On Location as a Camera Assistant and Drone Pilot for CNN in Cambodia
Work as a camera assistant and drone pilot on the Cambodia episode of CNN’s Nomad with Carlton McCoy for the second series.
It’s not often that you get a call from CNN at 2pm and by 4pm you’re onset, working for one of the most established production companies in the game. Zero Point Zero are the company behind Anthony Bourdain’s shows. If you haven’t seen the closing gambit from the Cambodia episode of a cook’s tour, it’s a testament to Bourdain’s writing and humanity.
The camera assistant / drone pilot who had travelled with the team from the US tested positive for Covid on arrival, so they needed someone to step in at short notice. Shortly after receiving the call, I was in the back of the van going over the kit with camera team.
On the evening of the first day, the DP tested positive, so we travelled to Siem Reap as a camera team of 2 before flying back to Phnom Penh less than 24 hours later.
When we got back to Phnom Penh the camera operator tested positive for Covid. Fortunately, CNN had flown in a DP from Thailand. We were the camera department for the next couple of days before the original camera assistant and drone pilot thankfully returned to the fray for the last couple of days.
It was an incredible learning experience to work with such an experienced team and a great crash course in lots of camera and lighting kit (and techniques) that I hadn’t used before.
Once again thanks to Nick at Hanuman Films for the recommendation. I look forward to sharing the show once the episodes airs. Below are a couple of drone photos I managed to snap along the way. You can see more examples of my drone videography here. Please get in touch about any video projects you have in Cambodia, SE Asia or the rest of the world.
Shooting PD for the BBC on a segment about Phare for The Travel Show
Working as a shooting PD (producer, director) on a segment on Cambodia about Phare for The Travel Show was one of those occasions where I feel lucky to have the job I do.
The shoot started at Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang to document the performing arts school before heading to Phare Circus in Siem Reap to catch a performance.
I’d never been to the school or the circus, but I’d heard a lot about both, so I was eager to find out what it was all about. The school is in a cool spot on the outskirts of Battambang. The walls are adorned with lots of colourful artwork, there’s a large practice hall and they even have a big top where performances are held.
I interviewed one of the founding members and one of the teachers before fimling some rehearsals and a performance that was taking place for a group of visiting school children.
From Battambang, I travelled to Siem Reap to film some interviews with some of the graduates of the performing arts school and to see a live performance. It was a great end to the shoot and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Siem Reap who wants to see more than just the temples. Roll Up! Roll Up! Get Your Tickets Here…
Once again thanks to Nick at the team at Hanuman Films for giving me the opportunity. The segment is in the link below and starts at the 12-minute 28-second mark. You can see another segment I was shooting PD on about the Angkor Archaeological Park here and you can see more examples of my video production work here.
Working as a shooting producer, director on a segment about Cambodia for BBC’s The Travel Show. I filmed the school in Battambang and the circus in Siem Reap.
NGO videographer to cover school feeding programme | On Assignment with WFP
I was hired to work as an NGO videographer for World Food Programme (WFP) in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The video was to highlight the ongoing activities of World Food Programme’s (WFP) school feeding programme and the support that they receive from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The programme has helped to build infrastructure at schools. This includes gardens the children are responsible for tending to, where they grow healthy, green vegetables that are a vital source of nutrition in the meals that the school provides for them. They have also built handwashing stations, so that the children can wash their hands before eating. Having a facility such as this and training children in washing their hands with soap regularly is very important and has been shown to improve attendance rates.
Another key aspect is upgrading the cooking and the food storage facilities. This allows the school cooks to prepare food in a more hygienic environment. After getting up before the break of dawn the cooks trek across the rice paddies in the dark to make sure that the school children have a healthy, nutritious meal that helps them to stay healthy and improves their concentration when studying.
It’s always rewarding providing WFP with videography services and it’s great to see responsibility for the programme being handed over to the Royal Government of Cambodia.
You can see other examples of my work as an NGO videographer for WFP here and here.
NGO Photographer in Siem Reap | On Assignment for Kiva
It was a great opportunity to work as a photographer and videographer with international NGO Kiva in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I spent two days photographing and filming a series of case studies about people who have taken out loans offered by Kiva to buy a cooking stove made by the social enterprise ACE. It was my first job through Storyhunter and will hopefully be the first of many.
The ACE stove is a great invention. It’s very efficient and within no time at all after turning the stove on and adding the biomass fuel there is a roaring fire that is hot enough to cook rice, stir fries and soups. The stove comes with a solar panel, so it perfect for people living off grid. It also has a USB port so it can be used to charge phones and other battery-powered electric devices and it’s smoke-less, so it’s a cheaper, quicker and healthier alternative to using charcoal which is commonly used in Cambodia.
It’s great to see how such a seemingly small thing can help improve people’s finances, save them time (if they collected fire wood) and contribute to improving their lives. The kind hospitality of the Khmer people is second-to-none. Everyone of the people we filmed and photographed invited us into their homes with open arms, were patient and had a good laugh. It really is one thing about Cambodia that makes the job easy, rewarding and fun.
Above are a selection of images from the couple of days I spent filming case studies and taking photos. You can see more examples of my work as an NGO photographer here and here.
Producing and directing stop motion, social media ads for Buffalo Sister
Trevor for Buffalo Sister contacted me to discuss making a series of Facebook adverts for him to showcase his Sunday lunches and his week day menu.
Trevor was clear that he wanted stop motion videos of the dishes being prepared and plated up . Together we found examples and discussed what was achievable for the budget. I got someone to animate the logo and then did some tests in the studio before filming a number of dishes from the menu.
The videos have increased his exposure on FB and he often receives comments complementing him on their quality. Hopefully, we’ll work on more creative projects in the future.
It was interesting for me to use my flat as a studio. It’s a long-term plan to improve my lighting and rigging options so I can use the space for a range of productions. Unfortunately, there’s quite a lot noise from the road, so I won’t be able to use it for interviews, but it would be good to experiment with green screen, product shots or music videos.