STEPHEN BLACKMAN

It is the seventh year since my dear friend Stephen Blackman passed away after struggling bravely against a stroke and we miss him sorely and not a week goes by without remembering his humour, his professionalism, his kindness and boundless generosity. A master of his craft (Director of Photography) Stephen was responsible for shooting many of the greatest and often funniest adverts, he was DoP on the film of Ian McEwan's 'Cement Garden' which remained his tour de force and he was underused in the professional film world in my opinion. From his earliest student work we were all impressed and expected no less from him. He did promo films for Iggy Pop, The Sugarbabes, Emma Bunton to name a few. At root of all his work was an attention to detail and closeup focus camerawork that was peerless and I think groundbreaking in some aspects and this can be seen at his best in The Cement Garden. He was taken from us at aged 55 and I know he would have gone on to do more great work. He never lost touch with his childhood friends and I numbered myself with those of his pals who he could easily have left behind but he never did. I am honoured to know his father through our connection with his son, the eminent calligrapher Alan Blackman, and his fabulous daughter Catalina Blackman who goes from strength to strength as an actor and playwright and voice over actor. He would have been immensely proud and rightly so of her stellar skills talent and passions.

Thanks to her and her mother, Annie, they chose the most beautiful burial site for Stephen out in the Oxfordshire countryside at the wonderful Fairspear Natural Burial Ground out near Leafield. I went on my own today to pay him my respects and felt I was visiting on behalf of all that knew him but especially his dear father who lives and works in San Francisco. Forty mile round trip from my home on my beloved scooter on a scorching hot day but it was lovely out there, calm and peaceful and breathtakingly beautiful. 

Stephen's burial plot highlighted by the sun and resting just behind this silver birch tree

Fairspear Natural Burial Ground - the edge of the woodland looking out across the meadows