Bearleft.tv Blog

4 Seasons in Trout Fisherman Magazine!

2012-02-20T03:56:00.004-08:00

We had a nice surprise this week when we discovered that our latest DVD of Hywel Morgan - 4 Seasons Stillwater Bank Fishing had received a fantastic review in the February - March edition of Trout Fisherman.

Over half of page 47 has been dedicated to the programme and features editor Jeffrey Prest has done a great job in describing the DVD. Hywel has been labelled as "the perfect host" and even our camera work gets a mention being described as "excellent". But by far our favourite quote has to be: "just watching him try to tempt a fish onto a nymph at close range makes you want to grab you rod" Say no more... :-)

A few of Hywel's essentials range also feature, and are reviewed, on page 40 and the complete range can be seen and bought from www.hywelmorgan.co.uk.

We're also pleased to announce that the cover photo, and no less than six pages of the magazine feature the fishery of our good friends at Garnffrwd Country Holidays where we filmed our 'Summer' section of 4 Seasons - Stillwater Bank Fishing

That's it for now on the fishing side of things until the beginning of March when we will be heading up to Glasgow Angling Centre to meet up with Hywel Morgan, Ant Glascoe Jr and many others for the big open weekend.

Heavy Metal Sunday

2012-02-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a very busy one for us at Bearleft.tv.After a late night of Aaron gigging at a party we were up at 5am on Sunday tohead up to Northampton to shoot a promotional film with heavy metal rock bandSixpounder. On location at The Music Labin Millennium Studios the guys rocked out in the live performance space. The band gave it their all, and with us usingour full range of camera equipment, we can now create an awsome promotional video thatthe group will use to advertise their loud music!

One of our friends: Paul Mockford, of Shears Mockford Photography, was also on hand, and the image below is just one of the greatshots he captured that day. (Paul has also set himself a challenge to take aphoto every single day for a year and you can follow his growing portfolio ofwork on his personal blog)

Jim belting out one of Sixpounders tracks

In the meantime all of our footage has now entered thepost-production stage and we’ll post it on the blog once it has been completed.

Bearleft.tv on target!

2012-02-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

Well, January has come and gone and as I write this we’realready halfway through February as well! As usual, we have been busy gettingon with various exciting projects so we thought we would take a few moments toupdate you on the latest from Bearleft HQ.

Just recently launched is a website for our clients at DBCLeisure. Based in St. Briavels, Lydney DBC Leisure is Forest of Dean’s premier shooting ground and offers claypigeon shooting, air rifle and archery, which can all be pre-booked withexperienced coaches.

In developing the site we paid several visits to the groundand participated in a few of the activities, under the supervision of owner Dave Brown. Eagle eyed visitors may notice a picture of Aaron on the finished site ‘dustingsome clays'. We had a great experience down at the shooting range and urgeanyone who fancies having a go to get down there and give it a try. You canview their new site at: www.dbcleisure.co.uk

Over the last few days we have done so much, so there will be a few blog posts in quick succession to keep you upto date. There may also be some prizes up for grabs so keep following!

Filming & Photography in Public Places - You and the Law.

2011-12-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

For all of you in the media, or have a keen interest in video and photography it will come as no surprise to tell you that you have the right to film and / or take photos in a public place. However, over the last few years this has become somewhat difficult to prove as members of the public, officals and police have disputed otherwise with a sentence roughly like "You can't film here unless you have a permit." Usually at this point there is nothing you can do but pack up and move on as you have no proof to the contrary.

Until now....

Fortunately here at Bearleft.tv we've happened to stuble upon an open letter written by Chief Constable Andrew Trotter, Chair of the Association of ACPO Communication Advisory Group. Originally for the use of officers and colleagues it contained information regarding Guidance for Photographers.

The letter is full of useful information and clearly states that members of the media or public should not be stopped when taking pictures or film in a public place. Having emailed the staff officer he has kindly given us permission to reproduce the letter in its entirity and it can be seen below. If you are activily filming / photographing in areas likely to attract attention I would suggest familiarising yourself with its contents and even go as far as to keep a copy in your kit bag.

I must point out that this letter does NOT give the holder "access all areas" and applies to areas that are considered to be public places and not privately owned. (Even here you must not film anything that could be seen as unfairly infringing on a person's privacy) It is imperative that everyone should know and fully understand their rights when taking pictures or filming in a public place. (For instance the police can still seize your camera, or obtain a court order to do so, if they believe that you have captured evidence relating to a crime.)

Please remember that the police are there to help and protect the community and its members from, besides other things, an event or incident that might constitute, or appear to constitute a breach of local or national security. For more information on the subject you can refer to the ACPO media guidelines.

We hope that you will find this helpful, and allow you to keep doing what you love - making awesome films and stunning photos. From all of us here at BEARLEFT.TV, stay safe (and legal) and we will see you all in the new year.

T'was the Month before Christmas, and all through the office.....

2011-11-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

was non-stop, knuckling down, and getting on with some hard work!

You may have noticed that the tweets & facebook posts from us may have dried up lately, which usually happens around this time, and this year is no exception! Among creating promotional videos & training materials for private clients we've also been working on other things......

The first is of course making sure that all of our DVD's are available for the Christmas shoppers and with our Amazon shop up and running over Christmas for the first time, this has been a task in itself! In fact our last DVD Hywel Morgan's Fly Tying - Stillwater Patterns has been selling so many we have received numerous emails from Amazon warning us of low stock levels!!! Fortunately we are well prepared and have enough in storage to meet demand!

We also received this glowing review of "The Complete Cast" - "Bought this for one of my sons as he knows all I can teach him. This taught me some new techniques and ideas and I've been fishing for 50 odd years. Most informative and very easy to appreciate and learn new skills. Highly recommended."

You can find all of our products on Amazon, Ebay and of course our own website at : www.bearleft.tv where you can also see trailers before you buy. All of the fishing DVD's are also available from Hywel Morgan's website at www.hywelmorgan.co.uk. The Lost Railway series is currently on sale in the Forest of Dean at the Dean Forest Railway, Coleford Railway Museum and the Dean Heritage Centre.

...and if that's not enough to keep track off we are currently on the brink of releasing one of our two new projects with Hywel which we have been working on throughout the entire year. It is currently entitled "4 Seasons - Bank Fishing on Stillwaters" and we hope it will be out in time for Christmas (It's being edited as I type - nothing like working to the wire) :-)

The weekend is also shaping up to be quite exciting with us filming two very different events. At the first we will be filming an extrodinary sight as a man attempts to pull a 16 tonne lorry single handed and then it's off to North Wales to meet up with hywel at a Graling competition and hopefully film more episodes for his Webcast channel. We will also be trying out some interesting camera angles and hope to get shots several metres above the river bank - Some interesting pics to follow!

John Coppinger Interview

2011-11-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of October we hinted in this blog and on Facebook that we were off to interview someone special. That person was artist,writer, designer and sculptor John Coppinger. For those of you that don't know John he has worked on numerous films throughout the years including The Dark Crystal, Return of the Jedi and The Fifth Element to name but a few. During that time he has helped create some of the most famous characters in movie history. With the opportunity to visit John in his workshop too good to miss we headed up there and found out how he began his career and what it was like to work behind the scenes on some iconic films.....plus find out how Jabba the Hutt met his demise after filming!

Halloween Gashes & Slashes

2011-10-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

As we mentioned in our last post we ended September by meeting some friends and managed to film some episodes of our 'Prop Shop' series with them. Well, we have now edited the first one in time for Halloween!

It features Nicole Klein who is the owner of 'The Hourglass - The Pin up Experience' which gives women the opportunity to experience a pin up and burlesque make over and photo shoot. If your interested you can check out her site at: www.thehourglass.eu. However before making women look beautiful, Nicole's role was quite the opposite as she worked as the Head of Make up on many of the horror experiences at the Warner Brother's Theme Park in Germany. Upon discovering this Nicole very kindly demonstrated her skills on Alan transforming him into one of the undead with half his face missing....

Upon our return to BEARLEFT HQ Aaron roped in the help of Erin, a friend who happened to pop around, who ended up having a massive fake gash applied to her arm. Needless to say she loved it! All of the products featured in the programme can be found online including here: www.brickintheyard.com who supplied us with the 'Gel 10'. Oh, and for some unknown reason we decided to finish the show with some stickmen zombies...why? ...because we're just like that sometimes.....;-)

So that's it for now. Hope you enjoy this episode of prop shop and we will see you all soon.

Make-up, Monsters and Madness!

2011-10-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's October already! Where are the months going?

Since our last post BEARLEFT.TV have been working on numerous projects both in-house and for exterior clients and if we were to go into detail this could turn out to be a mamoth post, so we'll give you the highlights.

As previous blogged the beginning of August saw our new DVD being launched - Hywel Morgan's Fly Tying - Stillwater Patterns. This was due to numerous requests for Hywel to demonstrate fly tying that was suitable for all levels of experience, and you can see a free pattern over on his Youtube channel. The DVD is available to buy from us and we are now also selling through Amazon and you'll find a new link to all of the places where you can buy our products over on the right. -------------->

Our website also had a slight overhall, and along with a new promotional video on the front page, you can now watch trailers, view product information and purchase our programmes direct from the relevant page.

September was certainly a busy month for our cameras as we found ourselves heading to locations both near and far. We have filmed a large part of the city of Gloucester for an up and coming project and even Coleford for a local businessman. One of the most exciting shoots was at the Kustom Kulture Blast Off - a great event of the best custom art and artists in the country. We were pleased to support Ty Lawer and our friends at Pageant Paintwork who won not only the Best Airbrush Award but Best in Show! A great achievement made even more rewarding that they are celebrating 25 Years of business. We've editied higlights of the show and you can see it here:

We ended September by meeting a great couple, and without giving too much away, one worked on the legendary Star Wars in the creation of Jabba the Hutt and the other was a make up artist in the Warner Brother's theme park in Germany. Needless to say we have filmed some episodes of our Prop Shop series with them both, and with a few little extra bits from us hopefully they will be out in time for Halloween. (By the way if you missed what we did last year... please put down any hot liquids, breakable objects or small children then watch this)

This month we are back out filming with Hywel Morgan for two new DVD's covering 4 seasons of stillwater and river fishing and should be out in time for Christmas. We have also got a few other things in the pipeline that may require cast and crew so if you would like to get involved please follow us / subscribe (there are shortcuts on the right---->) and make yourself known to the Bearleft.tv crew.

NEW DVD - Hywel Morgan's Fly Tying - Almost Available!

2011-07-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here at Bearleft.tv we have been working very hard. Not only do we have a great project going on with the Osbaston Hydro electric power station and new Fishing DVDs in the making but also to help all you enthusiastic fly fishing followers here we have a new programme to show you how to tie your own flies.

We did some research and found a few DVDs out there which showed fly tying, but most were either beginner focused or pattens for the more experienced tier. However our programme takes you from the basic tools of the trade, some of the materials and some of the basic techniques any beginner fly tier will need when starting this addictive hobby.

The way we have structured this DVD is similar to our Complete Cast DVD where you can watch it from start to finish or you can use it like a learning reference tool by picking from our menu system and clicking where you want to start.

Allowing you to find where to begin or to jump right in at the patterns you are curious about tying.

Some of the questions that are asked regularly are coved in this DVD like,

Which is the best fly tying vice to use?
What do i need to buy to start fly tying?
How do I do the hitch knot or the whip finish?

All this is covered in the beginning section and then over 16 pattens are all tied in realtime so you can follow Hywel Morgan along and tie with him.

The pattens include, nymphs, lures, bugs, buzzers, blobs and boobies.

Each chosen for their particular techniques that once mastered then can be used to tie almost anything you could want in your fly box.

Priced at only £14.99 this is the tool in your tying kit you will keep coming back to again and again.

The Art of Foley

2011-04-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Well we're currently in full pre-production for our latest commission and it's proving to be really exciting. We are still documenting the process and will write some decent blog articles when we get chance. In the meantime check out our latest film on Youtube where we pull back the curtain and reveal some of the tricks of the trade when creating sounds in film.

A Production from Start to Finish! - Part 1

2011-03-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

While working on one of our productions the other day it occurred to me that although people watch films they may not know the full extent of the work that go into making one ,or they would like to have a go themselves but don't know where to start. So I thought that for our latest production I would try and document the procedure in the hope that someone out in the big wide world may find it interesting or even help them! This is not going to be an in-depth breakdown but we will cover the basics just to get you started.

So the obvious starting point is the script. If you want it to look right (or if you want anyone in the industry to take you seriously) you will have to follow the age old standard layout that everyone uses. There are software programmes out there such as Final Draft which you can now pick up for around £160 and which will correctly format the page for you.

If you can't afford specific software don't worry, you can still write your script in Microsoft Word or other word programme, it might just take you a little longer to format the page. If using Word you must use the Font - Courier at size 12 which looks like this. (This is because it resembles the old type writer font which was used when scripts were first written)

Some Important Points to Remember when Writing:

Ideally your script should work out to one page of dialogue = one minute of screen time.
Do not put anything in Bold
Do not write camera directions - This is the job of the Director and will be added by him / her.
The following should all be capitalised in the script: Sounds (including music) ,the names of the characters the first time they appear , the speakers name above each line of dialogue and every word in the header: INT. SHOP. DAY

As I said these are only the basics and you can get more information easily on the net. One of the best ways to learn is by looking at professional scripts. These are sometimes given away with film magazines, or you may be able to find them on the web. Just remember that scripts vary slightly depending on the programme / film genre so make sure you learn the style that’s right for you.

Next time we'll start to breakdown the script.

Free Google advertising loophole!

2011-02-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Now here is a loophole I don't think Google ever anticipated. But its our job as our tag line rightly says we are here to 'Dream - Create - Share'.

So after a huge amount of training and research we have come up with a great video to share with you all.

Let us know if it works. :)

I have posted it over on Youtube so remember to subscribe while you're there to see all the other great stuff! With lots more to come.

Watch this space!

2011-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Well, we are now well and truly into the new year and already it's starting to look exciting! As already mentioned below we entered the top 100 requested videos on Scuzz and our new fishing DVD To Lure A Killer has appeared on numerous websites and articles like the one below...

But that's just the start! We have big plans this year and we are already well under way with several new products and programmes in the pipline. In between all of that we will also be making fun short films on whatever we feel like so if you have any ideas what we can film or what you would like to see let us know! Below is our video for January in which we decided to have a lighthearted look at our slow internet connection speed :-)

We also aim to make this blog more exclusive giving you the chance to see things here before anyone else including behind the scenes footage and other fun stuff. So thanks for checking out bearleft.tv in 2010 and we hope you enjoy what we do in 2011.

BEARLEFT.TV in the top 100 requested Videos on SCUZZ!

2011-01-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Over the winter holidays SCUZZ channel compiled a great festive tune fighting 100 countdown of the most requested videos, and the video BEARLEFT.TV produced for the awesome Northampton band 'Sacred mother Tongue' titled ' The End ' kicked off the whole proceedings at number 100! Ok its a start but from the thousands of videos you can request it made us smile with pride here in the office! Lets just hope there was more than 100 videos to choose from! :) Well done Boys and I look forward to the new album out soon and the call to make the next cinematic master piece! The guitar master that is Andy James from SMT is about to embark on a US tour with the dark and black-tastick ' Cradle of Filth ' go see this guy he is a shredding Jedi master!
Thanks
Aaron

Deliveries Delayed by Snow!

2010-12-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

So it's day one of another load of snow and already half the country is grinding to a halt. Despite the Welsh Division of BEARLEFT.TV receiving six inches of the white stuff today we are still shipping out orders that are coming in.

However we regret to inform customers that despite shipping orders first class (as always) the weather is playing havoc with all forms of postal / delivery services resulting in items taking up to 4+ days longer to arrive at their destinations across the country. We apologies for this delay but unfortunately the situation is out of our hands.

Rest assured that we still aim to get all orders despatached into the system either on the day of ordering or the next working day to minimise the total delivery time. We hope you understand this situation and thank you for your patience in this matter.

BEARLEFT.TV

Sneak Preview of To Lure A Killer

2010-12-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in a previous post our new DVD 'To Lure A Killer' starring Hywel Morgan and Anthony Glascoe Jr is now available to order from www.bearleft.tv and www.hywelmorgan.co.uk You can also click the DVD to the right and be taken straight to our products page where you can buy it! Here's a quick preview of what you can expect!

New DVD - To Lure A Killer

2010-12-10T06:02:00.001-08:00

Well, we said it would be out in a couple of weeks but we've worked our fingers to the bone and we are pleased to announce that our new DVD - 'To Lure A Killer' will be out in time for Christmas!

Starring champion fly fisherman Hywel Morgan and professional pike angler Anthony Glascoe Jr. the lads team up to tackle the waters of the Lake District and Northamptonshire in search of an underwater killer - the mighty pike.

Beginning at the beautiful glacial lake of Esthwaite Water, Hywel and Anthony trade secrets, styles and even rods in a bid to discover which technique is the best before moving on to the Anglian Water of Pitsford Reservoir to put their new skills to the test.

Full of hints and tips for both methods combined with the excitement of Hywel hooking his first ever pike is a visual experience you will not want to miss. But does he catch it on his trusty fly or the unfamiliar lure? and does he manage to get it in the boat? You'll have to watch it to find out!

To Lure A Killer is available from our own website www.bearleft.tv (which can also be accessed via the link on the right) or at www.hywelmorgan.co.uk.

We're in the Press!

2010-11-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

This week has been rather exciting for us here at Bearleft.tv as one of our products has generated alot of interest and appeared in several publications. The Lost Railways of the Forest of Dean (Severn and Wye) was first picked up by a multimedia distribution company and with a large batch of DVD's heading to them this week will be on sale across the country in time for Christmas.

Shortly after, a review of the DVD appeared in the Dean Forest's Railway magazine announcing that the product was " a smashing DVD to have on your shelf and one that will keep fans of the Dean Forest Railway very happy"

Our last appearance in print this week appeared yesterday in the Forest's local paper aptly called "The Forester" and despite the somewhat dubious headline (!) once again publicised the DVD along with a photo of Aaron and Alan.

We have a new DVD coming out shortly along with some cool clothing items and other fun stuff which Aaron has designed so keep checking back for more updates soon, and don't forget to follow us on facebook too!

Bearleft.tv helps the BBC again!

2010-11-14T10:53:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago we blogged that we provided some footage for the BBC which featured on 'Countryfile'. Yesterday we assisted the BBC once more in aid of Children in Need.

Having filmed a charity rugby match an employee of the Beeb needed a promo quickly edited to feature on Wales' Scrum V programme today. With no editors to hand they contacted Alan on Friday night (having worked with him before) and asked if he could edit the promo the following day. As it was for such a good cause Alan said yes and spent Saturday down at the BBC headquarters in Cardiff. Not only did he manage to complete the promo but he also managed to assist Pudsey himself while filming for the big night.

The promo went out tonight in the middle of the programme and Bearleft is proud to have offered a day's editing free of charge for such a good cause.

Bearleft.tv helps the BBC

2010-10-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

The other day one of our clients had the good fortune to have the BBC's 'Countryfile' programme visiting his property to film the salmon leaps that he has installed. Despite getting the overall footage they required there was no fish using the leaps due to it being the wrong time of year. Our client had footage of one salmon close up which we had slowed down in the past and he asked if it was possible to get a copy in a format suitable for the BBC. Naturally we said yes and within a short space of time we had a copy ready to go. To our delight the following week, almost right in the middle of the programme, our shot was used!

At a later date Bearleft.tv will be heading back to the location to capture this extraordinary natural phenomenon ourselves for one of our future projects and hopefully capture some fantastic scenes.

Something Wicked This Way Comes?

2010-10-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

OK, so recently alot of people have been shouting at us here at Bearleft.tv. Why? - well because mainly they've been spilling hot stuff over their legs and generally making fools of themselves at work and other public places.

Why is that our fault? Well it's all to do with an outtake from one of our programmes which appears to show something spooky in the reflection of the glass. Rather than keep something this monumental to ourselves we'd thought we would share it with the world... but it appears that the world was not ready! If you haven't seen it yet - now's your chance...but put your hot drink down first! - You've been warned!

Bearleft.tv's Real Ghost Footage...Maybe?

A Ripping Good Place To Buy Yarn (And Other Accessories)

2010-10-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

As usual we have been working hard behind the scenes and are pleased to announce that the lovely folk at Ripping Yarns would like to show off their wonderful woolly website we did for them!! For those who can't get to the shop in Cinderford fear not for the site is complete with a full secure online ordering system. Take a look and buy all you need to keep you busy and dressed in the finest designer woolley wear.

www.iwantwool.co.uk

To Lure A Killer

2010-10-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed this picture up on facebook recently of Hywel apparently introducing a new Anthony Glascoe lure ;-)

The original (minus the shark) was taken a few days ago while Hywel and Ant were filming with BEARLEFT.TV for a new pike fishing DVD.

Morgan and Glascoe trade secrets, styles and rods to test the waters of the Lake District and Northamptonshire, to see which technique is best.

Full of hints and tips about flies and lures including setting up, casting out and reeling ‘em in! Will Hywel be able to land his first fly - caught pike for the camera?

You'll have to wait until Winter 2010 to find out!

A Bearleft DVD Is For Life & Not Just For Christmas!

2010-10-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so somebody mentioned today that it is only 80 sleeps until Christmas. After receiving this information we did the only thing a person can do after hearing this at the start of October...we hit them...repeatedly....and hard.

Upon reflection we realised that kicking would have probably done more damage but also that this piece of news explained our rapid increase in DVD sales. It appears that in the bid to spread the cost of Christmas this year, more and more people are already thinking about gifts for family and friends and are already purchasing items.

Now here at Bearleft.tv we believe, to maintain the true spirit of Chirstmas, and to really make it exciting ALL Christmas shopping should be done on Christmas Eve, in one hour, at the local garage. However we understand that some people like to be prepared in the holiday season and here at Bearleft HQ we are rapdily working on some new products which (fingers crossed) will be out in time for the big day.

In the meantime don't forget to check out our products already on the site. Whether your having a party at home, need to relax, or just need a gift you may just find something to help in our shop! (We'll try not mention Christmas again for at least another month!)

Bearleft's Mountain Rescue Presentation Another Success!

2010-09-14T03:59:00.000-07:00

For the third time Bearleft.tv are proud to have been asked by the UK & Ireland Mountain Rescue Conference to create their opening presentation. Over the last few years it has become something of a tradition and originally the presentation was played before the start of the conference. We have been reliably informed that our work now IS the start of the conference as people enter the hall quickly so as not to miss it!

This year, the film was so well received that it will be made available to teams across the UK to assist in their fundraising. Naturally we are delighted and look forward to working with Mountain Rescue in the near future!