Quote from Phyllis Sutton, Filton Voices

I just feel that they're taking all the beauty away from Filton and it's becoming a concrete jungle.

A few more!

Old Filton

Photograph of Filton in 1909, Opening of the golf club

Source: http://www.filtongolfclub.co.uk/history.html

Birds eye view of Filton's airfield, likel to be around 1920's

Source: http://west-penwith.org.uk/blog/archives/9

This photograph is incredible, likely to be taken by a German in WW2 for air reconnaissance. Now if only I can get a shot like that for my film.

Source: http://west-penwith.org.uk/blog/archives/9

Shaky Bus Shots

I've realised after numerous times on the 70 to uni and back that you can get some quite impressive shots from the top of the bus. I did that today, it was pretty shaky and I haven't once used a tripod, for some reason I think I can get away with it because it's super 8. It's a great camera, there's a lot of freedom when shooting with it and the sound makes you FEEL like an event is taking place. It feels like your are capturing something that is going to cost you lots of money to develop and it better be good. I like that kind of pressure.

New Photographs

Filming in Filton

Today I did my first few hours of filming because the weather was not grey for the first time this week and it has to be done this week as I've penciled it into my gantt chart. It went well (fingers crossed), but I can't truly say that until I've seen the footage. I focussed on outdoor shots and constructed the shoot following specific locations I had taken photographs of previously and shooting them with the super 8 for approximately 10 seconds. The weather was quite fantastic, but very cold towards the end. I really wanted to do more of the gas tower but it isn't really the focus of the film even though it's incredibly aesthetically pleasing. I asked permission to get a a shot of two teenage girls waiting for the bus and they obliged which I am grateful for. I will probably be going back tomorrow to finish that lot of film. And hopefully continue to do inside shots as well, I'm thinking I may need to do some covert filming in shops and hope for the best. I've got to remember to capture the motorway so I can link it to what Tony Matthews said in his interview. I have arranged to interview Luis on Monday after rec tech.

Weather in Filton, had to share

The most incredible weather in Filton, epicly beautiful.

Tony Matthews Interview

Thank you to Tony Matthews for his time and cooperation. This interview brought out different subject content to Esthers interview which was great but there was still a unity between the interviews in terms of common goals of the churchs role in the community, which is to be expected. Tony also mentioned geographical aspects, such as large roads which essentially cut up the areas into chunks having an effect on how the community functions. He also talked about how his church try to provide a centre of activity in the community, like their charity shop and in other ways. I also took photographs of the charity shop for their website as a way to say thank you.

Title Sequence Recordings

I thought it would be fitting to have some ambient atmospheric sounds of Filton for the title sequence of the film. It has to be identifiable and dynamic and to do with the community. So I shall be lingering outside a primary school in Filton with a 24 bit Zoom recorder looking suspicious but only wanting the happy cheer of children going home. I hope I don't get arrested, maybe bring some lollies.

Filton Voices

I recently found this book in the library and I'm getting it transferred to Frenchay, it is accounts of local people back in the good ole days and should be very relevant to my project. I genuinely can't wait until it arrives. For now I am researching suburbs which is rather dull.

Gates of Heaven - Lady in the Doorway

This film is a documentary about a pet cemetery, based on interviews with the founder of the cemetery and the local competition, some have just slight relevance like this woman. She is hilarious but you do feel a bit sorry for her, her good for nothing son has just abandoned her with some strangers and clearly doesn't care. You get so involved by the narrative of these people. I don't understand how they can talk for so long. But it is brilliant because of how they keep the attention focussed throughout the film. It's cliche but works, combined with the outfits, real life entertainment at its utmost.

Robinson In Space

THEY ACTUALLY MENTION FILTON IN THIS DOCUMENTARY

IVE HIT GOLD

Interviews

Today I am writing the interview from Tuesday. A massive thanks to Esther Legg-Bagg for her time. The most interesting points, I believe that were covered, was the stable active role of the church, who's motives remain unchanged and a vocalisation of what is important to any community which is to be connected, there was also a mention of these problems being typical of most areas, which I thought was very valid and is likely to be included in the film. I also walked around Lockleaze and spoke to a very helpful man called Dominic in the community centre, and have a possible meeting with Mavis next Thursday, who apparently has lots of anecdotes of the local area. I found some incredible views after following a route Louis Tompkins recommended. Before I thought i would have to script some of the narrative for Luis and Rose but now I think I'll just ask them exactly the same questions as everyone else and see what comes out. I'm ashamed that I was so scared of this project, now i'm getting involved with it I'm annoyed at the wasted time.


I will be developing the photographs I took tomorrow so they will be up soon.


I also have to begin to consolidate my research and do a heck of a lot of writing this weekend.

Iain Sinclair Talk

I now have the super 8 camera and the film, the Soho lab actually develop the film in 2 days rather than a week so thats good. I also discovered thats Iain Sinclair is doing a talk near my house in back in London about psychogeography which is the effects a location have on people, (rather relevant if I don't say so myself). The talk also concerns a book The Re-Enchantment, which a collection of poems by well known writers (non of which I know).
The talks at:
70 Lower Clapton Rd
Hackney
London ER 0RW
02085251452


This Thursday.

Filton Concert Brass at FCA 27/11/2010

La Jetée-Chris Marker (1963)

John Smith- The Black Tower

Recently got a DVD of John Smith's short films. I could not find them on the internet and was lucky to get them from a friend with contacts. I haven't watched them yet, but when I do this space will be filled with witty observations and hopeful relevance to my project. WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!!!!

Ebenezer Church

I have secured an interview with Esther Legg-Bagg from Ebenezer Church and Tony Matthews from Filton community church.

FEAR

THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY DULL
THE FILM ISN'T GOING TO COME OUT
FILTON WILL FIND ME PRETENTIOUS

Instability, Uncertainty and University

I am aware the projects success relies on the footage captured and the content of the interviews. When working with analogue technology there is always a risk of the product not being completely as expected and because I DO NOT KNOW what will be said in the interviews I cannot have a concrete idea of exactly what the finishing project will look like or the concluding statement. I can only wish there will be happy mistakes and as part of my working style I plan to be open to new suggestions and ideas.


On that note here's a poster for the university poster presentation event:

Juxtaposing opinions

The script of the film will be accounts of people opinions and experiences of Filton as a place. I estimate the appreciation of Filton as a place will be quite different coming from permanent members of the community who's everyday life is to do with making a positive contribution as an active part of their faith (like the members of the church I will be interviewing). And the opinions of temporary students who are either indifferent to their location because it is a temporary environment and unlikely to make a huge impact on their lives. I will have to think carefully about the questions I ask to uncover this information.


Two confirmed narratives will be from two foreign students, Luis from Spain and Rose from Ghana. I chose these two because of my familiarity with both of their characters and because the film will be driven by the narrative and their accents will add a lot of recognisable character which hopes to enforce the content of what they say further.

Polaroids of Filton

I lived at 28th Tenth Avenue in Filton in the first year of university. I cannot lie the place depressed me but it was coupled with the fact I didn't really have any good friends yet, was on a degree I hadn't realised was bachelor of science until I got there and I had far to many x file episodes for someone with the problems I'd just listed. But I did find some pleasure in living there, they have these incredible pylons, I've never really been close to a pylon before living in London, not to the point where I could actually hear them hum and on my cycle ride to university they never ceased to impress me with their massive uncompromising structure. The residents of Filton were all very friendly, I'd found no reason why they shouldn't be. And you had to marvel at the amount of discarded trolleys found in the area. I also found it interesting for photography purposes. It's one of those really mundane, easy to make look like its crap and troubled places. A photographers paradise! But it was equally as easy to make it look pretty as well. 


Me and my housemates George and Alex woke up the morning after it snowned and I remember that a continuous joke was how crap the house was. We snowballed our house for at least half an hour. And put our inflatable sofa in the garden and played like proper kids for a few hours. Not sure if it was the people or the place but that was pure untainted fun. 


Anyway here's some polaroids and SLR photographs I took in my time as a temporary resident of Filton.