The Moor of Rannoch is as wild and somber a stretch of country as any in Scotland, especially when shrouded in mist or lashed by driving rain or snow, a terrifying wilderness. It is a barren and almost desert like place that could certainly be compared to landscapes in the far north such as Iceland or Greenland. Courror Station is a desolate out post in this unforgiving landscape and in my opinion is one of the best locations in Britain. The train-station is the highest in the UK at 1300ft above sea level and features in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting. This location sprung to mind when we read the brief. The band wanted a performance video where the landscape played almost as big a role as the band them selves. I think our familiarity with the landscape helped us win the pitch, we knew the exact spot where we were going to film this from the start.
The difficulty in filming in such wild and inhospitable places should not be underestimated, when the band stepped off the tour bus in flip flops we knew there could be problems. I think there was a realisation from them when they saw the crew head to toe in full wet weather gear! I remember thinking “oh my god they have no idea where we’re taking them” Thankfully we were blessed with good weather, although there were high winds, which made for hazardous jib swinging, mostly it stayed dry for the duration.
We captured the performance in wide, sweeping arcs from the jib arm, firmly positioning the band in the landscape. Intercut with the performance we shot dramatic time-lapse footage of the nearby mountains, showing clouds racing over high ridges. The cinematic quality of the imagery is apparent in every shot. This performance provided the core of the video, while the landscape and the shots around the station supported the band’s performance.
Credit has to given to the Young Guns for enduring a difficult shooting environment and maintaining an enthusiastic attitude and performance throughout. The crew also collectively made this one of the most enjoyable shoots we’ve done to date.
Director: Lewis Gourlay & Abby Warrilow AKA Cagoule
Producer: Jude Lightbody
DOP: Pete Warrilow
2nd Camera: Richard Steel
Jimmy Jib: Aaron Boucher
Production Company: Gas&Electric
Directors Rep: Debs Ramsey @ YiLondon
Commissioner: John Moule
