Cutting-edge Cutting

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Core&Vac_8

‘Going on the Road’ had a whole new meaning this week. Our regular client Northern Gas Networks asked us to make a video to help explain new technology used for detecting and repairing gas leaks. Over three days and three sites I found myself in the middle of busy roads, in mud, rain and sunshine.

We didn’t have much of a brief to start with and everyone was finding their feet. Balfour Beatty has been using video cameras in water leak detention for some time, but gas detection need a different approach to find the leak as well as more stringent safety systems. Together with Scotia Gas’ innovative cutting systems the idea is to trace leaks at a distance down a gas main, then drill a 60cm core down to the main and fix the leak.

Of three cores drilled, all three worked perfectly (luckily) and the crews were able to be off the site in 6 hours or less as opposed to the usual 3 days when digging much larger holes.

Core&Vac_4I shot the interviews and GV’s on my trusty EX1 which offers great control in these testing environments. But the biggest surprise to the client was the pole I waved around while filming with a camera on it… They didn’t know what to expect until they saw a first draft edit and were amazed by the footage I had got with this little camera. It was the GoPro of course, which let me get footage from every imaginable angle and matched the look of the EX1 really well. I rigged the GoPro of vehicles, strapped it to barriers for timelapse and used it a lot on a monopole.

Core&Vac_6 Core&Vac_5 Core&Vac_3 Core&Vac_2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another practical aspect of using a GoPro is that it doesn’t get in the operators way and I could put it right down the holes when I wanted. Also I wasn’t concerned about the camera getting damaged or wet as it was in it’s 60m waterproof housing which is really tough and has a scratch proof glass front element.

Ten years of Toolbank

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Today was my last day working on Toolbank’s 2013 Christmas campaign.

Toolbank Studio 2013

I first worked with them back in 2003 when I was Senior Editor at CBF in Leeds editing their TV commercial. From then on I worked with various agencies to create their campaigns.
In the early days 3000 VHS videos were distributed across their UK dealers together with VHS combi TV’s. I started filming on my VX2000 and authoring DVD on the early Final Cut Studio software.

These days it’s distributed on DVD, SD cards and via Social Media and the Internet. The bulk of the work is an in-store loop video running at over 20 minutes in two versions – Sterling and Euros.

The online campaign will be rolled out a week from now, and the thirty or more individual videos I made will start going live.


Lastly, today we filmed the TV commercials in Leeds with the team from Dark Horse Media. After helping rig the lighting the day before we got an early start and filmed all 10 adverts in a day, plus some additional footage!

Park It Mister!

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Stress Free

The lovely folks at Stress Free Parking asked me for a quick turn around video to demonstrate the new valet parking at their Luton Airport facility. After agreeing an initial filming outline, I arrived on the Friday – one of the hottest days of the year and the shoot went better than planned.

Once I’d made a rough cut the clients provided graphics in the style of their newest website branding.
By Monday lunchtime the video was signed off and uploaded to YouTube. Super Fast!

York Work

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Steve PoppleAntique Restoration is a well established and respected business in the city of York.

Recently the team have learned new skills to help create bespoke furniture for their new venture – Man of Art.

After a days shooting at the York workshop earlier in the year, today I returned for a morning of additional filming.

 

After completing the first draft of both films, we knew that we should wait until they had built a new showroom and tidied up their stores then return to film at the new locations. The first shoot was on a snowy day, fortunately the workshop is heated! So returning in June was a very different experience, anyway the additional half day provided all the footage we needed.

Man Of Art Grinding

Antique Restoration Team

I also suggested that I could create a longer, looping video that could play in the workshop window to encourage passing trade. This loop video plays from a tiny media player and looks great in HD on a large flatscreen TV.

I’m really happy with the finished videos, written, directed, shot and edited by yours truly: