Kings, Queens and Terrapins – why we were followed by the BBC

15th January 2018 by CH

Back in 2017 we were approached by Reading Between The Lines , a critically-acclaimed theatre company local to us in Reading, Berkshire.

They had a new production in preparation – an entirely new script called Matilda The Empress, a sequel to their hugely successful five-star rated Henry I.

The producers of the play wanted unique promotional video content for sponsorship, including a few social media shorts and a trailer video with a ‘wow’ factor to publish in the weeks before the play started.

In a serendipitous aligning of the stars, at the same time we were approached by Optomen productions who were busy planning the second series of Employable Me for the BBC.

Optomen were searching for video work experience for Ryan who suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome and has one of the worst cases in the UK.

So, unusually the Optomen crew ended up filming us while we filmed the behind the scenes video with Ryan. A new experience for all of us!

Tremendous Opportunity

The behind the scenes video was perfect for Ryan to have ‘hands on’ experience of pre-production, filming and post production and get a feel for the video industry. It was a great experience for us too. Ryan pitched in with creative ideas and we learnt a lot about the challenges that Tourette’s sufferers have to deal with. In the end, the footage didn’t make the final episode – Ryan’s story focused on his first love, working with terrapins and turtles at an aquatic centre.

Trailer Video

In the run-up to the premiere of Matilda The Empress , we created the trailer video which needed to have that ‘Game of Thrones’ feel to attract a younger audience to the historical drama.

Employing CGI, we used broken shards of a mirror reforming to its original state. We filmed the actors at our office studio which allowed us to incorporate their reflections as they delivered the lines to camera.

We designed the sound and used music from Rosalind Steele and Benjamin Hudson to deliver the desired impact.

Plus, we were thrilled the trailer video got air time on BBC South Today the week of the premiere.

Here’s to more in 2018!