Short film

ROAD TRIPS 2

So the time had come for the second leg of my involvement in the filming of Fraser Denholm’s latest project, Get Scotland dancing/Big Dance.

This time like last would be a road trip of sorts filming around the country, not documentary but a purely cinematic shoot of five short sections from each of the dance hubs across the country. Not only did this make for a very different shoot style and experience this time it was going to be a much longer road trip.

Starting in Glasgow then to Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and finally to Glasgow again. 440+ miles not counting the stuff in the cities themselves over five days was shaping up to be a long week.

The first days shooting was in Glasgow, the dancer was from Dance House and the location was the top a warehouse over looking the Clyde half way between the Armadillo and the new Transport Museum.
The weather was typically Scottish as we were able to watch the clouds bringing the rain down the river towards us.

That said we worked as a tight unit turning around set ups quickly regardless of the rain, we were shooting with a Canon C300 all week with it on Dolly’s, Jibs, Tripods and handheld throughout the week. Unfortunately we only used the camera jib in Glasgow, I really loved using this bit of kit, the smooth motion it gave was amazing and once you’d spent some time with it was really fun to operate.

Play stopped once again due to the rain, thankfully this wasn’t the tone for the week, weather wise we somehow managed to have a week resembling what we remembered from our youth’s as being a Summer.

Once we had the first segment in the card we were heading north on what I think is one of the most stunning stretches of road anywhere, heading north to Inverness on the A82 via Loch Lomond, Crianlarich, the Green Wellie Shop, Glen Coe, Fort William and Fort Augustus. We went the scenic route to film some GV’s of the Scottish landscape at its best and it didn’t disappoint. We arrived just as the light was falling into the “Golden Hour”

Movingly beautiful.

Film wasn’t quiet in Inverness but was with two dancers from Eden Court Theater on a cable bridge over Rogie Falls half an hour north on Inverness in the Black Isle.

The weather was incredible which was only surpassed by the location itself.

Once the Bollywood inspired Rogis Falls shoot was done it was doen to Loch Ness for some GV’s and Ice Cream.

Aberdeen didn’t fail to do anything unexpected witht eh weather, it didn’t rain it just drizzled, calming hanging in the air like a meek fog. This we could shoot in though, the location was Union Terrace Gardens or UTG to the initiated and once sheltered within its arches the two dancers from City Moves could get to it.

The following day was Dundee and again with some not at all surprise and shock from us the weather again was beautiful, only problem today was the cloud cover rolling over the shot messing with our lighting. But not happy when its raining why would we be happy when its sunny.

This segment was shot with dancers from the Dundee Rep on the lawn in front of the theater, it was inspired by the culture for ballroom dance Dundee once enjoyed during the mid war years.

Catch a cheeky wee GV as the light fades in North Queens ferry.

The last days shooting and back to Glasgow and back out with my new favorite toy, the Jib. we were planning on shooting by the Clyde near the Briggait art centre but finally the summer broke and the weather returned to form with heavy showers turning into all out monsoon as we repack the kit and run for shelter.

The dancers from Y Dance performed the duet with the amazing open hall space of the Briggait while the rain settled itself down outside. By this point in the week this tight little crew fly through the shoots at a personal best time and struck for an early lunch.

Having seen the rushes and some rough cuts of the cinematic segments and parts of the documentary as a whole I have to say its going to look amazing and I cant wait to see a final cut with a mix and some sexy grades on it. I would also like to say as tiring as this week was and how far we traveled it was a lot of fun and if the chance came up to film a similar project with these guys I wouldn’t think twice.

Cheers for a cracking week of film making guys.

SPRING

Well the short film I was trying things out for in the last post is coming along nicely, its nearing the end of the photography with most of the edit down as well it looks like it will be finished before long. The interim “work in progress” edit looks ok but needs a little polishing to make it what I want to be.

The film is for the run up to the Degree show in June and is to show people who may not necessarily know what the schools normal operation looks like, it should be a tight wee edit when its finished.

Show & Tell Westhill

Tell Westhill was a community arts project I undertook in collaboration with two architects, Ross Aitchison and Senan Killeen in conjunction with the Westhill Art Project and supported by Aberdeenshire Council. The project had two main stages ‘Show and Tell’ which took place on the Westhill Gala day and ‘Tell Westhill’ which grew organically from the ideas and dialogue generated in ‘Show and Tell’.

‘Show and Tell’ 21_a3-posterlcardboard2

At the Westhill Gala on Saturday 4th June, we asked members of the community to reflect on what life in Westhill has meant to their past and present and also to envisage their and Westhills future. We provoked a strong sense of engagement through a project that asks the residents about Westhill, rather than our interpretation of life in the town. A varied and dynamic outcome would occurred through people arriving at a purpose built temporary pavilion on Gala day with stories, memories and songs to share with their peers what Westhill life means to them. Recording these show and tell sessions, in video and photographic form, on the day we have been able to provide a lasting set of collective memories and reflections on what it is to live in Westhill.

‘Tell Westhill’

These interviews and recordings were then used to guide the second stage of the project where a short film documenting the character of teh community was produced guided by the words of those who contributed to the Show & Tell stage of the project.