Chess Documentary – opportunity for a junior player

[Peter D Williams]

I noticed this on the ECF web site

Chess Documentary – opportunity for a junior player

The Chess Champ

This documentary, aimed at the CBBC/ BBC Learning audience, will be split into six half hour episodes. It will follow the journey of a young chess player, as they play their way through some of the UK’s toughest chess tournaments against opponents often more than twice their age.

This documentary will also address why there can be a stigma attached to playing chess; and why other countries are overtaking the UK in educational pastimes. These issues can hopefully be addressed through interviews with the young chess player’s family, school friends, coaches and other players attending congresses.

This series ultimately aims to gain access to the chess world and showcase the life of a chess player by observing their coaching sessions, their successes and failures at local tournaments and the pressure to succeed at International Junior events. To keep the programme fresh, there will also be intermittent segments featuring two young chess playing presenters (e.g. Stephen Gordon and Lawrence Trent), informing the audience of basic chess principles.

[Matthew Turner]

I am always very hesitant about advertising something like this, but I note the contact details with great interest. It is a well known chess player, so it might be interesting what angle he would wish to take.

[Peter D Williams]

I am always very hesitant about advertising something like this, but I note the contact details with great interest. It is a well known chess player, so it might be interesting what angle he would wish to take.

It must have the agreement of the ECF as it is on the ECF web site?

What you would want to know is who has commissioned the film and what film company is making it. The film company often has a certain angle it wishes to present and his this it "This series ultimately aims to gain access to the chess world and showcase the life of a chess player by observing their coaching sessions, their successes and failures at local tournaments and the pressure to succeed at International Junior events.

When you take part in these type of films you have to agree to the film company having the final say on what is in the film and it is quite amazing when your shown the film to see what was left out.

[John Upham]

When you take part in these type of films you have to agree to the film company having the final say on what is in the film and it is quite amazing when your shown the film to see what was left out.

Nigel Tufnell made similar comments about a documentary that featured him.

[Peter D Williams]

Nigel Tufnell made similar comments about a documentary that featured him.

I remember Peter being filmed in his home town raising money for a charity and was very surprised to see this left out.The film crew where their all day filming it and said it looked rather good.I used to talk a lot to the director of the 2nd film Lucy Leveugle who is now head of Factual entertainment for Channel 4 and she told me that you have to do what the people who have commissioned the film want because it is them who are paying for the film to be made.With a film like this regular meeting are held with the film director to check that everything is going to plan and that he/she is keeping to the brief. I remember once film director come down to film and Peter was playing a Fantasy Battle Board Game but that was no good he said i want to film him playing chess!

[John Upham]

Nigel was concerned that he had been unfairly portrayed dealing with his relationship with David St. Hubbins and their "artistic differences".
To some extent the filmmaker, Marty DiBergi, was held to blame.

[Peter D Williams]

Nigel was concerned that he had been unfairly portrayed dealing with his relationship with David St. Hubbins and their "artistic differences".
To some extent the filmmaker, Marty DiBergi, was held to blame.

Attaching blame has to be with the general public who watch these type of films.The name of a film/documentary and what is in it according to senior channel 4 staff will make lots more people watch it.So the name child genius was used most of the parent where against this name.I had endless discussing with them over it and channel 4 said to me the rating will go up people will watch it in much bigger numbers.I like to think that the general public was a little more discerning about this,but having so many people ask me such daft questions about Peter that i think channel 4 where right to call it this.People really do seem to believe everything that is shown in a film forgetting about all the bits that are left on the cutting room floor.

The IQ test for the children was never mentioned until filming was well under way and then your told oh the others have agreed whats the problem ? we where put under pressure to take it and almost said no and it was implied that we would have been chucked out of the film any way Peter took it and got top score so it ended well for us but for some others it did not.

On the positive side of making a documentary you get to meet film directors/senior staff in our case from channel 4 and two visits to the channel 4 headquarters.We also learned a lot about how filming editing is done and become very friendly with Lucy Leveugle, who now head of Factual entertainment at Channel 4.

Well at least the weather nice today sun is out