Steven Lea - Strive Visuals

Steven Lea - Strive Visuals Filmmaker & Videographer in based in Wigan & Manchester. Brand videos | Short Films | Promotional Videos. www.strivevisuals.co.uk
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Creating cinematic videos for local brands and organisations to help them tell their story through powerful visuals.

Here’s a behind the scenes shot from a recent shoot of a digital arts workshop in Wigan.When shooting observation conten...
03/06/2026

Here’s a behind the scenes shot from a recent shoot of a digital arts workshop in Wigan.

When shooting observation content like this it’s important to let everything unfold naturally.

This starts with find out who wants to be filmed and who doesn’t.

It can be daunting when a camera is in your face and some people just aren’t comfortable.

For the people that weren’t comfortable I adapted to just shooting over their shoulders and close ups of their hands.

The people that were comfortable did really well and one of the kids even came on camera afterwards and answered a few questions I had.

Had a good couple of hours shooting for Northern Heart Films recently in Wigan.It’s always good to be able to film in my...
28/05/2026

Had a good couple of hours shooting for Northern Heart Films recently in Wigan.

It’s always good to be able to film in my home town.

And even better to support fellow creatives.

The day consisted of some documentary style observational shooting along with a couple of quick interviews.

A day well spent i say!

21/05/2026

Flat to Finsihed - Before & After Colour Grading.

The raw footage that is captured in camera is dull, flat and lifeless.

But this is done on purpose.

It’s the cameras way of retaining as much information and data from the scene as possible.

The most important part of this data when filming people is the skin tones.

My number one job when colour grading people is to make the skin tones appear as natural as possible.

This is what will give us the best looking final image.

Below is a few before and after clips from a production in the works.

The flat image is the LOG footage that is captured by the camera.

The coloured image is the final colour graded version.

What do you think of the transformation?

I’m excited to share some new stills from a project that I have been working on for Age UK Wigan Borough.This project is...
29/04/2026

I’m excited to share some new stills from a project that I have been working on for Age UK Wigan Borough.

This project is focused around the Bright Days programme.

This programme provides varied activities to help reduce social isolation and improve wellbeing for people aged over 50 in Wigan and Leigh.

This video focused on three activities in particular:

🎵 Music in Mind
🏓 Ping Pong Parkinsons
🥪 Soup & Sandwich Lunch Club

Rather than focus just on the activities themselves, we have focused on the benefits these bring to people in the local community.

Look forward to sharing the finished project soon.

28/04/2026

This bridge is nearly 1000 years old!

Believed to have been built during the Norman conquest of Britain.

We came across this bridge during a recent visit to a hamlet named Wycoller in the Pendle area.

It’s mad when you think all the history that this bridge has seen.

Good job there was no health and safety back then!

Also I must say it’s solid. Very well built.

Probably better than we build now 😂

With the age of the bridge I thought it would only be fitting to film this clip using 60 year old Russian lens.

Some interview stills from a project currently in the works 🎥I only had access to a small office to carry out these inte...
21/04/2026

Some interview stills from a project currently in the works 🎥

I only had access to a small office to carry out these interviews and around 30 mins to setup.

The office was bland with no real interest apart from the window on one wall.

This window gave me a chance to motivate my light source to make it look as if it could be coming from the windows.

I’m happy with how the image turned out in the end.

More importantly than the image was the responses from the interview.

Luckily I got some really great responses that you will get to hear in the final edit when it’s released.

I’m always grateful for feedback like this 🙏The finished project will be available to share soon 🎥
15/04/2026

I’m always grateful for feedback like this 🙏

The finished project will be available to share soon 🎥

02/04/2026

Ping Pong POV 🏓

Was good to capture some video content from a Ping Pong Parkinsons activity from a couple of weeks ago.

This activity is part of the Bright Days programme from Age UK Wigan Borough.

It helps to support people with Parkinsons disease and has been shown to improve motor function, lessen tremors and help rythym and balance.

17/12/2025

How to be confident when being filmed 🎥

Most people don’t like being on camera, and thats completely normal!

When I have filmed videos for businesses, the main concern I hear is usually the same:

“I hate being on camera”

I totally get it, that’s why I’m behind the camera and not in front of it 😃

It’s ok if you’re being filmed on a phone by a family member, but when my large cinema camera is in front of you it can be a very different story.

The most important thing is to make the people feel relaxed.

Here are a few things that help:

✅ Chat to them before.
✅ Let them be themselves.
✅ Film in short takes at the start
✅ Use a long lens to avoid being up close
✅ Don’t script things, keep it a conversation

After the initial nerves settle, people begin to open up.

This is where the real authenticity shines through.

Another bonus tip is don’t stare awkwardly into the lens 😂

I’ve been working on the craft of filmmaking over the past couple of weeks.One part I’m always looking to improve is col...
10/12/2025

I’ve been working on the craft of filmmaking over the past couple of weeks.

One part I’m always looking to improve is colour grading.

This is a process that can make or break how a video is perceived.

I’ve been practicing on old clips, really trying to dial in that cinematic film look.

To do this, I paid for a couple of training courses to help build those skills.

Looking forward to delving deeper into the craft over the coming months into 2026.

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