https://www.channel4.com/news/groundbreaking-scottish-ballet-keeps-audiences-on-their-toes
Scotland Correspondent: Kathryn Samson
tx: 14th December 2023
Glasgow Camera Operator – Ryan Blackwood Glasgow Camera Operator Ryan Blackwood is a BAFTA New Talent winner who works across […]
For a better climate, environmentalists are reforesting the Scottish Highlands with millions of trees. In order for the forest to grow undisturbed, thousands of deer have to die because the game damages the young shoots. This is causing discussions because the region’s hunters fear that the reduced population will result in a loss of an important source of income: hunting tourism. As part of the “Net Carbon Zero” strategy, the UK wants to plant a total of 24 million trees over the next few years to offset its carbon footprint. After the First World War, only around five percent of Scotland was forested, and by 2050 this should be 25 percent again – a mammoth project with a model character for other forest-poor regions in Europe.
Broadcast 15/11/2023
RT: 33min
genre: documentaries and reports
BBC Scotland is to broadcast a stand-up special as part of its festive celebrations on Hogmany – Dec 31st 2023 at 10pm on BBC Scotland.
Scotland Stands Up will be hosted by Jim Smith, and feature sets from Susie McCabe, Jamie MacDonald, Stuart McPherson and Marjolein Robertson.
Filmed live at the Church Hill Theatre
Production Company: Dabster Films
Producer” Richard Melvin
Director: Al Lorraine
Tech Manager: Sean Kerwin
DoP: Ryan Blackwood
Camera set-up: Multi-camera
Camera operators: Iain Henderson, Lee Richardson, William Topping, TJ Sedisa
I was one of the camera on ”Pitchside” at Hampden Park this week for the 150th-anniversary heritage match. Got some cracking shots of Jude Bellingham.
Directed by Magnus Wake.
Scott McIntosh on B-cam.
Filmed for Magnus Wake with the talented Jim Leishman
Full edit for the Edinburgh International Film Festival
I shot some of this with Richard Nicholls at Swift Films
Ken Loach is one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers, the author of a humanist body of work celebrated throughout the world and the recipient of numerous awards, including two Palmes d’Or. I was the 2nd camera operator for this Arte documentary.
Directed by Pierre Chassagnieux
PRODUCED BYMa Drogue à Moi, France 5
PRODUCTION YEAR 2023
PROGRAMME FORMAT One-off
GENRES Documentary
RUNTIME 52 min
Bet365 travels back to Kinross in Scotland to as the team continue to prepar Ahoy Senor for the Cheltenham Cup.
Producer: Meadhbh Deeney
Agency: fifty three six– digital marketing agency for sport
Camera & drone operator: Ryan Blackwood
Camera operator: Kenneth McAlpine
Sound: Cameron Mercer
Robert Black: A look at the Scottish serial killer who preyed on young girls between the ages of five and 11 throughout a six-year killing spree.
Britains’s Most Evil KillersSeason 3, episode 3 is available on Sky and Apple TV.
Elizabeth II’s death is a turning point. Many Britons and people around the world are saying goodbye to her. Between mourning and new beginnings, one question is on everyone’s mind: what does the end of the Elizabethan era mean for the monarchy and for the British people?
Country: Germany
Year: 2022
Duration: 32 min
Genre: Documentaries and Reportage
Angus Robertson Sinclair committed his first murder at only the age of 16 when he viciously attacked an 8 year old girl.
Bet365 travels to Kinross in Scotland to meet Lucinda Russell as the Lucinda Russell Racing team begins preparations for another big season over the jumps.
Producer: Meadhbh Deeney
Agency: fifty three six– digital marketing agency for sport.
DoP: Leon Brehony
Camera & drone operator: Ryan Blackwood
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001bgvq/edinburgh-unlocked-2022-3-edinburgh-unlocked
Mark Nelson provides a guide to the Edinburgh Fringe. Also features Jamie MacDonald, Rachel Jackson, Rosco McClelland and Eunice Olumide.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001b2fc
People’s Postcode Lottery does the Gogglebox thing…
#GlasgowBarons #MusiciansInExile #Govan #PeoplesPostcodeLottery #FionaPhillips #PaulMacAlindin #SomeonesKnockingAtYourDoor #SomeonesKnockingAtYourDoor
Musicians in Exile is a project based in the Govan area of Glasgow, designed to bring together refugees and asylum seekers who can play music but no longer have contact with other musicians or access to instruments.
Founded in 2018 by award-winning musician Paul MacAlindin.
#PeoplesPostcodeLottery #SomeonesKnockingAtYourDoor #DanielJohnstonXFactor
Channel 4 News piece about the New Scottish Minimum Pricing with Ciaran Jenkins.
Freelance documentary news cameraman for Channel 4 and ITN. Scotland based. 4K FS7 & A7Sii kit.
This is our most recent social media video shoot and edit for the UK Government. A social media video is a short-form video crafted specifically to drive engagement actions and captivate viewers on social networks. Our social media video campaigns often require a 60-second edit for You Tube / a 1×1 aspect version for Facebook and a 9:16 aspect version for Instagram – so it’s important to think about all three aspect ratios when framing. We did the same for all six films in this series: Glenfiddich, Indienature , Pawprint, Remode Collective , and our COP 26 Volunteer.
When shooting social media videos we film our interviews first where possible so when I collect the additional video content I have ideas about what ‘b-roll’ might be most suitable. Social media videos are required to be very short – as short as 15 seconds – so having interviews deliver short, engaging soundbites can be crucial. For this reason I often film using a two camera set up – to allow the removal or extra content – without the need to cut away to b-roll (or GVs as we used to call it in Britain).
Solaris Kit help people realise the full potential of solar energy with SolarisKit’s flat-packable solar heating technology. If you read this post here, you will also understand that thier flat-packable solar thermal collector provides an affordable, easy to transport, simple to install, and visually attractive alternative to current solutions available.
I enjoy the fast turnaround nature of being a news cameraman in Scotland. Channel 4 News asked my to shoot this piece in Ayrshire about the future of Scottish music funding. I also filmed Minimum Pricing for Channel 4 News.
Freelance documentary news cameraman for Channel 4 and ITN. Scotland based. 4K FS7 & A7Sii kit.
Just ahead of the holiday season, author J.K. Rowling reads an excerpt from the heartwarming new book inspired by her son’s toy pig. It’s her first children’s novel since “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
Produced by Richard Nicoll at Swift Films
I just found these old films from a few years ago – and it was the first film I worked for the UK Government. Produced by Pukka Films.
This was a press pack edit for the media. Produced for Getty Images as editorial content.
Probably my last COP 26 related job yesterday – shooting for the Low Carbon Resources Initiative. Over the COP 26 Conference I also filmed for GlaxoSmithKline and Bloomberg Philanthropies, as well as producing several of the UK Government official COP films.
This documentary film about Antarctica was commissioned by SAGES to be a high level overview of the region and draw attention to its changes as the climate warms.
SAGES pools world-leading expertise in geoscience and environmental science from across Scotland’s research base, creating a multi-disciplinary alliance at the forefront of earth and environmental research.
additional Photography ‘pack shots’This documentary film about the Arctic was commissioned by SAGES to be a high level overview of the region and draw attention to its changes as the climate warms.
SAGES pools world-leading expertise in geoscience and environmental science from across Scotland’s research base, creating a multi-disciplinary alliance at the forefront of earth and environmental research.
This year, World Ocean’s Day is set to grow the global movement to call on world leaders to protect 30% of our blue planet by 2030. Craghoppers is delighted to be working with the Galapagos Conservation Trust as part of their commitment to conservation through their Mindfully Made Project.
This Edinburgh timelapse film was created using a Canon 5DS shooting a timelapse and two Sony FS5s shooting video.
I did some additional photography for this series and it’s on Channel 4 player for the next week.
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-scottish-island-that-won-the-lottery
Here’s us getting ready for the Nicola Benedetti interview at Perth Concert Hall.
Some of what I filmed together with Julian Swanitz last week at Celtic FC.
Produced by ITV Signpost in 2017. We filmed a few different videos for ITV Signpost over 5 days. We created a small studio set up in the heart of Dundee and traveled around the city to capture video of the famous Tay Bridge and some other local landmarks. We filmed various walk and talks too. This short film is one of the key interviews we shot and was my very first experience working in amongst a mostly deaf film cast and crew.
Dundee camera operator Ryan Blackwood travels across Scotland filming for clients including ITV signpost. Camera and audio equipment includes a Sony FS7 with Fujinon 17-55, Rode NTG 3, Sennheiser radio microphones.
The Exeter (UK) based producing team share their enthusiasm “We are absolutely delighted to have be awarded the second prize in this competition amongst many excellent contributions showcasing women’s work and positions in fisheries from around the world. We hope that achieving this international and prestigious recognition from WSI will help us to push for better national recognition of the work women do in UK fisheries.”
I filmed Elaine Black on her boat in the East Neuk of Fife. This film recently won 2nd prize from WSI Award.
In the UK their vessels make up 80% of the nation’s fishing fleet yet they receive only 4% of the total national fishing quota. On the other side of the Atlantic, Newfoundland fisheries have been downsized in response to fisheries closures in the early 1990s. In both locations people who depend upon this industry have been left vulnerable. This includes thousands of women who are vital to the survival of small-scale fishing businesses. To explore and raise their profile, this research project has examined women’s roles, identities and wellbeing in fishing families.
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, it was conducted at the University of Exeter Medical School and runs until the end of 2020.
I filmed the scenes at Bon Tots in Edinburgh
George Heriot’s School is a Scottish independent primary and secondary school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. Swift Films produced this film; shot by Richard Nicholls A Cam and Ryan Blackwood B Cam.
Greenscreen video shoot in Edinburgh.
Former DCI Jackie Malton revisits the case of a Scottish serial killer Peter Tobin, who had a criminal record dating back to his childhood. Directed by David Howard.
I filmed all the gimble shots of the boat at sea using a Sony A7S mk2 and a Batis 85mm lens. My colleague Peter Keith shot the aerial cinematography. We filmed on a boat in the strait between Thurso and the Isle of Hoy, Orkney.
I also shot B camera shots on the Sony FS7 for episode 2 where they land the fish and some pick-ups in the boat. Trawlermen: Celebs at Sea TX’d on Channel 4 on Monday 1 July at 9pm 2019. Produced by KEO Films, there are two programmes in the series.
I did some additional photography for the 2nd unit – filming most of the principal characters for HBO / Sky Atlantic including Mark Strong and Alan Ruck. The footage was projected at the V&A museum on a screen in a key scene for the episode. The thought of something I filmed on a screen that size was really exciting. In the audience were the likes of Brain Cox, Holly Hunter and James Cromwell. It was an amazing opportunity to steal some screen time on an Emmy winning series!
“Dundee” is the eighth episode of the second season of HBO satirical comedy-drama television series Succession, and the 18th overall. In the episode, the Roys travel to Dundee, Scotland, Logan’s birthplace, to celebrate his 50th anniversary as CEO of Waystar RoyCo.
I was literally the only person in the audience capturing a performance by Nicola Benedetti and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Quite an experience! Matt and the team at Stagecast put together an excellent 30 minute 2020/21 Season Opener.
The fox cubs of Corstorphine Hill have been charming those lucky enough to encounter them during lockdown. I followed a family of Red Foxes, just a few streets away from my home, over the course of six weeks to produce this short film for the online series ‘Wildlife Scotland’.
It’s late April and we’re in Scotland’s capital – Edinburgh. Streets away from Corstorphine Hill nature reserve one resident has been charmed by her garden visitors. It’s most common to see Foxes in Spring when they are more active during the day. When raising their young, foxes live in small family units, called a ‘leash’ or skulk’ of foxes. The ten fox cubs have spent the last few weeks underground, but now explore the local gardens for the first time. Two females, likely a mother and daughter, have nursed these two litters together since March. The cubs (or kits) will live with their family until about late September when they will leave to hunt independently. The foxes play fight to develop their hunting skills and find their place in the hierarchy. They pounce and play like cats and dogs, each with their own unique personality – with the boldest are seen most frequently during the day.
At night the cubs wait for the returning vixens, they pass the time with the usual – fighting, stalking and balls – until finally, a vixen returns to feed both of the litters. For the first five weeks, the cubs are dependent on milk. Returning with food, she will bury any surplus – when she is allowed. As the fights have turned more serious there have been injuries, but mostly it’s learning and feeding. Every feed is a race to latch on as there often isn’t enough teats to go around, with the cubs signalling for more. By May the eldest cubs have come into their amber coats and unique markings. By June most have become increasingly wary of people and are seen less during the day, all except the most outgoing.
For more of my wildlife videos check out my Scottish wildlife camera operator page
If you’re interested in the natural world please visit Wildlife Academy for more Scottish wildlife videos.
#foxesofinstagram #Edinburghsurbanfoxes #wildlifescotland #filmmakers #foxcubs #spring #foxes #wildlife #ScottishWildlife #springbegins #fox #Scotland #ForTheLoveofScotland #outdoors #photographer #filmmaker #nature #instagram #love #wildlife #photography #naturephotography #animallovers #wild #animalplanet #animalsofinstagram #animalkingdom #follow #instagood #awesome_shot #nature_shooters #wildlifeoncamera
Our remote video edit suite at our Edinburgh office is now set up to adhere to social distancing measures. We now offer complete remote editing facilities that allow for a full face-to-face discussion. I can see my time as a remote video editor extending beyond the Covid-19 outbreak. The truth is its just a more efficient way of working that I think may well be here to stay for some time for a number of reasons.
The video editing process involves many sets of eyes and several layers to complete. It’s important for us to make the editing process as easy as possible for our clients, and this really makes it more convenient.
Often our clients want to discuss editing the flow or the impact can be a tricky conversation without looking at the video edit together. Often the editing of dialogue must navigate compliance. All of these elements means working with a video editor on the day, at the timer is essential to deliver a quick and effective film, without needly toing and froing…
+ Screencasting the live edit – timeline and output
Using Teamviewer we can review all the rushes together with a director or producer at home – in real-time
+ 2nd camera video chat over with Zoom / Skype / Facetime
We have our video chat set up to view the editor and monitors simultaneously so we’re always on the same page
+ Review changes with timecode for notes, review and download.
Our video edit clients include Boeing, Visit Britain and the UK Government.
Edinburgh Edit suite Specification
- imac 3.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
- 32gb Memory
- x3 27″ displays
The monitors have been colour calibrated with a Spyder Datacolour.
Back to work with a bluescreen and autocue interview set up for Fifa. Why bluescreen and not greenscreen? Well, the bluescreen set up simply matched Fifa’s brand identity better – so we didn’t even need to composite out the blue, although I did try and keep it evenly lit.
Behind the Scenes set up
Camera – Sony FS7 with TC back. Shot in Slog 3.
Autocue – Eyedirect autocue
Lens – Fujinon 18-55mm at f/2.8
Key Light – Large dome light (Aputure)
Fill light – Cineflex XL light
Backlight – Dedolight
Bluescreen – pop up bluescreen with x2 Lightpanel Astras evenly lighting the bluescreen. I used a pop-up black/white reflector behind so light from behind the screen didn’t create shadows.
#bts #btsedits #fs7 #sachtler #eyedirect #autocue #filmming #camerasetup #cameraoperator #scotland #fujinon #bluescreen #fifa
This RSPB Scotland film was shot in at RSPB Abernethy Forest in the heart of the Cairngorms. As one of Britain’s most loved wildlife charities, it was a real pleasure working with them to create a film to promote the RSPB Scotland Patron’s events. The Abernethy Forest is rich in biodiversity and offers a truly wild landscape with a woodland that has remained unspoiled. As an RSPB Patron you are invited to high profile events with senior conservation experts. This tour of Abernethy Forest included a photography masterclass with renowned landscape photographer, Colin Prior.
Filmed and Edited by wildlife cameraman Ryan Blackwood.
For more wildlife and conservation films follow Wildlife Academy.
#ColinPrior #wildlifescotland #RSPB #RSPBAbernethy #wildlifecameraman
24 years ago this week the deadliest mass shooting in the UK happened. Here’s how they responded. While the U.S. continues to struggle with taking definitive action in the wake of mass shootings, one of the deadliest massacres to occur in the UK resulted in the banning of handguns years ago. For this unprecedented change to occur, it took both a tragedy and the hard work of an entire community. A total of 32 people sustained gunshot wounds inflicted by Hamilton over a 3–4-minute period. Thomas Hamilton killed 18 people including himself with two 9mm Browning HP Pistols, two Smith & Wesson M19 Magnum revolvers.
Our studio timelapse BTS was filming at Ranch Studio Scotland in Edinburgh today for People’s Postcode Lottery video interviews. Similar job to a couple of weeks ago minus a defective Sony FS7 – and a Sony FS5 in its place. Since it was quite a tight forward set up Guy (our Soundie) and I took the change to shoot some comparison footage in the Sony FS5 Cine gamma profile.
We used our own lighting equipment and video cameras to match a series of other interviews.
A Camera: Sony FS5 with Samyang 50mm prime at f/2.0
B camera: Sony FS5 with Canon 70-200mm at 85mm f/2.8
Keylight: x2 CineFlex XL kit includes Softbox and grid 5500°K
Backlight: LightPanel Astra with grid
Kickerlight: Dedolight with Full CTB
Background lights: Aputure LS C300D Mark 2 onto white wall set to low power with x2 ND gels
The Royal Air Force have landed their first P-8A Poseidon in the UK and we produced the promotional film for Boeing. This is the first of nine aircraft that will be based at RAF Lossiemouth, where they’ve invested £100m together with the Ministry of Defence. We filmed and edited a series of three films for Boeing on the back of a successful campaign with the RAF for the UK Government.
Our Glenmuir Spring Summer fashion shoot 2020 was filmed back in 2019. Each year we film the films for Glenmuir and Sutherland of Scotland brands.
#StreetPrize Winners with People’s Postcode Lottery
Filming former SNP Deputy, Jim Sillars for NTV.
I filmed all the sequences in Edinburgh this week with the team playing the Christmas football game.
Interview between Bill Forsyth and film critic David Cairns for the newly remastered Criterion Collection Bluray release.
John Burnside is a writer rarely seen. With “ttt” he speaks in Scotland about his latest novel, Brexit – and about the all-encompassing influence of politics, which even extends to love relationships. Filmed for ARD German TV in St Andrews.
This Glenmuir fashion video was filmed and edited in conjunction with the photoshoot on an East Lothian golf course. Our films have featured on their website’s homepage for the last few years. The fashion video is a valuable way for them to display the collection. Each fashion video we’ve produced for both Glenmuir and Sunderland of Scotland over the last few seasons has been different.
As a film festival trailer editor, it’s my 4th year working with the Edinburgh Int’l Film Festival. Editing the film festival trailer is a job I love – working with over 100 films and adding audio elements to make a super short highlights film.
Filmed for the UK Government. Gordon Brown is a one-take wonder!
Zulu Company from 45 Commando, based at Arbroath, will now be the first men on the ground should the marines be called on to deal with a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident at home or abroad. Filmed for the UK Government.
Filmed Quintin Jardine over the course of day to produce this promotional film for his latest crime novel. Client: Headline Publishing Group.
Only a small fraction of children’s learning takes place at school, so the better the home environment, the better the child’s learning can be. That’s why we’ve developed Families Connect. Shot and edited by Ryan Blackwood.
Boroughmuir Rugby Club commissioned me to produce, shoot and edit a film for their centenary event.
UK Government film for the UK Foreign Office.
Jackie Malton revisits the case of Scottish serial killer Peter Tobin, who had a criminal record dating back to his childhood. She travels to Glasgow to meet officers, forensic scientists, and the legal team who were instrumental in putting him behind bars – most have never talked about these cases before. British original true crime series “The Real Prime Suspect” – Tuesdays 10pm only on CBS Reality. I filmed the B camera for four days on this job.
The entire Roy clan travels to Logan’s hometown of Dundee, Scotland, for a celebration of Logan’s 50 years in the business; Kendall becomes enamored with Jennifer, an actress in Willa’s play; a former employee proves difficult to silence.
I filmed the messages left by the entire Roy clan for Logan’s 50 years celebration dinner. It was then screened to Brain Cox at the V&A in Dundee!
A new BBC game show will feature families competing in a test of intelligence designed by a neuroscientist. The Family Brain Games will pit eight clans against one another in a series of tasks and follow the contestants behind the scenes. Dara O Briain will host the new show, which will follow families into a “games lab” to compete and film behind the scenes as spouses, parents and children work out how to tackle each task. I filmed with Team Simmons for a day to capture interviews and actuality for Label 1 Tv.
Ever since the bitcoin boom of late 2017, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Ripple, and even DogeCoin have made their way into the mainstream. But for some predisposed to addiction, the volatility of trading cryptocurrency can sometimes become a dangerous obsession. In this episode of Transmissions, Motherboard goes to Castle Craig Hospital in Scotland, a rehabilitation facility that recently added treatment for cryptocurrency addiction to its gambling rehabilitation program intended to help those struggling with betting specifically on (unstable) digital currencies.
Producer: Dylan Coburn
DoP: Michael James Murray
Camera operator: Ryan Blackwood
RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland is one of two RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) stations which protect UK airspace. Produced by the UK Government. Filmed and Edited by Ryan Blackwood
Filming at Ranch Studio Scotland in Edinburgh today for People’s Postcode Lottery video interviews. We set up an Eyedirect so the talent can look at the director while looking straight down the lens of the Sony FS7. The Ranch Studio is a 9m x 6m studio space with an infinity cove. We used our own lighting equipment and video cameras to match a series of other intimate interviews with award-nominees.
A Camera: Sony FS7 with Samyang 50mm prime at f/2.0
B camera: Sony FS5 with Canon 70-200mm at 85mm f/2.8
Keylight: x2 CineFlex XL kit includes Softbox and grid 5500°K
Backlight: LightPanel Astra with grid
Kickerlight: Dedolight with Full CTB
Background lights: Aputure LS C300D Mark 2 onto white wall set to low power with x2 ND gels
#studiolife #edinburghfilmstudio #camerasetup #filmstudio #camera #camera #SonyFS7 #SonyFS5 #Eyedirect #flowtech #samyang #edinburghdop #lightpanel
Instagram: edinburgh_camera_dude
Address: 28 Tennant St, Edinburgh EH6 5ND
As a broadcast news camera operator, I am often called upon to travel and shoot with very little notice. That’s why I keep my Sony FS7 kit ready to be deployed at a moments notice.
This job was wild. Stood in the post office I get the call from Al Jazeera International – ‘Can you shoot an interview in the next few hours?’. Sure. ‘You have to find a location asap’. Right. I set up a shoot down at Orroco Peir and this section with Alan was slotted into the programme for the next day. The reason I was able to do this News shoot was that the kit bags were already packed, with the V-lock batteries charged and the cards formatted. The news programme was ‘The Listening Post‘ for Al Jazeera English.
Cameraman based in Scotland, ready at the drop of a hat.
Here’s the press release from Boarding Schools: The Secret Shame, for which I filmed a number of journalist Alex Renton’s pieces to camera. An estimated one million people in Britain today went to boarding school. But increasingly the true extent of sexual abuse in these elite institutions is coming to light. ITV’s Exposure investigates the private schools that appeared willing to disregard children’s safety, with some failing to take action against predatory paedophiles, who groomed and assaulted young boarders over and over again, sometimes getting away with it for decades. Did protecting a school’s reputation mean their pupils were put at risk? This documentary follows Alex Renton, a journalist who himself was sexually abused as an eight year old by his teacher at one of the country’s top boarding schools. Alex is sharing with Exposure a unique database, created from the huge personal correspondence he has received from victims of abuse since he began writing about his own experience of it. Alex speaks with abuse survivors to expose the systematic failures that allowed paedophiles to go unpunished, and how in some cases this permitted them to continue teaching elsewhere in the private and the state sector, preying on more children. He also meets ‘James’, a former boarding school teacher and convicted paedophile, to ask the questions he couldn’t ask of his own, now dead, abuser. Despite the decades that have passed since Alex’s time at school, the reporting of abuse allegations is still not legally mandatory at schools in the UK. Exposure examines the current safeguarding procedures in place at boarding schools and asks whether these go far enough to protect children in the system today.
I worked as a lighting assistant on this CR Smith advert. This new TV advertising campaign, “Beautiful Homes start with Beautiful Windows” launches today on Sky TV.
Credits
Director: David Lumsden
DOP: Phil Wood
Gaffer: Derrick Ritchie
Producer: Jemma Goba
Data Wrangling Workflow
When working as a Data Wrangler your workflow is key. Note I say Data Wrangler, and not DIT. This is a simple reliable method of data wrangling for storage, not a complete Digital Imaging Technician. As an Edinburgh based camera operator with experience as a data wrangler this is my personal work-flow, and as such each person will seek to make their convention their own. Whatever your work-flow, it is important that you stick to it. When backing up your rushes it is very important that the naming convention is correct. Be meticulous. I’ve seen first hand what happens when people are cack handed with their cards and at best it involves alot of stress and drama between the shoot and the edit with people questioning if footage has been lost – and at worse you really have lives oit your worst nightmare!
Into the Realms of the DIT Digital Imaging Technician
I have worked as a professional camera operator and editor, but the types of camera technologies you will come across may be far greater than my day-to day and include Arri Amira, Red Scarlet Dragon, Varicam LT and the Canon C300. ShotPut Pro is an automated copy utility application for video, audio and photo files. At $129 it is widely used and trusted by film and TV professionals. They have other useful products like PrimeTranscoder but I typically just use MPEG Streamclip. Many of the DITs I know will use Film Convert for camera profiles, Da Vinci Resolve for grading and Plural Eyes for syncing up cameras (if required), and Scratch for reviewing rushes.
Data Wrangling Equipment
13″ Mac Book Pro Retina Display
x2 2TB Rugged Lacie (Thunderbolt)
2x 8TB G-raid (in the office)
XQD card reader (for Sony FS7)
Workflow as a Data Wrangler on ShotPut Pro
You will create your naming convention within ShotPut Pro.
Everything must be copied via Shotput Pro, and you must copy THE WHOLE CARD, and not touch the folder structure within the card. We need an exact copy of the card in its entirety. Please adhere to the following naming convention exactly as follows, it is so important that this is correct.
SERIES_EPISODE_SUBJECT_CAMERAOP_REVDATE_CAMCODE_CARDNO
e.g.
GB_COA_SEALS_SO_20170526_FS7_001
Camera Codes:
FS7 – Sony FS7
AMIRA – Arri Amira
RED – Red Scarlet Dragon
VCLT – Varicam LT
C300 – Canon C300
FS700 – Sony FS700
ME20 – Canon ME20
SELEX – Selex
A7S – Sony A7S
GH4 – Panasonic GH4
D500 – Nikon D500
GP – GoPro
OSMO – DJI OSMO X5
ShotPut Pro version 6
Backing up with ShotPut Pro version 6
Begin by connecting the 2 backup (destination) drives and the raw media (source) dri ve or card. Then launch ShotPut Pro and open the ‘Preferences’ menu.
Please ensure that the above settings are set. Backing up – Setting the offload destination Double click on ‘Presets’ in the bottom left hand corner.
In this Window you can change your Preset Title to ‘Default Offload’ It is in ‘Custom Text’ that you create your naming convention At the bottom of the window in ‘Filesystem Offload Destination’ add the 2 drives that you are backing up to. Please ensure that the below settings are set.
Once you have set the preset, drag and drop your card onto ‘drop files here’ You must drag and drop the whole card, do not open the card and pick out files. When the whole card appears in the main window, hit the play icon in the top right. The offload status will begin and appear in top right.
Yesterday I filmed Miles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti for an upcoming ‘Alter Bridge’ documentary.
Yesterday I was filming at the Glencoe Marathon for the official partner, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust so I took the opportunity to I camp solo on the Rannoch Moor. You can sometimes use bulk ammo if you’re going alone.
This boggy expanse is a piece of real wilderness, unlike any other in Scotland. In the darkness, out of my pocket fell my iphone, amazingly I retrieved it, half-submerged from a bog. Thankfully I can confirm the iphone in a bag of rice really does work. I had hoped to be filming a morning timelapse but the weather’s promise quickly disappeared after sunrise, with only a distant glow somewhere over by the Ben Lawers range.
Billed as Scotland’s toughest – the Glencoe Marathon saw me, chase runners, through some stages of their epic trail run through the heart of Glencoe and into the foothills of Ben Nevis. It was a very exciting event with a spectacular (if very wet) location. The resolve of the competitors was fierce as they all braved the wet and winds to raise money for a worthwhile cause. I think next time I should aim for the That would be quiet an achievement judging by the route which takes in the Devils staircase en route to Kinlochleven. I think I’d need to work up to that.
After the shoot I stopped off at the Boots Bar at The Clanchaig Inn for some food – I think it’s going on my personal top 10 pubs in Scotland….
Prince Charles on grandson George’s first day at school
Shooting for ITN News in Scotland we caught a quick interview with Price Charles and recorded the Royal Editor, Chris Ship’s video report.
Speaking to ITN News about his grandson’s first day at school, Prince Charles joked to Royal Editor Chris Ship that he had not given the youngster any advice ahead of his big day as he “wouldn’t take it from me at that age”.
The Prince of Wales added that school is “good” for children, jesting that it is “character building”. He continued he “hoped” that George would be happy at his new school, and empathised with the “poor old thing” who appeared anxious as he walked into his new school to join the rest of his reception class.
The 68-year-old conceded that “at that age you don’t worry quite so much about going to school as you do when you get a bit older” and the “business of meeting new people.”
Filming this Queensferry Crossing film as one filming unit of seven for Speakeasy Productions we collectively filmed the lighting up of the Queensferry Crossing. I was based a North Queensferry and filming on Canon C300 mk2 we pushed the ISO to 10,000 to get these images.
The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon led a procession of vintage and modern vehicles on to the new Queensferry Crossing – the stunning new Scottish icon which opens to traffic on August 30 2017. She thanked the workforce for their amazing efforts before truly turning the spotlights on the third Forth Bridge
This university video production was shot in collaboration with UAV drone operator Peter Keith for Tanami video production. I used my Sony FS7 together with my steadicam to create the look the clients sought. We filmed across Edinburgh and Galasheilds in the Scottish borders, so travelling light was key – one bag and and a DG Glidecam were used to create the cinematography style required.
Created for the School of Textiles and Design, this video for Heriot-Watt University shows just how accessible the Galashiels campus is from Edinburgh city centre. Featuring Heriot-Watt students, Tanami captured footage using two camera crews, including a drone pilot.
Ryan Blackwood is a freelance camera operator based in Scotland experienced across TV, Documentary, Corporate and Commercial work.
This HSBC Cycle Ride promotional video was commissioned by British Cycling to promote the HSBC Cycle Rides taking place in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“This is a huge moment for cycling in Great Britain,” said Ian Drake, CEO of British Cycling. “Working together with HSBC UK, we will provide the encouragement and opportunities to make cycling the most popular activity and sport of choice in Great Britain. We want to help transform an increasingly inactive and unhealthy nation through cycling.”
British Cycling and HSBC UK will deliver events and programmes across local communities, towns and free to enter mass participation events to get millions of people on their bikes.
This is a photo from a couple of years back filming for the ‘Nothing Nicer’ campaign filmed in Edinburgh for Visit Britain. With Mr Q and The Qatari Guy –
Edinburgh Zoo’s Trainspotting – a recreated a homage to the original 1996 cult film Trainspotting and the iconic ‘Choose Life’ scene that kickstarted Danny Boyle’s career. I shot and edited this campaign for Stripe Communications and it was definitely one of my more unusual days out….
‘Choose Scotland, choose Edinburgh, choose visiting the giant pandas, choose meeting a meerkat, choose brilliant birds, choose the penguin parade, choose Tiger Tracks, choose a great day out, choose Edinburgh Zoo!’
Shaun Bell of Stripe Communications was thrilled with the campaign which has received over 160,000 views and 2,000 likes!
“I am innocent of any criminality whatsoever” Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has appeared in court charged with attempted rape and sexual assault. He faced a total of 14 charges at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, also including breach of the peace and indecent assault. The 64-year-old made no plea during the hearing and was released on bail. Outside court, Mr Salmond said he was “innocent of any criminality” and added that he would defend himself “to the utmost”. Police had been investigating following a Scottish government inquiry into complaints of sexual harassment against Mr Salmond. Mr Salmond, who was first minister from 2007 to 2014, was interviewed by police on Wednesday. Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond says he’ll defend himself in court against 14 charges including 2 for attempted rape.
Camera Operator: Ryan Blackwood 24th January 2019
This video is available for purchase from Getty Images Contact: hello@ryanblackwood.co.uk
Director: Uisdean Murray
Production Company: Lily Island Films
Video Concept:Louise Quinn & Bal Cooke
Client: Tromolo Records.
This track is from the theatre show Music is Torture which is touring Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness from 18 May to 1 June. This new piece of gig theatre tells the story of a struggling music producer, Jake, who discovers that his music is being used to torture political prisoners and charts his ensuing moral dilemma. Essentially a show about selling out, while also reflecting on how people respond to global conflict and how people respond to fear of terrorism.
Cast:
Jake – Andy Clark
King Of The Insiders – Ronni Menzies-Stirling
Queen Of The Insiders – Louise Quinn
Horse Head Man – Bal Cooke
Sports Casual Shaman – Steven Westwater
The Philosopher – Robert Henderson
Dawnings:
Louise Quinn
Bal Cooke
Robert Henderson
Steve Westwater
Makeup – Emma Cunningham
Produced by Tromolo Productions with support from The Space
Thanks to Tron Theatre
As a financial services filmmaker I travel to the world’s financial hubs, London, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Singapore, New York. UK number +44(0)792 154 2982.
Telephoto lenses for wildlife
Most long telephoto wildlife lenses are out with the price bracket for many people. The Canon 70-200 is the ideal entry level wildlife lenses, but following on from there we investigated the options available. I’m not including macro lenses for really close up wildlife, but rather will run through a few long lens set ups fo aspiring wildlife filmmakers. In Britain some of the best wildlife to be found on our shores are the amazing array of birds, and to get them you need to go long or go home. Something like the 25-300mm Cabrio T3.5-3.85 is what would be top of many filmmakers list, but assuming you don’t have £35,000k to blow, here’s some other options to get started….
Assuming require a lens of at least 300mm and as fast as possible here are some wildlife lens options…
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L mk2
£1,600 NEW or you could get a mk1 2nd hand for £650
The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L mk2 is a compact, high-performance zoom lens that’s ideal for action and wildlife. A 4-stop Image Stabilizer and high-quality optics deliver superb sharpness. We use this camera lens primarily for wildlife camera work for the Sony FS7. It’s super sharp, lightweight and used together with the Metabones Speedbooster Canon EF to Sony E Mount it’s an excellent solution for wildlife filmmakers and photographers.
With this FS7 wildlife setup this makes the lens equate to a 1.1x FOV crop so makes it like a 110mm to 440mm. You can also use it with our other Commlite adapter (EF- NEX) and this increases the magnification further, but can sometime have the drawback of not being able to change to iris after a lens swap – so you may be restarting the camera during that crucial moment. The Commlite adapter makes the angles of view equivalent to a 160-640mm on a full-frame camera.
On our Sony FS7 and shooing in 2K crop mode (because we like 150fps rather than 4K!) adds a further x2 magnification, so this lens extends to up to 1280mm – ideal for bird and wildlife photographer. Just remember and pick up a very heavy duty tripod. We shoot with a Sachtler 18P which is heavy duty but light enough to carry together with the camera.
For me this lens trumped our old one for travelling light and I was surprised to discover it was even sharper than our trusted Canon 70-200mm lens! Of course also the Image stabiliser is a MUST for shooting wildlife video.
Sigma EX Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon F – 300-800mm – F/5.6 – 6.3
£6,500 NEW or £2500 2nd hand
The Sigmonster was the last wildlife lens we used, but it was too long and too heavy for our requirements one the Scottish Hillside. We used this again with the 2K crop function and a 1.4EX Teleconverterto achieve a whooping 2240mm. This is a lens for hides, or if your on the move you will require assistance.
Adding a DG Teleconverter you can use this lens as a 420-1120 mm F8 MF ultra-telephoto zoom lens with a 1.4x EX Teleconverter, or as a 600-1600 mm F11 MF ultra-telephoto zoom lens with a 2x EX Teleconverter.
Canon EF 500mm F/4.0 L IS USM EF Lens
£6,600 NEW or £4000 2nd hand
Two stops faster than the Sigmonster and probably an extra £2K, this lenses is a prime and offers two-speed Power Focus mode allows focus to be adjusted at a smooth constant speed – perfect when shooting video. The Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS II USM is a super-telephoto lens with integrated Image Stabilizer technology and a fast f/4 maximum aperture. It features a lightweight magnesium alloy and titanium construction, and its optical design includes fluorite and UD lens elements to tackle aberrations and distortions.
Camera Support Systems
The heavier the setup, the more reliant on a strong camera support system you’ll become. If your a photographer go away and look at some gimble heads – but for video you need to move from 15mm rods to bridge plates with 19mm rods. Everything just adds to the weight of your gear in the field, but it’s required unless you want amateurish, shaky footage.
In July 1996, scientists at the Roslin Institute created the world’s first animal cloned from an adult cell. Dolly the sheep was created in a laboratory using an adult cell taken from one sheep to fertilise an egg from another. The fused cell was then implanted into a foster mother. It was a breakthrough in the history of genetic engineering. Researchers hoped it would enable new ways of treating debilitating diseases, but critics were worried it opened the door to human cloning.
Sir Ian Wilmut led the team of scientists. You can watch Witness a these times on BBC World News. Witness the stories of our times told by the people who were there.
Here’s a short promotional video for the Tiger Tracks enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo. Jambi is a male Sumatrian tiger and in the wild they’re found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In 2008 as the population was estimated at 441 to 679 individuals. The population suffers because they require natural forest area, and tend to use areas closer to forest centres – which are in decline due to human agricultural – largely palm oil plantations – destroying their natural habitat.
Through the RZSS – a conservation charity on my doorstep – Edinburgh Zoo are taking practical action on the ground to study and protect wildlife.
http://www.rzss.org.uk/conservation/
conservation information
I spent a couple of hours testing the 150fps slow motion on the Sony FS7 camera at Edinburgh Zoo. Jen and Olly got to see Jambi, the magnificent male tiger up close through the new Tiger Tracks enclosure.
The Sumatran tiger is a subspecies of tiger found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and it is estimated that fewer than 400 of these majestic tigers are left in the wild. In 1978, experts estimated the population of Sumatran tigers at 1,000. Whilst these tigers are protected by law in Indonesia, increased deforestation and poaching has led to their significant decline and, without help, the Sumatran tiger faces the very real threat of extinction.
Don’t think changing to a tasty eco palm-oil free peanut butter can really make a difference. Only lobbying your politician or support an organization campaigning on these issues can really help at this stage. Fewer than 400!
Support an organisation like the WWF to donate to help stop poachers from killing these beautiful animals.
Filming for PBS Newshour, Ryan Blackwood is an Edinburgh based broadcast cameraman. Working for PBS Newshour anchor and senior correspondent Jeffrey Brown. I love getting to shoot as a news cameraman, it’s such an honour to shoot for real broadcasters historic events like Scotland’s referendum coverage.
We were filmed an interview with Scotland’s makar Jackie Kay at Stirling University as a part of PBS’ Newshour.
A lovely day shooting some content with Emirati Chef Bader Najeeb in Stratford-Upon -Avon.
The Edinburgh Film Festival 2016 will take place between the 15th-26th of June, now in its landmark 70th edition the festival trailer brief was to include as many of the films as possible. It was cut in 4 days and I love the creativity of this type of fast paced job, where you’re collecting up all these films and create new meaning and association out of the clips. Hopefully it has a nice balance of fun and creativity and will encourage people to check out the festivals selection for 2016.
The project was edited on Final Cut Pro X and I was able to include 112 films (I think probably the most ever included in the EIFF trailer) and I confirmed everything to fit a 2.35 aspect ratio. I worked as the Digital content producer for the festival in 2011 and I know from experience what a hard, but incredibly rewarding job creating the trailer can be. 5 years ago things were alot harder with most of the films being a nasty mix of frame rates, aspect ratios, formats and codecs so made it a big editing challenge.
For the 2016 version the quality of the films and editing software allowed to to push passed technical issues much quicker, to get to the funs stuff – choosing and position clips including Trainspotting and childhood favourite E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. It’s a mountain of content to sift through and to cut films of these caliber down to a two or three shots is tricky. But my hope was to not choose really obviously shots and link them well where possible. Hopefully people like my toilet humour 😉
Here’s a lighting set up I did for charity, Waverley Care – but we actually dropped the background and went for a much more natural look to fit with a pre-established look.
I’m an experienced EPK/BTS shooter for TV series, filming on-set interviews and behind the scenes footage. My background filming promotional films and documentaries means I’m always ready to show the fun and drama that characterise set life.
As an EPK camera operator, I use discretion to document the cast and crew, taking care to intrude on the filmmaker’s process. The electronic press kit is vital video content required for online, DVDs and Blu rays that really gift the audience a look at what it was like to be onset.
For this Smithsonian Channel EPK, I was hired through Finestripe Productions in Glasgow. Within this film Actor Roanna Davidson walks us through the challenges and delights of becoming Winnaretta Singer, the provocative heir to a major sewing machine fortune and one of the bold women featured in season 2 of Million Dollar American Princesses.
My other EPK/BTS credits include:
People’s Postcode Lottery – summer advert
People’s Postcode Lottery – winter advert
The making of Teacup Travels
Bader Najeeb is a Dubai Food maker and social media influencer. This video sees us travel around Birmingham, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Together with Digital Ape and Visit Britain we filmed a series of films as a part of a wider campaign promoting Britain to the GCC countries – Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Quatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.
Darine El Bayadh is a social media influencer with 2.4 million Instagram followers. This video see us travel around Manchester and Lake District.
Together with Digital Ape and Visit Britain we filmed a series of films as a part of a wider campaign promoting Britain to the GCC countries – Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Quatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.
Teacup Travels isa 25 episode adventure series for children created by Plum Films as a major commission for CBeebies. I created two films for Plum films, this behind the scenes and a museum to screen featurette.
Opportunities for Scottish companies to do business in the Middle East are vast. See how Scottish Enterprise can help you make the most of them.
Filming as 2nd shooter for Foundlight Films this Scottish Enterprise film recounts the A Proctor Group’s journey from life manufacturing textiles and supplying flax to Scotland’s mills, now, four generations later, it is a specialist manufacturer and supplier of innovative breathable membranes and vapour control layers.
Get to know Glasgow, one of Scotland most vibrant and exciting cities. Great food and drink, incredible culture and nightlife: it’s also famously friendly. Produced by Visit Britain this film was shot over the 5 and 6th of August with directed by Mark McKenna. It was a fast-paced most shoulder-mounted shoot, filming at over dozen venues a day. From foodie places like the legendary Ubiquitous Chip and the super-cool Stravaigin, to Porter and Sons the Oran Mor and The Finnieston – where I had the freshest, tastiest fish I’ve had all year! To display the city’s cultural wears we visited the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the hyper-modern Riverside Museum and the People’s Palace and the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed Willow Tearooms. I had never been to the Auchentoshan distillery before and we had a whistle-stop tour of the place. We also had a quick mixology lesson at the Corinthian Club before. I felt like I got a full-on Glasgow experience during the crazy 2-day shoot. The film was shot using a Canon C100 with a Ninja Blade recorder and a Sony A7s with metabones adapter.
Reporter Kaylum arrives in Edinburgh for the UK Premiere of Macbeth and talks not only to Lord Macbeth himself, actor Michael Fassbender, but the cast and crew behind the film.
Khalifa and Hamad – aka Mr Q and the Qatari Guy are the founder of ‘I love Qatar’ and a stand-up comedian respectively. Digital Ape and Visit Britain wanted travel stories during their visit and highlight key moments of their trip in Arabic.
Together with Digital Ape and Visit Britain we filmed a series of films as a part of a wider campaign promoting Britain to the GCC countries – Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Quatar, Bahrain, Oman a
The key to a successful conference event video is creating a valuable, lasting legacy of the conference event. Live conference events have become a key part of our video production work as it provides our clients with a series of video assets that can be easily distributed online to promote future conference events. Edinburgh attracts alot of talent and offers lots to see and do for conference delates. Yesterday I was the Erasmus+ annual conference at the John McIntyre Conference Centre which is part of Edinburgh university’s Pollock Halls. Together with 20/20 Productions producer Andrew Botros we shot nine 2-3 minute individual interviews. Our conference event video was a highlights film of people engaging at the conference. My background as a live vent videographer means I’ve very experienced filming large groups of delates to produce a conference event video that carries the vibe of the event.
Often we are tasked with providing full conference event video coverage – which can last up to 10 hours – and provide a 2 camera set up to allow of a more interesting edit presentation. We also have the capacity to include the screen displays in a picture-in-picture format so you can see the speak giver and their slides. Yesterday we produced more personal stories about the benefits of the conference for delegates.
We have other examples of conference event videos for clients such as Ted X, GCHQ, Shell, International Astronautical Conference, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, The Scottish Pharmacy Awards, The VOWS awards, the National Association of Funeral Directors and RBS.
Our conference event cameras includes a suite of x3 Sony 4K broadcast cameras. Together with our LiveU package, we can also offer a live video transmission as a part of our conference event video packages.
I was filming on the Isle of Skye on behalf of CompassLight Productions. The video shoot involved filming at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (Gaelic College), the Clan Donald Centre at Armadale and Gaelic Whiskies. The goal was to capture authenticity and interactions with the locals. CompassLight wanted to provide an authentic picture of the locales visited – energetic, bustling, lively and off-the-beaten-path. Using my travel days I explored more of the north of the island, at the Cuillin mountains and ranged as far north as Portree and the Old Man of Storr.
Last night I was filming a 30-minute interview and some vox pops for MoneyWeek. The interviewer was Merryn Somerset Webb the Editor in chief MoneyWeek, who also writes for the Financial Times and the Sunday Post. I filmed her as she interviewed The Silo Effect: Why putting everything in its place isn’t such a bright idea.
It was a multi-camera set up shooting with a Canon C100 and a Samyang 85mm 1.4 (on Merryn), a Canon 5D mk 3 and a Canon 70-200mm (on Gillian) ands another Canon 5D mk 3 with a Samyang 24mm 1.4 (covering the profile wide). Unusually I used all three F&V 4000 LED Panel Lights, one on each of the contributors and another erring towards Merryn with the director of the windows, I also had a Dedolight behind each of them as a highlight with a half CTB gel for Merryn and a full CTB gel for Gillian.
Last night I was working for London Based RiseMedia filming an exclusive My Times Plus event about the upcoming Rugby World Cup. The videos will showcase the entire event as acts as a teaser to entice potential subscribers. Scott Hasting answers questions with a panel of three other at the BT Murrayfield stadium.
I was filming with Mike Lienard and Dan Goodall who are producing a series of the film across the country. Long standing friends and talented filmmakers I wish I was joining the team on the road… Despite knowing nothing about rugby it was a really interesting talk, so I’m armed with enough information to make a better informed better on the Rugby World Cup winner now!
I was filming on the SonyPXW- FS7 care of Procam, sadly not at 180fsp – might have been overkill for this event. Our sound recordist was the talented Pete Smith
Right now I’m packing my bags as I’m off to prepare for a shot for Moneyweek tonight…
Yesterday I was filming the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Senior Scottish Open at Archerfield Link Golf Course. Archerfield Link Golf Course is the latest venue for the running of the 23rd Scottish Senior Scottish Open. This year Prostate Cancer UK became the new title sponsor and they asked me to produce a promotionl video for next years event. The disease affects over 40,000 men in the United Kingdom and the charity hopes to raise awareness and target men through sport. Two notable people I had the chance to interview were England Test cricketer Ian Bothham and Alex Salmond. The former first minister took the time to have a photo taken and later that evening brought me his autobiography and signed it. A true gent.
Today I was shooting for Prostate Cancer UK shoot at the Open, in St Andrews. I was filming senior professional golfer and radio 5 live commentator, Andrew Murray. He has been actively raising both funds and awareness within the golfing community after his golf mentor Brian Nield was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I also interviewed Des Smyth, a former member for the European Tour (25 years) a former Ryder Cup player he represented Europe in 1979 and 1981. The video was designed to capture engaging content from professional golfers to share and raise the profile of Prostate Cancer UK among the golfing audience
This week I was shooting for Freak Films at the Edinburgh Cookery School on behalf of Quality Meat Scotland. I was working with the Sony PMW-F3 and a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 on an Easy Rig.
We were working with the british number 1, Andy Murray,the day before his wedding. I was 2nd shooting on a Panasonic AF 101, while Jason’s A-cam was a Sony F55.
I remember when Andy Murray won against Novak Djokovic to win wimbledon, definitely a memorable moment for Britain. The man himself was lovely and it was another successful shoot with 20/20 Productions.
Here’s the ”Burns Masterclass Toast To The Lassies” I was assisting with last week for Foundlight / Visit Scotland. It was shot with the Sony A7 it was lit by little more than the candles….(okay a very small dedo softbox and a tiny amount of backlight), still I was very impressed.
As a Scottish camera operator during the Referendum I provided live coverage for channels like Antena 3, Arte, Tele Madrid, Telecinco, RTVE, PRVA and 8TV. A belated post sharing some snaps I captured in November during the Independence referendum. I’m sure lots of Scottish camera operators worked throughout the Scottish Independence referendum and things certainly picked up over the days in the lead up. I worked for Overon providing live broadcast coverage for mostly European TV channels . The most exciting of these was a two person shoot for Arte so went live to France and Germany. The shoot required a bit of shoulder shooting being directing from the OB truck as they cut between the two-camera set up, live from the Royal Mile. Sadly once the ‘No’ vote came through on the friday things cooled off a little – so Friday wasn’t filled with the same sense of energy!
‘Where You’re Meant To Be’ is a feature length musical road trip from Aidan Moffat and Paul Fegan. I was a camera operator supporting my friend and DoP Julian Schwanitz. I have to draw your attention to the lovely shot I captured from the Erskine Bridge looking down on the boat at sunset. It was a crazy rush chasing the boat in the car, but very please to have captured that.
It’s been a busy week, but it all began with a shoot at Standard Life HQ. Here I have lit for a 2 person interview using a 1k softbox as the main key light with a LED panel covering the other speaker. Behind each person is a dedolight, and in the background I’ve used an Arri 650 with a turquoise gel to bring some depth to the hanging room divider. I shot on a C100 while the B-cam was a C300 (I know, crazy right?) but it was for web and while I’m happy shooting with anything it was juts more convenient this way.
Yesterday I was shooting a film for Solar Access. We travelled to York to film some of the 4,000 solar panels they have installed at the John Smiths Brewery. SolarAccess is an international designer, developer and operator of industrial solar power projects with activities in various European locations. The brewery is operated by Heineken, who hosts the largest solar energy systems of any brewery in Europe.
Ally strike a pose as we test the greenscreen set up in the world’s smallest room at Commonwealth Games HQ, in Glasgow.
I’ve been a busy camera operator recently, and yesterday I was shooting a commercial yesterday for Cask Productions at the Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow with comedian Raymond Mearns. We only had 7 extras for an hour and a half so I hope you’ll agree we’ve done a good job to make it look busy on a Sunday afternoon. This short section of the 30 second ad features people arriving at the club and engaging with Ray on a night out.This short section will make up one of 5 locations and should air on TV in the coming months. I was working with the consummate professional David Reilly at Cask Productions and the client was Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.
Commercial Camera Operator Ryan Blackwood is available for filming commercial and documentary work throughout Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland.
Our 1×1 LED Panel Lights – the F&V K4000 – is available for hire across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland. This light is a hard to kill workhorse. It is a cheap and effective solution for a basic three point lighting set up. We often hire this panel light to people who require a daylight only lighting set up. Three 1×1 LED panel lights fit in a neat square box and can be run off batteries or mains power. Utilizing a new lens design, the K4000 Power offers incredible brightness whenever the maximum output is needed. Maintaining a 75° wide beam angle the K4000 Power creates up to 7200 lux @ 1m and can still be powered by a single V-Mount battery.
Our Dry Hire department is open 24/7 and our kit is tested and maintained, and our rates are competitive. In addition to our comprehensive kit available for hire we have a range of camera equipment rental packages as well as lenses and lighting rental.
1×1 LED Panel Light Hire – £20 Each
1×1 LED Panel Light Light – £50 for set of x3 light panels
Kit includes V mount battery adapter, x2 Genuine Sony Batteries, Dual battery charger.
Here I am working as an event camera operator in Edinburgh for an NHS conference. It was an all event and we filmed the conference section before the delegates went to break-out rooms for specific discussions. I shot on a Sony PMW-350, which is the ENG-camera I typically used when working the Metro Broadcast.
Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Ice Rink hosted the first-ever Red Bull Crashed Ice Scottish qualifier on Friday, December 13, as almost 50 skaters took to the ice – and I was there with a crane and a pair of ice skates. Filming with Alan ‘slow-motion’ Stockdale at Foundlight Films was fun as ever, as together with another two filmmakers we shot the qualifiers.
Ayr’s Callum Boyd became one of three UK athletes to skate his way to a starting spot at all four Ice Cross Downhill World Championship events in 2014!