We recently had the pleasure of being invited to capture content for our client, Sandvik, at a project based out at St Ives Gold Mine. They have been trialling the new LH518iB Sandvik loaders. These are part of a new generation of battery-electric (BEV) loaders being used in gold mining. As a result, we were brought in to shoot both videography and photography of the loader in action, above and below ground, to showcase what it can do and how it performs in harsh underground conditions.
The final video is a montage that highlights the loader at work in its environment. This was no ordinary shoot. We put our gear, and ourselves, to the test on this one. Firstly, St Ives is situated directly under a salt lake, which meant some seriously wet and humid conditions down in the tunnels. Additionally, at certain depths, the lake actually leaks into the mine, which made for some pretty tricky filming setups.
We found ourselves nearly 1km underground, eventually navigating tight and dark spaces with barely any light. As a result, we had to rely on our experience and knowledge of our equipment to capture the shots we needed. Despite these challenges, we captured some amazing shots and it was also incredibly rewarding from a technical standpoint.
Trialling Sandvik’s BEV Loader at St Ives Gold Mine
In the end, the positive feedback from our client speaks volumes. Ultimately, it’s a testament to the passion we have at Red Empire Media, as well as the effort we put into every shoot we take on. Moreover, we love working on projects that push boundaries and let us explore new environments and technologies.
So, do you have an interesting project you need captured? If so, get in touch, we’d love to hear about it.
