Telling Tales With Technology

DOUG FITCH and TONY BARCLAY

Technical Services University of Plymouth

On Interviewing Sidney Tustin of Winchcombe Pottery

Originally the speakers recorded their interviews with Sidney Tustin out of their own interest with the Winchcombe Pottery, before they were aware of NEVAC. The audience was presented with excerpts of video tape taken from master tapes. The aim was to allow Tustin to speak for himself through the video, creating a clear illustration of his personality and presence, as he told tales of his experiences gained during a lifetime of pottery. The speakers felt that the video showed the character of Tustin far more than a transcription or biography could do. The pet cat on and off camera, the varied settings, and the character of Tustin himself made this a very entertaining medium. By taking him back to Winchcombe Pottery the video shows Tustin hooting with laughter at the suggestion that Michael Cardew might have dug his own clay. By showing Tustin pots from their own collection they were given dates and the reasons for the choices of glazes not previously documented. Providing the potter with the original tools of his trade he was able, despite his arthritis, to demonstrate his techniques. Though the video spoke eloquently of the entertainment as well as research value of the project the high cost of the video makes it unsuitable and even unnecessary for long interviews, but excellent for its potential to bring the subject alive. Cathy Courtney [see below] pointed out that an interviewee is even more likely to be self-conscious in front of a camera than they are already in the proximity of a microphone.