Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the documentary form. The film premiered at this years sundance film festival. Jun 29, 2016 a feature documentary following a mans efforts to understand and come to terms with his steadily deteriorating eyesight. Into darkness, an immersive virtual reality project. Notes on blindness, a virtual reality journey into the. Notes on blindness, a virtual reality journey into the world. Based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness. John hulls original audio recordings form also the basis of this project, a sixpart interactive documentary using new forms of storytelling, gameplay.
In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian john hull became totally blind. Over three years he recorded in excess of sixteen hours of material. In addition to a being packaged with a virtual reality experience at selected theaters, notes on blindness is being released in formats for blind. Notes on blindness is a british documentary feature film that launched to critical acclaim at the sundance film festival and is based on the audio diaries of theologian john hull. Their opdoc notes on blindness is an official selection of the 2014 sundance film festival. Jul 11, 2016 now, 26 years after the publication of touching the rock, filmmakers peter middleton and james spinney have brought professor hulls story to a worldwide audience, via the awardwinning feature film notes on blindness. The spine of the film the first feature directed by peter middleton. As memories of the faces of his wife and daughter fade, so photographs remain weirdly vivid, their browning hues echoed by the palette of the film. While the feature film is marked by its lush, expressive cinematography, the vr project is an attempt to navigate the experience of blindness. This clip won best short at toronto hot docs festival, april 20.
Alongside the feature, middleton and spinney also unveiled notes on blindness. The film does more than simply tell an interesting true story which the filmmakers stumbled upon. John hull, whose writings were praised by oliver sacks, shares what it feels like to lose his sight in peter middleton and james spinneys doc, notes on blindness. Adventurous and intimate and unworried by the wall dividing fiction and nonfiction, peter middletons and james spinneys debut, notes on blindness, is a wondrous film, a thing of magic and a. The app was created and produced by arte france, ex nihilo, audiogaming and archer. In a medium that heavily depends on visuality to generate meaning, this captivating hybrid docufiction attempts to render the experience of blindness. In english oliver sacks, the great neurologist, wrote that john hulls memoir, on sight and insight. Notes on blindness is a feature film and multiplatform interactive project based on the audio diaries of writer and academic john hull, who after decades. Nov 25, 2016 the film premiered at this years sundance film festival.
In their shortturned feature documentary notes on blindness, british directors peter middleton pictured below, right and james spinney left offer some answers through an intimate group of. They have previously adapted the audio journals of john hull into a series of awardwinning shorts. Jan 16, 2014 their opdoc notes on blindness is an official selection of the 2014 sundance film festival. The notes on blindness series is the first time johns original audio recordings have been heard in public. Peter middleton and james spinney have codirected awardwinning fiction films and documentaries that include rainfall, winner of the 20 best short. Hulls memoir, subtly evokes sightlessness with figures in silhouette.
Filmography notes on blindness 2016 producers mike brett, jojo ellison, steve jamison, peter middleton, james spinney, alex usborne. Nov 16, 2016 notes on blindness, a documentary based on the theologian john m. Dec 14, 2016 notes on blindness is the first feature film to debut a companion vr experience alongside it. Thats because the story was bigger than either medium alone.
They specialise in the representation of disabled and disadvantaged talent, both on screen and behind the camera. Jul 01, 2016 directed by peter middleton, james spinney. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the. The film premiered at the sundance film festival in january, and opened in theaters throughout the united kingdom on july 1. Into darkness, an immersive virtual reality vr project based on johns sensory and psychological experience of blindness the interactive experience complements the story world of the feature film. Apr 22, 2019 baftanominated filmmakers peter middleton and james spinney notes on blindness have wrapped principal photography on their sophomore feature length documentary, chasing chaplin working title. Into darkness is an immersive virtual reality vr project based on john hulls sensory and psychological experience of blindness released alongside the feature film john hulls original audio recordings form also the basis of this project, a sixpart interactive documentary using new forms of storytelling, gameplay mechanics and virtual reality to explore his.
To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Based on the 16 hours of audiodiary that hull recorded over three years to document his perception of the world after losing his sight, the interactive film explores memories, moments and. After being told he would lose his sight in 1983, john hull knew if he did not try to. Notes on blindness, peter middleton and james spinney. The interactive experience complements the story world of the feature. Some of which was shot on the historic university campus in edgbaston. Oct 26, 2016 alongside the premiere of the feature film, sundance 2016 saw the unveiling of notes on blindness. Mike brett of uk outfit archers mark, a producer on notes on blindness, will produce chaplin with ben limberg of smaller biggie and john battsek of passion. Notes on blindness codirectors peter middleton and james spinney are teaming up again for chaplin working title, a feature documentary about one of cinemas most iconic individuals. Following their emmy awardwinning short film by the same name, the feature length film uses hulls original audio recordings coupled with. But what if that world is drowned in pitchblack darkness. A touching and insightful film, notes on blindness provides a personal. After being told he would lose his sight in 1983, john hull knew if he did not try to understand blindness it would destroy him.
Having lost his sight in 1983, just before the birth of his son, theologian john hull began recording his experiences of blindness on a tape recorder. Notes on blindness is a delicate portrait of theologian john hull and his reflections upon his adultonset blindness. Now, 26 years after the publication of touching the rock, filmmakers peter middleton and james spinney have brought professor hulls story to a worldwide audience, via the awardwinning feature film notes on blindness. A journey into the world of blindness is the most extraordinary, precise, deep and beautiful account of blindness i have ever read.
Notes on blindness cleveland international film festival. Part 1 of an ongoing documentary project im working on. The feature film received its world premiere at the sundance film festival new frontiers section, where it played alongside a companion virtual reality experience, notes on blindness. Encompassing dreams, memory and his imaginative life, the films take a creative approach tot he documentary form, excavating the interior world of blindness. Lipsyncing his voice from the tapes to reenacted scenes of his daytoday life and staging the vivid dreams he began to have, the filmmakers have created an absorbing documentary that explores a. Jun 29, 2016 the tapes, along with interviews with john and his wife marilyn, make up notes on blindness, first a short produced for the new york times, now the debut documentary feature from directors james. Following on from the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, notes on blindness is an ambitious and groundbreaking work, both affecting and innovative and one of the most essential british documentaries of the year. Notes on blindness is a feature film and multiplatform interactive project based on the audio diaries of writer and academic john hull, who after decades of steady deterioration became totally blind in 1983. Baftanominated filmmakers peter middleton and james spinney notes on blindness have wrapped principal photography on their sophomore feature.
Notes on blindness is a multiplatform project encompassing a feature length documentary, interactive project and outreach campaign. Rainfall at hot docs in 20, the film evolved into a 12minute short with the help of new york times op docs one year later. Notes on blindness, a feature length adaptation of its makers previous sff short film effort notes on blindness. Update please have a look at the trailer for the multiaward winning feature film notes on blindness completed 2016, also available here, for which i won a golden frog for cinematography at the prestigious camerimage festival, 2016. Alongside the premiere of the feature film, sundance 2016 saw the unveiling of notes on blindness.
This was followed in 2014 by the emmy awardwinning short, also entitled notes on blindness, which screened at sundance film festival and won best documentary at encounters short film and animation festival. Jun 23, 2016 the feature film and the vr project are designed as standalone but complimentary productions that hope to enhance and deepen the audiences understanding of johns life and experience of blindness. He knew that if he didnt try to understand his blindness it would destroy him. Jun 27, 2016 notes on blindness, a feature length adaptation of its makers previous sff short film effort notes on blindness. Notes on blindness is a 2016 british documentary film directed by peter middleton and james spinney. The notes on blindness vr app was introduced alongside the feature films premiere at the sundance film festival. Hull, who became totally blind after decades of steadily deteriorating vision. The multiawarded narrative vr experience is now available on oculus quest. While the film has poignant moments, it is ultimately less than the sum of its parts, failing to deliver fully on the promises of its creative form, rich setting and pathosladen subject. Notes on blindness on rainfall original 2012 short on. In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary.
Notes on blindness is a feature film and multiplatform interactive project based on the audio diaries of writer and academic john hull, who after decades of steady deterioration became totally blind in 1983 to help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary on audiocassette. They won an emmy award in 2014 for the short on which this film is based. In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary on audiocassette. It has been supported by creative england, british film institute, impact partners, arte france, swedish film institute, bbc storyville, cinereach, britdoc, new york times and. The first feature film released by 104 films was 2001s large. It uses that story as a jumpingoff point to explore actual ideas in this case, dealing with the loss of a sense, and how the experience of lacking this sense can be. Over three years, hull recorded over 16 hours of material creating a story of loss, rebirth and transformation. In cinemas march 2nd tickets only available on demand. Centred on university of birmingham theology professor john hull, notes on blindness was created using a mixture of reenactment material, archive, and interviews. The film provides an intimate and vivid insight into something often hard to understand. The tapes, along with interviews with john and his wife marilyn, make up notes on blindness, first a short produced for the new york times, now the debut documentary feature from directors james. Notes on blindness is the first feature film to debut a companion vr experience alongside it. The interactive experience complements the story world of the feature film.
They are currently developing a feature length version of the film. Notes on blindness, a documentary based on the theologian john m. Into darkness is an immersive virtual reality vr project based on john hulls sensory and psychological experience of blindness released alongside the feature film. Notes on blindness duo wraps principal photography on. Following the emmy awardwinning short film of the same name, the feature version of notes on blindness takes a creative approach to the documentary form. Notes on blindness 2016 u 1h 26m art house films based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian john hull, this film offers an impressionistic recreation of his slow descent into blindness. Notes on blindness is the kind of documentary that aims to be formally distinct something i wish was standard for the art. Upon their publication in 1990, oliver sacks described the work as the. It will also be exhibited alongside the theatrical release of the feature film.
Into darkness is now available to download for samsung gear for free at the oculus store. Notes on blindness, a virtual reality companion piece to the feature film of the same name, seeks to render writer john hulls experience of blindness. A feature documentary following a mans efforts to understand and come to terms with his steadily deteriorating eyesight. In the summer of 1983, just days before the birth of his first son, writer and theologian john hull went blind. Jul 03, 2016 watch the trailer for notes on blindness. She has worked tirelessly at archers mark to see the film through from its development phase into physical production in the summer of 2015. Hull, marilyn hull, miranda beinartsmith, jamie bradley. Notes on blindness is john hulls trip from darkness to. Jan 05, 2017 in cinemas march 2nd tickets only available on demand. The original trailer for the multiaward winning feature film notes on blindness for which i won a golden frog for best cinematography in a docudrama. Artificial eye into darkness is clearly made for a sighted audience but the directors also worked with the royal national institute of the blind and. Into darkness, an immersive virtual reality vr project based on johns sensory and psychological experience of blindness.
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