Bright Award 2019

The annual Bright Award for Environmental Sustainability went to the incredible Aisha Khan this year. In its seventh year of honoring those around the world for their work in this field, we were excited for another story to tell and in collaboration with the Stanford Law School.

Aisha Khan in Pakistani mountain range
Aisha Khan in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan Mountain Region, Pakistan

PRE-PRODUCTION TO PRODUCTION

Shooting the story ourself is always ideal, but this year it was not feasible for our team to travel to Pakistan to capture Aisha’s story. We spent time looking for local production companies in Islamabad and eventually landed on hiring XdynamiX for filming after watching their impressive reel. From the get-go, they were extremely great to work with as they were communicative, collaborative, and ensured delivery of the best footage.

We spent time drafting out the story and working with both XdynamiX and Aisha. In a five minute video, we needed to know what questions were most important and still represented the vast amount of Aisha’s accomplishments and impact.

We also received updates throughout filming and the production crew did a great job capturing the things we asked for. Footage would be transferred from Pakistan in batches–from drone shots to coordinating interviews to b-roll of the communities Aisha had impacted–the footage was causing the story to come to life.

 

TECHNICAL SPECS

They shot on both Sony Alpha A7Sii and Panasonic Lumix GH5. Working with a mirrorless camera system has its pros and cons, but they certainly have capability for very flat and neutral color profiles, which was great for flexibility in the editing suite.

Drone shots were shot on the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and left us with a lot of scenic b-roll to use.

flat color
No color correction on Sony A7Sii

 

Colored corrected
Color Corrected in Adobe Premiere using Lumetri Color adjustments

 

FINISHING THE PROJECT

Editing someone else’s footage can have its challenges, but with effective communication, our vision was carried through and more. There’s something magical that happens when you partner with other creatives and find yourself with shots you didn’t even think of. Aisha’s story could easily be a two-hour documentary as her extensive work and passion is immeasurable, but focusing on the elements of the Bright Award and her recent work was the key. We are grateful each year to work on this project and be inspired ourselves through the process each time.