15th November 2023
Meet John Baikie, multi-award-winning photographer and filmmaker whose accomplished career has taken him across the world, shooting in breathtaking locations and working alongside premium brands; capturing people and telling their narratives through his own unique visual lens.
With his heart rooted in his North Highland home, John Baikie, the Caithnesian creative has brought his focus back towards his roots, returning his attention to helping to promote businesses and success stories in the North Highland region. With an ever-increasing move towards video in marketing and visual storytelling, John’s perspective, lived experiences and in-depth local knowledge of the North Highlands help offer a new approach to documentary storytelling in the commercial world.
What is your speciality or niche within the industry?
Spending my life in the North Highlands has given me inspiration to be creative. The landscapes and people here are very special. There are so many stories out there which need to be told, and I think, there is a trend in the Highlands to underplay success. So many businesses and people in the region are doing amazing things, often taken for granted or played down. I have worked on some projects which nobody knows about, yet we are talking about groundbreaking stuff. This is where I come in. My passion is for telling stories, be that through moving or still images, or sometimes both. I love to create documentary-style films, and they can show the personality and ethos of a business.
How do you stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in your field?
I was entirely self-taught as a photographer, beginning my creative career in 1997, but I was eager to learn and travelled the UK and overseas attending seminars and workshops to improve my skills. My filmmaking started in a similar vein, but I recently completed a four-year BA honours degree with UHI and am currently working through a Master’s in filmmaking. This has really helped me to progress at a much faster rate. I have a passion for learning and constantly push to be better at what I do. I have also completed drone training courses and can commercially fly these, which is another great perspective to add to films. In this industry, it is important to constantly invest in training and equipment.
How do you approach pricing and packaging your services?
One thing I do which has been popular is to offer ongoing packages, where businesses can save money on creating content by booking for monthly or bi-monthly sessions. It takes a lot of pressure off businesses knowing they have high-quality content being created without too much involvement. I like to think my film production is very competitively priced and will come up with bespoke solutions to suit all budgets.
Can you describe your workflow from initial client contact to project delivery?
The filmmaking/video production side of the business is very bespoke. I work extensively with clients on the pre-production elements, to ensure we are on the same page, and to ensure the video production is a smooth process. This usually involves creating a brief and laying out a very specific plan. Quality and customer satisfaction are hugely important to me. It is great to build up a working relationship with clients, where you begin to really understand each other, and feel part of that business and truly invested in their progress.
What’s ahead for your business and career?
My MA in filmmaking will bring a whole new level of skills and knowledge to the business and increase the production value of every project. The goal is to spend my time showcasing Caithness and the North Highlands; and build up a body of work showcasing the area, the place, the people, and the inspiring stories which I come across almost daily. I am passionate about documentary films and have a few personal projects which are ticking along in the background too.