GurdyBird-"Defiant 'til Tyburn" from Tamsyn Swingler
submission from Tamsyn Swingler [UK] > The Hurdy Gurdy Weekly"Hi, apologies for the influx, I've been busy getting the recent things ready for the Steampunk Yule Ball, this is getting screened as I play it, featuring a number of friends from the world of steampunk and folk dancers, musicians from Penzance, which admittedly is far from Tyburn, but we like a challenge and celebrated characters and rebellious attitudes! Hope you like, big love from Gurdybird xx"
Join the roguish GurdyBird and her scoundrel friends on an anachronistic journey from Newgate Prison to the Tyburn Tree. Here Tyburn has been used as a metaphor for “the end” and focused on the celebration of characters with a two-fingered attitude often needed to keep going in the face of others trying to pull down creative efforts.
About the production:
GurdyBird sent out a brief to friends who took her up on her idea, many of whom were far away but wanted to join in. To do this the brief was to come up with a character in costume, pirate, ragamuffin, nobel, steampunk and so on (with full awareness Tyburn was out of use in the Victorian age, but steampunks are time travellers!) She asked them (if they were far away or not able to make locations) to record some footage of themselves in mugshot form, depicting their character in a state of busted, guilty and proud. They sent this footage to her with an alter ego name and crime to hang them for (or not) and they were edited, drawn, and photomanipulated into sequence.
This journey starts of with a gamble with the Grim Reaper, and winds through prison, churches, inns, gallows and cemeteries, with a defiant and celebratory vibe of scallywags using animation, illustration, traditional Cornish folk dance by Tros an Treys and The Black Widow Morris in mourning for those taken to Tyburn.
This has been a massive collaborative project with wonderfully creative friends, filled with challenges, but with a great strength in spirit and a very cathartic experience.
Starring in more or less order of appearance:
GurdyBird, Paul Betowski, Kymm Sandum , Miss Von Trapp, Salem Sourpuss (one fifth of the Mock Mayors of Penzance 2014), Martin Cleaver, Dianne Chapman, Terry Janman, Carol Tanner, Megan Beazley, Edward Williams, Alex Taylor, Christine Laurence-Jackson, Maureen Worledge, Jackie Stanton, Avril Machray, Andi Császári, Len Davis, Stephen Kaniok, John Gallagher, Michael Polin, Mark and Scarlett Round, Steven C. Davis, Fey Pink, Hazel Fugeman, Kye Godfrey, Em Oakland, Simon Reed, Jay ‘The Rev’ Hadland, Sharon Skinner, Tony Prior, Nic Palmer, Venus de Vilo, Nik Elvy, Nicky Tangye, Nic Palmer, The Captain, Titi von Tranz, Bill Rodgers, Steve Jones, Martin H. Wattinger, Atticus Oldman, Michael Lloyd, John Stedman.
Music Intro by GurdyBird (Tamsyn Swingler) mixed by Paul Betowski,
“Defiant ‘til Tyburn”, © 2014 Tamsyn Swingler, composed, arranged, programmed and performed, by GurdyBird (Tamsyn Swingler), mixed by Paul Betowski, Mastered by Ian Widgery-Webber. Outro by GurdyBird (Tamsyn Swingler) using samples from the donated footage by Miss Von Trapp, Fey Pink, Martin H Wattinger, Titi von Tranz, Carol Tanner and Venus de Vilo.
Concept and storyboard: Tamsyn Swingler
Illustrations by Tamsyn Swingler
Horse & Cart and logo animations by Tamsyn Swingler and Paul Betowski
Gallows Structure animation by Paul Betowski
Terry Janman’s Photo by Peter Carter, illustrated and animated by Tamsyn Swingler and Paul Betowski
Location filming and lighting by Paul Betowski
Footage not filmed on location by the cast.
Directed by Tamsyn Swingler and Paul Betowski
Produced by Tamsyn Swingler and Paul Betowski
Edited by Tamsyn Swingler and Paul Betowski
Filmed at Castle Sourpuss,
around Penzance,
The Bucket of Blood in Phillack,
The Admiral Benbow in Penzance,
Sancreed,
and locations of the cast members.
So many thanks to all the crew involved, it’s been a privilege to work with you all, and I hope you like the outcome. I couldn’t have done it with out you!
gurdybird.co.uk
facebook.com/gurdybird
twitter.com/tamsyn_swingler
© 2014 Tamsyn Swingler and Paul Betowski
