BASC – Deer Management

We began the month working with our good friends at BASC (British Association for Shooting & Conservation). BASC have supported us for a number of years and we’ve developed a close working relationship, particularly with Felicity Marshall who heads up their Digital team.

This latest project centres around a new deer management course, and our role has been to create both video and still image assets to support the launch and delivery. Our first filming day took us just outside Derby. It was one of those grey, flat winter days where the light never quite lifts — not ideal on paper, but actually very workable if you know how to shape it.

We captured a number of staged scenarios, carefully planned to reflect real-world practice while remaining visually engaging. Even under a blanket of cloud, we came away with some strong content. Huge thanks to Lewis from BASC for being so accommodating and for helping everything run smoothly on the ground.

Editing Documentaries

The next two weeks were largely spent juggling editing and filming rugby coverage.

Billie and I were deep in post-production on a number of projects from previous shoots. Billie, in particular, was immersed in a documentary for Old Gold Racing about legendary trainer Mick Easterby. They’ve recently welcomed a new horse to the yard, Girl Friday, and the film tells a broader story about the yard, its heritage and Mick himself.

A 45-minute documentary is no small undertaking. As a rule of thumb, something of that length typically requires around ten full days of editing — and that’s before you factor in revisions, music, colour grading and fine detail. The longer the film, the more disciplined you have to be with pacing and narrative structure. Every cut matters.

It’s a piece we’re genuinely proud of. It was a real team effort from start to finish — planning, filming, shaping the story and polishing the final cut. Projects like that remind you why you do what you do.

Six Nations – Rome & Edinburgh

While we were in the edit suite, Pete packed his passport and headed to Rome with the Scottish rugby fraternity for their opening Six Nations clash. It was a tight contest and, from what he reported, a brilliant atmosphere.

Pete mentioned that he saw far more of Rome this time than when we visited together back in 2013. That trip, if memory serves, involved rather more cheap wine and rather less sightseeing. One memory still makes me laugh: we visited Vatican City and I decided to pose for a photo — down on my knees, hands together in prayer. Just as Pete went to take the shot, a beam of sunlight broke through and cast itself across me like a divine spotlight. I’m not a religious man, but perhaps I’d earned a bit of favour that day.

Back to the present — Pete’s role in Rome was to capture crowd content: reactions, atmosphere, vox pops before and after the match. It formed part of a wider production led by DAIR agency, and it’s always interesting to work within a larger content ecosystem where multiple teams contribute to a single campaign.

The following week, Pete was north of the border in Edinburgh for Scotland vs England. A defeat for the English — I suspect he took a fair bit of stick. Scottish crowds rarely disappoint; the atmosphere inside that stadium would have been electric.

More away days

Speaking of away days, Brooke managed to swap her wellies for warmth with a short break in Dubai. She reported that the food was excellent and that she “didn’t have a bad meal” — which is high praise from Brooke. Brooke, like me, has a passion for good food and we probably sound like food critics when comparing notes from various local restaurants.

Pete was particularly impressed with the photographs Richie (Brooke’s partner) captured on his phone. Richie is a top National Hunt jockey, but if racing ever slows down, perhaps there’s a second career behind the lens waiting for him.

Whilst Brooke was away sunning herself, I was delighted to be heading to Higham point to point to watch Ted’s Friend, my newly leased pointer, to finish a close second in the conditions race with Alexandra Ingram on board. Ted’s performance was a testament to Max Kendrick who has been hard at work behind the scenes and I very much look forward to our next day out with him!

Away from Billie’s busy editing schedule, she utilised a rainy February day to enjoy her very well deserved Christmas present from us which was a spa day at Dormy House. Billie gave the full body mud bath particular praise, a treatment which I think is very on trend with the current weather conditions! 

BASC & Six Nations

Pete being in Scotland meant we found ourselves double-booked — never ideal, but a nice problem to have. So Brooke and I headed off to woodland just outside Luton for another BASC-related shoot, while Pete covered rugby duties.

We rarely operate with just one camera operator. Our standards are high, and we firmly believe that two cameras — or a camera and a drone — allow us to maximise coverage and create the dynamic edits we’re known for. Multiple angles mean more flexibility in post-production and a far more engaging final piece.

However, both of these shoots were part of wider productions, which meant we could adapt. Splitting kit between teams takes careful organisation — lenses, audio, batteries, backups — everything has to be considered. Brooke and I spent the day filming with Faye Smith from Dibley Sporting. It was a relaxed shoot, and despite the winter backdrop, we captured some really lovely material.

A Ride With (Jockey Club)  – Bryony & Frodon

Then came a trip down south to film something genuinely special.

We’ve been producing the “A Ride With” series for The Jockey Club for some time now. Last year we had Peter Scudamore alongside Corach Rambler in the spotlight. This year, it was the turn of Bryony Frost and Frodon.

It was, once again, exceptionally wet — the kind of day where every piece of kit needs wiping down twice. At one point we had a GoPro slip off and lost a microphone to the elements. These are the moments that test you. But experience counts, and we adapted quickly. In the end, we captured the ride exactly as we’d hoped.

Bryony, recently engaged and now based in France, came over especially to ride Frodon. Seeing her reunited with him — and with Black Corton — was genuinely lovely. Both horses looked magnificent, a real credit to the team who care for them daily.

Former Grand National-winning jockey Jimmy Frost joined us too, helping to plan the route and lending his experience to the day.

Despite the rain, everyone had a smile on their face. There was warmth in the reunion, pride in the horses and a sense that we were documenting something meaningful. I can’t wait to share the finished content with you all.

Old Gold Racing x Paul Nicholls Documentary

For our penultimate job of the month, we headed back down south to the iconic yard of Paul Nicholls. We spent the night before at The Manor in Ditcheat, tucking into some good food, enjoying great wine and even in better company; Ed Sefried and Pete Marsden from Old Gold, Francesca Cumani, Paul Nicholls, George Edgedale and Charlie St. Quinton joined us for a glass and bite of something throughout the evening. Charlie St. Quinton, one of Paul’s assistant trainers, is a familiar face to us having come from the Cotswolds and it is always great to have a good catch up with him when we can.

We arrived on to the yard bright and early the following morning to get a full insight into a day in the life at Ditcheat and how this yard runs. Paul is just shy of 4000 winners, putting him up there as one of the most successful national hunt trainers in the UK and it was really great to see him and his team operating. This documentary is scheduled to be released in April and we can’t wait for you all to enjoy watching it, hopefully as much as we enjoyed filming it!

Whilst we were down there, we were also lucky enough to have some over the door pats with the yard’s potential Cheltenham Festival runners including Regents Stroll who is aiming for the Jack Richards Handicap Chase, Tutti Quanti who we will hopefully see in the Champion Hurdle and No Drama This End, who took a real shine to Francesca, will, all being well, run a great race in the Turners!

If February has taught us anything, it’s that conditions rarely dictate outcomes. Yes, the rain has been relentless. Yes, it has tested our kit, our patience and occasionally our waterproofs. But it’s also reminded us that it’s the story telling that engages audiences. 

Onwards into March, The Cheltenham Festival is nearly here!

Louis, Pete, Billie and Brooke x