Firstly, I usually work with a cameraman but a last minute change of jobs saw a change of battle plans. This prompted a desperate phone call at about 17:30 to London Video Camera Hire. They could oblige me a camera, took my details and I was bouncing out with the full kit strapped over each shoulder the morning after the night before. Dealing with London Video Camera Hire was as simple as that!
It’s been a while since I did any video journalism work. The last time was in Crimea in early 2014. My day’s shoot wasn’t about “invading” Russians, rather the Chinese stampede into East London with a 1.7 billion pound investment and revamp of the Royal Albert docks. It was an investors launch day and a fairly straightforward shoot.
While sitting around to interview ABP chairman, Xu Weiping, I secured an interview with Hot Yoga founder Bikram Choudury after showing him a picture of a younger version of himself on a key ring I picked up from one of his Centre’s in London years ago. It was a nice touch to the day after chewing down on the Asian influenced buffet.
A lot will most likely be written about ABP’s chairman over the coming months and years as the derelict, empty site north of City Airport is constructed into new homes and a business Centre. If it is completed as outlined and planned, the short and long term effects and aims of continuing east London regeneration will be to everyone’s advantage.
But after that Jerry Springer final thought, I had to lug all the kit back to Shoreditch and ingest on site. That wasn’t an issue either and the day passed off without anyone being killed by my camera work.
Nick Davies-Jones
Producer, Ground Insight