In 2016/17 we produced the official Solfest promo video which you can see below, and we are were very happy to to be at the festival last year to shoot again.
The new 2017/18 promo was a joy to make, though I was working largely on my own so it was a tricky task. I decided to really challenge myself with movement and creative transitions to make something dynamic in the edit, and I think it worked! The DJI Ronin M was an invaluable bit of kit for this project as I could move freely and capture the natural pace and dynamism of the festival as I walked around the site. The main inspiration for the style was a video I watched many years ago called Glidestonbury, it is a dynamic tour around Glastonbury on a Glidecam. You can watch it below.
In the Solfest 18 promo I tried my best to keep the movement gliding in the same direction and you will notice that much of the Ronin clips spin counter clockwise around the subjects allowing the viewer to see the background activities but also focus in on the characters featured central frame. The other technique I utilised, which has been very successful in the past was to use the subject to guide us round the event, which meant following people/bubble blowing fairies/kids through the crowd. This is a technique I experimented with in the promo video for the Bantham Swoosh Outdoor Swimming Society event. You can see the promo below.
The next challenge with this was to transition from day to night. I knew the key would be to use the stage lights that are so abundant at festivals in order to bleach and blend between light and dark and back again. I think this worked brilliantly well and adds a really dynamic feel to the final edit. So without too much more waffle, here it is. Solfest 17/18. Enjoy!