Our new treatment focuses more on Michael phoenix instead of the previous one which was about the bluecoat and the various artists who are there.
A documentary about Michael Phoenix maker, repairer and restorer of violins, cellos and bows Focussing on The Scouservarius Legacy Project which is the commissioning of the people of Liverpool to build ‘The Liverpool Quartet’ - two violins, a viola and cello. They will then be hired out for recording, performance and exhibition worldwide to generate funds to finance and support educational music projects throughout Merseyside for the next 400 years minimum.
Michael is the resident violin and bow maker at the Bluecoat, Liverpool’s creative hub. The Bluecoat houses a wealth of artists, working across a wide range of artistic disciplines, including painters, video and sound artists as well as fine artists, textilers and multi-media collaborators. Michael is unique amongst violin makers in that he keeps absolutely true to the style and techniques of the great Cremonese master, Antonio Stradivari (1644 - 1737). When making new instruments he uses no electricity whatsoever, working the wood merely with simple hand tools by natural daylight and at night by candlelight.
The documentary will feature interviews with Michael, asking what makes the Scouservarius so unique, a project he started himself without any funding in place, and how he feels that the people of Liverpool will benefit from having the project. We will look at the demand for Michael’s instruments and why he feels the project is so important. We will ask about the public response and discuss any funding difficulties the project may be experiencing in the hope that by raising awareness with the documentary, we may be able to assist in raising the profile of the project.
Given the unique nature of the project and Michael’s production methods w we intend to reflect this in our treatment of the footage during post production. We intend to use colour tones to further enhance the feeling of the film .We will begin with a brief history of the project utilising a small amount of archive footage from the projects launch. We plan not to use a traditional interview set up whilst speaking to Michael instead we will converse with him as we film him working at his studio. There will also be lots of close ups/ short depth of field shots of plenty of the instruments filmed on both a Canon XF100 and SLR. Audio will be a mixture of musical recordings on various instruments and played by Michael, alongside recordings of the tools as he works on crafting the instruments.
The project has been influenced by the documentary Of Time and the City directed by Terence Davies. We have taken inspiration from the beautiful archive footage used and the haunting soundtrack that accompanies the images. Michael is passionate about Liverpool and we feel that there is a similar passion found in Of Time and City. We intend the film to be accessible to all audiences however given the nature of the documentary it will appeal predominantly to those with an interest in the arts or music scene. The film will be used as to promote awareness of the Scouservarious Project.
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