Hey, welcome to our blog! We are a group of Heritage Studies students at the University of York, embarking on a brand new heritage field school project. Our task is to create a three minute video documenting the history of the archaeological site of Star Carr. Most excitingly, this video will be used in the new 'After the Ice' exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum, opening at the end of this month. We welcome any constructive feedback on our preliminary plans:
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| Our initial mind map planning for our film. |
Our film starts with a question: how did we go from a Yorkshire man walking his dog to the discovery of what is now a world-renowned Mesolithic site? Through the use of archives we plan to learn more about John Moore, the initial discoverer of the site. An amateur archaeologist, he noticed a piece of flint sticking out of a drainage ditch in a field near Scarborough. From this starting point, our film will trace the various excavations of the site, including the famous Grahame Clark excavations of 1949-1951, and its upcoming spotlight in a major museum exhibition. We will use a modern reconstructive illustration of the Mesolithic landscape of the site to highlight two key finds: Britain's oldest house and a worked wooden platform, the earliest evidence of carpentry in this country. Having informed the viewer of Star Carr's archaeological history, using interviews and archival materials, we will briefly explore the future of the site. Echoing our opening question, we will ask, 'It started with a Yorkshire man walking his dog; where's the end for Star Carr?'
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| Archival newspaper clipping from The Scarborough Evening News, 1947. It is the earliest record we have found so far which mentions John Moore. Source: The Star Carr digital archive, Scarborough paper archive, img184.jpg |
Traditional archaeological films rely heavily on 'talking head' interviews, but we want to create something more engaging, relational, and interesting to the general public without the archaeological jargon. To do this, we plan to focus our film on a hand-drawn timeline linking to images and interviews conveying information. As we encounter our key finds, we will examine their importance in the context of Star Carr and in the greater understanding of British prehistory. To enhance our preparation for this film, we have had fantastic access to experts in the field. We are fortunate to work with Yorkshire Museum professionals Natalie McCaul, the Curator of Archaeology, Martin Fell, the Digital Team Leader, and Gavin Repton, a documentary filmmaker. Yesterday, we met with these professionals to mind map ideas for our film. Natalie took us on a tour of the exhibit logistics, and Gavin gave us his experienced advice on our initial plans. Equally as exciting, we have access to archaeologists who have researched and written on the site: Professor Nicky Milner, Dr. Chantal Conneller, and Becky Knight, among possible others whose knowledge and personal experiences we can mine through interviews. Through Skype, we have received and will receive guidance and advice from filmmakers around the world. We are thrilled to have this opportunity and will make the most of all of our resources moving forward.
This is ace!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input!
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