Professional Practice: Report

Professional Practice (Commission): Report

Promotional Video for ‘The Festival of Steam and Transport’ at Chatham Historic Dockyard

By Jordan Parker

Word Count: 2,728

Introduction

This report with analyse and reflect on my performance within a commission piece for the Chatham Historic Dockyard creating a short promotional film for one of their events, specifically the ‘Festival of Steam and Transport’.

The report will critically reflect throughout the production process, focusing on areas where I performed well and areas that I could have performed better, ultimately comparing this to a professional environment. It will involve my role, the commission process, creative methodologies, the content I produced and the research that went into planning the film.

Company Profile

Chatham Historic Dockyard, is a decommissioned naval dockyard which “played a vital role supporting the Royal Navy for over 400 years.” (The Historic Dockyard, 2016). A historic location within the Royal Navy the Dockyard has produced many famous ships over the years from the first ship, the HMS Sunne, launched in 1586 to the last, the HMS Ocelot (S17) in 1962. More notably the Dockyard built the HMS Victory, the Flagship that Horatio Nelson commanded as he paid the ultimate sacrifice for victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Fig. 1. Chatham Dockyard (2016)

The Dockyard is not only a military icon for the Royal Navy and Great British History, but after it’s decommission it became a museum, event location and famous filming location. High budget Films and television shows, have been filmed at the dockyard such as Les Miserable and Call the Midwife. As a high budget professional filming location and piece of British History this location would be the perfect place to film.

Commission Process

It was clear to me at the beginning of this project that I wanted to choose the commission option. Working freelance was something that I found interesting and creating a promotional video is something that I had never done. I felt that it was important to take this opportunity to try something I had not done before and further increase my experience within my CV.

I approached the Dockyard through our lecturer (Laura Coull), the university had their contact details as a student in one of the years before had produced a promotional film for them in the past. I had been a visitor to the Dockyard many times as a child through my own interest in history and found the possibility of filming at the Dockyard very exciting as I knew my way around and the potential for filming from these visits.

I set up a meeting with the Dockyard to potentially film the ‘Festival of Steam and Transport’, pitching my ideas as to how to shoot it and what I could bring to the table in terms of a promotional video. I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity and I was excited to get started.

I felt that from an early stage the commission option was a good choice for me as it made me think and work in a professional manner at all times, which I enjoyed and gave me valuable experience in what it would be like to work as a freelance filmmaker, and also an idea into what kind of standards are expected.

Job Role

My Job Role was Producer/Director of a short promotional video covering the ‘Festival of Steam and Transport’, for the Dockyard. I was given a brief, detailing the requirements they had for the film but after this, they gave me free rein to create the film in any way I wanted (within reason) to allow me to express my creative vision.

I made sure that I tried to use the brief as my list of things to include, as I had learnt that, “Successful marketing places the customer at the center of all planning and decision making. Everybody in the company is focused on the customer at all times”(Tracy, 2014:21). This may be to do with marketing but it certainly applies to my line of work within this unit, I had to make sure that the customer (The Dockyard) was getting exactly what they wanted and that they were the centre of my attention.

I was very lucky to be given free rein to create the film in my own way which meant that the dockyard not only trusted my judgement within the initial meetings we had but also trusted me to create a piece that would justly represent the dockyard and its annual festival.

My Role throughout the unit involved all areas of the production process from the first recces (See Fig. 2.) to the final editorial changes. I had one additional crew member on the day of shooting, Megan Waters, who assisted me as sound technician and also acted as a second pair of creative eyes, as she would suggest shots on the day that could benefit my film.

Fig. 2. Recce (2016)

Creative Methodology

Establishing Shots

Having the freedom to film this promotional film in the way I felt allowed me to explore with an open mind within my research. What I wanted to explore and find was the shots that most professional promo films used. I wanted to find that stylistic shot that has the feel of a good promotional film.

As I researched I found that one shot that ultimately sets the scene, location and can be used stylistically was the establishing shot.

My research had shown me that it was always the establishing shot of an event, landmark or show that makes the viewer say wow. An example of this was within the GoPro HERO4: The Adventure of Life in 4K (GoPro, 2014) video (See Fig. 3.).

Fig. 3. GoPro HERO4 (2014)

The establishing shots within this promotional video are visually stunning, they set the environment they are within to scale against a person or something of recognisable scale. What I found very interesting though was the different ways in which the establishing shot was used within the promotional video, covering shots of crowd, landmarks and scenery. This gave me confidence and a direction to head in when filming my own film as I saw what could be done and what I could emulate.

Fig. 4. Industrial Settings (2016)

From Fig. 4. It can be seen that I experimented with the establishing shot, trying to make it as stylistic as possible without being too heavy an influence on just this shot type. To counter this I made sure my shots either looked good and worked or did not use it at all.

Because the Dockyard is such a good filming location I felt it would be a waste to not cover such interesting industrial settings. The Dockyard is ultimately a period location so to not cover it would have been a sin.

In Fig. 4. The dome like structure has similar features that connote that of a ship’s hull, or its structural base, which is why I felt it would be a perfect establishing shot as it sets the scene of a historic naval dockyard.

Ultimately, there are some underlining differences between my shots and the likes of the professional GoPro promo. The main of which was the differences in equipment and resolution. Of course the GoPro HERO4 shoots at a 4k resolution, whilst the cameras I was using, the SONY EX1, shoots at a maximum resolution of 1080p. Therefore my shots would not be as sharp and clear as that of professional standard but not too far dissimilar.

Montage

Another key part of good promotional videos that I found during my research was Montage. Simply Montage is “the joining together of different elements of film in a variety of ways, between shots, within them, between sequences, within these.” (Rohdie, 2006:1). The main piece of my research which encapsulated Montage with music was Goodwood Revival 2016 – Expect Action (Goodwood Revival, 2015).

This promotional video effortlessly cuts a good montage to the beat of fast paced music. The setting of the event and also the vintage 1940s-60s cars which also gave me further creative influence into how to cut the car and bike areas of the ‘Festival of Steam and Transport’ event.

Not only from this video but most promotional videos use montage as a means of getting the most information and perspective of an event, festival, etc. It provides the means of getting the most possible visual insight within a short space of time and, unlike other forms, can focus of the best and most exciting parts of an event, simply not showing the poor.

For example, using montage within my film allowed me to focus the majority of footage on the second day when the weather was good and the footage from the first day was mainly shot inside due to the weather. Cut together it blends and you are less likely to see weather changes.

I decided that the Montage should not be the entire video though, as some things can be missed, as it ultimately creates an objective perspective of the festival, which is why included two interviews of the Steampunk area and Musicians within the Live Music area which counteracted this.

Video Content

As far as video content I had a clear idea from my research as to what I wanted to include the fundamental basics were that it would be for the most part montage and two interviews to separate the parts of the promotional film. The montage would include a range of stylistic shots such as establishing shots and footage requested by the Dockyard. I wanted to keep the film simply but well executed. In detail though the content is as described:

-          Introduced with ‘Festival of Steam and Transport’ Graphic leading into short establishing montage of public, cars, dockyard attractions and Steampunk enthusiasts, accompanied by non-diegetic sound over entirety of film.

-          Montage leads into Steampunk theme, looking at Steampunk village with shots of costumes, stalls, props, musicians, settings, before then leading into an interview with an enthusiast who describes briefly what Steampunk is and his thoughts on the festival, (See Fig. 5.) accompanied by further shots.

Fig. 5. Interview Still (2016)

-          Following interview montage continues of further public shots, images of locomotives, cars, bikes, public reactions and public presence shots.

-          This leads into footage of Live Music bands and the stage area before leading into our second interview with the Blueprint Blues Brothers.

-          The interview covers what they think of the venue and who they are, accompanied with shots of their performance, before leading into the end of their interview and ending with final shots of happy visitors and performers.

-          Ends with Chatham Dockyard logo and website and UCA filming slide.

Student vs Professionalism

When comparing student work to professionalism within this unit I found that the whole production process felt very professional. I enjoyed working freelance and going out to find my own sources of work. It provided a realisation that connections are everything when working freelance, half the process of getting work is about knowing the right people and finding those connections. I found it pays well to keep contacts and never burn bridges as you never know when a piece of work or working with someone in the past may benefit your work.

Ultimately, professionalism is defined as “The competence or skill expected of a professional.” (Oxford, 2016). I feel that by keeping in contact and including the Dockyard in my working progress showed this and by sticking to the brief given to me it put their interests first which is what a professional does with his/her client. “It’s important to remember the client is the one who pays your fee. He is the one who pays for the production. The commercial is-if anyone’s-his. You can hope that the client trusts his agency and-by extension-you.” (Ritcher, 2007:203). By involving the client you make sure they your vision matches with their vision.

The main differences I noticed between professional promos and my own was the production value, things like budget separate the two as with more budget the better equipment is used which allows for more different styles of shots, such as a crane and drone etc. Also it allows for better recording quality and a finer looking film. However the setting, the festival itself, and the public presence allowed me to create a film that I believe is to a certain degree professional.

Critical Reflections

To reflect on this unit I found it very influential in learning what it is like to be a freelance filmmaker. As stated earlier the importance of connections is something that will stick in my mind for the future.

I was very happy with the opportunities provided by the Dockyard in an agreed sense, in a filming sense and also to the excellent filming possibilities there. They allowed me to bring out my own creative vision, which allowed me to explore this way of working and also allowed me to experiment with shots and coverage. The actual festival was a very busy event and that allowed my film to be full of busy activities and get plenty of coverage of the crowds in which the festival brought. I was also very fortunate to get interviewees that were interesting and informative while still being comfortable to be filmed.

Also by taking into account that, “As much as you want to be an artist, free to pursue your vision, you are also a service provider, a craftsman, and a hired gun. You are not on the set for your own sake or to make the epic of the century.” (Ritcher, 2007:203). I was being professional, by remembering at all times to include my client in what I was shooting and what each edit looked like. By showing the dockyard each draft of the edit, they had an idea of what it would look like and the opportunity to flag any concerns or request any changes. Something that I believe was very important when working in a professional environment.

I did have some problems however during the production process, the main of which was the weather on the first day of filming. Which resulted in the majority of footage from the first day that was shot outside to not be used. The shots we got simply did not match up with anything else we had, the change in lighting mid shot and heavy rain caused us to be shooting essentially between showers which caused us to rush. (See Fig. 6.)

Fig. 6. Poor Weather (2016)

However, this issue was not the end of the world as the second day of filming we simply tried to reshoot where we had left off from when it began raining and still managed to get everything we needed to shoot, shot. The unfortunate thing with filming in the rain was even though we took precautions to help shooting in the rain, such as using the waterproof cover for the camera, it simply wasn’t enough. However, I feel that we also did the correct thing in this situation and focus on filming all of the inside material while it was raining and then once it stopped and held off resume filming outside, something we had not planned on doing but improvised and did on the day.

Conclusion

Overall I felt that I was able to create a professional promotional film. I felt that my research into the best methods of filming and my liaising with the client made me feel that I was working in a professional environment.

I felt that the research into Montage and Establishing shots was very beneficial and allowed me to be more creative with my filming techniques. Also looking at professional equivalents of promotional material allowed me to compare what I was doing to those of higher budget.

I felt that given the brief from the dockyard I was able to provide what was asked, in terms of filming. By putting the brief first I was able to address what the client wanted first and then fill the surrounding parts of the film with my personal creative touches.

To finish, I feel that I enjoyed working freelance. I enjoyed the freedom of creating a piece of work that could represent a business, location or event in a way that not only fulfils their needs but also requires my creative perspective. Being given the opportunity to work professionally allowed me to learn valuable lesson about professionalism and connections.

Fig. 7. Festival of Steam and Transport Carriage (2016)

Bibliography

Ritcher, T. (2007) The 30-second Storyteller [online] At: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ucreative/reader.action?docID=10146627&ppg=66 (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Ritcher, T. (2007) The 30-second Storyteller [online] At: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ucreative/reader.action?docID=10146627&ppg=66 (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Tracy, B. (2014) Marketing [online] At: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ucreative/reader.action?docID=10867284 (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Rohdie, S. (2006) Montage [online] At: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ucreative/reader.action?docID=10623220&ppg=73 (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Oxford. (2016) ‘Professionalism’ definition 1 [online] At: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/professionalism (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

The Historic Dockyard. (2016) Chatham Dockyard – 400 Years of Naval History. At: http://www.thedockyard.co.uk/history-and-buildings/dockyards-history/ (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Goodwood Revival 2016 – Expect Action. [online promotional video] Goodwood Revival. (2015) 2:07 mins At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbZgTyl3r_4 (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

GoPro HERO4: The Adventure of Life in 4K [online promotional video] GoPro. (2014) 4:13 mins At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTcNtgA6gHs (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Illustration List

Fig. 1. Chatham Dockyard (2016) [photograph] At: http://www.bsee.co.uk/chatham-historic-dockyard-trust-chooses-remeha-boilers-as-part-of-refurbishment/ (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Fig. 2. Recce (2016) (Taken from my iPhone 18/2/2016)

Fig. 3. GoPro HERO4. (2014) From: GoPro. [promo video still] GoPro At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=58&v=wTcNtgA6gHs (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Fig. 4. Industrial Settings (2016) (Taken from SONY EX1 27/3/2016)

Fig. 5. Interview Still (2016) From: Festival of Steam and Transport – Promotional Video: UCA TV Productions. [promo video still] Great Britain At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvMAThFnnk (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Fig. 6. Poor Weather (2016) From: Festival of Steam and Transport – Promotional Video: UCA TV Productions. [promo video still] Great Britain At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvMAThFnnk (Accessed on 27/4/2016)

Fig. 7. Festival of Steam and Transport Carriage (2016) (Taken from SONY EX1 28/4/2016)