THE CHALLENGE
Part of a large scope of works around a major road artery into Derby, a footbridge was demolished in May 2019. The existing concrete structure stood at a site about 1.5 miles east of Derby City centre, spanning the A52. Later, the area will become a new gateway for pedestrians and cyclists linking the Chaddesden suburb to Pride Park. The new pedestrian & cycle bridge will allow a higher volume of traffic and easier access from the north side of Brian Clough Way to destinations such as Derby Arena and Pride Park Stadium.
Derby City Council invited us to discuss how we would approach the footbridge demolition. From a time lapse and video production standpoint we leant our experience and expertise.
OUR APPROACH
Derby City Council approached us initially with the idea that we could provide a static time lapse system. After visiting the site and examining the work plan we suggested instead that an on-the-ground filming option would be best. These works were set to take place over a relatively short period. The advantages of a film crew over a static time lapse are therefore clear. With the ability to roam the worksite (observing the exclusion zone of course) our on-the-ground team are able to utilise a plethora of cameras and multiple viewpoints to get coverage.
A much richer bank of detailed footage is captured as a result. All this at a very similar cost to installing a static camera over the same period.
THE RESULTS
A clear sense of what outcomes are desired means a quick turn around for the first draft video. We decided to revisit the location once more to add context; with closing shots of the duel carriageway now reopened to commuter traffic. Derby City Council were delighted by the fact that they could also benefit from a time lapse only edit made from multiple short term time lapse angles. In contrast to the proposed single camera, this offers an interesting and more dynamic scope of the completed works.
After a round of reviewing the draft edit we completed the video story of the footbridge demolition. Edit requests to be actioned were mainly minor tweaks and shortening certain sequences.
As mentioned, the site is subject to an ongoing programme of works. As a result, we are now looking to install one of our long term time lapse systems for Derby City Council and principal contractor, Galliford Try.
“All happy with the video, thank you.”
Vickie Brandom – Marketing Comms. Manager | Derby City Council
