Of Standing Stones, SatNav and Star Wars …

A couple of months after Rupert and I had finally decided to ‘green light’ production of Standing with Stones, in early December 2005 I set off on my own towards Cornwall to do some preliminary filming and exploring. At that time Rupert was still living on the Isle of Man and logistically it did not [...]

Scorhill

This magnificent stone circle is the first that we ever shot serious footage at for ‘Standing with Stones’. Sadly though, Scorhill does not appear in the final film. Why? Well, Rupert and I first shot ’serious footage’ for Standing with Stones way back in 2001 – and then we were not filming for the DVD [...]

SHOOT DIARY – Rudston Monolith

16th March, 2007
Journey’s end.
Our final day of filming at the tallest standing stone in the British Isles.
We still had much work to do – record the voice-over, pick up some in car shots and I still had 8 months of
editing ahead of me – but this is where the adventure part of making Standing with [...]

SHOOT DIARY – Leys of Marlee

15th March, 2007
We carried this camera boom all over the British Isles but this is the only time we got to use it.
This is at the little stone circle that has a road running plumb through the middle of it and it was great to be able to hang the camera out over the road [...]

SHOOT DIARY – Old Keig

14th March, 2007
We loved the Recumbent Stone Circles of Aberdeenshire.
It may not be clear what their purpose was, but it’s heartnening to find so many all together that clearly share a purpose. It must have been an important one: the size of those altar stones!

SHOOT DIARY – Glen Affric

12th March, 2007
The friendliest chaffinch I’ve ever known makes a play for the remains of my pork pie. In fact all the small birds around this picnic area were this tame.
Nice.

SHOOT DIARY – Glen Affric

12th March, 2007
I was determined to get some great Highland scenery to make a Scottish travel sequence for the film. Glen Affric is a beautifully photogenic area just North of Loch Ness and we spent two days tracking down the best shots we could – including getting lucky with a fantastic shot of a highland [...]

SHOOT DIARY – Clava Cairns

10th March, 2007
The cameraman’s woken up again.
Just managed to fit in filming the Clava Cairns near Inverness before the light went – but only just.

SHOOT DIARY – Grey Cairns of Camster

10th March, 2007
The cameraman’s clearly had enough but Mr. Soskin, a.k.a. Indiana Jones, still has the true grit to be able
to put in a bit of Tomb Raiding – and photograph himself doing it at the same time!

SHOOT DIARY – Stromness – Scrabster Ferry

10th March, 2007
With shooting at Maes Howe, Brodgar, Stenness, Skara Brae and the Tomb of the Eagles complete, the end of the film is in the can.
However, the work is not over as we now must pick up the sites we missed in the East on our way home.

SHOOT DIARY – Skara Brae

8th March, 2007
Really I shoudn’t be here. Rupert and I thought we’d been given permission to go down into the houses to recce for filming but wires had got crossed and we got told off for being here. So don’t try this youself if you go to Skara Brae.
However, wires were uncrossed in the end [...]

SHOOT DIARY – Stenness

7th march, 2007
It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it!

SHOOT DIARY – Kirkwall

6th March, 2007
It’s been another long day.

SHOOT DIARY – Tomb of the Eagles

6th March, 2007
Yesterday we drove across the South of Scotland and caught the ferry across to Orkney.
After another stormy night (this time in the harbour car park in Kirkwall) we have spent the day recceing. The end of the day finds us in the Tomb of the Eagles on South Ronaldsay and making arrangements with [...]

SHOOT DIARY – Ullapool Ferry

5th March, 2007
Fortunately the gale had abated a little in the morning and the crossing was not as choppy as feared.
However, the windy night in the port car park had already taken it’s toll.