Rediscovering the Antonine Wall
Walk the Wall Film: Short Films and Community Film
1 Introduction
West Dunbartonshire Council, on behalf of the Antonine Wall Management Plan Partners (and as part of a wider National Lottery Heritage Fund project) wish to appoint experienced photographers / film-makers to capture images and footage of the Rediscovering the Antonine Wall project and of the Antonine Wall sites and to work with community groups along the Wall to re-create a modern version of a 1960’s film. This is covered in two separate tenders. This tender is for the creation of five short films of the Antonine Wall and a community film. A separate tender covers stills photography and drone footage.
2 Client
West Dunbartonshire Council on behalf of the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site Management Partners: West Dunbartonshire Council, Glasgow City Council, East Dunbartonshire Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Falkirk Council and Historic Environment Scotland.
3 Background to project
The Antonine Wall became part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site (alongside Hadrian’s Wall and the German Limes) in 2008. It runs through five local authority areas in central Scotland (West Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk) with both urban and rural sections. Further information on the site and its history can be found on the website: www.antoninewall.org
These five local authorities and HES together form a partnership group which, in 2016, applied to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to consider a three year project to raise awareness and develop understanding of the Antonine Wall WHS and associated heritage. In 2017, partners received a Stage 1 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to prepare a full Stage 2 Project proposal. In September 2018 they received notification that the full funding bid had been approved.
The project has a series of capital and revenue projects including five Roman themed playparks, five replica distance stones and 25 community projects across the five local authority areas. In addition, there is a volunteering programme, the 21st Century Legion, the reconstruction of a 1950s film about the Wall and an education programme which incorporates work with schools and a touring museum exhibition.
The overall aim of the project is to raise awareness of the Antonine Wall amongst the local communities living along its length and to promote a better understanding of the area’s Roman heritage. The individual projects were designed in collaboration with representatives of these communities in order to ensure the best chance of delivering the project aim. In addition, the project has remained responsive to change and flexible throughout, building on emerging opportunities to engage further with harder to reach groups.
TENDER REQUIREMENTS
3 Scope of works
The works required fall into two parts. Please note that a separate tender has been issued for a further two elements of the Walk the Wall film project. Tenders are welcome from suitably qualified contractors for both briefs, however they will be treated as separate tenders. Sub-contractors may be used, and the successful contractor is expected to manage any sub-contracting directly within the project outlines and costings provided.
The two parts required include:
A film footage of sites along the Wall and interviews with individuals and communities involved in the projects to create 5 short films (2mins long) one for each local authority
B a community film using the content above and creating new content / a final film in collaboration with communities along the line of the Antonine Wall
Part A July – October 2021
Film of the Antonine Wall and some initial interviews (up to 10) with community groups, and individuals about projects undertaken along the Wall.
The use of this footage to create five short films (2 mins each) one for each local authority area and showcasing the parts of the Wall in each area. Purpose – for general information and to be used to spark interest and thoughts for Part B.
We would like material captured over different times of the day and in different weathers, to best reflect the changing nature of the Wall
Any music used in the final films to be suitably licensed and free for general use and distribution.
All interviews will need to be accompanied by signed project consent forms for all participants – the project staff will provide these but it is the responsibility of film-maker to ensure these are signed and returned to the project team.
We will require all raw footage of sites and interviews, as well as the completed films, so that it can be used in the community film creation (Part B).
The film-maker will be credited for all work but copyright should pass to West Dunbartonshire Council for at least a 20 year period if perpetuity is not negotiable
We may subsequently licence content to others for use in promotional work for the Antonine Wall – such as our local authority partners, Historic Environment Scotland, design agencies or publishers for use in film, publications, social media, on TV, in exhibitions etc.
Part B October 2021-July 2022
In the late 1950’s / early 1960’s a black and white film was made by an archaeologist (Anne Robertson of the Hunterian Museum) of two men walking the length of the Antonine Wall. It shows what was known of the site at the time but in subsequent years new discoveries were made that didn’t appear in the film e.g. the subsequent discovery of Bearsden bathhouse in the 1970’s.
The film footage is held in the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive and a copy will be supplied to the successful contractor to view in advance of work commencing. Further information is available here: Full record for ‘ANTONINE WALL, the’ (3620) – Moving Image Archive catalogue (nls.uk)
The film is also an important social commentary – revealing what the towns, villages and settlements along the line of the Wall looked like and how people lived at the time. Much has since changed with the growth of industry, expansion of motorways and the changes in farming practices.
We want to recreate this film for the 21st century, with local communities currently living and working along the Wall, and are looking for an experienced film-maker who has worked with communities to create a modern response to that 1960’s film, capturing the Wall as it is now but remaining true to the feel and spirit of the original.
Using the Part A films to teach about the Wall / provoke thought / prompt communities re content, the film-maker will work with several community groups on five extension pieces (one in each local authority area) to create more detailed film content about the Wall in each area, covering both social change and community responses to the Wall. These pieces can be in any form or style as deemed appropriate between the communities / film-maker but should be able to be merged into one continuous film recreation of the 1960’s piece.
The final film should cover the full extent of the Wall, end to end as in the original film, but this time using the two Antonine Wall project officers as the ‘hosts / presenters’ walking the route as defined in the original film. It will also take in all the new archaeological discoveries / new parts of the site discovered since the film was originally made, as well as showcasing the projects delivered as part of the Rediscovering the Antonine Wall Project.
We also have two archaeology experts who know about the original film (one of whom appeared in it as a child) and wish to include them in interviews, both commentating on the history and content of the original (and their knowledge of Anne Robertson who made the film), but also sharing their unique stories of excavating on the Wall in subsequent years. We also have access to a pool of academics who have excavated other sites along the Antonine Wall and can bring them into the work as proposals are developed and their expertise / input might be required eg to chat with communities or to appear at ‘their’ site.
The final film is to be screened at community festivals at either end of the Wall in autumn 2022 as part of the final celebrations of the Project, and a copy is to be lodged with the National Library of Scotland who currently curate the original film.
Other reference films by Anne Robertson also exist for excavations along the Wall at various points in time and may also be of interest in developing the modern response: https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/3622 and https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/3627 and https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/3621
The project team have access to other films and footage through their partners that can also be made available to the successful contractor.
4 Budget
The total budget available for this commission is £40,000 excluding VAT to include expenses. This is broken down to cover the two parts as below. An invoicing schedule will be agreed on appointment of the successful contractor(s), but it is suggested for all parts that there are two staged payments, with 50% at the half way point subject to satisfactory evidence of progress and the final 50% on completion and delivery of the requested outputs.
Part A – £15K
Part B – £25K
5 Timescales
The timescales for this project are as follows:
Advertisement of tender opportunity 5 July 2021
Deadline for submissions: 12 noon 20 July 2021
Appointment of contractor(s) by 26 July 2021
Part A July – October 2021
Part B October 2021 – July 2022
Regular progress meetings will take place with the team, either face to face or via Microsoft Teams, depending on ongoing restrictions.
6 Commission Project Management
The main contact for this commission within the Rediscovering the Antonine Wall project will be Emma McMullen, Antonine Wall Project Manager, based at West Dunbartonshire Council, the host organisation for the project. The successful contractor(s) will also be required to liaise with other project staff, the Antonine Wall Co-ordinator, and members of community organisations involved in the project, our project volunteers and members of the public from communities along the Wall.
Contact details for all staff, stakeholders, community groups and volunteers will be provided to the successful contractor in line with GDPR requirements.
7 Submission Requirements
Responses to this brief should be submitted to Emma McMullen, Antonine Wall Project Manager, by email: emma.mcmullen@west-dunbarton.gov.uk by 12 noon on Tuesday 20th July 2021. Submissions should include the following:
Part A
- Experience of similar film commissions and 3 examples of similar work;
- Timetable of key milestones for the work;
- Evidence of professional qualifications / licences as required;
- A cost breakdown by work stage to include all expenses, outlining the number of days and day rate for each member of the team, including any sub-contractors that may be required.
Part B
- Experience of working with community groups and 3 examples of community engagement work / collaboration
- Experience of similar filming commissions and 3 examples of similar work;
- Timetable of key milestones for the work;
- Evidence of professional qualifications / licences as required;
- A cost breakdown by work stage to include all expenses, outlining the number of days and day rate for each member of the team, including any sub-contractors that may be required.
Submissions will be assessed on a quality/price framework as follows:
Quality:
- Methodology and approach to commission 40%
- Experience 30%
- Timetable 10%
- Proposed personnel 10%
Price:
- Price submission 10%.
Download full brief and appendix here: FINAL Film brief_area films and community film