Advanced Scaffolding NI commissioned us to create a short documentary following an ambitious project to inspire the next generation of scaffolders.
Working alongside Scottish scaffolding company iScaf, Advanced Scaffolding NI brought together seven young trainees from Northern Ireland and Scotland to compete at ScaffChamp, the international scaffolding competition held in Lithuania. For the first time in the competition's history, a full team of trainees would take on the challenge, competing alongside experienced scaffolders from around the world.
The idea went far beyond the competition itself. With the scaffolding industry facing an ongoing need to attract new talent, Robbie from Advanced Scaffolding NI and Ross from iScaf wanted to give these young people an unforgettable opportunity to test their skills while showing others what a career in scaffolding can offer.
We began filming before the team ever reached Lithuania, spending time with the trainees in Northern Ireland and Scotland as they trained and prepared for the challenge ahead. We then travelled with them to ScaffChamp, filming throughout the competition weekend and capturing everything from the pressure and nerves to the camaraderie, humour and determination of the team.
Using our observational documentary approach, we followed the story as it naturally unfolded, combining fly on the wall footage with interviews from the trainees, Robbie and Ross, as well as people from across the international scaffolding community, including ScaffChamp founder Victor. Professional voiceover was then used to help connect the different stages of the journey and bring the wider story together.
The result is a 15 minute documentary that takes audiences inside a world they may know very little about. It showcases the skill, teamwork and opportunities within scaffolding while putting the young trainees and their experiences at the heart of the story.
More than simply documenting a competition, the film has become a valuable industry and recruitment asset. It can be used across social media, websites, events, careers initiatives and presentations to engage young people, challenge perceptions of the industry and demonstrate the opportunities available to the next generation.
For us, it was also a great example of what our documentary background brings to corporate and industry filmmaking. By finding the characters, following the story and capturing the moments that couldn't be scripted, we created something that feels less like a traditional promotional video and more like a film people genuinely want to watch.
