Tim Blackwell, Leeds Beckett University
My investigation examines the dynamic relationship between the image maker, musical artist, and audience, questioning how filmmakers can balance creative expression with faithful documentation of live performance. Key questions include: How is authenticity of audience experience replicated in the context of documented performances? What are the challenges and opportunities of maintaining authenticity while using digital tools for documentation? How does the mediatized environment shape audience perceptions and experiences of live music? Does the immediacy of digital technology hinder the creative journey?
Between 2004 and 2009, I filmed hundreds of performances by the band Kaiser Chiefs across various global venues. Rather than employing a multi-camera set up to document a single event, I repeatedly captured variations of the same performance using a single-camera, single-user perspective. Now, twenty years later, I have returned to this extensive archive to analyse its contents, uncover emerging patterns within my own practice, and present new concepts that aim to contribute to the wider discussions around multi-camera documentation. I’m focused on developing strategies to better capture the live musical experience through video-making.
As contemporary video technology and the ability to record live performance and the means to capture imagery evolves and continues to reshape visual representation, it fundamentally alters audience engagement with performance. My own practice incorporates multiple approaches to capturing the live experience. I wish to present my ongoing research into the role of digital media in shaping the aesthetics and authenticity of live performance documentation.
Biography: My practice has explored video as a medium across artistic and commercial contexts, spanning interactive multimedia, animation, and emerging digital technologies. I documented the Leeds music scene (1999–2006), leading to a global career in music video production, notably with the Kaiser Chiefs (2004–2009). Alongside this, my MRES (2002–2004) investigated analogue processes and collaborative, non-hierarchical methodologies. I continue to document live performances through varied video approaches—from solo to multi-camera and live broadcast formats. As a Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University since 2012, I lead the Broadcast Media Technologies programme and I’m currently in the second year of my practice-based research in professional practice.