Experiencing Interruptions?

Pillars of Light, the Art of Jeremy Gardiner

Jeremy Gardiner is an abstract landscape painter whose work focuses on the geology of coastal landscapes. This short film portrays Gardiner's research and inspiration, as he sets out to visit the lighthouses of Devon, Dorset and Cornwall in the Southwest of England.

We see Godrevy lighthouse, near St Ives, made famous by Virginia Wolf; Start Point lighthouse, probably the most exposed peninsula in the English coast; and Anvil Point near Swanage, where the young Gardiner developed a lasting curiosity for the Geology of landscape in long walks with his Grandmother.

'These paintings are the product of a prolonged engagement with lighthouses and their histories, and with some of the most evocative of Britain's coastal landscapes.'
Christiana Payne, Art Historian

"We have a romantic view of lighthouses, and that stems from being a maritime nation but it also stems from the architectural beauty of these fantastic feats of Victorian engineering. They were designed to withstand storms and gigantic waves."
Jeremy Gardiner

  • Veronica Falcão
    Director
    Promotions Producer MGM, Disney Channel; Discovery
  • Richard Hughes Edge 2 Edge Films
    Director
    BBC Natural History Unit; HBO (USA)
  • Veronica Falcão
    Writer
  • Ravensbourne, Edge 2 Edge Films
    Producer
    BBC Natural History Unit
  • Jeremy Gardiner, artist
    Key Cast
    please see website www.jeremygardiner.co.uk
  • Richard Hughes
    Editors
    BBC 2, History Channel, Discovery
  • Veronica Falcão
    Editors
    On-Air Promotions MGM, Disney Channel
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 12, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD (4K)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Fine Arts Film Festival Santa Barbara
    Santa Barbara, California
    United States
    July 16, 2016
    North American Premiere
    Festival Winner Art Doc
  • BLOW-UP Chicago International Arthouse Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    November 4, 2016
    FINALIST
Director Biography -Veronica Falcão, Richard Hughes Edge 2 Edge Films

Veronica Falcao

Fulbright Scholar - Studied Documentary Film with Ricky Leacock at MIT Film Video - Boston, Massachusetts (1985 - 1986)

Editing Internship - Maysles Brothers, New York (1987)

Line Producer BBC, The Late Show
Line Producer, Research for The Late Show episode on violence as entertainment on Miami TV News (1994) Miami, Florida, USA

Launch Coordinator - Discovery Communications
Coordinated the re-versioning of 700 hours of original Discovery Channel programming for the launch of Discovery Channel in Brazil (1995 – 1996) Miami, Florida, USA

Promotions Producer, Movie Trailers - MGM Networks
Wrote, Produced and edited On-Air Promotions and trailers for the extensive MGM film archives (1996 – 1998) Miami, Florida, USA

Series Producer - Art Attack
Producer for Disney Channel at Gullane’s Maidstone Studios, Kent UK (2001-2003)

Audiobooks Producer - BBC Audiobooks, AudioGO, Audible UK, Strathmore, SNK Studios. 300+ titles recorded in Bath and London, UK (2005 - )

Richard Hughes

Richard is an award winning shooting director and documentary cameraman, who has credits for many of the major broadcasters including work with the prestigious BBC Natural History Unit. His recent film about human / elephant Co-existence became official selection at a number of International film festivals during 20015 /16.
In 2016 Richard is directing a documentary series for major UK broadcaster, as well as heading out to Ethiopia for a self funded film project.
www.richardshughes.co.uk

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Veronica Falcao - statement

Jeremy Gardiner is an artist whose 'paintings of the southern English coast draw on the mid-century abstraction of the St Ives school, with a millennial twist.'*

We have been collaborating for several decades and I frequently witness Jeremy being asked how he creates his work, where he draws inspiration from and how he goes about making the paintings. With this short film 'Pillars of Light' I have attempted to answer these questions and many others that I often ask myself.

I am very glad that Jeremy managed to convince me to work with Richard Hughes, who co-directed the film and whose camera work felt like the extension of my own eyes; while Neville Farmer's suggestion of Jools Scott's music took the narrative to a higher level during the editing.

We shot the film in early September and the sun was shining intermittently, bathing the landscape in a magical light. After the first day, I wrote on my film diary. "I observed the way Richard moved quickly and captured everything he saw, the camera an extension of his eyes, the heavy equipment looking light and malleable. There were a few seals popping their heads up while we worked, perhaps they were observing Jeremy Gardiner painting and also saying hello to Richard Hughes, who is a Natural History shooting director and cameraman."

*Apollo magazine

Still Photos
Project Links