Industry documentations
Client UrbanVolt Ltd. Category Industrial Photo Documentation/ Video Documentation Location Syncreon & EHL City Niederaula & Tambach Südharz
Project description
The Irish company UrbanVolt offers a multi-award-winning service. It replaces conventional lighting with LEDs, financing itself exclusively through cost savings from its customers' reduced energy consumption. As the first Irish B-Corporation, UrbanVolt adheres to the highest environmental and social standards.
Sarah Berney, Marketing Executive at UrbanVolt, commissioned me to document two of their current conversion projects in Germany. The assignment was quite complex, making it an exciting challenge. The goal was to record 12 videos with interviews, aerial shots, time-lapses, and before-and-after sequences. In addition, 40 before-and-after images were to be photographed. The aim of the production was to demonstrate the improvement in lighting quality with the switch to LED lighting. Furthermore, the interviews should highlight the quality of UrbanVolt's service and the fact that there are no disruptions to work during the installation phase.
Preparation
UrbanVolt received all offers from me via encrypted cloud access, allowing us to quickly discuss and agree on various contract options. For the two projects in Germany, I handled a large part of the communication for the shoots, as not all of UrbanVolt's customers were fluent in English. To secure the rights to the recordings, I prepared GDPR-compliant model and property releases and obtained a data protection briefing from the customers. This allowed us to film even in areas with sensitive data. On site, I discussed the timing of the recordings with UrbanVolt's customers and arranged all the necessary materials for the film shoot.
Execution
The recording took place in a logistics center near Frankfurt and in a concrete plant in the Harz region. Each production was filmed in three intervals to record material before, during, and after the conversion.
In phase 1, we filmed the two locations in their initial state. To ensure a perfect overlap of the before-and-after images, I recorded all camera locations and settings. This allowed us to capture the exact image again after the installation, even weeks later.
In addition, I installed the time-lapse camera during the first appointment. With its full-frame sensor, it recorded a video in an extremely high resolution of 6K, to be able to zoom in on details later. This resulted in a film over several days showing the progress during the conversion work.
In phase 2, I filmed the Irish electricians during the conversion work. Equipped with a helmet and fall protection, I accompanied the workers on their aerial platforms. This allowed me to film the electricians up close without interrupting their work. Afterwards, I dismantled the time-lapse camera and presented the first video material to UrbanVolt via cloud access. This way, my client was always up to date, even if they couldn't be on site.
In the final phase, we produced the after-shots and the interviews with UrbanVolt's customers. Here, I was supported by Sarah and my sound assistant. We filmed interviews with three representatives from each company at each location. The interviews were conducted in German and English. We recorded with multiple cameras, microphones, and lights for studio-quality film. In addition, we were able to reduce the risk of data loss and make the recording time as short and efficient as possible. While Sarah took over the interviews in English, I assisted with the translation of the questions and conducted the German interviews myself.
Following that, I captured the after photos/videos and filmed the client working under the new lighting. We also filmed unique drone shots, which later resulted in great opening sequences in the videos.
Editing
During the editing and image processing stages, we utilized the latest cloud technologies for collaborative work. This allowed UrbanVolt to share the editing data with their freelance translator to select interview excerpts. I received real-time updates with editing requests in text form or drawn directly onto the video material. UrbanVolt was also able to directly compare different versions of the videos. This saved hundreds of emails and brought all parties up to speed. UrbanVolt received separate subtitles for the German videos, which they could use as needed.
Image processing was just as straightforward. UrbanVolt was able to select images and add processing notes via a secure cloud server, and then download all the approved data.
UrbanVolt, the two project locations, and my office are hundreds of kilometers apart, and we speak different languages. Nevertheless, with intelligent cloud tools, communication was as quick and easy as if we were sitting across from each other at a table.
Excerpt from the video editing with interview and factory videos, graphic elements, subtitles, multiple music tracks and sound elements
Feedback on video editing via the cloud tool.
Version comparison in video editing. Left: Version 2 without color correction and with longer text // Right: Version 4 with final adjustments
Interview with Sarah Berney
Albrecht: Hello Sarah, I'm pleased that we're talking today about our last two projects in Germany. Please introduce yourself briefly.
Sarah: Hi Albrecht, thank you for having me. My name is Sarah. I am part of the marketing team at UrbanVolt. UrbanVolt is a company in the field of efficient energy use. We are based in Dublin, Ireland.
Why did you decide to document the two renovation projects so extensively?
We like to use such projects as reference material for large customer pitches. This allows us to showcase our entire expertise. It is much more authentic when past customers speak positively about us than when we do it ourselves.
Why did you choose me as the producer for these projects?
We found you during our online research for photographers and video producers in Central Germany. Based on your work samples and customer references, we felt that working with you would be a lot of fun. And that has proven to be the case. We really liked the photographs in your portfolio and on your Instagram account. After contacting several photographers, we compared their past work and its similarity to our project. Of course, we also had to stay within our budget. All in all, you were the best fit for us.
What do you look for when choosing a creative partner?
When we look around for a content producer, we want to work with people who can follow our instructions. At the same time, they should also take initiative and contribute their own ideas that we may not have thought of. You have met these requirements without exception. It is very pleasant to work with you. You are always easy to reach. If we have questions or needs, you respond quickly to calls or emails. We are naturally pleased that there are no language barriers in our communication in English, which is not a given in international projects. We feel that we can rely on you 100%. You were always at the filming location before us and had everything prepared. What stands out for us in particular is your eye for detail. You make sure that everything is perfectly planned before we start shooting. This meant we could always be sure that we would have good shots in the end. You are also a very pleasant entertainer for our customers. At both locations, the people in charge were so happy to talk to you, which takes a great burden off us.
Wow, thank you Sarah. Is there anything about our collaboration that came as a surprise to you compared to your previous photographers and camera operators?
Something that we didn't know before is your wide range of services. You not only photograph the before-and-after pictures, you are a drone pilot, create time-lapse videos, are an interviewer and also edit all the content. It's a great experience to get the entire production from a single source. This reduces our coordination effort immensely!
What was it like for you to work with me as a German instead of hiring an Irish photographer?
Since I don't speak a word of German, it was very helpful to have you as a native speaker with us. You spoke with our customers much more effectively than we could have, and that was a great help. On the other hand, we were able to communicate with you perfectly in English. That was a very good fit.
Thank you for your time Sarah. It has been a great pleasure working with you over the last few months!
