Healthy Valleys corporate video thoughts

At the time of writing this I have not long returned from handing over my latest project (and invoice). The project involved producing a 5 minute corporate video for a charity called Healthy Valleys. It is a partially government funded institution providing support for individuals dealing with stress and related other related issues. I spent a couple of days down there interviewing clients and staff, and also collecting footage of goings on to help promote their My Way stress management programme. The purpose of the video was to show their value in the community to potential funders. So if it goes down well they'll get their funding renewed/increased. No pressure then!

The deadline was tighter than I would have liked but when I'm being paid good money for a job I have absolutely no right to complain. I say good money because this is probably the first time I've been paid what I feel I'm worth. Hopefully it won't be the last. What I enjoyed about this job was that not only did I help create something that will be used for a good cause but I'm also making a decent profit. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it?... Actually, usually me, but in this instance I'm wrong. Unfortunately I'll be unable to show the video unless Healthy Valleys chooses to display it on their site. This is fair enough, given the nature of the content the call should be their's whether or not to put it online.

Like I said the experience was one of the more pleasant experiences while filming. The fact that the weather was awesome too certainly helped. It was good to see how the staff deal with the clients. They were supportive without being patronising which is something that some doctors and nurses struggle to do. Being around people who have been through a rough spell and came out the other end was also quite inspiring too. It was an interesting experience that certainly beats a "normal" 9 till 5 job.

I was worried about a few things while making this. First and foremost being the the interviews. I'm not famous for my sensitivity in fact I'm famous for being exactly the opposite. Despite this I think I did quite well during the interviews. Getting people to open up and come off as natural is really difficult and is something I am continuously working on. Again, I did good. Once I had enough interview material the pressure was off and all I had to do was collect cut away footage. I managed to get most of what I needed while I was at Healthy Valleys. During the edit I felt I needed some shots of physical activity. Healthy Valleys was off for a week so I was stuck. So what does every boy do when he is stuck? He runs to mummy. I convinced my mum to allow herself to be filmed walking around Millheugh. So I guess I have to thank her now. Errr... thanks mum, I guess. Her ego is going to be out of control after reading this. So from there I had a pretty straight forward edit to get what was required. I think there was around 3 cuts in total. Not bad.

So what's next? Well right now I'm not working on anything other than the Attica film so I think it is a good time to start work on another documentary. It is going to be on the subject of alternative modelling (basically anything that isn't catwalk or fashion). It is going to be another chance for me to be presenting on camera so it's something I'm approaching with excitment and dread in equal doses. I think that is me covered everything. Until next self indulgent blog, cheers.

MMA documentary and Happy Valleys

I thought it was about time to finally get my fourth year uni film online. It is a film on the world of mixed martial arts/ cage fighting in Scotland.I chose to make a documentary on this topic because it is sport I'm in to and I knew the owner of The Griphouse gym pretty well. Basically it was easy and convenient enough for me to have plenty of other stuff on the go and still pass my course. I met the Griphouse owner, Guy Ramsay, while filming a segment for the Attica documentary. While there I saw the potential for a possible film and asked Guy if he was interested. I also offered to film a Muay Thai show he was promoting. I liked Guy instantly, basically because he came across as intelligent and could explain the role of combat sports in society. I knew he'd have to be a large part in the film and in my opinion he's the best thing about it.

The film is the first time I've ever presented on camera. I think it shows especially early on. What do you expect from someone who is really camera shy? I've never liked being the center of attention hence why in the past I've gravitated towards being behind the camera. It's a hold over from being very shy as a child which is something that lessens with age but I think there'll always be a wee bit of it in there. For me making this films was the first step in over coming camera shyness. In that regard I think it worked. By the end of filming I was less self conscious and felt more relaxed. Hopefully I will be better in my next time around. Click below if you want to witness and have a laugh at my complete unfitness.



For the next couple of weeks I am working on a corporate video for Healthy Valleys http://www.healthyvalleys.org.uk. They are a charity in rural South Lanarkshire trying to improve the physical and metal health of people who need help. I've already filmed several interviews with some of their clients and have also shot a fair bit of activity footage. This is another great opportunity and is a different kind of video than what I'm used to. The biggest challenge is the tight deadline. It has to be done in 2 weeks. Difficult but do-able.