Running on Time premiered on Australian television on Monday 17 May 2015 on SBS One and is available from Sydney Trains online, limited edition DVD and USB card along with a historical report.
In order to bring the story of time to life in a manner relevant to modern community, Sydney Trains needed a company with extensive experience in interpreting heritage for contemporary audiences and Art of Multimedia was delighted to be tasked with this responsibility.
Based on the comprehensive internal audit conducted by Sydney Trains Heritage Office, the clock collection was documented and past and present rail employees with experience in managing the clock collection and modern timekeeping technologies were identified for interviews.
AOM’s historian conducted extensive research of existing Sydney Trains archives, as well as other NSW sources for historical facts and images.
An introductory script was written to set the story in context and questions formulated to draw out the most interesting and complete story from the 14 participants. Sydney Trains Senior Heritage Specialist Craig McPherson said “The project met the key goals of ‘knowledge transfer’ and ‘engaging audiences’, in multiple formats and in an engaging way. The AOM team undertaking the interviews with staff managed to approach them in a way which allowed them to speak openly and positively about their history and working lives.”
The resulting 15-minute documentary weaves together fascinating stories filmed over 3 days in locations such as The Clock Room, Central Clock Tower and supplemented with images of beautiful and rare clocks and stations, brought together with minimalistic motion graphics to create an engaging film.
The oral histories were combined with the research and photography into a polished historical report available in print. “ Running on time. Clocks and timekeeping in the NSW Railways” also includes a photographic timeline documenting NSW Railways clocks from different manufacturers, as used throughout the history, to demonstrate the dramatic changes in railway timekeeping technology.
"Art of Multimedia were a great company to work with, providing responsive output to project deliverables and proactive management to ensure the project was delivered at a high-quality. The team were friendly and approachable, and innovative in providing the right type of product to meet our requirements. I look forward to collaborating with AOM on future projects”
Craig MacPherson
Senior Heritage Specialist, Sydney Trains