http://www.whitespace-productions.co.uk/blog/RSS Feed2012-02-02T15:15:11ZWhitespace Productionshttp://www.whitespace-productions.co.uk/contact/Whitespace Productions Feedhttp://www.whitespace-productions.co.uk/blog/documentary-filmmakers-for-arctic-expedition-in-february-2012/Documentary filmmakers for Arctic Expedition in February 2012 2012-02-02T15:15:11Z<p>by S-J White</p>
<p>In just a few weeks I will be flying out to Stockholm to catch an internal flight to Ostersund. From here I’ll take a transfer to the northern remote wilderness of Ratvalen, 150km south of the Arctic Circle, which will become my home for 8 days. I am joining an arctic expedition as documentary filmmaker.</p>
<p>I will be joining expedition leader, Nigel Startin as he guides his group of everyday people through the necessary skills to stay alive and well in such harsh terrain. It’s all about not losing a digit apparently!</p>
<p>My base for the week will be in a remote log cabin without power. The challenge for me, aside from the temperature, will be keeping my cameras working and battery life maintained. Not an easy challenge as I follow the group. This time last year I was filming out in the Swiss Alps, we had awful weather with very poor visibility. We learned very quickly that focusing in snow is problematic and battery life drops in front of your eyes. Taking care of kit and performing well on small production budgets is challenging. I suffered with cold feet and lost toe nails in Switzerland so am keen to get the right boots this time around and come home with my feet intact.</p>
<p>The purpose of this documentary will be to promote the courses run by Nigel Startin at <a href="http://www.intrepid-expeditions.co.uk">Intrepid Expeditions</a> which will be used in a marketing campaign throughout 2012 online. We will be doing the full editing for Nigel too and will assist with online integration. I’ll update this blog again once I’ve returned and thawed out!</p>
<h2>Sponsors</h2>
<p>A huge thank you to Buff for keeping me warm whilst i’m out there. I am proud to be part of Team Buff UK. See their great products here <a href="http://www.buffwear.co.uk">Buff Headwear</a></p>
<p>A massive thank you to Jane and Martin at <a href="http://www.probusinessuk.com">Probusiness</a> as one of the expedition sponsors who have paid for my snow boots. Such good people and a genuinely excellent company offering business finance and accountancy support and advice.</p>2012-01-16T13:01:10Zhttp://www.whitespace-productions.co.uk/blog/a-music-video-in-a-day-with-cole-stacey/A music video in a day with Cole Stacey2012-02-02T15:14:42Z<p>By S-J White</p>
<p>Every now and then you meet someone who sticks. Cole Stacey is one of those people. whitespace productions first met Cole in 2011 when he supported Cara Dillon. whitespace-productions was filming the event and I happened to be filming that night. The gig promoter had called me and asked if we would do a piece to camera with Cole, which we agreed to. Cole was over an hour late. Fortunately I didn’t have to rush off and when we finally met I was greeted by a million apologies from Cole and his fellow musicians.</p>
<p>Cole Stacey is without doubt a modern gentleman and by definition, a rarity. At 26 with long, floppy hair and dripping in unintentional boho chic, he’s every part the real musician. I liked him the second I met him.</p>
<p>Cole is, however, somewhat a transformation on stage. He holds the audience in the palm of his hand with his comic chat and smooth confidence – and that’s all before he starts to sing. And once he does (sing) the audience relax and enjoy it, safe in the confidence of his voice and musicality. Off stage, Cole is an unassuming, modest kind of guy who is grateful and appreciative of everything he has.</p>
<p>Some people just have that magical quality on camera and Cole is one of them. I knew the Cara Dillon gig was not the only time I would film with Cole.</p>
<p>We have been filming his new track Long Road to Find from the EP of the same name out near our studio on the Somerset Levels. It was a very cold, very wet and very windy January Tuesday. We should have been grumpy but we weren’t. We should have cancelled, but we didn’t. Myself and co cameraman, Tom, really enjoyed getting to know Cole. Filming a music video in a day is ambitious to say the least. We didn’t really get enough footage if honest but we were all in it together, just to see what might happen if we just hung out and pointed cameras whilst Cole sang. We had his album blasting out of the Land Rover whilst Cole stood singing and playing his guitar. It has given us a taster of how we will film with him in the future. We know that Long Road To Find means a great deal to Cole and we wanted to be sensitive in the way we approached it. He put complete faith and trust in us and just let us approach and interpret it in our own way. We are really grateful to him for that.</p>
<p>The other thing about Cole is his canny marketing skills and understanding of the market he’s in. He knew immediately that having a video of him would make a massive difference to future bookings and as such did not block any creative process with copyright issues or ownership. He just went with it and in return that made for a day well spent with a future collaboration in the pipeline.</p>
<p>We are currently working on a rough edit of Cole’s video and will upload it soon. In the meanwhile, visit Cole Stacey’s website <a href="http://www.colestacey.net">www.colestacey.net</a></p>2012-01-26T10:25:00Z