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Haslemere New Business

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Mon, 17 May 2021 14:19:51 GMT

Collaboration with This is Haslemere

The Brief

' This is Haslemere ' is a local community project supporting individuals and businesses within Haslemere. Born out of the need for a central place to support local businesses during the pandemic it has grown into a valuable community website and network of volunteers.

I was asked to produce a video in 2021 to promote a new business on Wey Hill in Haslemere as well as providing a working example of how videos can be a valuable marketing tool and to support the local community.

Implementation

JK Coaching was in the process of being fitted out when we did the first shoot so we returned for a more in-depth view of the shop with two camera angles. We then edited the video to produce a variety of shots of the owner as well as showcasing the retail space and the fantastic gaming area.

The Result

The video was a perfect summary of everything the owner had achieved and his passions around football and offering a unique sports shop in Haslemere. He was able to use it on a variety of applications including marketing on social media and the 'This is Haslemere' team have a perfect example of how businesses and volunteers can network, collaborate and achieve great things to support each other...

Coal Yard Creatives

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Mon, 17 May 2021 12:53:10 GMT

Supporting local independent businesses

The Brief

To create an intro video for the umbrella brand ' Coal Yard Creatives ' which represents a community of nine small independent businesses based in Hambledon, Surrey. The objective was to ensure the viewer felt a connection with the business owners as well as seeing the value of the one stop shop for many handcrafted products and services at the Old Coal Yard.

The final video would be used on social and their website.

Implementation

Coordinating nine different businesses to be available on the same day was half the battle but once we got the date, we took only 30 mins of their time to film a quick interview. The filming was relaxed and informal with no pre-set questions or script provided in advance - this resulted in a more natural interview where they could express themselves and their skills and passions in their own style.

The Result

The final video offers consistent content throughout to represent the whole community of the Coal Yard Creatives but still allowing the individuality of the businesses to shine through. We especially enjoyed compiling the laughter at the end of the video which also showed how much fun we had during the filming!

Canal and River Trust

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 13:03:48 GMT

Waterway to have a good time!

The Brief

Actually, there was no brief for this job as such. A local company, filming some 360 and drone footage, invited me along to capture some b-roll. The client hadn’t asked for it, but as there was a lot of kit an extra pair of hands wouldn’t go wasted.

Implementation

On the first shoot, I was essentially at my leisure to capture anything I thought might be interesting. As we had a chap and a boat at our disposal I took the opportunity to interview him while everyone had lunch. My little interview, plus the footage I’d shot made for a nice little story of around 5 minutes.

The Result

It became clear that these little stories would work quite nicely for social media, so the Canal and River Trust made sure there was someone for me to interview at the remaining locations.

This is still one of my favourite jobs because we made something out of nothing and I had lots of creative freedom. Filming and editing my own footage really worked for me and I realised that I was good at putting people at ease. Many of our interviewees were very reluctant to appear on camera but the time they’d finished chatting to me, they were barely aware that the interview had even happed!

Great fun from beginning to end.

Friends of Derry Wall

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 13:02:30 GMT

Bringing history to life

The Brief

To create two videos to bring historical figure Peter Benson and his clothes back to life. The first video featuring 17th century wall-builder Peter Benson (played by an actor of course!), the second featuring costume historian Mark Wallis.

The final video would be used as part of a museum exhibit.

Implementation

The first consideration was to find a timeless and Covid-secure environment which meant outside in a local field. As the first video was set 400 years ago it was important to have a location without modern inconsistencies – although we did allow ourselves a lavelier radio-mic.

We decided on a 3-camera shoot: a mid-shot, a static wide and a roving handheld using a Ronin gimble.

We were lucky to have two experts in historical dress and re-enactments who made the whole job easy and unscripted.

The Result

The final films offer an interesting and light-hearted glimpse into the past. Our main camera was able to concentrate on the dialogue whist the second camera was able to capture some of the important details of the costume. Being hand-held added dynamism and visual interest to the shots. The third camera helped where the hand-held footage was not useable – and also for a wider angle.

Our relaxed approach made the whole day great fun and left the talent free to concentrate on their lines.

Coming from an editing background really helped when planning the shoot and cutting the footage together.

BMC

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 13:01:08 GMT

Working with EPLS

The Brief

To film and edit a number of short interviews to for a short film about open access medical publisher Springer Nature.

Implementation

We decided that a two-camera shoot would be perfect and help us in the edit. I went up to London on my own and met the client there. They did the chatting, and I did the filming, meaning a clear division of labour kept things simple. I travelled light and was able to set up quickly without overcomplicating the shoot. A low-key set-up helped keep the interviewees more relaxed and the whole thing was a joy.

The Result

We were delighted with the results and our speakers came across well. Our easy, relaxed approach helped put everyone at ease and take away some of the stress of being on camera. On the day my client used the lights to dress the backdrop so I had little challenge colour-correcting for the sun as it came and went throughout the day! I also created the animated lower thirds using elements of the pre-existing graphics package.

Emirates

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 12:16:33 GMT

Working with airline specialists Spafax

The Brief

To edit the onboard content for the airline including compiling the tv channels as well as editing out sensitive material and recaptioning the ‘now, next, later boards for the hybrid systems.

Implementation

Similar to the BA contract this involved managing the tv content for the airline. Like the BA account there were multiple channels to be edited with idents, ads and programmes but with the additional challenge of cutting scenes for sex, nudity and language. The trick here was to do a seamless edit that didn’t detract from the programme in any way.

A further challenge came later in the form of the hybrid menus. This meant retitling about 300 title boards a month with about 800 titles. The most cost-effective and timely solution was for me to do it manually before the files went off to the encoders.

I also edited a number of promos each month for the airline – I’m sure we must have made more than 100 over the years.

The Result

If I do so myself, we did do a great job! We took this from a linear tape suite to Avid and delivered substantial savings along the way. The content had to be delivered to broadcast spec and we continued to do it until the aircraft using his system were no longer in service. A good workflow and years of experience made everything run like clockwork!

Gieves and Hawkes

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 12:15:22 GMT

Tailors to Withnail

The Brief

To film at a silk mill in Sudbury and see what we could get out of the footage, that was it!

Implementation

My client was visiting the mill and wanted to take the opportunity to capture some video for social media but would be busy with meetings. I travelled really light with just a camera, tripod and mic. I managed to shoot a short interview which provided a storyline and got some great cutaway shots. The whole place was fascinating. I didn’t realise that the floor would be vibrating when I shot the interview though!

The Result

We got some great footage that people don’t often get the chance to see. The video went down really well and we also made lots of tiny 3-second pieces for use on Chinese social media. A revelation!

Sky

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 12:14:03 GMT

Delighted to be part of a team effort with Black Bear Creative and Room 11 Design

The Brief

To edit the onboarding promo for Sky using a mixture of footage from ads, aerial footage and the onboarding welcome message.

Implementation

I had already been part of the team shooting footage for the interactive onboarding video so was delighted to be asked back to help with the promo. The edit required a number of different shoots to be combined into a simple welcome message with new music and new graphics. I was supplied all the elements I needed and was able to turn the edit around quickly to deliver on time and on budget.

The Result

The client was really happy, and I was pleased how slick it looked – and rather pleased with my colour correction work too!

PTC Therapeutics

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 12:12:20 GMT

Working with animators Klopt

The Brief

To edit together graphics, presentation slides and zoom footage for a virtual conference. My client was dealing with the graphics package and brought me in to help with the editing.

Implementation

Workflow was key, particularly with everyone working remotely on this project. File sizes and video codecs are also important considerations and need to be sorted early on. For me this was very similar to work I’d done before, but a real step forward incorporating After Effects into the workflow using adobe’s dynamic link.

The Result

Once we got going, the job progressed well. The difficulty of turning a conference into a virtual experience was not without its challenges, but again workflow is the key.

Ultimately we were able to deliver a slick and professional product using not much more than people recording sessions at home.

John Brown

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 12:10:24 GMT

Hannaford

The Brief

To edit a pitch video for potential new client Hannaford. The focus was on the family values and provenance that underpinned the identity of the Hannaford brand.

Implementation

Using a mixture of stock-footage, stills and graphical elements we demonstrated John Brown Media’s strengths within print and digital media as well as the client’s values. This edit was unusual for me as it had very little actual footage – instead relying on still images from the John Brown Media portfolio.

The Result

John Brown Media won the business, so I think we satisfied the brief!

Couchbase

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 12:05:56 GMT

A Lockdown special!

The Brief

To edit and subtitle online interviews at the heart of the pandemic.

Implementation

This was an early lockdown challenge. We looked into multiple options for recording an interview-style chat between our client and some of their key contacts, but simplicity was paramount for the interviewer and interviewee, so we recorded the sessions on Zoom. To help disguise the quality of people’s webcams, and add a more professional and packaged look, we decided an overlay framing device would work nicely – and help make less of a feature of peoples’ living rooms and kitchens!

We worked closely with the incumbent graphics company to come up with a very simple opener and closer to help package the pieces. They provided the graphics elements for me to incorporate into the edit. Then we decided on burnt-in subtitles which meant creating and checking them – no small feat for a 20 minute chat full of technical terms, departments and names!

The Result

With a small budget and limited time, we managed to create something which really did the trick and looked so much better than the unedited footage. Also I learned a thing or two from the speakers!

Katie Jobling Artist

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 12:03:17 GMT

Great fun working with my good pal Jamie!

The Brief

To deliver video files to the airlines to the correct spec.

Implementation

Working remotely, long before the pandemic, I worked as part of a team of three, managing the deliveries of tv content to multiple airlines to the necessary specs.

Essentially I set up a small ‘materials-handling’ department where any order needing video material to be supplied, came through me. This meant managing multiple downloads, uploads and file conversions. We also dealt in multiple language versions which demands a precise and organised workflow.

The Result

Over recent years we must have delivered more than a thousand masters to our airline clients looking after such airlines as BA, Emirates, Lufthansa, SAS, United, Etihad, Swiss and many more.

O'Reilly Media

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 11:56:22 GMT

Working with favourite streamers Media On Demand

The Brief

My client regularly films conferences for software publisher O’Reilly. Typically, an event will be hosted across multiple rooms for up to 5 days resulting in around 150 presentations requiring editing.

Implementation

Workflow, workflow, workflow.

My client is really organised on the shoot and when I receive the drive it is a duplicate of all the files neatly sorted by room and session. This marries up with a google doc on which I can comment about any issues or missing footage. This also ties into the host’s own website on which I can double check the session number with title and speaker in the event of any confusion.

More than anything it’s about the workflow. To process as this number of videos in a short time means that it’s all about having everything in the right place and being structured and methodical. Exports overnight mean the edits aren’t slowed down by day and there’s a structured spot check of the exported files before uploading.

It’s like spinning plates and trying to avoid metaphorical broken crockery!

The Result

After the first run we quickly fell into a very easy rhythm. I pick up the drive, download the graphics and am sent the link to the google doc. After that I just chug away in the edit. It’s a whole lot of worrying taken away from my client. They know I know what I’m doing and that everything will be on time. As the first week progresses we drip feed the finished files, pre-checked, to the ultimate client and they know that everything is on track.

In many ways it’s a dream job because they don’t need to worry, and I know they trust me to deliver. And I’m cost effective!

British Airways Highlife

183:869235473 (Simon Hill) — Sun, 16 May 2021 11:52:40 GMT

Working with favourite airline specialists Spafax

The Brief

To compile the tv channels played onboard the BA Fleet.

Implementation

This was one of my first jobs with a client I was lucky enough to keep after setting up on my own. At the time, in an age before video on demand, the channels used to be compiled as if they were broadcast tv channels with idents, voice overs, ads and the programmes themselves. I used to ingest the footage into my first Avid suite and add the other elements before playing out to tape – yes tape! The big challenge was the tape element. Lots of editors could compile the footage, but to get it back out to tape was something only the big post-production houses in Soho could do. And me- I was very proud of myself for being a little David in a world of Goliaths!

The Result

I worked on this until technology eventually took over and there was no need to edit the channels anymore. This was a high-profile job with my monthly edits playing onboard the BA fleet for around five years.