The brief
Plantlife, the wild plant conservation charity, asked us to tell the story of Lugg Meadows, its nature reserve on the edge of Hereford. They didn’t want a film about Plantlife’s work. They wanted one about the meadows’ heritage and their connection to the local community: centuries of common land, the Lammas tradition and the annual hay auction. It was a story close to home for us, as Rich spent much of his youth fishing the Lugg in that very spot.
The approach
We filmed across several days through the summer, with Plantlife lining up the voices and us running the interviews on the day. Graham, Secretary of the Lugg Meadows Commoners, and Andrew, who spoke about the hay auction, shared the meadows’ history and traditions. Joe from Plantlife’s Nature Reserves team anchored a second film.
Between interviews we captured the meadows at golden hour, close-ups of the grasses and wildflowers before the hay cut, and drone footage of the whole reserve. Location sound recorded in the meadows, layered with careful sound design, sits under the edit to bring the place to life.
The outcome
Two short documentaries, delivered in 4K. The first premiered on Plantlife’s YouTube channel for National Meadows Day and went out to their subscribers by email. The second, Learn more about the UK’s Historic Lammas Meadows, followed as its companion. Plantlife also received the full library of B-roll and drone footage, giving them a lasting record of the reserve to use for years to come.
