Nick Broomfield
Encyclopedia
Nicholas "Nick" Broomfield (born 1948
) is an English
documentary
film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield
, a photographer.
Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators. He is often seen in the finished film, usually holding the sound boom
and wearing the Nagra
tape recorder.
, a boarding independent school
for boys (now co-educational), near the village of Winscombe
in Somerset
in south west England, followed by the University College Cardiff (renamed several times, eventually becoming 'Cardiff University' in 2004), where he studied Law, and the University of Essex
, where he studied Political Science. Subsequently, he studied film at the National Film and Television School
, in London. Broomfield's early style was conventional cinéma vérité
: the juxtaposition of observed scenes, with little use of voice-over or text.
Fund.
This shift in film-making style was also heavily influenced by Broomfield's experience in attempting to release his earlier film Lily Tomlin
, which chronicled Tomlin's one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
. Tomlin claimed that the film was a spoiler
for the actual show and filed suit for $7 million against Broomfield. The documentary was shown on public television but not widely released. Eventually the footage shot by Broomfield was used in the video release of the one-woman show.
It is for this self-reflexive film-making style—a film being about the making of itself as much as about its subject—that Broomfield is best known. His influence on documentary is clear: Michael Moore
, Louis Theroux
and Morgan Spurlock
have all adopted a similar style for their recent box-office hits. Film-makers who use this style have been referred to as Les Nouvelles Egotistes
; others have likened his work to the gonzo
reporting of Hunter S. Thompson
.
Broomfield's best known work is probably Kurt and Courtney about Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, one of the few films selected then banned at the Sundance Film Festival
. A previous film, Soldier Girls
, that he co-directed with Joan Churchill won 1st prize at Sundance a few years previously.
for Channel 4
inspired by the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster
when 23 Chinese
immigrant cockle
pickers drowned after being cut off by the tides. Ghosts won numerous awards and helped raise nearly half a million pounds to help the victims' families.
Battle for Haditha
(2007) worked with ex-Marines and Iraqi refugees, as well as known actors. The film was shot sequentially, enabling the cast to build their characters as the story progressed. It also used real locations, and a very small documentary-style film crew. Although they worked from a detailed script, the actors also improvised and added dialogue. The script was based on research with the Marines of Kilo Company who took part on that day, the survivors of the massacre, and the six thousand page NCIS
government report. Battle for Haditha won numerous international awards.
. Each of these featured Broomfield with his trademark sound boom "investigating" rumours about the soon-to-be released Volkswagen Passat
.
Broomfield was also given a BAFTA tribute evening on March 8, 2005.
1948 in film
The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield
Maurice Broomfield
Maurice W Broomfield was a photographer whose images of post-war British industry were credited with capturing the optimistic spirit of the time....
, a photographer.
Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators. He is often seen in the finished film, usually holding the sound boom
Boom operator (media)
A Boom operator is an assistant of the production sound mixer. The principal responsibility of the boom operator is microphone placement, sometimes using a "fishpole" with a microphone attached to the end and sometimes, when the situation permits, using a "boom" which is a more intricate and...
and wearing the Nagra
Nagra
Nagra is the trademark referring to any of the series of mostly battery-operated portable professional audio recorders produced by Kudelski SA, based in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland....
tape recorder.
Education
From 1959 to 1965, Broomfield was educated at Sidcot SchoolSidcot School
Sidcot School is a British co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils, associated with the Religious Society of Friends. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England....
, a boarding independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
for boys (now co-educational), near the village of Winscombe
Winscombe
Winscombe is a village in North Somerset, England, close to the settlements of Axbridge and Cheddar, on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare and south-west of Bristol...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in south west England, followed by the University College Cardiff (renamed several times, eventually becoming 'Cardiff University' in 2004), where he studied Law, and the University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
, where he studied Political Science. Subsequently, he studied film at the National Film and Television School
National Film and Television School
The National Film and Television School was established in 1971 and is based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and it is located close to Pinewood Studios.-History:...
, in London. Broomfield's early style was conventional cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
: the juxtaposition of observed scenes, with little use of voice-over or text.
Honorary Awards
Broomfield was awarded the BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Documentary, and was given honorary doctorates from Essex and Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College. He was awarded the Californian State Bar Award for his contribution to Legal Reform and is a founder member of the Morecambe Bay Victims2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster
The Morecambe Bay cockling disaster occurred on the evening of 5 February 2004 at Morecambe Bay in North West England, when at least 21 cockle pickers were drowned by an incoming tide off the Lancashire/Cumbrian coast....
Fund.
Documentaries
It was not until Driving Me Crazy (1988) that Broomfield appeared on-screen for the first time. After several arguments regarding the budget and nature of the film, he decided that he would only make the documentary if he was able to conduct a sort of experiment by filming the process of making the film—the arguments, the failed interviews and the dead-ends.This shift in film-making style was also heavily influenced by Broomfield's experience in attempting to release his earlier film Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
, which chronicled Tomlin's one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (film)
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe is the filmed version of the one-woman stage show written by Jane Wagner and starring Lily Tomlin, which won the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience...
. Tomlin claimed that the film was a spoiler
Spoiler (media)
Spoiler is slang for any element of any summary or description of any piece of fiction that reveals any plot element which will give away the outcome of a dramatic episode within the work of fiction, or the conclusion of the entire work. It can also be used to refer to any piece of information...
for the actual show and filed suit for $7 million against Broomfield. The documentary was shown on public television but not widely released. Eventually the footage shot by Broomfield was used in the video release of the one-woman show.
It is for this self-reflexive film-making style—a film being about the making of itself as much as about its subject—that Broomfield is best known. His influence on documentary is clear: Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, Louis Theroux
Louis Theroux
Louis Sebastian Theroux is an English broadcaster best known for his Gonzo style journalism on the television series Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends and When Louis Met.... His career started off in journalism and bears influences of notable writers in his family such as his father, Paul Theroux and...
and Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Valentine Spurlock is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and journalist best known for the documentary film Super Size Me...
have all adopted a similar style for their recent box-office hits. Film-makers who use this style have been referred to as Les Nouvelles Egotistes
Les Nouvelles Egotistes
Les Nouvels Egotistes is a grouping of documentary filmmakers who make films where they themselves are featured. This is against the grain of more traditional documentary film which is mainly voyeuristic observation.- Characteristics :...
; others have likened his work to the gonzo
Gonzo journalism
Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to be first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style...
reporting of Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
.
Broomfield's best known work is probably Kurt and Courtney about Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, one of the few films selected then banned at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. A previous film, Soldier Girls
Soldier Girls
Soldier Girls is a 1981 documentary film by Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill about several women training in the US army.Under the aggressive Sergeant Abing are several young women, some dedicated to defending their country, others who seem to have been forced into joining by circumstance...
, that he co-directed with Joan Churchill won 1st prize at Sundance a few years previously.
Direct Cinema
In 2006, Broomfield changed his style again into what he calls 'Direct Cinema', using non-actors to play themselves. He completed a drama called GhostsGhosts (2006 film)
Ghosts is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.-Synopsis:The film tells the story of Ai Qin, an illegal Chinese immigrant to the UK. She is at home in Fuzhou, China, where there is no work except badly paid agricultural labour, and even...
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
inspired by the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster
2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster
The Morecambe Bay cockling disaster occurred on the evening of 5 February 2004 at Morecambe Bay in North West England, when at least 21 cockle pickers were drowned by an incoming tide off the Lancashire/Cumbrian coast....
when 23 Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
immigrant cockle
Cockle (bivalve)
Cockle is the common name for a group of small, edible, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae.Various species of cockles live in sandy sheltered beaches throughout the world....
pickers drowned after being cut off by the tides. Ghosts won numerous awards and helped raise nearly half a million pounds to help the victims' families.
Battle for Haditha
Battle for Haditha (film)
Battle for Haditha is a 2007 drama film directed by British director Nick Broomfield loosely based on the Haditha killings. Dramatising real events using a documentary style, Battle for Haditha is Broomfield's follow up to Ghosts. The film was aired on Channel 4 in the UK on 17 March 2008.-Plot:The...
(2007) worked with ex-Marines and Iraqi refugees, as well as known actors. The film was shot sequentially, enabling the cast to build their characters as the story progressed. It also used real locations, and a very small documentary-style film crew. Although they worked from a detailed script, the actors also improvised and added dialogue. The script was based on research with the Marines of Kilo Company who took part on that day, the survivors of the massacre, and the six thousand page NCIS
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service is the primary security, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, and law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy...
government report. Battle for Haditha won numerous international awards.
Films
- Who Cares? (1971) - Broomfield's first film, made as a student using a borrowed camera.
- Proud to be British (1973)
- Behind the Rent Strike (1974)
- Juvenile LiaisonJuvenile LiaisonJuvenile Liaison 1 and Juvenile Liaison 2 are documentary films by Nick Broomfield about a juvenile liaison project in Blackburn, Lancashire. The first film examines a series of children and their run-ins with the law, over minor wrongdoings such as apple theft...
(1975) - Whittingham (1980)
- Fort Augustus (1981)
- Soldier GirlsSoldier GirlsSoldier Girls is a 1981 documentary film by Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill about several women training in the US army.Under the aggressive Sergeant Abing are several young women, some dedicated to defending their country, others who seem to have been forced into joining by circumstance...
(1981) - Tattooed Tears (1982)
- Chicken RanchChicken Ranch (film)Chicken Ranch is a 1983 documentary film by Nick Broomfield about the famous legalised brothel, the Chicken Ranch, in Pahrump, Nevada.The documentary, which remains purely observational for the most part, depicts the prostitutes as likeable characters often looking for a way out of the remote...
(1983) - Lily Tomlin (1986)
- Driving me Crazy (1988)
- Diamond Skulls (1989)
- Juvenile Liaison IIJuvenile LiaisonJuvenile Liaison 1 and Juvenile Liaison 2 are documentary films by Nick Broomfield about a juvenile liaison project in Blackburn, Lancashire. The first film examines a series of children and their run-ins with the law, over minor wrongdoings such as apple theft...
(1990) - The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's WifeThe Leader, His Driver and the Driver's WifeThe Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife is a 1991 British feature-length documentary film set during the final days of the apartheid regime in South Africa, particularly centering on Eugène Terre'Blanche, founder and leader of the far-right, white supremacist political organisation AWB. The...
(1991) - Too White For Me (1992)
- Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial KillerAileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial KillerAileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer is a documentary film about Aileen Wuornos, made by Nick Broomfield. It documents Broomfield's attempts to interview Wuornos, which involves a long process of mediation through her adopted mother Arlene Pralle and lawyer, Steve Glazer.The film...
(1992) - Monster in a BoxMonster in a BoxMonster in a Box is a monologue originally performed live on stage by the writer Spalding Gray then subsequently made into a 1992 film starring Gray and directed by Nick Broomfield....
(1992) - Tracking Down MaggieTracking Down MaggieTracking Down Maggie is a 1994 documentary film by Nick Broomfield about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. What begins as a genuine attempt to get an interview with the so-called 'Iron Lady' quickly turns into a game of cat-and-mouse in the United States, with the filmmaker snubbed...
(1994) - Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood MadamHeidi Fleiss: Hollywood MadamHeidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam is a feature-length documentary film by Nick Broomfield. It is an examination of the woman herself, Broomfield attempting to uncover if she truly is a 'horrible person', and what made her that way....
(1995) - FetishesFetishes (documentary)Fetishes is a 1996 documentary by Nick Broomfield filmed at Pandora's Box, one of New York City's most luxurious SM/fetish parlours. The film contains interviews with professional dominatrices and their clients including the New York filmmaker Maria Beatty.The documentary opens with black and white...
(1996) - Kurt and Courtney (1998)
- Biggie & TupacBiggie & TupacBiggie & Tupac is a 2002 feature-length documentary film about slain rap icons The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, made by Nick Broomfield. It is an investigation of the deaths of the two icons, which some people claim were orchestrated by Suge Knight, head of Death Row Records. Collusion on...
(2002) - Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial KillerAileen: Life and Death of a Serial KillerAileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer is a 2003 feature-length documentary film about Aileen Wuornos, made by Nick Broomfield as a follow-up to his 1992 film Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer...
(2003) - His Big White SelfHis Big White SelfHis Big White Self is a 2006 documentary film made by Nick Broomfield. It is a follow up to his 1991 film The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife. It was shown for the first time as part of More4's Nick Broomfield week which started on February 27, 2006.The documentary follows Broomfield as he...
(2006) - GhostsGhosts (2006 film)Ghosts is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.-Synopsis:The film tells the story of Ai Qin, an illegal Chinese immigrant to the UK. She is at home in Fuzhou, China, where there is no work except badly paid agricultural labour, and even...
(2006) - Battle for HadithaBattle for Haditha (film)Battle for Haditha is a 2007 drama film directed by British director Nick Broomfield loosely based on the Haditha killings. Dramatising real events using a documentary style, Battle for Haditha is Broomfield's follow up to Ghosts. The film was aired on Channel 4 in the UK on 17 March 2008.-Plot:The...
(2007) - A Time Comes (2009)
- Sarah Palin: You Betcha!Sarah Palin: You Betcha!Sarah Palin: You Betcha! is a 2011 documentary film about Sarah Palin. Directed by Nick Broomfield, the film was produced by Cassian Elwes and Marc Hoeferlin. Shani Hinton, Sophie Watts and Gregory Unruh executive produced. The documentary premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival....
(2011)
Other work
In 1999, Broomfield made a series of five commercials for VolkswagenVolkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
. Each of these featured Broomfield with his trademark sound boom "investigating" rumours about the soon-to-be released Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen Passat
The Volkswagen Passat is a large family car marketed by Volkswagen Passenger Cars through six design generations since 1973. Between the Volkswagen Golf / Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat and its derivatives have been badged variously as...
.
Awards
- British Academy Award (BAFTA)
- Prix Italia
- The Dupont Columbia Award for Outstanding Journalism
- The Peabody
- The Royal Television Society Award
- First Prize, Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- John Grierson Award
- Robert Flaherty Award
- The Hague Peace Prize
- The Chris Award
- The Blue Ribbon
- The California State Bar Award
- First Prize, Chicago Film Festival
- First Prize, US Film Festival
- First Prize, Festival of Mannheim
- First Prize, Festival di Popoli
- Special Jury Award, Melbourne Film Festival
Broomfield was also given a BAFTA tribute evening on March 8, 2005.
External links
- Nick Broomfield on meeting Aileen Wuornos (Video interview from Capturing Reality: The Art of DocumentaryCapturing Reality: The Art of DocumentaryCapturing Reality: The Art of Documentary is a film and website about documentary filmmaking, directed by Pepita Ferrari. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, Capturing Reality explores the creative process of over 30 leading documentary filmmakers, combining interviews with excerpts from...
) - 2011 radio interview at The Bat Segundo ShowThe Bat Segundo ShowThe Bat Segundo Show is a podcast based in New York run by writer and literary critic Edward Champion.The program features comprehensive interviews with prominent figures in arts and culture, with a special focus on literature. Past guests have included David Mitchell, David Lynch, Amy Sedaris,...