Purple Jess day! Cannes film festival

Purple Jess will hopefully be seen, at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

I some stills of Purple Jess, the mascot of the Loch Ness boat tour company Jacobite Tours...

The photos were for the Highlands and Islands film Institute's promotion of the Highlands as a filming location. Already this year a number of films have been made in the Scottish Highlands, and there are big plans for many more in future.

The photo Left was taken with the producer of Purple Lake (See my other post). Since there was no other photographer, only me and Jenny, Jenny had to take the photo and I had to fill the suit, it was hot in there! The next week I got out of the suit and behind the camera, photos below. I hope you like the photos!

On the set of Bolywood movie Purple Lake - ASA productions - Vishal Bandya

Arriving at Loch Ness 9:20AM (Shoot started at 8am) just down the hill from the Clansman Hotel (Loch Ness's only Lochside hotel) I felt cold and confused.

On the waterside, a clan of Indians of different ages, were hovering about doing various tasks within the set, which comprised of a new model Black Volkswagen Jetta, a large jib (See photo) with dumbells strapped to the ends, some (Definitely not luxury) chairs huddled around a couple of boxed Samsung monitors and more.

Next to the ticket cabin (Which sells tickets for Loch Ness boat journeys with Jacobite tours), a large lighting system and kit boxes sat. further toward the Loch sat a lone sound technician, an experienced movie technician who later told me he had aspirations for Hollywood, and wanted to move there.

For the sound equipment, the technician had a pair of monitor headphones, a box for levels, an 8 track tape recorder and a box of batteries, just before each scene he would switch the 4 batteries on individually then start the tapes rolling, setting the sound levels as things progressed.

The plot is going to be kept kind of secret, but basically (And vaguely) a male actror and female actress go down the hill toward the Loch in the car shown to the Right.

The film is directed by Vishal Pandya, a talented young and energetic individual, who could just as easily pass as a Bollywood Actor himself.

A reporter and photographer from the Scottish newspaper "The Sun" came on set to take a photo or two. Shelley Matheson, a young happy looking (And chatty) reporter, did a couple of interviews with the actors.

Whilst floating about the set looking for interesting shots to take, I spotted Akshay Kapoor (One of the main actors) sitting in a people carrier waiting for his next slot. Fondly reading a copy of "The Sun", I asked if there were papers like it in India (Its well known that The Sun is very light reading, and said readers enjoy an eye opener and every day on Page 3), he said there was, and stated one (I wont mention its name) that especially had a page 3 model spot too!

After some hard work by the crew, and especially the talented british locations manager Sue Bellarby, we all retired to one of the Jacobite boats for the next part of the filming. After i got some pics, we set off onto the famous Loch.

About 100 Metres from the shore, the boat started jumping toward the moon, then down toward the sea bed. Whilst the Indian crew and actors/actress played things well, two local extras from within a 50 Mile radious got sea sick (And had to retire when we hit Urquhart Castle further up the Loch). The boat finally stopped with Urquhart Castle close by and the boat bobbing about, turning every so often so that Vishal could keep the background just perfect.

When taking inside photos, and because of the space limitations of a boat with an almost unlimited amount of crew, actors, extras and me on board, I had to hide under tables and squidge my body against walls to get my shots.

After this, we had lunch at the special catering van, catering for Indian tastes, at the castle, then back on the boat for some more filming inside the boat, then home for the day.

Next day we were at Ness Islands, Inverness for more!

Aaron Sneddon, 2009.

On the set of Centurion - Neil Marshalls new gory thriller

Centurion movie shoot - Aaron Sneddon, 2009

Centurion shoot: 12:00 start and a tom tom assisted car journey up to the depths of the Glenfeshie Estate in the Scottish Highlands ended in a car park full of props vehicles, Panavison vans and a large ex army vehicle with looks straight from the communist era.

Arriving at "Base camp", a colony of neatly renovated cottages sitting amongst the high hills of the estate, I was to find the set publicist Ian Thompson from specialist firm McAinsh Consulting.

After fighting my way through some well armoured warriors, I came across a modern clothed lady, asked where Ian was, and was pointed toward a nice new Disco3 with a well dressed man sitting at the helm.

Ian, having worked on previous films as publicist for amongst others "Saving Grace" and "Slumdog Millionaire". Ian Thompson is a laid back yet "On the ball" sort of character, he knows exactly what he is doing and how he is doing it, and what he is going to do next. Ian was to be my guide to make sure I shoot what im meant to.

With the weather worsening, and with the Centurions, hanging props (Wait for the movie), horses and the likes in place, filming had begun!

Lights, Camera, Action, well as most of you know it doesn't exactly go like that. With one runaway horse bolting down the glen and a spate of crew trying to get it back, the filming had to go on, but the action was the horse chase.

Rain, sleet, big dark clouds, but like the rest of the crew ,director Neil Marshall was wrapped up in warm jackets all prepared, I however wasn't do prepared and realised this early on. Olga Kurylenko, the female star of the show, was very cold, what with arms exposed and the lashing rain and wind, but bravely stuck it out, for all of the minutes that she was taken out of the 4x4 each time she was required. In between her required shots, Olga would be chaperoned off of the horse and back to the jeep.

I didn't have a blimp (Big cover for the camera which stops the noise of the mirror flipping down, therefore making it possible to take pics with an SLR during takes) so had to take photos when the camera wasn't rolling, only once annoying the official set photographer during a live take when the shutter was released by mistake!

The extras, from around the Highlands including Aviemore, Kingussie, Inverness and further afield, stood straight, looked very cold and enjoyed the breaks where they could come out of position and go have some tea and food.With the weather getting worse and worse as the day went on, and everyone staying surprisingly cooperative and non irritable (Movie Camera ops were hiding under the plastic that was protecting the equipment, director Neil Marshall moving all the time making sure all was exactly as he wanted it, locations manager Matt keeping everything and everyone in place, and everyone else working together nicely, dedicated to making Centurion a hit) all went smoothly.

With Fassbender, West and kurylenko on screen, and with Neil Marshall on board as director, you can bet your bottom Scottish Pound that this is going to be one heck of a movie, not to be missed!

Aaron Sneddon, 2009. Photos by Aaron Sneddon, reproduction not allowed without express permission