From a distant desert in Africa to the perilous coast of Northern Ireland, co-founder Anthony Barry gives LBB a tour of four of the most far flung productions facilitated by Remote Filming
Ever since a global pandemic marooned production crews from their native habitat, remote streaming solutions have continued to level up their offerings. With covid removing all possibility of in-person productions, remote solutions provided a much needed lifeline and, since then, the industry has been closely monitoring the growth of this new generation of technology as it continues to revolutionise broadcast and content delivery.
London-based global-service Remote Filming - a secure, high quality remote streaming software - was ahead of the curve back in 2020, and remains there to this day. One of the strongest contenders on the market, the company has set exceptionally high standards for the industry. Built by film professionals for film professionals, flexibility is guaranteed. Due to its simple installation and user interface, Remote Filming removes the need for specialist crews or technicians - keeping crew numbers and costs to a minimum. It also works anywhere a stable internet signal can be established – and in some cases, even when it can’t. Like streaming to 5 continents from a solidly built concrete-making factory in Brisbane, Australia with an upload speed of just 1.4Mbps. No location is out of reach when Remote Filming is involved.
Founding partner Anthony Barry tells LBB’s April Summers about the most ambitious projects and places the software has been put to use, proving Remote Filming’s key strengths: simplicity, flexibility, and operability in adverse situations. “When productions appear to be shaping up to be impractical or too expensive, Remote Filming is the solution.”
1. ‘Rise Up’ for Role Models x H&M - Blue Sky Africa, Nairobi
Production-wise, it doesn’t get much more remote than filming in the Lukenya Hillside in Kenya. Remote Filming was employed to facilitate a commercial shoot for H&M campaign, ‘Rise Up’ after being approached by Kenyan production company, Blue Sky Films Africa. The shoot was located 50 km from Nairobi, where Blue Sky Films Africa’s team were based and roughly 12,000 km from the New York-based creative agency, production company and director, Brian Buckley.
Slotting seamlessly into the existing system set up - cameras, playback, remote viewing - Remote Filming gave the clients that were dotted across multiple continents remote accessibility to the entire shoot. “The director was directing the shoot in real time and if the shot was good or needed a retake he was able to easily communicate this to the team on the ground,” recalls producer Hemal Shah, reflecting on the international project. “All team members were able to view the footage in real time. Even with the different time zones, and with low connection speeds available on location, we were able to carry out the production.”
In addition to the technical benefits, the use of Remote Filming also removed the need for additional crew, eradicating countless tonnes of CO2 emissions. “In a film production world where it is no longer acceptable to produce the horrendous levels of CO2e, streaming offers an obvious and increasingly essential (and mandated by an increasing number of clients) solution to reduce the CO2e from a shoot, especially for disposable travel, whether by plane, train or automobile,” says Anthony.
2. 'Old Henry', feature film - Hideout Pictures, Tennessee
In 2021 this international crew of production associates dialled in to the set of feature film Old Henry using Remote Filming. Set in 1906 Nevada, the Hollywood movie was shot using an ARRI Alexa Mini 2.8K on location in Tennessee. An ambitious Western action-drama starring actors Stephen Dorff and Tim Blake Nelson, there were numerous fast paced scenes which required the assistance of Remote Filming’s high resolution technology.
Employing the software to stream live video tape recording to remote viewers on the production team in LA, Remote Filming facilitated a series of technically complex scenes. These included shooting on the back of galloping horses (in saddlebags) to capture the cowboy riders as they chased across the dusty plains of rural Tennessee.
Often lasting weeks or months, there is a lot at stake for big budget feature films of this nature, and Remote Filming was able to insert some much needed peace of mind to an otherwise high pressure shoot. With 24/7 technical support on hand, common on-set challenges facing production were able to be solved quickly and efficiently. “For this project, there was no technical alternative to using Remote Filming,” explains Anthony. “The system is secure, lightweight - literally and technically - and with near-zero latency.”
3. Multiple Commercial Shoots - Aries Rising Projects, New York and LA
May Lin Le Goff, founder and executive producer of Aries Rising Projects, has been using Remote Filming to shoot various brand campaigns since 2020. “Remote Filming allows for seamless streaming of photo and video captures, easily accessible by clients and creatives, via an encrypted browser, which protects the privacy of the content being captured. The download and instalment process is very straightforward for our stills and motion digital technicians, which is one of the reasons I keep using this particular service.”
Aries Rising Projects’s first experience with Remote Filming was for a stills and motion advertising campaign the company was producing for Japanese skincare brand, SK-II. Shot in Houston, Texas, for clients based in Singapore, the speed and convenience made it an instant hit. “Remote Filming has been a great solution to the transition into the world of remote viewing which was brought on by the need to facilitate clients and teams during the pandemic,” says May Lin.
“Most recently we used the platform for our latest eBay Luxury Exchange stills campaign, which was photographed in New York, with clients remotely viewing from various parts of the U.S. Being able to be involved in the production process remotely is a game changer and a clear cut solution for me to provide to the projects I produce.”
4. 'Follow No One' for Bushmills Irish Whiskey - Pull the Trigger, Dublin
As captivating as the rugged and rocky Northern Ireland coastline is during the moody months of winter, the landscape is not the most practical production environment. Although the interlocking basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim are visually striking, the rural terrain is hard to manoeuvre around. Luckily, Remote Filming’s light-weight and transportable equipment offered an easy remote streaming solution. Working with Dublin production company, Pull the Trigger, Anthony and his team were able to accommodate the ambitious creative of this commercial shoot for local whiskey brand, Bushmills.
“We were in a very tricky location on the coast of Northern Ireland, in dreadful weather conditions in January,” recalls Max Brady, owner and EP of Pull the Trigger. “As the budget didn’t allow for some clients to attend the shoot we decided to use Remote Filming. This meant that those in North America could still participate and be involved in creative decisions, but we were also able to bring down our environmental footprint by flying in fewer people.”
“Giant’s Causeway and the surrounding area is remote and made up of rough terrain. Opting to use Remote Filming meant that we were able to keep communications open throughout the shoot, and despite the challenges of sideways rain, gale force winds, and poor visibility, we got the job done.”
