During lockdown Bear Jam Productions approached me with a fantastic brief from UKAD, the anti-doping sports organisation. They wanted to make a series of films that charted the stories of figures in sports that had been victims of cheating. This series was to begin with the story of British Bobsleigh champion John Jackson. His story was fascinating; having suffered a ripped Achilles just months before the Sochi Olympic games he elected to undergo experimental surgery and fought his way to the start line against all the odds, finishing just outside the medal positions. A feat of endurance and dedication in itself; had the story not taken an unexpected turn. A year after the games, now retired from the sport, he learnt he in fact was a bronze Olympic medallist - the Russian team placed above him had been involved in the state sponsored doping scandal. A recognition of the medal was finally bestowed onto him and his team at the Team GB ball three years after the Sochi games.
While John’s story is a great example of human endeavour and sportsmanship, it was the criteria that we would undertake to tell that story that truly intrigued me. I was never to meet John in person, never point a camera in his direction, instead, due to Covid-19 filming restrictions, I was to record an interview with him over the phone and then use archive material to bring his story to life.
What transpired was a 4-minute film that felt very personal and human; a recognition of his career but most importantly the damage that doping inflicted not only on him but also the sport as a whole. The approach put John’s words at its heart, allowing him, as an unseen narrator to tell his story in a way that had real resonance. A break from the normal documentary interview conventions that allowed us to reinforce his words with relevant documentary archive footage, home video, and photographs to capture the emotion of the story and keep it anchored in the moment. The challenges and restrictions placed upon us through not being able to take the classic route actually resulted in a film that felt far more compelling and heartfelt.
See the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjFO9WHlpcg
