Kent in film

Why am I making the film?

I have always been fascinated by the history and the stories behind places and knowing little pieces of information about places that not many people know.

Herne bay

It wasn't until I looked at old photographs of Herne Bay that it started me thinking about the stories behind the town I lived in. From the way the seafront looked to the fact they tested the bouncing bomb just a few miles away. Just researching this video I am uncovering pieces of information that surprise me and that I would never have thought was the case.

I'm also interested in places like the sea forts and the wind farm. You can see the sea forts from the beach as small dots on the horizon but its not till you get up close do you start realising that they were put there to protect us and people lived in there for months and 60 years on they are still there. No longer required for our country's protection but as an imposing memorial to the war, and the fact they were never needed for the reason they were built, just a pretty effective deterrent.

About the film

I want the film to be educational, enjoyable and interesting. Covering topics from the early development of the town and smuggling to the Victorian heyday including the clock tower, which is believed to be the oldest free standing clock tower in the world and right up to the present day with the additions of the wind farm and the future of the town as we see it today.

Sea forts by Josh White

I'm not trying to make a political film into why the town is the way it is today or whose to blame for the various problems people believe exist within the town. Its purely a enjoyable, educational film about a town that many people have lived in and that has changed over the years.

I am already in touch with the Herne Bay Pier Trust and the council who have been very supportive in my research and I am still looking for people who may have old photographs or cine film and even stories from Herne Bay as people remember it. The more information we can collect from people the better.

About Josh White

I was born in Portsmouth but moved to Kent when I was too young to remember. After living in Sturry for a spell we moved to Herne Bay where I have lived ever since. I've always loved films and TV and I found a career path that led me to the Film, Radio and TV course at Christ Church University. I graduated in 2007 and have established myself as a freelance cameraman and film-maker.

I have filmed a variety of things from Tom Jones and McFly concerts to drama adaptations of a children's book and corporate videos. Although the documentary is a very personal project to me, I am hoping it and my corporate work will be a foundation for future personal and commissioned projects.