Emma Crome

Some words from my latest Substack on making 'Folk Who Roam,' and beautiful supporting images from the film by @catvinton . These personal moments of creation feel more and more like an embodiment of hope, fulfilment and joy, in an increasingly chaotic world. ✍️ 'Folk music has always been rooted in land, in walking it, working it, gathering on it. It holds memory, dialect, rhythm, and resistance. As Eleanor Salter writes in Prospect Magazine ‘folk music is “a fitting musical mouthpiece” for environmental concern, shaped as much by protest as by place.’ The violin at the heart of this film therefore is not just an instrument. It becomes a voice, one that will speak, quietly but persistently, to questions of access, belonging, and care. Working on this film has also deepened my sense that craft and creativity are not separate from these conversations, but central to them. Heritage crafts, like violin making, are themselves forms of knowledge tied to landscape and material. As Emma points out, a lot of our heritage crafts in England are in decline. In that way, something more than skill is lost - a way of understanding and relating to the world begins to fade. Projects like this feel, in a small way, like acts of holding onto that connection.' #filmmaking #creativity #folkmusic #violinmaking #nature Supported by @blundstone_uk

Living above a small fragment of temperate rainforest has given me untold amounts of joy and serenity. We moved here just over four years ago and my attachment to this place grows deeper with each passing season. What was once a thriving ecosystem across the western fringes of the UK has now collapsed into these rare and fragile green pockets. We use them for recreation, for conservation, for study and for wonder. There is a growing movement to protect these beautiful spots and expand them further in the form of bodies such as The Alliance For Wales' Rainforest. But we can all do a little to help out whilst travelling through the woods and swimming in the rivers: 🥾Tread gently and be mindful of rare lichens, mosses and flowers. Notice the abundance of species around you whose home is the woods and who rely on their surroundings being intact for survival. 🚮 Take home all your litter and leave only footprints. Even better carry a little bag and collect any litter you may stumble upon. 🏊‍♀️If you are swimming or gorge scrambling wash all kit thoroughly between locations to stop the spread of algae and bacteria. 🐕Be mindful of your dog - it’s nesting season so keep your dog on a lead or on the path and out of the undergrowth. Spot-on flea treatments containing certain insecticides, particularly fipronil and imidacloprid, pose a significant risk to aquatic life when they enter waterways. These chemicals, commonly used in pet products, can contaminate rivers and ponds through various pathways, including wastewater from homes and direct contact with treated pets entering water bodies. 🌿Enjoy “being” in the woods, sit quietly and listen to the birdsong or bob slowly in a pool and watch the water glistening. 📖Read “The Lost Rainforests of Britain” by Guy Shrubsole. I make a little cameo appearance in Chapter 5! #cymru #temperaterainforests #celticrainforests #WorldRainforestDay #ProtectRainforests #RainforestPreservation #ClimateAction #Biodiversity

Tomorrow night we are celebrating the online launch of 'The Last English Poacher' with a live stream and a Q&A about the process of making the film and the themes it embraces. So much has been in the media recently about land access, farming, food security, protecting nature and our precious green spaces. All the polemic can make your head spin, which is why I am so keen on making films that encompass nuances and reveal unexpected or untold stories and perspectives, straight from lived experience. This is what I hope this film is, a character portrait that raises questions and that makes you want to know more, rather than telling you what to think. If you watch it, I hope you enjoy it, and I would love to hear your thoughts any time, if you are up for sharing. Join us at 7pm tomorrow night on Vimeo for the live stream, link to the tickets in my bio! 👆 All proceeds go to Moors For The Future! #documentary #livestream #filmmaking #shortfilm #nature #ruralhistory

Folk Who Roam was filmed in some of our favourite parts of the Peak District. Our film explores how these places are special to us not just as spaces to pass through for exercise, but the connection with nature and the nurturing of creativity that can come from them. Where’s your favourite outdoor space? What does it give you? #folkmusic #right2roam #peakdistrict #sheffield #folkfiddle

🎻 A violin made to travel. Our short film 'Folk Who Roam' follows the making of a community violin, built to be played, passed on, and shaped by the people who carry it out into the Peak District landscape that inspired it. This violin’s journey is only just beginning, and now it’s ready to roam; to trace a legacy of community, access and synergy across our English landscapes. As we launch the trailer, we’re opening up the next chapter: musicians can now borrow the instrument and become part of its story. Watch the trailer. Follow the journey. Be part of what comes next. Tickets to the Premiere in Sheffield on Sunday 17th May available via link in @folkwhoroam bio. Featuring @hardyviolins @rosiebutlerhallmusic @robingrey_ A film by @emmacrome Edited by @rygoff Original music @rosiebutlerhallmusic Images @catvinton Supported by @blundstone_uk A @coldhouse_ production #folkmusic #folkcreative #shortfilm #violin

Four years on from the start of this journey, next week we’ll be launching the trailer for our FINISHED film, Folk Who Roam. 🎬📽🌿 Back in 2022, Emma H had just arrived in Sheffield and was still finding her footing, while Emma C was searching for a new film project that could say something meaningful about our relationship with the English landscape. After being introduced by a mutual friend, the project quickly began to take shape, and we were soon joined by the brilliant traditional musician Rosie Butler-Hall and ethnographic photographer Cat Vinton. What followed has been a slow unfolding across seasons, places, and many conversations. By following the making of a special community violin, we explored how music, craft, and landscape intertwine. The film is a call for a more open England – one where access and musical tradition can be shared more freely. We can’t wait to share the first glimpse of the finished film with you next week. Tickets for the Sheffield launch on May 17th, featuring a live performance from folk group Sāwol, are available now, link in our bios! Original Music by @rosiebutlerhallmusic Images by @catvinton Supported by @blundstone_uk #folkfiddle #fiddle #righttoroam #violinmaking #sheffield

Textures of 5 weeks away from screens and social media. Mountains, sunshine, snow, family, friends, books and nature. Felt a bit like the 'land of fire and ice' at times. Drinking in fresh air, meeting new people, learning new things, remembering how much I love climbing. New boundaries, less bullsh*t in 2026! ✌️❤️ #climbing #mountains #nature #cymru #morocco

Documentary Film vs Social Media. 🎥 v 🤳 Is that even a thing? I think so. I've written some thoughts over on my Substack page, an imperfect ramble on a subject I churn over and over in my head. It's about the intrinsic value of documentary film and a (perhaps slightly unfair)? poke at social media. And yes I'm all too aware of the hypocrisy in using a social media platform to moan about social media. In the run up to the revered Kendal Mountain Festival, and being a part of the jury this year, really I just wanted to continue to champion and celebrate the value of longer form filmmaking. It would be great to hear your thoughts on this subject too if you read the article. A little excerpt: "...film, in its slow, deliberate, thoughtful form, still offers what reels and headlines cannot; the chance to pause, to think, to feel alongside someone else. Knowledge by acquaintance, whether through travel, work, or simply sitting with a story longer than a scroll allows, deepens empathy. Maybe the real responsibility isn’t to present ourselves perfectly online, but to keep telling stories that insist on kindness, complexity, and connection in a fractured world." Read the full ramble via the link in my bio! Photo credit: @louiswaite #filmmaking #storytelling #brandfilm #documentary #opinion

Micronesia is a region of Oceania and an independent country Micronesia is an island nation in the western Pacific Ocean - made up of over 600 islands in the Caroline Islands archipelago - scattered over a vast ocean expanse - but a very small total land mass #satawal #naturalnavigation #outriggercanoe #micronesia #wayfinding #ocean #pacificocean #protectwhatyoulove

Some island magic - in the Pacific Ocean With my friend @emmacrome #micronesia #pacificocean

Micronesians inhabit the small atolls of the western Pacific Ocean, north of the equator Satawal is the furthest in the chain of the Caroline Islands. A grueling 13 nights on a cargo ship from Yap (the ship bringing food from the west - instant noodles, white rice, coffee, sugar, bubble gum etc… to the islands) Remote… But everything is changing… Fast and unchartered ‘Traces of the traditional ways - boat mending, weaving, the pounding of breadfruit, small children deftly handling wooden canoes on the reef - merged with the newly installed Starlink and its portal to addictive algorithms and entertainment’ ‘The ocean holds the memory of every voyage and every TIDE, but it does not anchor a community against the CURRENTS of time’ Words @emmacrome for @sirenejournal #satawal #naturalnavigation #maupiailug #masternavigator #outriggercanoe #micronesia #wayfinding #ocean #pacificocean #protectwhatyoulove

🎬' The Last English Poacher.' The film I am most proud of thus far in my filmmaking journey, and still spend a fair bit of time reflecting on. I'm excited that it's going to be screening at the Harvest Festival at the Garden Museum in London this Sunday 19th October at 1pm, as a part of the 'Common Ground' event, alongside a screening of 'Before the Bees Awake' followed by a Q&A. I had some very interesting conversations on a nature writing course last weekend, about the filtering of experiences in the 'countryside' and how they are communicated, and the way our rural heritage is depicted in the mainstream media. We spoke of overlooked voices and perspectives, of 'unfashionable' stories and people who may not fit the 'sellable mould.' These are the stories that most excite me - a bit unfortunatle, I guess, as they are not commercial. I'll never make a living from carving out these narratives and bringing them to the screen, although that doesn't stop me from trying, and actually makes these productions all the more unique and exciting. I hope to have more great conversations about our relationship with rural living this weekend, and am hugely grateful for @felloe.london for hosting 'The Last English Poacher' which is well overdue a general release! Watch this space! (I keep saying that but 🤷‍♀️)!! Shout out to @ted__simpson for getting me involved, and if you are in London on Sunday grab a free ticket and come say hi - the festival is going to be brilliant! Thanks to Brian Tovey and Cora Tovey. Directed by : Me and @petefilm Cinematography: @rygoff @petefilm Assistant Camera: @jchapman_photography Edited by: @rygoff Assistant edit: @elliemhague & @matthardymedia Sound recordist: @nick.wilcoxbrown Title Design: @eloiseadler Sound design: @darkskymedia Colour grade: @hughesie_colour_monkey #film #documentary #filmfestival #commonground #shortfilm