Ch-ch-ch-changes…

Idea development & evaluation

This bank holiday weekend has involved a lot of work on my film. Of particular focus this weekend has been trying to get some shots to represent a denuded landscape, one devoid of life. When i was developing my ideas around this i had thought that using a ‘straightened river’ as being a good representation of humans control on the landscape and wildlife. Having researched locations for this i settled on Great Langdale beck and went out to shoot some footage. The river is in a horrendous state, perched on one edge of the valley and straightened and embanked. However having shot the video from a number of different angles, close up, mid shots, long shots and aerial with the drone, it became apparent that whilst i may appreciate the horrors on display, perhaps others might struggle. I could hear the shrug of the shoulders and the dismissal “its a river, innit”. This was born out when i spoke to a few people outside of my industry. I think river straightening is a film in itself. I therefore cast about for new ideas.

Location, location, location

I had long played with the idea of using a treeless landscape to represent a desolate, denuded landscape. A trip out on Friday persuaded me that Bampton Common, on the edge of Haweswater would be an idea place to shoot such a video. To help with the ‘message’ I had ordered a few signs (see below) to hammer the message home. I intended to shoot the ‘trees prohibited’ sign on the fell.

I planned out a couple of different types of shot, aerial and close ups, and headed up on Saturday collect the footage. After a few abortive attempts to get the shot i wanted i was fairly happy with the results. Getting some good aerial shots of the sign and the fell. I did have to put up with a few pesky horses who decided that i was a mobile cafe.

Scripts n’ Sounds

This weekend also marked the laying down of the audio track for the narration that would run throughout the video. I had already played about with the script quite but reading out loud really gave me a good idea of where i was going wrong. I spent quite some time rewriting the script so it ‘sounded’ right. I am now on version 14, which is reproduced below.

The major changes have really been to ‘simplify’ the words i am using as well as taking out superfluous words, something that avid, attentive and articulate readers of the is blog will have realised that i am somewhat prone to. As well as making the narrative easier to understand to the average watcher, it also has the advantage of bringing the length of the film down somewhat, at least to within spitting distance of the required time. i shall have to be careful that the pregnant pauses do not last to birth (unless it is the birth of enlightenment in the ways of righteousness – did i mention that i could sound verbose?) Anyway………

1. It’s all about control really. Not wanting anything to change. Conforming. I remember the first time that I lost control, truly lost control that is. At a gig in London.  The music, the beat. It got inside me, I’d never felt so free. It was that feeling that gave me the nerve to quit my job, look for something more meaningful. But change is difficult,  It’s risky.
2. Still, I left my job in the city and went to university. I took the risk. Now I work to protect wildlife in the Lake District. But I’d never have had the nerve without being willing to lose control.
3. I used to think the landscape in the Lake District was perfect. Nature wild and healthy. But it isn’t really. It’s actually in pretty poor shape. Sit still on the hillside and listen………nothing……….no birdsong at all. Britain is one of the worlds most nature depleted countries and the Lake District fells bare testament to that.
4. It’s all controlled, constrained. Traditional. Everything in its place. This means there is very little room left for wildlife to grow naturally. Large areas of land are barren, without a tree to be seen. Even working to protect wildlife we are forced to work in little boxes. Every bit of wildlife has to be authorised in the Lake District World Heritage Site
5. That’s why I love the idea of rewilding. It’s all about giving nature space to breath, to grow uninhibited. Doesn’t mean that we have to give up farming, abandon the land, but it does  mean we have to change the way we do it.  Work with nature, not against it and allow nature to go a bit wild.
6. We live all of our lives in straight lines. In little boxes. I think it’s healthy for us to climb out every so often. Being out in nature, in wild nature, means you lose a bit of control, but with this comes more awareness, more engagement. I think that’s  something we have lost. If we are to let nature back in, to our mountains and fells, and indeed inside ourselves, we have to be ready to change things. We have to give up a bit of control.