30 Years of The National Lottery

The Challenge

In July, we were commissioned by leading PR firm, Lansons to develop a comprehensive suite of photography for their client, The National Lottery, as part of their celebrations to mark 30 years since the launch of the lottery in 1994.

The UK-wide ‘Game Changers’ project, was expected to be shot and revealed over an eight-week period through September, October and November, and would showcase installations by internationally renowned artists of game changing moments from each of the four pillars of National Lottery funding - Community, Heritage, Sports and Arts.

The project would finish with a final exhibition of 30 iconic Game Changing Moments reimagined by photographer Thomas Duke, at the National Portrait Gallery in London, in November – marking the official birthday of The National Lottery.

Simultaneously, we were commissioned by Allwyn, the operator of The National Lottery to produce a video and set of images from behind-the-scenes during a glossy photoshoot with celebrated photographer, Rankin at his studio in London.

Both projects required our crews to work in tandem with teams from various organisations, including Rankin’s team, which is something we are very well versed at.

The Solution

From the outset, we felt that maintaining a consistent style through the project was vital, so to achieve this, we prioritised using a single photographer for most of the shoots, with a few exceptions made only on days when simultaneous shoots occurred in different locations.

Some installations were designed to be viewed from above, including one at a swimming pool in Stirling, Scotland. To capture these aerial shots, we enlisted photographers licensed to fly drones. Before flying, the photographer must complete a series of checks and paperwork to comply with safety regulations. We also typically recommend a pre-shoot recce of the venue to ensure the environment is suitable.

The client’s brief also required us to create an online Press Hub as a central location to store pictures, videos, and press releases. The client was then able to provide journalists and picture desks with a link to the website, allowing them to easily download the content.

The Results

The projects achieved national and regional coverage in print and online, including (but not limited to) The Sun, The Scotsman, The Sunday Times, Daily Express, The Yorkshire Post, Belfast Telegraph, The Press & Journal, Western Mail and many more regional titles.