Carnival Arts sector fundraising
I was commissioned to deliver this fundraising video production in early 2014 on behalf of the Arts Council-funded Carnival Arts Advocacy project. The aim of the project was to help their four cultural leaders across the UK to further promote and develop the UK wide Carnival Arts sector.
Film brief
My brief was to produce a five-minute film highlighting the amazing creative talent of the UK wide Carnival Arts sector. The aim of the film is to illustrate the excellence of the UK Carnival Art form; to tell some of the good news stories of Carnival-based projects and to highlight the year-round community involvement and artistic endeavour provided by these leading four UK Carnival groups.
The UK Carnivals
Working as an observational filmmaker I am skilled at filming and editing audio and video to create engaging stories. The four main Carnivals, featured in the film, were each allocated two separate days of filming. One day was scheduled for filming interviews and footage of preparations for their forthcoming Carnival – the other was scheduled for their actual Carnival day (Mardi Gras in the Isle of Wight).
The Carnival cultural leaders featured in this film are:
UK Centre for Carnival Arts – based in Luton
The New Carnival Company – based on the Isle of Wight
St Paul’s Afrikan Caribbean Carnival – based in Bristol
Carnival Arts and Masquerade Foundation (CAMF) – based in London
It was fortunate that the weather was good and dry for the first three Carnivals. This helped me to capture the sunlit beauty of many of the Carnival costumes. However, the rainy day in Notting Hill did not detract from the Carnival atmosphere!
Video editing
The stories and images filmed from each Carnival were combined and edited together as required to deliver this film to the agreed brief. A combination of interviews and music tracks formed the sound bed. Visually, we see the wide range of people involved in the production teams; we see the portrayal of their professional skills and share in everyone’s excitement as they head towards each of the four Carnival days. Finally, we see the results of all the contributors’ hard work and shared experiences as they dance, perform and share the day with their own communities and other visitors.
Fundraising video production
This fundraising video production is now being used by the UK Carnival sector to promote their creativity and to enhance their collective futures and additional financial security. By telling individual stories and highlighting community benefits, this film positively engages viewers to hopefully enable more secure funding to be obtained from both existing and new friends and supporters.
In addition to the main 5-minute film, a two minute and a one-minute version was also delivered. If you would like any help with your film or video please get in touch.
