BY CHRIS PLEASS
Somehow, I’m writing this post and it’s the start of July. The ups and downs of 2020 have played havoc with any concept of timekeeping and I’m fairly certain when I make my next trip to the shops I’ll be greeted by advent calendars or Easter eggs.
For many people, 2020 was going to be a year of new developments and exciting fresh starts, as a brand new decade lay before them. However, this was not to be. The global pandemic took hold and sought to separate the world.
Working in the realm of production and events, Flux saw a huge shift across so many industries, as events were cancelled and studios shut down for the foreseeable future. Despite this, I believe that during these moments of uncertainty, resilience is born and I’m proud to say our industry came alive in a different light, driving new ways of working and delivering content.
Working alongside our clients and production partners, Flux dove headfirst into the world of remote studios and broadcasting to create a flexible solution with our gallery and camera setups, and continue creating the content that keeps people connected. It’s been such a steep learning curve for me and I feel so lucky to have such an unbelievable and patient engineering team here at Flux that continually surprises me.
During these months we’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible people and organisations. We’ve raised money for the NHS and the UNHCRF through esports tournaments, as well as provided remote production solutions for the BBC and helped global companies connect to their audience. It’s been such a pleasure to help them continue to create content and explore the ways we can partner together on future projects.
Without a doubt, it’s been one of the most challenging moments of my career and the companies as we have all been forced to adapt to this new way of working from home as traditionally we’ve been a very hands-on production partner. I never thought I would miss a trip into central London on the Victoria line to meet a client, but here I am wishing for a tube to hurtle past my monitor.
I think it’s safe to say no one knows what the next six months will bring. There is so much uncertainty in the air, but I remain positive and excited for the future, at what we can do and the people we can work with.
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring