'Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall' Nominated for Grierson Award

SMA director Alfred George Bailey’s ‘Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall’ has been nominated for a Grierson Award in the Best Arts or Music Documentary category, alongside 'The Black Godfather', 'Imagine…Edna O’Brien: Fearful and Fearless' and 'Terms and Conditions: A UK Drill Story'.

With a score written by SMA composer Ian Arber, the documentary traces the career of the photographer who captured some of the greatest moments in rock history. We caught up with Alfred and Ian after receiving news of the nomination to get a little more insight into their experiences making this film. Here’s what they had to say…

Alfred George Bailey (director):

'Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall' has become a career defining film for me thus far and has taken me on an emotionally personal journey, like Jim Marshall my relationship with my father was somewhat difficult but unlike Jim my father was very much in my life, but worked all the time supporting a family and the community as head of a Pentecostal church which both my parents gave so much too.  

I'm very proud and also incredibly fortunate to have formed a lasting personal and professional relationships with composer Ian Arber and editor Adam Biskupski plus producer Tatiana Kennedy. With such a solid team of outstanding individual (not all mentioned here) supporting me on this, my second documentary feature film, I was able to grow as a film director plus continue to learn and feel confident that I would be able to tell Jim Marshall’s story of an incredibly gifted but deeply troubled man who left behind such an important visual legacy - one which he entrusted to his friend and photographic assistant Amelia Davis when he left his entire estate, through which she keeps his legacy alive. Without her trust in me as film director and cinematographer this film could not have been made. 

The collaboration between Adam (the editor) and Ian (the composer) has been one of, if not the best working experiences I have had to date. the flow of creative ideas, the shaping of the narrative arch both in the edit and music score composition to finally bring this documentary to life has been a moment in my life that I will never forget. 

I sincerely thank all involved in the making of this film, and It's truly humbling to have The Grierson Trust nomination for 'Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall.'

Ian Arber (composer): ​

It was such a pleasure to score this film in close collaboration with director Alfred George Bailey, editor Adam Biskupski and producer Tatiana Kennedy.

It was a rewarding challenge to write a score that told the story of a complex man who documented so many of the world’s biggest icons and events in history. The film is held together with a melodic theme for Jim, which weaves its way through the decades he documented with his camera.

I'm very proud to have been a part of such an inspiring and well-made documentary with such a talented crew. It's fantastic to see the film receive the praise and recognition it deserves.