Production Diary: A Typical Week At Southpoint Films
Have you ever wondered what a typical week looks like at Southpoint Films? If so, you’re in luck!
In this article I’ll be sharing what we’ve been up to recently. For those curious, hopefully it’s a good chance to peek behind the curtains.
Over the past week we’ve been working hard on a variety of different projects. We’ve been live streaming, creating training videos and filming promotional videos for a number of clients. Our team have worked really hard to make it all happen.
In truth, this week has been completely different to any other week – which is what makes it “typical”. It’s also makes it worth writing about too.
No day at Southpoint Films is the same. But the spirit of our team, our passion and determination is a constant. We work tirelessly to make great videos for our clients. I hope you can see that from how we’ve worked this week.
Without further ado, here’s what Paul, Sam and I got up to…
Monday – 4th May 2015
Although we officially start our diary on Monday, our week technically started the day before. We were busy in our studio prepping equipment for a live broadcast at the Royal College of Music. This kicked off on Monday – and on a bank holiday, no less. Bank holidays and weekends are no obstacle for our team.
The live stream was for a conference about “low latency video streaming” hosted by Jisc. It featured live demos of world-leading musicians performing together over the internet in realtime. If you don’t know, that’s a huge accomplishment in the world of tech. The delays in your average video call would usually make this impossible.
Streaming this event was a huge responsibility, considering the audience. Everyone watching was likely to be an expert in video streaming technology. No pressure!
Tuesday – 5th May 2015
While Tuesday marked the second of our three days of live broadcasting, it was the first day of the week for most of the country. Accordingly, we were now receiving requests and enquiries from customers, new and old.
When the conference delegates were taking breaks, the team and I were busy answering emails and making calls. We were also using moments of downtime productively. We uploaded new cuts of videos for review, sent over screenshots for use in presentations, and offloaded footage captured throughout the day to speed up the editing process later down the line.
After the conference wrapped, our crew went out for dinner and discussed ideas for new projects. I went back to the hotel and wrote a business case based on our discussions, which we’re now developing further.
Wednesday – 6th May 2015
Wednesday marked our final day of live streaming at the Royal College of Music. Just like the days prior, the stream went swimmingly. After another successful day, it was time to de-rig our equipment and make the journey back to Southampton.
On the way back we had a small debrief. We discussed what went well and what could be improved for future live streams. Back in Southampton, it was time to unload and repack our kit ahead of two different shoots happening the next day.
Thursday – 7th May 2015
Thursday saw our team take on two different projects. Paul went to Chichester to film a customer testimonial. Meanwhile, I visited our client ICE to film a series of training videos for them.
Both of these projects would later require editing. In fact, Paul’s footage needed editing that evening. Our client was hoping to use it in an important sales presentation the next day. Could we do it? Of course we could.
Working into the night, I prepared the testimonial video for our client to use the next day. We never fail to meet a deadline!
Friday – 8th May 2015
Friday.
I started my day by delivering a media training workshop at a crisis response company. The workshop showed their staff how to interact with the media when responding to an incident. We’d previously filmed their team during a simulation, so the workshop was a chance to show them how they’d come across. It also gave us an opportunity to discuss any goofs and blunders, and how they could be avoided in the future.
After, I went to Basingstoke to meet with an events company to discuss their video strategy. We’d been filming a lot of content at their exhibitions, and we were looking to utilise it in new and exciting ways. For example, creating short videos to promote upcoming events on social media.
Thankfully, the rest of the day was quite relaxed. After a busy week of filming, it was finally a chance to catch up on some business administration – like responding to emails and sending invoices. It wasn’t quite over yet, though.
An Evening Shoot To End The Week
In the evening, Paul and I drove into the depths of Wiltshire to film a charity fundraiser dinner. The event was raising money for the Romsey War Horse Memorial Sculpture, created by artist Amy Goodman. The sculpture is due to be installed and unveiled in July.
Paul has been working on a documentary about the sculpture for several years now. It was wonderful to support him with Southpoint Films’ resources as he approaches the end of his project.
So Much For “Typical Week”
As you can see we’ve had a pretty full-on week. Although I said at the outpost of this post that it’s been unlike any other week, this is very much typical here. While the projects change, our attitude stays the same. We love what we do – and we like to think that’s why our customers enjoy working with us.
If you’d like to work with a video production company that can take whatever you throw at us and deliver a great result, why not get in touch?
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