Once a year the Calvert Trust runs the Kielder Quest This is a corporate team building event where attendees take part in physical and mental challenges for the ultimate out of office adventure.

https://vimeo.com/161918495

Teams doing the quest compete against other like-minded businesses from across the region in a series of instructor led, water and land based challenges.

ht were asked to create an engaging and informative video to promote both the Quest itself and the great work Calvert Trust does to support disabled people, their families and carers.

“It has been a pleasure working with the team at ht Media on our Kielder Quest event this year. They took the time to understand our aims and objectives which has resulted in an extremely effective promotional video.

We are absolutely thrilled with the end results and have received some fantastic feedback from the companies who took part in the event.” – Hazel Ditchburn, Sales Manager

Entry to the Quest is £900 for a team of six and includes overnight accommodation in shared rooms with bed linen and towels provided.

If you think you can handle the Keilder Quest, whilst also supporting a life changing charity, contact Hazel Ditchburn on 01434 250232

The National Health Service is something distinctively unique to Britain. Over the past two weeks, ht have been travelling to and around London to record the success stories of various NHS Trusts.

Our first two days involved filming in Luton, Cambridge, Wexham and (after a rather nervous drive through the centre of London) Hackney.

Each video tells the individual story of how a Trust had drastically improved their services despite a difficult climate, they’re both uplifting and informative.

https://vimeo.com/155509071

One week on and we were back in the centre of London at The Hilton Southbank. The newly formed NHS Improvement (the merger of NHS Monitor and the TDA) were hosting their first conference with every Chief Executive in the country attending.

Talks were held about the challenges the NHS face, the leaders of the organisation conducted speeches about future strategy and, on a lighter note achievements were recognised. Our videos are how the NHS decided to share their accomplishments.

We filmed the conference with 2 cameras. I used the Sony FS700 to capture a static shot of the speakers the stage, while Dan roamed round with our Cannon 5D, getting cutaways of the attendees taking notes and asking questions during the Q&A sessions.

For me, it was great to see the work we had produced up on the big screens and being presented to a room of over 500 people.

After the event we faced an all too familiar sight - The 5-hour drive back up the A1 to Gateshead lucky for me it was Dan’s turn to drive.

With my script approved, work began on bringing together the many elements needed to produce the film. This list covered everything from actors, location, make-up all the way down to finding some good quality rope in which to dress the set.

I found two boxers early on who were perfect for the roles. Together we practiced a short choreographed fight sequence and the fighters, super flyweight Commonwealth champion Anthony Nelson & Billy Bell, didn’t hold back on the punches.

My location took a fair amount of scouting. With the help of Northern Film and Media’s production services I arranged to visit Pallion Shipyard in Sunderland. It was better than I could have hoped for; the building was huge, largely unused and falling into disrepair, which fitted the themes of my script to a tee.

Also on my list were two actors to play the bosses. People that could be intimidating and hold a threatening on screen presence. After a few emails and phone calls I bagged ex world boxing champ Glenn Mcrory and boxing promoter Steve Wraith who both coincidentally had impressive acting careers.

Now with everything ready I just needed a few bodies to fill the scene. A very quick social media shout out on the popular filmmaking Facebook pages and twitter hastags bagged me around 20 extras.

The crew was all arranged by True North Productions in Leeds. Now all that remained was to shoot the film.

ELM EV are one of the UK's leading independent suppliers and installers of electric vehicle charging equipment to the private and public sector.

We recently produced a video for ELM EV for use as a key element in their crowd funding campaign on seedrs.com.

Click here to see the video: https://vimeo.com/147452231

Crowd funding is an increasingly popular way for firms to raise money for expansion and investment – and as their funding websites usually use video to explain their businesses, it`s also a growth market for ht media.

Businesses like ELM EV use crowd funding websites such as Kickstarter, Seedrs and Crowd Cube to seek investment in exchange for equity. They do this by hosting a campaign that usually last 30-90 days.

Businesses want to gain investment usually to either develop a new product or grow their business; in ELM EV’s case it was to grow their business so they could begin production of a new product, which would grow the business further.

So far the evidence is that crowd funding campaigns using video to deliver their message are more successful in gaining investment than those which do not. This is just another example of the way that video works to your advantage – whatever the video is for, it’s the medium of choice for people using websites – they inevitably prefer an attractive moving picture story to walls of text. A video gets the message across – and in the case of crowd funding, persuades people to part with their money!

“A one minute video is the equivalent to 1.8 Million Words.” – Dr. James McQuivey, Forrester

One of the main objects we had was making ELMs campaign stand out from the other campaigns on seedrs. After researching what worked well for other campaigns we decided that ELMs video should be presenter lead with infographics and use shots that represented their industry and business.

Dan Martin one of the directors at ELM EV presented the video. By having a member of the team present the video it shows potential investors the type of business and people they will be investing in, giving ELM EV a personal touch.

Click the link below to view ELM EVs crowd funding campaign.
https://www.seedrs.com/elm-ev

If you are looking to gain investment this year we highly recommend you consider crowd funding.

Time-lapse projects are becoming more and more frequent for us here at ht media.

Our latest time-lapse video has taken over six months, capturing premium quayside accommodation being constructed from the foundation up to the 5th floor penthouse overlooking the Tyne.
Hadley Steel offer an innovative product for the construction industry - made to measure steel framing that once on site, can be assembled quickly & efficiently. It reduces construction time and is more resilient and stronger than traditional timber framing.

https://vimeo.com/142230757

For coverage, we use small dedicated time-lapse cameras that can be attached to just about anything. They capture an image several times throughout the day and we place them in a sequence at 30 images per second to create a video that speeds through the construction process, allowing viewers to see several months of activity within a few minutes.

At key stages of the build we would visit the site with our full production kit to capture real time footage of the contractors on the job. These shots are useful for breaking away from the time-lapse and highlighting key moments of the project and the quality of work.

It’s been a busy couple of months developing my idea so it can effectively transition from script to screen.

It began with an intensive workshop at Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema. Those of us shortlisted to make films were part of a four-day workshop. We bounced ideas off one another, altered our scripts with industry mentors and pitched our developments to the rest of the group. The days were long but by the end of the residential everyone had a much clearer and well-defined idea in which to angle their creativity.

My idea has seen drastic changes from its original concept. The screenplay has been shaved down to three pages from nine, making it much a tighter and concise piece while also (and this was the tricky part) keeping the story and the messages the same. A big thank you to ht script writer Deb Owens for her considerations and advice.

With the script finalized it’s time to move into pre-production. The next steps include finding a location, scene props, costumes, actors, fighters, extras and a crew.

Our latest project took us to the construction site of David Wilson Homes’ flagship housing venture: La Sagesse: 48 premium homes under construction in Jesmond, a short distance from central Newcastle and surrounded by many bistros and bars of the local area.

DWH are synonymous with the high quality housing they construct and this latest project captured their innovative and cost-effective building practices in action as a new roof was efficiently installed on top of a 10,0000 sq/ft building. A task that traditionally would have taken far more man power and time to complete.

https://vimeo.com/139566996

Modular components for buildings that are pre-fabricated off site are an emerging and times saving building process that DWH are at the forefront of bringing into practice. Progressing the way and speed in which construction work can be carried out, while still providing the high level of quality that consumers have come to expect.

For us, it’s a great opportunity to focus on another time-lapse project, seeing the processes of another industry first hand and the challenge of converting a several month long project down into a short 3-minute promotional video.
The scope of these projects are huge, they allow for multi-camera setups and a lot of planning goes into filming the key events which can make for great focal points in the finished video.

I have had the opportunity to spend two weeks with the guys from HT media and learn what it is they actually do. A lot of this included watching two-hour interviews, selecting the important bits and transforming them into three-minute videos.

I was given a tutorial in the editing suite on how the editing software they use for their projects actually works and how to do the transforming bit myself. I got let loose on one of the macs with editing software on and some previous footage they had shot and told just to go for it.

To be fair the software was probably more scared of me than I was of it.

In the end it was quite easy to figure out how to cut the footage into clips I actually wanted to use, and how to put them together, using cutaways over the top to create a voice over effect.

I got the chance to go out and actually film with Jack, the main cameraman within team, going all around Newcastle and Gateshead, using the time-lapse effect on the most complicated looking camera I have ever seen before.

Still the confusing part wasn’t the camera itself it was finding out where the camera ended and the tripod started and actually dismounting the thing.

Learning about the different camera angles, shots and their effects was really fascinating. And I also learnt that filming with a huge camera in the middle of Newcastle does get you many funny looks and a lot of stares.

After importing the footage into the editing software, I was then able to create my own video by editing the clips together and adding a sound track over the top.

I was taken on a creative course, which was run by Morgan, where I learnt more about camera and editing techniques, specific terminology to do with the camera and using videos within a business.

https://vimeo.com/134402457

I would like to thank all the guys at HT Media for letting me join there little family for two weeks and teaching me so many valuable things that will help me going towards my AS exams and any filming and editing I do in the future.

Written by Chlöe Holden

ht cameraman lands knockout blow ……with a commission to direct a film for Channel 4.

Our lead camera operator Jack Staveley is one of the winners in ‘Random Acts’ a national scheme to encourage young filmmakers.
We asked him to tell us a bit more about it…..

‘Random Acts is a partnership between Arts Council England and Channel 4 to produce 24 short films by young creative talent.
They are bold expressions of creativity delivered in short film form. They come in many flavours: live action, animation, serious, cheeky; made by dancers, visual artists, poets, musicians, writers, filmmakers.

My winning idea is a film called ‘The Fall’ a film about two boxers facing each other in the ring; unknown to each other, however, they both, for various reasons, are planning to lose!
And I’m proud to say ‘The Fall’ has been selected for the scheme and will go into production later this year.

It’s still early days and the work that has to go into pre-production is already mounting; with recce’s, editing tests and casting sessions all ahead of me before I even consider a shooting schedule. But I’m already excited about getting my teeth into the project.

The budget of up to £4,000 will make available some of the best regional talent the North East has to offer and the roles needed to make an engrossing film range from costume designers all the way through to composers.

My next step in the process is a three day residential course at the Tyneside Cinema which involves idea development, workshops and mentoring which will break down the filmmaking process start to finish and raise some fresh questions about my idea.

As the project develops I’ll be giving regular updates and revealing more insights into the film’s stylistic choices and narrative structure. Watch this space’.

Last month we filmed a powerful drama performance by Little Cat Theatre about elder abuse, which was performed in front of Gateshead’s Older Peoples Assemble.

The performance took place at St.Joseph’s Church Hall which is around 200 ft from our office. It involved us using 2 cameras, our FS700 and Morgan’s Cannon 5D. The performance involved 3 actors, which meant 3 radio mic’s. This caused us a problem, as the FS700 only has 2 audio inputs and Morgan’s 5D has none.

After looking at various options we decided to use a splitter cable. This allowed us to plug 2 radio mic receivers into one audio input.

Little Cat Theatre managed to cover the topic of elder abuse in a way that both informed and engaged the audience.

Pete Ross of Little Cat Theatre said:

"We were delighted to be commissioned by Gateshead Older people’s Assembly to develop a piece of theatre about Elder Abuse. This project was supported by Vera Baird, Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria. We felt that the subject was extremely important, and worthy of portraying in as realistic and hard hitting a manner as possible, and were grateful that the Assembly were very supportive throughout the devising process."

"Elder Abuse is sadly a reality, and we were keen that our piece was not seen as a performance, but more as an opportunity to inspire discussion about the subject. We were really happy to have an opportunity to work once again with HT Media. We have a working relationship which goes back to 2010, and which continues to go from strength to strength. The team possess the ability to fully understand the intention behind each project, and consistently achieve results beyond expectation."

"We remain hopeful that this project can ‘grow legs’ and that more people can become involved in the project."

We would like to thank Pete and his team for allowing us to film the performance. We look forward to working with Little Cat Theatre in the future.

Little Cat Theatre: https://www.facebook.com/groups/191187887570228/

Good news! We recently had the opportunity to film with Top Gear while they were at the metro radio arena as part of their UK tour.

Just a few days ago our cameraman Jack and I bumped into the The Stig at the Angel of the North, then a couple of days later we got a ‘phone call from the Arena asking us if we were free to film with the Top Gear presenters.

We were filming two different videos. The first an interview for Norwegian TV and the second a promotional sketch with Richard Hammond and James May.

It was a three camera shoot which meant using the Sony FS700, and 2 Cannon 5D’s.

The FS700 was framed on a close up on James May. One Cannon 5D was a wide shot and the other was used as a close up for Richard Hammond. Throughout the filming I found myself unable to stop laughing. The two presenters were just as funny, if not funnier, in real life as on the TV show.

Once we’d finished filming with Richard and James we were taken backstage to film some of the amazing super cars they had for the show. These ranged from Ferrari 458’s to Lamborghini Aventador’s. It was a chance for us to use all of our kit to capture some great shots of some stunning cars.

To cap an amazing day of filming with Top Gear off we were given tickets to go see the live show on the Sunday. The show featured all of the Top Gear presenters including the Stig as well as some amazing cars, stunts and races.

We’ve once again being working with Northumbria University to create the next installment in the international student series. This time the focus was on Indian students.

We spent the day with a group of Indian students who are studying at Northumbria. The shoot involved us filming all over the campus in various faculties, including 3 places we had never filmed before; the law court, fashion school and sports central.

Once again we used our wide range of lenses and equipment to capture some great footage to create a fantastic video. However, for this video we tried something a little different. One student was an avid rock climber, so we decided to interview him whilst on the climbing wall. This was a first for ht media, but it won’t be a last. It gave the interview a unique angle which really makes it stand out.

However, we couldn’t have created this video without the help of Annie Cooper International Marketing Coordinator at Northumbria University. She spent weeks creating a schedule for the filming, which made a potential difficult day very efficient and enjoyable.

We’ve really enjoyed working with Northumbria University and we’re looking forward to filming with them in the future.

Our latest animation project has been created in conjunction with Forfusion Ltd. A highly accredited IT & Communications company.

We were tasked with promoting their latest software, Pragmatist, a CRM system specifically designed to improve the efficiency of workflow and client monitoring for PR companies.

The difficulty of our task was not in advertising this product, as it offers so many features that are clearly beneficial to PR agencies. The challenge was to effectively present such a large volume of information and make the audience aware of all the applications. Animation proved to be our strongest candidate as it is a medium that is enjoyable for audiences to consume while offering us so many creative avenues.

And so, the stories of Jane and Fiona were born. Juxtaposing the two together (one adopting Pragmatist CRM, the other having not) presented two sides of a coin, clearly showing the advantages Pragmatist can offer and how well the system can simplify business processes.

“The work of the team at ht media was excellent,“ said Sean Ball, marketing executive at Forfusion Ltd. “They went the extra mile to fit around our budget and timescales. We’ve since commissioned them to do another project for us. I’d recommend ht media to anyone looking improve their content marketing.”

For ht, animation projects such as this are a fantastic way to merge the fun of drawing & design with the language of visual storytelling.

Already we can’t wait to build vectors, anchor pin points and map movement to bring future projects to life!

Last year we created a great promotional video for our fellow NOF Energy member, Bel Valves. It was another great opportunity to use an aerial drone.

BEL Valves are an internationally renowned supplier of high pressure valves, actuators and controls to the oil and gas industry. We’ve been working with Bel Valves to produce a promotional video which will be shown at events and feature on their website.

For this video we decided to use an aerial drone which allowed us to get some amazing shots both inside and outside. The drone had attached a Go Pro camera to capture the footage and only required one person to both fly and operate the camera.

As well as using an aerial drone we used our wide range of lenses, slider and the slow motion settings on our camera which allow us to record up to 800 frames per second, or more simply put, 32x slower than real life.

Once Dave had finished editing the footage, we were left with a video which is potentially one of the best we have made.

Allison Ennis Marketing Manager at BEL Valves said “We had seen the work done by ht media for NOF energy, which is how we first engaged with them. They are a great team who took some of our ideas and shaped them with enthusiasm and creative input. The process of storyboarding, filming and editing the two new videos for us was completed on time, to budget and with fantastic end results which we are all proud of.”

BEL Valves were a dream client to work with, coming up with great ideas and allowing unlimited access. We are thrilled to have such a pioneering company as a client.

Our partnership with Northumbria University has seen us make several promotional videos aimed at overseas students.

So far we have created two videos that show what life is like for overseas students in Newcastle and how the University can enhance their education and prospects for careers in their chosen studies. The first was aimed at Nigerian students, and the second at Ghanaians. If you would like to have a look follow the links below.

For our third video in the series we spent the day with a group of Brazilian students. It proved to be an insightful day inside the student bubble and it was great to see that despite being thousands of miles away from their families, Northumbria has created a campus that feels like home.

This video really shines in presenting our camera’s strongest features. The slow-motion capabilities coupled with our set of prime lenses allows us to focus over a shallow depth of field and capture intimate moments which would otherwise be missed.

Dave’s fast-cut editing style, weaved with the energetic tempo of the music track, ties all of the elements together creating a pace that pulls the viewer through to the last shot.

There are more to come – the next two films in the series focus on India & Malaysia.