Last November, the Christmas Lights switch on saw three giant puppets reinvent Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, whilst the Christmas before that saw a giant White Witch from Narnia parade through the town.

In 2018, the centenary of the end of the First World War was marked with a huge animated film projected on to the Municipal Offices in Cheltenham.

These incredible events are all connected, in that they were all organised and produced by the same company – Evenlode Films and Productions.

Evenlode was founded by husband and wife Tim and Catherine Mountain 20 years ago.

“We’re totally different from most other production companies,” explained Tim.

“We not only create films and animations that are visually impactful, we also produce events and launches with content, working with local and national clients.”

Tim, who previously worked for the BBC at Maida Vale Studios and Broadcasting House, says that the company’s aim when working on projects and events of this size is to produce something totally ground-breaking and unique.

He continued: “We approach things differently in that we want to be bold in what we produce and to continually push the boundaries to avoid mediocrity. We’re definitely not averse to taking a risk.

“For example we recently produced a top secret product launch show for a global manufacturer of military-grade detecting equipment. The audience had no idea what was coming, it was all pretty exciting. We started it off with plumes of smoke and the sounds of horses emanating from a forest.

“After about 10 minutes of special effects, there was an explosion and then a bunch of medieval warriors on horseback galloped out from the trees to blockbuster music.

“After a bit of a showdown, it all ended up on stage where we had more SFX, and an enormous LED screen with film and animation and the actors telling the story before the big product reveal. It was live streamed around the world and was a huge success. It was pretty exciting for the audience and for us!

“We always want to engage our audience and create a reaction. We also understand what our clients really need and to how deliver a production that will work for them.”

Evenlode relocated to Cheltenham around seven years ago and are now based in Montpellier.

In that time, they’ve worked with local groups like Marketing Cheltenham, making a promotional video for Montpellier, Cheltenham BID and Cheltenham Borough Council and the Everyman on aforementioned projects like the Armistice Day memorial.

“That was a truly moving experience,” said Tim. “Even just compiling the research.

“It took six months of work to produce the 18 minutes of film, music and animation, and the reaction we had from people who were there or saw it online was extraordinary, we were blown away.

“There were lots of elements to it, and we were conscious that we wanted it to be as relevant as possible to a modern audience, especially youngsters.”

As well as directing most of the projects Evenlode produce, Tim also writes and composes all of the music used – “I think sound is probably the most important part of a production, it helps to create just the right mood and atmosphere,” he said.

He has also written five ballets, and his sixth will be touring later this year.

But when asked about what plans Evenlode have for 2020, he keeps his cards close to his chest.

“We’ve got a few exciting things in the pipeline,” he added.

“If it’s anything like last year it’ll be a lot of fun.”