Morrocco Media were delighted to be asked by True Grit Events and The Soldiers Charity to film this years Cateran Yomp in early June. This is a 24-hour walking event over the 54-mile route of the Cateran Trail, close to my home in Blairgowrie. The main purpose of the event is to raise much needed funds for The Soldiers Charity, which is the National Charity of the British Army and is there to support soldiers, veterans, and their families.
The Cateran Trail passes over many different trail types, everything from tarmac roads to high mountain singletrack paths, and everything else in between. The route, on a good day, is stunning, passing through a diverse mix of landscapes, including rolling agricultural land, berry fields (something the area is famous for), forests, mountains, peatlands and picturesque lochsides.
Over a 1000 people participated in this years event, making it the most successful (in terms of numbers), since it first began in 2013. The event has less of a competitive edge and more of a participatory feel, with people there to enjoy the experience, participate in the organised events and eat the vast quantities of food laid on for the participants at frequent check points around the course.
Our brief was to make the video feel exciting, give a sense that the event is a real challenge, is gritty, and that there are a lot of extra features and attractions for the participants during the event - all in 90 seconds! The Tough Mudder videos were mentioned as inspiration, but the Tough Mudder activities are dynamic and exciting. The question we were left with is how on earth do we make walking look exciting and dynamic on film? Walking, is after all, a fairly gentile exercise with very little dynamic, fast movement, which usually helps in film!
This is what Jennie Patterson of Patter PR thought of the video - Just wanted to say WOW - i think you've done a BRILLIANT job. The video makes the event feel epic, gritty and adventurous with a strong collective spirit. Had goosebumps on viewing - always great first reaction to have.'
How did we generate this reaction for a video about a walking event, especially one where it rained for the majority of the day? Here are the five techniques we used to make walking interesting:
1) Luckily the rain stopped, so we could have a little bit of focus on the stunning landscapes through which the walkers were passing;
2) We filmed masses of footage to ensure we got a huge range of different types of footage so that the amount of repetition of footage was minimised. We had over 6 hours of footage for a 90-second edit, but it definitely helped having that diversity of shots;
3) upbeat music is crucial to creating a sense of dynamism;
4) Interspersing the walking footage with non-walking activities, such as people drinking and eating at the feed stations, adding graphical maps, the entertainment, and the build-up; and
5) The most important part, incredibly slick editing that adds dynamism to the footage and feel of the video without relying on the dynamism coming from the footage itself.
We already have a cracking idea for next years video (If the Soldiers Charity will have us back) that is totally different to the above video.
If you want to know more about how our creative direction, cinematography and editing could help you, then please get in touch - 01250872017 or visit our website to find out more - www.morroccomedia.com