Project: TONY Year: 2022 Discipline: Film, Art Direction, Installation Client: Self Initiated Collaborators: Oliver Nixon, Daisy Rickman, Squirrel
TONY is a 16mm short film documenting the career of Tony Howes, a Newlyn-based door to door mobile fishmonger. Tony’s been in the fish trade for 50 years, giving him a unique perspective on the local fishing industry in Cornwall. However, Tony’s job is significant not just as a fishmonger, but as a pillar of the community that many people rely on. I started working on the film two years ago, as he felt it was an important social document to capture, especially as it’s coming to an end and may not continue.
The cinematography was operated by Oliver Nixon, a local photographer and filmmaker. To accompany the film, Oliver has taken a series of photographs of Tony, his customers and colleagues at Newlyn Fish Co.
I worked closely with local signwriter and boat painter Squirrel, who hand painted Tony’s first van in the early ’80s, to paint the title cards and credits. The original music for the film was composed by talented artist and musician Daisy Rickman.
