Introduction &
Summary
This project consists of a short documentary piece focusing
on the dwindling lace industry within Nottingham. This piece will focus on
people affected by the recent closure of some of the last factories in
Nottingham and how the industry is changing.
The resulting documentary will be displayed on the
exhibition circuit, (SoHo shorts) with a final cut time under ten minutes in
length. An additional longer cut may also be exhibited should there be interest
for one at a later time.
Problem Statement
Nottingham was built upon the lace trade, becoming a world
leader in lace manufacture in the last century. At the end of the century the
UK lace industry fell into decline as lace production was sent overseas where
it could be done for a fraction of the price.
Today very few lace factories remain in Nottingham, and
practically no more remain who employ the traditional methods used in the last
century. A city has almost lost one of the backbones of its heritage.
Purpose of film
The purpose of this film is to make people aware of how the
industry has fallen into decline. Why should an industry that is still demand
today be allowed to be gutted from one country and sent abroad to cut costs?
This film will explore how people formerly associated with
the field were affected by closures of some of the last factories in
Nottingham. It will also seek to find out if things had been handled
differently in the last century, whether Nottingham could still have a lace
industry that could be economically significant.
As other industries today make their way across the pond for
greater profits, people are sold into unemployment and a piece of English
culture is taken away.
Who is your audience?
My audience primarily begins with anyone that lives in the
Nottingham area, or anyone who might be interested in the history of the lace
industry. A lot of people will have
family who have worked or do work in the Nottingham lace, and their family will
have been affected at some point by the decline of the industry.
This documentary will no doubt be aimed towards older
audiences as I do not think children will be as interested. Audiences will
realistically be in the range of 18 and above. I think there will be more
interest from 25 onwards, especially from people who work in industries that may
also be in decline at the moment.
Why I’m interested in
this project
I first gained interest in the subject when I read an
article about one of the last remaining traditional Lace embroidery factories
in Nottingham.
Fewkes embroidery was one factory among a number of lace
giants that supplied Great Britain and the rest of the world with a trade that
was in high demand. As the industry was sent overseas, many factories fell to
the way side and began to shut down. As more factories began to close, fewer
and fewer companies remained that made lace using the traditional methods.
This process continued until Fewkes was the last lace
factory in Nottingham making lace using the traditional methods still in
operation to this day.
I first read this article in August 2010 and it sparked
interest in me as soon as I read it. Up until now I had not an opportunity to
pursue but now saw a better chance than ever.
My initial intentions were to produce short documentary
focusing on Fewkes Embroidery and film around a factory that is the last
remnants of a dying trade. That is until I found out the factory had been
demolished in August 2011 and the Fewkes embroidery was unexpectedly closed
down.
This threw a spanner in the works to speak and I assumed the
project was ruined, until I realised that this closure was actually just
another part of the bigger story. The people affected by this closure and
similar factories that try to keep from this same fate will be the centre of
this story.
Brief Strategy - a
description of the approaches
The core elements of this documentary will focus on the
Povey brothers, the former owners of Fewkes embroidery. By talking and meeting
with the brothers I have established a connection that will allow me to
interview them for this documentary.
From this point, smaller companies who are still in the
industry will also be the focus of the documentary. An ad will also be placed
in the paper asking for people who have been directly affected by the decline
of the Nottingham industry, I expect there will be a wealth of stories to
choose from.
Production plans and
timeline
The primary competition I will focus on entering is called Soho
shorts. The deadline for application in 2012 is the 5th of April. It
is essential then the project is finished before this.
Filming will begin in the last week of January and is
scheduled to finish by the second week of February. The first three weeks of
January will be spent organising shoot dates and meetings with people
interested in being interviewed for the project.
After filming wraps at the start of February, the clips
accumulated will then be sorted through and an edit will be produced. The final
project should be finished by the start of May and any final adjustments that
need to be made can be done so I time for the 5th of April.
Equipment & Crew
The documentary will be shot on a Canon D7, using a 60mm
lens and an 18-135mm lens. The choice of this equipment is so to achieve a
‘look’ that is often associated with modern documentary work. This filming
equipment is small and discrete and will be easy to move about in small
internal spaces. Cameras will be used with a steadicam for hand held shots and
use fixed tripod for more conventional shots.
Footage shot will predominately be shot around interior
lighting, but a small external lighting kit will be used to assist in any shots
that need any extra lighting.
Audio will be captured separately on radio microphones to
achieve the best possible sound quality.
The project will be primarily shot by a small team
consisting of two people, with myself acting as the documentary writer and
scheduler and an assistant acting as the camera and audio assistant.
All equipment will be hired for free provided as we are
using facilities provided by Nottingham Trent University.
Deliverables &
Funding
The resulting piece of work will be issued in several
formats, the first and foremost being a DVD. From one copy will be issued to
Soho shorts and 1 copy issued to Nottingham Trent University.
The film will also be hosted online, on sites Youtube and
Vimeo.
Copies of the film and appropriate documentation will also
be sent to various film exhibitions suited for amateur film makers. Additional
copies may also be distributed to Nottingham Heritage Council, to raise
awareness and further promote the traditional craft that built Nottingham.
Costs and closing
statement
The main cost of this project is the entry fee for Soho
Shorts which is £10 for students. For the rest of the projects main costs will
be accumulated by travel, which is estimated to be no more than £50 in the two
weeks of proposed filming.
All costs will be dealt with by the filmmaker and the
project will effectively be self-funded.
The client agrees that by reading this document they agree
to the plans proposed, deliverables proposed and dates laid down for delivery.
I the client (Danny
Kaye) agree to the terms laid down in this contract and by signing this I
acknowledge that no further changes can be made to the project proposal after
this date.
