MUDA short documentary about Mudlarks.
Humans have been living by the river Thames for thousands of years. The Romans, upon conquering Britain in 43 BCE, settled on the banks of the river, founding the city of Londinium.
Today, a dedicated community of Mudlarks scours the Thames riverbanks, each armed with the necessary permits and a keen eye for history. Their discoveries help piece together London's rich archaeological record, one tide at a time.
What drives people to explore these muddy riverbanks in search of history?
There’s an active and diverse community of Thames Mudlarks, and each member of that community is drawn to the mud for different reasons.
Through portraits of 3 to 4 Mudlarks, we'll explore what drives these modern-day treasure hunters. Each mudlark has their own collection of precious finds and personal stories. Their different paths to mudlarking reveal a shared passion for preserving and understanding London's rich history.
Over time, each mudlark develops a unique specialty, becoming a self-taught expert in specific aspects of London's material history. Their interests range from decorative beads, to Victorian clay pipes, and ancient Roman artifacts.
We'll shine a light on each of these historical niches by exploring the individual passions of each of our contributing mudlarks.
Mudlarks dig through the dirt and debris of the Thames' banks, uncovering hidden treasures from London's past - forgotten objects that might seem ordinary to others. To the mudlark, these artifacts tell stories and serve as gateways to history.
London Museum has collaborated with mudlarks since the 1970s to document the changing Thames foreshore and record their discoveries.
Mudlarking isn't about profit - it's illegal to sell any artifacts found. Unless donated to or purchased by a museum, finds must remain with the mudlark who discovered them. As a result, each mudlark becomes the “eternal custodian” of these objects, and a curator of their own esoteric historical collection.
There's no getting around it—this is an eccentric hobby for eccentric people. And that's wonderful. Niche interests deserve celebration, which is exactly what we intend to do.
Visual Style
Mudlarks of Victorian London (Headington Magazine, 1871)
Just as mudlarks sift through layers of history with their hands, our film will embrace an organic, handmade style.
We’ll film mudlarks up-close at work, getting hands-on in the mud. The film will capture the meditative quality of searching the foreshore, while highlighting the excitement of discovery.
While we'll treat the subject with respect, we'll also embrace the quirky nature of hobby - this unique hobby deserves not just a cinematic appraoch, but also some playful, whimsical treatment.
Our cinematography will be playful and experimental, embracing both the gritty reality and ephemeral mystery of the Thames riverbanks. We'll bury cameras in the mud, shoot with long lenses from across the Thames, and employ tilt-shift techniques to show Mudlarks in miniature. We’ll film with macros lenses to highlight the details that only an experienced Mudlark’s eye would see - whatever it takes to tell this story.
Through animated sequences, we'll explain how the Thames preserves and presents its hidden treasures.
Our animations will explain the historical context of Thames-found artifacts and demonstrate how the river preserves them, even those made from organic materials.
This context matters since most people don't understand this preservation process - this scientific aspect helps explain why the Thames is uniquely suited for mudlarking.
Using mixed media animation techniques, we'll create a handcrafted feel that mirrors the hands-on nature of mudlarking itself. There is extensive historical material about mudlarking available online that we can incorporate into our animations.
Inspiration
The Detectorists
Undeniably, there’s comparisons to draw between Mudlarks and Detectorists.
We'll draw inspiration from the show's patient, observational style - letting scenes breathe and finding humour in subtle character moments.
The show understands that the real story wasn't just about finding artifacts - it was about the people doing the searching. Similarly, our film will focus on the human stories of the mudlarks, exploring what drives them to pursue this unusual passion and connections they form along the way.
SOLO NYC
(Short Film) WATCH HERE
“an intimate look at the trials and triumphs of New York’s rising class of creative freelancers.”
Similar to this film's portrayal of NYC's freelance artists, our film will showcase a diverse cross-section of London's mudlarking community. Though each mudlark is unique, they share a common passion.
While each Mudlark’s portrait could stand as its own individual film, together they weave a richer narrative.
Quiet Extinction
(Short Film) WATCH HERE
“With over 20,000 recordings of the quietest places on earth, Gordon Hempton aims to change the fate of quiet.”
We aim to capture this same dignified exploration of a niche passion in our film.
Like Quiet Extinction, our film will embrace a quiet, contemplative tone while exploring universal themes that connect us all.
Time Team
Who doesn’t love a bit of Time Team?!
¿But Why?MUD is a But Why production.
Founded in 2024 by Alex Fountain and Nicolle Diaz, But Why is a production company that uses storytelling as a method to help understand the world. Driven by genuine curiosity and compassion, we make films that seek to inform, educate, and foster empathy.