In 2004, for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, the Elephant came into existence as BEACH HEAD PRODUCTIONS.
With three years experience from the defunct Portsmouth TV, BEACH HEAD applied for a tiny grant to record the veterans coming to Portsmouth for D-Day 60.
With the help of the D-Day Museum, Portsmouth City Museum, The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, The Art Lodge and Southsea Town Council and by begging free time on any available computer and editing equipment, the Elephant produced the 40 minute documentary D-Day Remembered.
Here is Rose Turner with her recollection of the first signs that the invasion was taking place.
Building on the sucess of D-Day Remembered, the Elephant then applied for a Big Lottery Fund grant from Home Front Recall, money that had been specifically allocated for projects directly connected to the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Directed by the former head of Portsmouth TV, Michael Finlason, and produced by the Elephant in its next incarnation as PORTSMOUTH LIVING HISTORY PROJECT, The Longest Night recorded the almost forgotten stories of the night of January 10th 1941 when Portsmouth was set on fire by wave after wave of enemy bombers.
Here is George White to explain how he tried to make his way across a city in flames.
In 2018 and 2019 the Elephant was a member of a team
producing the
Women's Community Activism Project for
the University of Portsmouth and interviewed a number of local women about
their experiences. You can see the finished Project website
here.
The local PARCS charity also asked the Elephant for help with a video about the experiences of local girls and the BIG ADVENTURES project commissioned DARK SIDE PORT SIDE from the Elephant.
Here is the finished I Am A Girl video.
The completed DARK SIDE PORT SIDE, can be seen here https://darkside.nautoguide.com (select the Dockyard Gate)
In June 2017 the Elephant became the first business to move into the University of Portsmouth Cell Block business incubation space in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard.
Daniel Bushen, a student at the University of Portsmouth, produced a video in the Island City Stories series, explaining why Elephant in Scarlet CIC was set up and exploring the environment of the Cell Block.
You can see more videos in the Island City Stories series by following this link
EJ Jackson is an established science fiction writer and asked the Elephant to help out with a couple of promotional videos for her work.
www.amazon.co.uk/EJ-Jackson/e/B00N08ZH5C
Minding Mama, was launched on Kickstarter in September 2018 but unfortunately did not make its target. However, you can see the finished video here.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elainejjackso...
And featured below is an example of how to make a poster come alive from the Elephant's promotional video for EJ's The Methuselah Paradox.