Bangor, Northern Ireland – June 25, 2024 

Subculture Media is pleased to announce the premiere of five short educational films, collectively entitled Harry and the Art of Flight, directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker John T. Davis. The series delves into the remarkable life and legacy of Ulster-Scot Harry Ferguson, a local pioneer in engineering. Born in County Down in 1884, Ferguson played a major role in the mechanical implementation of farming and agriculture internationally.

A key feature of Ferguson Tractor Day, Harry and the Art of Flight will screen for the first time on June 29th at 1pm in The Picture House at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra. This cinema’s unique history and location complements the documentary films’ exploration of Ferguson's life and achievements. The museum not only celebrates Ulster’s rich cultural heritage, but also houses a vast collection of transport vehicles through the ages, including a full size replica of the original Harry Ferguson monoplane.

The films utilise Davis's footage, shot in 2009 – one hundred years after Ferguson’s first flight in 1909 – of a meticulously-crafted quarter scale replica model of the monoplane. The documentary series goes beyond the machine to offer a comprehensive look at Ferguson's life, motivations, and unwavering determination as a designer and aviator. Viewers learn of Ferguson's humble beginnings on an Ulster farm, and witness his early fascination with the motorcycles and automobiles that ultimately ignited his passion for aviation.

Across the five episodes, the documentary explores:

Ferguson's desire to design and build his own aircraft, culminating in a historic flight that cemented his place as a pivotal figure in Irish aviation.
His immersion in the burgeoning world of flight, where he learned from leading minds of the era, constantly pushing boundaries and overcoming technical challenges to refine his designs.

The struggles and triumphs he faced in mastering the intricate mechanics of the JAP engine, transforming it from a problematic component into the powerful heart of his aircraft.

His relentless pursuit of technical and physical mastery in achieving controlled flight, and his innovative solutions to conquering the skies.
The culmination of Ferguson's extraordinary journey. After facing setbacks, harsh weather conditions, and personal risk as he strove to secure his place in aviation history, Ferguson’s ultimate achievement was to make the first official powered flight in Ireland.

More Than Just a Technical Feat:

Harry and the Art of Flight goes beyond chronicling technical achievements. It celebrates Ferguson's unwavering spirit and enduring impact on the field of aviation. His story provides invaluable information and serves as a powerful inspiration for future generations, urging young people to pursue their dreams with courage and commitment.

As well as launching at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum’s Ferguson Tractor Day, Subculture Media is also planning future screenings of the series at prestigious international aviation events to ensure that this remarkable story becomes one that resonates across the world. The series can also be viewed online at ulsterscots.nvtv.co.uk and the Education Authority’s Ulster-Scots Hub.

About Subculture Media:

Subculture Media's expertise extends beyond traditional platforms. The company creates impactful stories that resonate across all media formats. From documentaries to brand experiences, their expertise ensures your message reaches and moves your audience.

John T. Davis is internationally recognized as Northern Ireland’s most distinctive documentary filmmaker and cinematographer. John began his professional filmmaking career in 1977, and rapidly developed a personal vision and poetic style. His feature documentaries include Shellshock Rock, Route 66, Dust on the Bible and Power in the Blood, Hobo, The Uncle Jack and Tailwind. His work has been screened at international festivals in London, New York and Hong Kong, and he has received numerous awards, including the New York Film and Television Silver Award and the San Sebastian Film Festival Young Audiences Award, and the Hong Kong and Macau European Film Festival Critics’ Choice Award. He was elected to Aosdána in 2005 in recognition of his significant contribution to the arts in Ireland.

Contact: Chris Eva|Producer|[email protected]

It's always good to be asked to shoot content for TV and this month we put our Inspire 2 drone to test with a range of shoots throughout Belfast for local TV station NVTV. We made the most of the beautiful weather we have been having to get some breathtaking images of Belfast's landmarks. We were also commissioned by Clifton House to produce 2 adverts to promote their tours they have available in Clifton House and Clifton Street Cemetery. These were interesting to film and we learned a lot about the history of Belfast in the process. From stories of  body snatchers in the cemetery to historic treaties and laws being created in the house, these tours are not to be missed.

This month we have spent sometime upgrading our kit for future productions. We have now added Blackmagic's URSA Mini Pro G2 camera to our kit allowing us to shoot mages that are superior to traditional broadcast video cameras. We can record  full sensor 4.6k images at 120fps and 300fps in 1080 HD allowing us to create amazing slow motion shots in a cinematic style. We have also upgraded our Inspire 2 drone allowing us to shoot ProRes raw and record 4k video from the air that can be graded to match any camera we shoot with on the ground.

This month we have had to pivot to keep our clients happy and to keep producing content for brands to share and maintain their presence online. With filming restrictions in place we have produced several videos for clients using stock footage and Voiceover rather the traditional filmed content we are used to creating. With access to a wide range of stock footage and our own unique drone video archive this month has seen us produce content for brands within the holistic sector, the hair and beauty industry and deliver stock archive to independent productions in need of Irish drone footage. It's good to do things differently from time to time and this month made us more aware of this than ever before.

With all that's currently going on at the minute we decided to take our video storytelling course online. There's no better time to touch up on your productions skills and let people know about the products and services you provide.

Here are our TOP 5 TIPS for using video during the lock-down:

1, ARCHIVE /STOCK FOOTAGE - Use with text, music (license free) or voice-over to tell your story.
2, PHONE or iPAD - If you don’t have access to any archive material use your phone or iPad to shoot and edit your videos.
3, SHOWCASE - Showcase a free service or competition you are currently running.
4, TESTIMONIALS - Use testimonials and edit them with music and product photos. If you don’t have any, ask previous clients to send you some.
5, IF NONE OF THE ABOVE - Just produce something. Let people know you’re still trading!

We’ve worked with many companies that produce their videos in-house and have trained them to make professional looking videos that appeal to their audience. They went from finding it difficult to produce videos to being confident and motivated to film and edit their own content.

If you know anyone that's keen to touch up on their productions skills or make their first online video please direct them to our facebook group for more info - https://www.facebook.com/groups/Lockdownisntshutdown

This month we produced a highlights video for Victim Support NI at their conference in the Dunsilly Hotel. We recorded speeches, Q+A and interviews with attendees to create a short video summarising the event. We were also asked to travel out to South Africa with Belfast to Blanco 2020 to document the work of the Belfast based charity as they brought a cross-community group of young people to work in townships there. We produced 6 short Video blogs on location documenting the life changing experiences of the young people involved. Along the way we also came across a very moving story that we are editing at the minute. More to come on that very soon!