DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Hi all,

Hope you enjoyed the short film and hopefully came away with a little bit more knowledge about glass blowing. The idea of seeing molten glass being formed and sculpted was so compelling, I had to do it. I suddenly realised that a lot of information would need to be simplified and condensed into 5 minutes and the fact I had to find someone who still did traditional glass blowing was going to be the big problem.

As luck had it ,Siddy Langley was based 20 miles away and has her own studio. It’s was perfect, a small compact studio full of character, aged with time. I came up with a basic order of events and the kind of information I wanted to get across. Nothing was put in stone until I arrived on the day of filming and met Siddy for the first time.

I had 7 hours to film everything I needed and had no crew or assistants on this project, just me and Siddy. Siddy was brilliant, she read the basic script and ideas I had, then added her own words and facts about her life and glass blowing.

I started with filming the interview, while the studio was kind of quite. It was never going to be quite as the glass furness is constantly on, keeping the glass molten. The main problems I had was space as the studio was small to move around in with a camera and tripod. I needed space to get some kind of depth in the image. Plus at the same time keep away from the hot stuff or not to step backwards towards the furness. The heat is incredible when the furness door opens. The heat hits you in the face like a heat gun and the plastic on the camera feels like your steering wheel in the car, after you’ve left it in the sun all day. I was expecting the camera to die on me due to the heat, but no my trusty Sony A1 Camera took it like a pro and kept on recording. I spent all day sweating buckets, while outside it was hammering it down with rain. The biggest problem I had was trying to film inside the Furness and Glory Hole and getting an exposure so you could see the detail of the glass. This project was testing the camera to its limits.

The dull light outside created a wonderful soft light from a single source (the patio doors) the rest of the studio was dark and under lit. This made the molten glass stand out as it glowed white hot, and then slowly cooled into wonderful oranges and yellows.

With glass blowing things happen quickly, no real time to think, you have to know which shot you want and how long to film it for, then get the next shot, so there was a lot of dragging the camera with the tripod still connected. At the same time there is a risk of getting burnt.

Siddy made the same type of vase three times to ensure we got all the shots required. Before shooting I had chosen to shoot a cinema scope like image in keeping I think with the nature of piece.

It’s kind of sad that the old studio with all it tradition and memories will give-way to a modern studio, hence the choice of music.

Video link below


Equipment used:
Sony A1E, radio mic, vinten tripod, mic stand, headphones. Plus a Raynox semi fisheye lens. Edited with Avid Media Composer.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Hi Mark
A very nicely shot film. For a mini doc like this is a nice subject because it is just so photogenic. Your contributor was great and takes you through the piece well. The film is poignant, full of character and has great production value. An enjoyable watch...cheers!
Mat

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Great production values! Nice close up shots, lovely piece overall. I'd love to see more of the finished works too. Like the one where she was rolling the molted glass in some material, what did that end up looking like? Never thought about energy costs, and how that affects glass blowers. Interesting and educational.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

@ Dick Mays - The last shot with the credits is the final vase.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

I enjoyed the shots of her hand shaping the glass with the wet newspaper. Very cool!

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Wow. That was really beautiful. What was she rolling the glass in?

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Just emailed Siddy for the correct facts, this is her reply.

"The powders and "grits" are ground down coloured glasses, they are used to colour the piece. I buy the coloured glasses in from Germany or New Zealand. You can make your own but it is very time comsuming.
The coloured glass powders and grits will be coloured with various oxides and minerals. Roughly copper gives you green, cobalt gives you blue, selinium gives you red, etc etc but the colour manufacturers tweak them so that there are over 20 different transparent greens to play with and then another twenty or so opaque ones - same for blues etc."

Hope that was helpful. It would have been great if the comp was 10 or 15 minutes long, I would have been able to get so much more in.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Very nice cinematography, and an interesting story. Siddy was very good at taking us through the whole process, and it was interesting to hear at the end the need to consider fuel costs. When I was 12 I saw serious glass blowing and was so entranced me and my brother tried to build our own glass shop, which was a complete failure. But over the years I have always admired the work done at glass shops, and visited them whenever I can. You did a great job capturing the beauty and magic of glass blowing.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Mark,

Am so glad you did this! I was really hoping that at least one entry would highlight glass-blowing!

It was a very interesting piece and I was entranced until the end. Loved seeing the fire shots where she put in the glass. It made me want to see more.

The script was very well written and I enjoyed Siddy's voice. The one thing that was missing for me was a little bit of "off-the-cuff" interview. I could tell she was reading a script off-camera and it would have personalized it a little bit more if she didn't sound so read.

The audio capture was impressive!

Toni

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Wow, DVC has really improved in the quality department! This is a really well planned and executed piece. I found in very pleasing and informative. My only gripe is the one already mentioned here - the monologue seemed a bit too scripted. A few refreshing non-scripted remarks, I think, would have improved the experience even more.

Really setting a new standard this one is. :) /yoda voice

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

The production value you got out of your piece is great. The shots look wonderful, awesome color and Siddy did a great job. I had also toyed around momentarily with the thought of trying to make a similar documentary about the making of glass but decided against it -- and luckily so, as there isn't much room for improvement on what you pulled off.

The very subtle camera moments gave the film a nice pace and keeping everything smooth on a tripod defiantly made for a very professional feel. I'm glad your camera (and you) survived the hot temperatures of the shoot!

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Wow, Mark, what a beautiful piece. I have to agree with Toni and Andris about the scripted interview, but the shots all looked terrific. The composition of everything was lovely, and the colors were gorgeous. I hope one day some of my films can aspire to that kind of quality.

Did you shoot this all solo? If so, it is all the more impressive for it. Well done on surviving the heat, as well. We were shooting a documentary in community gardens under 90F sun last month, and the black plastic got so hot I was fearful of damaging the camera. A furnace like that must be just as bad, if not worse.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Great piece Mark. I had actually visited a small glass blowing and recycling workshop when I was investigating what story to make for my piece. In the end I decided against that story, which is just as well because I'm sure I couldn't have pulled off as nice a story as you did! I did buy some wine goblets and a carafe from that workshop, which I used at the end of my documentary though.

I reckon this is a very strong piece which is well rounded on every level (lighting, cinematography, audio, music), the interview is informative and interesting. So I can't fault this at all.

Excellent job, well done!

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Mr. Hartopp,

Let me just say wow!

Your film "Mini-Documentary" was beautiful! Sound was great, lighting was great, composition was great.

I really can't give you feedback you seem to have it all together and now after reading that is was just you I truly amazed!

I am not that into glass blowing, but I was entertained by your film and ever educated about the energy cost of the art.

Thank you

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

The script was kind of scripted to give a running order like this.

CUT TO: Shots of hot molten glass on rod, being blown.

CLOSE UP: Of glass glowing orange.

CUT TO: Siddy talks about the glory hole and why its use.

CUT TO: Glory hole.

I basically ask Siddy the question on the day of filming and said I have about 10 - 15 second to explain this section. Siddy came up with the dialog on the spot and we did 3-4 takes for every bit of dialog. So its kind of a rehearsed script on the spot. If I had more time to produce a longer film I would have filmed each stage in more detail. Good point and I see what you mean.

I don't think I would have got as much information crammed in, if I was "off-the-cuff".

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Like Dick, I also missed the connection that the final vase was the one she was working on. It's gorgeous! If footage was included showing the glass getting closer to that finished product, it might help the viewer understand the connection to the final shot. But that's being picky.

Also, one suggestion regarding interview footage: It is always nice to see people's eyes clearly in interviews. If the angle to Siddy's face was closer in line with the lens (not looking in directly, obviously, just a bit closer), and maybe a little more light on her eyes, the viewer could make a greater emotional connection with her and her story as she is speaking.

The spinning at 2:43 is a great shot!

I can't believe your camera didn't melt in that room.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Yep filmed all by myself. I film small minority action sports in my spare time like power kiting and mountain boarding. Filming action sports over a weekend soon teaches you how to film fast and in some case how to make something out of nothing, if the weather turns bad. Getting interviews out of people who are shy in front of a camera, you soon learn all the tricks to get the best out of them and make them look good on camera. It also teaches you not waste tape stock and think about editing while your shooting.

I totally recommend it to anyone to take on the challenge of making a 10 minute film about one of these sports.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Thanks for the comments, I've had to watch it again and agree with you.

I think my skin would have melted before the camera, there is about 3m between the furness and the chair she blows glass in. I am in between both of them. So hot and risky not to back into something that could burn.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Wow, truly a beautiful piece, Mark! The cinematography is stunning, the editing is fluid, and the piece overall is better than a lot of the stuff I see out there on those 'educational' channels on TV!

What I really admire, though, is how you were able to tell so much of Siddy's story in such a short amount of time without making it feel too long or too cramped. To me, it didn't feel too scripted at all. Your piece reminds me of the "mini-doc's" that I used to watch on Sesame Street, or Mister Rogers's Neighborhood, or Reading Rainbow when I was a kid. I'm quite fond of that kind of educational storytelling, and it seems that that quality is not as prevalent these days. So thanks for giving me that throwback, and again, wonderful work.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Very beautiful imagery, and a great documentary subject for a short project like this. Nice pick !!

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

What an awesome short documentary Mark! Lots of people have pointed out the many many great qualities of it, but I just want to add that I think it is so easy to watch and so informative. I really appreciate how fluidly the story moves through Siddy and her personal work to how glass blowing happens to its history and traditions! I think your story structure and editing of this documentary are excellent.

Also, I think the shot of Siddy wielding the long rod while being back lit from the window covered in Ivy is SO gorgeous (many shots were though).

One thought I have is that during some of Siddy's interview that she is rocking back and forth because I am guessing she is shaping a piece of glass. However, without a wide shot showing her talking AND working the glass, I don't know that for a fact. I think a wide interview shot would have worked really nice and put her movement into a very clear context, but I know you mentioned you had serious spatial challenges in the small studio, so maybe that wasn't a possibility! Just a thought!

Overall fantastic work, and I agree with Andris that the quality of work in the DVC is really getting stronger.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

@ Mitchell The shot of Siddy rocking back and forth, that's all see is doing. She was pretending to roll glass as talking, as I knew I'll be dropping in close-up of the molten glass being rolled. Glass cools very quickly and so not practical to do both.

@ Toni while most of the sound is real there was some dubbing done, mainly metal FX and these were done using a beef thick screw driver on my camera tripod plate, then a pit of pitch shifting in the software.

Re: DVC22 Tradition by Mark Hartopp
 

Now this comp is coming to an end. I would like to thank everyone who has commented on and viewed my short film. I can only say how friendly this forum as been. I will take note of all the advice and improve upon what I have done. Thank you.

I am totally amazed by the standard of work and the kind of cameras used. It just shows what is possible, if you are an individual, crew or even husband & wife with a limited budget, kit. You just need imagination and the will to get off the sofa and do it.

One last note - This has been more enjoyable watching everyone's films than going to the cinema.

Good luck everyone.