Little Wonder feature IMDb founder on Screen Stockport

Following our trip to Bristol to interview Col Needham, the founder and CEO of the Internet Movie database (IMDb) we are pleased to finally post the feature on the Screen Stockport website http://screenstockport.co.uk/video_episodes.html

Joe has worked very hard on the 45-minute piece which uses two HD cameras to capture the conservational feel. The interview contains some real gems of information about Col such as that he used to sell computers in Stockport's Curry's store and he was so scared watching Jaws at the Romiley Forum, he was afraid to go into his local swimming baths. Still, he was only nine years old at the time!

We'd highly recommend this exclusive interview to any fans of film as it is a truly remarkable story of   how one man's passion can turn into a global phenomenon. Joe certainly found meeting Col a completely inspirational experience and we hope you enjoy it too!

Little Wonder launch Screen Stockport TV with Vintage Village film, May 7th 2011

Finally after many hours of work put in by our editor supreme Joe, the Vintage Village film is uploaded at last, on the eve of the Vintage Village fair to celebrate VE day.

With many hours of footage including over a dozen interviews, it was a tough decision to choose who to include and who to leave out, so we decided that we couldn't leave anyone out! As a result of this executive decision, the film is over 20 minutes long but it has plenty of interest so we hope everyone will enjoy watching it!

Our 16-year-old presenter Tom looks like a seasoned professional as he flits around the fair with his handheld microphone so watch out Gok Wan, a new star is in town!

This first film for Screen Stockport TV is introduced by Tom and his 18-year brother Joe. Check it out at www.screenstockport.co.uk and watch this space for info about forthcoming films.

Filming with cancer patients at Vine House, Preston, 11th April 2011

As part of our work with gtcreate for their client Rosemere Cancer Foundation, we were commissioned to film interviews with patients for a narrative DVD about Head and Neck Cancer. The Little Wonder team with David (Jaques) and Joe (Barratt) as camera operators, travelled to Vine House in Preston where we set up our cameras and lights in several different sitting rooms to film patients in a comfortable environment. The patients all had inspiring and heartrending stories to tell but the main message that came from each person was one of positivity and hope for the future.

While David filmed the interviews on the Sony EX1R, Joe and John took patients into the gardens and other rooms of Vine House to film cutaway shots on the Canon 5D. The staff at Vine House were extremely hospitable offering us lunch with the patients and we all sat around a large table in the dining room. The interviews with the cancer patients were quite in-depth and it was a difficult job editing them down to just a couple of minutes each so we recommended that the DVD be extended in length to allow the stories to be told in full. The interviews were individually packaged with music and graphics for approval by the client.

Little Wonder film interview with IMDb founder for Screen Stockport, 25th March 2011

Back in January when we were setting up the Screen Stockport website, we read an interview in the Manchester Evening News with the IMDb's founder and CEO Col Needham. We were fascinated to learn that Col comes from just up the road in Denton and saw one of his first ever movies, Jaws, at Romiley Forum, where we were due to hold the film festival.

With help from the journalist Amy Glendinning, we were put in touch with Col and soon received an email from his assistant Carly Pinn to say that Col would love to do an interview for Screen Stockport. A date was agreed and the Little Wonder team with Joe (Barratt) as interviewer and David (Jaques) as camera operator headed off to the IMDb headquarters in Bristol. 

Welcomed by Col who was very friendly and relaxed, he allowed us to dress a spare office with film posters to provide a colourful backdrop for the interview. Joe and Col settled down to their interview which lasted 45 minutes and covered the whole of the IMDb story starting from Col setting up a text database in the late 1980's to IMDb's current status as one of the Top 40 websites in the world with 100 million visitors per month.

Joe's exclusive interview with Col will be online soon!

Filming with The Jessie Rose Trip for Screen Stockport, 18th March 2011

March was another busy month for Little Wonder producing content for Screen Stockport's website.  We had a visit from our friend and colleague Robert Murray, who works as a producer for the BBC. In his interview he tells us about his TV career and making his documentary "I Hate My Bald Head' for BBC3.

The LIttle Wonder team including camera operator David Jaques also paid a visit to the stylish Stockport home of Jessie Rose, singer with the Jessie Rose Trip. Over several cups of Yorkshire tea, we interviewed Jessie, Mark and James in the lovely conservatory and talked about their visual approach to their music. David also filmed the band jamming in their rehearsal room in the cellar using our Canon 5D camera which delivered some stunning shots. The band's recent signing to the cutting edge American label S Curve will surely bring them the success they deserve.

Setting up our cameras in the front room, we also chatted to Jessie's Mum Moira Hancock for Screen Stockport. Moira told us about her drama company SMK Productions, her long-established reputation as an eminent dance and drama teacher in Stockport  and how she has tutored many established stars on television today.

All the above interviews can be viewed on www.screenstockport.co.uk

Little Wonder film at the Vintage Village for Screen Stockport, 13th March 2011

On Sunday 13th March the Little Wonder Team spent a long but enjoyable day filming at the Vintage Village fair which is held at Stockport's Victorian Market Hall every second Sunday of the month. This was our first film to launch the Screen Stockport TV channel on the website which aims to reflect the most interesting stories about the people who live and work in Stockport.

The Vintage Village  report was filmed by Joe on the Sony EX1R and Rosemary on the JVC. It was also the debut presenting performance of our 16-year-old Little Wonder team member and fashion fanatic Tom (Barratt). Needless to say, Tom was a great success and everyone he talked to at the Vintage Village seemed to love him. Tom formed a special bond with Jo from Crystal Angels who was really sweet and gave Tom some of her spare chandelier pieces for his art project!

Vintage Village is quite a unique shopping experience and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming with colourful stalls and even more vibrant stallholders who couldn't have been friendly to our team. Special thanks must go to the Vintage Villagers organisers Alan and Sarah and Zip's Grill's Manni who looked after us throughout the day. The coffee at Zip's Grill is highly recommended. This is a great community of people with a passion for crafts and creativity that is positively infectious!

Throughout the six hours of the fair we hardly stopped filming which means now we have a lot of work to do to produce a film that does justice to the market and its stallholders. Watch this space!!

Demonstration videos for Simmonsigns, Telford, 9th March 2011

We were commissioned by gtcreate to film and package a series of short demonstration videos for their client  Simmonsigns, a manufacturer of traffic sign systems based in Telford, Shropshire. We travelled down to the Simmonsigns headquarters and set up our two HD cameras in their car park to film the demonstration videos. This was an illuminating experience for us because it was the first time we had filmed a vehicle driving at speed many times over a traffic sign to show how vandal resistant and resilient it was. Each time they were hit, the signs simply kept popping back up again! Our HD cameras were able to capture every detail of the impacts which were conducted at 10mph, 20mph and 30mph. The video footage was then edited tightly using both camera angles incorporating a slo-mo effect to show as much of the impacts as possible. The films were packaged with music and graphics and delivered to Simmonsigns for viewing on their company stand at the Traffex trade event at the NEC.