Getting in and out of Leeds
The practical problem with filming in Leeds is not the filming. It is the loading. City-centre offices mean a lift, a signing-in desk, and a half-hour of carrying before anything gets switched on, which is why a one-person crew matters more here than almost anywhere.
I plan Leeds jobs around that. Kit comes in one run, the shot list is ordered so the rooms that need daylight are done first, and I am out before the afternoon meeting-room scramble. If there is loading access or a bay, say so in the enquiry. It changes the shape of the day.
Parking is the other one. Most jobs in the centre work out cheaper if I use a car park and walk than if we spend forty minutes finding a space outside the door.
What Leeds businesses tend to ask for
- One film that explains the business. Usually for a homepage, usually overdue, usually needed before a trade show.
- Founder and staff interviews. Recruitment is the quiet driver here. Showing the actual office beats a stock photo of a handshake.
- Product and process. Breweries, makers and manufacturers on the edges of the city, where the interesting bit is the floor rather than the boardroom.
- Event coverage. Launches and awards nights, which in Leeds means low light and a room that was not designed for cameras.
Low light is the Leeds problem
Half the venues worth filming in have been converted from something else, which means beautiful brick and almost no daylight. That is a lighting question, not a camera question, and it is the reason the live-music work in the reel holds up. If your space is dark, that is fine. It just needs an extra half hour at the start.
