-- Alignment --

Pretty much as I had predicted, in pursuit of an actress for this film, getting through to London agents proved difficult. I even approached one well-known casting director only to be dismissed because as they ...more

-- Pez Espada --

Post-London, on my return to Glasgow the first thing I did was fire up the edit suite to add Siân Phillips’ opening speech to a sequence I cut almost a year ago. In that time ...more

-- Poster child --

While storms Gertrude, Henry and Imogen uprooted trees in the local park, my waking hours were spent in the warm glow of the edit suite. The many formats I’m using – 16mm, 8mm and S8mm ...more

-- Photoshop --

Today marks the first day of Spring. I wake up to sunshine and clear skies and I think of Erica and how “Voyageuse” is set on the day of the Vernal Equinox. In the film ...more

-- Counterpoint --

When I decided to make this film in October 2014 I had little apart from an unedited script, some kit and my own devices. Compared to many other films it’s been a relatively short ride, ...more

-- Nightingale --

“Dignity, always dignity.” So goes the zinger delivered by Gene Kelly in ‘Singing in the Rain’ (Stanley Donen, 1952). It’s also a line used by my husband whenever I complain about the task of filmmaking. ...more

-- Holmdel --

For the second year running in lieu of a holiday recently I travelled to New Jersey to shoot a short sequence for this film. Of course, I could have edited the script or used stock ...more

-- Catalogue --

A couple of years ago I received an unsolicited email from a BBC researcher asking what my plans were for 2014. I was being considered as a potential subject for the TV series, “What Do ...more

-- Que sera sera --

Very few people know but in December 2011 I was offered the job of Filmmaker to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. During the protracted interview process – four meetings over two months – it became apparent ...more

-- Retrograde --

Since embarking on this film in October 2014 I’ve downplayed my many roles. I assumed – perhaps wrongly – that only the most ardent film enthusiast wants to read about the mechanics of screenwriting or ...more

-- Frames --

Usually the start of a New Year heralds the best intentions but rather than sabotage myself and disappoint others, my only resolution for 2017 – to complete “Voyageuse” – is fulfilled. Readers of this blog ...more

-- Faithless --

In 2003, when asked by the writer Bernard McLafferty for advice as he embarked on his first short film, (“Bye-Child,” nominated for a BAFTA) I replied that the director’s job was to make decisions no ...more