I’d love to be able to say that my first experience working on a feature film was all down to my own outstanding determination and skill, however it was – as is usually the case in these situations – a combination of pure luck and ‘being in’ with the right people.
A good friend of mine had passed on a message to one of his relatives that I had taken a keen interest in film and television. Now, under normal circumstances this would have been considered quite harmless – merely a friend taking an interest in another friend’s life. However, this particular relative was an employee of the BBC and a prominent costume supervisor on the prime-time show, Strictly Come Dancing. No small deal.
Fast forward a few weeks and before I know it, I’m sending emails to Faye Ward, the producer of Wild Rose and her production assistant. We’re arranging dates for when I can come and work on set – it just so happened that the production company were filming in Glasgow for a couple of days and so were happy for me to join the team.
Bizarrely, due to the nature of filmmaking, the first scene that I actually worked on was the film’s big finale. It took place in Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket and featured all the main stars, a lot of cameras and the largest amount of middle-aged men in cargo shorts I’d ever seen in my life. However, being a massive film nut, this discovery quickly subsided and I soon became mesmerised by the process and the professionalism of everyone involved.
I also had a chance to meet Harry Potter heavyweight, Julie Walters – who I’ll forever know as ‘Ron’s mum’ – after being asked to serve the actress her lunch. The meeting went as well as you’d expect; I was up for a full-on conversation about platform nine and three quarters and the poor woman just wanted to eat her Salmon.
Cinema Junkie 