Wine Warehouse Incubates Studio
Mendip Media’s video studio marks 2-years of production this month.
We knew that when we first set eyes on a couple of dusty wine warehouses in Bedminster that not only did the property have good provenance but it was ideal for a growing video production agency in need of a permanent home.
Over a period of 3 months the building was transformed from storage units for some of the city’s finest wines into a bespoke creative space with administrative offices, edit suites, a green room and prep kitchen.
Studio in the Making
The heart of the enterprise was always intended to be the 30x21ft, 2-storey space complete with a range of sets (kindly donated by Bottle Yard Studios) and dimmable permanent space lights.
2-years on and we are still learning that studio hire and management is different from, although complementary to, video production.
And there’s always more work to do in improving facilities for our growing list of regular clients.
One of the unexpected spin-offs for Mendip Media’s team is the weekly throughput of different production companies, client brands, agencies and photographers, who help to keep us on our toes and in touch with what’s going in Bristol, the region and the rest of the UK.
We genuinely love the feedback from each shoot. It helps us develop, with ongoing maintenance now provided by our new manager whose programme of work stretches across the autumn and into next year. Plans include refining our studio storage space, a new studio floor, improved sound-proofing and faster fibre connections.
It’s exciting and challenging times.
Our studio (in the room next door) has additional benefits for our own video production. It has taken the quality of our studio-based output to new heights.
With the flexibility and space the studio offers, the primary benefit is our ability to control the lighting.
This has improved our food filming capabilities as we’re able create precisely-lit compositions with time to light and experiment for all outputs from social media stop-motion videos to recipe video.
The studio also enables us to increase our production efficiency as sets, props and equipment are readily to hand and an adjacent, professionally equipped preparation kitchen allows us to plan and prepare for food shoots in a way that saves time and money on filming days.
Finished Studio Space
All in all, the day we moved in to Mendip Media Studios was a game changer.
The disruption and difficulties of moving and adjusting to a wholly-owned property complex melts into insignificance when compared to the benefits the space brings.
We can now more easily meet the needs of our clients under one roof and give tailored customer-service on a micro level that is now the benchmark for servicing future and ongoing contracts for most marketing teams.
Long may the exciting journey continue!
By Nicky Robertson, Director