A Multicamera Video Shoot for The Arts Society Nadder Valley

After contacting local video suppliers, Nadder Valley Arts Society enlisted Rank Your Domain to film the sculpture-based workshop.

Rank Your Domain created an engaging and instructional three part programme which exceeded our client’s expectations. Breaking the lecture into three parts also allowed for viewers to dip in and out of the programme according to their schedule. Shooting with 4k cameras and wireless lapel mics allowed us to take a step back while still capturing the essence of Mark's teachings.

The plan was to capture a day’s workshop on video, play a live feed to a class at Wardour School and have three lucky pupils experience Mark’s artistic approach first-hand. The first part of the workshop would teach Mark’s approach to the subject matter, part two would then show how Mark creates his own sculptures, and part three would show three pupils taking their first steps into sculpture themselves.

All three filmed lessons would stand up as a thorough theoretical and practical demonstration of how to sculpt, with the idea that anyone having watched would at least have an idea of how to attempt a sculpture and be inspired to give it a try themselves.

With COVID-19 as a backdrop, Nadder Valley and Rank Your Domain discussed the practical aspects of where and when to hold the recording, with safety and space being a primary concern.

Filming outside was impractical due to audio shortcomings and a hall was rejected as the space was too large. However, Mark's home studio was finally decided upon to minimise contact and ensure everyone could remain safe. The space was ventilated and added an informal touch, with the bonus of Mark still having an audience.

Once a production schedule and shot list was drawn up, the filming started. A fixed camera would cover Mark in wide shots and an operated second camera would follow him. A third camera would be utilised for both pupil interaction and close ups of sculptures. This plan was ambitious and challenging, since all cameras would need to be calibrated and colour matched in the editing process.

The three cameras and a separate audio feed would also need to be synced and the mountain of data labelled clearly. The recordings were well controlled and resulted in only minor disruptions to the workshop.

In postproduction, edits were passed over to Nadder Valley and adjusted until the client was happy that we had distilled the essential aspects of Mark’s teaching.

The main challenge came down to Mark’s enthusiasm for the subject and collecting so much material. After shooting the education, we filmed two additional pieces: an interview with Mark Coreth and an introduction to position the whole Programme. This helped us punctuate the learning so that we were able to change perspective for the edit.