Creating a music video for The Story of the Beat

George Baker’s The Story of the Beat (The Kevin Beattie Song) was commissioned by the Kevin Beattie Foundation as a musical tribute to Kevin “The Beat” Beattie, one of Ipswich Town’s most celebrated players.

Released on 12 August 2022, the song marked 50 years since Beattie made his first team debut for Ipswich Town against Manchester United. George’s lyrics tell the story of a Carlisle boy who arrived in Ipswich with worn-out boots in a brown paper bag and went on to become one of Sir Bobby Robson’s most powerful and admired players.

The song celebrates Beattie’s strength, heading ability, humility and lasting place in the hearts of Ipswich Town supporters. The Kevin Beattie Foundation also wanted the project to support its charitable work, so the video needed to honour the player, promote the song and help raise awareness of the foundation.

We placed selected clips within a television screen, giving the footage the feel of a remembered broadcast.

Turning limited archive footage into a visual story

Video & Web created the music video to accompany the song, working with a small amount of Kevin Beattie match footage from ITV football coverage. The clips had real historic value, but they also looked grainy, aged and limited in duration.

Instead of trying to make the archive material look modern, we used its character as part of the visual style. We placed selected clips within a television screen, giving the footage the feel of a remembered broadcast and helping it sit naturally within the wider edit.

To add further depth and nostalgia, we also filmed studio footage of football programmes, magazines and memorabilia from George’s personal collection. These details helped place the story in its era and added texture to the video, especially when limited match footage was available.

We then built the rest of the video around George’s lyrics. Stock footage, overlays, motion, texture and carefully paced editing helped suggest football heritage, memory, local pride and the emotional pull of Beattie’s story. The project did not need a large archive library to work. It needed a clear narrative, a respectful tone and a creative way to make the available material feel meaningful.

Matching the tone of the tribute

The video needed to feel heartfelt without becoming overly sentimental. Kevin Beattie still means a great deal to Ipswich Town supporters, and the song carried genuine affection for both the player and the era he represented.

We shaped the edit so the music could lead the emotion, with the visuals adding atmosphere rather than competing with the song. The creative treatment allowed the film to move between biography, football nostalgia and charitable awareness, giving George’s tribute a visual identity that the foundation could share online, at events and with supporters.

Adding reach through regional media

The project also attracted regional media interest. BBC Look East interviewed George and showed snippets from the finished video as part of its coverage of the song. That interview helped bring the tribute to a wider audience and gave the campaign additional credibility.

The result

The Story of the Beat video gave George Baker and the Kevin Beattie Foundation a meaningful visual tribute to one of Ipswich Town’s greatest players.

By combining archive footage, original studio footage, stock video, overlays and careful editing, Video & Web created a music video that honoured Kevin Beattie’s legacy while supporting the charitable purpose behind the song.

The finished film shows how strong storytelling and thoughtful editing can turn limited source material into an engaging piece of content with real emotional and promotional value.