Tim

Extreme Shepherding - the story behind the video

on March 26, 2009 9:00 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Working for Farmers Weekly has its advantages. If you ever want a bit of gossip or insider information about farming, there's usually someone around who'll tell you.

I've managed, therefore, to find out some more about the Extreme Shepherding video that has taken Youtube (or should that be Ewetube) by storm and got nearly 3m views.

The video, produced by Samsung to advertise LED TVs, features a flock of sheep fitted with LED lights, which are then herded to recreate a fireworks display, a version of the Mona Lisa and a computer game of tennis.

One of the farmer stars, Bernard 'The General' Llewellyn, from Carreg Cennen Castle in Carmarthenshire, said that he had been asked to get involved with the filming of the viral video because he had supplied animals for films before.

The film makers had also been keen to find a vantage point overlooking a hillside, so they could film the sheep as they moved across it.

Bernard told us that originally the film makers had wanted to get actors involved, but they agreed in the end that it would be easier if the people involved knew how to handle sheep.

"We filmed it in the middle of February and it took two very full days for them to get all the footage. We used about 300 sheep and put LED coats on about 100 of them. They told us what their ultimate scenario was and we tried to achieve it - but they have enhanced it digitally as well.

"Everyone is surprised and delighted by the response - it has just captured the imagination. I have had calls from all over the world from friends asking 'Is that you?'"

Bernard, who is also NFU Cymru's rural affairs board chairman, adds: "I was pleased by the response, as we get so much bad press [as farmers]. It is nice to see life beyond that and we had fun doing it. If things work, you get a lot of satisfaction.

"They are talking about it being one of the biggest video hits of the year. We've even got a film crew from Boston, USA flying over next week."

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Written by Tim Relf, with occasional postings from Rachel Jones, Field Day is the place to come for a slice of rural life.

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