Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

I visited Leicester`s Highcross shopping centre to see the well known Coke-Cola truck as it visited the city as part of a nationwide Christmas tour. The trucks appearance both on tv and in related media signals the start of the festive season for many people and in recent years the trucks have toured the country bringing with them Christmas cheer and a chance for people to have their photos taken alongside the famous big red trucks. My film aims to capture the festive atmosphere as the coke-cola singers sing a variety of Christmas songs and free cans of the drink are handed out. Images Follow

I visited Abbey Pumping Station in Leicester for the annual Christmas Toys & Steam Day. The event usual held in December features many historic steam powered Vehicles and collections of toys from Christmas past. Visitors are invited to take a ride on the museums steam train Leonard and see the Pumping Stations beautifully designed beam engines in operation which can be seen in my previous post at http://leigh984.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/AbbeyPumpingStation.html Images Follow

  I visited the Abbey Pumping Station to see the working Beam Engines which are housed inside a grand Victorian building designed by Stockdale Harrison. The beautifully painted engines are a spectacular sight and can be seen working in the way they where designed and built to be in Leicester by Gimson and Company, today they are rare examples of Woolf compound rotative beam engines in fact it is the only engine house in the world where you can see four working examples of the same beam engine in one building. My film looks at the various dials switches and mechanical parts of the engine in motion as they spin, turn, rise up and down and emit steam making for a warm and humid atmosphere inside the building. Images follow

My film follows two pannier tanks on the evening of December 1st 2013 as they arrive at Melton Mowbray Station to pick up passengers visiting the towns Christmas market before travelling on to Narborough Station lit only by the yellow glow of the station lights they make for an impressive sight as they thunder along the tracks. Images Follow

Between Huncote and Croft, alongside the quarry is a nature trail full of wildlife and fantastic views over the surrounding countryside and villages. My short film features a couple of swans as they hunt for food in the small lake in the middle of the trail bathed in the orange glow of the low winter morning sunshine. Images Follow

Kirby Castle is an unfinished 15th century fortified manor house in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire. Begun in 1480 by William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, during the period of the Wars of the Roses. He already owned a manor house on the site (some of the original manor house foundations are visible as ruins within the enclosure of the castle), for which he planned to totally redevelop. Work stopped at the castle when he was executed in 1483 for treason by Richard III and it was never completed. My film try`s to capture the spooky atmosphere and the history of the buildings remains which are now owned by English Heritage. Images follow.

The 17th November saw the switching on of Leicester`s Christmas lights and the city came alive with the sights and sounds of street performers real live Camels and a local food and craft event at Leicesters market. My video aims to capture some of the spirit of the evening with a look at the wide selection of events taking place, look out for the ukulele duet outside Visit Leicester the Snow Queen on her unique transport and the city`s Christmas tree alongside the Clock Tower making for a festive atmosphere as we enter the Christmas period. images follow

Timed to coincide with the switching on of Leicester's Christmas lights in 2013 Orton Square in the Cultural Quarter of Leicester was transformed by a interactive display of digital fireworks projected onto a giant screen alongside Curve theatre by the PixelPyros project. Using lasers and projections the display encouraged the audience to activate the pyrotechnics by waving their hands in front of sensors at the base of the screen creating a colourful display of fireworks in time to the dance music. The display then turned into a giant game of Invaders and Asteroids before culminating with the words GOODNIGHT spelt out in sparking letters. More info on the PixelPyros Project can be found at http://pixelpyros.org. PixelPyros is designed and programmed by digital artist Seb Lee-Delisle. images follow

It may be winter with temperatures getting lower every day but that didn't deter these surfers catching the waves on a Devon beach in 2013. The sea was rough, waves large and the low winter sun (although shining brightly) provided little warmth to the surfers at they entered the water. Out in the middle of the estuary the braver surfers rode the large waves around wolf rock whilst paddle boarders and other surfers found ample sized waves to ride in the bay of North Sands beach. Images Follow

My design for Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders Basketball team next game poster is displayed at all Riders home games informing fans of the next home game. The design retains the layout from my previous work for the club whilst also adhering to the brand guidelines created for the club in their 2013 re-branding.