The Dutch Raid

It’s 1667 and Britain is reeling from the Great Plague, the Fire of London and the on-going Anglo/Dutch war.  The country is bankrupt and King Charles II has decided to rest up the British Fleet in the river Medway, as much to save money.  The Dutch take this opportunity to attack the fleet while it is moored at the docks, inflicting the largest defeat in British Naval History.

A historical event that is much overlooked in the UK but Medway Council took the opportunity to celebrate this 350 year anniversary with the production of a video and a weekend of cultural, sporting and educational events and a final display that featured fireworks and lighting effects that saw the river appear engulfed in fire.

Instead of producing a documentary of the events, it was decided to produce a costume drama re-enactment.

Ground:zero were commissioned to produce the 35 minute video depicting the historical events leading up to the fateful events in July of 1667.  Instead of producing a documentary of the events, it was decided to produce a costume drama re-enactment.

This project involved a lot of pre-production, from writing the script, arranging costumes and wigs, booking crew, props and talent through to arranging filming at Chatham Dockyards.

The five day shoot went without a hitch (apart from a broken camera on day 4 and the noises from the nearby industrial estate attempting to ruin the ambience of a 17th century dock!) and the crew and cast worked tirelessly to meet the demanding shooting schedule.

Editing took place over the next six weeks with special effects, animations and sound effects edited in.  Animated footage of the boats was provided by www.broadsidethefilm.com which was intercut with the live footage.

The crew and cast worked tirelessly to meet the demanding shooting schedule.

The final video was displayed on two 14m wide screens on barges in the River Medway as part of the firework finale.  The video was also streamed live through YouTube to anyone who wanted to see the event but were unable to attend.

We are specialists in creative commercial, corporate and promotional video production.  Even in the new digital age the principles of effective communication still hold true.  We provide in-house services from script-writing, animation, editing and even drone filming through to delivery.  Our goal is to develop video content strategy aligned to your vision.  If you would like to know how we can help you communicate your message (in a 17th century costume or not!) please do not hesitate to call us on 01634 841663.