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THE CHANNEL
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ISSUE 2 2015
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49
PIONEERING TECHNOLOGY
Throughout its long history, the
Shell Film Unit has constantly
embraced new technologies and
production techniques. During the
mid to late 80s, a number of award-
winning interactive videos were
produced for training sales
representatives about automotive
products and techniques of sales
negotiation, and tanker drivers in
the techniques of defensive driving.
These used the then-pioneering
Phillips laser disc technology.
In the late 1990s Shell Business
Television launched with the
installation of over 150 satellite
dishes enabling live global
broadcasts to employees across the
world, underpinning an increased
commitment to internal
communications.
Cinemas and celluloid have been
replaced by smartphones and
tablets, but Shell’s commitment to
innovative and compelling story-
telling continues to flourish. The
team is now a global team, with a
‘follow the sun’ approach, not only
delivering films but also content for
media and press, as well as internal
pieces which are translated in up to
twenty different languages. The
focus is on the characters and
fascinating stories behind the day-
to-day business and operations of
one of the world’s largest
companies. Content is frequently
repurposed for multiple uses such
as Facebook, apps and industry
events, producing coherent suites
of assets supported by Shell
photography and editorial.
VIEWS ONYOUTUBE
The team provides support to
flagship Shell events such as the
Shell Eco-marathon in Manila,
Detroit and Rotterdam, with up to
five crews and three edit suites
onsite delivering daily social media
videos and content to broadcasters.
One video profiling the technical
advisor who has worked on the
Shell Eco-marathon for thirty years
has already had more than 2.2m
views on YouTube and Facebook.
Filming the construction of
Shell’s ‘Prelude’ floating LNG
megaproject, the biggest floating
facility in the world, is spanning the
globe. Exciting production
techniques include time-lapse
cameras installed in the Korean
shipyard, and the use of drones to
capture key events such as module
lifts. These visually impressive
films regularly reach 200,000 views
on YouTube and Facebook.
BROADCAST PLACEMENTS
Increasingly the team are working
towards broadcast placements, as
with the recent
After the Storm:
Deepwater's Journey
, a film
chronicling the impact of Hurricane
Katrina on both the iconic city of
New Orleans and Shell’s role in its
recovery. The film is set to make its
broadcast debut in the US shortly,
proving yet again the external
resonance of Shell story-telling.
In another unprecedented
alliance, Shell recruited former
Tonight Show
host and famous car
enthusiast Jay Leno to amplify the
Shell Eco-marathon, the student
mileage challenge. The partnership
featured human interest stories
nationally on NBC. The creative
team also created a “behind-the-
scenes” video of a commercial
shoot with Jay Leno that was used
to promote the comedian’s
involvement on social media.
REGIONAL ANDGLOBAL
Some productions are more
regionally focused, such as films
about re-establishing energy
supplies in the Philippines after
Typhoon Haiyan, or a celebration of
Shell operating in the Philippines
for a century. The team is adept at
sourcing the most creative and
innovative filmmakers globally, and
since Shell’s executive producers
have broadcast backgrounds, all are
experienced in reacting swiftly to
media demands.
Testament to global team-work is
a recent documentary aired on
CNBC Africa. This features a
community health insurance
scheme, initiated in Obio, which
helps save lives of mothers and
babies, and which is now being
introduced into other communities
in Nigeria. Shot by a Lagos
production company, it was post
produced in London.
Producing and developing
creative content in the digital world,
the Shell Film Unit continues to
work at the forefront of visual
story-telling, and pursues its long-
held aim, as explained by Sir Arthur
Elton, of presenting Shell as a
company with “a lively sense of
international responsibility, and a
leader in the field of science and
technology”.
Many of the films produced by
the Shell team can be viewed at
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Top 1964: an
interview on the
studio floor for
closed circuit
transmission to
Shell Centre;
Middle: 1941:Film
&VideoUnit
Director Grahame
Tharp filming
Anopheles
mosquito larvae
on amakeshift
tabletop 'set' for
the film 'Malaria'
Main picture
and above:
Filming the
construction of
Shell’s ‘Prelude’
floating LNG
megaproject
