Field Notes: Wheaton Filmmaker in London
Each summer, Wheaton College offers several Filmmaker in Residence Fellowships that fund students to travel with faculty-led international courses and produce films about the experiences and issues being studied. Emma Bradshaw ‘25 was awarded the fellowship to accompany the Theatre, Culture, and Critique trip to London, led by Professor of Theatre Stephanie Burlington Daniels. Emma recently spoke with Patrick Johnson, Chair of the Department of Film, Digital Media, and Communications about the experience.
Please tell me a bit about the project you filmed in London?
Our trip to London was based around theater critique, and as a group, we saw nine shows and many of us saw additional shows as well! As the trip went on, we began talking about the concept of “radical joy”. Essentially, we defined radical joy as finding joy in our lives despite all the negative things happening around us. It is not about always being positive or ignoring
difficult situations, but rather finding happiness as an act of defiance against those issues. It soon became clear to me that I would base my film around radical joy both in theater specifically, and our lives in general.
What was an important lesson that you learned from the experience?
Just because someone is a critic doesn’t mean they have to tear things down. Reviews are important because they can inform what a person chooses to consume, but that can be dangerous as well. I’ve noticed many shows on Broadway or just professional theaters closing soon after they open. We should uplift exceptional theater, but should also give the shows we don’t hear about, or hear some negativity about a chance. Each production has so much work put into it yet, unfortunately, many often fail because of critical reviews. It’s also very important to remember that just because one person dislikes a performance doesn’t mean it can’t be incredibly meaningful to another.
What was a standout moment that you were able to capture?
Our first week in London we had a stage combat workshop. The workshop was so much fun and I was able to film a ton of it! Not only did I get shots of the actual moves we learned, but I captured the competitiveness in our warm-up game, the laughter when someone messed up, and the dramatic fake reactions to each punch, slap, and hair pull. This footage is special because it was essentially our group of nine students and the instructor experiencing the joy we all created together.
What were some of the challenges of filming?
This trip included a lot of walking around and transporting the equipment, even if just the camera in a tote bag, took a toll on my body. Eventually, I left the camera in my room on days I knew we’d walk a lot and filmed with my phone whenever I saw something I wanted to capture. This also allowed for more organic moments to be captured where I didn’t have to go through all the steps of getting the camera ready.
What is the next step for the project and in your journey as a filmmaker/storyteller?
Next, I’m focusing on getting more interviews with the students who went on the trip. When filming I tried to capture the trip without taking away from the experience, so I am looking to get more reflections to contextualize the footage I have. In addition to interviewing the students, I am beginning to reach out to cast members of the shows we saw to set up Zoom interviews to hear their perspectives, and how they view joy and theater from a professional standpoint. These interviews will be especially helpful, as I was not able to film inside the theaters which was a huge part of the trip. It’s a bit of a daunting task, but I’m also very excited to talk with them!
What is something that you would love people to know about the experience?
If you ever get the opportunity to go on this trip, or even just to London, I highly recommend it! The trip as a whole was a huge boost to my confidence in many different ways. This was my first time traveling out of the country which was a lot to prepare for but so worth it! I was able to get a grasp on London public transport and find my way around the city making me feel much more self-sufficient. Of course, watching all of these performances was wonderful, and we were able to talk with some actors after many of the performances. I loved being able to speak with people doing what I may want to do once I graduate, and they were all so kind and seemed to be just as excited about their productions as we were.