Rethink Audio & The Imperial War Museum - Conflict of Interest

Capturing visuals is easy in a studio environment - but how do you do it while walking around in a dark museum, with three separate contributors,  talking about works of art that the listener can’t see? 
This was the task we took on when we began development on series three of Conflict of Interest, for The Imperial War Museums  where celebrities join experts to ask simple questions about conflicts through history.

Series three was particularly tricky. Based in the recently opened Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries; our focus was on works of art: highly subjective and often abstract media, difficult to articulate through audio alone. Our challenge was to supply visual assets to complement the audio that could be used on multiple platforms. 

Here’s how we did it. 

We worked light

We wanted to capture the experience the general public would have, with the slight caveat that there were two experts to explain in depth details about the artefacts. 
This meant giving our contributors the freedom to walk around without feeling like they were being recorded or laden with cumbersome equipment. We wanted to keep the conversation as fluid as possible and avoid a stop start record. Visuals were important, but not at the expense of the audio experience.To achieve this, it was important that our audio and camera rigs were light, agile and didn’t compromise on quality. So we decided all we needed was one camera operator who could quickly and easily get into position for various shots. Having two cameras would have not only slowed us down, but would have added significant costs and unnecessary logistical woes.
For audio, our contributors were rigged up with remote lapel mics so they could roam freely around the exhibits, avoiding cables and big old microphones getting in the way. It also meant the shots we captured of our celebrity reactions and conversations, were more natural and in the moment, none of the forced “look we’re doing a podcast, here’s a giant mic in my face” which seems to have become the de facto approach of any visualised podcast (some of ours included). We wanted something different; sleek and minimal, and let the content do the talking.

What we shot.

With only one camera, it was impossible to film all three contributors and their reactions, a luxury that is afforded in studios. Instead, we went in with the gorilla approach. We used a 24mm - 70mm lens meaning we could capture everything we needed from lots of different angles, giving a dynamic mix of shots that could be sliced together to create some compelling social media content from each episode. 
We pre-planned what we needed, plenty of B-roll, shots of the artwork with a focus on our celebrity guest. We did a couple of introductions to the camera, but beyond that it was shooting as we went. This approach worked brilliantly, giving plenty to work with in the edit, without being overbearing in the shoot. 

The style was informal, yet slick, exactly what we were after.

Beyond social media

We go into every project with an ‘audio first’ approach, but we understand that visuals are an  incredibly important part of podcasting, and saying you ‘watch’ a podcast is becoming as normal as listening. 
So how could we create a full length viewing experience of the series? Simply put, we couldn’t. Not without expanding the budget exponentially and creating something completely different. Instead, we put our heads together to create what is in effect, a slide show. 
It may sound simple, but this was a perfect solution for this project. As we were focussing on art, we wanted listeners to be able to look at the artwork if they wanted to. Spotify was the ideal platform for this, supporting both audio and video for all users. We decided to use a mix of IWM archive, stills from the recording and the artworks. The result was an effective but simple solution that kept the audio front and centre, but allowed for a visual experience for those who wanted it.

The result

Series three of conflict of interest has been widely praised in the media since its release. Our creative vision allowed the passion and knowledge of IWM’s experts to flow freely into the ears and now the eyes of hundreds of thousands. We also know that our celebrities went away truly grateful for the experience.
We love it when a plan comes to fruition;to try new things and bring out the best in people for our listeners. With decades in the industry, we know how important it is to create something that is more than just a microphone in someone's face. The real mastery of this series was capturing experience and telling stories that have impacted generations, and will continue to inform generations to come.