Luv'in the black country

The last month or so I've been scouting for locations around, guess where? ... Yes the black country canals (how surprising). This time it's for my first funded documentary (Screen West Midlands & The UK Film Council).


http://www.screenwm.co.uk/news/detail/868/final_selection_made_for_digishorts_2010/


For anyone that has seen any of my other work (or Vlogs) they may have noticed I have a rather subtle obsession with the canals in the black country. As I've stressed in my earlier shorts I feel the canals are the only inanimate part of the black countries industrial identity that still stand. So to me shooting a film that is aiming to capture the cultural transition that is happening in the Black Country at the moment, the most appropriate (or dare I say romantic) setting would be that of the canals.

I really didn't want to follow the conventional route when getting information from the local black country people. If I make a film that travels down the canals asking people along the way how they feel about the changes in the black country, I feel it would be too much of a social statement for my liking (or too obvious of one anyway).

I'm such an admirer of Humphrey Jennings, his ability to embrace what was going on in the war in such a poetic and subtle way, is something I've always aspired to do. Also watching Jia Zhangke' 24 city and Bing Wang' West Of The Tracks ... both portraying a similar fading industrial identity in subtle and personal ways. I really feel at this point in time many countries are going through similar changes in their vintage industrial communities, and a new generation has alternative idea to what "work" should be.

I found by asking people a question as simple as "Tell me the story of when you first fell in love?" not only do many people have touching and interesting stories (shown nicely on the back drop of the canals) but due to the fact different generations have very different ideas on love, their stories have a great sense of time. There was a strong contrast between the older generations and the younger generations stories.

Most of the older generations stories are told with strong black country dialects, working class frame of minds and a deep bitterness towards the industrial collapse. Yet the younger generations stories are usually told with a more neutral dialect, Middle class/office job frame of mind and an optimistic view towards the local industrial collapse.


I start shooting next month