This week we were treated to a Factual Masterclass from Marcus Plowright, director of the powerful feature length documentary In Cold Blood, a part of ITV’s Exposure strand.
Marcus spoke to Directors UK Vice-Chair Anna Thomson about everything from working with contributors to soundtrack, from using archive footage to camera set-ups.
If you weren’t able to make the masterclass, you can catch up with all the live-tweets below.
We're so excited for tonight's member event! In Cold Blood: a factual masterclass with Marcus Plowright. Follow the hashtag #DUKColdBlood for our live-tweets of the conversation between @gdnightgdluck and @annathomson2! pic.twitter.com/ZSZcsncYss
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
Marcus: "When we made the film, we never thought it would have relevance in the way it does now...this was a huge disaster, yet no one seems to know about it" — In Cold Blood recounts the infection of thousands of patients with HIV and Hepatitis C positive blood #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
On why the event is less well known by the public, Marcus says: "I think it's because there was no specific moment when it happened — instead it took place over forty years. And there was no eye-catching visual element to it." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
Marcus: "My background isn't in current affairs — I like story, and applying the hero's journey to the material. It was clear that with the work of campaigner Jason Evans you had the structure of a quest." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
Marcus: "It took some convincing, saying the spine of the film is one guy in a room with eight tables and reams of paper...but once we looked at the story beats we knew it was engaging." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
After watching a powerful clip from the film, the conversation moves on to finding contributors. Marcus: "The public enquiry had its London leg of hearings — we went down there with our notepads and got talking to people, finding out their stories." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
"We made it very clear what we wanted to achieve the film — we wanted to tell the personal side of the story, but also delve into the detail. We also wanted to make sure we represented the doctors' perspective." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
"An important question you should always ask is: do people actually want to talk to us? We had to be very careful and aware that there were people who didn't wish to be identified, or have health statuses revealed." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
Marcus: "Sometimes I push back on self-shooting interviews, because it's so important to be fully engaged in your conversation with the contributor and building that relationship. You're also thinking about the pacing of the interview." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
Marcus: "When we started filming we cast a very wide net — and it was then a case of trimming things down. But we didn't want to trim things down in a way that didn't do justice to the material." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
On the soundtrack, Marcus says: "I hands down think music is one of the most important thing in documentaries. It can really help aid your storytelling and the flow of your film. I've only ever worked with the same composer, Alex Parsons." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
On the use of cameras, Marcus says for the scenes shot at home he would use 2 or 3, and in the studio he would always use 3. #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
On the use of archive clips, Marcus says "they were vital to the film — we relied on them heavily to tell the early stages of the story and reflect how much of a big deal this was in the 70s." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
On the emotional toll of making a film with such a serious subject, Marcus says that you have to maintain a distance as a documentarian — but it's still difficult. "It's the kind of project where you build up such a strong relationship with the contributors." #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
And that's a wrap! Thanks so much to Marcus Plowright and Anna Thomson for a fascinating conversation, and thanks to everyone who tuned in! #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
And that's a wrap! Thanks so much to Marcus Plowright and Anna Thomson for a fascinating conversation, and thanks to everyone who tuned in! #DUKColdBlood
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) October 15, 2020
