A View from the Bank

BACKGROUND: Rust, Monani, and Cubitt (2013) frame eco-critical filmmaking and eco-cinema as a "form of negotiation, a mediation that is itself ecologically placed as it consumes the entangled world around it, and in turn, is itself consumed." The films of William Raban (Thames Film, 1987) and James Benning (Casting a Glance, 2007) perform these negotiations in a similar way to Paul Ritchard's own work. These films listen to the landscape, rather than seeking to impose themselves upon it, exhibiting a certain kind of humility. 'A View from the Bank' is part of Ritchard's River Project. The project uses the Snowy River as a site to investigate the poetics of rivers. He is looking at sustainable production, eco-cinema, eco aesthetic film production, and how the environment affects the methods of production and the made film. Ritchard is developing the notion of 'true to content' film production in order to encourage others to work in the same way. CONTRIBUTION: This work is guided by one of the researcher's principles of making film that treads lightly on the landscape, both literally and figuratively. It contributes to eco-critical filmmaking discourse as an example of work that is 'true to content' - it rethinks the conception, development, and production of film projects. Work starts with the notion that the form and content of the work will be determined by one's creative vision, and with a respect for the subject matter as an active agent shaping the final form. This contribution is assisted by the associated exegesis of the work, which describes the methods of production and how these methods are arrived at. SIGNIFICANCE: Ritchard's work expands contemporary production methods in filmmaking and challenges conventions of academic creative/project practice. It was screened within the peer-reviewed program of the Land Dialogue Conference and selected as one of the few peer-reviewed works to come out of the conference. It continues to be viewed online.