Ferment’ tells us a story in space rather than time. It portrays human life in the City of Bath at a single instant in time. That instant begins with the death of an old man and ends with the simultaneous birth of a new baby. The two events are linked by the sights and sounds of city life as seen by the camera as it journeys between the two locations. With all the participants and extras playing themselves, it is as much a documentary ’snapshot’ of the city as it is a portrayal of the cycle of life. The old man, the actor Bill Wallis, is thankfully still very much alive.
With a 20-day shooting schedule and 5 months in post-production, this was not an easy task, but with each ’shot’ being the equivalent of less than five seconds of footage it was obvious from the start that it would indeed be labour-intensive.
The response to ‘Ferment’ has been very good, with the film being accepted by many major flm festivals, February screenings at the Ritzy Cinema in London, and winning first prize at the Transmediale Awards 2000, Berlin. A big thank you to all who participated.