I'm an real fan of the BFI and enjoy my visits to their flagship Southbank location, reeping the many benefits on offer. The key attraction that reels me in (pardon the pun!) is the film library, enriched with an extensive archive of magazines, books and other compelling content related to the film industry.
Titles that I found particularly interesting include a book on illustrative storyboarding, the Neo-Noir genre, psychology of film and recent BFI focus (during which they screened a number of infamous films within this genre), gothic horror. I find that periodic visits to the library keep my ideas fresh whilst maintaining an element of cinematic depth and intellectual underpinning.
The library has 2 rows of comfortable little booths -in addition to other seating- complete with a cluster of plug points (heaven!) and wifi. The collection spans the entire history of cinema, exploring individual actors/actresses, directors, lighting, locations and many more elements fundamental to the industry. Its free to use and is open Tuesday-Saturday between 10:30am-7pm. The late closure is perfect and often find myself visiting from around 4/5pm till the very end.
Another great feature (which to be honest, I should really keep a secret) is the Mediatheque. You can turn up on the day or call in advance to book either a 2 or 4 person seating area complete with its own screen, choosing from a selection of films, documentaries or selective TV episodes in their archive.
I find their playlist like 'collections' -often determined by genre or theme- particularly helpful. For example, they describe their 'Dancing Feet' collection as 'Britains rich legacy of dance on screen, and 'Pandoras Box' collection as 'A dip into the world of the odd, the esoteric, the delightful and the downright dangerous'. BFI's team of film experts have already selected the best of the bunch for you, which in my opinion is flipping fantastic- and all accessible on their website.
I would recommend browsing the collections on offer prior to your visit and making note of a few options, if not exactly what to watch as you're only limited to a maximum of 2 hours. On my first visit I was in such a fluster (the countdown clock is visible on the screen which can be totally off-putting) that I lost too much time and ended up watching an episode, although a fantastic one at that, of Ab Fab. On a more successful visit I watched the John Hurt adaptation of George Orwell classic '1984' and felt the venue of the Mediateque within the BFI rather enhanced my experience.
Yesterday afternoon I made my way to the BFI Southbank after a meeting in Camden, intending to visit the library- which you may have guessed from what I mentioned earlier, was closed. Instead, myself and Lauren Miller (fashion stylist whom I have worked with on many occasions) booked seats for the early evening showing of 1948 'Spring in a Small Town'; part of their 5 month focus on 'A Century of Chinese Cinema', celebrating Chinese film over the past 100 years.
Although a little slow at times, the B&W film was thought provoking and inspiring, impressive when you realise how promptly it was made after the war. From a fashion perspective, the adaptation of 1940s clothing and hair styles in China was fascinating, as although different, they still appear distinctive from the era. The central character's outfits remained a consistent length/ shape throughout, perfectly tailored to her shape yet more conservative than the angular figure hugging suits dominating British fashion in the 40s.
Whether visiting the library, Mediatheque or cinema; I feel the BFI Southbank has something of interest to us all, well worth a visit if you find yourself with a couple of hours spare in London. It has a cozy, well sized cafe too, energised by a diverse filmic crowd and offers a good cup of coffee-or glass of wine depending on the occasion!
Have you visited the BFI library or Mediatheque? I would love to hear your experience.
Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk
