After my first idea was shot down with all passengers and crew killed I decided I wanted to make a film.

My good friend and colleague Mr Adam Patterson expressed (after much cajoling) interest in the project and so it began. After discussion Adam came up with the idea of “Work Is”. This was to be a theme whereby each person featured would at some point in their interview being a phrase “work is ……shit” for example.

 It seemed like an good simple way to enable us to go gallivanting around Elephant taking pictures, shooting pictures and recording audio. It wasn’t. We put hours and hours of work and effort in. This included: making countless contacts, shooting, recording audio, collecting tripods and cameras, arranging an editing suite, a poet, a roller bladder, meetings, me almost coming to blows over a copy of Final Cut Pro (God bless America), Me and Adam almost coming to blows on a number of occasions, drinking lager and on one occasion offending a gay man with a crippled dog (me not Adam). All this didn’t end in a film but it did result in this lot (credits in italics):

 

Sam Strickland 2008

George & Esmeralda Sam Strickland 2008

 

That’s Carol. She wants to be an actress. She was born and raised in the Elephant. We said we’d shoot some head-shots for her if she gave us some contacts and an interview Sam Strickland 2008

Adam Patterson 2008

We booked a studio at LCC for three hours. She turned up two and a half hours late. She seemed to lack the foresight to give us enough time to take some good pictures (strange as she is able to smell the future). We were left fighting off repeated attacks by a plastic hand. It was terrifying. 

Sam Strickland 2008

 

Adam Patterson 2008

 The founders of StrickPatt Global – a photographic organisation reminiscent of Google (apart from the wealth, influence and power)

  We also took pictures of a fruit seller, a lecturer, an Evening Standard seller, a guy called Brutus, his kids and some artist who was building a front room outside the Heygate Estate.

Adam Patterson 2008

Sam Strickland 2008

This is tiny sample of the 1500+ images taken, 10 hours footage and a couple of hours of Edirol recordings. As the hand in neared Adam became interested in his squatter project and I started an underwhelming project about the Glorious Revival Eagle Ministry. The film didn’t work so I turned to Jesus. That is the film that never was.

While working on the Film that Never Was I met this guy. He’s Joe McDavid and he works for ”the Holy Agenda of Jehovah.”

Sam Strickland 2008