I thought I would share my memories of the first time I was involved with filmmaking, events that got me on the road to where I am now.
We are going back many years to 1986 when I had just joined Venture Scouts with the 1st Fochabers group.
There was a competition running called the Vango Award which challenged scouts to various camping challenges.
As far as I can remember (I was young at the time) The challenge that year was to have a new recruit and run a series of scouting activities over a long weekend to welcome them to the group and made it as adventurous as possible. Think that was the gist of it.
It was an action-packed weekend. There was abseiling, rock climbing, hiking, might have been some canoeing. There was a trip to the local community radio Moray Firth Radio where I had to be interviewed on air. I do remember the song that played out was Peter Cetera - The Glory of Love. I remember being really nervous at the time.
Our base camp was a pioneered structure attached to the front of a local school, made from poles and tied together with rope. It was made of two levels with a dining area on the upper level with tarpaulin sheets attached around the sides. I think it took place in October, so it was dark earlier and cold for camping out in the open. It would have taken place during the "Tattie hols", a two week holiday in Scotland when the term is split.
You might be asking where the filming relates to this.
It had been decided to film the activities covered during this time with the intention to submit that as the review for the competition.
We hired a video camera from Moray District Council a couple of days before. It was using tape to record. It was quite large but manageable.
So that was my job, to film my experiences during these events. I have to be honest and say I don't remember much as the 48hrs seemed like a blur, racing from one activity to another. It was an hour and a half just to drive to the radio station.
After the event, the tape was handed over to a local video production studio who assembled the final film and it was submitted.
It didn't win but it did get a commendation and we won a Vango Tent from it.
Do you know what is really sad about the whole thing - I never got to see the finished film. I still wonder from time to time what it looked like. I occasionally search YouTube just on the off chance someone has posted it. Maybe I should check the BFI collections.
But that was my first foray in filmmaking and I really enjoyed the process.
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