Making it rain
It was a pleasure working with Taylor Made Media, directing a launch film for the partnership of Virgin O2 and Carers UK. The client arranged a series of interviews with carers from the Virgin O2 carers network. Taylor Made Media wanted to tell their moving stories with more than just talking heads. I suggested running the interviews completely out of vision, and going for a walk in the local area. Watch the film below to see the result.
The subject matter may seem bleak at first, but there’s light at the end of this tunnel.
A big thank you to Delishea, Helen and Matt from the Virgin Media O2 We Care network, for opening up so directly and honestly, so they could help other carers dealing with loneliness. They also gave the kind of powerfully natural on-screen performances that could only come from lived experience.
NOMINATED FOR TWO EVCOM CLARION AWARDS, 2022
WINNER OF TWO EVCOM FILM AWARDS, 2022
Post production
The subject matter was a perfect fit for a bleach bypass look and a melancholic soundtrack. But the story also suggested a shift from overcast skies, to rain, and then to sunshine, all in the same shooting day. It’s one of the few shoots where a rain shower would have been welcome, but the skies remained stubbornly overcast. The rain effect was created with a minimum of practical water on the umbrella while shooting, and VFX in post. As well as the foreground layers of rain, reflections in puddles were added to the pavement, as shown in the breakdown below. Later in the film, the sun comes out due a dynamic grade and the addition of a subtle lens flare.
The film was shot for both cinematic 2.35:1 and 16:9 at the same time, by shooting full frame and composing for a 2.35:1 crop. This allowed for an unusually natural 16:9 social version without compromising the composition, with some shots using the full frame, and others using a crop of 2,35:1, or anything in between.
Director & Creative: Guy Nisbett
Production Company: Taylor Made Media
Client: Virgin O2
Producer: Sophie Taylor
Head of Production: Ian McGinty
DoP: Steve Moss
Sound recordist: Sam Diamond
Editing and Post: Guy Nisbett