Production

The great thing about well produced moving pictures is that the audience can understand a situation concept or message much more efficiently than with other media. There is nothing like being there, but video can get you quite close. It's powerful. It's effective. It's even entertaining.

The really good news is that digital technology means that a high quality video presentation has never been more cost effective, but it is worth doing it well, and that is where we can help.

This video was made to help The Susan Trust, a local marine heritage charity with their fundraising for the restoration of their important historic vessel.

This is one of our favourite charities, and the production of this video was provided to the charity at no cost, but even if we had charged our usual rates, the additional donations generated by the video would have covered the costs within a week of release.

The video is available to view on YouTube, and DVDs are available on loan from The Susan Trust.

A 46 minute documentary produced in 1997 to celebrate 200 years since the completion of this unique waterway. Includes interviews with a former bargeman, and other local experts, rare footage of a horse drawn barge, modern day lock restoration and plans for the future.

The video was shot mostly on DV, with some material shot on SVHS and 8mm film. It was edited on High Band Umatic.

This video was originally available direct from WMV Productions on VHS, but has now sold out. The full documentary can be viewed on YouTube.

A training resource for Essex County Council Learning Services, The target audience is schools who are teaching or about to enroll children with the condition, and need to quickly impart a basic awareness of the condition across the school staff as a whole.

A major concern for children and young people with Asperger syndrome is for those around them to understand their difficulties. Without insight into these it is all too easy for them to be dealt with unfairly, unsympathetically or even, cruelly.

Introducing real people - Understanding Asperger syndrome was born out of collaboration between Supporting Asperger Families in Essex (SAFE) and specialist psychologists and teachers in Essex County Council's Learning Services. The aim was to develop a professionally produced resource to help all those working with a child with Asperger syndrome in a school with an introduction to the syndrome, the sort of difficulties the children may encounter and, most importantly, hearing the views of young people themselves on what helps.

Introducing real people - Understanding Asperger syndrome consists of a video and free-standing training materials for use over one or two school based sessions. The materials are designed to be presented by anybody with a background In special educational needs but do not require specialist knowledge.

Cost: £50

To place an order please write to: Essex County Council Learning Services, Information and Publications PO. Box 47, Chelmsford, CM2 6WN, UK

It is not known if the packs are still on sale, but the master tapes still exist in our archive.

Harborough district council are pioneering choice based social housing allocation policies, based on a set of principles successfully pioneered in Delft and now employed extensively in the Netherlands. The new system allocates properties based on advertising and the choices of housing applicants. A substantial departure from the mind-set of housing officers used to allocating available property based on points.

The video was produced in order to help cope with the heavy demand for information from other local authorities and social housing providers.

This video was available direct from Harborough district council housing services, and enabled them to save a great deal of time explaining their ground-breaking innovations in social housing. Proceeds from the sale of copies alone more than paid for the cost of production.

A live recording of the production of this restoration comedy, by the Tymescythe theatre company at the Chiltern open air museum, Chalfont St. Giles on Saturday 23 July 1994.

This video was originally available direct from WMV Productions on VHS, but has now sold out. This was an early project for us. It was shot and edited on SVHS, and for this reason the master tapes are not as high quality as our more recent productions, but it sold quite well in years when it was a set book for students, as moving picture versions of this play are rare! No decision has yet been made about a digital offering. Please feel free to email your views!