Problems With Kelham Island

After Michael Holmes made reference to The Kelham Island Museum during his interview, we felt that it would be a good idea to contact them and arrange a time when we could gather some shots of their exhibits; similarly to the process we underwent with The Millennium Gallery. However, unlike the gallery who responded almost immediately, Kelham Island were annoyingly unresponsive to us. We checked their website for their e-mail, contacting them this way 3 times over a period of more than a week; not receiving any response. We began to grow impatient after this and decided to contact them via phone, alas however, they were still unresponsive. Finally, we decided we needed to contact them in person, where they would have no choice but to interact with us. There, we learned that the member of staff that handles emails and contacts had been on holiday for the past week or so, meaning that the museum's emails and phone calls regarding special bookings were not being answered. We were told that the earliest appointment for filming possible would be the morning of Tuesday the 28th of February; just a day before our presentation. Unable to film the exhibits and not wanting to leave empty-handed, we instead decided to shoot several exterior displays from a distance, thereby not legally being on their property yet still being able to obtain some useful shots to be coupled with Micheal's references to the museum. 

Despite allowing ourselves well over a week to arrange an appointment with the museum, our attempts were to no avail, much unlike The Millennium Gallery, who gave us permission in just a few days. This sort of situation however, is a frustratingly common issue in documentary film-making. Unable to obtain permission, we were forced to improvise. Hopefully, this will not detriment the overall quality of the film. Unlikely thanks to our deliberate habit of always shooting more footage than we feel is necessary; thereby always allowing ourselves an safety net. Despite our precautionary habits however, Kelham Island's poor responsiveness was indeed a frustrating obstacle; one that we were thankfully able to overcome.