10×10 Hackumentary
As someone who specialises in event videography for arts projects, I’m always drawn to events where creativity and collaboration come together in unpredictable ways.
That’s exactly what I experienced filming The Collaborative Workshop on 26 April 2016 at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) in Sunderland.
The workshop was part of 10×10 Sunderland—a unique initiative pairing ten North East artists with ten Sunderland-based businesses to explore how creative thinking and commercial enterprise might overlap, challenge, or inspire each other. For most of the artist–business pairs, this was their first face-to-face meeting. My role was to document those initial sparks, the conversations, and the raw, honest exchange of ideas that unfolded.
Filming these kinds of moments is why I love doing event videography for arts projects. It’s not about capturing a staged presentation. It’s about observing unscripted, real-time interaction. You’re listening through a lens—following the emotional and intellectual rhythm of a group of people trying something new together.
To start the day, each pair brought an object that represented either their creative or business practice. It acted as an icebreaker and a conversation starter—tangible, personal, and often surprising. We also asked participants to list three words they associate with “business” and three with “artists.” Unsurprisingly, the business terms were things like suits, meetings, finance, while the artist terms were creative, open, inquisitive.
But what came out of the discussion was more revealing: both sides aspired to some of what the other side represented. Several business participants admired the flexibility and creativity associated with artists. Meanwhile, artists wanted recognition for being structured, goal-driven, and able to work within frameworks.
One of the business participants noted:
“Money for us is about profit. But for many creatives, money is about buying time. That shift in value is something I hadn’t considered.”
Throughout the workshop, the room buzzed with overlapping vocabularies—enterprise, innovation, risk—each side using the same words, but often with very different meanings. It was these gaps in understanding that made the conversations so fruitful.
What I aimed to capture through event videography for arts projects like this one, is not just the polished moments, but the thinking-in-process—the hesitations, laughter, tangents, and small breakthroughs that make these kinds of gatherings meaningful.
One artist commented:
“I’ve had businesses say they’re already rethinking how they do certain things… just from one conversation.”
That’s the kind of impact you hope for from a creative collaboration—not just deliverables, but a shift in perspective.
There were also practical, hands-on sessions where artists helped businesses step outside their comfort zones. Some picked up tools and started making; others reimagined their branding or storytelling through a creative lens. One pairing originally envisioned a visual artwork but ended up exploring theatre instead—an unexpected pivot that emerged through the conversation.
As a videographer in Sunderland, it was a pleasure to document an event rooted in the local creative economy, yet full of fresh possibilities. Sunderland has a strong heritage of industry and innovation, and this workshop was very much in that spirit: honest, inventive, and collaborative.
Toward the end of the film, one participant reflected:
“It’s a joint sensation with people… even if you don’t know what you’ll get, the process itself is already valuable.”
That kind of open-ended, thoughtful experimentation is what makes events like this so valuable to document. It’s not about the final product—it’s about making the process visible, so it can inspire others.
Want to see more of my arts and academic video work?
🎓 Visit my portfolio:
👉 https://alanfentiman.co.uk/vimeo-videos/academic-films/
📍 Looking for a videographer in Sunderland or the North East for your next arts or research project?
I’d love to hear from you.
