The special award
Hamilton’s first multi-camera experience on BBC Two’s The Sunday Show followed. “I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and it was live to air,” he recalls, but Richard Godfrey at MTV liked what he saw and offered him directing duties on the Hamburg concert. Like many TV crafts, multi-camera directing is one that Britain does well. “Look at the people directing the outside broadcast and studio shows in America and they’re all Brits. The BBC should take a lot of credit for training people and MTV for giving them opportunities,” says Hamilton. “I am delighted to be celebrated as a multicamera director,” Hamilton concludes. “It’s a unique art form in its own right. The BAFTA isn’t just for me – it’s one that all multi-camera directors in Britain can share. We’re a small community of people and I’ve been inspired by so much of their work.” Matthew Bell is a freelance television journalist. 19