Living Levels Social Media Campaign / Tourism videos
Encouraging people to explore the unique landscape of the Gwent Levels
This was a dream project to work on, we’re all super passionate about the natural environment and this project allowed us to experience the amazing range of wildlife that the Gwent levels has to offer. From; otters to cranes, water voles to rare bees, there is so much precious life in this area, and all just on the outskirts of two major cities (we’ve even been able to cycle to some shoots). Although the wildlife is an integral part of why the Gwent levels are so important, we also needed to highlight the people who live & work on the levels too, showing the intertwining relationship between the people & wildlife of the area. This relationship is key, the unique diversity of wildlife on the levels wouldn't have developed in quite the same way without this relationship evolving over thousands of years, starting as early as 5000bc.
Located right on the edge of the heavy industry of Newport & Cardiff, the urban location of the levels was something that the team wanted to focus on, not try to hide. The starlings love the gigantic pylons in the area & the RSPB reserve was actually partly built on an old industrial site, so the industrial past of the levels is an integral part of the story of the landscape. On our very first day recceing the site we caught a glimpse of the resident otters. Our team embraced the early mornings & late nights spent on The Levels, capturing the seasons unfold and experiencing the magic of the landscape for themselves. Our expansive range of kit, most importantly our range of telephoto lenses, came in hugely useful, as it allowed us to capture footage of elusive wildlife, without any risk of disturbance. Our in-house, fully CAA licensed Drone Operator was able to capture a birdseye view of the landscape, showcasing the network of reens and ecosystems it sustains. Timelapse allowed us to condense hours down to seconds & our macro shots enabled us to capture the wildlife at a micro level.
Although capturing wildlife on film is notoriously time consuming & often unsuccessful, the real challenge of this project actually turned out to be the edit room. We were incredibly lucky to have gathered so much amazing footage over the 12 months, so it was extremely hard to select which footage to feature. We’re super happy how these these films have turned out, a particular highlight was seeing an incredible starling murmuration in November, just as the sun was setting. By producing a series of seasonal edits, alongside the main ‘Year in the life of’ film, has enabled the team at Living Levels to access as much video content as possible, to be shared across their various social media platforms.
ADDITIONAL FILMS
Autumn & Winter Film
