MOVIE MATTERS NATIONAL PORTRAITGALLERY
VIDEO FILMED THE RADIO STAR
The latest artwork unveiled by the National Portrait Gallery is a
WORDS TERRY HOPE commissioned piece featuring the Radio 4 Today programme presenters, produced as a video rather than a still image T he wonderful work in the collection of the world- famous National Portrait Gallery in London spans several centuries and continues to be expanded through commissions more appropriate. Besides, I don’t see what I produced as a film, since I’ve chosen to keep the camera static
throughout the interviews and there’s no change of focus. Rather it’s a series of conversations with the presenters, interspersed with scenes of empty studios and office spaces. I felt the audio element was particularly relevant since the public knows the sitters primarily through their voices.” The filmhas a simple narrative, beginning with the presenters’ early morning routine. In the opening section SarahMontague talks about looking at her children sleeping with the light fromher mobile phone. It then leads on to breakfast habits, coffee, everyday chores. Technology is discussed in terms of how it assists tasks; how it can provide connections between people. There are panning shots of the studio, which are dark and quiet apart from screens flashing the never-ending news. Mishal Husain is shown sending out a text message and the film ends with John Humphrys’ touching recollection of his earliest memory, the death of his sister. “I was concerned with how the Today presenters bring world events into our homes,” says Nigel, “but of particular interest tome were the details of people’s lives, the day-to-day domestic, the personal non-events often overlooked, which include details such as eating habits, shopping lists, relatives talked to andmemories. The quiet points were just as telling: whenMishal was on her phone or the pause just
and acquisitions on a regular and ongoing basis. As would be expected from any forward- thinking institution such as this, the boundaries of what constitutes a ‘portrait’ are regularly being explored, and one of the latest pieces to be unveiled, Today Everyday , created by photographer Nigel Shafran, has the distinction of being a video. The 14-minute production features the five presenters of BBC Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs programme, Today , and has been presented at the NPG on a monitor rather than a static image on a wall. Produced tomark the popular show’s 60th anniversary last year, Nigel was originally approached by Phillip Prodger and Claire Freestone, the curators of the Gallery’s Photography Collection, with a view to the work being a conventional portrait project. However, after reflecting on the brief, he went back to the NPG to suggest that he would like to produce the work as a film instead and, with the proposal accepted, he set about working on the logistics of how to bring the whole thing together. “A set of photographic portraits would have beenmuch simpler and quicker to set up,” reflects Nigel, “but I felt very early on that a video portrait of the Today teamwould be
before John told the story about his sister.” “Nigel realised fromthe outset that the editing process would be a crucial part of the concept” Setting up the interviews Nigel had his questions set up in advance, with each interview taking around 20minutes. “I worked in a very simple way,” he says. “I filmed with a DSLR, a Nikon D800E, with a standard 50mm lens on a tripod, and recorded the audio with an off-camera mic held by an assistant. I worked throughout with daylight and posedmy subjects against walls and everyday objects such as a coffee machine. You’re used to seeing newsreaders standing or sitting in a big studio, so I liked the simplicity I achieved by using plain surroundings.
ABOVE John Humphrys’ recollection of the death of his baby sister ends the film. RIGHT Sarah Montague, Justin Webb, Mishal Husain and Nick Robinson all take part in the film.
56
PRO MOVIEMAKER SPRING 2018
Powered by FlippingBook