Katie Mitchell is a Junior Creative at DTW specialising in film and digital engagement. Oh, and she does a nice sideline in standing in for members of the Royal Family. Here’s her story of the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
There was much excitement in the DTW office when we were first told Her Majesty the Queen and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex would be officially opening the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
From the PR and social media teams, to the animation and video crew – it was all hands on deck to get everything ready for the big day. I was even asked to stand in for the Queen during our preparation walkthrough, turns out she’s just as short as me!
On the day, we produced a short film to accompany a dance piece which took the audience on a journey through the history of how locals crossed the river over the years, right up to the construction of the Mersey Gateway Bridge. Her Majesty even commented on how much she enjoyed learning about the bridge’s history, which was also an experience I thoroughly enjoyed whilst working on the edit.
A right royal do
Our camera crews were granted permission to work alongside the royal rota on the day of the event, which was a big deal as it meant we were able to capture a close and personal insight of the events. From the moment Her Majesty arrived at Runcorn Train Station, to her appearance at the event in Widnes where she officially opened the Mersey Gateway Bridge, we were able to capture the exciting atmosphere. This certainly was a memorable day and from the smiles and laughs we captured, we are sure the Royals enjoyed it as much as us.
Despite the strong winds, and my disbelief at how perfect Meghan’s hair continued to look, the whole day went smoothly and we were able to produce a short video displaying the highlights of the day. This was then sent to the royal household for approval – a process which I was very excited about as I like to think Her Majesty sat and watched it herself.
Katie
DTW has provided strategic communications, PR, video and design support to the Mersey Gateway team since 2006 and it was thoroughly fantastic to capture such an exciting piece of history for them.