Three Films, 400 Years: How We Made the Leeds Charter Films

When LeedsBID came to us with an idea to mark the 400th anniversary of Leeds’ Royal Charter, the brief was deceptively simple: three short films, three stories, one city to play on loop at Leeds City Museum and live on the Welcome to Leeds YouTube channel.

Simple to say. A lot to make. Here’s how three films about a 1626 charter, a 1926 cricket match and a century of music in Roundhay Park went from a blank page to the museum wall.

The shot list: planning every frame

With scripts locked, we built a shot list for each film — the unglamorous document that saves you on the day. For a three-location shoot with limited time and high-profile contributors, there’s no room to “work it out on set.”

Each list mapped out our coverage: the wide establishers, the close-ups on the Charter’s 400-year-old seal, the hands turning the pages, the crowd-eye view from the Headingley stands, the sweep across Roundhay Park. We planned for two-camera setups and blocked each interview so we could cut cleanly between question and detail. 

Crucially, the shot list also drove the schedule — how long we’d have in each location, in what order, and what we simply couldn’t miss.

Permits, permissions and priceless documents

This is the part clients rarely see and always underestimate. Three locations, three completely different sets of rules.

The Royal Charter itself meant working to the West Yorkshire Archive Service’s handling and access conditions; a [nearly] 400-year-old document doesn’t come out for anyone, and filming around it meant agreed lighting, handling protocols and timings. 

Headingley meant securing filming access with Yorkshire County Cricket Club, working around ground availability. And Roundhay Park sits under Leeds City Council, so filming there ran through the parks filming-permit process. We handle this so the client doesn’t have to: chasing sign-offs, insurance and risk assessments early, so that by shoot day the only thing left to think about was the film.

The shoot

3 days on location in April.  From managing the crowds trying to feed the swans in Roundhay Park with Alex, to delayed trains for Ruth Goodman and a super bright sunny day at the cricket ground, we battled the elements to deliver the films in a 2-hour filming period. 

A small, fast crew kept things nimble: Adam Webb in DoP and Manus on BTS. Working with broadcasters who are used to a camera meant we could move quickly and keep it feeling natural.

The edit: finding the film in the footage

Back in the edit, each film was shaped to run for around 6 minutes, long enough to tell the story, short enough to hold a museum visitor mid-wander. We graded for a consistent look across all three, cut to a simple music bed that carried the mood without overpowering the words, and captioned throughout for accessibility on the museum floor and on YouTube.

Three edits, one house style — so that whichever film you catch first, they feel like a set.

See them for yourself

All three films are on show now at Leeds City Museum and on the Welcome to Leeds YouTube channel. Four hundred years of Leeds, in three short stories we’re proud to have made.

Want films that make your story impossible to ignore? Get in touch with Chapter 81.