Latest news with #NickLewis
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Meet the man who sketched the Sycamore Gap trial
The trial of two men who chopped down the much-loved and world famous Sycamore Gap tree garnered global attention. With cameras not allowed in court, Nick Lewis's sketches of proceedings were used by many media, including the BBC. How did he do it? The two-week trial that gripped the nation was Nick's first foray into the law became a regular visitor to courtroom one at Newcastle Crown Court as prosecutors proved Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers illegally felled the sycamore tree that had stood in a dip on Hadrian's Wall for more than 100 sketches the 50-year-old made of the defendants in the dock, barristers and judge quickly became invaluable to journalists reporting on the trial and for the vast majority of the public was the first time they had seen the accused pair's faces."It was fascinating," Nick, a senior lecturer in illustration at the University of Sunderland, says. Under strictly enforced rules, people are not permitted to take photographs in courts, to do so can and has led to provide illustration for articles and news reports, sketch artists are often deployed, but they are not actually allowed to make their drawings in the have to dash out of the building and rely on their memory to produce their work for the baying media mobs. "In a world where everything is photographed, it's very rare that you have a situation where you can only rely on a drawing," Nick says."In the world of news that is instant and visual all the time, it makes it very challenging and interesting."Nick illustrated the case since the very earliest hearings, making him one of the first to capture a likeness of Carruthers, who like Graham, attended early proceedings wearing a mask totally obscuring his face. "It was very difficult, there was nobody who had any pictures online of him at the time, so I had to draw him without any references," Nick says of on the press benches, Nick made notes about people's features, recording details such as overbites and cheekbones, any similarities to celebrities perhaps, before leaving court and heading to a nearby cafe or library where he could draw in started with a quick sketch, using pencil and paper, before moving to his iPad, with each work taking about an hour and a half to produce."At first it was nerve-wracking, I wasn't sure what the procedures were, but the court staff were so helpful so by the end of the case, I got used to it," he says. He had always had an interest in court art and wanted to see if it was something he was actually able to chose the Sycamore Gap trial because it had huge public interest."Everyone I spoke to was horrified about what happened to the tree."But, while not downplaying the seriousness of it, there were no victims or grieving families for Nick to have to think from the drama of the trial itself, Nick also got to experience the court process."It was fascinating seeing the level of rigour and the way people are treated by the staff, who were courteous and having to manage all the parties going in and out," Nick says. The barristers in their black gowns and wigs were also of interest to Nick, the decorum and court behaviours they demonstrated being a big departure from the outside world."When I first started they all looked like the [late] Queen in my drawings," he says. "It took me a few goes before I realised what I was doing wrong."Although they all wear wigs they wear them differently, some down over their forehead, others pushed back, and recognising that made the difference." There are responsibilities to covering court though, Nick says. "You have to be mindful that having to go to court is a pivotal point of someone's life."You have to make sure you are doing something in the public interest without making theatre of it."He attended most days of the trial and was constantly revisiting early sketches, easily done on the iPad, to make were technical issues, his stylus pen stopped working and his iPad ran out of battery, while trying to capture a person's likeness is "incredibly difficult", Nick says. Especially, he adds, if you are doing it from notes and memory and, if there are any reference photos of them, they are probably from different angles than the one you want."Sometimes the more you draw someone, the worse it gets," he says. "But you can endlessly tweak on an iPad."One of the biggest problems is just leaving it alone."He is also conscious that these are real subjects, adding: "I don't want people seeing drawings of themselves and thinking I made them look awful or 'too old'." Now Nick is hoping his dalliance with court artistry will inspire other budding artists among his course is already brimming with all kinds of illustrations, from the medical industry to computer games, and he can now add crime and court art to his is also looking forward to returning to court in the future to sketch more trials, lecture schedule allowing. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tax credits aim to rebuild Missouri's film industry
A cinematographer shoots a scene for 'The Jester 2' at Big Mama's Cafe in Columbia. The film is currently in production with help from Missouri's film tax credits. (Courtesy Nick Lewis via Columbia Missourian) For 10 years, Missouri had no incentive for production companies to film in the state. Now, more TV and film sets are coming to Missouri thanks to help from a tax credit established in 2023. The 'Show MO Act' gives up to a 42% tax credit on eligible film productions. Productions initially have the option for a 20% minimum credit but can receive up to four additional 5% credits for meeting certain conditions. Last year alone, film productions working under the tax credit spent more than $33.5 million. The tax credit follows programs like Georgia's long-running film tax incentive in boosting state film industries. 'That damn peach,' Missouri Film Office Director Andrea Sporcic-Klund joked, referencing the orange and green logo that appears in the credits of Georgia productions. 'Hopefully you'll be seeing our Missouri logo there pretty soon.' Sporcic-Klund coordinates film productions in the state and promotes Missouri's film industry through the incentive. Last year, four productions with budgets over $1 million were filmed in Missouri, which Sporcic-Klund says would not have happened without the incentive. Film in MO, a nonprofit that works to support the tax credits, lobbied at the Missouri Capitol in February. Sporcic-Klund joined Pete Salsich, an entertainment lawyer who is on the board of directors at Film in MO, at the Capitol to promote the incentive to lawmakers. 'If you don't have the tax credit, most of these films are simply going somewhere else,' Salsich said. 'The tax credit becomes sort of your ticket into the conversation, but it's not enough, because you can use that lots of places.' The current tax credit is the state's second attempt at incentivizing filmmakers to work in Missouri. The previous tax credit was repealed in 2013, with the film 'Gone Girl' being the last major production in the state to receive a tax credit until the Show MO Act became official. In the time after the tax credits expired, the state missed out on several opportunities for major film projects. The Netflix series 'Ozark' was one of these productions, as the show drew much attention to the Lake of the Ozarks area despite being filmed mostly in Georgia. 'My hope is that we can get back to getting those solid productions that Missouri can be proud of,' said Sporcic-Klund. 'I think losing them, like not having as big of a role in 'Ozark,' really changed minds.' Renewed support for motion picture tax credits came to light in 2023, when the Show MO Act was passed. The bill was initially sponsored in the Senate by Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who says he is looking forward to seeing successful results from the tax credit. Hoskins explained that about 4,000 to 5,000 college students were graduating from Missouri universities every year with some sort of media or film degree but were going to other states for work. 'One of the points of that bill was to put the right leg forward and build up that industry so those Missourians can stay here and work in their industry,' Hoskins said. To be eligible for the credit, each project must meet the minimum spend for the length of their script, employ certain amounts of Missouri registered apprentices and meet the criteria for a 'qualified motion media project,' as outlined by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Film producer Cole Payne worked on his most recent project, the horror film 'The Jester 2' under Missouri's tax credit. 'As a Missourian, it's nice to be able to stay at home and film,' Payne said. The film, which wrapped in 2024 and is currently in post-production, was shot in various locations across Columbia, Rocheport and Boonville. On set, Payne said, everything went smoothly with the help of other Missourians. 'In the town of Rocheport, the mayor came out and supported us. The local restaurants opened up for us, made us dessert and let us use their space at night,' Payne said. 'We just hired as many locals as we could.' More than 30 other states have tax credits for filming. For people who work in Missouri's film industry like Payne and Salsich, the credit gives them one way to show off their state. 'The out-of-town folks rave about how supportive and friendly everybody here is,' Salsich said. 'When people leave here and have a good experience, they talk about it and they want to come back and do it again.' Besides affordability and hospitality, Missouri's geography is also appealing to producers. The state is central, which is important for transporting equipment, and, Payne said, 'Missouri can be made to work for so many looks.' The tax credit is mainly designed to bring positive marketing to the state. One of the additional credits that productions can receive is a 5% credit for filming in 'rural or blighted' areas, in hopes of increasing tourism and boosting local economies. An additional 5% credit can be awarded if a film's script positively markets a city or region of the state, as determined by the Missouri Office of Economic Development. For some producers, this leads to a creative struggle. Payne's film did not receive a bonus for positive marketing of Missouri, despite spending two weeks filming in Rocheport. He disagrees with the state's interpretation of positive marketing. 'Screenplays aren't written to say, 'Hey, we're in this state, and these things are very great about this state,'' Payne said. 'It doesn't mean it can't be a positive marketing opportunity for the state or the city that it's filmed in.' Other rules that were tacked onto the bill also proved to be another off-set roadblock for Payne. He says that the 100% audit required by the Office of Economic Development was a 'surprise' since most audits for businesses are usually samples, which are cheaper. Payne is currently in production for his second film in the state, which will begin filming at the end of March. After 10 years without an incentive, Missouri has a lot of work to do to rebuild its film industry. Payne is just one producer working toward that goal. 'There's a production industry in Missouri that's broader than just tourism that says 'Come live here,' ' Salsich said. 'Invest in a production house. Turn some old warehouses into sound stages. Invest in more infrastructure to enable more support to exist and attract more productions.' Salsich says that the impact of the credit is very broad and that it is already being seen through money being spent and jobs being created through productions. At the film office, Sporcic-Klund is optimistic about this year's outlook for Missouri films. 'We've had two producers bring back second projects already, so the word is good,' she said. 'We haven't made a big push because we know that we lost a lot of infrastructure in those 10 years, so we're building that back up.' As the state works to rebuild the film industry, lawmakers have also taken steps to support the Show MO Act. A removal of the program's expiration was proposed in a recent bill. 'Hopefully we don't have to keep bringing things in, because we can start building the infrastructure and build brick-and-mortar businesses around this industry,' Payne said. 'We will be able to if we can extend or remove the sunset on the bill.' If the bill passes the House, motion picture tax credits will be ensured for the foreseeable future. This article originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Immersive experience' tells story of Bradford's mill history
BRADFORD'S mill history forms the basis of an immersive art exhibit running in Bradford city centre until Sunday. Unspun Stories by Shipley based 509 Arts mixes projections of mills, machinery and textiles from Bradford's past with words from the people who worked the city's mills. These images and words are interspersed with music and sound effects in the darkened basement space of Loading Bay – a new venue that is hosting dozens of City of Culture events in 2025. The Unspun Stories installation (Image: T&A) From work conditions to mill fires, people who worked in the industry that defined Bradford for generations told their stories to the arts group, who then created the work to record a significant part of local history. The Unspun Stories installation (Image: T&A) It also looks at the role of immigration in the city's industries, with people travelling from across the world to work in Bradford's mills. The Unspun Stories installation (Image: T&A) It is part of 509 Arts Lost Mills and Ghost Mansions project, a study that looks at the mill industry from the 1970s onwards – a time when it went into steep decline. The Unspun Stories installation (Image: T&A) The event is free and runs from noon until 6pm each day until Sunday On Saturday (29) and Sunday (30) parts of the soundtrack will be performed live in the installation. Two brass musicians from the City of Bradford Brass Band and the composer, Nick Lewis, will bring an added musical dimension to the immersive experience of Unspun Stories at 3pm, 4pm and 5:30pm on both days.
