Trimble Studios: What, Where and why?
‘Gaz, it won’t go back in the cupboard.’
This was the moment I realised that our first ever company home; the neighbours barn as our studio and the cupboard under the stairs as our equipment storage, wasn’t going to work anymore. The barn studio just couldn’t live up to the work we were doing, and as we did more and gained more equipment, our equipment wouldn't fit in the cupboard anymore.
From here we moved to Aske Stables. We started with one office, and it didn’t take long before we took over the whole floor. This move marked Trimble Group going from strength to strength. From a team consisting of just Gaz and myself, to a team of ten. From a few clients to a whole community of clients.
Our productions were good, and looking back now we really did make as much as we could out of that converted office space. But to be honest, last year I had that similar feeling. That feeling we were outgrowing our space. So we turned to our clients and asked them:
‘What is it you need?’
The feedback came in and it was fairly obvious what we needed to do: have more space, more sets, more flexibility, the ability to use more than one set in one day. Have the space to hold demonstrations and discussions - a place that inspires opportunity.
So the hunt began - the search for a new studio space fit for these purposes. One day I came across this place - a large, untouched for the past ten years, messy space only ten minutes drive away from our location at Aske Stables, Richmond. It was definitely big enough, but we had to use a lot of imagination to see how this could be our brand new, modern, advanced studio space.
One year later, that space is ours and we have completely renovated it into a fully operational studio space with three different sets, a dressing room, green room, work space, and edit suite. It took a lot of perseverance and hands on graft from the team, and it made me incredibly proud to see the team working hard all with such big visions of where Trimble Group can go.
But what was all this hard work for? Why do our clients need this space? Why didn’t we just stay in that converted office? It boils down to the fact that a few years ago we saw a big change: YouTube exploded onto the scene, making creators and curators of us all. Netflix kicked terrestrial television out of the game. The whole world of On-Demand changed forever how we consume our content, not just entertainment, but how we take in new information, and hone our skills. All we really need to do is look at how our own habits have changed to see that the way we interact with media has changed.
We recognised this change, and we changed with it. We strive to produce content that captivates, engages, and sticks with viewers. Our methods align with the latest neuroscience about how we learn, how attention spans have adapted, and how engagement is initiated and maintained. Which means ensuring high production quality, utilising compelling visuals, delivering information in an engaging manner, and much more.
And all this change isn’t just so that we can have the fanciest gear and create the most attention grabbing content. Animal welfare is always at the core of the changes we make to better our service. We’re the only studio dedicated to animal health, and through creating education, supporting campaigns, and driving higher engagement we’re ultimately helping the animal health industry move towards its main goal - to help animals live healthier lives.
We now have two locations: our head office and training centre at Aske Stables in and Trimble Studios. Each location is dedicated to specific services: Aske Stables hosts all our workshops and training, while Trimble Studios handles our film and photography production. This expansion has significantly enhanced our production capabilities, as Trimble Studios features three distinct, versatile sets designed for a variety of purposes:
First, we have a large white set, or what we call the ‘clinic set’. We have sourced many real, clinical props so that we can set this space up as a completely clinically accurate space. This set will often be used when we are demonstrating veterinary procedures or techniques. The white background provides a great blank canvas to which we can mould to whatever clinic setting you desire, always with that bright and clean feel you want from a clinic room.
Next, we have our grey set, also known as the 'library set.' This space is designed to resemble an office, complete with shelving units, a work desk, a computer, and books. It's ideal for interviews, presentations, and panel discussions. The grey set complements the white set perfectly for when you need to film content which delivers information and improve understanding alongside veterinary demonstrations.
Lastly, we have our green screen, the most versatile set of all. It allows us to place you in any scenario you can imagine. Have you ever needed to travel overseas for a project but didn’t have the budget? Our green screen eliminates the need for travel, letting us create any environment you need right here in the studio.
So, what are we left with after all this? We have two locations dedicated to our specific services only ten minutes apart. We have way more space and a new state of the art kit, opening up opportunities for the quality of production we create. And we have a thirst - a thirst to do and create more! Throughout this process I've been astounded by the team I have around me, and their drive to create more and advance in what we do. We've already had some incredible shoots in the studio, ranging from cytology and suture demonstrations to live exotic animals and our first live event featuring a live green screen, demonstrations, and panel discussions. Trimble Studios has been more than an opening of a new studio, it’s a step towards our goal; to keep producing, advancing, and developing content for the benefit of the animal health industry.
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