Communications videographer Joe Burn describes how he went about capturing footage from 25-mile charity challenge.
“I had been assigned the task of creating a short video of the Great York Walk 2022, which raises valuable funds to support mental health research and initiatives. We had been asked to arrive bright and early in order to capture footage of the walkers assembling at Greg’s Place – fortunately there were bacon and sausage sandwiches on offer to ease the pain of an early weekend start!
“It was a lovely sunny morning and all the walkers were in good spirits ahead of their 25-mile walk around York. Following words of encouragement from organiser Tom Piercy, from the Office of Philanthropic Partnerships and Alumni, the game walkers were off. The Great York Walk quickly turned into the Great York Run for Alex (Communications photographer) and I, as we sprinted through the corridors of Vanbrugh College in order to capture the group of walkers heading past the lake and out to University Road.
“We were briefly able to catch our breath as we hopped in the car. It was time to consult the route map and work out a good first location to drive to. We wanted to catch the walkers approaching us, while having the opportunity to capture a really scenic backdrop – this became the pattern of the day.
“As the walk progressed, participants spread out, which meant tracking them down for shots became a bit trickier. Fortunately most of the walkers regrouped at the final King’s Manor checkpoint. Once they had refuelled ready for the final section, we were able to follow some of the groups through the city, capturing them at iconic York locations such as the Minster, City Walls and Millennium Bridge.
“The last location was Heslington Hall, where we planned to capture the walkers celebrating as they finally crossed the finish line. In reality all they wanted to do was collapse on the grass, so we had to shout a few words of encouragement in order to get the jubilant finish line shot we had planned in our minds!”
