Heather Davies

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to appear on the BBC’s College of Production podcast. You can listen to the audio here:

BBC College of Production Podcast

‘Archive’: a time-consuming nightmare to source, or a quick fix for hurried producers?

Denise Roach talks to radio producer Heather Davies, freelance producer and director Nico Wasserman and senior researcher Amanda Kear about the varied and often challenging world of using archive in your production.

For many programme makers and viewers, the word ‘archive’ conjures up images of flickering black and white footage and grainy recordings dug up in a dusty library. But good archive can come from many sources and offer productions a rich and immersive window onto the past as well as giving contemporary stories a new perspective.

So where do researchers and producers start? Where do you find the best archive, and how should you use audio, film and print archive to tell your story without falling foul of those well-worn and dreaded rights traps.

The panel begin by looking at the briefing process, and how the brief will shape not just how the story develops but will influence the techniques they will use to source archive. They examine how different productions with different budgets can use a variety of sources, including personal archive, with great effect. They also provide their tips on how producers and researchers can keep a track of archive, and not just the essential and often problematic elements around usage and rights. Often, recording your emotional response to an item can help make sure it is used more creatively in your production. They end by talking about innovative use of archive, and give examples of producers and directors who have made bold choices with archive to create memorable radio and TV.