Calder Stewart - Videography
I am Videographer and had the opportunity to work alongside the construction giant Calder Stewart, supplying an entirely new way to hand over a Commercial building owner's manual to the new Kmart distribution center upon completion of the build.
Project overview The client requested individual descriptive videos from each trade that was utilized on the project. The trades needed to provide a step-by-step training, outlining the process they took to achieve their results and what ongoing service is needed to maintain the system's efficient working order along with any safety protocols necessary such as requiring a higher form of training.
Challenges A few challenges that were apparent straight away were the timeline in which we had to get each trade representative ready and comfortable to be on camera, organize a timeline with 18 different trades, including site safety, for not only the video but also to pause working on specific tasks that directly and indirectly affected the training walkthrough, such as; The Electricians needing to work with the power off while a security camera training is being filmed. Individuals in the Trade scene are not typically comfortable on camera nor necessarily fluent in English.
Process - Several key strategies were implemented
Communication I worked closely with Calder Stewart's QS as their representative for intercommunications between the trades. This allowed us to have minimal delay in communications which sped up strategizing an effective timeline, This was key to a successful project with a short timeline.
Organisation Together the QS, Project Manager, and I highlighted what events and trades would directly and indirectly affect each trade during their filming time allocation and process. We were able to strategize and build a timeline that fell into a 2-week slot with contingency days for any trade that could and would be affected by the weather. The contingency days implemented proved effective as we were able to finalize and complete the project on time for the site handover to Kmart. Total project length was 4 weeks.
Coaching Tradies are not actors nor do they find themselves talking on camera all too often which often caused the individuals to freeze up and struggle. Thankfully I am able to draw from previous life skills of coaching and acting, understanding what they are feeling I was able to guide each trade representative through the process to deliver effective results.
Post edit magic Although the videos need to be descriptive, they don't need to be incredibly long. Thanks to my strong understanding of construction, I was able to edit out repetitive and unnecessary "waffle" that offered no benefit to the video, this allowed each video to be shorter and more precise for easier and effective viewing. I added subtitles to the entirety of the videos, so trade representatives that had a strong accent were still clearly understandable.
Summary I supplied 18 trade-specific videos on time to complete the building's handover requirements. This was a fun and challenging project that was both new to not only myself but also Calder Stewart and Kmart, Due to effective communication and a strong variety of life experiences to utilize, I was able to supply a project exactly as Calder Stewart had anticipated and Kmart required.
