Caisley Eartags asked me to produce a video for the upcoming changes to Aberdeen Angus livestock eartagging and DNA sampling regulations. We used three different calves for the filming as we weren’t sure how they’d react to the tagging and the people standing around them. I made a widescreen and 4:3 version for use in a photo frame at exhibitions.
Ace Dance and Music from Birmingham asked me to film a promo for their current touring show – Mana. A word used in 24 languages. The show was being performed in the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds which is an amazing venue with a great lighting rig.
I directed and shot the promo in the morning with assistance of Tom, and we stayed through to the evening performance to capture the 2 x 30 minute performances as well. During the morning I used the FS100 with my 11-16mm and 35mm lenses, which worked well in the sometimes very low light, used for this style of performance.
I shot several sequences in overcrank on the FS100 for a slow-motion effect which the dancers then watched on playback between takes.
I’ve edited another version of the Promo with plenty of added VFX as a bit of fun:
I was asked to film another VIP visit at the Glen Dimplex factory in Prescot.
This time I took my new assistant Tom who operated the second camera.
We had time at the end of the tour to film to shoot a short two header interview:
We’re just back from 8 days in beautiful Athens, making another series of films for the University of Kent:
I also used the footage in several other films for IHC: an NGO based near Athens.
Our local fixer Alex was a huge help on this shoot and seemed constantly amazed by Howard’s knowledge of Greek culture and places.
We’re barely back a week and the main Rome film is edited and signed off.
We’ve also made a simpler, faster version for social media. This is using footage I shot specifically for this purpose while on location.
On our first evening in Rome the two students we were featuring were having cooking lessons at a brilliant little restaurant in the heart of Trastevere, the original artisan home of Roman cookery. Arriving at Andreas restaurant we were giving a really lovely warm welcome by the man himself and his charming missus Erica.
They got down to the preparation quite quickly, so I did a quick white balance in both rooms and started shooting. We only needed to capture a few minutes of usable footage for the Kent University film that we were in Rome to make. But seeing all the fantastic colours, smiling faces and great smells made me think it was worthwhile gathering extra footage as I felt sure they’d like a better record of the evening’s proceedings.
I got quite a bit of decent footage given the hectic nature of working in a small kitchen with 15 people. We ended the night with a few shots of his homemade Sicilian Limoncello. Oh and yes, the food was fantastic:
Pulsar Instruments plc have been manufacturing noise measurement equipment for 45 years. They asked me to produce a brief product demo video, which would be presented by the Managing Director of the company. The product is the new Nova range, a unique modular system which uses an OLED screen.
I hired a product turntable and travelled to their HQ in Filey on the Yorkshire coast for the shoot.
The client hired a small theatre next to their offices, and when filming on the stage with the main tabs (curtains) closed it acted as a decent studio for filming. I helped coach Sarah through her presentation and offered advice on the script as we went along.
Back in the edit suite I made an animation of the Pulsar logo and cut the video. I added a few finishing touches like luma-keying the black background to pure black, and including a music track. Here you go:
After winning the Sustainable Innovation in Export Award at the Golden Bridge event, Weedfree asked us to produce a couple of films for them. The first was a video press release for social media showcasing their latest award. And secondly they take all their staff to Tenerife for a short break and wanted to show a film to inform and encourage the team in the year ahead.
We visited the Weedfree headquarters in Yorkshire to interview the bosses, as well as shoot a few additional setups near train tracks and on quad vehicles. Once back at base I rebuilt their logo in 3D to create an animated opening. Editing was pretty straightforward thanks to Final Cut X and here are the results:
I’m in London again with Howard from Red Lobster filming the ceremony for the 2013 Golden Bridge Awards. This year we we’re asked to film the event for both the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and the Belgian-Luxemborg Chamber of Commerce.
This meant visiting London and Brussels to film presentations of the shortlisted companies, making two films to show at the event for the assembled dignitaries.
After filming the event on the FS100 I edited a video for each chamber, which showcased the presentations and awards from their parts of the evening. The first two thirds of the videos below are close to what was shown at the event before the awards were given.
The Faith Through A Lens photography competition has been running since 2010. I was approached by Congregational and General Insurance in 2011 to film the award ceremony in Bradford. The next year the awards moved to London and another video production company was used, but I was delighted to be asked to film this years event again.
This time I was able to film the judging panel who met at Microsoft HQ a month before the ceremony. I made a short film on the history of the event as well as interviews with the esteemed panel of judges. This short was shown at the ceremony to give the people attending a feel for the event and explain the thought processes behind the judging.
I filmed the event with three cameras. A GoPro suspended in the ceiling, my FS100 and an EX1 operated by BobMcGowan. I’d worked with Bob a few times in Liverpool filming at the Essar Oil Refinery and it was great to do so again. Then after the event I produced this finished film: