In T.I.Rs – Canon 5D MkII two camera shoot
First corporate shoot on Canon 5D MkII.
Shooting my first corporate film on this camera was a challenge. I acted as a shooting Director of this film for a HGV training company and was ably assisted by my photographer friend Mark Kensett and another photographer, Glenn Blackburn. These guys had the cameras and some exquisite lenses but very little moving image experience.
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Jordan, UNICEF, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson
When you work freelance, you are often waiting for the phone to ring and to get your next job. And when it does, you’re often least expecting it and busy doing something completely different.
So as I was busy sorting out the laundry basket and dashing around doing the washing, the phone rang and I was asked if I could ‘go to The Jordan next week’! Wasn’t expecting that.
I was to record the visit of Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson to the launch of an Olympic initiative called ‘International Inspiration’. I was filming for UNICEF who are also supporting International Inspiration.
I had the pleasure of hooking up with a Sky News Olympic team and we followed Tanni around during her visit.
Of note during the visit was that we stayed in the Hyatt Grand Hotel. It was bombed by a suicide bomber in 2005. During the night, there was a car crash outside my hotel window – got us all a little jumpy…
We also visited the Souf refugee camp. Not so much a tented camp, but now a small concrete town because it has been there since 1967. Crazy middle east politics.
You’ll like this – not a lot…
This is one of Paul Daniels’s favourite catch phrases. Along with ‘Say yes Paul’, Mr Daniels is still one of the worlds most famous magicians. Paul and his wife Debbie McGee live near the river Thames. Living next to the river Thames has its advantages. Renowned magician Paul Daniels and his wife, the lovely Debbie McGee can indulge in their passion for local interest, river life and adhoc magic.
Now Paul has an idea. He wants to share his magical entertaining talent by hosting a series of shows in the local village halls along the path of the river. Riding on his antique electric wooden canoe The Lovely Debbie McGee, Paul and Debbie will share a journey from Oxford down to Teddington Lock, stopping along the way to explore the local history, speaking to some of the amazing characters who live the river life, performing adhoc street magic and treating the locals to a world class magic show in their local village halls.
Often controversial, Paul will also share with us his point of view on life, the universe and everything in it with surprising and often witty points of view. A chance to experience the mind of a character who has often been dubbed the most famous magician of modern times.
This six part series, shot and directed by renowned filmmaker Claudio von Planta, promises to get under the skin of one of the countries’ best known, but least understood, entertainers.
We’re currently pitching this concept to several broadcasters in preparation for filming in the Spring of 2010.
Channel 7 Heaven
There is a TV channel based near Immingham that is the last independently funded community channel in the country – and it’s called Channel 7.
They’ve been through a re-brand and I was asked to make some on-sceen elements for them. In this instance it was their logo idents. Here are my efforts! All created in After Effects CS3 with sound effects generated by yours truly.
Loving your Local
I live in Hull and near the University there is a great street called Newland Avenue. Local legend has it that you can buy anything on Newland Avenue. A bit like Harrods I suppose.
It’s an amazing community, full of friendly people who live together and shop together in a, I suppose, old fashioned style. They’re keen to protect what they have and the local church (Hull Community Church) has set up a brilliant initiative called Love Local. A scheme to encourage people to shop locally and this keeps the local commerce going and protects this special place. Like a loyalty discount scheme amongst all the shops, a directory and a cool web site.
Here’s a film I made about the Launch Day event
A Messy Church
This is a little promo film about an initiative that currently going on in our church. It’s called Messy Church. An idea to include families into the worship. These guys thought of it www.messychurch.org.uk