Handmade for BBC Four

Event Description Michael Ruh, Jim Steele and Owen Bush join filmmaker Ian Denyer in conversation about Handmade, last year's acclaimed series for BBC4 recording in minute detail the processes by which they, and others hand-produce objects of utility and beauty. Each half-hour film shows the creation by hand of one object: a Windsor chair, a kitchen knife, a glass jug, and a willow log-basket. Filmmaker Ian Denyer introduces each film with a conversation with one of the featured makers. 15.30 Owen Bush, Michael Ruh & Ian Denyer talk about their work and the film 16.00 Michael Ruh & Owen Bush films shown 17.00 Jim Steele & Ian Denyer talk about their work and the film 17.30 Jim Steele & Hilary Burns’ films shown The challenge of the series was to break down complex sequences of movements in such a way that even with the telescoping of actual time, viewers would still be shown an accurate record of the processes involved. Without music or explanatory voice-over, it was an uneasy decision for the broadcaster, to see if the audience would stay. The creators patiently enacted their sequences, and in some cases, by showing them to outsiders, found a new appreciation of actions performed almost sub-consciously: the twist of a spoke-shave, the reading of temperature change by eye and ear, the lighting-fast kinking of a willow wand. The series was not, however, primarily about the art of making. It was about the beauty inherent in process. With several days to record multiple passes at the same task you can see objects grow, acquire weight and dimension. While much of modern television is concerned with rapid cuts and flying cameras, these programmes return to the rudiments of the programme-maker’s craft: the carefully composed image, the unmoving frame to which the action comes and leaves, the long-held shot. Voted one of The Guardian's top 50 TV shows last year, Handmade's celebration of traditional crafts, shown as part of BBC Four's Go Slow season, proved a big hit with viewers. Without music or explanatory voice-over, the creators patiently enacted their craft techniques: the twist of a spoke-shave, the reading of temperature change by eye and ear, the lighting-fast kinking of a willow wand. The series was not just about the art of making. It was about the beauty inherent in process. With several days to record multiple versions of the same task you can see objects grow, acquire weight and dimension. While much of modern television is concerned with rapid cuts and flying cameras, these programmes return to the rudiments of the programme-maker’s craft: the carefully composed image, the unmoving frame to which the action comes and leaves, the long-held shot.