Checking In

With a free afternoon before heading to Glencoe for a shoot tomorrow, I thought I’d take the opportunity to check in, and revel in the chance to do so without having to scan a QR code. 

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in and oversee some extremely fun productions, which were able to safely operate in spite of all the airborne unpleasantness. In fact, the ability to operate a camera, help keep one running or even just draw something approximating a camera from memory has been a bit of a free pass the last couple of months. So long as you were happy to get through PCR tests like jelly sweets, then the world was your oyster. Relatively speaking. 

Moving a light into position. Photograph by Elly Lucas.

Man of the Minch filming. Photograph by Elly Lucas

I got the opportunity to shoot a few more concerts for Ceòl is Craic, the most recent of which featured the outstanding Man of The Minch and his band performing a set of songs written in collaboration with Gaelic poet, Peter MacKay. Filming took place in the Govan Shed, a staggeringly large space that was once used as an engine shed by Harland & Wolff ship builders. It’s probably fair to say that myself and the terrific crew had a much easier time of things than anyone who had once been employed there to knock ship’s engines into shape. The concert is still available to watch here, and is well worth a look if you’ve a spare half hour. 

The full setup, occupying about 1% of the floor space available in Govan Shed. Photography by Elly Lucas.

In an unpredictable year comprised almost exclusively of unusual events, the most surprising thing to happen by far is that I’ve been left in charge of a series for BBC Alba as director. I doubt everyone else feels the same way, but it’s certainly been a landmark event within my tiny and sad world. Working as a team alongside Kenny Rankin, Solus Productions and a crew of absolute crushers, we’ve been shooting a series focused on outdoor pursuits which has taken us to some of the most amazing places in Scotland and, more regularly, The Green Welly Stop. Were it not for the enormous combined weight of telephoto lenses, tripods and sandwiches which have to be carried into the field, it would barely qualify as work. 

Filming with the locals on Rum. Photo by Kenny Rankin.

Trying to get Kenny to go for another take.

The last thing I’ll note here before commencing the tedious task of charging enough batteries to cover a three day shoot is that I recently became a licensed drone operator. Getting an aerial angle on things has been more of an asset than I could have anticipated, and being awarded my operational authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority felt just like being called to the bar. The drone has been tremendously effective on nature focused shoots, and though I’m struggling to get comfortable with the fact that I now have something in common with model aircraft enthusiasts, I can’t wait to take it out on more jobs.

As I write this in mid-June, it looks like it might not be that long until the Louisa Jordan defaults back to being somewhere people go to complain about live sound, rather than a terrifying emergency field hospital. Pretty soon pubs won’t need deep cleaned, grime can accumulate around beer mats again and we’ll all be much happier for it. I look forward to seeing some of you in a miserably crowded room soon and probably not buying you a pint because I spent all my money on a lens a few days previously. Sorry.