03 Apr Queer Britannia
Explanation:
Queer Brittania is a documentary that explores LGBT+ venues/club culture of the UK. The documentary encompasses information regarding venue closures, culture declines and changes, and the various sub-groups that exist. The audience that it is directly targeted at is those aged 18-30 (approx), who identify as the bracket of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or an ally of the community).
The open and clear approach in the documentary will make it a good entry video to those outside of the community too, in hopes to better someones understanding and develop an emotional response to the positive/negative history LGBT people have faced in the last 40 years.
The overall aim is to educate, inform and help better understanding within the LGBT community and outside the community, through an overall structured timeline narrative.
Technical info:
Filming will take place exclusively on an iPhone 11 Pro, with various adjustments from apps (such as exposure compensation) and other technical equipment (including external lighting, self-timers, etc) being used to raise the standards of filming. The iPhone 11 Pro was chosen as it allows for great sound recording, features 3 different lenses and is able to produce a quick turn around and reflection on footage, which when travelling over the UK to film is very important.
Lady Gaga recently filmed an entire music video on an iPhone 11 Pro, with Apple coordinating a campaign with it, proving the phone is capable of such incredibly quality and filming if used correctly – I intend to prove the same.
Sound is also to be captured on a Zoom H1 handheld microphone, as well as the video recording device. Due to a lack of available equipment, regrettably no lapel microphone is available to use during this documentary.
Format:
1×22 minute documentary, a length suitable for broadcasting on most UK terrestrial channels/online (unfortunately now shortened to 15 minutes approx due to coronavirus limiting the availability of footage/interview opportunities).
Filmed in 4K footage, 30 frames per second on the iPhone 11 Pro, uploaded to either YouTube or Vimeo (to be decided at a later point), embedded on a webpage (with a few pages dedicated to content/information. 1080×1920.
Finally, as part of the documentary, there will be short moments of animation which will display a timeline of gay historical club events, which will be shown via a moving timeline, images and illustrations, such as the 1990’s bomb at Soho’s Admiral Duncan, in a style similar to the moving timeline seen in the Youtube series ‘Buzzfeed Unsolved‘. This process will take some time to complete and will be the final thing implemented in the documentary.
Any footage used can be categorised into one of three categories: Original/independent footage, historical footage, motion graphics.
The website is currently live and built, unfinished but with the correct layout and style as planned.
http://www.queerbritannia.co.uk
The website is a simple design, as it only serves as a method to present the video content and give information relevant to the content, and give contact details for if someone wishes to get in touch regarding it. The design matches my sketches almost perfectly, with perhaps just a change to the font sizing and come up with a solution for the empty space in the top right-hand corner of the page.
Rough opening sequence:
Original script description/text opening (approx 7 minutes):
1 min drag queen edited sequence:
(Missing some narration over start/end)
Various footage (snippets), GV’s and other background shots to establish quality of overall work:
Note: Sound is not consistent, as footage was simply shortened and compiled into a video, therefore does not represent sound or audio from the final product.
Images of footage thumbnails:
Conversations arranging interviews/filming (Pre-coronavirus outbreak, some interviews will need to be replanned/cancelled):
(Full conversations should remain private, but happy to share snippets to prove the conversations are genuine/planning to arrange)
- Interviewees planned/agreed: Philip Normal (Deputy Mayor of Lambeth), Russell T Davies, Bailey La Creme (drag queen), Sue Tilley (singer from Visage), Timberlina (drag queen), Sam xxx (LGBT Porn actor).
The variety of the interview subjects include both male and females, various occupations, historical contexts and experiences in the LGBT Community, therefore individual questions will be tailored to suit them. For example – the drag queens will be asked about performances, changes they’ve directly seen in LGBT customers and attitudes.
Russell T Davies will be asked questions about the moments that influenced him with his work, as he was one of the gay pioneers in TV, before talking about how the scenes would work in today’s society, and how he has directly seen change from writing for LGBT characters in the 1990’s to the writing for them in the present day. The ability to adapt questions to a situations is something important and key for me to remember when listening to the responses and replying.
Research done:
https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor-pledges-support-to-lgbt-venues-in-london
https://www.centred.org.uk/sites/centred/files/documents/London%20LGBT%20Amanac%201st%20Edition%20%28PDF%29.pdf
http://www.galop.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/mapping-lgbt-westminster.pdf
https://londonist.com/2015/02/londons-lgbt-and-alternative-scenes-are-fighting-gentrification
https://www.thegayuk.com/gay-bars-that-have-closed-in-london-since-the-turn-of-the-century/
http://www.lgbtarchive.uk/wiki/Timeline_of_London_Bars_and_Clubs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33608000
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/popular-soho-gay-bar-molly-moggs-shuts-its-doors-in-new-blow-to-london-nightlife-a3504191.html
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/mayor-calls-for-urgent-action-to-save-londons-lgbt-venues-after-report-reveals-more-than-half-closed-a3581081.html
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/mgla180719-7961_-_foi_response_redacted.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jKHUpfLW90&t=117s (I-D’s Summer of Love Gay Clubbing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHXxPATBRDE (Channel 4’s First time in a gay club)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRErZnq3WJk&t=6s (Heaven | Gay Life | 1980s London)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDQAVG2ATy4 (LGBT Manchester)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbYcsmbvL5A (Gay Pride in Manchester)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxijUQpioks (Inside Glasgow’s underground after-hours party scene)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h44znlLPy8k (Canal Street Tour with Ginger Hunter)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmV4yDgqyC8 (Canal Street in Manchester Gay Pride Celebration)
Additional Info:
