2021 In Review – Some Of Our Favourite Moments
Well, what can we say about 2021? It’s been another interesting year for all of us. Although it felt like things had (mostly) returned to normal again throughout a large portion of the year, we still faced our fair share of disruptions. From the lockdowns in early January to the uncertain year-end, COVID-19 certainly made its presence known.
But despite the challenges, we’re incredibly fortunate to have worked with some amazing clients this year. And we’ve produced some great content too – if we do say so ourselves!
So, with Christmas around the corner, we thought now would be a good time to wrap up our year and share a few of the projects from 2021 that really stood out for us.
University of Southampton Lifelab – COVID Warriors
We loved working with Lifelab at the University of Southampton to produce this series of educational videos about COVID-19. For context, these videos were aimed at primary school children to help them understand different aspects of the pandemic and the associated rules that we were all being asked to comply with.
This was a really important project for us because these videos were able to make a difference during a relatively early stage of the pandemic. Delivered alongside interactive workshops, our videos were initially rolled out to local schools in Southampton. However, initial success led them to become adopted by the RSPH (Royal Society for Public Health UK) and they were shown in schools all around the country. So if you have a little one of your own, there’s a chance they may have already seen these videos at school!
Now, before you ask, all of the scripts were provided by Lifelab. They were properly researched and scientifically approved by the University of Southampton’s scientists. We didn’t make any factual or editorial decisions. But our job was to bring the scripts to life with this eclectic range of puppets – voiced by our presenters James and Fi.
It’s fair to say that this was definitely one of the more creative projects that we have worked on – and certainly one of the most fun!
Southern Co-op AGM 2021
Due to the pandemic, we were asked to live stream Southern Co-op’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) to all of their members across the South of England – with our first live stream taking place in 2020.
For 2021, we were delighted to be asked back to live stream Southern Co-op’s 2021 AGM. This time around, we made some improvements from the previous year’s broadcast by introducing motion graphic backgrounds and other bespoke animations, improving the overall production quality of the show.
Like before, the technical setup involved four cameras, three teleprompters and five crew members – including our colleague Hazel. One of the reasons why this project stood out is because this live stream marked Hazel’s first day with us as a full-time member of staff. It’s been fantastic having her on the team this year and we’re really grateful for all of her hard work. Thanks for being with us, Hazel!
Venturefest South – VFS21
Venturefest South is an annual innovation showcase that helps innovative businesses find support, funding and investment. As a long-time sponsor of the event, we were on hand to provide video coverage of the day – much like usual!
However, a key difference in 2021 was that we also live-streamed this event so that viewers could also tune in from home. This proved to be hugely successful, with many viewers commenting on how it helped them dip in and out for the bits that interested them. This meant the event could reach an audience beyond those who could attend in person for the full day.
It’s probably unsurprising to hear that live streaming has been a major staple of our 2021. However, the thing that made Venturefest South stand out for us was that it was our first time filming at a large-scale business exhibition since the pandemic began. Although by October we’d filmed other physical events, this was the first one that felt like we were well and truly close to normality again.
Additionally, our Managing Director Rowan Johnson was also invited to take part in a panel discussion on how the creative industry is driving innovation in the south. It was an exciting discussion which you can watch here.
Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth FC Anti-Racism Film
It was an honour to be asked to produce this film for Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth FC to help raise awareness for Hate Crime Week and Black History Month. The heart and soul of the film was a poem written by Pompey fan Majid Dhana called ‘Illuminated Voices’. To convey this important message, we filmed people that reflect the diversity of the Portsmouth FC staff and supporters.
We got to enjoy filming in some stunning locations around the city including Portsmouth FC training ground, Southsea Castle, Portsmouth Guildhall Square and Old Portsmouth overlooking the Spinnaker Tower. Portsmouth is a special place for us because, with our offices being in Southampton, Portsmouth is our neighbouring city. We do a lot of work there!
This film was broadcast at Fratton Park, on the Big Screen, and at other venues across the city.
Eurotank – Mepsan Factory Tour
Eurotank is one of our longstanding clients, and it’s always a joy to work with them. However, this project was especially exciting for us as it was our first shoot abroad since the pandemic.
For this project, we were asked by Eurotank to film at one of their suppliers’ factories in Konya, Turkey. After flying out, we were taken to the Mepsan factory to film how their petrol pumps are built and assembled. We filmed laser cutters, paint sprayers and all other kinds of high tech manufacturing equipment. It was very impressive!
Not only was it exciting to film abroad again, but this project was a great example of how video can help businesses operate internationally. Instead of flying every customer individually around the world, a video can give them the full story without the time, environmental and financial costs involved with travelling.
Calmore Junior School’s Christmas Show
Due to Covid precautions, families weren’t able to attend Calmore Junior School’s Christmas Show in person this year. To prevent them from missing out entirely, we were asked by the school if we could capture this very special performance so that it could be sent out to families and enjoyed at home.
Now, this isn’t our typical sort of project, and the school had a limited budget, but thanks to our flexible pricing structure we were able to work with the school to make sure that parents didn’t miss out entirely on seeing their children’s school play this year.
The feel-good nature of this project could have been enough of a reason to make it stand out for us – but there’s a bigger reason why it ended up on our list. It turns out that Calmore Junior School is where our Content Producer Hazel attended when she was younger. She was very excited to be back at school filming this show and soaking in the nostalgia!
So as you can see, 2021 has been an incredibly busy and exciting year for us at Southpoint Films and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients, customers and our team for making 2021 such a productive one. There are some interesting projects already lined up for us in 2022 so watch this space! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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