SEPTEMBER 2017: Less Castle the Isle of Lewis

I headed out to Lewis and Harris for a week with a mate Rupert (www.rupertshanks.com) to make a promotional film for Natural Retreats.  We had a great time going round filming the Islands and working with some actors/staff to produce the below film.  I did the aerials and second camera and Rupert did camera produced the films to there final products.

The main film is below

From beaches and crystal clear waters that rival luxury tropical islands, to its rich history and stunning scenery, this remote and spectacular destination in the Outer Hebrides is the perfect venue for wonderful memories. Overlooking Stornoway harbour, the impressive gothic-revival style castle was built in the mid 1800's by Sir James Matheson.

AUGUST 2017: Water Safety on a Netflix film

This month I did quite a bit of recci work and some water safety for the Netflix film Outlaw King.  Back to my old trade as a mountain and Canoe Instructor:)  Always interesting to see how the big budget guys do things.

I do my film safety through a company called www.mountainandwatersafety.co.uk who are the folk to go to for Film and Television mountain and water safety as they do all the big budget films that come to Scotland.

On Skye looking into spots for Outlaw King

On Skye looking into spots for Outlaw King

Water safety here for cameras and stunts to try the place out

Water safety here for cameras and stunts to try the place out

August 2017: Drone recci for a big Scottish film

I had a day up in Glen Feshie in the Cairngorms to carry out a drone recci for the DOP John Mathieson for the upcoming film Mary Queen of Scots.  It was a good day out meeting all the crew that I would be working with later in the year during the actual shoot.

Drone set up for a wee flight

Drone set up for a wee flight

We had quite a few land rovers and they were needed:)

We had quite a few land rovers and they were needed:)

JULY 2017: Filming instructional films for Glenmore Lodge

With the Glenmore Lodge instructors we headed to Reiff in the North West of Scotland to make several instructional films on Single Pitch Climbing.  We lucked out with the weather and got many films made.  This is where it helps when my past career was as a Mountain Instructor so I understand what is going on and can picture exactly how to put the films together.  I was using my Mavic pro drone, GH5 and Oslo here for the filming of these clips.  We also headed up in to the mountains one day too.  A fun bunch of days with a good group of people.

Below is the first video of the playlist on Single Pitch climbing

Visit our website http://www.glenmorelodge.org.uk or call us on 01479 861256 This film gives an introduction to single pitch rock climbing. It is the first in a series of 17 films. We run through walking to the crag, using the guide book, checking weather and locating your climb.

JULY 2017: Drone filming for BBC 2 on "Secret Agent Selection, WW2"

I spent two weeks working with the Wall to Wall crew doing all the aerials for this five part living history series. It was a fun few weeks with a good crew and different flying for me each day.  The best day by far for me was having the use of a steam train (www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk) for a morning to get as many interesting shots as possible in the time.  The most exciting was flying straight towards it two feet above the tracks as it came full steam towards me and then rising up through its steam and over the top of the carriages.  The shots of this day were used in the opening sequences to each episode.

Screen grab from the drone footage

Screen grab from the drone footage

JUNE 2017: Jacobite Drone filming on Loch Ness

I headed out for my second time filming from a moving boat with my drone.  Always exciting especially with their return to home functions when the home point is now 4 km behind you:) I have gotten used to it now though and it was a fun day out

fergus kirk boat.jpg

On this project I was working for Fergus Thom a local filmmaker www.cinestag.co.  Fergus shot all the ground shots and edited the film.  The film was for www.jacobite.co.uk.

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JUNE 2017: Flying for Freedom, WW1 Western Front

An incredible three weeks filming with Flying for Freedom in flex-wing microlights.  We did our first sea crossing over the Channel then flew the front lines of WW1 100 years to the day sometimes within an hour (and 100 years) of when Britain took the lines back from the Nazis.

I have done all of Flying for Freedoms filming since 2012 you can check out their films at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4VcFnKqTr-i2EsQrjVxvgA

Below is one of the ten films made during this trip all made on the laptop while camping:)

The team head to visit Lochnagar Crater, a huge crater (70m Deep) created by an underground explosion in mines below the German stronghold. The British tunnel from behind our lines at an angle downhill then horizontally across underneath our lines and forward to the German lines.