Documentaries-a-plenty
We are currently working on 2 long-term documentary projects at the same time, which is keeping us exceptionally busy. The first is called Life Goals and is the story of a former Premier League footballer who has a really interesting back-story and life journey. You can read more about it here. The second is called The Cancer Garden and what a story it will be, following a team of landscape gardeners preparing a competition garden for the world-famous Tatton Flower Show, themed around the journey of a cancer survivor. Ultimately, the garden will be dismantled and re-assembed at Clatterbridge Hospital and along the way we will meet various key people, all with their own cancer stories. More information will follow on this shortly.
A documentary is perhaps the ultimate story-telling platform and that’s why we love making them. What may at first appear to be a fairly simple storyline usually develops as the key players are identified and background research is carried out - everyone has their own tales and like a spider’s web, things begin to intertwine. Eventually, it’s up to the filmmaker to pull it all together, make sense of it all and also add some creativity to make it look, sound and feel dramatic and interesting.
For instance, in telling the life journey of Andy Turner (the footballer at the centre of Life Goals), we quickly decided that we didn’t want to make yet another football documentary. It had too much of a message underlying - that of how young sports people cope when their dreams are torn away. Some fall apart, others are more fortunate and have battled through the adversity, leading them to redefine what success means to them. Everyone we’ve interviewed has their own powerful message on the subject and as well as being a nostalgic trip back in time to the start of the Premier League, we want the film to be a warning, a resource, a rollercoaster or emotions and, ultimately, a message of hope.
Danielle, one of the key people in our film The Cancer Garden. Her own back-story could be a documentary all of its own!
What are the roles involved in putting together a documentary without a big team? Well, that would be all possible roles! The obvious ones are the filming and editing. That’s standard. With a documentary, there’s so much more involved in the process than there is when making a promo film.
FIrst, it’s having the idea - this could be brought to you by someone else or you may have the idea yourself and need to pitch it. We knew we wanted to make the Andy Turner Life Goals film and we took it to Andy himself to get him onboard.
Next, it’s uncovering the key people. Through a lot of background research, you delve into the main story and all of its possible tributaries. This can take weeks or even months and the more work you put in at this point, the richer your story is likely to be. A lot of time is spent online, emailing people, trying to get through management agencies and good, old-fashioned reading books! For Life Goals, we contacted the author of a research book and asked him for an interview. That quickly led to other contacts and 2 other important interviews that we would never have got without going down that route.
Location scouting for interviews is important. Sometimes, it’s enough to interview someone in their own home or workplace. Other times, you need a public location to set the scene. One of our interviews for The Cancer Garden will take place on a mountain top at sunset - this is not random and has a deeper meaning for the interviewee as well as creating a beautiful and dramatic backdrop.
Tony was interviewed for Life Goals and his narrow boat made the perfect backdrop!
Creative graphic work can add a lot to a film. Do we want chapter titles? Lower thirds to introduce the characters? Timelines? Are these just going to be plain text or can we be more creative with them without being gimmicky?
Music is a massive decision. What is the direction we’re taking with this - drama? fun? epic? touching? uplifting? The right music at the right time can set the tone and get your audience feeling what you want them to feel.
Finally, distribution is a beast that we haven’t got to grips with yet. That is something specialist that we cannot do in-house other than simply putting the film out there on YouTube or Vimeo etc.. and then marketing it through social media. To achieve better reach, or get paid for the rights to the film is another level and one which we are working on presently. Our idea with Life Goals is to do some private screenings at Official Supporters Club events, maybe a film festival or two and then look at a more general release. For The Cancer Garden, all of the people involved have their own businesses or charities and they can use those networks to gain reach. The hospital itself is well-known and the film will hopefully be a fantastic legacy of the project but also allow them to show their funders where the money went and the impact it made.
Follow progress with our documentaries here, and get in touch if you have a story you think might be worth exploring.
Bring Your Child to Work Day
How old is too old for Bring Your Child to Work Day??
Technically, he is way too old to be considered a child. However, in July, I was covering the annual Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium and as my son is home from Uni I asked him along to help out.
It’s a tricky event to capture alone - trying to grab footage from multiple entrance, reception and entertaining spaces, grabbing interviews with winners and being positioned in a huge room and somehow capturing table celebrations as well as the lucky winners making their way onto the stage! Having another pair of hands was a massive help and he absolutely loved it! It was a lone afternoon, evening and night - beginning at 5pm and getting away around 1am - but time just flew as there was a long checklist of things to capture and always something to focus on.
Working shifts at the local pub is his usual occupation during the holidays but it’s always good to get experience doing something different and I love how he just says yes to anything and gives it a go. It’s a good life lesson for all of us as it is all too easy to get comfortable and just stick with what we know.
Also, I am still confused how a polo shirt I bought for myself 18 months ago fits his slender frame - must have shrunk in the wash…
School websites - new service launched
Fancy a lovely new website for your school but put off by the cost or time it takes to sort out? Having worked in education for many years, we understand the budgetary constraints and also the time limitations that headteachers and business managers suffer from. That’s why we’ve devised the most efficient and cost-effective process out there - without compromising on the quality of the end result.
During this summer holiday period, we have helped no less than 4 schools to get up and running with brand new sites ahead of the start of term in September! Have a look below at how it works and also check out some of the new sites we’ve made live:
Homepage of Heygarth Primary’s brand new site.
Costs:
Most school sites will cost just £1,450 + VAT*
This includes the entire design, build and migration of data, setting the new site live and training you and your staff.
*platform subscription is an additional £204 / yr
The Process:
Design and planning meeting.
This is YOUR chance to tell us what you want! Have you seen another school site that you absolutely love or perhaps it's a combination of the best bits from lots of sites? Maybe you don't know what you want and you're fully open to suggestions. Whichever it is, this session will fine tune all your ideas and get some key decisions made.
Draft designs
We build a homepage, staff page, curriculum overview, one subject page and a contact page. Your job is to review them and feedback on what you love, don't love so much or any functionality changes you need making.
Once you agree on the overall style, we then build the rest of the pages and populate them with the content from your old site (buttons, links, images, text etc..)
When you're happy with everything, we can migrate your site hosting and have your new site up and running in no time at all!
It really is as simple as that - a brand new school website that creates impact for your prospective and current parents and inspectors or visitors, all within 1 week start to finish! Of course, the process can take longer if you need it to - there's no need to be rushed if you have time.
Christ Church Moreton is another school who have had a completed new site this summer.
Finishing touches:
If your existing site suffers from low quality or out of date images and videos, we can also create new ones for you.
School logo looking a bit dated? We can redraw it and modernise it or even completely redesign it.
If your staff team pages feature old, grainy images we can upscale them or grab all-new headshots (you have to keep the team happy with lovely photos!)
Complete support start to finish:
If your site is hosted elsewhere, we will help you liaise with the existing provider to get your domain linked to your new site
All our sites come with training for your staff so you can manage day-to-day changes in-house.
We offer a range of support packages from basic at just £150 + VAT per year. If you feel you need more help, advanced packages are available from £450 + VAT.
Happy schools:
Artificially yours
Is there still a role for creative skills when you can pretty much generate anything you like using AI these days?
It's true, it's super-easy and sometimes indistinguishable from the real thing, but in my experience, media is best served by AI as a tool rather than a full content creator. I have listed some of my favourite uses of AI in my production below. Before getting to that, let's just appreciate Canva’s quite unbelievable attempt to create something for me last year..
I had a portrait image of a cute baby rhino from Chester Zoo and I wanted a landscape version. I couldn't find it online so I thought I would ask Canva to do it instead. After all, it claimed to be able to generate expansions on your images so it seemed like a relatively simple task.
First attempt: I drag the area where I want the image expanding to…
Ok, what is THAT?? Canva somehow took my baby rhino and thought I wanted a parent running alongside it. Only Canva also thought I wanted its parent to be a species of animal that doesn't exist (maybe part sheep, part anteater?)
2. Second attempt: I am going to help Canva out by not highlighting the area with the baby rhino in..
Right, I am beginning to think Canva has an obsession with this ridiculous creature now! It is smaller this time. It also appears to have placed its front legs inside some Winklepicker boots for some reason best not known.
3. Final attempt: I am clever, I have worked out the Canva's AI cannot get over the fact that there is an animal in the image and wants to give it a friend. So, I remove the baby rhino entirely. I will generate just more of the grass then add it back onto the original image. Sorted!
WHERE DID HE COME FROM??? I didn't specify I wanted anyone in the shot but Canva has not only made me a smiley man in a smart, branded polo shirt, but also the remnants of a lower third to announce his arrival! Thank you, Canva.
Where AI does actually help me:
As I found out, sometimes AI just cannot be relied upon and certainly shouldn't be used for things that are far more simply fixed (like just asking my contacts at the zoo for the original image!) However, sometimes it just makes sense to save huge amounts of time or to help out when the right tools for the job are not available to you.
Voiceovers - why on earth would I want to drive to a studio, have someone rehearse the script, record them on multiple takes, edit the resultant audio clips on my computer and then still potentially be disappointed with the results as the person was just not confident enough, sounded like they were reading, missed a key word or just couldn't pronounce something vital. In a few seconds, I can upload the script, choose a voice (gender, age, tone, dialect etc.) and have a really high quality voiceover. Things have really progressed in the past few months and the available voices are unbelievably realistic - no robotic monotones for me, thank you! Envato's AI voice gen is getting really good and doesn't cost anything on top of my usual subscription.
Captions - adding subtitles with the click of a button in Premiere Pro is sooooo handy. I never really considered it to be AI and while writing this blog it struck me that it must be, so here it is and it's high on my usage list. It isn't perfect, but it's waaaaay faster to edit auto-generated captions than
AI Upscaling - this is easily my no. 1 use of AI in my production! Especially when building client websites. Schools are the worst for this as the images available have probably been taken on a phone or iPad (or they are a screenshot!). Do I want to build them a lovely new site that has stunning design features and crisp text only to taint the whole experience with horrid, grainy images? Of course not. Without the option to just rock up and snap a whole load of new images, sometimes it is just quicker and easier to use an online upscaler to take the original and work its magic. The results are usually astounding! I tend to use https://imgupscaler.ai/ which has a really good free tool and takes seconds.
Background removal - another really common use of AI is just clicking a button in Photoshop, Adobe Express or Canva and having the software get rid of all that nonsense around the outside of your subject. I know how to do it manually and often I still have to get my hands dirty when the AI fails but on the whole it's pretty perfect and saves hours of work across a month.
Google Lens - I don't use it a lot, but if I need to find an original image using a small sample that a client has provided, it can prove to be really useful. I also used it to identify what I believed to be a False Widow spider I found under some old decking in the garden, but that has nothing to do with this theme! (FYI 2 different images of the same spider produced 2 different results from Google Lens..)
Images - stock images are still really useful and I use them a lot. However, very occasionally you just cannot find the right thing. Stock images are often exceptionally clean or corporate. If you want something less obviously stock, maybe AI can help out. Of course, this is all only really something I would do if totally unable to get the actual photo from a client or take one myself.
Video - it is rare, but I will very occasionally generate a video using AI. Only short snippets and only things that would otherwise completely outweigh the time, effort, travel and processing to do it properly.
Scripts - recently, a client asked if I knew someone who could take a page on their website and make it into a script. I could have tried it myself but that's not my area of expertise. I could have searched for someone who is an expert. As an experiment, I used ChatGPT to create a full script in a corporate presentation style and then to refine it for a shorter social reel without losing the key message. The client made about 3 small changes to the script, that was all.
Responsible use of AI:
Throwing yourself into AI needs to be tempered with a little bit of common sense and a lot of consideration for the environmental impacts it can have. That kind of processing power doesn't happen without some serious energy usage and so I try to balance my own deployment of it against the alternative.
For example, If I need a short video for a client website that doesn't need to reflect an actual place or real people, I will quite happily get AI to create me something. The alternative is that I have to drive to a client site, organise people to take time out of their day to be filmed, use my editing suite for creating a film from the footage and then render and export it.
What's next?
It's hard to see where this pathway will lead. It undoubtedly needs to be tamed before it gets completely out of control (does anybody trust any content they see on social media anymore?) but where it helps the creative process without taking it over, it's something I am happy to add to my toolkit.
Community Impact Initiative Launched!
A brand new way for charities, community organisations and education projects to get media support for their digital promotion or engagement resources.
Recently, with a little bit of flexibility at my disposal regarding my working hours and availability, I decided that I wanted to to be able to give back and support worthy projects that may otherwise not happen without some reduced costs or even volunteer time.
It’s all well and good placing a value on your time, expertise and equipment etc. but sometimes it is just as important to do something because it feels like the right thing to do. I’ve worked a lot with various charities over the years and also been a long-standing member of a local Round Table, helping to organise events that raise tens of thousands of pounds for good causes in the community. However, through Racing Snake I have an opportunity to dedicate a bit of my time to providing media support to organisations or people that may not have the budget to even consider a service that would really benefit their success.
I am delighted to announce that my first Community Impact case will be The Birkenhead Priory!
I use this image a lot so you may recognise it. It was taken during my original 3D scanning of Birkenhead Priory - using a Leica BLK360 Lidar scanner to supplement my Matterport infrared scanning, allowing me to capture the outside spaces, high walls and also to work in direct sunlight (almost impossible with infrared scanning).
Combing my love of heritage and my experience of delivering engaging educational resources, this is the perfect project to begin Racing Snake’s Community Impact.
The oldest standing building in Merseyside has a history dating back more than 800 years and boasts a beautifully preserved medieval site packed with history and intrigue. A few years ago, while I was at hi-impact, I was fortunate enough to create a 3d virtual tour of the entire site - no mean feat given the scale and complexity (huge amounts of outside space, tall and winding towers, high ceilings, gravestones with weathered text and carvings in the ancient masonry of the ruins.) The aim was always to create a highly interactive resource from this tour, something that schools would use to support their topics about local history. Resources have not been available to achieve this mission and I felt that I could step back into the project now as a volunteer and complete what I started.
Working alongside the wonderful staff and volunteers at the site, we have already begun to plot our next steps, which will include:
Audio descriptions of the key areas of interest
Video pop-ups around the site
Language options
A digital treasure hunt to engage children as they explore and learn
Bespoke branding and menus to help navigation
A screenshot of part of the educational resource during development phase. Expect to see the completed tour by September 2025
Having recently had one of my previous interactive experiences win an award, I am really hopeful that the finished resource of The Birkenhead Priory will be similarly well-received and we may enter it for some awards in the heritage industry once it’s up and running and been tried and tested in schools. You can check out the basic tour here, but do check back on my social media or on the Priory website for updates over the coming weeks as we complete the resource as it will change quite a bit!
If you have ideas for a project that you think could be worthy of consideration for future Community Impact, do let me know. I can’t promise to help each and every single one, but I will see what aligns with my values and skills and availability and see what I can do!
Stadium Experiences
The inspirational Aaron Phipps gives his key note at the Stadium Experience meeting this week
Several years ago I first worked with the fabulous Debbie Rigney and the team at Stadium Experience, a Not-for-Profit organsiation that brings together representatives from the hospitality teams at all the major UK stadium venues to share best practice and industry news.
Presenting our virtual tour services at one of their meetings led to us working with Liverpool FC, Twickenham Stadium, Everton FC, Manchester United FC, St Helens RFC, Ipswich Town FC and Norwich City FC. In fact, I’ve been very privileged to return to several of these to renew their tours over the years as they renovate or rebrand, none more so than Norwich, where I have been back 4 times. I love working at stadiums: not just because I am a sports fan, but because I love meeting the people behind the scenes and finding out how the industry functions away from the match day
Stadium Experience recently hosted their first in-person meeting since Covid at the wonderful Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham and I took the opportunity to exhibit there as well as cover the event with film and photography. It was fantastic to reconnect with existing clients such as Jodie from Norwich and Sophie from Ipswich Town FC but also to meet prospective venues for virtual tour services.
Continuing my close ties with the sector, I will be covering July’s awards for Stadium Experience, which is always a lively affair! The event will be held at Brighton and Hove Albion’s American Express Stadium, and I cannot wait!
One thing I really enjoy about covering events is getting to listen to the key note speakers, and this week’s was particular impressive and inspirational - the paralympian and renowned British athlete, Aaron Phipps. What an honour to hear his story. He closed by telling everyone in the room that they should take themselves out of their comfort zones and attempt something a bit different. That struck a chord with me as I embark on my new venture as Racing Snake - although the services are not outside of my comfort zone, branching out and doing them without having a team behind me is definitely a little bit uncomfortable! It’s also exciting and really not that impressive given what people like Aaron have achieved in life with far more to overcome.
Edgbaston Stadium, the perfect venue in the heart of the country and a spectacular skyline view over Birmingham.
2025, the Year of the Snake
Welcome to Racing Snake!
In the Chinese astrological calendar, this year is indeed the year of the snake. For me, according to one horoscope I read, “2025 will be a breakthrough year for you as things fall into place easily. Your hard work is creating a strong foundation for future success”. I don’t usually spend time looking at horoscopes (in fact, I don’t have any time for that nonsense), but I like this (admittedly generic) statement as it certainly feels apt for me at the moment. Well, maybe not the ‘easily’ part!
Having spent the previous 14 years at one of the UK’s leading education providers, hi-impact, I decided that it was time for a change. In my time there I had been an IT technician, operations manager, innovation manager and worked at board-level to develop the company from its early days (I was just the 5th member of staff) through to its current position today as a major force in the EdTech sector with nearly 50 employees. However, sometime you just know when it’s time for a change, to be brave and see if there’s another adventure on the horizon. And here it is!
I am over the moon to have been able to plan this new venture alongside my friends at hi-impact and it’s a uniquely privileged position to be able to maintain my close links with everyone there as I will be still be delivering their educational media services and website builds. I am eternally grateful to them for their support and all the memories they have given me. Now, it’s time to make some new memories.
So, with Racing Snake, you’re not getting a newbie. You’re partnering with expertise, experience and a broad skill-set that encompasses a variety of digital creative media services as well as senior leadership, project and event management, client relationship management - in short, you can be confident that you’ll be in safe hands.
Why Racing Snake? Well, aside from it being a phrase Terry Wogan used to use on his Radio 2 breakfast show, I was reminded while trying to come up with a business name of our skipper on a Greek sailing holiday we had many years ago. Whenever we’d offer him a drink he’d pat his stomach and say “you don’t get a racing snake figure like this from drinking beer”. That seemed as good a reason as any for choosing it, tbh! Also, my initials are SS. That’s a bit like the sound a snake makes, isn’t it…?
Disclaimer: Don’t be fooled by the photos of me on the site - I’m not always this much fun.