The days turn warm and the flowers come out sharing their colours for all of us who walk by, as steadfast pollinators dance between petals. Their steady hum another song to this ear. I watch as a robin on duty, fleet of foot, tilts its head towards the ground sound-positioning its quarry. And as I pass by the familiar pond the turtles, in alignment, warm themselves on their floating log dock, while others casually slip into the water to return to their mud.
Echo 2
I have been walking a great deal, back and forth from abode to town, alongside gardens and parks, wandering past the old and new, the brick buildings standing out amidst the modern with old block names reflective of former glories. This town has been someone’s town for many years, with favorite places and memories – so many stories I have walked by, once familiar and recalled by previous generations now faded to that pantheon of ancestors whose wisdom we can now only recall if we are willing to listen or search amongst the echoes of these places.
Echo 3
…its all part of observation…no great philosophy…just an imagination for wanting to create meaning from time before…finding tales within the mortar…finding the lives amidst the layers of history. My treks these days have taken me to see other’s visions of time before to Frantz and Their Finest, to The Lost City of Z. As I watch these stories wind upon their creative path I wonder about their creators, whose visions of the past have brought a spark forward, a new light for us to witness. It is good to pause, a time out from our own packed ideas, to let go and find peace in the process. Once again, I have stayed amongst the credits and then wander into the night, wondering what words and images these sparks might bring, what echoes might be heard on the journey home…and who might answer.
Echo 4
Thank you to film directors David Lean, François Ozon, Lone Scherfig and James Gray whose sparks and search amongst the echoes and mortar of history found voice for others to watch, listen and enjoy.
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Paul has worked with the Paradigm Motion Picture Company since 2009 as producer, historian and research specialist. Paul first met Casey and Ian WIlliams of Paradigm in April 2007 at Ieper (Ypres), Belgium when ceremonies were being held for the re-dedication of the Vimy Memorial, France.
Paul's sensitivity to film was developed at an early age seeing his first films at RCAF Zweibrucken, Germany and Sardinia. Paul returned to Canada in 1967 and was captivated by David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Bridge on the River Kwai". Over time Paul became increasingly interested in storytelling, content development, character, direction, cinematography, narration and soundtracks.
At the University of Victoria, Paul studied and compared Japanese and Australian film and became interested in Australian film maker Peter Weir and his film "Gallipoli" (1981). Paul was inspired when he learned Weir visited the beaches, ridges and ravines of the peninsula. "Gallipoli", the film, led Paul on many journeys to sites of conflict in England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Malta, Hawaii, Gallipoli, North Macedonia and Salonika.
When Paul first watched documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, "The Civil War", Paul understood how his own experience and insight could be effective and perhaps influential in film-making. Combining his knowledge of Museums and Archives, exhibitions and idea strategies with his film interests was a natural progression.
Paul thinks like a film-maker. His passion for history and storytelling brings to Paradigm an eye (and ear) to the keen and sensitive interests of; content development, the understanding of successful and relational use of collections, imagery and voice. Like Paul's favorite actor, Peter O'Toole, Paul believes in the adage “To deepen not broaden.”
While on this path Paul always remembers his grandmother whose father did not return from the Great War and how his loss shaped her life and how her experience continues to guide him.
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