Amber Films was formed in 1968 by a group of film and photography students who met while studying in London and opted to set up a working base in Newcastle. From 1971, the fledgling organisation rented premises on Side, close to Newcastle Quayside. In 1974, the choice had to be made between quitting the rented premises or buying the entire buildings. The group decided to attempt the latter, negotiating a commercial loan which necessitated the creation of a formal legal structure. Additional funds were raised via loans from family and friends, all of which were subsequently repaid over the following ten years. Thus the Amber Partnership was born.
Although documentation of working-class experience was not fashionable in the 1960s and 70s, we were determined to do this using a range of documentary media – primarily film and photography. Since independent film groups and photographic galleries barely existed outside of London at the time, our aims were quite ambitious. Public funding was extremely limited, so our projects had to be financed by various means, such as through small production grants, crewing for TV, working in education and via our first ‘commercial’ venture, Lambton Visual Aids. Our wages were based around equal shares of what was left after the repayment of loans, building upkeep and funding of projects.
A major step change came in the late 1970s and early 1980s. First, grants from the Arts Council and the British Film Institute facilitated building conversions to create the Side Gallery and Cinema, which were completed around 1978. Second, in 1984 the Channel Four/ACTT Workshop Declaration established longer-term funding for major film projects. The Workshop Declaration enshrined Amber’s own principles of non-profit distribution and an egalitarian wage structure. The next 20 years would see an expansion of film and photography production. New photographers, gallerists and film-makers joined the organisation, some opting to remain as employees, and three joining the partnership. This brought responsibilities as well as rights. Partners were expected to contribute a third of their wages towards the upkeep and development of the buildings. This was supplemented by rents from other parts of the buildings. This reserve also provided the flexibility needed in times of financial difficulty, for example when the Gallery lost its core funding.
With partners approaching retirement age in the early 2000s, thoughts turned to preserving the Amber legacy. In order to ensure that all the work, both self-funded and publicly funded, was retained in the public realm, we established The AmberSide Collection Trust to manage and maintain the archive of photography and film work. A new Amber structure, a Community Interest Company was established. All of the tools of Amber’s film and photography production were donated by the partnership, as well as the right to use our work from the archive.
Thus, we the 5 remaining partners are left only with the buildings we originally bought in 1974. A long term lease for the new Amber CIC is in place. So now it is time for us to fully retire from the caretaking responsibilities and sell the buildings. The premises have been an amazing resource over the years and it is good to know that they will continue to facilitate important creative work. It is time for a new generation to take up the challenge. We wish the CIC all the best on its forward journey.
Finally, we want to say a big thank you to all those communities and organisations with which we have worked over more than 50 years. Your voices have meant everything to us, and we are confident that they will continue to be heard through the work of Amber/Side.
Richard Grassick, Ellin Hare, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, Pat McCarthy, Peter Roberts
