John Burkhill: One in a Million

I worked collaboratively with Sheffield-based filmmaker Sean Lovell to produce, shoot and edit this 20-minute documentary film about local fundraising legend John Burkhill. Production spanned 31 months between 2019 and 2021, with filming temporarily suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. We structured the production around a two-camera interview with John, which formed the backbone of the film’s narrative, supplemented by observational and actuality footage captured throughout the production.

We followed John at a number of key events, including the Sheffield Half Marathon and his ‘Key to the City’ award ceremony, as well as accompanying him on one of his renowned fundraising walks through Sheffield. This provided extensive observational B-roll of John interacting with members of the public, collecting donations and meeting supporters. One of the film’s more emotionally significant stories centred on John’s encounter with a young girl living with leukaemia. To bring his recollection of the event to life, we produced a dramatised reconstruction using actors, practical effects and artificial snow to recreate the winter setting he described. The finished film also incorporated a range of archive and supporting material, including personal photographs, stock imagery, video footage and newspaper articles, creating a richer visual treatment and adding context and texture to the documentary edit.