Last year, I had the absolute pleasure of filming a delightful video for Taunton School Pre-Prep titled "When I Grow Up," beautifully edited by Darren Honeywill. This project was pure joy from start to finish, thanks to the natural energy and humour of the children. It reminded me just how spontaneous and hilarious kids can be—full of questions, saying exactly what’s on their minds, and revelling in the innocence of simply being themselves.
Capturing Childhood Aspirations
The Brief
The idea behind the video was wonderfully simple: one student acted as the reporter, complete with branded microphone, asking her classmates what they wanted to be when they grow up. It was part of Careers Day at the school—something that might sound a bit mad for children so young, but it’s really just a chance to spark a bit of imagination. Some people might wonder how kids this young can possibly know what they want to be when they grow up? I say—it's just about having fun, being kids, saying kid things, dressing up and letting their imaginations run wild....and capturing it on film too of course!
The Setup
We kept the production straightforward to let the kids shine. The interviews were filmed using our trusty Sony FX6 as the A-Cam and a B-cam was our Canon R6 (matched Sony profile in cLog) for secondary angles and delivered for editing in 4k resolution. Only one key light, an Amaran 300c from Aputure with a BIG 120cm Octobox on a c-stand was needed to add a touch of polish. We used the Accsoon Cineeye 2s Pro to send the video feed from the FX6 to our ipad Pro for a Directors Monitor for their teacher to use and each camera had an Atomos Ninja (a V and a V+ for the eagle eyed amongst you) external monitor for clearer viewing. Audio was captured with an overhead Røde Shotgun mic into the FX6 and a backup Røde VideoMic on the R6. Once the interviews were wrapped, it was time to head outdoors for the fun part—playtime! Armed with the FX6 again setup for run n gun, I got to capture the children bringing their dreams to life.
The Outcome
The result was brilliant! We had a pilot, several vets (a very popular choice), a librarian-vet (you'll see!), an artist, a ballerina, a teacher, and even a young Lando Norris in a full McLaren racing suit was running around somewhere. We even had a guest appearance from Taunton School's Therapy Dog. It was great fun to shoot and we'd love to do more like this!
This project was a timely reminder of why we love what we do! The kids’ unfiltered enthusiasm made it an unforgettable experience, and we hope the finished video brings fun and joy to the viewers! Here’s to celebrating the boundless dreams of the next generation—long may they imagine!
If you have ideas or content you want to shoot for your place of education, dont hessiate to get in touch!
Thank you!
