Private Project

Sketching in the Trenches: War Artists of the First World War

The volume and complexity of artistic expression that emerged during the First World War was unprecedented. War artists often risked their lives to capture their experiences on paper.

But how close to the action did war artists get? How could they sketch in the midst of the chaos and carnage? And could any of us do it?

In this short, historical documentary, which is currently a finalist for The British Short Film Awards, I challenged Sky Arts 'Portrait Artist of the Year' winner and royal portraitist, Gareth Reid, to immerse himself in front-line sketching and to create a series of drawings during his visit to the Imperial War Museums, including from inside a reproduction trench and with two WW1 re-enactors recreating scenes of war.

With spectacular access to IWM's vast war archives and precious artefacts, plus fresh insights from IWM's curatorial team, this film provides a fascinating look at the role and stories behind front line war artists, who worked in perilous conditions over 100 years ago, to document these important events.

  • Emily Brown
    Director
  • Emily Brown
    Writer
  • Emily Brown
    Producer
  • Gareth Reid
    Key Cast
  • Rebecca Newell
    Key Cast
  • George Nicholls
    Key Cast
  • Ben Rufus Green
    Key Cast
  • Barnaby Spikings
    Additional Camera
  • Matt Rozier
    Video Editor
  • EyesOnLegs
    Music
  • Emily Brown
    Cinematography
  • Emily Brown
    Voice Over
  • Th Great War Society
    Many Thanks to
  • The Imperial War Museum
    Archive & other material courtesy of
  • The National Portrait Gallery
    Archive & other material courtesy of
  • The Tate, London
    Archive & other material courtesy of
  • Archive of Ontario
    Archive & other material courtesy of
  • The Kirklees Museums & Galleries
    Archive & other material courtesy of
  • Gareth Reid
    Archive & other material courtesy of
  • Calum Pearce
    Archive & other material courtesy of
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    History, Art, Art History, War history, Drawing
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 29, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Multicam. 4K / HD 1080p
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Emily Brown

Emily is a highly creative and technical Shooting Producer/Director with 18 years industry experience, including 5 years at the BBC and multiple TV documentary credits.

She has also shot & directed over 400 online short films, including award-winning scripted comedy shorts and factual content for the BBC website.

Emily has recently produced, directed & edited 18 documentary shorts for The Imperial War Museums, on a wide range of historical topics, from Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler & the Battle of Jutland, to POW artists & the black British soldiers of WW1.

Her comedy shorts, Paper Trail & Tea Time, have won multiple awards. She was also a finalist for the Funny Women Awards in 2019 & was long listed in 2022.

In 2022, Emily also produced and directed ARTMaster Live - a brand new, enormously successful, live comedy game show, fronted by Alex Horne from Taskmaster. Emily developed & directed this new spin on the Ch4 show, creating a fresh format, challenges & celebrity-led task VTs, for a pilot & sell-out live show.

Experienced in shooting, directing and shaping whole series, Emily crafts killer narratives, from pre-production through to the edit. Emily is BBC trained and well travelled, with finely tuned editorial instincts and plenty of visual flair. She is able to tease out maximum drama, humour and jeopardy in every scene.

Emily enjoys working across a variety of genres; from art, drama and comedy, to history, property and consumer, human interest, obs docs, holiday shows, formats, true crime, drama recon and blue light shows. With 2 parents in the emergency services (Police & NHS), Emily's unique background gives her an advantage when filming with police, doctors, midwives, patients and paramedics. Her experience includes following character-led storylines as they develop, maintaining relationships over long periods & navigating complex access & immersive filming with vulnerable contributors.

Emily's TV directing credits include The Great Staycation: Luxury in Southend-on-Sea (BBC One), The Investigator: A British Crime Story, GPs Behind Closed Doors (Ch5), The One Show (BBC One), Rich House, Poor House (Ch5), Call the Cleaners (ITV), Sarah Beeny's Renovate, Don't Relocate (UKTV), For the Love of Cars (Ch4), Back in Time for Dinner (BBC Two), Four in a Bed (Ch4), Disabled & On Benefits (Ch5) and Claimed & Shamed (BBC Two).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

An efficient & award winning Producer & Director. BBC trained & well travelled, with finely tuned editorial instincts & visual flair.

I have 18 years industry experience & more than 40 directing & producing credits, across BBC, CBBC, ITV, Ch4, Ch5, UKTV, Discovery & MTV, including filming drama recon inside Strangeways Prison for BBC One, a murder investigation for ITV1 & topical VTs for The One Show.

I have also created 400+ online films, from scripted shorts to virals, for the BBC & other high profile brands. I am BBC trained in directing drama & have lots of experience & training in working with actors.

I am currently scripting, producing, directing & editing high end docs for The Imperial War Museums, incl. drama recon with actors, on historical topics ranging from war artists & POWs to the aircraft that bombed Hiroshima during WW2.

I recently teamed up with Alex Horne to script, produce & direct him in a live, art-themed, comedy game show (& Taskmaster spinoff). Celebrity guests incl. Greg Davies, Fiona Allen, Ninia Benjamin, Lou Sanders, Joe Wilkinson, Asim Chaudhry & La Voix.

I have also shot & directed award-winning scripted comedy shorts & was a finalist for the Funny Women Awards in 2019.