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.

Below are some frames from the video I shot. You can see other examples of my work as an NGO videographer for WFP here and here.

Lighting camera operator for BECL Corporate Video

It was great working as a lighting camera operator and drone pilot with Christina and the teams from Cast Laboratories Singapore and Cast Laboratories Cambodia to produce this corporate video for Board of Engineers Cambodia Laboratory (BECL).

The video highlights the work that BECL do to emphasize the importance of testing and ensure safety standards in both existing and new structures in the burgeoning Cambodian construction market. This is an increasingly important job as the construction boom in Phnom Penh and many areas of Cambodia shows little sign of slowing down.

The corporate video demonstrates the tests Cast Laboratories do in Cambodia, including compression strength testing of concrete, testing steel and concrete in a non-destructive way, rebar tensile testing and many more of the services they provide.

My work as a lighting camera operator included working with two, Apurture C300D ii lights and 2 LED panels to give the video clean, even lighting to highlight the technical processes. Overall the client was very happy with the quality of the images I shot. The variety I provided them with allowed them to create split-screen segments in post-production to add dynamism to the final video. You can see another corporate video I shot here and more examples of my camera work here.

A corporate video about testing construction materials for BECL.

Here are some behind the scenes (BTS) photos of me in action:

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.

Innovations Against Poverty – An NGO video for SNV

I was commissioned to work as a videographer on this video showcasing the support that SNV provide to entrepreneurs in Cambodia.

The video focusses on WeVenture, a startup that provides clean, piped, drinking water to people living in Prek Chik commune. It was great to see how providing this water to people has a positive impact on their lives in many ways. Hopefully, WeVenture will expand their operations, as planned, and provide safe water to people all over Cambodia.

Cambodia Run Challenge, an NGO video

It was great to team up with TGF again to work as a videographer for the Cambodia Run Challenge at the end of 2019.

Mark, Alex and Johnny did a great job and raised much needed funds for TGF. As TGF is a small NGO a large percentage of the money reaches the beneficiaries, so it’s definitely a worthwhile cause. To find about more about the 2020 edition, check out the Cambodia Run website.