Film maker reveals what judges saw
This short video was part of Norwich’s bid to become the UK City of Culture 2013. It was created by a 20 year old producer, who runs his own media company. Martin Watters explains how they hoped to impress the judges.
Having worked within the local media for the past 5 years, Martin Watters was approached by the city council to put together this film. What they wanted was a narrative which would surprise the judges in Liverpool who were considering bids from Norwich and 3 other cities – Sheffield, Derry and Birmingham – to become the UK City of Culture 2013.
The end product took 52 hours to make. As the judges weren’t visiting the city themselves, he needed to capture what Norwich has to offer, beyond the cliches of the cathedral and the castle.
Most of the footage was provided by local organisations who wanted to help the bid such as The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, the Theatre Royal, Open, and Future Radio. Martin Watters said: “A huge amount of people were really keen to help with the bid. We had to create some sort of narrative for Norwich that would surprise people from the start.”
They steered away from heavy voice overs, opting for music instead. Martin Watters says he trawled for days to find the right piece, hoping initially to find a local band, but opting for the upbeat carnival sound from the Young Blood Brass Band.
If you watch closely you can catch a glimpse of what will be the city’s opening event, if Norwich is successful in its bid; a lantern is lit at the top of Ketts Hill which is then released across the city.
The message on screen subtely changes as the film plays, from Norwich being a candidate in the competition, to Norwich being the City of Culture 2013. A decision on who has won is expected by mid July.
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