The Rhyme of King Harold: Book Trailer Production
Dramatic book trailer production for Ian Macgill’s verse history, filmed at the Crucible with actors Mark Noble and Carole Hall.
Turning a verse history into dramatic film
Grapevine Publishing wanted to introduce Ian Macgill’s The Rhyme of King Harold through performed extracts that preserved the rhythm of a historical novel written entirely in verse. The films needed to establish character and period within concise website pieces.
Actors, voice performance, period costume, makeup and a compact technical crew all had to work within one day at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. The King Harold and Queen Emma sequences also needed a controlled cinematic look suited to close character work.
Character led filming with a carefully built in camera look
Ian Macgill scripted and directed the readings, with Mark Noble as King Harold, Carole Hall as Queen Emma and Mervi Bergstrom providing an additional voice performance. Jay Rozanski coordinated the filming day and Dean Harris edited the completed clips.
Drew Perry handled camera, location sound and lighting on a Sony FS700. A 500W softbox, two backlights, Dedolights and a custom picture profile shaped the images during capture, and the finished project was delivered to Ian’s approval.
In numbers
A verse history designed to be heard
Ian Macgill’s The Rhyme of King Harold retells the events around the Norman conquest through verse. Grapevine Publishing commissioned a set of films for the first volume’s website, giving prospective readers a way to encounter the rhythm, humour and character of the writing through performance.
Ian scripted and directed the material, selecting passages that could introduce the people and tensions around 1066 in a concise screen format. We brought the production together at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, coordinating actors, voice performance, period styling, camera, lighting, sound and editing around a single filming day.
Characters carried the language onto screen
Professional actor Mark Noble performed as King Harold, giving the verse a direct character voice for camera. Carole Hall, a Guildford School of Acting graduate, appeared as Queen Emma, with Valerie Monti Holland serving as assistant director for those sequences. Mervi Bergstrom voiced King Harold’s Danish mother.
This cast structure let the films move beyond a conventional author introduction. Spoken excerpts became short dramatic scenes with distinct points of view, while Ian’s direction kept the delivery connected to the cadence of the book. The result was a character led video production shaped around the source text.
Period detail built at the Crucible
The shoot took place at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on Friday 27 September 2013. Jackie Sweeney of Wigs Up North created the makeup and hair for Mark Noble and Carole Hall, helping each performer hold a recognisable historical identity in close shots.
Costume details came from established theatre and film suppliers. Angels in London supplied crowns and brooches, while the Crucible costume department provided the cloaks. Those carefully chosen pieces gave the production a convincing period vocabulary within a compact setup. Jay Rozanski coordinated the filming day, keeping cast calls, styling and the technical schedule moving together from preparation through the final recorded passages.
A controlled in camera look on the Sony FS700
Drew Perry handled camerawork, location sound and lighting. The images were captured on a Sony FS700 with a 500W softbox, two backlights and Dedolights. That lighting package gave the faces shape and separation while retaining the focused atmosphere needed for a performed reading.
A custom picture profile created much of the intended colour during capture. Establishing the look in camera gave the footage a consistent base and helped the small team work efficiently through several character setups. The camera, sound and lighting responsibilities remained closely connected, allowing performance and technical decisions to be made together as Ian directed each passage.
Editing the readings into finished website films
Dean Harris edited the recorded material into the completed clips. The edit shaped each reading around its dramatic beat, carrying the deliberate camera treatment and spoken rhythm into a concise introduction for online viewers. The soundtrack included the Gregorian chant piece In the Cathedral, reinforcing the historical tone around the performances.
The final films were prepared for the Rhymes of History website and promoted through the King Harold Facebook presence. Their role was practical as well as creative: they gave the publisher a shareable way to introduce the book, its author and its central characters through the same verse form that defines the work.
A client approved result delivered to schedule
Ian signed off the main film package after delivery in October 2013. Ian told us the day ran to schedule and praised Drew Perry’s camera work as outstanding. That response speaks to both sides of the commission: the production achieved its planned visual character and the coordination kept a multidisciplinary shoot under control.
The finished case brings together a distinctive source text, experienced performers, theatrical costume support and a compact film crew. For publishers and authors, it shows how a book trailer can use performance and production design to communicate the voice of a work, giving readers an immediate entry point into its world.
For practical planning advice, read our article on creativity in video production. Explore our British Airways leadership drama films for related production work.
Frequently asked questions
Who commissioned The Rhyme of King Harold films?
Grapevine Publishing commissioned the films for author Ian Macgill’s first volume of The Rhyme of King Harold.
Where and when were the films shot?
The production filmed at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on Friday 27 September 2013.
Who appeared in the films?
Mark Noble played King Harold, Carole Hall played Queen Emma, and Mervi Bergstrom voiced King Harold’s Danish mother.
What did our team provide?
Drew Perry handled camera, sound and lighting; Jay Rozanski coordinated the filming day; and Dean Harris edited the finished clips.
