This is not a brag. I really do feel for those stuck at home. Denied the freedom of travel, freedom of choice. It's not a good time to be a traveller. Today was the first day of shooting for my new documentary film Aural Textiles. We are shooting all over Scotland and are blessed with the opportunity to travel whilst others are enforced to stay at home :(
To say it was cold would be an understatement. It was nothing short of Baltic. At one point it was sooooo bad I had to interrupt a great take (as the Cinematographer), literally so I could put my hands in my pocket for a few seconds to relieve the burning bite from the frost. Anyway I am here typing, so yes I survived. I don't want to waffle on too much about Scotland, I have travelled loads and it took me a trip around the world to release that Scottish is number one for scenery. I have traversed the foothills of Mongolia, I've seen Hollywood, Taiwan, the Himalayas, however Scotland holds something, something untouchable that these places could only dream of.
Saw loads of Deer, I wasn't sure how close I wanted to get, I only had a 50mm with me and I was concerned I might get rammed by those majestic stags, spoiler, I am typing, I didn't get flattened, thank goodness. I did see my first Wild Boar, evidently it was dead but until today I wasn't even aware we had them in the highlands. Our subject was kind enough to give us the lay down on what was native and what was invasive and it was an educational shoot to say the least.
Driving in these conditions felt sketchy but our driver is an absolute champ. After a good fish supper he was well ripped and ready to go as we proceeded through the tip of Glen Coe on our way back to Glasgow before the sun went to bed. We barely made it, crossing the great Loch Lomond in the dark.
The shoot was a success, it is only 1/12th of the whole film but we are happy to tick it off the list. I prepared some of the footage as a colour board of sorts if anyone is interested in having a wee gander (Scottish slang for a small peak/look).
Sorry for rambling, if you are from Scotland please say Awrite!
Peace Love and Frostbite,
Cotton xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx