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Guernsey Coppersmith won a 4-star award at BIAFF 2008

Making Guernsey Coppersmith

by Willy Van der Linden

In August last year I was in Guernsey. Together with Peter Rouillard I'm making the film Guernsey, I Love You! Mary Rouillard has already done part of the research work. During the weekends we did the shooting. Our actors, Martine and Adam, are still in their twenties and they have to work to earn their daily bread. Last year also Peter was still a hard working man, but in the mean time he has retired.

So my wife Vera and I travelled round Guernsey on our own for a few days to take some beautiful shots of the island for the film Guernsey, I Love You! One of those days I visited the island's only coppersmith, Trevor Rogers Davis. His workshop is just behind Sausmarez Manor, an historic building. He makes copper milk cans which is one of the icons of Guernsey.

I asked Mr. Rogers Davis if I could film the whole process. He seemed to be very proud, but he was also very nervous. "Making such a milk can only takes 90 minutes", he said "and I cannot stop the soldering process from time to time, otherwise my cans may leak afterwards." Trevor looked like a hurricane when working on it. It was hard to follow him with my camera. I took as many scenes as I could: often with shots of only 2 or 3 seconds each. There were beads of sweat on his forehead, but also on mine.

The next day I went back for an interview. I had asked him to wear the same clothes. My wife held the external microphone that belongs to my club. Apparently Trevor had learnt something by heart. It sounded unnatural. Moreover he was dead nervous. After half an hour I told him that we would do everything again. He was surprised, but still very motivated. I asked him some questions. I told him to ignore the camera and to look at me just like in interviews on TV. Suddenly he was more relaxed. He even told anecdotes and jokes. There was a smile on his face. I had "caught" him and I was very pleased. Maybe it would have been even better if he looked at the camera, but it was sufficient of a challenge to calm him down.

Every film must have some structure. At home I asked one of my clubmates if he could make something for me: an electrically driven turntable on which I could put a finished example of a Guernsey milk can. He created it and I had an excellent end for my film. From time to time I zoomed in. The reflections gave a wonderful effect. Good for my title and excellent for my credits.

Now I have a new film for competitions, for film shows, for a small part of the Guernsey, I Love You! -film, but also for Trevor Rogers Davis himself, the unique Guernsey Coppersmith. Maybe I will see him on my next visit to the island. I will give him a copy. Imagine that he will show this film is his workshop and that the sale of Guernsey milk cans rises by 100% or more! Maybe I have done something good for the commerce of Guernsey then, but mind I will not ask him to show that film in his workshop. I am not guilty!

-Willy Van der Linden

Page updated on 07 April 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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