'Eye to the Viewfinder' - One to Watch

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I first saw Paige’s film ‘Eye to the Viewfinder’ advertised as part of the Imperial War Museum’s short film festival. Unfortunately I’d missed the showing due to filming my own short documentary but managed to track Paige down, who very kindly allowed me to watch it.

And from that, Paige is definitely one to watch for the future. She had some really good interviews with a range of good contributors, including Paul Clark, a photographer with the army film unit during WW2. The colour temperature was a little different on Mick Howard's interview but I don’t think we can fault her for that amongst such a piece. The sound was flawless so I think that pulls it back.

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The strongest part of the film was when our contributors shared their combat stories, and the archive was selected to match. It added a sense of danger, of conflict and a greater appreciation for the photos and videos produced. It was a great insight into the work of the army, and its photographers. Archive was well sourced, showing a range of conflicts from Ardoyne to Iraq and I found myself lost in the photographs.

Truth be told, the narrative lacked a bit of story development at the beginning, as in, at that point I wasn’t sure what the film was trying to tell me, but by the middle I was captivated by the experiences of those on screen, particularly Stuart McKenzie and Mick Howard. Paige obviously has an eye for a story and a keen enthusiasm for sharing it with the world. What was great is that we learned about our contributors as photographers rather than as soldiers, who have to compete with the world’s media in getting their shots to the front page. The film values them, and rightly so!

Overall, a great addition to the short film festival and perhaps an even better addition to the IWM army archive? Paige I wish you luck with the rest of the film’s journey and look forward to your next film!