Meat Business Women and Cande Group renew partnership to support next phase of growth beyond 2026
Ben Coates
Meat Business Women (MBW), the global community for women working across the meat and food industry, and creative agency Cande Group have renewed their strategic partnership for a further two years, to drive continued growth for both organisations.
The partnership builds on two years of shared growth across the businesses. Meat Business Women’s global membership has expanded to 57 Corporate Partners & 2500 members worldwide, while Cande Group has strengthened its offer with the launch of its dedicated studio, enabling enhanced content production and livestream delivery.
To date the organisations have worked closely to deliver global creative campaigns that aim to drive equality in the meat sector, working with MBW’s partners across the UK, Ireland and Australia.
Recent collaboration highlights include the launch of The Food Business Charter at the House of Lords in 2025, and International Women’s Day at Tesco HQ.
Cande’s role as a specialist in the agri-food sector continues to underpin the partnership. The agency was selected as video partner for the World Meat Congress 2025 with International Meat Secretariat and Farmers Guardian, and works with organisations across the supply chain including Red Tractor, NFU Mutual and Defra’s Livestock Information Service.
Meat Business Women’s focus is to continue working closely with Partners to deliver on the ambition of the Food Business Charter, which set out the aim of reaching 40% female representation by 2035. They’ll continue to work with businesses to build sustainable talent pipelines as well as delivering on the ground benefits for individuals, such as mentoring, strategic networking, conferences & personal development.
Ben Coates, Founder and Director of Cande Group, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to continue our partnership with Meat Business Women as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond. Alongside our shared focus on the agriculture and food supply chain, there’s a real alignment in values and culture that makes this collaboration work so well. We’re excited to build on that momentum and support the next phase of growth together.”
Joanna Parnell, Managing Director of Meat Business Women, added:
“It’s really important for us to have trusted partners that understand the sector, but also understand what we’re trying to achieve, and Cande are exactly that. There’s a lot of exciting things to come over the next 12 months as we look to continue raising awareness and infl uence through our campaign work with Cande.”
Meat Business Women is the global professional network for women working across the meat industry. It is aligned to the United National’s Sustainable Goal 5. It was created to improve the sustainability of the meat sector and grow the pipeline of female talent in this male dominated arena.
How to Light a Remote Space like a Pro
Ben Coates
When it comes to creating high-production value content, of course the cameras are a key component, but many don’t realise that lighting is the real hero. It’s one of the best-stocked parts of Cande’s kit cupboard and the secret to elevating our client’s work.
Filming in a remote location can be a bit like cooking a gourmet meal on a camping stove: challenging, messy, and occasionally involving duct tape. Whether you’re shooting a corporate interview in a far-flung facility, a dramatic scene in a barn, or a sunlit sequence on a windswept hill, precision lighting is still key. Here’s a sneak peek of how the well-versed Cande team approaches it.
Pack Smart
When it comes to remote shoots, your kit bag is your best friend, or your worst enemy if you forget the essentials. Always pack: a bounce board (to reflect light onto your subject); diffusion (to diffuse and soften the light); blackout material/flags (negative fill i.e. to remove the light); and black wrap (to block out any unwanted light sources). These are your “get out of jail free” cards for any tricky lighting situation.
Need to soften harsh sunlight? Diffusion. Want to block light to create contrast? Blackout material. Need to rig up something MacGyver-style? Black wrap’s your hero. Think of these as your lighting survival tools – lightweight, versatile, and perfect for crafting every shot.
Our client work takes us from studios where we have full control over every light source, to outside locations with varying shadows, to inside tractors, boardrooms and factories, and all of these tools prove immensely helpful, time and time again.
Plan for Power
Power capability can often be overlooked when you are focusing on the delivery of what the client wants. The first priority for any remote location filming should be a recce to identify what the power capabilities are, and what portable power options might be needed either as your main source, or as back up. Most LED lights run off big batteries such as V-mount or Gold-mount, but occasionally we need to think bigger and this needs planning.
Generators can be indispensable, however diesel and petrol ones are noisy. If you’re capturing audio, you’ll have to run cables from a far-off corner, which can prove tricky, and you will also need to get a dedicated ‘generator babysitter’, an expensive added cost. Portable solar generators are a better option. These eco-friendly beauties are quiet, compact, and powerful enough to run a suite of LED lights and charge your ever-growing pile of batteries.
Embrace the Sun
It might sound obvious, but when shooting outdoors, the sun is your biggest light source, however it can also be unpredictable. The perfect conditions are overcast skies when the clouds act like a giant diffusion frame, giving you soft, flattering light for free. Add in a bounce board to knock out shadows, and you’re golden.
But what about sunny, blue-sky days? That’s where it gets tricky. Harsh sunlight can be a nightmare, throwing unflattering shadows everywhere. If you’ve got a big diffusion frame, use it! No frame? Adapt. Find natural shade under trees, use the shadow of a building, or lean into dappled light for a more artistic vibe.
And if the clouds are playing hide-and-seek, prepare to hear the classic Doors number, “Waiting for the Sun” (the soundtrack of every location film crew!). For one shoot we did for NHS Leicestershire we managed to get a diffusion frame set up in a hospital garden for a series of interviews; something interesting for the patients to look at, as well as create the desired effect.
Get Creative with Key and Fill Light
Lighting doesn’t have to be textbook-perfect; it just has to make sense and look good. Pay attention to your natural light sources. If there’s a window on the subject’s left, don’t light them from the right, it’ll appear strange to the viewer.
When you’ve got the gear, experiment to get the perfect effect. A Book Light setup is a favourite for a reason: it gives you beautifully soft, even light, that flatters your subject. This is where you bounce a light source through a layer of diffusion, so there’s no direct light. Overhead Softboxes are another winner for controlled environments. On each shoot, depending on scale, we’ll bring a Director of Photography (DoP) as part of our crew. The DoP is responsible for establishing the lighting needs and designing the set-up.
Need inspiration? We once turned a farm grain barn into a panel show studio. Using a truss frame as part of the set design, we rigged a 12×12 overhead diffusion frame with three 600d LEDs as our key light, then used 300d LEDs for fill. For a pop of colour, we lit the grain backdrop with RGB LEDs in the client’s brand colours.
Know the Basics
Three-point lighting is a classic for one very good reason – it works. But it’s not necessarily going to give you that unique deliverable that will ‘wow’ your client. Once the Cande team has set up the core lighting setup, we like to push boundaries to create something truly bespoke and professional.
We experiment with angles, shadows, and textures, plus use practicals (such as lamps or candles) for added depth. Layered lighting makes the scene feel alive. And remember, a great lighting setup doesn’t just illuminate the subject, it also tells part of the story, and as such, becomes a distinctive part of the narrative.
Bonus Tip: Preparation means Confidence
Planning is an absolute must. Always recce your location, whether in-person or remote. It’s your chance to spot potential challenges (like where the sun will be at different times of day or any power supply issues) and opportunities (like natural reflectors or shaded spots). Being prepared and packing the best equipment you have, means you will have the confidence to not only be creative on the day to best effect, but also have the means to adapt to any challenge or opportunity, and that’s the key to make great lighting in remote shoots look effortless.
Case Study – The Institute of Agriculture & Horticulture
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
The Institute of Agriculture & Horticulture (TIAH), is the home of skills, careers, and professionalism in agriculture and horticulture, is dedicated to helping individuals develop their potential and enabling agricultural businesses to succeed, driving the growth of the entire industry.
As part of their mission, TIAH approached us to produce a series of case studies to complement their online learning resources and showcase the diverse roles within the agricultural sector. The goal was to inspire and inform others about the opportunities and pathways available in agriculture, promoting the sector as a progressive, professional, and exciting career choice.
Approach
For the first video in this series, we spent a day filming in Kent with Chloe Wilcock, founder of Oink and Udder, and her family. Chloe’s inspiring journey from teacher to farmer offered a compelling narrative, highlighting her transition into agriculture and her achievements as a tenant farmer alongside her young family. Through carefully crafted visuals and storytelling, we captured the passion and determination that led her to a successful and fulfilling career in farming.
Execution
The team is no stranger to a road trip, and armed with enthusiasm and a healthy amount of kit, made the trek to the southeast in the dependable and affectionately named ‘Cande Wagon’. The farm is located in Canterbury and it’s always worth the journey as we always end up in idyllic rural locations. The pickup truck is ideal for filming in farm settings, as its capability is perfect for rugged terrain and any of the crew can hop out at a moment’s notice to capture a fortuitous shot to add to the edit.
Cande had the huge pleasure of filming not only with the founders of the farm, but also the entire Wilcock family, including their three young children. The family’s journey leant itself beautifully to a meaningful story, and we were able to document the huge shift they have made to really embrace every aspect of farm life. The children were a delight to film as they helped to feed and water the livestock, collect eggs, and show our crew how to pick flowers! We filmed a number of interviews with Chloe and her husband David, and then travelled across the farm to shoot accompanying footage, moving between our cine cameras, drone and gimbal.
Understanding the subject matter of a film is paramount to executing the most pertinent footage, and this project was a prime example. If the message had been a technical one about the importance of a farming process, it would have been important to capture the tools, the steps in the chain and the other elements of the system. Since this film was about Chloe’s personal journey, the footage was shot so that it conveyed her emotion, her working on the farm processes with her husband and children, plus her reactions.
Key takeaways
This filming project was about the human story and what this family was experiencing on their journey. Our able director led on this angle of the narrative, and it made a real difference in the final video which is authentic and poignant.
By bringing these narratives to life, Cande group is helping TIAH continue their work in showcasing the breadth and richness of careers in the sector.
Client testimonial
“The Cande team were fantastic to work with. From the first meeting they understood what we are about and they quickly visualised the messaging we were asking for. The team kept us informed of progress throughout the project and continually delivered to tight deadlines. We’re made up with the final cut and look forward to working with them again!”
Rik Magliola, TIAH
Case Study – Akuma Sports
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
As part of Cande Group’s ongoing sponsorship and partnership with Nuneaton Old Edwardians Rugby Club, we were tasked with producing engaging content for Akuma Sports, a leading sportswear brand supporting both elite and grassroots teams. Akuma prides itself as providing a simple and reliable solution for quality sportswear, all manufactured in the UK.
Approach and brief
Cande Group’s task was to tell the story of the rugby club’s matchday routine with Akuma Sports as a core focus. Our translation of this narrative was to use a blend of dynamic observational matchday footage and carefully choreographed studio shots. This approach allowed us to authentically capture the energy, camaraderie, and dedication of the players while showcasing Akuma’s role in empowering their performance with their robust and visually impactful clothing. For the studio footage we created professional player reveal shots with strong lighting to create a sense of drama.
Execution
The crew created a moody lighting set-up, utilising the club’s standout red colour, and introduced a smokey haze to add dramatic effect. The camera was set to record in a high frame rate which gives a slow-motion effect, and we directed each player to turn quickly towards the camera and stare into it, giving their best game-day face. The quick movement when played back in slow motion gives an intense and heroic feel to each video. We also quickly dialled up a fill light on the player as they turned, which illuminated the player from the shadows as they appeared. We also captured closeup brand hero shots of the Akuma kit to ensure the sportswear was a key focus of the story alongside the pivotal match day moments.
Key takeaways
The videos gave the club a useful bank of player reveals which they now use on match days when announcing the line up, and the use of these has in turn elevated their social media presence. After this successful project, Akuma Sports got in touch with us to ask if they could use the content that we created across their socials, and since that we have begun pre-production on additional project work with them. Watch this space!
Client testimonial
“The video is fantastic!”
Warwick Aldersley Jr, Co-founder of Akuma
Case Study – Red Tractor
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
Red Tractor is the UK’s largest food chain assurance scheme which sets rigorous standards to ensure food is produced safely, responsibly, and sustainably. Their well-known logo reassures consumers that all produce is traceable back to UK-assured farms, meeting the highest standards for animal welfare, food safety, and environmental protection.
As experts in the agricultural sector, Cande Group was approached by Red Tractor to produce a series of training videos for their assessors. These videos were designed to help assessors work effectively with farmers, ensuring compliance with Red Tractor standards on dairy farms. The videos needed to demonstrate the practical application of the Red Tractor standard, illustrating real-world examples of how the company upholds their highly regarded values.
Approach
The filming was to be based over several days and in multiple locations, the series to showcase key processes and best practices that underline the importance of Red Tractor’s key role in upholding transparency across the food chain, in a company that the public can trust.
We drilled down that it is vital every assessor is consistent in their execution of farm visits, so when developing the video series we set about ensuring that visual demonstrations were clear and could apply to different farm types.
Execution
The Cande Group team has extensive experience filming across hundreds of farms, and fully understands the processes, risks and opportunities that must be taken into consideration in order to gain the best out of a farm-based project such as this.
We needed to consider that Red Tractor has a very distinct visual style in their consumer marketing videos, in that everything moves from left to right. In their TV ads we see farmers, shoppers and consumers walk from one scene to another as the camera tracks across from the left. We felt it was important to keep these training videos on brand and set about capturing the assessor training videos in this way. To accomplish this, we used a slider which allows our camera to glide from left to right, and we directed the contributors to walk through the scene in this way.
Our crew filmed across the whole farm, including both calves and cows, showing the industrial milking unit and milk collection tank, and also incorporating some of the lesser seen parts of the farming process as a unique point of interest. We decided to film across two different farm locations, one dairy and one beef cattle, as some elements of the assessment training are relevant across multiple sectors and we wanted to give the fullest sense of the thorough approach taken by Red Tractor. The results give a rounded overview of the robust nature of Red Tractor at its source and yet gives a real sense of the care taken by its experts to uphold their high standards.
Client testimonial
“We used Cande to produce some video content, and we couldn’t be happier with the results! The team was professional from start to finish, easy to work with, and understood exactly what we wanted. They delivered high-quality content that hit the mark perfectly. Great experience all around!”
Debbie Smith, Red Tractor Assurance
Case Study – The Chameleon Agency
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
Agriculture and horticulture are among the oldest industries in the world and are undergoing a remarkable transformation thanks to fast-paced technological developments. The fusion of cutting-edge innovations and centuries-old practices is revolutionising how specialists grow and sustain food systems.
As experts in agriculture and horticulture, in 2024 Cande Group was approached to help tell the story of Double H Nurseries Ltd and how they were adopting Three Business’s 5G technology to confidently monitor and manage their orchard operations and enhance their business. The nursery, the largest indoor house plant grower in the UK which produces approximately 30,000 orchids a week and around 3 million indoor houseplants a year, required a new approach to their data which was giving them frequent connectivity concerns, let alone no signal at some of their some of their more remote greenhouses and sites.
Approach
The aim for Three Business was to show how they were underpinning the largest business of its type in the UK, and enabling them to effectively communicate across the site, including automation of processes. They wanted to capture the story of Double H Nurseries to show how their technology enables seamless business operations, where other industry leaders falter.
It was also a chance to tell the story of Double H Nurseries. After getting to grips with the key elements of the nursery’s business arms, Cande Group decided to focus on the fascinating process of bringing the phalaenopsis orchids to market. At the start, experts design orchids (colour, durability and size) at a genetic level in Japan, who then develop the seed and send them to the Netherlands for incubation, and then onto Double H Nurseries for growth and finishing, and finally distributed for selling on to the customer (they supply most supermarkets in UK). Our approach was to set up interviews with key business leaders to communicate the mechanisms involved.
Execution
Cande Group’s crew used the rich tapestry of the plush growing sites to set up the interactions and showcase the technology at work. Much of the actual technology is invisible, so we used drones and timelapse filming to demonstrate and visualise how it works seamlessly across the site. Drone filming also allowed us to illustrate the large scale of the nursery itself.
We are fortunate at Cande, in that our wide range of cinematic kit enables us to flip between macro, drone, gimbal and static shots. Furthermore, our portable lighting and team know how, is integral to enhance each unique scene.
Key takeaways
We got some fantastic footage and the client was exceptionally pleased. Our experience in horticulture showed when we were able to suggest certain ideas to capture best shots, such as creating a sequence whereby we showed the movement of data across a large growing platform with a drone, directing employees over radios to help tell the story. The result was outstanding in terms of highlighting both the scale of operation and in a visually
Client testimonial
“I’ve been working with Cande Group for years. Amazing work and service of delivery. What I really appreciate is the extra mile they go to get the really creative shots and bring flair to content. Some companies we’ve worked with previously just turn up and point and shoot, but Cande add so much value with the extra creative without adding to the budget.“
Joe Gilliver, Director of TCA
Case Study – University of Leicester
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
For many years Cande Group has been delivering livestream coverage of graduation ceremonies for several universities, an event which is a milestone for any person and a proud moment for all involved.
The University of Leicester is always one of the first projects each year and the graduation location certainly fills the role of adding prestige and gravitas to a significant life event. Taking place in De Montfort Hall, this iconic venue in Leicester has hosted a plethora of stars in the music industry, such The Beatles and The Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Our important role is to capture this pinnacle of the graduands’ (only becoming graduates once the ceremony has completed) 3+ years of studies, sharing this momentous occasion with family and friends across the globe for years to come.
Approach
Graduation ceremonies are held over a number of days and working alongside the university team, we use our custom in-house equipment to build the infrastructure from the ground up. This is a multicamera set up, with the cameras strategically positioned to capture various angles to display the grandeur of the event and ensure each student gets their hero angle.
We positioned one of our cameras on the side of the stage to capture the students as they walked across it, some of the graduates posing for the camera as they passed it, and it was our role to create an impactful social edit from these clips.
To really elevate the quality of the final edit and add to the on-stage footage, we were tasked with filming some additional footage, known as B-roll, to capture the ceremony from the perspective of the students.
During our pre-production the client asked us to capture a couple of shots that would really benefit the edit that we wouldn’t be able to capture on the day of the ceremonies. We made sure to capture these on our set up and test day ahead of the main events.
Execution
We wanted to look for interesting ways to create the point of view from a student. So as the students filtered up to collect their degrees, we set up a shot where they were sitting, so we could frame the shot from the perspective of a student within the crowd. From this angle there were specific shots we had in mind that I thought would look great in the edit. One of these was the students shaking hands with the chancellor and then posing for the camera as they walked off stage. Therefore we could use the shot of them shaking hands with the chancellor and then cut to the stage camera perspective of their pose for a final, impactful edit.
We planned to move around the crowd prior to the start of the graduation ceremony, to capture spontaneous, candid style shots of the students talking and chatting with their friends, looking nervous but excited for the momentous day ahead. It was all about timing and pre-empting the movements of the students, and in some cases, students really responded well to the camera and we managed to film some really effective interactions.
After capturing enough B-roll of the students, we were based in the pit, alongside the producer and vision mixer, watching through the livestreams and noting down the different timestamps of exciting activity that would look great in the final edit. In the breaks in between the livestreams I would then scrub through the timeline of the previous stream and cut out the timestamped poses in the edit.
Key takeaways
We are experts in livestreaming, from large scale live events to entertainment and conferences and therefore have the expertise to know how to capture the opportune moments that will make the memory of a lifetime.
We build the entire infrastructure from the ground up, from cables to cameras, switchers and crew, it usually takes at least a full day to build, and weeks of pre-production to ensure we plan the main activation points to elicit really meaningful footage.
Client testimonial
“Cande did a fantastic job live streaming our graduation ceremonies and really felt like an extension of our team. They handled everything smoothly, from setup to streaming, and as our requirements changed, they were flexible in adapting and supporting us. The video quality was excellent, we received great feedback from colleagues and viewers and the team were a pleasure to work with.”
Alex, Video Producer for the University of Leicester Video Team
Case Study – The Carolers
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
The Carolers was a short narrative film, based around the real-life childhood experiences of LA-based writer, producer and Nuneaton native Phil Coates (who also happens to be brother to Director of Cande Group, Ben), that follows the misadventures of three young bandmates at Christmas time. However, the project was more than just about surface reflections of childhood; beyond the magic felt at Christmas time, Phil wanted to portray what can also be a time of stress and financial strain behind the tinsel.
Cande Group partnered with USA-based production company Sargasso Media to co-produce this, their first foray into narrative film, which many of the team has experience in and therefore the appetite was there to demonstrate this within a project they had creative control over.
Approach
Sargosso Media, based in Los Angeles, took the lead for the writing, direction and art design of the project, while logistical and on-the-ground production leadership belonged to Cande Group for this collaborative film. Key ingredients to this included lining up crew, scouting locations, licensing with local authorities and logistics, although the project was led by US-based team Regina Pigsly (director) and creative producer Phil Coates. Cande Group provided a lot of the physical kit, vehicles and other material needs.
The script is about celebrating and giving back to the local community and in order to bring it to life plus also feature local talent both in front of and behind the camera, Phil hoped to mobilise the help of residents in the Nuneaton area where filming was taking place. So, during pre-production, the Sargasso and Cande teams went pounding the streets and knocking on doors to gauge interest.
The crew’s aspiration was for local residents to put their Christmas decorations up a couple of weeks early to help create a festive back-drop for the scene. To enhance this and ensure a consistent, stylised look, Sargasso flew in an art team who raided the local value shops to stack up on hundreds of metres of additional lights. This enabled us to dress the communal areas as per the direction of the script for an appropriately festive look everywhere the characters went.
The team was incredibly fortunate to encounter great enthusiasm and buy-in from local residents which made the ‘Christmasification’ of the set much easier and gave a really authentic and genuine effect to the filming.
Execution
The Cande Group team was heavily involved in the leadership of the three-day shoot that took place in late November. Cande director Ben Coates was an executive producer with creative and logistical oversight across the entire production, making sure everything went smoothly. Cande senior producer Mike Chapman had the role of first assistant director, a role he has done previously in high-end film and TV, with camera operator Toby Jones on the project’s camera team, working with director of photography Lou Murrall. Cande junior producer Olivia Walklett was third assistant director, supporting Mike in making sure cast and crew were where they needed to be, when they needed to be. Cande’s editor Kath was looking after digital imaging as ‘DIT’, the role that backs up all the footage and cuts dailies, short sequences from the day’s footage.
Cande Group made an agreement with a local pub to take over their back room in order to set up a production base where the crew would congregate, co-ordinate logistics, charge radios and batteries, register cast and arrange food to keep everyone going. The busy production schedule had several interior and exterior set ups over the three days filming, therefore it was vital we kept to schedule, as well as making sure all the risk controls were adhered to.
Reaction from the collaborators
Ben Coates, Founder/Creative Director at Cande summed up: “This was an ambitious project, but one that we were very keen to deliver with Sargasso Media, as a lot of the team here have a background in and passion for narrative film making. The script really caught our eye and we know the area well. Working with Sargasso was fantastic and the expertise and crew they flew over from Hollywood really elevated the production. We’re excited to see how the short film performs in the upcoming festival season.”
Regina Pigsley, Director of the film and co-founder of Sargasso Media gave her thoughts: “The Carolers is a coming-of-age Christmas story that touches on the extremes of emotion that occur around Christmas time, both good and bad. I’m so pleased with the performances from the cast, who did the script a fantastic service, and incredibly excited to see this come to life in the edit.”
Client Testimonial
“We’re so proud of what we have achieved working with Cande to bring The Carolers to life. It was an ambitious script but the cast and crew combined to bring it to life perfectly. Cande were the UK-based production partner and delivered on crew, kit and production support and we couldn’t have asked for a better production partner.”
Sargasso Media
Case Study – The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
When The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) approached us with a brief to create a polished, studio-style livestream for AgriLeader Live, we were all in. We are delighted to be involved in supporting the vital work that the AHDB does to support the agricultural industry.
This livestream was the culmination of six months of project work where we followed four farmers from the AgriLeader Forum event back to their farms to see the adoption and impact of AgriLeader techniques, producing case study films. These farmers were then the focus of this livestream project.
However, the brief wasn’t going to be straightforward. Their challenge to us was that the studio needed to be in a remote farm location. Without the infrastructure of. a studio setting, this was going to test every ounce of our creative and practical skills. Challenge accepted.
Approach
The first rung on the ladder was to locate a farm building to fit the brief. Fortunately, the AHDB’s extensive network of farms gave us the opportunity to consider everything from tents to barns. Eventually we found a great rural location in the form of a spacious grain store in the Midlands that was available after harvest.
Location acquired, we gathered key crew members and had a recce to scope out important logistical factors such as internet connection, power supply and setup complexities. With no studio we had to implement everything from the ground up, so pre-production had to be detailed and spot on.
A 3D mock up of the set and stage helped us work out the infrastructure and lighting setup, including a secondary ‘social corner’ where questions from viewers could be answered live. We approached the set by embracing the raw, industrial look, with the truss and diffusion frame in full view but also softened by the lighting, which gave the key light a professional, studio-quality look. We were pleased with the overall lighting effect; not bad for filming at 7pm in October!
To get high-speed streaming into the grain store we had to get creative. We decided to run an ethernet cable in, backed up by bonded units, the latter combining the ethernet feed with multiple 4G networks, meaning should any failover arise, the stream is maintained. Our on-site gallery trailer housed our talented producers, show director and vision mixer, where they worked their magic into the filming action on the day, ensuring the live feed didn’t falter.
Execution
Despite the high level of planning, the weather didn’t take notice, and it poured with rain. We weren’t hoping for the sound of a continuous drum roll to overpower the conversation and luckily our excellent sound engineer had flagged this issue during the initial recce. Sound blankets were at the ready to deaden the noise. Fortunately a break in the rain coincided with the live stream itself.
The meticulous preparation had paid off. Our 3D model of the set sped up a seamless/smooth studio set up process and by the time we went live, the grain store-turned-studio looked nothing like its former self. The live stream ran flawlessly across multiple platforms and accounts, engaging audiences and delivering on the client’s vision. All in all, it was a testament to the power of preparation, creativity, and a healthy dose of can-do attitude.
Key takeaways
This project enabled us to showcase two of our cornerstone passions and skills; our agricultural expertise and livestreaming expertise. We were able to bring in the right kit, people and know-how to bring the ambitious project to life.
Whether it’s a barn, a tent, or a corn grain store, the secret to success in remote location production lies in planning, ingenuity, and experience. It’s not just about bringing the right kit; it’s about knowing how to use it, and having a team on site that can turn a logistical headache into a broadcast triumph.
Client testimonial
“Cande Group’s professional approach, can-do attitude, and deep understanding of the UK rural/agricultural sector have been invaluable in creating fantastic AHDB AgriLeader content. Their work has helped us grow our community, engage a wider, more diverse range of UK farmers, and support them in leading themselves, leading their people, and leading their businesses. They’re a pleasure to collaborate with, bringing creativity and expertise from project conception through to delivery. We look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Mark Campbell, AHDB
Case Study – Defender at Burghley Horse Trials
Ben Coates
Background and Brief
Defender Burghley Horse Trials is the flagship event of Land Rover’s equestrian sponsorship properties and 2024 saw the 20th year of title sponsorship of the event.
We provided video coverage for Jaguar Land Rover’s Defender marque during Burghley Horse Trials, one of only seven world FEI 5-star equestrian events. As the single title sponsor, Defender’s presence was integral to the four-day competition, which features Dressage, Cross Country, and Jumping. This gave us an abundance of hero camera shot potential, featuring star athletes and the public enjoying an exciting day of high-quality equestrian sport at its top level, and the incredible opportunity to present this footage to its best effect.
Approach
Our team was on-site for five days with the task of capturing the prestige of the event and showcasing Defender’s activations throughout. Given the event’s dynamic nature and tight schedule, meticulous pre-production planning was crucial to ensure every shot highlighted the event’s scale, excitement, and elegance.
There were going to be numerous occasions to whittle down from, for capturing high-profile Defender ambassadors Zara Tindall and Harry Meade who were competing at Burghley (Harry with three horses and Zara one). Carl Hester was also making appearances in Defender Lodge, plus giving a masterclass in the main arena.
The opportunities to choose to film were many and we had to be strategic in our choices before stepping foot into the event. With over 160,000 people visiting Burghley, the spectators can enjoy the Defender Experience and Land Rover owners receive complimentary hospitality in the Defender Coffee box area on the members lawn. Other key moments were the annual Defender Tailgate Picnic competition, the Shetland Pony Grand National, a parade of the Olympic eventing team gold medallists, Defender Hospitality, the exclusive course drives, XC viewing area and champagne lodge. We were spoilt for choice and had to ensure we captured all the key moments of this prestigious occasion. No pressure!
Our brief was to put together sizzle reels to showcase the daily activity, a longer wrap up of the whole event, one film specific each to the Defender Experience and Miniature Defenders. The two latter films were to be overlaid with appropriate music and top and tailed with the Defender Experience logo.
Execution
Cande deployed camera crews across multiple principal locations, allowing us to strategically document pivotal moments, including the adrenaline-filled cross-country course. Balancing the unpredictability of live action with the bustling atmosphere was no mean feat and we ensured no key moment was missed.
In one example shot, we followed Harry Meade as he cantered under the famous Lion Bridge at Burghley House. Filming a water shot is when experience comes into play in order to not only capture the drama of the moment but also balance on two feet on a ridge in the middle of a water jump!
For this piece of footage, our team utilised a DJI Pro Ronin RS2 gimble, mounted with a Blackmagic Design Pocket 6K Pro, allowing us to remain agile while ensuring steady, high-quality footage. Filming at 100 frames per second enabled us to capture every stride in slow motion, amplifying the intensity and precision of the moment.
The Cande team certainly got more than their daily steps in, especially after cross country day, with four miles of course and 30 fences to navigate, however due to our meticulous planning (and handy access to the Defender fleet to help with logistics on-site) we pulled it off.
The final deliverables included a hero video for Defender, emphasising the brand’s alignment with the event’s prestige, as well as dynamic social media content for the Burghley Horse Trials team, amplifying the event’s reach and engagement.
If you’re interested in seeing how we help brands tell their stories through compelling visuals and event coverage, check out the video below.