my insiration

My inspirations

In light of the drama project coming up I thought, I’d talk about my personal visions and inspirations for this genre of filmmaking.

Throughout my life I have been exposed to traditional British culture. From the dancing to the songs, to the stories and myths. This has had a profound effect on both my life and filmmaking. The films that I made before coming to university, may have been a little shoddy and basic, but they did draw heavily from the traditional stories and songs that I have listened to my whole life. For me, at it’s heart, filmmaking is storytelling. At the basis of any good film is a strong story weather it be a 2 minute or two hour piece of work.

There is something about the story telling culture of Britain’s past that I find enriching and gives me a starting point when ever I think about writing a story. For years I have been writing short stories and I think they are a lot like short films. In my opinion a short story or a short film tells the story of one moment, not necessarily giving all the background knowledge. Where as a novel would tell a whole story over a long period of time, a short is a burst of narrative that doesn’t always have a conclusion.

From when I was smaller I have always enjoyed the Celtic stories that have been passed down through the generations and I think that I have always drawn from them.

Living in Scotland for the past 9 years has only increased my knowledge and passion for traditional culture. The Island where I’m from still had a reasonably strong Gaelic culture, the music and the stories are still a strong part of the way of life. Therefore throughout my life I have heard the old poems and sagas from the lords of the Isles. Much like the Viking Sagas, they tell epic stories and are full of inspiring characters.

Another major inspiration for me is the environment. Where are I grew up is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Opposite an ancient burial ground and an old settlement, where there are the remains of an old Chapel and a mill along with the scant foundations of a few houses. Walking the dog over in those fields, it doesn’t take much to imagine the people that used to live there and what their daily lives involved. From this I imagined many different characters, then from that built up their personalities. For me this has left me a bank of characters that I can draw on now.

Another big aspect of inspiration in my life in terms of the land is the beaches, walking along the long stretches of sand and sea. The legends of Selkies and mermaids seem to be a little closer to reality.

In terms of my work from this point, I truly believe that where I’ve come from in terms of story telling and the influences on me as a person and filmmaker has been invaluable. It had given me a great creative footing in terms of story telling. 

 Ruins of a chapel. The history of this place is incredible and it is impossible to ignore it and not take something from it.

 The beauty of a winter surise over the hills and Loch, the scenery is so stunning one can't help but want to capture it on film.

 Seals in the bay. It's easy to see where the ancient legends of the selkies came from.

 One of teh beaches, know that there is nothing else until you hit Canada is jsut the most incredible feeling but also there is the feeling of isolation which make you imagine how the ancient people would have felt with out the convenience of fast ferry travel or air travel.