The documentary filmmaker explores how sensory experiences and self-expression translate into art.

Documentary filmmaker, photographer and free-runner Milo Hale combines his passions and professions to share his expression of the city he calls home. Movement, pace and perspective each play their part in creating a dynamic personal documentary that subverts our view of the streets we wander each day.

Shooting in the urban environments that surround his home turf in West London, Milo created a personal documentary that showcases the symbiosis between creation and location. A free-runner from the age of 15, Milo’s sense of adventure augments his perspective of the city, viewing architecture and landscapes as a scene for adventure rather than something more static. His final piece explores these themes, documenting his evolving creative process through dynamic camera-work that subverts our traditional viewpoints. Imbued with a sense of movement and flow that simultaneously reflects the energy of the city, his film captures West London’s evolving communities.

Growing up in West London, Milo interacted with White City and Television Centre on his daily journeys. In the African and Black-Caribbean culture, he found enriching communities that helped shape his identity; sources of inspiration that still exist for him today. Crediting the rich diversity of the area with the emergence of new creative communities, Milo believes it is this energy that drives his practice forward.

How would you describe your specialism and signature style?

“I am a photographer and filmmaker, specialising in urban landscape and lifestyle. My personal style is varied, but experience led. I like to capture experiences or things that I’m seeing or feeling firsthand, and I love that process of trying to translate those same emotions to the viewer.”

What inspires your work?

“My background in free running and urban exploring has been a massive inspiration for my work. It informed a lot of decisions early in the process that really defined what I liked shooting and the way I went about it. A lot of my work is still heavily influenced by the urban landscape, often combining people with interesting locations and backdrops. I take a lot of inspiration from music, it’s probably the other creative form I’m most passionate about after photography and film. I think they go hand in hand with one another, and I find myself generating a lot of creative ideas off the back of hearing certain pieces or types of music.”

What does White City mean to you?

“Growing up nearby, White City was an area I’d find myself in a lot – Whether at friends’ houses, on the way to school or just exploring the area as I got older and more independent. White City is one of those areas that makes me a proud Londoner. For me it’s always held a lot of energy, and it’s unapologetic in its personality. Coming from a Trinidadian background, growing up in areas that celebrated African and Black-Caribbean culture held a lot of meaning for me. I got to see my dad perform some music in the old TVC when I was younger, and it really cemented the importance of the centre as this beacon for creativity. Using TVC as the focus for a creative project has been a real privilege and full-circle moment for me. I’m appreciating now more than ever how this has kept me connected to my heritage. The cultural diversity in White City, and West London in general feeds a lot of creativity and ideas.”

Can you tell us more about the creativity that exists here, and how you think that came to be?

“Television Centre and White City in general both speak to heritage in different ways. I can’t think of many other existing buildings in London that hold such significant weight in terms of their creative legacy, especially in the TV and media industries. With its repurposing today, it still holds a real creative energy that you feel when you visit, and celebrating its former life has been a key decision in inspiring the next generation of creatives to be here. Not just this though; the surrounding area of White City is a breeding ground for creative ideas. It’s sort of a reflection on London as a whole, but I think with more ethnic diversity comes more creativity, as different ideas and cultures are shared and celebrated. I think White City is at the forefront of that process.”

What was your main goal with your work?

“I wanted my final piece to show how growing up in West London and around White City inspired me creatively, and how my local area was key in influencing what I went on to pursue professionally. It’s a process that’s taken over 10 years, but I wanted to demonstrate that (West) London, much like the creativity you draw from it, is an ever-evolving concept.”

“The main element that inspired me for my final piece was the architecture. Because of my background in free running and urban exploration, a lot of my work is influenced by surrounding architecture, and how people can interact with it and see it in new or different ways. Television Centre is not only famous creatively, but architecturally too. For me it was key to capture some of these details in the final piece.”

What does your creative process look like?

“The process started with storyboarding shots and ideas I wanted to execute in the film. For me, a key part of this was revisiting certain areas of West London I used to spend a lot of time in when I was younger, especially in the early days of my photography and filmmaking. They’re often the hidden corners or areas that people can first overlook, but for me they became hugely important in developing my creative work. I wanted to show people that there is so much more to see around them in the city they live in, especially in a world that is becoming increasingly more digital. Inspiration from those days growing up in West [London] has translated right through to what I’m still doing today, so the area holds a real importance to me in inspiring those early ideas whilst also pushing my creativity into the future.”

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