Urbex in Sheffield - Documentary interviewee's

[Jakehjgh]

Hello there,

My name is Jake and I'm a trainee journalist at the University of Sheffield.

I'm in the process of making a documentary on Urban Exploring in Sheffield and need an interview with someone who enjoy's the hobby and is knowledgeable about the current scene in Sheffield. Experience in having been to much of Sheffield's derelict places would be ideal.

The piece may be broadcast on Forge TV and certainly uploaded onto Youtube.

Any preferences you'd have about being recorded I would be happy to discuss - I've been told privacy may be an issue for some due to Urbex's nature. But obviously we could discuss anonymity as such a solution.

I hope this post is okay for here and abides by the forums rules, please correct me if not

Thank you!

 

[Lavino]

I wish you all the luck. But to be honest when people go public with the photos it is frowned upon by a lot of the community. But I'm sure someone will help. Quite a lot in Sheffield.

 

[Wrench]

My advice for what it's worth....
Get out there with yr camera, explore, take some photos and do yr own research.
Once you become involved in this community you will understand why we are quite a closed community and maybe you will understand the lack of response to your request. I dont mean to be rude but we are a closed community for a reason and it takes a lot to become a trusted member of any fora, your approach IMHO is entirely misguided. I wish you well sir.

 

[HughieD]

What Tbolt said. Go out do some ground-work. To quote Sheffield band Pulp "cause everybody hates a tourist"

 

[druid]

A slightly better approach would have been to post an introduction about yourself in the section set aside for that. Include a bit of background to explain why you want to interview someone from the urbex community and what you hope to achieve with the video - saying you are a journalism student isn't going to be enough.

We often have people appear, ask for info and never hear from them again. It takes time and interaction to develop trust. You do need to have some 'unique selling point'. Why should I become involved with YOUR project? People will wonder if the 'documentary video' is just a way to get some location/access information?

Your comment "I've been told privacy may be an issue for some due to Urbex's nature" suggests you have no real knowledge of the community here at all.

There are loads of people active around Sheffield - if you went out and looked at a few sites (easy enough to see which are 'popular' on here as a starting point) you'd probably bump into one or two...maybe get chatting and see what makes them tick. Could lead on to some kind of partnership for your journalism - maybe a more long term relationship than a five minute video?

I know this might seem negative Jake but you have to realise that people don't like gatecrashers (whether it be at a party or on a bulletin board).

 

[Jakehjgh]

Thank you all for your responses, I'll take on board what you've said and try to develop a better understanding first and then work from there. Apologies for the ignorance on my part!

Jake

 

[HughieD]

Good luck Jake. Hope it works out for you.

 

[MD]

the only people youll interest with your post is the people willing to sell out..
99% of proper explorers shy away from the limelight

 

[UrbanX]

Hi Jake,
Good luck with your search. You should also give us a little more information about your project, and what you plan on doing with it. A lot of people that "are unwilling to talk to the media" are always up for helping out a student.