Photosynthesis becomes visible

• Abstract ideas like spectral reflectance suddenly make sense

• Students instantly grasp how satellites and drones classify land use

It’s one of those moments where science feels a bit like magic.

Designing Practicals for Online Learners

When the right kit makes all the difference

One of the biggest questions in online science teaching is a simple one:

Can you really do practical science remotely?

The answer, from experience, is yes – if the practical has been designed properly from the start.

Some experiments are genuinely difficult to replicate online. Others, particularly in electricity and electronics, work exceptionally well when the correct teaching kit is used.

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Why electricity practicals lend themselves to online learning

Electricity has a few big advantages for remote teaching:

• Results are immediate and visible

• Variables can be changed one at a time

• Measurements (current, voltage, resistance) are clear and numerical

• Circuits behave predictably, reinforcing theory

But this only works if students can clearly see what is happening — and if the setup is safe, repeatable, and robust.

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Where kits like Locktronics shine

Systems such as Locktronics were designed for education, and that design philosophy really matters online.

What makes them ideal for remote practicals

• Clear circuit layout – students can instantly identify components

• No loose wires – far fewer “Is this connected properly?” moments

• Safe voltages – perfect for live demonstrations

• Repeatable setups – every student sees the same configuration

• Fast changes – circuits can be rebuilt on camera in seconds

When teaching via a multi-camera setup, I can switch between:

• a wide shot of the whole board

• a close-up of a single component

• a live meter reading

That combination makes abstract ideas click far faster than slides ever could.

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Designing online practicals that actually teach

The key isn’t just having good equipment — it’s how the practical is structured.

A good online electricity practical should:

1. Start with a prediction
   What do you think will happen if we double the resistance?

2. Change one variable only
   Just like good exam technique.

3. Show the measurement live
   No screenshots, no “imagine this value”.

4. Pause for interpretation
   Why did the current change? What law explains it?

5. Link straight back to exam questions
   Students need to see why this matters.

Online learners don’t need more experiments — they need better-designed ones.

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Practical ≠ hands-on (only)

There’s a common myth that if a student isn’t physically touching the equipment, it isn’t a “real” practical.

In reality, practical science is about:

• understanding variables

• interpreting data

• linking observation to theory

Well-designed live demonstrations, especially with purpose-built kits, develop exactly those skills — and often more cleanly than a chaotic classroom bench full of trailing leads.

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The takeaway

Online practicals work best when:

• the equipment is designed for teaching

• the visual clarity is high

• the experiment mirrors exam expectations

• the teacher controls the variables, not the chaos

Electricity is one of the strongest examples of this — and with systems like Locktronics, it becomes not just possible online, but genuinely powerful.

 

The challenges of filming in a classroom or laboratory

Filming in a classroom or laboratory sounds straightforward: set up a camera, press record, teach. In reality, it’s one of the most demanding environments to work in—especially if you want footage that genuinely teaches, not just documents.

After years of filming science lessons, practical demonstrations, and live online sessions, here are some of the key challenges that crop up time and time again.

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1. Space: there’s never quite enough of it

Classrooms and labs are designed for learning, not filming.

• Benches are often fixed

• Walkways are narrow

• Cupboards, gas taps, sinks and power points dictate where you can stand

Trying to fit tripods, lights, microphones and cables into that space—without creating a health and safety hazard—requires careful planning and sometimes some creative contortions.

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2. Lighting: bright, flat, and unforgiving

Most classrooms are lit for visibility, not for cameras.

• Overhead fluorescent or LED panels create harsh shadows

• White benches reflect light straight back into the lens

• Shiny glassware and metal stands produce glare

For practical science, lighting must be bright enough to show detail without washing out colour changes, meniscus lines, or subtle reactions. Balancing “exam-clear” visuals with something watchable is a constant juggling act.

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3. Sound: the silent struggle

Audio is often harder than video.

• Labs echo

• Extractor fans hum constantly

• Chairs scrape, doors slam, taps drip

Lapel mics help, but they introduce their own problems—rustling lab coats, cable snags, and the occasional dramatic splash. Clear explanations are useless if students can’t hear them cleanly.

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4. Capturing the experiment and the explanation

In a live lesson, students can move their heads. Cameras can’t.

You often need:

• A wide shot for context

• A close-up for the experiment

• A separate view for data logging or screens

Switching between these while teaching—without breaking the flow—is a real skill. Miss the key moment and you’ve lost the learning opportunity.

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5. Safety always comes first

Unlike a studio, a lab has real risks:

• Flames

• Chemicals

• Glassware

• Electricity

Cables must be routed safely, tripods secured, and nothing can interfere with safe lab practice. No shot is worth compromising safety—ever.

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6. Time pressure and realism

Unlike a film set, lessons run to a timetable.

Experiments don’t always behave:

• Reactions take longer than planned

• Sensors refuse to cooperate

• Demonstrations work perfectly during rehearsal… and fail on camera

The challenge is capturing real science—including its imperfections—while keeping the footage useful, clear, and reassuring for students.

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7. Teaching to the camera without losing the class

When filming with students present, attention is split:

• Teach the learners in front of you

• Explain clearly for the students watching later

• Stay within camera frame

• Keep eye-line natural

It’s surprisingly easy to drift out of shot just as you reach the crucial explanation.

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Why it’s worth it

Despite all of this, filming in real classrooms and laboratories has huge advantages:

• Authentic experiments

• Real-world problem solving

• Students see how science is actually done, not staged

When it works, it creates resources that students can revisit again and again—far more powerful than static notes.

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🎬 Final thought:
Filming in a classroom or lab isn’t about creating “perfect” video. It’s about making learning visible—messy moments, problem-solving, and all.

If you get that right, the camera becomes another teaching tool, not a distraction.

 

Do You Capture a Sound — or Synthesize It?

When making music, there’s a deceptively simple question hiding at the heart of every track:

Do you record a sound that already exists — or do you create one from scratch?

Both approaches are powerful. Both are creative. And increasingly, most modern music lives somewhere between the two.

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🎻 Capturing Sound: Freezing a Moment in Time

Recording an instrument is about documentation with intent.

• A violin bow biting the string

• Breath noise at the start of a flute note

• Hammer thump and pedal creak on a piano

• Room reflections colouring the tone

These imperfections aren’t flaws — they’re information. They tell the listener that a human, in a real space, made this sound at this moment.

Capturing sound is about:

• Performance

• Expression

• Acoustics

• Irreproducibility

Play the same note twice and it’s never quite the same. That’s the magic.

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🔊 Synthesising Sound: Designing the Impossible

Synthesis flips the question around.

Instead of “How did this sound happen?”
It asks “What could sound like this?”

Oscillators, filters, envelopes and modulation let you:

• Create instruments that never existed

• Stretch time, pitch and timbre beyond physics

• Build sounds that evolve, breathe and morph

Synthesis excels at:

• Precision

• Repeatability

• Exploration

• Control

A sound can be rebuilt, reshaped, automated and recalled exactly — every time.

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🔁 The Modern Reality: Hybrid Everything

Most music today isn’t either/or — it’s both.

• A recorded piano layered with a soft synth pad

• A sampled string note stretched and re-filtered

• A synth bass re-amped through a speaker and mic’d

• Acoustic drums reinforced with synthetic transients

The boundary between recording and sound design has quietly dissolved.

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🎧 So… Which Is Better?

That’s like asking whether:

• A camera is better than a paintbrush

• A microscope is better than a telescope

They answer different questions.

• Capture sound when you want human presence

• Synthesize sound when you want sonic imagination

• Combine them when you want something genuinely new

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Final Thought

Music isn’t about choosing sides.
It’s about choosing tools that serve the idea.

Sometimes the right answer is a microphone.
Sometimes it’s an oscillator.
Very often, it’s both — working together.

 

Watching 360° Video on a VR Headset: It’s a Whole New World

The first time you watch a 360° video on a VR headset, something fundamental changes.

You’re no longer watching a video.
You’re inside it.

Instead of a rectangular frame telling you where to look, the world exists all around you. Look left, right, up, down — it’s all there. Your curiosity, not the editor, becomes the camera operator.

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🌍 Why 360° Video Feels So Different

Traditional video is about framing.
360° video is about presence.

When viewed on a VR headset:

• You gain true spatial awareness

• Scale suddenly makes sense (rooms feel big, machines feel close)

• Your brain treats the scene more like a place than a picture

It’s the closest thing we currently have to being somewhere else without moving.

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🎓 Huge Potential for Education

For teaching and learning, this is transformative:

• Science & labs – Stand inside an experiment or apparatus

• Geography & fieldwork – Visit locations that schools can’t afford to reach

• Engineering – Walk around machinery, not just see diagrams

• Sailing & outdoor skills – Experience environments safely before doing them for real

Students aren’t passive viewers — they explore, notice details, and ask better questions.

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🎬 A New Challenge for Creators

360° video forces a rethink of storytelling:

• No “off-camera” area — everything is visible

• Lighting, sound, and movement matter even more

• You guide attention with audio, motion, and curiosity, not cuts

It’s less like directing a film… and more like designing an experience.

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🧠 Why Your Brain Loves It

VR + 360° video taps into how we actually understand the world:

• Head movement feels natural

• Depth cues improve comprehension

• Memory retention increases through immersion

That’s why even short 360° clips can feel surprisingly powerful.

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🚀 Final Thought

Once you’ve watched a well-made 360° video on a VR headset, flat video can feel… oddly distant.

This isn’t just another screen.
It’s a new way of seeing, learning, and telling stories.

 

Science games in the classroom: powerful tool or pointless distraction?

There are now hundreds of science-based games on the market. Some are slick digital simulations, others are board or card games promising to make learning “fun”. But do they really belong in the classroom—or is it better to just teach the students properly?

As with most things in education, the honest answer is: it depends how (and why) they’re used.

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What science games do well

When chosen carefully, science games can add genuine value.

1. Motivation and engagement

Games can lower the barrier to entry. Students who might switch off during a traditional explanation often lean in when there’s a challenge, a score, or a goal. This can be especially useful at the start of a topic.

2. Visualising the abstract

Some concepts are hard to grasp from words alone. Simulations and games can help students see ideas like:

• Forces and motion

• Energy transfer

• Ecosystems and feedback loops

• Systems in equilibrium

A good example is Kerbal Space Program, which—used carefully—can make orbital mechanics and Newton’s laws feel far more concrete than equations on a board.

3. Safe experimentation

Games allow students to try things that would be impossible, dangerous, or expensive in real life. Making mistakes is cheap—and that’s valuable.

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Where science games fall down

This is where teachers need to be cautious.

1. Fun does not equal learning

Students can happily play a science-themed game for an hour and learn very little if:

• The science is hidden behind mechanics

• Success relies on trial-and-error rather than understanding

• There’s no reflection or follow-up discussion

They may remember winning—but not why.

2. Oversimplification and misconceptions

Games often simplify reality to make play possible. Without guidance, students can walk away with:

• Incorrect models

• Half-understood ideas

• “Rules” that only apply inside the game world

This is particularly risky at GCSE and A-level, where precision matters.

3. Passive consumption

Some digital games look interactive but actually encourage button-pressing rather than thinking. If the student isn’t required to explain, predict, or justify, learning is shallow.

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So… teach or game?

It’s a false choice.

The strongest classrooms do both—but in the right order

Games should not replace teaching.
They should support it.

A sensible structure looks like this:

1. Teach the core idea explicitly
   Clear explanations, diagrams, demonstrations, worked examples.

2. Use a game to explore or reinforce
   Let students apply ideas, test limits, and make mistakes.

3. Debrief and formalise
   Discuss what happened, link back to theory, correct misconceptions.

Without steps 1 and 3, the game is entertainment.
With them, it becomes a learning tool.

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Practical classroom uses that actually work

Science games are most effective when used as:

• Starters – to introduce a topic or spark curiosity

• Plenaries – to consolidate learning already taught

• Revision tools – especially for retrieval practice

• Homework extensions – with guiding questions

They are least effective as:

• A full lesson replacement

• A reward with no learning objective

• A time-filler when planning runs short

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The teacher still matters most

No game—however clever—can:

• Diagnose a misconception in real time

• Ask why a student chose an answer

• Adapt explanations on the fly

• Connect ideas across topics

That’s still the teacher’s job.

Games don’t teach students.
Teachers teach students.
Games, at best, are tools that help us do it better.

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Bottom line

Science games do have a place in the classroom—but only when they are:

• Carefully chosen

• Clearly framed

• Actively discussed

• Anchored to solid teaching

Used wisely, they enhance learning.
Used lazily, they just make noise.

Redacted Media Makes Teaching Comprehension Hard – AI Can Create New Material in a Flash

 As teachers, we rely heavily on good-quality texts to teach reading comprehension. The problem is that many of the best real-world sources—news articles, reports, extracts from books—arrive in the classroom heavily redacted.

Black boxes. Missing names. Removed data. Context stripped away.

That’s fine for legal compliance, but it makes teaching comprehension much harder.

Why redacted material is a problem in the classroom

Comprehension isn’t just about decoding words. It’s about:

• Following a line of argument

• Understanding cause and effect

• Interpreting tone, bias, and purpose

• Inferring meaning from context

When key details are removed:

• Questions become guesswork rather than reasoning

• Students can’t practise inference properly

• We end up teaching exam survival instead of real understanding

Ironically, the more “authentic” the source, the less usable it often becomes.

Where AI changes the game

This is where AI-generated text is genuinely useful for teachers.

AI can:

• Create original, unredacted passages at exactly the right level

• Mirror real-world writing styles (news, reports, blogs, speeches)

• Be tuned for GCSE, A-Level, or undergraduate difficulty

• Include deliberate features: bias, ambiguity, data, or persuasive language

Instead of fighting redactions, we can design texts to teach specific skills.

Teaching comprehension with intent

With AI, a teacher can say:

• “I want a 400-word article with a clear viewpoint and subtle bias”

• “I need a text where inference matters more than retrieval”

• “Create a passage with enough data for evaluation questions”

That’s powerful—not as a shortcut, but as a pedagogical tool.

The key point (and the safeguard)

This isn’t about students outsourcing thinking to AI.

It’s about teachers using AI to build better learning materials, faster, and with more control than ever before.

Used properly:

• Students still read

• Students still analyse

• Students still write

• Students still think

AI just removes the friction of finding suitable texts.

Bottom line

Redacted media protects organisations—but it often undermines comprehension teaching.

AI gives educators something better:

Clean, purposeful, level-appropriate texts designed for learning, not legal departments.

Used well, it doesn’t lower standards.
It lets us teach the skills that actually matter.

 

Using a Multispectral Camera in Winter – What Pictures Are Worth Taking?

Winter can feel like the off-season for photography, but for a multispectral camera it’s actually one of the most revealing times of year. With leaves gone, crops dormant, and lower sun angles, winter strips landscapes back to their essentials — making hidden processes easier to see and explain.

Below are some high-value winter subjects that work brilliantly for blogs, lessons, and social posts.

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🌲 1. Evergreen vs Deciduous Trees

Photosynthesis laid bare

Winter is perfect for showing biological differences:

• Evergreens still reflect strongly in near-infrared (NIR)

• Deciduous trees show weak or patchy signals

• NDVI-style images clearly separate living vs dormant vegetation

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  Grass, Moss, and Winter Ground Cover

  Life doesn’t stop — it just slows down

• Even in January, some plants are quietly active:

• Moss and winter grass often glow in NIR

• Dead grass and leaf litter fall flat

Content Ideas That Work Well in Winter

• RGB vs NIR vs false-colour comparisons

• “What looks dead but isn’t?”

• Seasonal NDVI diaries

• Swipe-to-compare images

• Short reels: ‘What my camera sees vs my eyes’

• Before/after frost shots

• Dormancy vs death

• Energy absorption in different materials

• Plant adaptation to cold environments

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Final Thought

Winter doesn’t limit multispectral photography — it sharpens it.
With fewer distractions, the camera reveals:

• Who’s still alive

• Where energy goes

• How landscapes really function beneath the surface

Perfect for education, environmental storytelling, and eye-catching science content.