Questionnaires

Yesterday, I went to Ilfracombe to get some questionnaires filled out by shopkeepers around the harbour. I chose this area as these shops are closest to Verity and therefore would have seen the most amount of change to their businesses.

Following the guidance of Angus and Shawn, I focused on using this day to do questionnaires only, and tried to get myself in the mindset of talking to strangers. As well as this, I stuck to their advice and used dad as my conversation starter. I also left some questionnaires with my family-friend, as she said she would hand them out at her darts and skittles matches to gather results.

I found that for the most part, people were welcoming and helpful, despite there being other students asking for similar help earlier in the week. We would leave the questionnaires and leaflets with them to fill out as we went to other establishments with more questionnaires. The places we inquired at included the RNLI shop, a countryside sporting store, gift shops, sweet shops, a soap shop, the aquarium, and the tourist board. I also inquired at the Driftwood Gallery, which was bought out of its original location by Damien Hirst. The employee said she was busy, but she took a questionnaire and said she would email me her results. We also inquired in Other Criteria (Hirst's gallery at the previous Driftwood Gallery location - it is next to his restaurant) but the employee said she was in a bit of a quandary as she is obviously employed by Hirst and did not know what she could say about it in regards to that. She did take one of my leaflets though. One man who owned a gift shop was very opinionated (almost bordering on intimidating), and wouldn't fill in the questionnaire but would answer my questions. He was very unwilling to give me even his first name.

After a couple of hours of questionnairing, I went to meet Philip Webb, an Ilfracombe Councillor. I have recorded my interview with him and will post the transcript.

Flier update

Following Shawn's advice, I have changed some phrasing of my second flier and have changed one of the images.

Feedback #4

I had a group tutorial with Shawn and Angus. I brought along my two flier designs for them to look at.

They said that my Verity flier was not too clear, and that my more talky flier needed to be reworked - there should be one photo of Verity on there and some of the phrases should be altered. When I go to Ilfracombe, I should focus on one task a day - i.e., one day should be just for questionnaires - and I should questionnaire more people than I need to. Gathering questionnaire responses is more important than shooting at the moment. I was told to use dad as an assistant, like a proper filmmaker would - he can help start conversations for me.

I should stay overnight to immerse myself in the town and use the time there to shoot - dedicate whole days to filming and "shoot the shit out of everything" - Shawn's words!

I am going to Ilfracombe tomorrow to do questionnaires.

New leaflet

Following the advice of Shawn and Angus at the interim, I have changed part of my original flier and have created a new one too.

Following their advice, I have changed the font, placed a space in between my email and website addresses, and added a punchy question to the flier to make it less like a business card and slightly provocative.

I also created this "talky" flier that includes shots of Ilfracombe that don't include Verity. They include the "elephant's head" cliffs (my great aunt used to say that it looks like an elephant's head), and the shore of Wildersmouth beach, both famous Ilfracombe locations (to the locals, anyway). The inclusion of these landscapes was to counter that people may be put off by including Verity. I also included information about my project so it speaks for itself.

I have printed several copies of both to hand out with my questionnaires when I next go to Ilfracombe. 

Ilfracombe Council Reply - Philip Webb

I received a reply from Philip Webb regarding my email about Ilfracombe and Verity.

Hello Lorna

Thanks for your email and there are so many things I could tell you about Ilfracombe and Verity that it would take me ages to write them all down. I am an Ilfracombe Town Councillor, a North Devon Councillor, sit on Planning and Licensing committees, am a member of the Ilfracombe Regeneration Board, the Development Sites Group, the Strategy Group and I chair the Ilfracombe Tourism Marketing Group. I would be happy to talk to you soon and give you lots of information to help with your project. If you let me have a number where I can contact you I will give you a call sometime.

Regards

Philip

 

 

As I am going to Ilfracombe on the 28th March I feel that meeting in person and recording and later transcribing the conversation would be more helpful than hurriedly making notes on the phone. 

I replied:

Hi Philip,

Thank you very much for your reply. As it happens, I am coming to Ilfracombe this friday (the 28th) to conduct some research and film. Is it possible to meet up and discuss Ilfracombe and Verity in the afternoon? I feel that recording a conversation and transcribing it would let me take down more information, and this opportunity will be especially useful since I will be in the region.

Lorna

Ilfracombe Council Emails

Following advice from the reply from the Ilfracombe Centre, I have emailed individual councilors on the Ilfracombe Town Council that seem like they could help me based upon their profile information, specifically focusing on those that mention development and regeneration. 

I have contacted:

Michael Dymond – East Ward

Councillor for Ilfracombe East Ward.

I am a long-standing member of the Town Council and passionate about Ilfracombe and the environment.

Geoff Fowler – West Ward

Councillor for Ilfracombe West Ward

I am in the fortunate position of being a Town and District Councillor for Ilfracombe. I am also the Chairman of North Devon Council.

I’m strongly behind the proposed Harbour development, and am project leader for that section of the Community Alliance action plan.

I am a member of Ilfracombe Rotary Club

Bert Gear – Central Ward

Councillor for Ilfracombe Central Ward

A ‘local lad’ recently retired after running my own business in the town for over 20 years.

I support the harbour and old bus station developments which I see as increasing our town ‘s profile, hopefully bringing in more needed private investment which should benefit the whole town, making it a better place for everyone I fully support the Ilfracombe Strategic plan and the One Ilfracombe initiative.

I am chair of the Ilfracombe Harbour Forum. I am Launch Authority for our town RNLI lifeboat and am past president, and commodore of the Ilfracombe Yacht Club.

John Swan – Central Ward

Councillor for Ilfracombe Central Ward

As a past mayor, I now sit on the staffing group, meeting weekly to support and direct our staff in the new Ilfracombe Centre. I also sit on the Ilfracombe Regeneration Board, a steering group, focussing on the many initiatives designed to regenerate prosperity in the Town. Now retired from full time work as a director of Country Cousins and Channel School, Tricia and I continue to run a small holiday cottage letting business, but this leaves time to devote to community issues. As a community we are finally receiving the attention of major governmental organisations and I am keen to assist in the regeneration of the town. I have recently been elected to sit on the management committee of St Johns Ambulance, and look forward to supporting them and other community groups in the town.

Philip Webb – West Ward

Councillor for Ilfracombe West Ward

After a long career in the healthcare industry my wife Helen and I moved to Ilfracombe in 2003 and bought a small hotel which we sold in 2006.

I Chair the Ilfracombe Tourism Marketing Group, am a North Devon District Councillor and serve on committees at Ilfracombe Golf Club and Ilfracombe Town Football Club. I have a particular interest in regeneration and am a member of the Ilfracombe Regeneration Board.

I sent the same email template to each councilor but added their name in place of "Sir/Madam".

My name is Lorna Rollings and I am a Photography degree student at the University of the West of England in Bristol. I am currently undertaking a project on Ilfracombe, particularly the effect that Verity has had on the town. The project will be in the form of a film comprising of shots in and around Ilfracombe. I am in need of opinions from the people of Ilfracombe regarding Verity and any improvements that could be made to the town. 

If it is possible, could you please spread awareness about my project through your position at the council? My contact information includes:

email: lornarollings@hotmail.com
website: www.lornarollingsphotography.com

Many thanks,

Lorna Rollings

I will follow up any replies on this blog.

Interim Notes

Here are the notes made for me by Sarah during my interim presentation.

• Contact Other Criteria (Hirst's company)
• Look at Art U Like by Bob and Roberta Smith - Shawn can lend it
• Get my head into film mode - think in sequences and narrative
• Angus says to change the flier design as the image of Verity will alienate the people who don't like it. Shawn says it should say what I'm doing - let it speak for itself
• Add a space between email and website on flier, maybe add a question about Verity
• Shawn says how I've described the context is good
• Put mine and other people's films on my blog
• Research Koyaanis Qatsi's films
• Shawn says I should be able to storyboard this now. Shoot it at the same time as I get the interviews
• Angus says the audio is key - that will direct what I show

I will act upon this feedback to improve my project.

Interim Presentation

My interim presentation can be found here.

Featured on the North Devon Journal website

Following the news from Joel that my story would be featured in Thursday's edition of the North Devon Journal, I checked their website to see if I could find an online version of the article. I was not disappointed!

I have asked a friend in Devon to see if I feature in the print copy and to send it to me.

Here is the article text:

Student appeals for help

By North Devon Journal  |  Posted: March 13, 2014

 

Comments (0)
 
A PHOTOGRAPHY student who is doing a project on Ilfracombe has appealed for help.
Lorna Rollings, who studies at the University of the West of England in Bristol, is focusing on the effect of Damien Hirst's statue Verity.

And she has appealed for the views of residents in the seaside town.

The project will be in the form of a film comprising of shots in and around Ilfracombe.
Anyone wishing to help or take part in the project should email lornarollings@hotmail.com.

Damien Hirst reply

I received a quick reply from Damien Hirst's team. As I expected, Damien will be unable to take part in my project, but at least his team now know about it.

Dear Lorna,

Many thanks for your email and interest in Damien Hirst. Unfortunately, due to a very busy schedule, Damien is currently not able to take on any additional interview requests.

I'm sorry we could not be of assistance on this occasion.

Kind regards,

Alice

Damien Hirst email

Here is a copy of the email I sent to Damien Hirst regarding my project. I sent the draft to Shawn for guidance, and the email here is a mix of his improvements and my original text.

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Lorna Rollings and I am a third year Photography student at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

I am currently undertaking a project about Ilfracombe, improvements to the town, and the effect that Damien's sculpture Verity has had on the town. I am very fond of Verity and appreciate her depiction of truth and justice, and think it's a beautiful piece of art. I am aware that not everyone in Ilfracombe has favourable opinions on Verity, but I am interested in how it has become a talking point and a magnet for tourism. This, amongst other issues, is what my project will be exploring.

My project will be in the form of a short film comprising of shots of Ilfracombe, atmospheric audio recordings, and "disembodied voice" recordings of the opinions of people I find through my research. Details about the project will also feature in the North Devon Journal to gather research.

Would Damien be available for an interview about Verity and his connection with Ilfracombe? It would be great to get an in view on this, as it's undeniable of the impact this has had on Ilfracombe's profile. I appreciate Damien is very busy. If he is not available personally, is there someone else you could recommend I interview for similar views, perhaps you are one of Damien's other colleagues?

I hope this is possible. Thank you in advance for your help with this, and I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Best wishes and kind regards,

Lorna Rollings

lornarollings@hotmail.com

lornarollingsphotography.com

Ilfracombe Centre/Town Council email response

I received a response to my email to Ilfracombe Town Council about my project from Steve Seatherton of the Ilfracombe Centre:

Hi Lorna

Thanks for your email. I would suggest you contact our councilors direct to talk about the project.

All their emails can be found here - http://www.ilfracombetowncouncil.gov.uk/category/itc-councillors/

Many thanks

Steve

Steven Seatherton

Ilfracombe Centre Manager &

One Ilfracombe Project Manager

Tel. 01271 855 336

North Devon Journal - Joel's reply

Joel replied to my previous email:

Hi Lorna,

Hopefully it will be printed in Thursday’s edition (tomorrow).

All the best,

Joel Cooper

Head of Content
North Devon Journal

Tel : 01271 347431

North Devon Journal - my reply

I have replied to the email sent from Joel Cooper from the North Devon Journal about my project.


Hi Joel,

Thank you very much for your reply.

Can you give me any further details about the story regarding my project, such as when it is likely to be published?

Many thanks,

Lorna Rollings 

Damien Hirst draft email

Following Shawn's advice, I have drafted an email to send to Damien Hirst's agent regarding my project. This is the draft version and will probably be modified following Shawn's recommendations.

I will post any following correspondence on this blog.

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Lorna Rollings and I am a third year Photography student at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

I am very familiar with the town of Ilfracombe, having spent many holidays there since my childhood and visiting family members in the town. I have a soft spot for the town, but believe that there are improvements to be made to enhance it. 

I am currently undertaking a project about Ilfracombe, improvements to the town, and the effect that Damien's sculpture Verity has had on the town. I am very fond of Verity and appreciate her depiction of truth and justice, however, I know not everyone in Ilfracombe has favourable opinions on her. 

My project will be in the form of a short film comprising of shots of Ilfracombe, atmospheric audio recordings, and "disembodied voice" recordings of the opinions of people I find through my research. Details about the project will also feature in the North Devon Journal to gather research. 

Thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully,

Lorna Rollings

lornarollings@hotmail.com

lornarollingsphotography.com

Contacting newspapers - North Devon Journal response

I got a response from Joel Cooper at the North Devon Journal:

Hi Lorna,

Thanks for your email, I’m sure we can write a little story with your details in to let people know how to get in touch.

All the best,

Joel Cooper

Head of Content
North Devon Journal

Tel : 01271 347431

Flier

Following Shawn's advice, I have mocked up a flier on photoshop to hand out with my questionnaires in Ilfracombe. The flier features an abstract image I shot of Verity last year, my email and website address, and my profession. I chose the image of Verity as it ties to my subject matter for this project and may act as a visual reminder as to why someone was given it.

It is A5 in size as A4 feels too big for the information on the flier. I will print and photocopy at UWE.

Contacting newspapers

Following Shawn's advice, I have been emailing newspapers in Devon to spread awareness about my project and to potentially gain leads for my audio. Here is a copy of the email I have been sending:

Dear [insert name],

My name is Lorna Rollings and I am a Photography degree student at the University of the West of England in Bristol. I am currently undertaking a project on Ilfracombe, particularly the effect that Verity has had on the town. The project will be in the form of a film comprising of shots in and around Ilfracombe. I am in need of opinions from the people of Ilfracombe regarding Verity and any improvements that could be made to the town. 

If it is possible, could you please spread awareness about my project through your position at the newspaper? My contact information includes:

email: lornarollings@hotmail.com
website: www.lornarollingsphotography.com

Many thanks,

Lorna Rollings

I have emailed:

• Joel Cooper - Head of Content at North Devon Journal
• Luke Evans - Leisure and Entertainment department at North Devon Gazette
• Ilfracombe People - ilfracombepeople.co.uk
• Ilfracombe Town Council

I will post any replies made to me on this blog to chart the development of the leads.

Feedback #3

I had a group tutorial and talked about my progress with my film. I showed the group screencaps of what I shot, but Shawn said to include the video clips on the blog as the footage needs to be seen. Most of the tutorial we spoke about getting information from people about Verity, and I said about how I find it hard to talk to people I don't know, let alone stopping strangers on the street to talk to them. Shawn said the worst thing they would say is no. I need to start talking to people the next time I go to Ilfracombe, and use a clipboard to look more professional when stopping people. If needs be, I can get any friends or relatives with me to start conversations for me, and then take over afterwards. Using the questionnaire is important, and I will get better results from that then I will on online surveys like SurveyMonkey. I was told to contact the local newspaper and tell them about my project to try and drum up some interest in it, and to make a "contact me for opinions" flier. Research is pre-production, filming is production, and editing is post-production; I am currently on pre-production due to getting opinions.

I spoke about my issues with the audio recording and the wind, and Sarah suggested I speak to Chris Napier in the media centre for any help.

Shawn also suggested I think like a director and start storyboarding, and to get Film Art from the library. I also need to contact Damian Hirst's agent to let him know about this project.

Footage #1

Please set the resolution of these videos to 1080p and watch them in fullscreen.

This clip features some camera shake as it was a very windy day (as you can tell from the audio). I also experimented with pulling focus but I'm not sure if I like it.

This clip also features some slight camera shake (Youtube offers to correct it and I have declined in order to present the original footage on this blog) from the windy day (audio again). I like how the grey tones of the beach and sea contribute to the (often) dreary aesthetic of Ilfracombe.

This clip again features some camera shake (even though for all shots the camera was on a tripod). I like the added detail of seagulls flying in the background, but I feel that this may have been slightly overexposed as the birds seem to drift into the pale sky (but I also slightly like it). 

Again, camera shake, but I like the sharp focus on the rock formation (which looks even better when watching it in 1080p). 

This shot features camera shake (again!), but I like the shallow depth of field and the wind moving the water in the small puddles.

I used a shallow depth of field in order to focus on the rock among the pebbles. Shots like this will be a nice addition to the final edit as it builds a sense of place. (Do I need to mention camera shake?)

I like this shot of the pebbles as, again, these smaller details build a sense of place, and the shallow depth of field allows focus on one section of the pebbles that fill the frame. CAMERA SHAKE.

There is very little camera shake in this clip (hooray!) although there does seem to be a smudge or something on the lens in the bottom left corner. This composition uses the rocks to train the eye to the sea.

This is the same shot as above, just filmed for a longer period of time.

Please excuse the conversation with my dad at the beginning of this clip. This shows the boats up on the harbour carpark, which is an interesting shot as it doesn't happen often. However, you can hear the wind whistling between the masts and the ropes clanking on the masts, which is why I didn't record audio on the Tascam.

There is some camera shake and movement in this shot. I like the seagulls flying into and out of the shot. The grey sky in the background makes for an atmospheric composition. 

This shot shows the headland back towards the centre of Ilfracombe, and because this was filmed on the pier there is some camera shake caused by wind.

This shot features a closer crop of Verity, showing her in-situ. I don't like the residential background as I feel that it distracts from her, as do the seabirds when there is no sea in the shot.

Windy camera shake again, however this shot shows all of Verity in-situ, giving a sense of how big she is. I don't like the background to this shot and hope I can reshoot from the pier so that I can capture her exposed side and possibly all of her.

Wind-induced camera shake again during this shot of "the elephant" headland. Ignore the conversation between me and my dad. 

Camera shake and conversation again. I think I prefer this closer crop as it allows the size of the headland to fill the frame. I also like the small details of birds flying across the landscape - they appear as white dots.

I like this close crop of Verity, she is almost silhouetted against the stormy sky and looks formidible. I enjoy the cloud movement but am not 100% sure on the birds in the frame. I like to use negative space with off-centre compositions of the subject, and think this shot demonstrates this well.

Ignore the conversation in the audio. I prefer the previous shot of Verity as I think this shot's lighter sky does not generate any atmosphere. The cloud movement is not so obvious, although this lighter exposure allows the audience to see the colour changes in the metal and texture of Verity. 

This composition shows Verity all the way to the tip of her sword. Again, I like my use of negative space and off-centre composition, but do not like the lighter exposure. (Ignore the conversation in audio again)

This focus could be sharper in this shot, and I think I need more room at the top of the frame to avoid cutting off her head.

First Shoot

Referring to my shotlist, I went to Ilfracombe to shoot some landscape shots. I used my Canon 600D to record film and booked out a Tascam to record audio. Some of the content is still in the frame, whereas some moves in others, such as waves.

I recorded Damien Hirst's Verity in various different compositions in order to have some choice when editing. The gates down to the pier were closed, which meant I could only get shots of her from her non-dissected side. I used unusual angles and crops in order to create more interesting images of Verity. She looks formidable against the stormy sky.

I shot two compositions of a headland in order to cover the Ilfracombe coastline. There is movement in both frames in the form of the choppy waves.

I also shot Verity from a greater distance in order to capture all of the sculpture in-situ. I prefer the closer crop as it eliminates the distracting background of the car park.

I shot another headland facing back towards the town and the small house on the hill. The headland shot includes movement of the waves. I chose to include the house on the hill as it is near Verity and is quite quirky.

As it is not peak season yet and due to the recent storms, some boats from the harbour were being kept up on the car park. 

I then went to a nearby beach closer to the centre of the town to shoot the sea and smaller details of the beach. Many of the shots include movement, such as waves, and the wind moving the water in shallow puddles. I feel that the smaller details help to build up a sense of place, and because of this I will be filming more shots like this in my following shoots.

There were a few problems when shooting. It was a very windy day, resulting in horrible noise that even the windsock over the microphone couldn't diminish. On the pier by Verity, the wind noise was joined with the wind whistling through the masts of the boats on the car park, and ropes clanking on the masts. I thought that because the beach was more enclosed than the open pier, the wind may not be so bad. However, the wind was just as strong and sounded just as bad on the Tascam. I didn't record any audio at both locations as due to the wind it would be unusable, and because of this, I don't know how valid my footage will be from that day. Also, the wind was so strong that it shook the tripod, even when I was holding it still.