FMP Locations
Pinewood Studios
I have put this section here more as a talking point than anything. Pinewood studios would be an amazing place to do this documentary, I think every role would have some excitement there would never really be a dull moment.
Realistically however it’s just not possible to do this currently even if I was allowed I would be faced with so many legal challenges due to the sensitivity and large companies working at the studios and even if I was able to navigate that I don’t have the time within the project to organize this it could even take years, I have days.
Maybe one day this will be possible but not for this project.
Bucks College Group Facilitys
Now, this is only a backup but I could use the bucks college group campuses as an environment for my documentary. I would much rather use a proper working environment since it might be more interesting but also give me an opportunity to do a more professional off-campus production.
Looking past what I have just said a college is a great option, throughout the 3 current campuses they have many roles which I might be able to follow, including management, Technical Services, and building services as well as various other roles.
If I did use this location for the most part I think I would try and avoid teaching roles since I feel it will not yield enough interesting content for the documentary, on the other hand, department technicians would be very interesting since they are hands-on for the majority of the day supporting students and staff.
I have not reached out to the college but plan to soon just to clear this with them to cement it as an option but I feel they will be really up for it as it’s publicity for them but also supporting my education as a student.
I will have to take into consideration there will be job roles such as student services I will likely not be able to follow since they deal with more personal matters not to be shared, unless if I did decide to we might use actors however I would like to try and avoid that.
Update [6/4/2021]: I have been in contact with Tim our course manager and we have been able to agree on the use of the college’s campuses for this project if or when I need them for this project. I will have access to multiple job roles and rooms to complete my planned ideas. Now that I have a secured venue I can start to plan other aspects of the pre-production. I still however hope to reach out to other places but it’s hard due to availability and covid conditions.
MBSE Uk
When thinking about locations I had a couple of ideas in mind and this is one of my preferred options.
MBSE is one of the leading providers in film lighting and equipment in the UK and Europe, they also have services across other parts of the world. I have an interest in this company and this location because it’s where I did my work experience in the first year of my course, and it’s an amazing place with all sorts of roles and technology to explore.
I worked with Pinewood MBS however they have now moved and merged with MBSE which is based just outside Heathrow airport in slough (which is funny as this is one of my case studies). This location is 35 mins away from the college so transport will need to be arranged.
From my time within the company I was able to experience some of these roles first hand so I can know what to expect when planning the documentary (providing they agree). These roles consist of many different types of service and repair technicians as well as deliveries, coordinators, and managers across the warehouse.
I have drafted and prepared an email that I have sent to MBSE with details of my project, the reasons behind it, and of course a big part right now, safety and covid security. I will await a reply and then respond appropriately to the outcome.
Until then I will continue to look at other options and keep the backup in mind.
Update [8/4/2021]: After being in contact with Toby Dare Operations Director for MBSE, unfortunately, I will not be able to use the organization or premises mostly on the basis of non-disclosure agreements and client contracts. This was on my mind when contacting the company so I am not disappointed but it was a good option to explore. They did however offer support with lighting if I needed it on a project which is amazing, likely not this project since there will not be a lot of staged lighting environments outside of an interview room.
The Forestry Commission
A lot of the documentaries in this style you see are based on public service and utility so one of my ideas was to reach out to the Forestry Commission to see if I could go into their organization based at Wendover woods.
I would hope to follow the personnel that maintains the forest and its facilities along with activity leaders and other roles I may not even know about within the organization.
I have contacted the forestry commission before for a previous project (not as much college-related) but I was told that there would be a rather large fee and that they would need advanced notice which is not a luxury I really have to give on this project so only time will tell.
I don’t know how much goes on behind the scenes in Wendover woods and what is involved in this so it will be hard for me to judge this one, I will just have to wait on further communication and see what happens.
I do however have a good knowledge of the woods and surrounding area so that will help me when it comes to doing this documentary if this is the site and organization I use.
Update [12/4/2021]: I had a reply from the forestry commission liked the idea that I proposed and thought that it would be interesting however they had to decline just based on the time scale of the project, they would need advanced notice due to the different departments that would need to be organized. They added that they can help in some extent at another time so I could always make episode 2 as a separate project later on.
Update: [13/4/2021] I have now decided to use the college as my option as it’s a solid option and I’m running out of time to contact new organizations plus I can’t really think of any others that are open which is another issue currently. I have contacted the ones listed here and had positive replies however it was just not possible for some reasons so I’m actually quite please with the outcome of that.