‘Out of My Depth’

Arthur Hill x AMADEUS

Results

YouTube

10,000

TikTok

84,000

Views

Views

Client: Sky TV

Project: Amadeus (TV) Campaign

Location: London, UK

Deliverables:

  • 1x Hero Longform YouTube Deliverable (Social)

  • 1x Video Trailer (Social)

  • 1x Episode cut-down (60 seconds) (Social)

  • 1x Influencer collaboration post (Social)

Window Zebra did:

  • Creative Development of Original Concept

  • In House Team - Including Director, Producer, DoP

  • Pre Production

  • Production - Two shoot days across three locations in London

  • Post Production - Offline & Online Edit

Key takeaway:

Filming in a busy, congested train station in the heart of London at Christmas… not as easy as you may think!

The Brief

In the lead-up to the release of Amadeus (TV series), Sky TV partnered with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields to stage a live orchestral performance at King's Cross Station -bringing Mozart’s music to the public and generating buzz around the show just before Christmas. But why stop at a live audience?

That’s where Window Zebra comes in.

We saw an opportunity to create something that could travel far beyond the station concourse - a piece of content designed to engage new audiences and drive them towards the series. The result was Out Of My Depth, a digital-first concept created in collaboration with singer and online personality Arthur Hill.

What happened next? Well… read on….

A man with curly hair and a surprised expression in front of an orchestra with string players, captioned 'I am Mozart?'.

Pre Production

For this production, we had to somewhat work backwards, as a lot of the other elements of the event was being planned by another agency (Rapport IMPACT) so our creative had to slot within the shifting timeframe and limitations attached.

We worked closely with Sky’s influencer and YouTube team to identify a range of potential talent to work with including everyone from YouTube-only talent, to mainstream recording artists, and ultimately landed on Arthur Hill who James (Director) had worked with twice previously.

From there, we worked with Ben Holder, the musical director for the TV series, to come onboard and coach Arthur through the process.

A man standing in front of a grand piano, gesturing with his hands, in a room with circular wall lights.

The core crew consisted of:

  • Director

  • Producer

  • DOP

  • 3x Camera Operators

  • 1st AC

  • Photographer

We knew that a lot of the shooting block in Kings Cross would have very limited control both with logistics and lighting and developed a multiway client viewing system that ran off of iPads so that the director and key team could see the footage as it was being captured and relay to the operators any core feedback.

We shot the whole campaign on our Sony FX6 cameras with a mix of zoom lenses to capture every angle, especially important when there are large crowds or barriers in the way. We also used three GoPro Hero 12 cameras as plant cameras for the orchestra and Arthur.

Older man performing on a drum set at an indoor event with people watching.

Production

The episode was shot over the space of two days to fit around Arthur’s time commitments as well as the rehearsal time with the main orchestra. The first day was in ‘The Warehouse’ in Waterloo, London with the String Quintet, as Arthur was coached by Ben directly. The 2nd day of shooting was spread across St Martin’s in the Fields where the main orchestra is based, and Kings Cross where the main activation happened later in the day.

We had two shooting teams on the day, and bridged the blocks with a well planned unit move, and some clever production logistics, to ensure that everyone and everything ended up where they needed to be with the right equipment.

A recording crew setting up in a wooden-paneled auditorium with empty chairs and music stands, one person holding a boom microphone and another operating a camera.
A man wearing a yellow vest operating a camera at an indoor event with large poster featuring Paul Bettany as Sherlock Holmes from the film madeush, and an orchestra performing in the background, with spectators in the upper level of the venue.

Post Production

The last shooting day on the project was the 18th December and the show was being released on the 21st so we knew we had to turn around the project in lightning speed. We had an editor working on the video from the 1st shooting block so by the time we were about to shoot the 2nd, we already had a rough edit to show Sky. We had a full edit build together on the 20th and were simultaneously building the promotional material to go out with the project at the same time.

All post production on all elements from edit and grade to audio and graphics was completed in-house for better flexibly for quick ‘social’ edit timelines.

A group of people attending an awards ceremony indoors, with a man in period costume smiling in front of a music stand. Decorations include a polar bear head and red-and-white striped scarf.
A group of musicians rehearsing in a studio, including violinists, a cellist, and a double bassist, with a conductor standing in front of them.
Four people taking a selfie in a recording studio. One man is holding a boom microphone and wearing headphones, another man is giving a thumbs up, a woman is holding a coffee cup, and another man is in the foreground smiling.
A group of musicians in a recording studio, with a conductor standing in front of them, and camera operators filming the rehearsal.
A man dressed in historical attire directs a musical performance with an orchestra in a busy, decorated indoor public space, with holiday decorations and a crowd of onlookers watching.
An older woman with short gray hair, glasses, wearing a striped shirt and dark vest, playing a double bass in a room with teal curtains.
A conductor standing in front of an orchestra at an indoor public space, with a crowd of onlookers clapping and taking photos, holiday decorations, and a banner in the background celebrating 200 years of history.
A film crew is filming a man and a woman on set with a microphone and camera. The man is wearing a beige sweater, glasses, and a cap, while the woman wears a gray sweater and jeans. They are standing near a wooden counter, with decorative string ligh
Orchestra musicians playing violins during a performance, dressed in formal black attire, with sheet music in front of them.
A man wearing a historical costume, conducting an orchestra indoors while an audience watches.
A young man in a navy blue coat with gold trim conducts an orchestra in a crowded indoor setting.
A group of musicians and crew members in a recording studio, with some playing string instruments and others preparing for a session, all surrounded by professional lighting and audio equipment.
Two people sitting and talking in a recording studio, with a camera operator and camera setup on the left side. The room has wooden floors and soundproofing panels on the walls.