A fellrunning documentary?

[Graham Breeze]

As someone who makes films professionally and is a modest runner, it doesn't surprise me that this idea has received such short shrift.

But those posters who have turned up their noses at the idea sound too much like Richard Feynman when he said that philosophy of science is as much use to scientists as ornithology is to birds. Well, birds may have no use for ornithology, but that clearly doesn't mean it is useless in itself.

So it follows that a film about fell running could well have an appeal to an audience well beyond those who take part in the sport.

It should also be said that there are so many different things that a film can be, and that it's foolish to be dismissive of the idea without seeing a proper outline proposal or treatment, or reference material. A film is an artefact in itself and should be seen as such rather than as a poor relation to any actual experience that it represents.

(Experience tell me to anticipate gruff responses...!)

Wake up Leacock-Mayles-Pennebaker-Grierson-Flaherty: your time has come!

“23 Days in July”, “ Pour Un Maillot Jaune”: of course an interesting film can be made about fellrunning.


Maybe it will be the forthcoming FITC film but the Yorkshire TV Programme (actually an independent production) on the 50th Three Peaks Race wasn’t bad and this was at least the third significant film about this one race.

There is no subject on earth that cannot be made interesting if you apply imagination and funds (and the credits of the aforementioned YTV film illustrated how much that cost with teams of cameramen and helicopters everywhere) but it all comes down to the cost/audience ratio.

Documentaries cost a great deal of money compared to cookery/auction/house move programmes and making documentaries for the cinema is a fast route to bankruptcy (these days).

"The Bedlamites” Quosh film is excellent (declaration of interest: I appear in it), was supported by the fellrunning community and its larger audience is probably that community. Were it to appear on television it could only attract viewers to try fell running (the unimpressed would not, but they are not fellrunners anyway so it’s win –win). The Quosh team with more money (the imagination and technique they already have) could do even better.

Now whether or not the fellrunning community wishes to increase the number of fellrunners is, I suggest, for debate. On the one hand some people think the more fell runners the better but on the other hand I receive complaints from runners who cannot enter races because they are full because there are now so many fell runners.

Go figure.

But whatever the FRA, or the fellrunning community (a trite expression, but never mind) thinks, if a producer can get the funds for what he promises the money men will be the next Touching the Void it will happen.

But by then Championship races might be restricted to elite runners by invitation only so I will not receive any more complaints from disgruntled runners anyway.

[shaunaneto]

As someone who makes films professionally and is a modest runner, it doesn't surprise me that this idea has received such short shrift.

But those posters who have turned up their noses at the idea sound too much like Richard Feynman when he said that philosophy of science is as much use to scientists as ornithology is to birds. Well, birds may have no use for ornithology, but that clearly doesn't mean it is useless in itself.

So it follows that a film about fell running could well have an appeal to an audience well beyond those who take part in the sport.

It should also be said that there are so many different things that a film can be, and that it's foolish to be dismissive of the idea without seeing a proper outline proposal or treatment, or reference material. A film is an artefact in itself and should be seen as such rather than as a poor relation to any actual experience that it represents.

(Experience tell me to anticipate gruff responses...!)

Im not so sure the issue is that the film/docu wouldn't be any good. It seems the bigger concern is that some may not want Fell Running to be on the radar at all other than to those that go out an find it.

[ZootHornRollo]

Im not so sure the issue is that the film/docu wouldn't be any good. It seems the bigger concern is that some may not want Fell Running to be on the radar at all other than to those that go out an find it.

yes

so a good analogy might be Feet in the Clouds. Some people presumably wish, that even though it's a very good book, that it hadn't been written, for those reasons?