BBC Fresh Profile: Ollie Bradley-Baker and Max Tillotson Home
Ollie Bradley-Baker and Max Tillotson Home took to the water for their short film.
Filmmakers Ollie Bradley-Baker (on the right of the photo) and Max Tillotson-Home made a film about their passion for windsurfing at West Kirby on the Wirral. They used a waterproof lightweight camera and DSLR to get a combination of shots from the water and the shore.
How/why did you get started in documentary film-making?
Ollie: This was our first documentary film. The motivation for getting into documentary film making was the subject of the film. I wanted to show West Kirby as a windsurfing spot, we could have used photography, a show or some other way but I chose film to be the best way to show it.
Max: The competition gave myself and Ollie the opportunity to form a well developed documentary, based around a subject we both loved.
Why did you pick this subject for Fresh?
Ollie: It was a topic that I really cared about, I have been windsurfing 10 years now and I felt I owed a lot to the place I live and the conditions we get here.
Max: The main intention was to show our audiences our town and our passions in a realistic and involving way.
What motivated you to make this film?
Ollie: Again my love for the sport and spot, but also I wanted to visualise in video the recognition West Kirby has already gained in writing.
Max: The film would allow us to show our passion, as well as give a realistic representation of our hometown, in a fun and exciting way. The opportunity to show our work too was a great way to motivate us to create a professional standard documentary film.
What camera did you use to shoot your film?
Ollie: Go Pro Hero for the action shots.
Max: From the shore, we used a Nikon D5000 with a Nikkor 18-55mm and a 70-300mm lens set.
Who/what inspires you?
Ollie: The German filmmaker Andre Paskowski greatly inspired our film. He was one of the earlies windsurfers to try and capture the speed and skill in the sport with film. As well as this I have been windsurfing 10 years in west Kirby and believe it should have more recognition of being one of the best windsurf spots, not only the UK, but the world. Multiple professional windsurfers have rated the spot but it has rarely been used for any kind of competition or showcasing.
Max: All aspects of film inspire me, I find it a great contemporary form of art, that is so easily understood and shared across all audiences.
What are your plans for the future?
Ollie: My plans for the immediate future are to continue making shorts, narrative as well as documentary, that showcase sports as well as my local area. My longer term plans are to study fine art at university and continue making films.
Max: Next year I will be attending a Foundation Course in Art, Design and Photography, which will allow me to develop my own personal style through film, animation and photography. I intend on proceeding onto university, although I would be just as happy finding a job involving film or photography!
What is the most important thing you have learned so far?
Ollie: Using all the resources you have. At the time we made this video, I had only a Go-Pro camera. So I decided to make a film I was passionate about but also would make best use of the equipment I had. As well as this I chose to collaborate with Max, who owns an SLR.
Max: I have learnt to make my work appealing to a wide audience, but at the same time create work that I enjoy creating myself.
