2020: Our Video Production Year In Review

 

As we prepare to say goodbye to the rollercoaster year, 2020, we take a look back at the past 12 months and see how Pixelwave Creative is stronger than ever.

2020 has been a year like no other! Yet, even though we have experienced enough disruption, upheaval and sombre moments to last a lifetime, there is still much for us to be positive about.
 

JANUARY

The year began in traditional style as we grabbed our glitter, slapped our thighs and headed to Leeds to film the brilliant City Varieties Music Hall Rock’n’Roll Panto – for the sixth year running!

We then had the pleasure of meeting racing driver Mike Newman as we filmed with the Better Hearing Clinic in Prestwich, Bury. Mike has been breaking speed records for the blind for many years – he’s a seven-time World Record holder and the founder of charity Speed of Sight.

 

 

As a specialist in video for the healthcare industry, we also spent a lot time filming in hospitals in January.

Firstly, the team visited a very special place – the Jessop Wing in Sheffield Teaching Hospitals – one of the most successful fully NHS managed Assisted Conception Unit centres in the country. We were asked to produce a film to give an insight into all the marvellous IVF and fertility support Jessop Fertility offers to people who are looking to become a family.

We then moved on to Leeds for a fabulous day of filming with Health Education England NHS Yorkshire & the Humber. We produced a number of training videos for its Supported Return to Training (SuppoRTT) programme – developed to provide targeted assistance to help doctors get back ‘up to speed’ when they return to training.

Then, we travelled to Liverpool to film with The Royal College of Surgeons at Broadgreen Hospital, part of the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It was a pleasure to produce surgery simulation videos for a Clinical Skills in Emergency Surgery training course.
 

 

FEBRUARY

We have fond memories of taking part in the Made in Bury Bowling Tournament 2020 – not least because it was back in the days when we could still go out! It seems a lifetime away that we were able to ‘strike’ up a conversation with other local businesses and industry friends, while showing off our bowling brilliance.

It was then back to Sheffield, as we spent a fantastic day of filming with PACT Sheffield – a wonderful charity that supports families of children being treated for cancer or leukaemia at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Staying in Yorkshire, we also filmed with The Royal College of Surgeons once again – this time in York, producing content for an educational video on its ‘Systemic Training in Acute Illness Recognition and Treatment (START)’ course.
 

MARCH

Oh, how March began so innocently!

We headed to The Stables Country Club to exhibit at The Made in Bury North West Premier Business Fair early on in the month. And, we had a blast working with one of our favourite voiceover professionals, the talented Fiona Egan at Edwin Street Recording Studio on a project for one of our charity clients.

We even managed to get out and about filming in Bury with some of the town’s finest new businesses as, once again, we worked with the Made in Bury for its Business Academy to produce video content for its startup business support scheme.

 

 
Then the coronavirus pandemic arrived…

When the UK government started talking about going into lockdown, we thought the Pixelwave Creative team would be facing a quieter time.

But we were soon busier than ever after being called into action by one of our NHS clients in the North of England; filming at hospitals to produce Infection Prevention Control COVID-19 training videos that would communicate to healthcare workers the updated guidelines for when treating patients who have, or are suspected of having, the coronavirus.

We worked weekends and through the night to ensure the videos were ready to be used in emergency staff training. But it was a rewarding experience that led to recognition in newspapers and business wires.
 

 

APRIL 

For much of early April we were kept busy updating the videos (from the safety of our office) as safety procedures and guidelines rapidly evolved.

But we did manage a spot of outdoor filming with Busy Bins once again – with safe working practices applied during filming, of course. We helped the waste disposal service keep its customers informed about essential recycling and waste service updates with a video for its website.

Quickly adapting to the new way of working virtually, our managing editor, JP Woffenden, took part in a brilliant Ask The Expert – Marketing Hour with The Best of Bury, providing great advice to local businesses. JP quickly adapted to the Zoom attire – also known as wearing a shirt with pyjama bottoms!
 

MAY

This month, we offered free support and virtual consultations to clients old and new for their filming and animation projects. We were thrilled to make a difference to local businesses, including Square Peg Associates, who used video to reconnect with people and win new business in the process!
 

JUNE

Throughout 2020, we have also supported Bury Hospice, as our chosen charity of the year. And in June, JP began a fundraising campaign – pledging to run 10,000 metres every week for the rest of 2020 – working out at 300,000 metres or the equivalent of about SEVEN marathons! (We’re pleased to reveal he did it!)
 

 

We were also super proud to be joining The Best of Bury, Made in Bury and other great Bury businesses in supporting The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity #SuperJosh latest billboard. It featured on the corner of Walmersley Road in Bury for four weeks at the end of June – raising awareness for the charity that helps children with brain tumours & post-surgery disabilities in #SuperJosh’s legacy. The team also supported #SuperJosh by donating our time and skills to help run Kids Bingo – perfect for entertaining children while off school.

JULY

We were chuffed to bits in July to be recognised as the ‘Best Creative Corporate Video Production Company in Lancashire’ in the Business Elite Awards 2020. We were chosen by SME News for ‘consistently providing the best services and products for clients’ and ‘standing out’ within our sector.

And, we were also delighted to be awarded the Safe Sets International Covid-19 Certificate (Level A), which recognises that we can keep both our team and yours safe when we are filming on your premises during the Covid-19 climate.
 

AUGUST

The Alternative Manchester Pride Festival took place online over the August bank holiday weekend and we thrilled to see our highlights video of Bury PRIDE 2019 played throughout the event.

It was so nice to be filming back in Sheffield with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust once again after a five-month hiatus due to lockdown. We supported the Trust’s Chief Executive Kirsten Major to personally welcome and communicate new starters via video as part of its corporate induction programme.
 

SEPTEMBER

This month, JP took to Zoom again to take part in one of The Best of Bury Breakfast Club’s ‘In The Chair’ presentations. It was a great opportunity to introduce Pixelwave Creative and all the wonderful projects we’ve taken part in, as well as the chance to outline the benefits of using video.

But it was ever so nice to head out to a film shoot with Pace – Parents Against Child Exploitation as part of a project to raise awareness of child exploitation and to provide guidance to professionals keeping children safe from harm.

 

 

OCTOBER

Throughout the year, we’ve been proud of our business agility during the Covid-19 pandemic; adapting our services quickly in order to continue supporting our clients.

No more so than in October. From our office in Bury, we filmed healthcare professionals based across the UK for our work with The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

 

NOVEMBER

In November, we started capturing footage for Bury Hospice’s annual ‘Light up a Life’ service – where the community can remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones. This year the event took place online in December.
 

 
Then came the night we were all waiting for – the Made in Bury Business Awards (the MIBBAs). We were over the moon to win the Best in Class Creative award this year – find out more about our MIBBAs 2020 success here.

DECEMBER

And here we are in December.

So far, we have helped St. Mary’s C of E Primary in Hawkshaw produce its first virtual tour, for the reception intake of 2021. Video is a fabulous alternative for telling your school’s unique story to prospective parents and pupils.

We have also filmed with Hay Let’s Communicate, a specialist in external, internal and stakeholder communications, and began filming exciting projects with STEM Learning based at the National STEM Centre at the University of York.
 
We’re sure you will agree that it’s been quite a year… and we’re ready for more! We have invested in new state of the art camera equipment to deliver even better-quality visual content and we’re also in the early stages of some exciting projects that we’re looking forward to developing in 2021.
 

Thank you to all our wonderful clients for trusting us to share your stories on film in 2020.

We’ve worked on some brilliant projects across a wide range of industries within the UK.

Wishing us all a healthier and smoother 2021!