The Journal
Guides, notes and news from a working studio in a 16th-century barn near Chichester.
Guides and notes written from the studio floor, news about the barn, and what changes in the industry mean for the people who book it. Most of it is written by James Jones, who runs Granary Digital, with guest posts from people we work with. New pieces go up on Tuesdays and Thursdays; follow along with the RSS feed or the newsletter at the bottom of the page.
YouTube is now the UK's most-used podcast app. What that changes for a business show
Edison's July figures put YouTube just ahead of Spotify, and 72% of UK weekly listeners now watch video podcasts. Ofcom has the other half of the story: most of them are still mainly listening.
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Why our studio has no windows, and why that is the point
A 16th-century grain barn without a single window sounds like an odd choice for a photography and film studio. It is the reason the place works.
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What to wear for a professional headshot
A headshot is mostly face, collar and shoulders, so a few square inches of fabric decide whether it still looks right in three years. Here is what to put in the bag.
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Voice cloning has reached Downing Street. What performers, and the people who hire them, can do now
On 28 August more than 80 performers wrote to Andy Burnham asking for a legal right to their own voice. The law hasn't moved yet, so for now the protection is whatever gets written into the booking.
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UK production spend fell in the first half of 2026. UK-made films went the other way
Combined film and high-end TV spend dropped by 15.6% on the year, according to BFI figures reported in August. Spend on domestic UK features rose 20%, and that end of the market counts every build day.
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Source-Connect Pro and EdiPrompt are in: directed ADR from a barn near Chichester
The treated room we record podcasts and voiceover in now runs as a dialogue room too, with streamers over picture and the studio edition of Source-Connect. Here is the spec, who it suits, and what it isn't.
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Recording your audiobook for ACX: the specs, the maths and the room
ACX will send a file back for a noise you stopped hearing weeks ago. Here is what it checks, how long a book really takes, and what a treated room changes.
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PAT testing for kit that travels: what the law asks for, and what it doesn't
There is no law that says you must PAT test every year. There is a law that says your electrical kit must be safe, and kit that goes in a van to a different venue every week is not the same as a monitor on an office desk.
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Ofcom's streaming access code: what 80% subtitles, 10% audio description and 5% signing mean for producers
The largest streaming services are heading for broadcast-style access quotas. The final code is due between October and December, and the extra work starts to land from late 2027.
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New at the barn: business, team and actor headshots
From 27 September we're taking headshots in the White Space, for LinkedIn, team pages and Spotlight, and recording self-tapes with someone to read the other lines. Here is what each costs and who it suits.
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Media training at the barn, delivered with Jawsmith
Our studio, talkback rig and crew, with Hilary Jeffs of Jawsmith Training running the session. The part a meeting room can't rehearse is the voice in your ear.
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Lighting a show that's being filmed: what to tell your lighting designer
A show lit only for the room can look very different on a screen. The fix is cheap if it's decided at the start and expensive on the day. Here is what to send your designer first, and the three decisions that shape everything after.
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The less healthy food ad rules, nine months in: what the rulings mean for your next shoot
The ban on paid online ads for identifiable less healthy food has been law since 5 January. The ASA's first rulings show where the line sits, and most of it can be handled on the shot list.
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How to record a self-tape that follows the UK rules
Six pages, four days, landscape, a reader off camera and your name first on the file. The rules for UK self-tapes are short and mostly written down. The part nobody writes down is sound.
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How much does a video podcast cost to make in the UK?
Published prices run from about £60 an hour for a room to more than £1,000 an episode from an agency. They are pricing different things, so here is how to compare them fairly.
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How much do professional headshots cost in the UK in 2026?
Published UK price lists put a single business headshot session at about £100 to £300 outside London's premium studios. What you get for the money varies far more than the price does.
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How many videos can you film in a day?
Eight, if the stage is already lit and the scripts are settled. Four, if every video needs its own light. Here is where the rest of the day goes.
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Google's AI answers now open up by themselves. What a small business website should do
Some AI Overviews now expand into a full AI Mode answer before anyone clicks, and AI Mode sits in the UK Chrome address bar. Expect fewer clicks on general advice. The detail only you can publish is harder to replace.
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Five generations, one message: what 4,067 people told me about being understood at work
This year the youngest Millennials turn 30 and the oldest Baby Boomers turn 80. Most workplaces now hold four generations at once, and they agree on more than the headlines suggest. Where they differ is in the channel and the rhythm.
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Planning the first six episodes of a business podcast
One listener, one format, six titles and a running order you can reuse, recorded in days rather than evenings. Here is how to put each piece together.
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Christmas photoshoots at the barn: four weekends, twenty minutes each
A dressed Christmas set inside the White Space, £95 including VAT for twenty minutes and six edited pictures. Four weekends, from 14 November to 6 December, with the photos back in time for the cards.
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Before you say yes to a media interview: the questions to ask first
Most interview trouble starts before the microphone is switched on, with a yes given too quickly on the phone. Here is what to ask, what the broadcaster should already be telling you, and how to build messages that survive the edit.
Read →Audible's old royalty model ends on 31 December. What authors with audiobooks should check
ACX's new 50/30 royalty model has been open to everyone since 26 May, and the legacy model closes at the end of the year. If a narrator shares your royalties, they get a say in the move.
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Actor headshots in 2026: what UK casting directors want to see
A casting director uses your headshot to decide whether to call you in. Spotlight's rules, and the advice of the people doing the looking, come down to one idea: the picture has to be you.
Read →Looking for the reference guides? Studio guides and resources has the infinity cove, vehicle, podcast and media training guides and the glossary.
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