As an alternative education provider, New meaning Training (NMT) were looking for a new visual approach for a suite of videos they hoped to create for their 10th anniversary celebration in 2025. I was tasked with the production management and creative direction of these 19 films.
I reached out to a 1st year Film & media student I taught that term, Jacob Grainger, and asked if he would work with me to make this happen. It was then our joy and delight to take film shot by NMT’s marketing manager, Suzie Young, and use it to craft 14 case studies of current students, 3 montage films capturing the essence of NMT’s tireless work with young, often vulnerable, people, across 4 (and growing) centres across England, and a 10 minute Flagship film that could go someway to illustrating that work in more detail.
I began the process by writing a script for the Flagship film, I wanted to try and move away from the difficult situations that may have led the young people to find themselves needing the help NMT can provide in offering alternative learning pathways, and focus more on a place that exists in all of us.
This is The Place was born. Norman Cook was sent the script on the off chance he might be interested in recording it as voice over for the film and to our deep surprise, and joy, he agreed. Once that was in place, the music needed to be secured, luckily music producer Shadowkey took on the challenge and within 24 hours had created a bespoke remix of Fatboy Slim’s epic Praise You which now accompanies all 18 films (we had already created a teaser with another track).
I also had an inkling some element of illustration would benefit the project overall. 14 learners from across all NMT sites were interviewed for the project and they all spoke for themselves, but we needed some representation of an archetypal teenager to help galvanise the project into the hearts and minds of future students too. My friend Anna Platz-Twells created 6 perfect illustrations to accompany the films, and beyond.
The project has had a huge, lasting impact on Jacob, Suzie and myself, collaborating has been a dream and the films we have produced together, magical.
