http://vimeo.com/15954897
As shown at the Further Education Summer Show at Plymouth College of Art on the 15th - 19th June 2009
My idea for my film was to produce a 15 minute (approx) experimental film that will be part of a potential series of films, each focusing on an area of Plymouth’s redevelopment.
In this particular film I chose to focus on the West End - Independent Quarter.
I am interested in Plymouth city history and the changes that are occurring.
This area is long overdue a facelift. Its buildings that came up in the fifties are tired and characterless. There is no warmth and many of the buildings and street, particularly in Colin Campbell Court are run down.
The West End is currently on the verge of redevelopment, as part of the 2020 Plan for the area.
Having completed recently a successful project on experimental video, I am very much inclined to cross genre the whole documentary thing
with experimental approaches:
Experimental + Documentary
=
Experimentary
This film takes inspiration from hard hitting documentaries; work by Michael Moore, such as Sicko, Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. Particularly the way he touches upon dire issues and pushes the interviewies to say what he wants them to say.
Approach to my film
Originally - to deliver a threefold story of a particular area of Plymouth:
· Pre 1939 - Not used anymore in my film
· Post War - as it is now - just before changes start
· Plan of the West End’s future
Also, interviewing traders and council - What they know and feel.
On approaching my film experimentally
In considering that this is experimental, I decided to place two opposing interviews side by side with both there audios playing together, but with each channelled through different speakers (Left channel for person on the left and right channel for person on right).
This allows both interviews to be clearly heard together, while also giving a very experimental and disorientating feel to the interviews.
Controversy:
Patrick Knight (The Business Improvement District Project Manager for the West End) -was extremely concerned he might have said things on camera that he might later regret...
...and that was exactly what he did do (kind of) - He got uptight and unanswering when it came to the BIG controversial questions, particularly about granite used being imported from China and the carbon footprint that would cause.
So, in true Michael Moore style, I decided to use this for satirical, yet purposeful use at the end to show how unprofessional and evasive him and probably the council are being towards information that is meant to be public information.
After all it was originally supposed to be a 'feel-good' film, which could have helped promote their redevelopment
