Corporate Videography Shoot for Cambodia Zulite Stone
I was contacted through my website to make a corporate video for Cambodia Zulite Stone Co. LTD. Their parent company was attending a trade show in New York, so they needed a corporate videographer to deliver a video they could show at the trade show to showcase the quartz products they make in their factory.
Despite the language barrier, the process was easy. They sent sample videos they’d shot and we communicated about the key aspects of the product and the key aspects of the process they wanted included.
I then travelled to their location and spent the afternoon recceing the factory before shooting the next morning.
A key aspect of what they wanted to show was the scale and capacity of their operation. Due to its omnidirectional vision system and a three-dimensional infrared sensing system my newly acquired DJI Air 3 was the ideal tool for flying inside their factory.
I also shot close ups on tripod to highlight the details and precision of the key parts of the process.
The edit was a smooth process. I quickly turned around 1st and 2nd edits and after receiving feedback, I made some final tweaks so the video was ready to present at the exhibition in New York.
The management at the factory were keen to show the favourable working conditions they’d created for their staff. The staff are given 3 square meals a day and are provided with accommodation as part of their contract. This allows them to save more money.
You can see more examples of my corporate videos here and here.
On The Trail - Working as a Videographer for the EU
It was an action packed few days on the road working as a video following the press tour to promote the Cashew Value Chain in Cambodia for the European Union.
The press tour kicked off with a launch event at the Phnom Penh, before moving on to Kampong Thom, Kratie and Stung Treng.
The aim of the tour was to look at the available processing facilities, promote the value chain and to ultimately improve exports direct to Europe.
Our job was to get out front of the media scrum to film interviews and b-roll of the processing plants and cashew farms and then to film the press tour when all the journalists rolled in.
Journalists from over 30 media agencies attended the tour.
Supported by the EU and GIZ, the tour was led by H.E. Im Rachna, spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
H.E. Im Rachana explained the reason for the press tour. ‘Our goal is to provide news coverage to Cambodians to promote the cashew nut value chain in Cambodia,’ she said.
Bryan Fornari, Head of Cooperaton at the European Delegation to Cambodia, spoke about the need potential benefits of promoting the cashew value chain.
‘The connection opportunities are there between one of the countries that produces most cashew nuts in the world and the largest market for cashew nuts,’ he said.
Bryan also spoke about the potential of expanding the cashew value chain in Cambodia.
‘The processing parts of the value chain is not here in Cambodia, and there’s a lot of potential to bring it to Cambodia,’ he said.
Over 95% of Cambodian cashews are exported raw and unprocessed.
Gunther Wessel, a GIZ programme manager and a cashew expert, also joined the tour.
‘There is more and more interest in Cambodia, but Cambodians, to start processing,’ he said.
If the cashew producers can adhere to EU standards it will give them access to the biggest market in the world.
Hopefully we see more investment in the cashew sector in Cambodia and growth in the number of direct sales to the EU.
You can see more my work with the EU here and read more of my blog posts here.
On Location as a Lighting Camera Operator and Sound Recordist for the European Union
With very short notice, I was called upon to work for the EU as a lighting camera operator and sound recordist on The Third Global Conference on Assistance to the Victims of Anti-Personnel Mines and Other Explosive Ordnance in a Disability Rights Context.
This was second job of part of a very productive relationship working as the lead videographer with Landel Mills to provide a range of video content for the EU delegation in Cambodia.
I lit the interviews with 2 x Aputure Storm 300D mkii LEDs and ran a Sony a7iv and a7siii to give us 2 angles. I was also using 3 x Sennheiser radio mics with a combination of the Sony XLR-K3M Dual-Channel Digital XLR Audio Adapter Kit and a Zoom h4n Pro sound recorder to give me 3 channels when interviewing 2 people.
Below are some of the behind-the-scenes images, kindly provided by Nick Sells who was covering the event as a photographer. Nick Ray was also interviewing people. It was great to work with Nick again, who as ever, came fully-prepared with engaging questions.
The event was presided over by H.E. Ly Thuch, First Vice President of the Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, H.E igor Driesmans, the EU Ambassador to Cambodia and H.R.H Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al Hussein of Jordan.
Funded by the EU and hosted by the Cambodia Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) the conference promoted the end of suffering and new casualties caused by anti-personnel mines.
The video was well received and the EU commissioned a shorter version to be distributed on their social media channels.
In Novermber 2024, Cambodia will host the world host the Convention's Fifth Review Conference in Siem Reap, Cambodia from 25 to 29 November 2024.
You can see more examples of my work as a lighting camera operator here and here.
On Location in Stung Treng with UNICEF – NGO filmmaker on a case study
While filming an overview video for Generation Future, part of the assignment was to work as an NGO filmmaker to focus on Panha, a girl who joined the Code for Girls programme to work as a student volunteer.
Code for Girls is a project for girls to to learn about coding and engineering, which are both STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects.
It’s important to encourage girls to participate in STEM subjects as they’re often seen as subjects more suited to boys.
‘Most of the time, girls’ parents don’t let them study STEM subjects,’ says Panha.
‘After completing high school, I’d like to go to university. I’d like to study IT or engineering,’ she adds.
Panha has been interested in robotics since she was young and Code for Girls is a great opportunity for her to learn more.
‘I’ve been interested in this since I was 10. I found out about it on YouTube. There are so many things to watch,’ she says.
‘It’s predominantly men who make robots, but I think women can make them as well. If male students can study IT, why can't girls?’ she adds.
This has been a great opportunity to learn new skills.
‘The most interesting part was drawing a 3D model on the computer. After creating our designs, we got to print them on a 3D printer. I’m really happy, because I’ve never done anything like this before,’ she say.
Over the coming months, Panha will work with her project leaders and peers to train other students as part of the project.
‘I’d like to be able to provide training for girls like me. to improve their skillset and for them to
understand how to put what I teach into practice,’ she says.
‘I would like to encourage all girls to be confident in studying STEM subjects. They can be role models for the next generation of girls to look up to,’ she adds.
I look forward to catching up with Panha in a few months’ time, when we’ll be making a follow up video to see the progress she’s made and how she’s managed to train and empower other girls in her community.
You can read more about the other Generation Future video I made here.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need an NGO filmmaker to work on any upcoming projects
On assignment as an NGO videographer for UNICEF in Stung Treng
I’d worked as an NGO videographer on a Generation Future video for UNICEF a couple of years ago, so it’s always good to get the call to come back and make a follow up video to show how the programme has progressed / evolved.
We filmed the last video in Siem Reap Province. This time the location was Stung Treng Province with a focus on female empowerment and getting more girls involved in STEM subjects (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
This area where girls are underrepresented. They can also face barriers when trying to study STEM subjects.
Four Generation Future projects, Code for Girls, Cyclo Day, Meakea and RULErs, ran workshops to recruit and train 48 student volunteers from 4 schools in Stung Treng Province. All the groups featured female trainers and female student volunteers.
‘Code For Girls is a project that encourages girls to learn about coding and engineering,
which are both STEM subjects,’ says Sereny, the Code for Girls project leader.
‘We want them to use coding and 3D printing to come up with solutions to solve everyday problems,’ she adds.
‘I really enjoyed learning how to draw 2D and 3D models. I’ve never done this before,’ says Sovy, one of the student volunteers.
‘I've learnt a lot of new skills and gained a lot of new knowledge,’ she adds.
‘I’d like to see all Cambodian girls being confident and assured in the decisions they make,’ she concludes, which is a sentiment we can all agree with.
It was great working with the future generation of trainers and volunteers. Living in a country with such a young demographic, it’s essential that the younger generation, especially girls, learn leaderships skills and demand a voice in the decision-making process.
You can see the last video I made for Genreation Future here and more examples of my NGO videography work here.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have an NGO videography you would like to discuss.