Lights, smartphones, action!
How an intrepid group of technicians adventured into the world of filmmaking
Science technicians, especially chemistry technicians, absolutely love making, tinkering with and introducing new practical hands-on activities and demonstrations to help students understand concepts and ideas. So, during the UK lockdown after Christmas, it did not come as a surprise when teachers asked us to start filming some experiments and demonstrations to discuss with their students.
As a group of three experienced technicians still lucky enough to be working part-time on site, we jumped at the opportunity. This was our chance to shine! The fact that we knew nothing about filming, lighting, focusing or editing did not curb our initial enthusiasm.
After a couple of days excitedly discussing, planning and organising the materials we began filming. At the first edit we reviewed our accomplishments – and vision and reality collided. The videos lacked commentary, captions or any form of audio (apart from the occasional clink of glassware from a stirring rod or beaker) and seemed relatively underwhelming compared with our initial Hollywood-style ambitions. We sent them off into the world with our enthusiasm dampened by our own harsh self-criticism.