Since 2004 FOCAL International Awards competition is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of archival footage and its contribution to the creative and cultural industries. We congratulate all the past winners.
Best Use of Footage in a Music Production
Eligible for the Music Production category include documentaries, docudramas or fiction films featuring, for example, the history of music or biographies of musicians, singers, composers.
2021 Winner
Ronnie's
Director:
Oliver Murray
Producer(s):
Kirsty Bell
Footage Archive Researcher:
James RM Hunt
Archival Sources:
BBC, Kino, Old Street Films, British Pathe, Getty
Production Company:
Orofena Films, Goldfinch Entertainment
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, United States
Synopsis
Ronnie's is the story of musician Ronnie Scott and his world famous jazz club. In 1959, saxophonist Ronnie Scott opened the door to a small basement jazz club in London’s Soho. As part of the burgeoning modern jazz movement, he and fellow saxophonist Pete King had dreamt of opening a club modelled on the swinging scene of New York’s 52nd Street. From its humble beginnings sixty years ago, Ronnie Scott’s would become the cornerstone of the UK jazz scene and one of the most famous music clubs in the world.
Ronnie Scott was beloved by many, from the great and famous who frequented his club, to the many hard up musicians who were often helped by his warmth and generous spirit. However, Ronnie was as complex and colourful as the music played on his stage. In private Ronnie battled with depression and when his untimely death occurred in 1996 it left the jazz community bereft of a respected and favourite leader.
Shortlisted
The Go-Go’s
Director:
Alison Ellwood
Producer(s):
Trevor Birney, Corey Russell, Eimhear O'Neill
Footage Archive Researcher:
Talia Woolridge (Lead Archive Producer), Kate Griffiths (Additional Archive Producer), Clearance Matters (Additional Archive Producer), Andrew Bergant (Additional Archive Researcher), Richard Higgins (Additional Archive Researcher)
Archival Sources:
Getty, UCLA Film & Television Archive, NBC Universal Archives, Historic Films Archive, Janette Beckman
Production Company:
Fine Point Films, Fadoo Productions for Sky Documentaries
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, United States, Canada
Synopsis
As the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play their own instruments, write their own songs and soar to No. 1 on the album charts, the Go-Go's are the most successful female rock band of all time. Underpinned by candid testimonies from The Go-Go's past and present, this documentary chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of a band born of the LA punk scene that not only captured but created a zeitgeist.
The Story of Ready Steady Go!
Director:
Samantha Peters, Geoff Wonfor
Producer(s):
Samantha Peters, Geoff Wonfor
Footage Archive Researcher:
Helen Carr
Archival Sources:
BMG, BBC Motion Gallery, Getty Images, Kinolibrary, British Pathe, ITV
Production Company:
Whizz Kid Entertainment, eOne, BMG
Country of Production:
United Kingdom, United States
Synopsis
In this new documentary we tell the story of Britain’s iconic 1960’s music show, Ready Steady Go! This was the programme that revolutionised television “for the kids” and coincided with the tremendous explosion of British pop talent which took the world by storm. It championed emerging talent like The Beatles, The Who, Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, Otis Redding and The Rolling Stones.
This is the definitive documentary that will cover every aspect of the pioneering show whose style rewrote the rulebook with its intoxicating blend of performance, celebrity interviews and items on fashion. It often featured cameras in shot, live mishaps and the young audience interacting with their pop star heroes.
We go behind the scenes and speak to the people who made it all happen, including original producer Vicki Wickham and the programme’s pioneering director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Plus, further contributions from Annie Nightingale, Eric Burdon, Martha Reeves, Paul Jones & Jools Holland.
Long Hot Summers: The Story of the Style Council
Director:
Lee Cogswell
Producer(s):
Mark Baxter, Alan Marke (Executive producer), Jim Reid (Executive producer)
Footage Archive Researcher:
Adrian Winter
Archival Sources:
Universal Music, Getty Images, Peter Anderson Photography, Tim Pope video director, Simon Halfon graphic designer
Production Company:
Channel X and Mono Media for Sky Arts
Country of Production:
United Kingdom
Synopsis
The pop group The Style Council, whilst at all times impeccably dressed, served up a diverse and catchy mix of classic agitprop pop, soul and jazzed infused songs, that are still fondly remembered to this day. We look back at how the fervent 1980s political landscape shaped the life, times and music of the band, that Paul Weller left The Jam to create, with Mick Talbot.
