Thanks to extensive experience in the lighting industry, l was recently commissioned to produce a short film showcasing international lighting controls company, Casambi Technologies.

Late last year I was appointed by Finnish-based company Casambi Technologies to make a short video case study of their work re-lighting BBC offices throughout the UK, to take still photographs of one of the sites and to produce short teaser videos for use on social media. My existing body of work and in-depth knowledge of lighting were instrumental in earning the commission and the first vital step in what turned out to be a very interesting piece of work.

Casambi Technologies planned to present the video case study at the 2020 Frankfurt ‘Light + Building’ fair to demonstrate their wireless lighting controls.  It was imperative that I delivered a polished and professional package within a set timeframe.

Being in a position to combine my lighting industry knowledge with my photography skills was pretty exciting.  There were three companies involved in this piece of work: Casambi Technologies, Holders Technology (Casambi’s UK partner) and Wila Lighting and it was a previous contract with Wila that was a contributory factor in winning this piece of work. 

The Process

In their brief Casambi Technologies requested internal footage of New Broadcasting House, London and the Glasgow site on Pacific Quay. The film had to capture Casambi’s newly installed energy-saving, wireless lighting controls and the new LED luminaries from Wila. 

BBC ScotlandBBC Scotland building Pacific Quay, Glasgow

Before embarking on the project I liaised with company representatives to develop a plan. There were location shoots and interviews to arrange with people travelling from all over the country which took extensive organisation.

Not everything went smoothly from the get go. My first day on site in London didn’t quite go to plan. Storm Brendan saw to that!  During my train journey power lines came down near Preston and I ended up stranded for over four hours. But I managed to rearrange and get to London to carry out the work.

The Challenges

• All of the filming had to be done after 6pm while the offices were mostly empty, however some staff remained on site to film the ‘Ten O’Clock News’ at New Broadcasting House and “The Nine show” at Glasgow.  
• To ensure staff were not recognisable I had to avoid getting any close ups of people in shot.  They also stipulated that its main logo should only be shown a maximum of three times which was an added test.
• I was required to film areas that contained the old lighting as well as areas which had been upgraded so his window of opportunity to get on site was limited.  Getting access to the buildings themselves was also a challenge as it meant liaising with both the BBC and their facilities management company Interserve.
• There were three companies involved: Casambi, Wila and Holders, so trying to coordinate interviews and getting all of the right people in the right place at the same time was challenging.

Filming inside the BBC was fascinating. For such a familiar institution the whole experience was very surreal. In New Broadcasting House there were meeting rooms named after famous television personalities, like Jeremy Paxman.

New area BBC ScotlandThe news area in BBC Scotland

I relished the logistical challenge of the project. Arranging face to face interviews, getting the go-ahead to enter the buildings and creating a polished film that highlights Casambi Technologies’ lighting control solutions required a great deal of planning and flexibility.

In the final stages of the project I collaborated with Lancaster-based firm SBS to edit the film. Because of time constraints I brought SBS on board to edit the clips. They did an incredible job helping me shape the final product.

Relighting the BBC

All in all I produced thirty photographs and three video clips: the main clip, which came in at around seven minutes long and two teaser clips for use across social media. Wila wanted their own shorter clip and so the footage was edited parcelled up specifically for their use.

Stephen Jackson from Casambi commented “we are really pleased with the videos Richard has made.  They do a great job at showcasing our unique technology and are already helping us to generate new business.”

If you need video and photography to create promotional materials that can be used over and over again in multiple ways you can be reach me on email at [email protected] or by ‘phoning 07557 780336.