Production Details
Synopsis
Evolution of the Project
St Ives
Shooting on Location
Key Biographies
The Soundtrack
Credits
Production Details
Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 2006
Running Time: 72 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis
A groundbreaking art documentary that paves the way for future concepts of video art. Shot in St Ives, Cornwall, Footprints follows in the tradition of the great artists such as Turner and Whistler who have been inspired by the town’s alluring scenery and rich culture. A contemporary portrait of this global destination for the arts, this cutting edge film is infused with both a sense of the spiritual path of creativity, and the personal journey that led the filmmaker to realising this - the culmination of his life’s work.
Evolution of the Project
In 1952, eight-year-old David Pearce visited St Ives for the first time. Arriving at Paddington Station, his father, Monte, had stuck a pin in the map of Britain - and it had landed on the Cornish seaside town. Whether it was fate or chance that brought the aspiring young filmmaker to St Ives, the inspirational setting was to have an indelible impact on him. On a succession of family holidays, he was to make his first films along its cobbled streets and stunning shoreline. Like Turner, Whistler, Leach, Hepworth and many great artists who had been drawn to the town, St Ives filled him with a spiritual inspiration to create.
After 40 years experience in the film and television industry, David returned to St Ives. Overwhelmed by the desire to make the film he felt born to make, he began work on Footprints. Where others came with oils and charcoal, bronze and clay, David brought his camera, compelled to make a cutting edge work of art through his chosen medium - a multi-faceted film which would represent the many faces of St Ives through sound and vision.
The inspirations for Footprints is wide-ranging: the evocative scenic panoramas are reminiscent of Turner, Whistler and Leonard Fuller's artistic impressions of St Ives, while his wonderful 's"I wanted to create a multi-dimensional piece of art through film," explains David. "An evocative and closely observed impression of an historic town undergoing rapid change, encapsulating the surviving customs and fledgling cultures breaking through." But there is more to Footprints than an observation of a Cornish town. "This film goes beyond St Ives," continues David, "there is a tremendous spiritual energy behind it - a real sense of the spiritual dimension which inspires people to create." As Footprints observes, Barbara Hepworth once commented that her sculptures were "an act of praise". It is this sense of the spiritual impulse to create which constitutes the underlying theme of the film. David explains, "It was this force that brought me back to St Ives to make Footprints."
It was a complex concept for any production team to get their heads around. Hence, David enlisted the editing skills of award-winning film editor and former colleague, Charles Davies, whom he worked with on documentaries back in the 1960s. "It was wonderful to be working with Charles again after nearly 40 years," comments David. "It also smacked of life's cyclical path, to be back working on this - my career defining project - right where I began."
StIves
Perched on the tip of the southwestern peninsula, St Ives is a truly remarkable place. With its golden sandy beaches, sub-tropical vegetation and historic harbour, it is renowned today as a popular tourist destination. Yet St Ives has been a place of pilgrimage for many centuries. The passing place of the Celtic saints, it is from one of these spiritual figures - St Ia - that the town derives its name. The legacy of the Celtic saints has remained potent in St Ives - in the mystic atmosphere of the surrounding landscape, in the God-fearing beliefs and customs of the towns' fishermen, in the quite overwhelming sense of creativity that wanders the air, prompting the spiritual process of praise and celebration which culminates in art.
Blessed with a unique quality of light and awe-inspiring scenery, artists have flocked to St Ives over recent centuries. Smitten, many have remained. One of the most famous artists to paint the town was J.M.W.Turner who visited Cornwall in 1811, followed by J.M.Whistler and Walter Sickert. Thus began an influx of artists from all over the world, enthused by the coastline, the changing light and volatile moods of the sea.
The twentieth century brought Bernard Leach to St Ives, the most famous and prominent of British studio potters. Leach settled in the town and established the renowned Leach Pottery, which still produces fine pottery today, over 25 years since its founder's death. The legacy of Barbara Hepworth, one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century, is also a fundamental aspect of St Ives' rich cultural scene today. Her bronze, stone and wood sculptures are on view in the sub-tropical sculpture garden that inspired her, and in the Tate Gallery - a phenomenal presence on the water's edge of St Ives.
Despite the inevitable change time brings, St Ives clings to its sense of history and the vibrant traditions that made the town what it is today. Fishermen, still setting out to sea to catch mackerel and skate off the north coast, and farmers, determined to continue working the land, pursue their occupations against all odds. With the sad possibility that this could be the last generation to partake in the lifestyles of the ancestors, Footprints is a timely and important film, enriched with a sense of purpose.
Shooting on Location
Over three years, David wandered the town with his camera, observing the passing seasons and the changes each brings, capturing the ceremonials of feast days, stepping into the creative sanctum of artist studios and pottery workshops, and sniggering at pasty-thieving seagulls. From bustling summer's days on St Ives harbour to the desolation of a bitter winter's morning, David has been there, camera in hand, to record it. During his creative journey, he has met farmers and vicars, artists and fishermen - the many faces that make St Ives.
David comments, "Since I first discovered St Ives, I feel I was born to make this film. I am delighted with the magnificent result and can barely wait to share it with a global audience."
Key Biographies
David Pearce
A cameraman whose 40 years experience in the industry have taken him from Anglia Television and the making of documentaries, to the sets of films including Lawrence of Arabia and The Last Valley, David Pearce has enjoyed a long and varied career, of which Footprints is the pinnacle. Compelled to make the film by both his attachment to St Ives and his mission to create a groundbreaking documentary, David has invested over three years in perfecting his unique and riveting work of art.
Charles Davies
Award-winning film editor Charles Davies worked with David Pearce in documentaries back in the 1960s, and now, 40 years later, the pair has teamed up again to make Footprints. His credits include Tarka the Otter, The Elephant the Emperor and the Butterfly Tree (winner of the Wildscreen 2004 Panda Award) and Heseltine in 2005.
The Soundtrack
Emmy Award nominated composer, David Mitcham has composed the scores to a wide and varied number of TV and feature films, though has earned most recognition for his work on wildlife films at a number of major international film festivals. Danger in Tiger Paradise won the award for Best Musical Score at the 2003 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. Adept at creating the perfect soundtrack to complement the moving image, David seemed the ideal candidate to fuse sound with vision in Footprints.
With the absence of commentary, music plays an essential role in Footprints, each sound carrying meaning and aiding the response of the viewer to what is, unquestionably, a truly exceptional film.
Credits
DirectorDavid Pearce
ProducerDavid Pearce
Director of PhotographyDavid Pearce
EditorCharles Davies
Original MusicDavid Mitcham
Dubbing EditorMatt Skilton
Advisers.......................................................................................................................Ann,Dennis Furnell
PR...............................................................................................................................Sue Bradbury
Writer...........................................................................................................................Rebecca Matthews
