Welcome to our archive diary blog. As you may have guessed Neil’s archive has a range of different archival objects including negatives, magazines, books, equipment and more. So managing the archive is very interesting as you come across a different item with a fascinating story every day!
Archives and Film
(Photo credit: Rogan Productions)
A large part of our work is working with archivists, editors and producers who are interested in images for film and television projects. This type of request is very common for many archives. We get requests from a range of production companies who are searching for images to help tell untold stories or visualise an event. It makes you think how valuable photographs can be from a historical and artistic perspective.
An example of this is the BBC documentary titled Black Power: A British Story of Resistance, which was produced in 2021 featuring some of Neil’s images. We were approached by film director George Amponsah who was looking for images that gave an insight into the work of the British Black Panther movement. The documentary included a series of interviews and visual clips as well as guest appearances by Neil, photographer Charlie Phillips and other members of the black power movement.
The Importance of Documenting Our History
Documentaries such as Black Power reflect the importance of archive image materials and how they help set the scene in film. Without this type of content, we really wouldn’t be able to see and understand what life was like in the UK for black people in the 60s and 70s. Without the work of the photographers, we would not have rich and thought-provoking TV and films.
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