How a Taunton training hub for television journalists came about, what it believes about good reporting, and who teaches here.
xuplin began in 2014 when Helen Marlowe, after two decades reporting for regional television, decided to teach what she had learned on the road. She set up in Taunton with a simple aim: practical training for reporters and camera operators, taught by people who have worked in newsrooms.
From the beginning, the courses were designed around how a news crew really works. A story depends on the reporter, the operator and the editor all understanding each other. So rather than teaching each role in isolation, xuplin brings them into the same room, with the same exercises, so that they learn how decisions made in one role affect the others on location.
Each session follows the same pattern: a short explanation, a practical exercise and an honest review. Students shoot, present or write, then watch or read the result with their tutor. This habit of reviewing real work, rather than listening to long lectures, is the heart of how we teach and how students keep improving afterwards.
Teaching is shared among four people, each with a defined area. Helen leads on-camera reporting, Daniel Pryce teaches field camera technique and live coverage, Priya Nair covers broadcast writing, editing and fact-checking, and Tom Ashworth looks after enquiries, timetables and the study library, helping students choose where to begin.
Alongside the classroom, we maintain a study library of books and guides on broadcast journalism, with reading lists linked to each programme. It gives students something to return to between sessions, so that what they practise in a workshop can be explored further, at a speed that fits around work or other studies.
We treat reporting and camera work as skills to be built carefully. Tutors show the method, explain why it works and give students time to repeat it until the habit is secure.
Checking comes before transmission. Students are taught to verify names, numbers and sources, and to make sure that pictures and words tell the same, correct story to viewers.
Most of what happens in our sessions is practical. Exercises are realistic, time is limited, and feedback is direct, because that is the closest a classroom gets to a real shoot.
Reporters and operators learn alongside each other. Understanding the other person's job makes crews quicker to agree, calmer on location and clearer about who is responsible for what.
xuplin
Every course starts from a real news task, such as a street interview or a live cross, so that the skills taught always have a clear purpose on location.
We separate framing, exposure, audio and delivery, and practise each one on its own before combining them, which makes mistakes easier to spot and correct.
Reporters and camera operators rehearse together, because most broadcast problems come from poor communication between the two, not from a lack of individual skill.
Footage and scripts are watched and read back with the tutor straight after each exercise, so students see exactly what an audience would see and hear.
Fact-checking is built into writing and editing sessions as a routine step, so students carry the habit into whichever newsroom they work in next.
The study library and reading lists let students continue at their own pace, returning to techniques and ideas whenever their work calls for them.
These comments come from people who have taken courses with us. They describe what they practised and how it has helped them in their own work.
I had been filming handheld for a while without much guidance. Daniel's sessions showed me how to brace properly and plan my shots before pressing record. My footage is steadier, and editors now ask me for fewer retakes.
Helen's coaching on piece-to-camera delivery changed how I prepare. I now write to picture first and rehearse aloud, which has calmed my nerves a lot. The reviews after each take were honest and always useful.
Priya's writing course taught me to cut my scripts down and check every figure before it goes out. The habit of confirming sources has stayed with me, and my packages feel tighter and easier to follow.
Working alongside a camera operator in the joint sessions was the most useful part for me. We agreed shots and questions before going out, and the interview ran far more smoothly than my earlier attempts.
By email: hello@xuplin.com