Wednesday 29 June 2011

Rainy day Irony.

Photo - Ian Dodds.
photo - Ian Dodds.



One big ironies about blog writing is that when nothing is happening the blogger has tons of spare time to write about it. On the other hand, should life suddenly fill up with new and wonderful experiences, there isn't a minute to spare in order to record the events. In my case, there is the added complication that when I do something really interesting  I need a lie down for about a week afterwards. Life has slackened off a bit now and I have a conveniently rain filled day for remembering and writing.


It seems like months since I was eating pizza with Evie in a Boston Bowling Alley - and that's because it was, months and months. In the meantime I have been learning how to Inkle Weave, speaking dreadful Swedish and overcoming my fear of being in front of the camera. Lets start with the camera.  I hate being filmed.  In home movies I am usually the back you see leaving the room.  I'm awkward, self conscious and I sound wierd.  All of which should make me a poor choice for appearing on screen.   However, a film maker called Matt Hulse needed a knitter to create a couple of jumpers for his film about a deaf Scottish cyclist and his trip to the Arctic Circle. What started out as a contribution to the props developed into knitting action shots and finished with me standing on the Cairnbulg shore casting off one of the jumpers while it was being worn by actor Samuel Dore

The film is shot on location in a tiny fishing village on the North East Coast of Scotland.  The budget is tiny ( all donations gratefully received ) which meant that the crew was small and select  including the director's mum who was Director of Catering. Lots of room for collaboration and a refreshing lack of ego. There can't be many film shoots where the action culminates in a Coffee Morning in the village hall, complete with period costume and a school flute band. Or where one of the collaborators brings along a home made tricycle just in case it comes in handy  - and it does. So many people helped along the way,  you can find out more at the Dummy Jim website,  a thing of beauty all by itself.


Next time - Sweden, rye bread and some Inkle Weaving. Roll on the next rainy day.

photo - Archie Ramsay.




Photo - Ailsa Macwhinnie