Writer Wanted

While it was always my intention to do much of this film by myself I also decided fairly early on that this would be a narrated piece. I'm now looking for a creative writer to collaborate on the narration for the final voice over based on the presently amassed research material (ranging from text to archive film).

Ideally I'm looking for someone familiar with the North East, its culture, history, memories and people but also some wit and honesty within their writing.

If your a creative writer and would be interested in collaborating please get in touch through this blog or email to mark@shadesofgreyfilm.co.uk.

A long overdue update

Despite good intentions I haven't been near this blog for a while with any updates. The film is progressing well with some filming at Aberdeen harbour, historic site/ landmarks, new developments and several early morning shoots trying to capture the elusive Kincorth Hill deer at 4 am in the morning (not so elusive when you don't have your camera ready off course).

Next stages include some interviews and dramatic interpretations of some well know writers views of the North East. In addition to this i will be using some footage from the Scottish Screen Archive in what I hope will be interesting and unusual ways.

Some recent reading as part of the research ' The Poor Had No Lawyers' by Andy Wightman - an insightful read on the history of Scottish landownership up to present day, The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil by John McGrath - the infamous play first performed in Aberdeen about the Scottish underclass and exploitation of land, "The Gutters" by Jill Hardnie - a frank,honest and humerous look at the harsh lives of the 'fisher wifies' and finally the always interesting 'Other Aberdeen' Blog - Aberdeen's very own Iain Sinclair.

Don't Stand So Close to Me - perils of location shooting

A couple of weeks ago I headed out for a day of filming, with high winds picking up I decided to venture to the harbour. I was richly rewarded with large waves making for some rather dramatic scenes. Aberdeen's proximity and relationship to the North Sea is definitively a unique defining characteristic which I want to convey through the film.

My film was almost cut prematurely short in my enthusiasm to get closer to the waves resulting in a rather damp filmmaker and slightly moist camera courtesy of unexpectedly large crashing wave. The camera dried out and still seems to be working I can only assume no permanent damage has occurred, to the camera or me.

Below is an outtake of the waves hitting the harbour wall plus a bonus shot of my near drowning.

Blairs College - more images

Blairs College

You only need to look at Aberdeen's skyline of church spires to see that religion and the Reformations have played a major role in the shaping of the city as we now know it. As part of 'Shades of Grey' I have filmed around several of the cities kirks and religious sites but for me one of the most interesting has to be Blairs College just outside of Aberdeen.

Blairs, founded in 1829 when a local landowner, John Menzies of Pitfodels (1756-1843), donated his mansion and estate of 1000 acres to the Catholic Church. The house became a seminary for Catholic boys who wished to become priests. Blairs was the last in a line of what had been a series of small, secret seminaries established after the Reformation, where young men were educated in out-of-the-way places in the Highlands and Islands. Boys began their education in Scotland, then would usually go to one of the Scots Colleges in Europe to further their studies. Those who trained completely in Scotland were known as ‘Heather Priests’.

In 1986 the College closed due to falling numbers and economic circumstances. It was subsequently bought a number of years later by Muir Group who are currently looking at converting the building into a hotel /golf resort. For more information on the college go to the Blairs Museum website.

Back early in 2010 when I started researching for the film, one of the first places I knew I wanted to film was Blairs College. I was lucky enough to visit the site in 2008 as research for a potential arts outreach project, which for various reasons never got off the ground. While the chapel and museum collection had some curiosity value it was the original college which got me excited. The building has sat empty since its closure in the eighties and started to fall into dilapidation (probably not helped by much of the lead of the roof having been stolen over the years). The interiors are amazingly atmospheric and instantly make you recall a multitude of cinematic memories, from the old haunted house/horror films to every bordering school set film every made (in particular Lindsay Anderson's If...). While the vast majority of the furniture has now gone the odd remain fitting such as the dorm phones or an old rusted single cast iron bed frame instantly evokes presence through absence.

I was fortunate enough to be able to gain access to the site again last month, this time to film it for 'Shades of Grey'. While parts of the building have started to dilapidate more I was pleased to see that some areas remained the same. This time I was also lucky enough to be shown around by the manager of Blairs Museum, Ian Forbes. Ian was himself a pupil at the college so it was very interesting to hear his memories and realities of the site which now seems so strange and distant. Another interesting aspect to the visit was to find out the colleges recent growth in popularity with photographers. While I was not surprised that several art students have ventured up, I was intrigued by the amount of 'bride and groom' wedding photographs that have been taken in the old locker room. It seems the 'old ruin' photography aesthetic is making its way into the 'must have style' for any fashionable bride's big day. Unfortunately for all the style conscious Aberdeen brides they might have to look elsewhere for their dilapidation fix as the museum is now considering restricting access to photographers.

Thanks again to Ian for taking the time to show me around again.

The first post

First post and first still from the film I am currently working on - 'Shades of Grey'. The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness about the film as well as act as a reference point for any collaborators, funders or potential audience members.

As well updating on the progress of the film (sharing some film making tips I have come across) I will be using this blog to highlight areas of research I have encountered in reference to Aberdeen; historical, literature and visual. In addition to this I hope to acknowledge some of the artists and filmmakers who have inspired and influenced the creation of this work.