SHARES
If you’ve managed to hold on to your New Year’s resolution so far and want some inspiration in order to keep it up, George Watson’s project “People of 2016” may be just what you need.
“46. Shahida, 29, Ideas store co-ordinator” by George Watson
Sunday, March 27th, 2016. It’s the 87th day of the year. Bet you didn’t know that. Documentary and filmmaker, George Watson on the other hand, is all too aware of that fact.
Easter Sunday has him traveling from his home in Mile End to Barking, London via the overground. He is going to meet a chocolate fanatic by the name of Shaanti, 7, busy making her own Easter eggs for the day that’s in it.
Why? To have a chat, take her picture and be on his merry way.
This would seem perfectly mundane, except that this is the 87th time he has done this so far this year.
The subtitle of his Tumblr page, People of 2016, sums his project up very neatly: 366 days. 366 people. 366 stories. For every day of 2016’s 366 days, George is going to be looking for someone’s story to tell. It’s a task he likens to being in Groundhog Day as Whitechapel zooms past his train window. “I’ll be sitting down, trying to write a script and in the back of my mind I’ll be thinking ‘God, I haven’t found anyone for today.’”
It’s a minimalist story. He just needs a photo and a quote. But it’s always on his mind. It needs to be done every day. The bags that contain his camera and laptop have become as much part of his body as the smartphone in this pocket. “And I’ll have my lenses. I’ll have a 50mm lens but that might not work so I’ll have another one and then a zoom lens so I’m always weighed down.”
“56. Kate Cohen, 32, PA, London” by George Watson
It’s a project that requires a resolve of steel. Just a few weeks ago the perfect situation arose. A lady whose birthday was February 29 was turning 40 (or 10, whichever way you slice it) and was happy to be photographed. Then her completely inconsiderate husband dashed all George’s plans by taking her on a surprise holiday for her birthday and she couldn’t do the shoot. “When people reject you, you just have to grin and bear it. You face a lot of rejections.”
Another person with the same birthday was tracked down, but very last-minute. And that has been the tune of his year so far. Every day, bar a few organised ones, involves George setting out into the big bad world to find someone to interview about their life, maneuvering around his day-to-day work as a filmmaker.
A challenge from the start, he was still up texting and emailing people on January 3rd before he finally got that day’s photograph. “I knew it was going to be difficult. I might work amazingly hard to find someone but then tomorrow is a brand new day and I have to do it all over again. It is like Groundhog Day.”
He has a list of fallbacks that include his best friends and girlfriend (both of whom he wants in there in any case) in the event that a certain day doesn’t work out for the better.
“87. Shaanti Panesar, 7, East London” by George Watson
It was always going to be a chocolate enthusiast on Easter Sunday, as he didn’t want it to have a religious undertone. Had this not worked out he would have gone along to The Boat Race and got a picture there. Whatever the day, there are contingencies. The filmmaker went through the calendar before the start of the year and marked all the notable days of 2016 to identify as many themes as possible to maximise the chances of success.
The theme of July 30 will be the 50th anniversary of England winning the world cup. George worked hard to find someone who was at the match, and he did. Not in the crowd, but on the pitch. The former striker Geoff Hearst remains the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final as England beat West Germany 4–2 at the old Wembley in 1966. Hearst will be spending some of the 50th anniversary of this momentous occasion speaking to and being photographed by George.
One of his girlfriend’s friends is born on Christmas Day and is aptly named JC, Short for John Christian. So that’s Christmas Day sorted.
If you’re wondering why a boxing ring crops up every now and then in his pictures, it’s because he is currently making a boxing movie. The trainers for the film would only agree to do it if he trained as a boxer, so he is there once a week but People of 2016 doesn’t stop at the behest of his professional obligations.
As New Year’s resolutions go, this one has been long-lived so far. Here’s hoping George sees it through to the doorstep of 2017. There is no reason, thus far, to think he won’t do just that.
Follow George’s progress on Tumblr and Facebook. Find out more about George’s work at gawatson.com.
SHARES
