Space Cadets

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After an overnight stay in the lovely Midland Hotel in central Manchester, we started out early Wednesday morning to the Trafford Centre. I was working with VisMedia to cover a local launch event for the Lynx Space Academy, where you can win the chance to travel into space. The event was being hosted by Kimberly Wyatt, former Pussycat Doll.

Kimberly was joined by four astronauts in brilliantly detail costumes, that were by all accounts incredibly hot inside. Even with the built in air conditioning the helmets were steaming up, and the guys had to take regular breaks.

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We filmed footage alongside a photographer, stopping filming when the flashes were going off. I shot in standard and slow motion, to achieve an outer space look.

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Yours truly, Kimberley and Lee from VisMedia. Aww.

Going, Going, Go(ne)

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I took delivery of a GoPro Hero3 Black today.

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Initial impressions are positive, and along with a pair of spare batteries it should open up a wealth of filming opportunities. Of course it’s no replacement for a proper camera but judicial use of super-wide CCTV type images in certain productions can be really effective. The Hero3 is Wi-Fi enabled and using the GoPro app you can view and control every aspect of the GoPro via a smartphone or tablet. While there is a noticeable delay on the Wi-Fi video image it’s perfect for checking framing and battery life, as well as setting frame rates, formats and switching between the three frame sizes.

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It’s getting it’s first proper out next Friday in the Midlands, that’s apart from filming the baby and the cat of course.

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Toolbank on TV

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Toolbank are now running their TV adverts in the UK promoting their yearly Christmas campaign.

In the summer, as usual, I produced the sales video with Andy from Toolbank and also shot the studio segments in Leeds with Dark Horse.

Now the 16 finished adverts are made and on air. Here’s a couple of examples:

I shot the workshop footage as well as the white studio shoot.

Dark Horse looked after the post production (with technical input from yours truly) and airtime was managed by John at Dark Horse.

NGN

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Today Northern Gas Networks launched their RIIO initiative to a management conference.

Myself and Howard from Red Lobster have spent a few days working with NGN to produce the internal launch film which is being shown today at the Leeds United FC conference centre.

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We’ve filmed at locations all across Leeds and the wider area. Offices, Pipelines, and Roadworks, even a Hotel. Quite an unusual job. As well as shooting and editing, I’ve also made an animated 3D logo for the final film.

Sharing is Caring

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Leaving Leeds just after 4am and arriving by the Thames at Embankment at 9.02 for a 9.30am start at the headquarters of Care International. A hectic start to the day, but it turned out really well…

I was asked to shoot a series of greenscreen interviews for a TV commercial promoting lendwithcare.org.
It’s a really interesting charity website where you can often get your donation money back!

I won’t explain how it works, it’s best if you have a look for yourself. Here’s the advert:

UPDATE – 20,000 views on YouTube so far!

Finding a Family

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I’ve spent ten days shooting and editing 11 videos for Kirklees Council. The videos feature children in foster care across the region.

The adoption agencies then use the videos to introduce the children to prospective adopters – forever families for the children.

It sound like an extravagance perhaps, but it helps get the children out of care and into stable long term families much sooner. And that saves the council a lot of money and resources.

Of course I can’t mention specific cases or show videos on here, but I will say it’s the most humbling and worthwhile work I’ve done in some time.

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Toolbank in the Studio

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This year as well as making my usual Toolbank instore video loops in Sterling and Euros, I was asked to get involved in the TV commercials too.

I got the team at Dark Horse involved as together we have years of experience in producing commercials, and they now have an airtime sales expert onboard too.
A perfect match for Toolbank’s needs.

We shot the commercials in the white cyc studio at Prime Studios, Leeds. Vic M. lit it with a bit of help from yours truly.

I’ll post some videos when they’re on air.
(around Christmas 2012)

Blue Blooded Belling

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Today I filmed and edited a Royal visit by HRH the Duke of Kent to the Glenn Dimplex factory in Merseyside.

HRH was presenting Glenn Dimplex with the Queens Award for Export. And it was a double celebration as Belling, who are part of the Glenn Dimplex group, are one hundred years old this year!

 

 

I needed a second cameraman to cover the event and called on local talent, James Goodchild from Zippy Angels to help. We quckly formulated a plan on the day to cover the event and it all went very smoothly.

The Inn Crowd

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In the far northern reaches of the Yorkshire Dales you’ll find Swaledale and Arkengarthdale. These were to be my filming locations for the next few days, and with beautiful sunshine every day it was a fantastic place to be.

I was making promotional videos for two local Inns, the Charles Bathurst Inn and the Punchbowl Inn.

 

This was another great opportunity to use my new camera the Sony FS100. I used the kit lens for general shooting, a fast 35mm for interviews, an ultra wide 11mm for the interiors and a 55mm macro for closeups. I also shot some slow-motion and time-lapse in the countryside.

Both venues have have a different story to tell, through their location, history and decor. So I tried to portray that in the videos. As a business they make great use of social media, the views on YouTube have been fantastic so far.


On yer Bike

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long_lens1Today was the first proper job using my new camera –
the Sony NEX-FS100 camera.

Staff from the Rezidor Hotel Group were part way through a charity bike relay taking in all of the company’s 32 hotels in the UK. And I was asked to shoot and edit the Yorkshire leg.

I met up with the client’s production team and Lee from VisualMedia at 7.30am in York, where we confirmed a few last minute details. I got a few prep cutaways and then shot three interviews including York’s Mayor. The riders set off at 9am and headed to Leeds via a short break at Wetherby.

It was a good chance to test the camera handheld and on a tripod, I was particularly impressed with the quality of the 10x kit zoom lens which came with the camera. I shot a lot of material on the long end of the lens and even with an expensive Variable ND filter attached, it held up well in the edit.

After a brief lunch in Leeds, some new cyclists joined the relay team and they headed to Manchester across the Pennines. The weather came in for a few hours but I continued filming under a brolly where I could.

Everyone seems very happy with the finished film: