Creativity in Lockdown

During lockdown it’s been hard to create videos. Usually I’m out and about all over the country creating content with people. But due to the constraints of coronavirus, I’ve have had to change the way I work.

Firstly, I thought this ‘new normal’ meant a lot of editing, which it did for a time. But then it became clear that I could still create content with people using Zoom. 

I first worked with Cameron and Tony from TRUTH a few years ago, and when they asked me to help with their new project I saw it as a great opportunity to create something interesting with the constraints of not being able to leave the house. 

Over the course of a few weeks we put together the video explaining what TRUTH does and how they’re adjusting to life and business under COVID-19. After a false start (a video that looked awful) I quickly realised there were a few things that were vital to making a video under these different circumstances: 

• Access to Existing Footage: We were lucky enough to have footage from a few years ago that we could re-use (in our case it was shots of London) which were unattainable between March and June for obvious reasons.  If you’re not lucky to have access to old footage then you can always find stock footage, but that usually comes at a price. 
• Zoom: Having regular video calls helped me direct Cameron and Tony and the other staff at TRUTH to get the shots we needed on their own phones. 
• Camera Equipment at home: By moving a lot of my equipment  back home for lockdown meant I could shoot footage in my house and garden that looked great! 
• Helpful friends: Having a few friends who were willing to film themselves for short clips in this video was really handy. There have been a few people who have helped me in various projects over lockdown, and I can honestly say I couldn’t have made these videos without their help. These short clips fill in the gaps and tie everything together.

Overall, I think the finished video looks great, and by having these constraints that a global pandemic brings, we were able to create something that stands out. To be honest, if I were making this video normally, it wouldn’t have been half as creative. Having to make videos this way has forced me to look at creating videos differently and it’s taught me a lot about creating videos in the future. 

You can watch the full video below: