Neve Cunningham
Director of Photography
Kings of Construction - Gotthard Tunnel
60' Full Credit - Wag TV for Discovery Networks
This film focuses on the people constructing the longest rail tunnel in the world, the Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland. Four main characters explain the processes and problems of deep tunnelling in on-site interviews which are backed up with graphics and actuality. Most of the film was shot in the tunnels but time was limited and the conditions were extreme (dark, hot, humid, noisy and hazardous) so swift work was essential to capture this fantastic, teeming underworld. I wrote the initial draft of the script and started off the edit before moving on to a prior commitment.
To the Manor Bowen
2 x 60' Full Credit - Fresh One Productions for Living TV
Very much in the classic 'fly-on-the-wall' style, this series followed Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and his family as they moved from town to country. Very little was set up or engineered, we would turn up at their house, hang around for long periods and film anything interesting that happened in as unobtrusive a way as possible, occasionally asking questions from behind the camera. Naturally, filming a family in their own house required a great deal of sensitivity, patience and trust but the access that resulted allowed for some very engaging and emotional scenes. I wrote the scripts and cut the programmes with an editor.
Trailblazers - Mongolia
60' Full Credit - Transatlantic Films for Discovery Networks
I followed Nick Danziger as he travelled across Outer Mongolia, filming his encounters along the way as and when they happened in a very pure observational style. This approach required great flexibility and adaptability as each day was largely unplanned and very little was actually set up. In post-production I wrote the script, cut the film with an editor and saw it through to completion.
Guyana: Trouble in Paradise
Part of 6 x 60' - Diverse World for BBC4
I shot an entire section about the Jonestown Massacre, an interview with a pilot in the cockpit of a small aeroplane as we flew over the site (he was one of the first people to witness the scene), interviews with local people who recall the settlement, an interview with the minister of tourism and a tour of what remains of Jonestown including shots of the rusting cauldron that contained the cyanide. Another time, I spent a day filming in the main prison in Georgetown conducting interviews with many of the inmates, murderers amongst them, as well as the governor who re-lived the day of the big break-out a few years previous.
Boyle Family
Part of 30' - Surface Films for BBC Scotland
An intimate study of a family who work together as artists, I shot and directed a large section of this film on Barra in the Outer Hebrides. In one scene in the back of a Land Rover the daughter confronts her father about they way that he she had been raised in a highly charged confrontation.
How Do They Do It ? - 2
Part of 12 x 30' Wag TV for Discovery UK
Series looking at how everyday objects are manufactured and how they work. For the segment about logging machines in Finland I was responsible for filming and directing interviews, process shots and demonstrations.
Drowned Out
Part of 75' - Spanner Films Ltd for PBS
Hundreds of thousands of people are being displaced by a massive dam building project in Northwest India and this documentary shows the struggle of those affected as they fight for their land and livelihoods. My contribution was a walking /talking interview with Arundhati Roy, the renowned author, as well as several other background scenes in Delhi.
The Wedding
Part of 60' - Ginger TV for ITV
For this primetime programme I spent 3 days shadowing the every move of one of the participants, as well as doing lengthy, probing interviews. The result was a very intimate character portrait. I directed, shot and recorded sound.