Short film promotion
Working as a London based videographer, I frequently work in the field of behind the scenes videography. In this case study, I describe the process of creating my most recent behind the scenes video. This is being used on social media to promote a new short film ‘Sieda’, currently being produced by Frog and Roast Beef films an Anglo-French Production Company.
Filming on location
Initially, I was booked to work as a Data Wrangler for two days on this short film production. The Director of Photography and the Director agreed that I could also take the opportunity to film some ‘Behind the Scenes’ footage. The two-day shoot, that I was involved in, was taking place in a residential house in South London. So, in addition to my Data Wrangler kit (consisting of my MacPro, NEC screen and hard drives) I also packed the extra kit I needed to film some action from behind the scenes.
Multi-skilled videographer
On my first day at the shoot, I also undertook the role of 2nd Assistant Cameraman to assist Director Vanessa Pellegrin and Director of Photography Ben Thompson. Being part of a small crew means everyone helps out with anything and everything as and when required so as to manage the time as efficiently as possible. Once I’d finished with my clapperboard duties for each take, I then picked up my camera to record some behind the scenes footage from each scene being enacted. In between takes, I was also able to capture some of the fun and light-hearted atmosphere typical of this shoot.
Interview with the Director
To help with the editing of this footage, I suggested also filming an interview with Director Vanessa Pellegrin to which she kindly agreed. So we set a date for that additional filming. During her interview, Vanessa explained how the film had come about. Her Production Company, FAR films had won the top prize for the Pitch for Shorts TV at the 2018 Film Festival in Cannes. They had submitted their short film idea with a fully formed script and budget for the film ‘Sieda’. Their competition prize was some funding to help with its production. Their finished film will be screened on Shorts TV (a 24/7 HD TV channel dedicated to short movies). I also asked Vanessa if she could send me some graded clips, font choice, her production company’s logo and theme music from the film. This additional footage enabled me to enhance the video edit.
Behind the scenes editing
With the interview filmed, I transcoded all the 4K UHD files into Avid friendly DNx media and then set about editing the video using my MAC-based editing software Avid Media Composer. I wanted this video to help explain the story of the film script so that my edit would best help the short film’s future promotion. I also realised that it would be best as a short video so was aiming for around 3 minutes in duration. After completing the edit, I sent it to the Director for any feedback. After only one shot change, the film was signed off. I then sent my client a link to my behind the scenes videography via Vimeo so that it could be shared and the video embedded as required.
Behind the scenes videography
As a videographer, I very much enjoyed meeting the very lovely cast and crew of this short film. This project helped me realise that, even though I was commissioned as a data Wrangler on this project, I could also support the film’s Production Company even further by filming and editing a behind the scenes video. It is expected that this short film ‘SIEDA’ will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. I very much hope that my work will help everyone involved in the production towards the promotion of their new film. If you would like any help with your behind the scenes videography please get in touch.
