Come on folks. Let’s get behind Davis’ film and get it made!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/juntorimurfilms/the-greatest-instrument-in-the-world
Patrick.
"Funding for the film, and the future of the instrument itself, stand at a crossroads … It had become more than clear that urgent work had to be done to preserve, to catch, intimate scenes from this long vital part of Irish culture … an Irish piper, leading dances and harrowing souls, had become a fleeting character, even in his native Ireland. Compounded by the spartan few master pipe makers churning out good pipes … "
Am I alone in thinking that there may be a smidgen of exaggeration, a pinch of over-selling, even a modicum of hyperbole in Mr Watson’s project description?
No, you ain’t. This must have been true 50 years ago…
Well Im in… not a lot, but a bit…Go for it.
Davis here. Will and Patrick, THANK YOU for your pledges!!
The project will continue to gain financial legs…and how nice
to have a chunk from the piping community!
To Carna I go this weekend.
I have a few ideas that I would like to share based solely on content of your video proposal.
I would like to humbly qualify my observations by stating that I work in a professional environment where I have observed the offering of many proposals (of the musical sort ) for funding, and approval by those who can subsidize such. Too, I can appreciate your admiration for the instrument and commend you for moving house and self in order to pursue your passion. It was no small decision, I am sure.
Firstly, your video proposal smacks somewhat of pop-culture, which is diametrically opposed to the instrument, and the culture (to a large degree) itself. Many people do not understand the word “schwag,” and I would venture to stand out on a very thin limb, and say that descriptive has never been used in a legitimate proposal.
Secondly, when we (the piping community) listen to such pedagogical giants such as Peter Browne and a host of other important figures , proclaiming that not only is Irish traditional music in good hands, but that piping itself is here to stay, one simply cannot take seriously the suggestion, (punctuated by a downward portamento whistle of the lips), that piping, or traditional music for that matter, hang in the balance. That sentiment, with all due respect, is simply antiquated.
Thirdly, your trailer led this viewer to feel that Seán McKiernan did not give you permission and/or view the footage that you included of himself in your trailer. (I am referring specifically to his first 2 appearances).
Fourthly, vacating your video proposal/pitch after your farewell, conveys on some level (whether you meant to or not) something unsettling to this viewer.
Indeed, there are other significant issues that I have with your trailer, but will not air them publicly.
I do think your idea is a nice one. However, I feel that you are misrepresenting the curret state of our instrument. The execution of your concept appears to not have been thoroughly gestated, nor matured. If pitched in its present form, this should largely appeal to those " not in the know."
Mind you, I claim not to be a leader in the piping community, nor an authority figure on traditional music. Though, I am an active participant, and just as important, I deeply care (as you do) about this topic.
Therefore, I urge you to discuss your ideas with some of the folks at NPU for some feedback. Specifically, speak with Terry Moylan. Terry is a brilliant pedagogue. He has done immense amounts of research, and has a very deep understanding regarding the priorities one might consider in a proposal such as yours. There are many sources available in Ireland. If you do not want to involve Terry/NPU, your choices are still many.
In a certain way, you represent all pipers when you go forward with an idea such as yours. I believe that I speak for many people (on this list and otherwise) when I say that you should make certain that the proverbial first foot you put forward, is your best one.
Best of Luck.
(edited once to fix some incomplete sentences, and then again to write this explanation)
It was very nice of you to take the time to write all of that.
I look forward to your support.
yeah, I’m so all for a film documenting the pipes: but the downward spiral of the piping world is a bit over the top.
Seems to me there’s a piper to be born every second or so..
I’d love to see this done up with some substantial financial backing, with top notch production..
I dunno, maybe that’s what isn’t needed..?
Maybe this ought to be in the hands of the layman, rather than corporate influence..
Then again, who the heck am I to know any better!
zzz
back to my nap..
Davis, I just watched your proposal and the 5 min trailer. I know you have a lot to deal with and think about on a project like this, but I just want to stress the importance of good microphones and good wind screens for your microphones. There was a lot of wind noise that distorted many of the interviews to the point that it was difficult to hear what the person was saying. Also, you were picking up a lot of ambient noise when interviewing people. Are you using the on-camera mic? If so I would highly suggest budgeting for a decent shotgun mic for voice recording and a good rycote wind screen if you are doing outside interviews.
How are you recording the music? The quality sounded a bit lacking. Are you again using the on camera mics? I would suggest getting separate stereo mics for recording the instruments and if you can afford it, recording to a separate recorder with time code and then syncing it in post. If you cant afford a separate recorder (a Sound Devices 702T would be half your budget), or don’t have the man power to operate the camera and the recorder at the same time, than record directly to the camera, but invest in decent condenser mics and maybe think about a way of putting them on a mic stand closer to the instrument so that it doesnt sound like the instrument is being played in a large room with lots of echo. Also think about turning off any fans or air conditioners while the piper is playing because particularly in the opening clip i could hear a lot of humming.
If you are going to be spending all this time and energy to collect this music, you want to make sure you do it justice by using good equipment.
I realize that you are only using one camera, but don’t forget to get close up shots, particularly of the pipes and the pipers hand while they are playing. When you are in a room and filming a piper, do whatever you can to get good lighting - open window blinds, move lamps etc. Otherwise it will look like a collection of home video instead of a cinematic film. Lighting is really important.
One last thing - when you are editing in post really spend time thinking about what kind of “story” you are going to tell with this footage. There are a million ways you could edit your film. You have to make it flow well and keep the viewers attention. At times the trailer seemed a bit incoherent.
Good luck on your film. Don’t give up, and make it the way YOU want it. You are the film maker and ultimately you are the one who has to interpret their experience of the culture to the film medium. You can’t make everyone happy, but as long as you respect the tradition and commit yourself to doing it justice you can’t go too wrong!