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Filming for "slow craft" tv show with BBC 4


owen bush

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Over the past month I have been filming the making of a twisted damascus kitchen knife for a TV show that will probably be called "Crafted".

The film crew spent 4 days with me and documented the making of a twisted damascus kitchen knife from start to finish.

The premise of the show is to follow the making of an object without any presenters or voiceover........to let the process speak for its self.

Its not a show and tell as such and at 30 mins it will be challenging watching for a lot of people....I have high hopes for it. BBC4 are able to make programs for a smaller demographic (half a million viewers or less) so not aimed at the x factor crowd.

 

camera crew setting up for an over the shoulder hammering shot.

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the process and workshop tools will be the real stars, lots of long lingering shots through machenery . These shots are "dirty foreground" shots.... i100 years into its career my kingshorn hammer is discovered....

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They took the sound very seriously with two directional microphones and two mounted on me , one on my foot!!

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it was a good 4 days and I hope they "Get it" , I think they do. It was satisfying hearing both camera and sound making "whooor" blokey grunts of satisfaction with captured sights and sounds.

Here is what I made. 14 layer twisted knife.

15351713014_099cbaf036_c.jpg

 

 

The show should be aired some time next year.

forging soul in to steel

 

owenbush.co.uk

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Cool Owen! Sounds like you've got probably a better audience across the pond than we do here. People here aren't at all interested in the process of making, they want to see drama on a TV show, sad really. It's awesome to see you getting so much press lately, congrats on showing the world how a true craftsman does his trade!

 

Zeb

 

 

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This sounds good, look forward to seeing it. BTW do you ever get the offer of a copy of the shows you do or have you ever thought about asking for it when doing the work? It would be god for yourself to have and it would allow you to show it to those who dont have the option of watching it directly.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sounds wonderful; I'll watch eagerly if I can find it! Beautiful knife, too...

 

Sadly I agree with Zeb and Alan; "reality" shows without loads of arguing and fake drama don't seem to fly well in the US :blink:

My hand-forged knives and tools at Etsy.com: http://www.etsy.com/shop/oldschooltools

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I too would love to watch an experienced smith do his magic like that. I do think that a 30 minute time slot would be far too short for something like that. Why can't we Americans as a whole be more interested in more informative entertainment instead of all the 'reality tv' and the violence and other bs.

Michael Cochran

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to let the process speak for its self

 

I love that idea, Lets watch a master do there craft rather then hear someone build drama by saying " one wrong hammer blow and the whole knife ruined..."

 

Hope it make it online or over here somehow.

-Michael Lenaghan

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This is precisely what the world needs more of. I really love the idea of no presenters, and allow the art found in the process of creation speak for itself. I'm imagining a 30min version of the film your brother produced a while back. Even if it winds up being half as good, it will still be well worth watching!

 

John

Not all those who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

-Shards of the Dark Age- my blog
-Nine Worlds Workshop-
-Last Apocalypse Forge-

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That is one Show that I would lobe to see shown on BBC America here in the States . it would beat out the "Big Swords Joke Show " that they plan on showing this year .

Robert D. Yates , 13 & On Forge

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  • 3 months later...

The BBC4 tv show HandMade will be showing next Monday the 4th of may. At 9 .00 there will be Handmade " glass" and at 9.30 Handmade "metal" . The Metal,show is half a hour of myself forging a knife. Three is also Handmade "wood" the day after .

 

The show is part of a slow TV movement and is a honest portrayal of a craftsman working. I'll post a link to the BBC 4 website as there should be interviews etc up there soon.

 

9.30 May 4 th.......Handmade : Metal

forging soul in to steel

 

owenbush.co.uk

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Might be just me, or this side of the pond, but the media players is having issues... Anyone else stateside get the preview to work? Would love to see it

Not all those who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

-Shards of the Dark Age- my blog
-Nine Worlds Workshop-
-Last Apocalypse Forge-

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This is such a great concept.

 

Unfortunately, I don't believe it would ever work in the US. American attention spans are becoming shorter with every year. I watch my 14 year old daughter and her friends and they flick from one thing to another on their phones every 3-4 seconds. Their conversations skip from topic to topic without reflection (of course some of that is just being 14).

 

Congrats on getting such a good gig, Owen. I can't think of anything better to promote our craft than simply letting an audience watch a master like yourself do what he loves in the forge.

 

Cheers my friend.

 

Dave

-----------------------------------------------

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelt

http://stephensforge.com

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Thanks for the link, Owen. It is great to see the craft represented in such a way that the art nested in its process can be seen for what it really is.

Not all those who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

-Shards of the Dark Age- my blog
-Nine Worlds Workshop-
-Last Apocalypse Forge-

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Thanks y'all.

It has been quite a terrific 24 hours, crashed website due to traffic overload and orders and class bookings and good wishes.

 

I do believe people here get it!.....WOW.

forging soul in to steel

 

owenbush.co.uk

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Thanks for the YouTube link. I cringed when you drug that bottle at the beginning. They made it look like you only work on one piece at a time, which I totally get, but I'm sure you don't really do in practice. Did you indeed work on just this one piece while they were filming though? A smith with only one iron in the fire seems... odd. I was also amazed by your lack of hurry at the 10:20 mark (the twisting). I always feel so rushed to get it done while I still have heat. Your calm, steady pace is inspiring.

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