Making an invisible trade visible
BE Inject, the Franki Foundations department (BESIX group) that specialises in concrete and grout injection, does work almost nobody sees. At Smulders in Hoboken, foundations for offshore wind turbines are assembled. BE Inject injects grout between the ring of each platform and the foundation tube, for a solid connection. Once the turbine is at sea, that work disappears from view.
The challenge is common in industry: how do you show know-how to clients, recruits and partners without giving away what makes it valuable?
On a site, everything moves fast, the crews have a job to do, and part of the know-how has to stay confidential. The film has to find its place without getting in the way.
What I brought
A film that shows the gesture without giving away the secret. In framing, I choose what is seen up close and what stays out of shot: close enough to feel the precision, not long enough to work out the method. The edit keeps the rhythm of the work rather than the detail of each step.
Drone views to show the scale of the yard, then the crews: below, in the container where the concrete is tested, and up on the platform, during the injections.
And preparation suited to an industrial site: safety training before entry, drone permissions, a shoot that follows the rhythm of the yard. I waited for a morning of good weather to film concrete pours: on an open-air site, the light makes much of the image.
What the film makes possible
BE Inject now has a short film it can show anywhere: to a client who wants to understand the method, to a candidate wondering what the job looks like, to a partner. Work that can no longer be seen once it is done becomes something you can show.
What it means for your project
Technical know-how films very well, even when part of it has to stay confidential. It is a question of framing, not censorship.
An industrial site takes preparation: safety, access, drone. I handle it upfront, so the day of the shoot is spent filming.
The film follows the rhythm of your operations, not the other way round. The best moments are planned with the teams on site.
The drone gives scale in seconds: where a close-up shows a gesture, an aerial view shows the whole site.
If your trade happens out of sight, write me a few lines about the project.