Member Article

Knew Productions given grade A for video for prestigious Chester school

A Rossett-based video production agency is helping boost the profile of a prestigious Chester school.

Knew Productions was appointed by Abbey Gate College to produce a promotional video showcasing the school’s leading facilities.

The video, which was filmed at the school’s Infant and junior school in Aldford and the senior school in Saighton, forms part of the digital approach Abbey Gate College is taking to engage with prospective pupils.

The video, which is on its website and shared on social media, allows parents interested in enrolling their children to get a feel for the school and its surroundings before visiting in person.

And Knew Productions was handed the task of filming the college’s Grade I listed senior school setting, which traces back to the medieval era.

It was originally built as a country house in the 11th century before the 2nd Marques of Westminster rebuilt the site from 1861 to 1876. The building became home to Abbey Gate College one century later in 1977.

Knew Productions’ managing director Richard Knew and his team filmed school pupils undertaking a vast range of activities to illustrate a typical day.

The filming took place across a 12-month period to ensure the school and its grounds were captured in all four seasons to reflect its stunning scenery.

Richard said: “This was a fascinating project to work on as Abbey Gate College combines a historic building with modern teaching facilities.

“We wanted to show how the school looks different from one season to the next, so we visited at different times of the year to give the video the same feel as a whole school year.

“While brochures, prospectuses and websites can provide a good source of information, a short video is a powerful tool when demonstrating the facilities available and truly brings to life the people and the environment.

“Prospective parents and pupils can really get a feel for what attending Abbey Gate on a day-to-day basis would be like.”

Abbey Gate College headmistress Tracy Pollard said: “We were keen to get across that in addition to our smaller class sizes, dedicated teaching staff, and amazing facilities, the children benefit from learning and growing in beautiful surroundings. The setting is one of the best-loved things about Abbey Gate College and makes us unique to other local schools.”.

“In addition, we wanted the video to capture the emotive and community side of the school. Richard and his team have delivered exactly what we wanted.

“It was important to ensure the filming wouldn’t impact our children’s learning, which we knew would provide logistical challenges. However, Knew Productions was efficient and very organised. The crew knew exactly when to capture the shots as children were going about their daily school life, which is what makes the video so natural.”

Abbey Gate College provides education for boys and girls aged 4-18. Its aims include inspiring pupils to achieve individual academic success, realise their full potential, and develop a strong moral code and be responsible members of society.

Knew Productions has been established for 20 years and has worked with a variety of local companies and organisations including Cheshire Farm Ice Cream, Hickory’s, Youth Sport Trust, Theatr Clwyd, and Savills.

For more information about the college and to view the video visit https://abbeygatecollege.co.uk/.

For more information and to watch examples of work, visit www.knewproductions.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .