Dance Film at the Watts Chapel in Compton

Y3 DFSA students recently worked with London-based dancer Rachel Burn to film her site-specific dance performance work at the Watts Chapel in Compton near Guildford.

Watts Cemetery Chapel is a Grade I listed building which stands on Budburrow Hill in Compton near Guildford in Surrey. In May 1894 Compton Parish Council announced their plans to purchase this plot of land to use as burial ground. Four years later, on 1st July 1898, the Chapel was consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester and today it is still a working cemetery chapel. Visitors are drawn to the bright red brick of this Arts and Crafts masterpiece. Up close the extraordinary design and decoration both fascinates and overwhelms. Mary Watts (1849-1938) most likely had the vision to design, build and decorate the Chapel in 1891. You can read more about  fascinating history here: http://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/watts-chapel

Getting permission to film and risk assessment approval for the Chapel was a real challenge for third year producer Tamara Lenz as nothing can be attached to the decorative structure and rigorous precautions had to be taken to ensure no damage occurred during the process. During part of the dance Rachel traces a notional labyrinth through her movements around the circular structure. Director Al Lamlum wanted to film this from above to get a full birds eye view of the complex pathways that the dance creates so he devised a resourceful method of using a GoPro as pictured.

The picture below shows the camera view of the crew - Jacob Dixon, Marco Lee, Ethan Iveson, Tamara Lenz and Al Lamlum - along with choreographer and dancer, Rachel Burn.

We look forward to seeing the final film production soon.