Assignment 5 - a project brief

HOT WALLS  PHOTO ASSIGNMENT

HotWalls  is a development project to transform largely–disused arches in the Hot Walls  area of Old Portsmouth. The Hotwalls, as the arches are known, were used as artillery barracks and soldiers quarters in the 1850s. The site has a real sense of place and communal heritage with real potential for redefining the area as a public space and cultural destination.

However, the proposal to convert the arches into active use i.e. studios and a ‘brasserie’ type offer has not been met with favour  by some local residents who have vehemently argued the need to respect the history of the structure. 

OBJECTIVE

To create a portfolio of images to:

• capture the historic distinctiveness of the HotWalls area 
• demonstrate the range of creative industries, businesses and activities  that could be sensitively accommodated within the arches 

      To use these images to help achieve:

• A better understanding amongst the local community of what the projected transformation could achieve for the area, its residents and visitors
• An insight of what the space can offer those working in the creative industries who are looking locally for usable and affordable space to rent.

           What do we want people to feel when looking at these images?

• Reassurance that the history of the HotWalls can be respected by the proposed transformation
• Interest and a desire to know more about the studio space and how it can be used

What do we want people to do after seeing the images?

• Follow the project’s blog
• Ask for more information
• Ask to be kept informed of progress
• Express interest in using the space

Photos will be promoted via :

•  A print campaign
• Online through the project’s website/ social media

FORMAT

• JPEG / print 

      CREATIVE BRIEF 

•  Full colour images

• A good range of different creative activities undertaken inside converted arches  showing:

•  creative activity

•  interaction with members of the public

• café ‘culture’ – people eating / drinking with an arch environment

• Shooting angles- different angles as appropriate to tease out the use of space and place and offer visual variety

• Background - some images to have a clean background to accommodate text / logo

• Sense of place – image(s) of the proposed transformation site expressing a sense of place and history

LOCATIONS

Outdoor

• HotWalls, Old Portsmouth
• Existing sites such as Arches Studios ( Southampton )
• Feed Café, The Hard, Portsmouth
• Brighton Seafront arches ( due for temporary closure October 2015)

Interiors

• HotWalls
• Bastion studios, Hilsea Lines, Portsmouth
• Feed Café, The Hard, Portsmouth
• Arches Studios ( Southampton )
• Brighton Seafront arches 

SHOOTING DATE AND TIMES

October – November 2015

FINAL PHOTOS DELIVERY 

Number: 8-12 ‘best’ photos

Final photos to be delivered on line and via post on November 27 2015

Assignment 5 : People and Place on assignment

The subject for my final assignment is my choice as long as the subject  is one from this course. 

Hilsea lido
For  a while I toyed with the idea of basing my assignment on the Hilsea Lido, a fresh water lido at Hilsea in Portsmouth. It was opened on 24 July 1935; closed to the public during World War 2 but reopened afterwards. In 1974 the Lido was used as the set for Bernie’s Holiday Camp scene in the film ‘Tommy’ but in 2006 Portsmouth City Council abandoned plans for refurbishing the pool. However, a residents’ campaign led to the establishment of a management trust and registered charity. In 2010 the trust  acquired the lido on a 99 year lease from Portsmouth City Council and the pool reopened in July 2014. It  remains a community project with the community being  encouraged to get involved. 

So why the Lido? It has a very loyal team of volunteers who work incredibly hard (in all weathers) to help maintain and improve the site, plan and prepare for the future, provide operational support and keep the project on track. And I had in mind to follow the volunteers over a period of weeks to capture their work and enjoyment from volunteering. 

The brief would be to take some good quality images that would be used to recruit volunteers through the HLLP Facebook page. I know the HLLP Chair  and I popped down to the Lido to talk over the idea. She was OK with the project and liked my offer of having some of  images from the assignment that they could use on their website. But further discussion made me have second thoughts. This was primarily due to the timescale that I would need to work within for this assignment. It became apparent that the various tasks that the volunteers undertake are not programmed as such but very dependent on what donations of money or materials or offers of practical help come in over time. It looked as if I would need more than a couple of months to capture a good range of activities. Also some offers of help come from organisations where their 'workforce' may not be willing to have their photo taken.

I still think the idea is a good one but I would need a much longer timescale than is feasible for this assignment. So HLLP is on the back burner for now...

HotWalls
So moving on and looking for a local 'commission' where I meet the timescale for this last part of my course and have a good opportunity for images, I have decided on the HotWalls area of old Portsmouth, inspired by the current ARTches project designed to transform this area of the city. Work starts on the project to construct 13 artist studios in the HotWalls arches this autumn. The idea has been very controversial with public consultation and reactionpro and against being covered in the local press. I've only ever seen plans and an artist impressions of what the area might look like.

My idea is a brief to come up with images to both reassure the local residents and attract interest from potential 'renters' of studio space. The images I have in mind will allow me to draw on different parts of this course to create 8-12 final good quality images working to this brief.

I've now carried a desktop search of how to draw up creative briefs for photography assignments and my brief for this assignment  will draw on what I've learnt from this research.