Making a documentary and becoming a dad under lockdown

Three of the most stressful things a person can do: hold the fort during a global pandemic, move offices, and work on our largest creative project (on top of all the company’s regular ‘core’ work).

We did all three at once, during a global pandemic. 2020 has been immensely challenging, but — like the inspiring individuals featured in our documentary — we worked hard and pulled through.

When nature was thriving and people were isolating we felt there was no better time to bring our baby George into the world. Nature did truly thrive didn’t it?

My wife Sara and I found that making a documentary is a lot like raising a baby! Both cost a lot more money and take up far more time than you’d initially expect; things might feel a little off, and it’ll take some trial and error to identify and solve the problem (when the young‘un’s crying, or the edit of a certain sequence isn’t flowing quite right); they keep you awake all night. But, as tough as it all is, you know you’ll do anything for them!

As a first-time father, this was my introduction to the mental complexities of having a child. You really do begin to question and reconsider everything! When George was born, I started contemplating the long-term impacts of every action and decision like I never had before. Add the circumstances of COVID-19 to the mix, and the introspection doubles. I needed to do something beyond charitable donations and offering a listening ear.

The spiritual beginning of ‘A Different Perspective’ had come a few months earlier during Easter, a couple of weeks after the first UK-wide lockdown came into effect. We spent hours flying for a few days to document how empty Portsmouth was while everyone (bar for key workers, including us) had to stay home.

Before the pandemic, our social media feeds had already become spaces for beautiful aerial photography. Under lockdown, those kinds of pictures became a form of escapism for people. When we noticed more and more comments from followers saying they couldn’t wait to get back out to the places we’d shot, our work started feeling weightier. And, as fatherhood crept ever closer, those feelings of duty grew. That’s how a few ‘pretty picture’ flights evolved into a full-length documentary.

As I’ve said before, the documentary also helped me support my family on a personal level, and my staff on a professional level. Lockdown was a double-edged sword for the drone industry: empty streets meant safer flights, but empty shops meant less cash flow for businesses to spend on aerial videos or surveys.