ABERFAN DOCUMENTARY - PRODUCTION DIARY 07/02/2021
So I’m pretty deep into the pre-production stage now, research is pretty much finished, I think I have all the people I want to interview, all the archive material I need has been acquired. Now I’m just putting together all the shooting dates, making sure everything is okay with people’s schedules.
I also sent off some scripts today to some voice over artists to record some stuff for the intro of the documentary, I really wanted to use some real archive news reports from the time for the intro. But the audio from the ones I’ve been able to have access to is just unusable. So I’ve decided to go the route of getting some stuff recorded with voice over artists, the quality will be a lot better but I’m losing that sort of authenticity which I’m pretty gutted about.
Whilst getting the scripts together for the voice over, I did a lot of digging into some news reports that were broadcast in 1966. And one really touched me. The report is by Cliff Michelmore and was made for the BBC Current Affairs Programme, recorded on the day of the disaster on 21st October 1966. You can hear the agony in Michelmore’s voice, I can’t even imaging the weight on his shoulders having to broadcast such terrible news to the entire nation. But he also has such a powerful way with words, the report is almost poetic in ways. One line in particular really stuff with me.
“For years, of course, the miners have been used to having roll calls whenever there’s been a pit disaster. Today for the first time in history the roll call, was called in the street. It was the miner’s children.”
(Cliff Michelmore, BBC Current Affairs Programme, October 21st 1966)
But also during all this work I’m having a bit of a moral conflict within myself. I’ve done documentaries on some really tough subject matters, missing people, drug abuse, the list goes on. So I’m used to talking to people who have been through a lot. But my girlfriend’s grandmother lost two children in the disaster, and part of me would love to let her tell her story for the first time, especially now because people who lost children in the disaster are becoming fewer and fewer to come by. But I’m having this moral block in my head that’s finding it difficult to justify putting a camera in someone’s face and asking them to talk about their dead children, especially someone I care so much about like my girlfriend’s grandmother. I know she’d do it if I asked, and I know it would be incredible to hear her story told in full for the first time. But I just have this moral obstruction in my head.
I’m super happy with the progress I’m making on this one, everyone has been so helpful so far. I can't wait to show everyone the outcome of this project when it’s finished.
