made in scotland tV - Scottish Screen

made in scotland tV
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love tv
made in scotland tV
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made in scotland tV
ROBERTCARLYLE
“ I never really set out specIfIcally to do televIsIon or fIlm work -
It’s always the scrIpts that get me Interested.”
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“I can’t say too much about
appearing with Kiefer Sutherland
on 24,” says Scottish actor Robert
Carlyle. “I’m afraid Jack Bauer
might be sent round to stop me.”
Few actors can claim to be a
genuine household name; Robert
Carlyle is one of them. While closely
associated with Trainspotting, The
Full Monty and 28 Weeks Later, he’s
also balanced his cinematic career
with a string of high profile roles
in theatre and television, which is
where taking part in Jack Bauer’s
latest adventure comes in.
“I’ve just got back from filming it,
and while I’d love to tell you about
what happens, I think I’d get myself
into serious trouble. Jon Voight
was in the same episodes, and he
accidentally let a few details slip in
a press conference, but I’m under
strict orders not to give anything
away; they like to keep these
things under wraps,” says Carlyle.
“Sometimes the tight schedules
of a television show can be just
as enjoyable from an acting point
of view, because there’s less time
sitting around: you’re on from the
start of the day. On a big budget
film, you can just feel like an actor
who sits around in a caravan.”
From playing Hamish Macbeth
to Adolf Hitler in the mini-series,
Hitler: The Rise of Evil, Carlyle has
established himself not only as a
charismatic on-screen presence,
but also as one of the industry’s
most versatile actors. For Carlyle,
the diversification was a conscious
move.
“All roles are different; if they were
all the same, there wouldn’t be
much point in me being an actor.
For a while, I think I tended to
play roles that could be seen as
a different version of myself, like
a painter creating a self-portrait,
playing someone I might have been
if I hadn’t become an actor. But
then one day, I was thinking about
those roles - a troubled person
with his past written on his face -
and I found myself asking about
how I’d come to this point, why I
kept playing that sort of character,”
he says. “So you could say at that
moment I had a kind of epiphany,
a realisation that acting was giving
me a way of expressing my angst,
providing me with different ways
of applying that to the characters I
chose to play. In a way, acting can
be great therapy.”
If Carlyle’s career is a method of
exorcising demons, it’s proved to
be a highly successful form of selfhelp.
As well as recent television
dramas like Flood and The Last
Enemy, Carlyle has also been
flexing his acting muscles on the
big screen for Kenny Glenaan’s
feature Summer, winning Carlyle
the Best Performance award at
2008’s Edinburgh International
Film Festival, of which he has also
become a Patron.
“I’ve known Kenny since we
worked together at 7.84 theatre
company, back in goodnessknows
when. I’d always been keen
to work with him again. He was a
real pleasure on Summer, because
he’s got a real vision of the story
and the characters, and that’s not
made in scotland tV
always the case with the directors
you get to work with,” says Carlyle.
“And I’ve just done a film project
with Justin Kerrigan, who made the
seminal rave film Human Traffic.
He’d spent six years working on a
piece about his relationship with
his father, who I play, and about
the fact that, as a child, he had no
idea about the double-life that his
father was leading. It’s a beautifully
written script; I never really set out
specifically to do television or film
work - it’s always the scripts that
get me interested.”
With a possible future role in
Scottish-set feature The Meat Trade
and a project about RD Laing in
the offing, Carlyle has lots to look
forward to. And looking back on
his career, he’s happy to think that
from his early days at Glasgow
Arts Centre, his career has panned
out pretty well so far.
“I’ve been blessed, I really have.
That early stage of my career, it’s
quite well documented, but it’s
worth saying again that I never
imagined it would lead to the kind
of roles I’ve had,” he says. “I’ve
had a long and varied career, and
the kind of success I’d be happy to
wish on anyone.”
robert carlyle in summer robert carlyle
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Adventures in the screen trade is the objective of
Annie Griffin’s Pirate Productions; the company
has been responsible for programmes like
theatrical troupe comedy Coming Soon and The
Book Group for Channel 4, and the feature film Festival.
Writer-director Annie Griffin is keeping the wraps on her
next series production for the BBC, but was prepared to
talk about the influences that first awakened her interest in
broadcasting.
“There were great TV programmes on in America in the
1970s when I was growing up, as well as great movies
in the cinemas; we were definitely a TV-watching and
movie-going family,” says Griffin. “My mother loved The
Mary Tyler Moore Show because she went back to work
after having us, and I think it was the first TV programme
about a working woman. And there were great comedy
programmes made from UK formats like All in the Family
(based on Till Death Us Do Part) and Sanford and Son
(based on Steptoe and Son). I remember that I particularly
liked The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents,
as well as all the old movies they used to show in the
afternoons when we got home from school.”
It’s easy to imagine a childhood in front of the box as a
misspent youth, but Griffin’s interest in television has paid
off, with The Book Group in particular catching the public’s
imagination in the way that only TV can. Griffin modestly
puts the programmes success down to good timing, and to
the appeal of the series’ stars.
“I was glad that so many people talked about The Book
Group - but if you spend any time in big bookshops, it's
clear that people in the UK love books, and love to talk
about them. The programme came out just as the trend
for starting book clubs was taking off,” says Griffin. When
informed that Rory McCann still gets recognised for his role,
she replies, “I think the reason Rory gets stopped on the
street so much is because he's six foot five and generally
looks like he's just walked off a mountain or climbed out of
a lake. Which he usually has.”
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photo by seamus mcgarvey
the Book group annie griffin
the Book group
Annie Griffin
“To have your programme
dropped inTo The siTTing
rooms of millions of people.
There’s simply noThing like iT.”
Part of Griffin’s gift is to be able
to nail down a diverse range of
characters without ever reducing
them to stereotypes. She puts
her success with multiple
plotlines down to understanding
the discipline of television
writing, and to hard-won
experience, which brings flavour
to stories and characters to life.
“Yes, I enjoy writing things with
lots of characters. We've just
done a pilot for BBC One, which
features a good number of them,
although I think my next film will
have fewer. Multiple character
things are generally more
suited to television where you
have time to get to know more
characters and have different
story lines develop,” Griffin says.
When asked if her characters
and plot lines are based on
her own experience, she says,
“I'm not sure what else there is
besides experience - and your
experience includes everything
you've read or heard or watched
or listened to. Or imagined. So to
me, the question is a tautology
- by writing something you've
necessarily experienced it.”
At present, Griffin is working
towards getting an ongoing TV
drama, as well as working on two
feature scripts. She’s amongst
those who believe that television
is more than just a stepping
stone for aspiring filmmakers,
and recognises that it’s still the
most popular art form around.
“I think it’s a big blind spot
that so many filmmakers and
producers focus on features and
shorts and not on TV drama. The
Scottish industry would be so
much healthier if we had three
or four ongoing dramas. Or
ten or twenty!” she says. “It's
understood in the US that there
is more creativity in television
than film at the moment.
And what an opportunity
television provides! To have
your programme dropped into
the sitting rooms of millions of
people. There’s simply nothing
like it.”
www.pirateproductions.co.uk/

douglas mackInnon
C
atching up with Douglas Mackinnon isn’t
easily; he’s finally tracked down to Budapest,
where he’s currently directing the BBC’s Robin
Hood series. Together with recent episodes of Doctor
Who and three episodes of the Jekyll series, which
won James Nesbitt a Golden Globe nomination,
he’s one of Scotland’s most in-demand directors.
He’s also recently directed his first feature film, The
Flying Scotsman, starring Jonny Lee Miller as cyclist
Graeme Obree.
“It’s funny, but it doesn’t always seem that way; the
breaks always seem too long and I’m always hungry
to get back on set and back into the next assignment,”
says Mackinnon. “I don’t think there’s any secret to it
other than sticking with it and persevering.”
And with a career spanning 20 years, Mackinnon’s a
veteran of television, working on programmes such
as London’s Burning, The Bill, Soldier, Soldier and
Silent Witness. He’s currently shooting the first two
episodes of the third series of Robin Hood. “The
last series of Robin Hood ended with Maid Marian
dying at the hands of Sir Guy de Gisbourne, so at
the moment, we’re picking that up where we left off,”
says Mackinnon.
It’s a very different job from the psychological
darkness of Jekyll, a dark take on Robert Louis
Stevenson’s classic story, updated to the 21 st century
by the pen of fellow Scot Steven Moffat, who takes
over from Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies.
“I’m delighted for Jimmy about the Golden Globe
nomination. Because of its intensity, Jekyll was a
programme that people either loved or hated, but I
think people that know the genre really appreciated
it,” says Mackinnon. “Jekyll was really a great team
effort, from the people who make the prosthetics, to
Steven, who really is brilliant with the way he plays
with time in his writing; I’m sure that will serve him
well on Doctor Who.”
Mackinnon directed two episodes for the 2008 series,
a two-parter that saw the return of one of the Time
Lord’s most feared adversaries, the Sontarans.
“I’m someone who really grew up with the
programme from the Patrick Troughton era
onwards, and I worked with Peter Davison on The
Last Detective, so those episodes were a particular
pleasure to do; it was very much old school Doctor
Who, with a secret to be uncovered and a battle with
aliens,” he says. “I’ve always had Doctor Who on the
brain, and I’m pleased to say that at one point, I
saved the Tardis. A not-to-be-named Head of Drama
[ Scottish Screen National Lottery funded: Content Production ]
“I lIke to thInk I sIngle-
handedly saved the tardIs.”
at the BBC wanted to get rid of it, and I
remember seeing a memo saying that
they were thinking of ditching the Tardis. I
like to think I single-handedly stopped that
from happening.”
Mackinnon is also well known in the
folklore of the popular BBC series for
breaking the Tardis as well, an accident
that not only traumatised him, but his son
as well.
“It was for an episode where the Doctor’s
dark side has taken over, and I was trying
to make things in the Tardis reflect that.
There’s a little engine inside the central
console, on which we had the props
guys working a little too hard, and the
mechanism broke, leaving us with a two
hour break in filming during which it was
douglas mackinnon with dr who, david tennant
Douglas Mackinnon
repaired,” says Mackinnon. “Having said
that, with David Tennant and Catherine
Tate on the set, it’s not as if we had nothing
to do. Working with talent like those two,
it’s not as if you’re left standing around.
But when I got home and told my little
boy, Thomas, he shouted, “Daddy, I can’t
believe you’ve broken the Tardis!”
Next up for Mackinnon is a well-earned rest
back at his home in Fife, but he’s looking
forward to doing more drama work a little
closer to home.
“You have to go where the work is, but
I’d really like to do another drama back
in Scotland,” he says. “It’s nice to travel
around getting work, but right now, I’m
looking forward to getting home.”
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made in scotland tV
“I’m optimistic that over the next few years things will become much more vibrant
and that the opportunities for writers will be more numerous and more varied.”
Stephen Greenhorn
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stephen greenhorn
dr who, david tennant

iter Stephen Greenhorn scored
a notable theatrical success with WSunshine
on Leith, a stage musical
reworking the songs of popular Scottish
band The Proclaimers. But when he’s not
integrating songs like 500 Miles and Letter
From America, he’s also become one of
UK television’s most sought after writers,
working his way through popular series like
The Bill and Where The Heart Is to a key role
in the creation of BBC Scotland soap River
City. In 2007, he achieved a very personal
goal: writing for one of the world’s most
popular shows, Doctor Who.
“My whole experience on Doctor Who
was peppered with those Oh-My-God
moments - when you lifted your nose from
the grindstone and were suddenly reminded
what you were doing - and being paid
to do so, no less!” he recalls. “The most
memorable ones were getting to wander
around the Tardis, meeting the cast at the
first read-through, and visiting the set during
filming for one of my episodes.”
With fellow Scot David Tennant at the
controls of the Doctor’s spaceship, and
another Scot Steven Moffat taking over from
Russell T Davies at the helm of the show,
Greenhorn admits that there’s a high buzzfactor
in his job; he created two episodes,
The Lazarus Experiment for the 2007 season,
and The Doctor’s Daughter in 2008, and
found out just how high expectations are of
writers on the show.
“One constant reminder that this is not
an ordinary show or an ordinary writing
job is the intense interest and enthusiasm
you encounter from almost everyone you
meet - from primary-age kids right through
to middle-aged professionals,” he says.
“The kudos you gain by association with
the show is extraordinary but the flip-side
of it is the enormous sense of responsibility
it engenders - a responsibility which can
easily morph into abject fear at three in
the morning when the latest draft isn't
working!”
Greenhorn wrote every episode of BBC
One’s 2000 series Glasgow Kiss, starring
Iain Glen, an experience which has come in
useful in terms of understanding the needs
of the overseeing series producer. As well
as doing Doctor Who, he recently completed
two episodes of Echo Beach/Moving
Wallpaper, the groundbreaking series from
the Life On Mars team. Being drafted into
the writing pool at short notice made for a
tough assignment.
“Because I'd come onto Echo Beach at the
last minute I had almost no input into the
overall series arc, unlike the writers who'd
been with it from the start. There was no
sense of frustration about this - it was just
the nature of the job at that point. The result
was that all my energy was focussed on
making the episodes I had work as well as
possible; in the end it was quite liberating,”
says Greenhorn. “Similarly, on Doctor
Who, it was always clear that Russell was
responsible for plotting the overall arc. He
might ask you to plant certain things in
your episode which he would pick up later
or indicate the direction key relationships
needed to move in, but I had no more idea
than the average viewer how each series
was going to end. I enjoyed the fact that I
got to be surprised by the way things turned
out.”
Russell T Davies is a notoriously stern
taskmaster when it comes to ensuring that
his work has a high-impact on the viewing
audience. Another show that Greenhorn has
a close association with is BBC Scotland’s
regular soap, River City, which has made
characters like Shellsuit Bob and Roisin
McIntyre household names in Scotland.
Looking back to the show’s debut in 2002,
Greenhorn is satisfied that the programme
has found a firm connection with its
audience.
“After a rather fraught start, I'd say that River
City has settled down nicely. I think it's really
found the right groove now - with a strong
cast and a good mix of storylines. I'd always
argued that it would need a little time to find
its feet so I'm pleased that BBC Scotland's
patience and hard work have been
rewarded,” he says. “I wouldn't presume
to suggest how it ought to develop but I'd
like to think that if it can maintain a focus
on strong storytelling it could be around for
years to come.”
Greenhorn’s success disproves the notion
that writers have to get swept along in a
‘brain-drain’ taking talent to London and
beyond. As well as appreciating that working
from Scotland can be an advantage, he’s
also keen to see new technology used to
further bridge the gap.
“I think we need to distinguish between
working ‘from’ Scotland and working ‘in’
Scotland. I haven't found being based in
Glasgow a problem at all - in some ways
in fact it's a positive advantage. I think it's
useful to have a non-London perspective on
things, and on a base level it helps prevent
being sucked into a culture of frequent,
made in scotland tV
pointless meetings - far better to travel
only for the genuinely important ones,”
he says. “Most day-to-day script stuff can
easily be dealt with by phone or e-mail; a
lot of my script meetings on Doctor Who
were dealt with by conference call. I’d like
to see some kind of UK-wide, easy-access,
video-conference network which would
allow a Glasgow-based writer to nip down to
Pacific Quay, sit in a room and have a faceto-face
meeting with, say, a script editor in
Cardiff and an exec producer in Manchester.
The technology we have now makes this
perfectly feasible.”
Greenhorn has set a dynamic example in
using Scottish productions as a springboard
to UK-wide series that sell well around the
world. To ensure that others can make the
same leap, he’d like to see more locallybased
productions which give a leg-up to
those starting out in the industry.
“Every writer I know feels that there needs
to be more Scottish-produced drama.
I'd add to that a plea for a greater range
of work. Of course, this only happens
if there are some bold and imaginative
commissioning decisions. The tendency to
play it safe and work within comfort zones
is completely understandable but needs to
be resisted,” he says. “In the meetings and
conversations I've had with various Scottish
producers over the past year or so, I've
been encouraged to see signs that this is
happening. I'm optimistic that over the next
few years things will become much more
vibrant and that the opportunities for writers
will be more numerous and more varied.”
And with an eye to the future, Greenhorn
is looking for a labour of love to rival his
adaptation of Jean Rhys’s atmospheric book
Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel of Jane Eyre.
The critically-acclaimed drama aired on BBC
Four in 2006.
“I loved adapting Wide Sargasso Sea. The
period setting, the shifting narrative, the lack
of dialogue all made it a real challenge, but
what made me want to take it on was the
passion I felt for the book when I read it. It
was a pleasure to work with and I was very
proud of the end result,” says Greenhorn.
“Since then I've been looking to do another
adaptation and have ploughed through
dozens of books but – so far – haven't found
anything which grabbed me in the same
way. I don't think you can honestly take
on a project like that half-heartedly, so I'm
waiting until the right one comes along -
when it does I'll grab it with both hands.”
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made in scotland tV
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shirley henderson as kelly in wedding Belles. photo by Brian sweeney photography (www.sweeneypix.com).
From Trainspotting to Harry
Potter, via winning a BAFTA
Scotland award in 2005 for her
role in Frozen, actress Shirley
Henderson is one of Scotland’s most
sought-after talents. Hailing from
Kincardine in Fife, she’s managed to
develop her career in both television
and film, with just a little time-off to
attend to the garden.
“I’m just in from the garden; you’re so
often on the move in this business, it’s
terrific when you finally get home and
have a little time to take care of these
things,” she says. “I have just finished
the new television series for Agatha
Christie’s Miss Marple: Murder Is Easy,
which, for obvious reasons, I don’t want
to say too much about plot-wise. But
I can say it’s been a really nice shoot,
down in England with all those quaint
little villages. And it was wonderful to
work with Julia McKenzie, I don’t think

Shirley
I’m revealing any secrets by saying that
it’s her that’s playing the role.”
Henderson’s roles are nothing if not
varied; she played Kelly in Irvine
Welsh’s Wedding Belles for Channel
4, while another recent film role saw
her playing a 1930’s fashionista in Miss
Pettigrew Lives For a Day. The parts are
worlds apart, but Henderson has no
fear of expanding and diversifying her
range.
“For Wedding Belles, my character,
Kelly, was someone who was at once
brazen and yet vulnerable, a tough girl
but someone whose exterior hides a
sadness within. It’s always a fast shoot
in television, but sometimes that helps
because you can sometimes have too
much time to think about a role. I did do
a bit of hanging around in Leith, trying
to get the feel of the part; losing myself
in the character is something I always
try to do as part of my preparation,” she
says. “For Miss Pettigrew Lives For a
Day, I also wanted to make sure I could
be equally truthful to the way people
spoke in the pre-WWII period, so I was
watching lots of old movies with people
like Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison. They
had a kind of heightened elocution,
very different from the Wedding Belles
characters, but tremendous fun to play
as well.”
As well as an ongoing project reuniting
Henderson with director Michael
Winterbotton, Henderson has another
project imminently due on television
screens as Alice in May Contain Nuts,
from the book by writer John O’Farrell.
“It’s a drama with a comedy slant about
the lengths that people go to in order
to get their children into particular
schools,” she says. “It’s a topical piece
which looks into the so-called ‘yummy-
made in scotland tV
Henderson
“as an acTress, you jusT have To go wiTh your guT insTincT and geT on
wiTh geTTing inTo The parT.”
shirley henderson. photo by carol gordon
mummy culture’, and John’s book takes
an entertaining slant on the way that
parents behave with their children. So
yes, these are all very different roles,
but as an actress, you just have to go
with your gut instinct and get on with
getting into the part.”
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made in scotland tV
EilEEn GallaGhEr
“good televIsIon always
requIres passIonate
wrIters wIth the aBIlIty
to realIse theIr Ideas.”
page eileen gallagher
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“Lots of people have good ideas for
series. But when it costs 5 to 6 million
pounds to make them, you’re playing for
high stakes, and broadcasters naturally
want a company that has a track record for
delivering.” So says Eileen Gallagher, CEO
of Shed Media, the people who brought us
Bad Girls, Footballers’ Wives and Waterloo
Road, and who behind Hope Springs, a
major new drama for BBC One.
The prime time series stars ER’s Alex
Kingston and One Foot in the Grave’s
Annette Crosbie. Filming is entirely in
Scotland, on location in Wanlockhead,
Dumfries and Galloway, and interior shots
will be filmed in BBC Scotland’s drama
studios in Dumbarton.
“It’s a fish out of water story,” says
Gallagher. “It’s about four women who
leave prison and find themselves trapped
in a beautiful Scottish village. It’s about
people whose dream has gone wrong,
and through interaction with the villagers,
they eventually find out more about
themselves in a way that helps them cope
with life and who they are. It’s a fun, caper
drama with a little bit of darkness about
the edges.”
If Hope Springs sounds like an ideal
package for a returnable series, the holy
grail of television development, that’s
because it’s been carefully nurtured and
tailored by a company who have a rocksolid
reputation for television drama.
Gallagher is happy to point to Shed’s
remarkable financial figures as evidence
of their success; with involvement in
over 100 shows, the company’s most
recent results in December 2007 stated
a £63 million turnover and gross profit
of £23 million. But balancing the books
is one thing; coming up with the goods
is a whole different ball game. And that’s
where Shed’s motto comes in: ‘we know
drama’.
“We’d been pitching dramas in America,
specifically to the network, and we knew
there was a market for a strong female
drama,” says Gallagher. “We pitched Hope
Springs to Anne Mensah at BBC Scotland
and she loved it, but that’s where things
get difficult; good drama doesn’t write
itself, and it’s hard work to ensure that
the story you come up with has a good
predetermined arc.”
BBC Scotland has had a series of notable
drama successes with Hamish Macbeth
and Monarch of the Glen, but Gallagher
wanted Hope Springs to be a series with a
more contemporary feel to it.
“While these series were very successful,
they draw a certain picture of Scottish
life which could be seen as a cutesy,
shortbread tin image of the country.
Anyone who lives in a city like Glasgow
knows that there’s also a modern, urban
feel to Scottish life, and we wanted
to capture that side of things,” says
Gallagher. “There’s huge potential in a
project like this; both export and remake
potential.”
Gallagher herself served as a writer on
Bad Girls, so she knows the development
process from both sides. One aspect that
Gallagher highlights as an area she’d like
to see developed in Scotland is increased
recognition of the highly specialised skills
involved in television writing. While there
are dozens of courses devoted to writing
feature films, she’d like to see more
opportunities for budding writers to learn
their craft and hone their skills for the
small screen.
“I think there’s 17 film courses in the
UK, but only one for television, and that
seems to me to be an area which could be
improved upon; writers are much more
likely to get work in television than the
tiny amount who get to write features,”
she says. “If we want to have a sustainable
industry, we need to stop being obsessed
with shorts and feature films, and start
thinking about the practicalities of writing
television drama. That’s where the future
of many potential writers is, and good
television always requires passionate
writers with the ability to realise their
ideas.”
www.shedproductions.com

a la sta i r
ma c ken z i e
“I seem to have played a number
of darker characters lately.”
“I seem to have played a number of darker
characters lately. This is not an attempt at
exorcism, but I am interested in exploring
the darkness we all have inside us.”
It wasn’t so long ago that Alastair Mackenzie
was lighting up the nation’s television
screens as Archie in the much-loved BBC
series Monarch of The Glen. But since then,
he’s carved out a successful career in film
and television, scoring a notable critical and
public hit with Reichenbach Falls, playing
opposite Alec Newman and Laura Fraser
in a dark detective story from the pen of
Scottish crime-writer Ian Rankin.
“It was an extraordinary situation because
I played several characters, some of whom
exist within the subconscious of the others,
so it was something of a challenge,” he
says. “Fortunately there was a bit of makeup
involved and when you’re wearing a
wig and make-up, it really helps you to
remember which character you’re playing.
It can sometimes be hard to delineate the
different characters when you’re playing
more than one role, but the truly nasty
nature of that character also really helped in
that case.”
Reichenbach Falls was made for the BBC,
and Mackenzie is amongst those who
believe that the fast shoots and lower
budgets of TV dramas can often provide
a more fertile ground of good acting than
many big budget productions.
“Sometimes when you’re on a short shoot
like that - I think it was only five weeks -
there’s a lot less ‘faffing’ around. But there
was still time for me to develop a great
rapport with Al Newman, and John McKay,
the director, was terrific in making sure that
we managed to deliver the cerebral ideas of
the script while still having a good time onset,”
says Mackenzie.
Another high-profile production that
Mackenzie recently worked on was BBC
Films’ The Edge of Love, with Scottish writer
Sharman Macdonald creating a dramatic reimagining
of WWII Britain.
“The character I played, Anthony Devas,
was a relative of a friend of mine, which was
great; it was really helpful when doing the
research, because I could go through the
family annals and look at photographs of
the real-life version of the character I was
playing,” says Mackenzie. “But the other side
was that there is more pressure because
you know that surviving relatives will see
your interpretation, and so if you’re playing
a character with, say alcohol problems, as
in this case, it can be tricky. And because
we had Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller
out in the middle of Wales, we also had the
problems of the constant presence of the
paparazzi, which made filming very difficult
at times.”
Mackenzie has recently completed work
on a Canadian production, The Murdoch
Mysteries; “It’s a great idea, a detective
story set in the Victorian era: kind of CSI
1890,” he says. And he’ll next be seen
made in scotland tV
opposite Dougray Scott in Richard Jobson’s
forthcoming Edinburgh-set action thriller
New Town Killers.
“The character I play, Jamie, is the sidekick
to Dougray’s character, which makes him
the moral barometer of the story. New Town
Killers deals with nihilism, and Dougray’s
character is particularly dark: he’s practically
Lucifer himself; Jamie’s sense of who he is
becomes continually under question,” says
Mackenzie. “A friend of mine told me that he
felt making a film was almost like making a
documentary about actors, that the camera
is constantly picking up whether the way
they act is right for the situation. So you
have to play the truth of what you’re given
in the script, and I think Richard has done a
brilliant job of nailing these dark, nihilistic
characters for whom human life has lost its
value.”
Which brings Mackenzie back to the notion
of embracing darkness, something that the
long night-shoots for New Town Killers led
him to appreciate the hard way.
“We shot nights in Edinburgh for four and a
half weeks, and when you’re coming home
at seven in the morning, your metabolism
has to completely reverse itself,” he says.
“I ended up going out to the shops on a
mission to buy blackout fabric to paste over
my windows - I was obsessed with having
complete darkness to help me get to sleep;
so never mind the darkness of the character
I was playing, I found I literally couldn’t
survive without darkness.”
page alastair mackenzie
13

made in scotland tV
page 14
kathleen mcdermott as shaz in wedding Belles.
photo by Brian sweeney photography (www.sweeneypix.com).

made in scotland tV
“lots of people dream about how differently they might live
their lives; as an actress, I get to find out by doing it!”
From the pen of Irvine Welsh,
Channel 4’s Wedding Belles
proved itself a controversial
success for the broadcaster, largely
thanks to an ensemble cast including
Shauna McDonald, Michelle Gomez,
Shirley Henderson and Kathleen
McDermott. Having shot to fame with
the high profile role of Lanna opposite
Samantha Morton in Lynne Ramsey’s
adaptation of Alan Warner’s Morvern
Callar, Wedding Belles came at an
ideal time to cement McDermott as an
exciting new acting talent.
“Alan Warner is good friends with
Welsh, so although I didn’t know it at
the time when I auditioned, they had
asked for me specifically for Wedding
Belles, which I’m really chuffed about
now,” says McDermott. “It was the
same for the four main parts; we were
the only people auditioned, although
we were allowed to try different roles
within the four. So while Shauna and
I auditioned for each other’s roles, we
were both happy with the ones we
got.”
Kathleen
McDermott
As always with Welsh’s work, Wedding
Belles pulls no punches in its account
of a group of brides-to-be. For
McDermott, it provided a chance to
move away from her role in Morvern
Callar.
“Shaz was definitely the part I
wanted most, because I didn’t want
to play another character with a drug
problem, as I felt I’d done that with
Morvern Callar. When I read the script
I was genuinely shocked, I think we
all know that Irvine Welsh is always
pretty good with the ‘shock factor’ of
his work. I like that quality; he gets
people talking, and I like to play a
character who stands out rather than
blends in. Wedding Belles does have
controversial content, and a lot of
that is to do with my character, Shaz.
So I gave the script to my father to
see what he thought about it, as I
was worried about what he might
say. Fortunately, he thought it was
hilarious!”
McDermott has just finished a new
production for E4 (“It’s a comedy
drama thriller, but I can’t say too much
about it yet,” she says), and has also
been enjoying the process of winning
her acting chops by appearing in
popular dramas like Casualty.
“You learn from the different
experiences you have. Casualty was
particularly enjoyable for me because
of working with Alex Ferns, who you
think might be a real baddy because of
his role in Eastenders, but is actually
a real softy. But you also see how
differently TV programmes are made;
Wedding Belles had a shoot of over
six weeks, while Casualty was very
fast indeed,” she says. “So I’m keen to
avoid doing a soap. I think what I’ve
found out about myself is that I like
the challenge of playing different roles,
and want to play characters who are
nothing like each other. Lots of people
dream about how differently they
might live their lives; as an actress, I
get to find out by doing it!”
page 15

made in scotland tV
Angela
Murray
“there’s a very defInIte
aIr of optImIsm In
scotland at
the moment.”
“It’s never been easy and never will be easy
to produce. If it was, then everyone would
be doing it!” says producer Angela Murray.
Running her own production company,
Oxygen Films, she’s currently working with
Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill’s Effingee
Productions, producing the sixth series of
the much-loved sitcom, Still Game, and the
first two series of Dear Green Place. During
filming of the second series of the latter,
Murray took a break to look at the challenges
that face creative producers.
“Working with a talent whether in comedy or
more serious drama is essentially the same.
It’s about creating an environment where
people feel supported and where ideas
can flourish,” she says. “Dear Green Place
is filmed entirely on location in Glasgow’s
beautiful parks and the surrounding city,
and we’re fortunate in that the Glasgow City
Council Land Services Dept is incredibly
supportive of the series. This eases the
potential logistical problems presented
to our locations team as we endeavour to
schedule around the many events which take
place in Glasgow and its popular parks over
the summer.”
Dear Green Place isn’t the only string to
Murray’s bow; through Oxygen Films, she’s
formed a wide view of the potentialities of
television and film production. From working
as a trainee on Lord Attenborough’s Chaplin,
she was recently UK production manager on
the Oscar-winning The Last King of Scotland.
Working on high and low budget features
has given her valuable experience of working
with different amounts of finance, but to high
creative standards.
page 16
“I’d say that creatively the differences
between high and low budget productions
are minimal, but logistically and financially
they are obviously very different; however,
whether you have £500,000 or £50million,
oddly enough, you never seem to have quite
enough money, as ambition grows with
the size of the budget,” she says. “The real
key to success is to find the most creative
solutions to help release and support the
director’s vision, without him or her feeling
compromised creatively. And this comes
from a mutual respect and trust which is
forged over a period of time and a shared
vision.”
Murray works across both film and
television. “Before I got to grips with the
television commissioning process, I had
purely thought of myself as a film producer,
having produced six shorts and was
focussed purely on feature films, but now
I’m developing a drama series with both
new and more established talent,” she says.
“Freelancing in television gives me a much
greater freedom to choose who I want to
work with as an independent film producer,
and has certainly broadened my experience
and creative vision. TV informs my film work
and vice versa. The TV and film industries are
hardly mutually exclusive entities – they have
a more symbiotic relationship these days,
as most independent production companies
appreciate, TV pre-sales of an independent
feature being an important element to
financing a film.”
Murray’s other projects include an
international feature film co-production with
Carlo Dusi of Aria Films, Numb, an urban
contemporary comedy set in Edinburgh
from writer/director Colin Hutton. She’s
also working on a feature project with
writer David Greig and director Marisa
Zanotti, with whom she produced one of
her short films, At the End of the Sentence,
and is developing a television series about
Glasgow’s rich music hall history. It’s a wide
and varied slate, and one which Murray
admits is only made possible by the wealth
of talent she has to chose from.
“There’s a very definite air of optimism in
Scotland at the moment. In the past few
years there’s been a real commitment
to nurturing producers and production
companies, the result of which is a
strengthening of our production base as
we invest our time and talents developing
creative and business relationships
both within the UK and internationally,”
says Murray. “We’re a country positively
brimming with writing, and directing
talent, which, combined with wonderfully
talented actors and highly skilled and
loyal technicians is the life blood of the
industry. So I see the future of Oxygen lies in
developing these talents, and in producing
inspiring and entertaining drama for both
film and television from Scotland, for both
UK and international markets.”
www.oxygenfilms.co.uk
mail@oxygenfilms.co.uk
angela murray

“dear green place allows us to stray a lIttle BIt further away from
stIll game, to get a BIt more Involved In the pathos and the dramatIc sIde
of the characters we create.”
dear green place dear green place still game
Ford
Kiernan
I
t’s a Thursday morning in July, and Ford
Kiernan has just finished a morning
session making Dear Green Place for
BBC Scotland. It’s one of a number of
projects he’s developed as part of Effingee
Productions, the company he created with
Greg Hemphill, the team behind national
institutions, Chewin’ The Fat and Still Game.
That success encouraged Kiernan and
Hemphill to start up their own company,
but right now, it’s not the business that’s
bothering Kiernan, it’s the sunshine.
“The clouds were passing over really quickly
yesterday, and we do a lot of the shoot
outdoors,” says Kiernan. “Although they do
try and put a little UV protection under your
make-up, I still managed to get a bit burnt.”
A little sunburn isn’t likely to be a
substantial problem; Kiernan and Hemphill
have braved the warmth of public adulation
for over a decade, with catchphrases like,
‘Gonnae no dae that’, entering the cultural
lexicon.
“There’s was a time when that phrase
really haunted us, if you parked your car
on a double yellow line, someone always
shouted ‘Gonnae no dae that!’ It became
a tabloid staple; if someone had a cone on
their head, the caption would be, ‘Cone-y
no dae that’. Fortunately, it went away after
a while, although they recently revived it
for a health board campaign to stop people
smoking outside hospitals,” says Kiernan.
“On Chewin’ The Fat, we’d got used to
playing every character known to man
including Jack and Victor. Some people
thought it was career suicide for us to get
out of a network show to write and produce
an opt-out sitcom. But we were keen to
show that there was more to us, and that
there were legs in the Still Game format. By
the third series, we’d been picked up by the
national network; that led us to move on
from The Comedy Unit, and set up our own
production and studio space in Hillington for
our own projects.”
Now in its second series, Dear Green
Place has allowed Kiernan and Hemphill to
advance from comedy into comedy drama,
retaining many of the characteristics, which
made them household names, but also
developing their talents.
“Like Still Game, Dear Green Place is an
ensemble piece; a big part of the attraction
of a sitcom is the different storylines and the
way the audience can get to engage with a
number of different characters, like Woody
and Wallace in the show,” says Kiernan.
“It’s also gloriously scenic; the nature of
the show allows us to exploit the parks of
Glasgow so that the backdrop on-screen is
fantastic looking, making the production
aesthetically pleasing, and of course, there’s
the brilliant writing and performances!
Dear Green Place allows us to stray a little
bit further away from Still Game, to get a
bit more involved in the pathos and the
made in scotland tV
dramatic side of the characters we create.”
Kiernan may be the star of the show, but
Dear Green Place also has a large and
dedicated team helping to realise the
Effingee dream, not least Paul Riley, who
wrote and also stars in the programme,
for which he won a BAFTA Scotland Best
Performance award in 2006, the show itself
picking up the Best Entertainment Award;
Kiernan is also warm in his praise for the
efforts of director Don Coutts, cameraman
Gerry Kelly and producer Angela Murray.
And it’s only one of a number of projects
that Effingee is working on. He admits that
cinema is always a goal for them, but there’s
also a brand new show written by and
starring Kiernan and Hemphill, set for 2009,
and a number of TV pilot ideas.
Kiernan and Hemphill have now worked
together for a number of years, as their
writing and other talents have evolved.
“It’s true that we used to down tools
religiously for Countdown every day, after a
hard days’ writing, and have a ten quid bet
on it, but I think that’s one element that’s not
so important to us now, since the passing of
Richard Whiteley,” says Kiernan. “But there’s
plenty of writing in the pipeline. Greg’s
writing a film, and I’ve just written a play as
part of Oran Mor’s lunchtime theatre. So I’m
hoping to exercise my dramatic talents, or at
least find out if I’ve got any!”
www.effingee.com
ford kiernan
page 17

made in scotland tV
“What’s the job of a Composer?
to help enhanCe the impaCt
of the film, and sensitise an
audienCe's appreCiation - and to
be relatively inConspiCuous in
doing so.”
Boy A was one of 2007’s most talked
about television productions. By
August, it was on US theatrical release
thanks to the Weinstein Company, a
rare achievement for any television
show. But it’s not the success of the
programme that’s the talking point - it’s
the content. Working from Jonathan
Trigell’s novel, and adapted for the
screen by Mark O’Rowe, director John
Crowley created a brutal yet tender
account of the tortured rehabilitation
of Jack Burridge (Andrew Garfield), a
young adult who struggles to re-enter
society after serving time for a murder
he committed as a child. The drama
provided an emotionally charged
experience for audiences and critics
worldwide. A key element in the film is
composer Paddy Cunneen’s elegant yet
emotive score.
“The main requirement for Boy A was
to try to find a musical style for the film
that would allow it to breathe rather
than to dictate what the audience
should think and feel at any given point.
We decided that what was required,
page 18
for the most part, was a contemplative
simplicity, and that we'd handle
moments of dramatic tension mostly
without music,” says Cunneen. “It was
a real collaboration, very stimulating
and tremendous fun to do. I think John
has a real gift for bringing actors to just
the right pitch in performance, and he
brought this same sensibility to bear in
getting me to the score.”
Boy A’s score was written in close
collaboration with Crowley in a reprise
of a director-composer combination
which began over the course of
a number of successful theatre
productions.
“We've worked together on theatre
productions at The Donmar, The
National Theatre, and on Broadway
so we have a good rapport and share
a wide range of interests, musical
tastes and bad jokes. When you’re
working in theatre, music has two
principle functions. Firstly, it can be
a rehearsal tool, and this is an aspect
I love. Almost any musical idea can
be grabbed or invented and worked
with the actors into something that
has impact on rehearsals. The music
created may or may not feature in the
finished play - I call this ‘disposable
music’,“ says Cunneen. “More often
though, working in the rehearsal room
is an excellent way to generate music
cues for a production - the music
comes from the same process the
actors go through. So the drive here
is basically for improvisational ideas
polished according to resources of the
production, whilst maintaining some
license to shape performances around
the music.”
Applying the working methods from
theatre to film and television is by
no means an exact science, but it’s a
process that has to be done in exactly
the right way for each and every
production. For Boy A, Cunneen had
greater resources in terms of potential
for arrangements and orchestrations,
but the same objective: to serve the
story’s emotional through-line.
“With Boy A, I also took the view to let
images themselves act like a melody
and so provide accompaniment to
that; in the hope that this gives the
visual material a primacy, and makes
the music serve the storytelling,” says
Cunneen. “In film, music is a much
more considered form - measured
against the pre-existing phrasing of the
narrative and the emotional framing of
the characters. It asks tougher questions
of the composer and is enjoyable in
a completely different way. Issues of
structure are more important and often

the edit provides a ‘shape’ that the music must fill.”
Working on a Macintosh computer using a Logic
composition programme, Cunneen set out to compose
a score, which would underpin Jack’s experiences,
without being too intrusive.
“We felt it important to leave the audience enough
space to make their own minds up about the characters,
story and meaning. We wanted to keep Boy A balanced
between something of a documentary feel and a film.
The camera work was deftly placed between these
two styles, often looking over the shoulders of the
characters, and taking viewpoints that were not entirely
conventional for a narrative film,” he says. “So the
music was to follow suit: not saying too much about the
characters, giving an understated sense of what Jack
might feel as he made his way back into the world, and
providing a dignified sense of loss when he realises
that the past will not let go of him and that he can never
re-integrate with society - and especially that he will
never ‘get the girl’.”
And with Boy A captivating audiences around the
world, Cunneen is looking forward to applying his skills
to fresh projects.
“What would I like to see for the future? That’s simple.
Make more films and employ composers to work
on them. The successful composers probably don't
need that much help, it's the emerging composers
who should be developed,” he says. “So more films,
particularly shorts, would bring increased opportunities
to learn, experiment and develop the craft of film
scoring.”
made in scotland tV
page 19 Boy a

made in scotland tV
ewan angus
page 20
bbC scotland
“we are always lookIng for ways to engage our
audIence,” says ewan angus, commIssIonIng edItor
of televIsIon at BBc scotland. “that means we have
to Both reflect current tastes and Innovate wIth
completely fresh Ideas.”
Ewan Angus has over 20 years’ experience as a producer and director in broadcasting,
but given that he’s responsible for commissioning the television output produced for
audiences in Scotland, plus additional responsibility as Head of Sport since 2005, it’s
experience he has to put to good use on a daily basis.
“There are numerous projects worth highlighting for the way they demonstrate the
range and commitment we have to high quality programming. We produced a big series
with Phil Cunningham called Scotland’s Music, looking at the influence and impact that
Scottish musicians have had. While at the same time, we’re also committed to providing
cutting edge coverage of live events like T in the Park.”
Angus points to not only the standard but the variety of programmes created as
evidence of BBC Scotland’s commitment to satisfying a large and diverse audience.
“We’re very proud of Ko Lik’s Glendogie Bogie animation; they’re a company we’ve
supported since their early Cineworks film, and it’s great to see them producing
full length animations. And we’re proud of individual programmes like the recent
documentaries under the BBC Scotland Investigates banner reflecting very personal
explorations of important medical issues.
These have complemented Scottish
filmmaker, Sue Bourne’s, acclaimed
account of her mother’s life with
Alzheimer’s, Mum and Me,” says Angus.
“I’d also point to shows like The Real
Monarch of the Glen, telling the story
of Paul Lister’s dream of reintroducing
once common species of wildlife into
his Highland estate. Or our involvement
with Nick Higgins’s project The New Ten
Commandments, which was premiered
at the 2008 Edinburgh International Film
Festival. We’re always looking for ways of
challenging our audience while building
on popular favourites - we’re currently
working with some of the talent behind
Still Game and Chewin’ The Fat on a
second series of Dear Green Place as well
as piloting new comedy projects.”
Finding the right balance of programming
is one of the daily challenges of Angus’s
job, but he’s quick to point out that his
choices are less a question of personal
taste than one of anticipating and
responding to current issues and audience
trends.

alzheimer’s, mum & me:
sue, ethel, holly
live shinty
“Yes, there has to be a degree of
subjectivity, but audience tastes and
interests play a crucial part in determining
what kind of content we produce and how
we make it available. It’s important to feel
that there will be an appreciative audience
for any project commissioned, whether
that audience is large or relatively niche,”
says Angus. “People in Scotland should
feel ‘this programme is made for someone
like me and in some way reflects the
world I live in’. That most certainly doesn’t
mean ‘tartan wrapped’; there’s nothing
‘tartan wrapped’ about the award-winning
series Boys Behind Bars, for example,
which exposed viewers to the chaotic lives
of inmates at Polmont Young Offenders
Institution.”
Recent technological innovations like the
BBC iPlayer have provided the corporation
with a much-envied mechanism for public
consumption of their programmes. Angus
feels that it’s important to enthusiastically
embrace such new technologies but also
remember that the majority of the viewing
public are still watching programmes as
part of the BBC’s schedules.
scotland’s music with phil cunningham
“Obviously the iPlayer has already
proved itself a popular success, but a
recent report revealed that only 53% of
homes in Scotland have broadband,” says
Angus. “So we can’t assume that people
can always access programmes in this
manner; the linear schedule is still of vital
importance.”
As the Head of Sport for BBC Scotland,
Angus also plays a key role in putting
Scots in touch with the many live sporting
events, which provide an undeniable focal
point in the country’s culture.
“I do think we offer a very high quality
coverage of sports events along with
news, comment and analysis. There’s no
doubt that football is the most popular
sport in terms of our audience, and
through Radio Scotland in particular
we have a unique way of reaching the
supporters of individual teams,” he says.
“We’ve had some huge audiences for
live televised football this year; having
over a million viewers for a match means
a significant section of the audience
is tuning in. One significant change
recently is the increasing number of
people who watch SPL highlights on our
glendogie Bogie
scottish cricket dear green place
made in scotland tV
website. There are certainly changes in
the way people access content, and the
audience for this kind of offer is growing
exponentially. There’s also a large amount
of interest in events such as rugby’s Six
Nations tournament and a passionate
fanbase for sports like shinty and golf so
it’s important that we reflect that too.”
Ensuring that the high quality of BBC
Scotland programming is retained
is a challenge that Angus believes is
possible amongst the technological
changes the modern media is constantly
adapting to. And he’s currently looking
forward to increased drama production
commissioned in response to audience.
“New platforms provide us with exciting
and innovative ways of telling stories,
be it through factual, news, comedy or
drama, and we’re putting more emphasis
on fiction with three original 60-minute
dramas on their way,” says Angus. “We’re
expanding drama because that’s what our
audience are telling us they want to see,
but whatever is produced, it’s got to have
the same high standards expected of any
BBC programmes.”
page 21

made in scotland tV
elizabeth partyka goodbye mr chips Jack osborne: adrenaline Junkie
stv
There’s always an elephant in the room when you’re talking about the content broadcast
on Scottish television, and its name is Taggart. Scotland’s longest running series (25 years),
and its most widely seen (200 countries buy it), might be a success that gets taken for
granted, but Managing Director at stv’s production arm, SMG Productions, Elizabeth Partyka,
recognises that it’s still the jewel in the broadcaster’s crown.
“It’s a super-brand, and we see having Taggart on our books as a huge positive in terms of
many different aspects of life at the station. It underpins our global identity and allows us to
have our own drama team. It opens doors for us and provides status; not many companies
can say they’ve a drama series which has been returned for 25 years, and there’s plenty who
would like to,” she says. “There have been many changes to Taggart on and off screen over
the last 25 years. I do think it’s underestimated how much work goes into maintaining the
standards of the programme while also keeping the format fresh and alive; for example,
we’ve produced versions for various different timeslots, three hour, two hour, one hour
and ninety minutes. We have to keep updating the format to ensure it’s relevant to today’s
television market.”
page 22

The emotional outpourings at
the Taggart reunion featured onstage
at the 2006 Scottish BAFTAs
demonstrated the warm emotions
that the brand name still evokes from
audiences. But Partyka can also point
to its network successes like Martin
Clunes in Goodbye Mr Chips, and
popular local drama High Times as
evidence that stv has more to offer than
one of the world’s favourite detective
programmes.
“I think the importance of content is
evident to everybody; you could say
that stv is getting back to our television
roots,” she says. “Over the past five or
six years, SMG’s (stv’s parent company)
interests in radio and billboard
advertising maybe meant we took our
eye off what we’re best at, which is
making content. So I see the sales of
assets like Virgin Radio as evidence of
the start of the TV renaissance for us.”
For Partyka, working closely with
stv’s Bobby Hain is a key element in
developing innovative programming.
“It’s obviously particularly exciting for
the content division right now. Part of
my job is to pitch programming ideas
to see how they might fit with Bobby’s
vision for the future of the station, and
also bring him ideas from external
companies - that’s a new thing,” she
says. “Like other broadcasters, Bobby’s
looking for ideas which have extra
forms of life, on TV, but also online,
or with potential for exploitation in
other ways. I think fewer broadcasters
are interested in ideas that lead to
programmes which are broadcast
once and never heard of again. We
want formats which are attractive
internationally; it’s important for us
to create something with longevity is
some shape or form.”
Amongst the programmes that Partyka
highlights as having potential is Jack
Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie; “It could
be Tom Smith: Adrenaline Junkie - the
important thing is that it goes to 92
territories,” she says.
“Another example would be DNA
Stories, a series we make for Sky,
presented by Lorraine Kelly, which is
about looking into family mysteries
that go back several generations, and
using modern DNA technology to solve
them. As you can imagine, it’s a format
that has brought us a lot of interest
from overseas. That’s the formula in a
nutshell: a format that attracts interest
and has potential to grow.”
Partyka is aware of the potential
competition offered to television
broadcasters through the internet,
but although she accepts that things
are changing, certain aspects of
programme making will always be
consistent.
made in scotland tV
“stv Is gettIng Back to our televIsIon roots.”
elIzaBeth partyka, smg productIons taggart
“The bottom line – regardless of
whether a programme is on television
or the internet – is that people will only
watch if there’s compelling content. I
personally see the internet as less of
a revolution than just another delivery
mechanism; most people are still
watching television - they’re just doing
it through the internet,” she says.
“You’ve Been Framed is a very old and
established format; the internet has
provided a new way of accessing that
format, but there’s nothing new about
the actual programme. If a programme
isn’t any good, putting it on the internet
won’t make it any better. The same
skills which go into making Taggart
work will still make a programme work
on the net; you still have to tick just as
many boxes.”
www.stv.tv

made in scotland tV
Aside from his well-known expertise as
a football pundit, Stuart Cosgrove is also
Director of Channel 4’s Nations and Regions,
with a unique perspective on the way that
television is changing and adapting to
the digital age. After thirteen years at the
station, he still retains an evangelical belief
in the power of television.
“TV is one of the great agents of change in
our lifetime and almost all the signs suggest
it will be important for decades to come.
One of the key changes that Channel 4 has
played is in reflecting the journey to greater
tolerance within the culture whether that's
to do with sexual or ethnic diversity,” he
says. “But change can also mean developing
energetic talent or provoking fresh
perspectives, and C4 is better positioned to
do that than any other broadcaster.”
The out-of-London spend of major
broadcasters is a major topic of discussion
in the television industry, and Cosgrove has
a wealth of programming to chose from to
exemplify how Channel 4 operates.
“Channel 4 sources £115m worth of
originated content from producers outside
London including major shows like
“tv Is one of the great agents of change In our lIfetIme and almost all the sIgns
suggest It wIll Be Important for decades to come.”
page 24
channel 4 stuart
Skins; Location, Location, Location; and
Shameless,” he says. “There could be more
in Scotland but our delivery is in every
respect caught up in the strength of the
sector, which is strong in single-film culture
and weaker in key industrial areas like
returning drama and factual formats.”
Ensuring a level playing field for programme
makers is one of the responsibilities of
Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator
and competition authority for the
communications industries. It’s a difficult
role to play, but is one which Cosgrove
believes has been a success.
“For my money Ofcom has been a very
engaging forward-looking and evidencebased
regulator,” says Cosgrove. “I cannot
see that changing fundamentally unless
there are step-changes in the constitutional
arrangements of the UK.”
New platforms created by new technologies
have created new opportunities for
programme creators looking to find ways
of creating direct connections with their
viewers. Cosgrove sees Channel 4 show,
Embarrassing Bodies, as a good example
of how this can work in practice. “Channel
4 was the first broadcaster in the world
to launch a dedicated video-on-demand
platform, but change is not always just
about technological innovation – it’s about
ideas,” he says. “A series like Embarrassing
Bodies with the dedicated web-service that
supported it allowed people to discuss very
private and scary illnesses in a protected
environment. Taking marginalised illnesses
to mainstream discussion is something
doctors struggle with but intelligent media
can achieve.”
And demonstrating that he’s thinking
well outside the box when it comes to
metaphors, Cosgrove’s response is as
follows when asked if the digital era
has moved the goalposts for Scottish
programme makers and broadcasters.
“I refuse to answer that question on the
grounds that it uses male dominated
football metaphors,” Cosgrove says, instead
replying, “I’d prefer to say that digital media
provides an ovulation of new opportunities
for all creative companies.”
www.channel4.com
cosgrove
stuart cosgrove, head of natIons and regIons

alan esslemont and margaret mary murray
“gaelIc has a huge cultural contrIButIon to make to the future of scotland.”
margaret mary murray, BBc scotland
one of the cornerstones of Scottish
culture is Gaelic, an ancient language
dating back over 1500 years. Now, modern
technology is making it possible for Gaelic
programming to ensure that the language
and culture of Gaelic can be part of the
everyday life of Scots.
Two of the prime movers in the process are
Margaret Mary Murray, Head of Gaelic Digital
Service at BBC Scotland and Alan Esslemont,
Head of Content at MG ALBA, formerly the
Gaelic Media Service. Their challenge is to
find the right balance of programming to
retain the vibrancy of Gaelic culture in the
twenty-first century. In 2008, the new MG
ALBA/BBC partnership plans to launch a
Gaelic language TV service in Scotland, and
Murray and Esslemont are charged with the
responsibility of making it work.
“Since the 1990s many people in Scotland
have had access to literally hundreds of new
TV channels, but quite uniquely, the new
service which we plan to air in September
is the first home-grown television channel
to launch in Scotland for a long time,” says
Murray. “The BBC has been in discussion for
some time with MG ALBA trying to focus all
of the available resources for Gaelic media
towards a shared cross-media vision, for the
benefit of all. In January 2008, the BBC Trust
agreed to grant the partnership a service
licence, making this the first BBC licensed
service to be managed within a partnership
framework. It will be a much-needed service
for Gaelic speakers but hopes to reach out
to communities throughout Scotland with
the aim of attracting new speakers to the
language.”
Things have come a long way since the
BBC’s first Gaelic programme, a fifteenminute
radio sermon broadcast way back in
1923. But it was only from the 1970s onwards
that any kind of sustained broadcast service
came into operation. With the advent of
a fund for television in the 1990s, stv and
Grampian played a key role in broadening
the range of Gaelic TV programming,
including the production of a soap opera,
Machair, and a daily news programme,
Telefios, plus the BBC’s award-winning
Eòrpa, which looks at international affairs
seachd: the Inaccessible pinnacle
from a Scottish perspective. But now, that
tradition looks set to expand dramatically
as the BBC and MG ALBA seek to broaden
the programming remit to include a wider
Scottish audience.
“MG ALBA is funded directly by the Scottish
Government and has historically been
the funder of the majority of new Gaelic
television programmes for over 15 years,
broadcast both on stv and the BBC,” says
Esslemont. “This new partnership with
the BBC moves us from being solely a
funder of programmes to the role of joint
broadcaster, partnering with one of the
biggest global brands in television. It is a
hugely demanding change for us, but one we
are relishing.”
Esslemont, who worked in a Skye knitting
factory for two years while learning the
language, has plenty of experience to
draw on; he was member of the senior
management team which set up and
launched the Irish language channel TnaG in
1996.
“We rebranded the TnaG service as TG4
in 1999 and the channel is now widely
seen a playing a huge role in revitalising
the image of Irish culture and language,
and contributing to the new growth in its
communities of speakers,” he says. “I don’t
think we got everything right immediately
but were carried through the tough times
by the original demanding vision for the
channel and for its role in Irish society. For
me, it has been hugely exciting to work with
Margaret Mary and our team to develop a
vision for a new channel in Scotland.”
Creating a modern tri-media service that
links television, radio and online is an
ambitious project; Esslemont admits that,
“there is absolutely no ‘off-the-shelf’ Welsh
or Irish model for what we are attempting
to do”. But both Murray and Esslemont are
united by their passion for the language, and
hope that the increased provision for Gaelic
broadcasting will create the same levels of
interest in the new station’s viewers.
“I was born and brought up in Lewis with
Gaelic as my first language and for me
made in scotland tV
Gaelic is something that is an intrinsic part
of me and my life: it is real and alive,” says
Murray. “It is alive not just for me but for my
Glasgow-born children, and indeed for all
of the schoolchildren throughout Scotland
who can now benefit from Gaelic-medium
education.” She hopes that Gaelic will be
able to flourish when it has a place in the
mainstream life of Scotland, and believes
that Gaelic language media services will
play a key role in ensuring this: “Gaelic has
a huge cultural contribution to make to the
future of Scotland.”
One practical way in which Gaelic
programming might appeal is through the
often mooted idea of a Gaelic soap. But for
Esslemont, drama is only one of a number
of potential opportunities for Scottish
programme makers.
“As well as a weekday half-hour Gaelic
news bulletin from the BBC, a wide variety
of factual shows, entertainment, music and
sport have been commissioned for the new
channel, including programmes for learners
and bi-lingual strands,” he says. “Our first
commissioning round this year attracted
169 submissions. We green-lit 14 of those;
that’s less than ten per cent of the total
submissions, spending £1.35m. Our second
commissioning round brought almost 250
submissions and again we have around £1m
to spend.”
With such a high level of investment in the
opportunities for Gaelic broadcasting, both
Esselmont and Murray have their work cut
out to ensure that the best possible choices
lead to the best possible programmes.
There are few precedents for what they’re
doing, but the freshness of the opportunities
ahead ensures that their enthusiasm is
undimmed. “Yes, it is daunting to think that
this opportunity falls to us all at this time in
Scotland,” admits Murray. “But it is a historic
chance to begin to address the needs of the
Gaelic language community and a unique
window of opportunity to provide something
attractive and different for Scotland’s society
and culture.”
www.mgalba.com
page 25

made in scotland tV
“I wanted to do somethIng whIch dealt wIth real people’s lIves and
how we deal wIth adversIty through humour.” John rooney, wrIter
HigH Times
John rooney
“Why is High Times so big in South America?
It’s hard to say, but maybe it’s an antidote to
all the overheated soap operas they have,”
says writer, John Rooney. “It’s nice to think
that someone in Latin America prefers
watching Stephen McCole and Alison Peebles
to Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek.”
The second series of High Times, transmitted
by stv in 2008, gave audiences another taste
of Rooney’s blackly comic vision of life in a
Glasgow high-rise. But for Rooney, it’s the
latest phase of a career that started from
humble beginnings.
“When I was 17, that’s when punk was
happening, but I realised that I couldn’t play
any instruments,” he says. “And I was too self
conscious to stand up with a microphone, so
writing seemed like an obvious thing to do.
After working for various ad agencies, I had
a period of ill health, and I used that to write
my first feature film. I got some positive
readers reports and with my wife’s support,
decided to dedicate myself to writing for
a few years. I had a short called Blackout
made as part of a Scottish Screen and stv
new talent initiative called New Found Land,
which was also well received, and High
Times came directly out of that.”
page 26
Despite a fiercely Scottish setting, High
Times has gone on to sell well around the
world, particularly in Latin America (“I
heard Stephen McCole ended up doing 17
interviews with the media there one day,”
says Rooney. “They couldn’t believe he
could walk down the street here without
being mobbed by fans!”). For Rooney,
that universal appeal comes from dodging
obvious issues and focusing on the personal.
“I didn’t want to do something which dealt
with, say, religious bigotry or alcoholism, but
which looked at real people’s lives and how
we deal with adversity through humour,”
says Rooney. “I saw the idea of doing an
ensemble piece set in flat immediately, and
saw the lifts as a great device for bringing
the characters together. That turned out to
be a big challenge when you’re working
on a budget of £70,000 an episode, but we
managed to make it work.”
With High Times under his belt, Rooney
has a number of pilot and series ideas in
development, as well as ambitions to direct a
short film. “It’s difficult to do something guerrilla
style,” he says, “every time a big production gets
made up here, you can lose half your crew.”
But having worked his way up from writing
advertising copy and jingles, Rooney deserves
to enjoy the view from the top for a while.
high times: alice and family
high times: tex and Jimmy
“I’ve been lucky to come a long way
in a short time; there’s a lot of talented
people around, and a finite number of
opportunities,” he says. “The business of
making television and film is often perceived
as very glamorous, but it takes more than
good intentions to make it work: it takes a lot
of hard work too.”
high times: rab and Jake

“one of the great thIngs about HigH Times Is that John rooney wrItes
the characters so well, It makes It seem natural to play them.”
ctor Stephen McCole’s on a day off,
but spending time at home doesn’t Amean
a chance to put his feet up. With
two children running around at his feet, he’s
got plenty to keep him occupied.
“My PlayStation is gathering dust in the
corner,” he muses. “It’s not the kind of
situation that Rab, the character I play in
High Times would enjoy. I kind of think of
Rab as a version of what I might have turned
out like if I hadn’t gone into acting, so it was
quite an easy part for me to play. I’ve known
a couple of people like him; he’s lazy, an
expert in nothing but signing ‘on the broo’.
One of the great things about that show is
that John (Rooney) writes the characters
so well, it makes it seem natural to play the
character.”
McCole is one of those faces that’s never off
the television screens. From The Crow Road
to A Young Person’s Guide to Being a Rock
Star in the 1990s, he’s since appeared in
Band of Brothers, Holby City, Rebus, Taggart
and most recently the second series of High
Times.
“I’m sure the producers of Rebus or Taggart
would forgive me for saying so, but my
favourite has to be High Times, just because
you’re working with a terrific ensemble cast
and there’s a great camaraderie about it,”
he says. “I remember that when we shot
the first series, we were all working on one
floor of a tower block, and if you wanted
to smoke, you had to go out and stand by
the bin-chute. I don’t know whether it’s
something that happened by association
with the bin-chute, but by the time of the
second season, I’d given up the fags.”
McCole says that the key element of the
show is its “honesty”, and pays tribute to the
rest of the cast.
“That’s what makes the show, and I think
the audience at home can see that we’re
having a ball making it. It’s something
special to be part of, even if it can be difficult
at times working on a small budget,” he
says. “It was a real high to get a Scottish
BAFTA and a second series, although it took
a while for the programme to find a place
in the schedules. I think one programme
that I’ve ended up being a regular on is TV’s
Naughtiest Blunders, because there are so
many clips of me cracking up during scenes
and swearing a lot!”
McCole has also made a successful jump
from television to film, appearing in Wes
Anderson’s Rushmore, with Michael Caine
in Last Orders, and in the recent Stone of
stephen mccole
stephen mccole, rab
Stephen Mccole
Destiny film. He’s also involved with director
Justin Molotnikov on a new film production
which has taken him into uncharted realms:
stand-up comedy.
“It’s a product I’ve developed with Justin and
another actor called Malcolm Shields, called
Crying With Laughter. I had to play four
stand-up gigs, and they went surprisingly
well, although I decided to quit before I had
a bad one,” says McCole. “It’s probably the
best preparation I’ve ever had for a role, and
I haven’t even started filming yet.”
And while McCole isn’t planning on a
stand-up career, the number of prominent
television roles he’s getting should ensure a
few more layers of dust on his PlayStation
yet.
“All I can say is that I’ve been lucky, and I
hope that continues. It’s been worth all the
years of ballet-school,” he jokes. “Whether
you’re working on a Wes Anderson film or
High Times, it’s all the same kind of feeling
as an actor - same as being a stand-up -
you’ve got to have the cojones for it!”
page 27

made in scotland tV
With over three decades of experience
in the television and film industry,
Norman Stone has an enviable reputation as
one of Scotland’s most successful producerdirectors.
Amongst the raft of successful
projects, the stand-out is probably his 1984
television creation of Shadowlands, written
by William Nicholson and starring Joss
Ackland and Claire Bloom as CS Lewis and
Joy Davidman. Originating the project for
the BBC, this story went on to become an
Oscar-nominated feature film by Sir Richard
Attenborough, and was one of the formative
experiences which led Stone to form his own
production company, 1A Productions. Since
then, he’s written and directed for ITV (Pied
Piper in 1989, Ain’t Misbehavin’ in 1996), as
well as feature films (Man Dancin’ in 2003),
and scored a major rating success with
Florence Nightingale for BBC One in 2008.
“Sometimes you come across a story
and think - that’s a heck of a good piece of
material,” says Stone. “But there’s so much
more to her story that the image of the Lady
with the Lamp; from reading her letters, you
find that she’s a feisty woman with a winning
personality, struggling to make a difference
in a man-centred society. When you find out
the details of her story, you think to yourself,
that’s like nothing that’s ever been done
before.”
Having the creative instinct to mine the
dramatic kernel, or ‘elbow’ as Stone terms
it, is one of the hardest things about making
good television drama. For Stone, the key
points of Nightingale’s story emerged from
the research process.
“The first thing you say to yourself is ‘where’s
the drama?’ But when you read about her life,
doubting her own abilities in Scutari, blaming
herself because she’d been unable to save
page 28
cast and crew at lea hurst laura fraser as florence nightingale
“to tell storIes wIth pIctures creates such emotIonal Involvement for the vIewer - It’s somethIng I’m always Interested In.”
norman stone, 1a productIons
Florence
Nightingale
norman stone
more lives, that’s where the dramatic elbow
seemed to be for me. Something that made
her story particularly interesting to me was to
see how different her own experience was to
the image we have of her; the ‘spin doctors’
of the time had a real go with her, creating the
story of this saintly lady with the lamp. The
‘lady with the bedpan’ would be more like it.
So that contrast between the public image
and her own personal vulnerability provided
a starting point for the programme.”
Getting the right star to play Florence
Nightingale was one of the first pieces of
the jigsaw; Stone was able to cast Glasgowbased
actress Laura Fraser, known to millions
from roles in Hollywood films like A Knight’s
Tale and Vanilla Sky.
“As soon as we got the project up and
running, I couldn’t think of anyone else for the
role other than Laura; the kind of feistiness
and vulnerability that we wanted was exactly
what she projected when we got to the
rehearsal process,” says Stone. “Watching
her pacing out the role, I could see that she
got the character right from the word go; she
fitted right in.”
To set a drama during the Crimean war is
something of a logistical nightmare, but
Stone came up with an ingenious way of
setting the scene that not only put over the
key information, but provided a sense of
social context.
“When you’re doing a costume drama for
television, there are limitations to how you
can depict the period; it’s not that easy to
bring in some sixty-foot schooners, or to
depict a journey from Hyde Park to Turkey. So
we came up with the idea of using music hall
performances to link the scenes together,”
says Stone. “In 1852, the music hall has really
just come into existence and that worked
perfectly for us; we got a great performer
in Roy Hudd to perform our own songs and
music in the style the time, and that set the
scene nicely. That also allowed us to add
another level to the story; when part of the
story is happening in Scutari Hospital, with
legs being amputated and lots of gruesome
stuff going on, the music hall scenes allowed
us to have some humour to ensure the
overall production wasn’t too gloomy, and to
show how Florence Nightingale’s work was
sentimentalised in song. It’s a device that
really helped us lighten a potentially gloomy
load.”
The programme proved itself a more than
healthy success; 1A Productions’s version
of Florence Nightingale garnered nearly five
million viewers for BBC One, and is about to
be picked up by BBC Worldwide (“You’d be
surprised how popular Florence Nightingale
is in Japan,” says Stone). It’s a success which
bodes well for Stone, and for 1A.
“I think it’s something that’s rarely spoken
about, but creating good television is an
intensely competitive business, and there
are plenty of painful knock-backs to be
endured along the way,” he says. “Yet to tell
stories with pictures creates such emotional
involvement for the viewer, it’s something I’m
always interested in.”
Next up, Stone is out garnering finance for
Raising Hell, a feature film and true story,
dealing with child prostitution in Victorian
times. “It’s an idea which, while in the past,
has particular relevance in terms of the sextraffic
industry of today,” says Stone, who
is looking forward to this next project and a
bright future for 1A Productions.
www.1aproductions.co.uk

made in scotland tV
“the scrIpt really made me laugh out loud.” chrIs young, young fIlms
Based on the Isle of Skye, Young Films has an enviable track
record for cinematic features, from Venus Peter and Prague
to Festival and the recent Gaelic language feature Seachd,
the Inaccessible Pinnacle. They might not have been the
obvious choice for E4’s first ever commissioned comedy series, The
Inbetweeners, admits producer Chris Young. But somehow it all
worked out.
“Caroline Leddy is Head of Comedy at Channel 4 who exec-ed Festival;
we got on very well, and she asked about going into TV comedy. I’m
open to new things, so I said yes,” says Young. “She commissioned a
pilot to see where it might go, called The Smallest Game in Town, which
we shot in Glasgow over a year ago from a script by John Milarky. That
came out well, and so Caroline said they had another pilot they’d like
us to get involved with, which became The Inbetweeners.”
Young describes the genial, observational comedy of The Inbetweeners
as “very Mike Leigh or Shane Meadows”, but the process of creating the
show’s package was sometimes anything but easy. E4 were looking to
follow up the success of Skins with another youth culture programme,
and Young found himself with a huge challenge: how to fully realise
the programme’s potential whist working within a tight time-scale.
“The script really made me laugh out loud, which is something that I
rarely do, and I was glad to click straight away with the writers, who
have their own company called Bwark Productions. But we were still
up against it; we saw over a thousand adolescent boys last summer,
but still founds ourselves weeks away from shooting without a cast
in place,” says Young. “Eventually we had a casting day in Edinburgh,
and found some great actors for the four main roles. It turned out that
they were well-known to the writers - in fact, they were already on
Bwark’s pay-roll. I was slightly furious at the time, although it’s a bit
funnier when I look back on it now.”
the Inbetweeners
The Inbetweeners has now won
a second series commission
for eight episodes, and Young
is hoping for a smoother preproduction
this time around.
“The scripts can be a bit more
finely tuned this time around;
the first series was a bit more
anxious because we knew that
the casting was so important - so
much depends on the charisma
of the actors,” he says.
And as well as continuing with
The Inbetweeners, Young is also
setting up a new company in
Skye to provide material for the
new Gaelic digital channel.
“I’m trying to expand at an
exponential rate; TV is a new
environment for me, but that age
group which The Inbetweeners
is aimed at is very attractive,
so securing that second series
gives me experience I can use
for the Gaelic channel,” says
Young. “If can make a hit series
for E4, I’m hoping I can transfer
those skills to making successful
programmes for the Gaelic
television channel.”
www.youngfilms.co.uk
www.e4.com/inbetweeners/
page 29

Raven
made in scotland tV
we had no idea ThaT The show would be so popular.” james mackenzie, raven
“are you ready? then
let the challenge...
BegIn!”
Since 2002, BBC Scotland’s innovative
children’s game show Raven has
challenged young people to complete
a difficult set of tasks and feats in their
quest to become the Ultimate Warrior,
with their travails presided over by the
stern form of immortal Scottish warlord
Raven. Edinburgh-based actor James
Mackenzie brings the shape-shifting
taskmaster to life, and looks back with
pleasure over seven years of mystery
and magic.
“My agent sent me for an audition back
in 2002, and all I knew was that they
wanted someone who was Scottish
and had dark hair,” says Mackenzie.
“When we made the first series, we
had no idea that the show would be so
popular; we had no grand plans, but
after winning a BAFTA we got a second
series, and Raven just grew from
there.”
Mackenzie had already experienced
television acting after appearing on
popular Scottish-made detective shows
like Rebus and Taggart, but Raven gave
him a completely different challenge to
anything he’d done before: playing a
half man, half bird.
James mckenzie as raven
page 30
“It’s a very different kind of exposure
on a programme like this; it can be a
bit of a shock for kids if you run into
them at the supermarket!” he says.
“Fortunately I don’t dress much like
the character I play, I’m much more at
home in jeans and a t-shirt. Raven has
a very striking beard, so when I’m not
filming, I usually shave it off for the
sake of my own anonymity.
Getting into the right mind-set to play
a medieval fantasy character is a tall
order, especially when Mackenzie is
expected to be in character on other
programmes.
“The character for the first series was
very different; when I first came up
with the voice, it was a lot deeper and
sterner, but that changed as we beefed
up his character in the next series,” he
says. “Sometimes if I’m appearing on
another programme as Raven, I have to
think carefully about what Raven would
think about the situation he’s in. He
can’t do anything too contemporary,
so he wouldn’t understand what a
videotape is,” says Mackenzie.
Raven’s young viewers will be familiar
with the innovative and imaginative
special effects that accompany the
challenges that Raven sets. Rotating
blades and barrels forming obstacle
courses are created using physical
effects and visual trickery.
“There’s a lot of work done in postproduction,
so when we’re actually
shooting, you learn how to keep the
right eyeline for the camera, and to
work out which moments you have to
freeze at, in order to allow an effect
to be inserted in post for the finished
programme,” says Mackenzie. “The
children taking part will often have
no experience of how a programme
is made; it takes them a while to get
the hang of the large crew we have,
and how long the shooting process
takes. So I have to maintain the Raven
persona to keep the banter going
between takes. When we’re making the
show, there’s sometimes a little bit of
teasing with the kids - it’s fun to hear
them impersonate the character.”
After seven series, Raven’s success has
now taken the format away from the
lochs and glens around Castle Toward
to new locations; one recent series saw
the games take place in India.
“We realised that because of his
powers, Raven could go pretty
much anywhere he likes, so the
50 th anniversary of Indian and
Pakistani independence provided a
perfect opportunity to take the show
abroad,” says Mackenzie. “It worked
fantastically, so in future, who knows
where Raven will go?”
www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/raven

Nina and the Neurons
made in scotland tV
katrina Bryan as nina
With a number of great inventors in its
history, Scotland prides itself on its role in
the history of science. One BBC Scotland
programme which aims to ensure that
the next generation of budding chemists
and physicists are encouraged and
challenged to pursue their interest, is
Nina and the Neurons, with Nina played
by actress Katrina Bryan.
“My character, Nina, is a scientist who
works in a Science Centre and does
experiment shows for pre-school
children. She has five animated Neurons
in her head, whom she can chat to and
who represent the five senses. In each
show a child contacts Nina and asks her
a question like, ‘Where do the stars go
during the day?’ or ‘Why are fish slimy?’’’
she says. “And we then spend the next 15
minutes doing fun experiments out and
about to help answer their question.”
Nina and The Neurons works closely with
other bodies with a similar bent towards
getting kids interested in science,
including Glasgow Science Centre,
which is next door to the BBC studios in
Pacific Quay. “Yes the Science Centre do
help us a lot,” says Bryan. “They suggest
experiment ideas and check scripts
before they get signed off, and they
help us take complex scientific theories
and simplify them so our 4-6 year-old
audience can grasp them,” she says. And
the programme has recently branched
out with specifically eco-friendly shows
like Nina and the Neurons - Go Eco. As
anyone will remember from learning
science at school, not every experiment
goes as planned, and the results can be
messy.
“the kIds who watch are so
honest; they eIther lIke It or
they don’t and fortunately for
us most of them seem to lIke It.”
katrIna Bryan, nIna
“In the first series we didn't have time
to rehearse the experiments that we do
in the lab at the top of the show, and
we would often discover, while a young
audience of 6 year-olds waited to be
entertained, that it wasn't going to work
and we'd have to change everything
last minute - that was pretty stressful on
everyone, but it certainly improved my
line learning skills!” says Bryan. “We’ve
got it down to a fine art now, although
there are always unreliable experiments
like the one where I just had to put a
playing card over a glass of water and
turn it upside down and then explain
how this was possible. But in rehearsals
by the time I'd finished saying what I
needed to say - with the glass still upside
down - gravity kicked in and it spilled
everywhere! So in the final one with the
audience there, I'm talking really quickly,
and when I watch that episode now all
I can see is the fear in my eyes and me
expecting the water to go everywhere
any second!”
Now in its third series, Nina and The
Neurons is a dramatic change from
Bryan’s other work; she is currently
filming Taggart and has previously
worked on other popular shows. Bryan
says that each job has highly individual
needs, requiring considerable readjustment
to get the performance
levels right.
“They couldn't be more different! I'm
really lucky to be doing Taggart now as
I was worried Nina was giving me bad
habits as an actor! In Nina I have some
input with the script; they allow me to
make it my own so I'm used to having
that flexibility. We also found that it's
easier if I help direct the kids as they
already look up to Nina, and keeping
their focus on me keeps it simple for
them in what is often their first time on
camera,” she says. “But on Nina, we
have a small tight-knit crew of about
eight of us when we're out filming so to
go from that to Taggart, where there are
40 plus, is pretty scary! Luckily everyone
at SMG and the Taggart cast and crew
have been great and made me feel really
comfortable. I just have to remind myself
of the disciplines of being on set, but I do
like having that structure around me as
well.”
Nina and the Neurons carried off a
coveted Scottish BAFTA award for Best
Children’s programme in 2007, but for
Bryan, the main reward comes from
connecting with a young audience.
“I think winning awards definitely gives
the producers a huge boost regarding
re-commissions and pitching new series
ideas. But I don’t think it makes any
difference to our audience. One of the
best things about doing a show for preschoolers
is that the kids who watch are
so honest; they either like it or they don't
and fortunately for us most of them
seem to like it,” she says.
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/nina/
page 31

made in scotland tV
“our amBItIon Is to make qualIty network and InternatIonal
productIons from a regIonal Base.” JacquI hayden, head of development
Scotland’s biggest television
independent, IWC has a proven track
record for providing factual and drama
series; working from their Glasgow
office as Head of Development, Jacqui
Hayden is amongst those responsible
for some of the UK’s most identifiable
shows, with their output largely created
through the efforts of over a hundred
members of staff in Scotland.
“What programmes are we most proud
of? I think the glaring answer would
have to be Location, Location, Location,
and its sister programme Relocation
Relocation. They’re smart channelbranding
programmes and they’re not
only returnable series, but ones which
have managed to grow their audience
as they’ve returned,” says Hayden. “But
we’ve also become known for making
content-rich and entertaining authored
journeys. It started with the series
we made with Stephen Fry on manic
depression (Stephen Fry: The Secret
Life of the Manic Depressive), which
won an international Emmy. That led us
to create series with top talent like Griff
Rhys Jones (Mountain for BBC One)
and Robbie Coltrane (B-Road Britain for
ITV). We’re currently in production on
two series for Five: one about fishing
with Robson Greene; the other a journey
that will see Rory McGrath and Paddy
McGuiness take on Britain’s most
eccentric sportsmen.”
In 2007, IWC were responsible for over
200 hours of broadcast programming,
but the high quantity of television
created has to be balanced with the
quality of the subjects.
“Another major production for us
last year was an access documentary
for ITV following JK Rowling as she
finished the Harry Potter series. As
page 32
Head of Development, a big part of
my job is ensuring that IWC have
good relationships with the best
talent possible,” she says. “We’ve just
completed our third series with Richard
Dawkins (The Genius of Charles Darwin),
and are hoping to work again with
Stephen Hawking. The great thing is that
when you’re working with on-screen
talent, they don’t care where you’re
based, what they’re interested in is that
you’re the best possible person to work
with.”
As well as looking after high profile
talent, one aspect that IWC prides itself
on is the training of its own staff.
“We take our staff training very
seriously, in terms of growing,
developing and retaining our in-house
staff; it’s important to give people a
reason to stay with your company, and
that means in-house courses, on-the-job
training, plus links with the Channel 4
Researcher Training Programme run by
The Research Centre and with Scottish
Screen’s NETS programme. I think
that we make just as ambitious, bold
and clever programmes as London
companies, and that helps us to attract
new talent. But we also want to ensure
that the same talent sticks with the
company.”
Maintaining close relationships with
commissioning editors is another aspect
of the IWC success story. Hayden is
quick to point out that while there’s no
exact science about how to do this, there
are certain rules worth following.
“They must know that you’re hungry
for the work, so anything you can do to
keep yourself and your company at the
forefront of their minds is important.
It’s not enough to have great ideas,
commissioners have to be confident in
your ability to deliver on them. So you
have to build up a relationship of trust,”
she says. “Big meetings and emails are
important, but don’t underestimate the
power of the telephone when it comes
to building a good working relationship
and winning business. Markets are
always tough, so you can’t just sit back
and see what happens to a proposal
you’ve sent in by email.”
And what does she think is attractive
about IWC to commissioners? “We bring
energy, enthusiasm and expertise to all
our projects. I think that the range of
genres we’re committed to makes clear
our ambition to make quality network
and international productions from a
regional base,” Hayden replies.
IWC is an independently owned
subsidiary of RDF, but has its own
separate business objectives and
financial targets. That also means an
independent management team and
ideas. “The important thing is that
RDF Rights has the right to sell our
programmes, which really helps, given
that according to a recent Broadcast poll,
they’re the number one sales company
in the UK,” says Hayden.
“Our longer term objectives are to grow
our core areas of features and specialist
factual programmes, to build a presence
in entertainment in Scotland and
to contribute to the growth of Scotland
overall as an area of known television
expertise.”
www.iwcmedia.co.uk
l:r Jacqui hayden,
phil spencer and kirstie allsopp
(location, location, location) and
stephen fry (the secret life of the manic depressive)

made in scotland tV
TernTV kntv
“With the internet, you might say we’ve arrived at
the age of Martini programming; anytime, anyplace,
anywhere,” says Tern TV Creative Director, Harry
Bell. With a roster of successful factual shows
starting with television’s most hardy perennial The
Beechgrove Garden, Tern has grown from a small
acorn to a large tree, with Bell involved in making
sure its branches spread as far as possible.
“We’re particularly fired up about how to inhabit the
virtual digital world and the TV world; there’s a huge
divide between traditional, linear television and the
digital online world,” he says. “We saw that all the
big independent companies, the Endemols and the
Talkbacks, weren’t really engaged in multiplatform,
because it’s notoriously difficult to monetise, so
we saw a gap to get moving on this alongside our
television projects.”
Since the dot.com era, many companies have tried
and failed to make internet content pay, but Tern TV
have made a point of working with the major outlets
of online programming.
“On one hand, we’re thinking about the 4IP fund that
Channel 4 are running in Glasgow, Manchester and
Birmingham in terms of innovation in television,
but on the other, we’re working with YouTube, Bebo
and MySpace - you can’t ignore them because
they’re the ones who are making the noise and the
money. The great thing is that in the digital age,
you have control of your content, but you also have
direct interaction with your audience. We don’t see
ourselves as programme makers; we’re content
creators. I believe we’re doing something unique by
bringing the two worlds of digital and TV together,
creating ideas that play on different platforms.”
As an example, Bell points to the KNTV project,
already a successful television brand, but now
expanding with KNTV: Sex.
“we’re Interested In makIng BIg programmes
wIth BIg Budgets and gettIng BIg audIences.”
harry Bell, creatIve dIrector
“I know how it sounds, but yes, we’re
launching our own sex channel,” says
Bell. “KNTV: SEX, is using Jackass-style
clips and Gorillaz-style animation to deal
with quite controversial subjects like
fetishes, sexually transmitted diseases,
all the topics that teenagers need to learn
about, but presented in a funny, accessible
way. So we’ll have a channel on Bebo
where teenagers can play interactive sex
games, in the style of the old Marie Claire
questionnaires, and we hope to do this
is association with The Terrance Higgins
trust or a similar sex-orientated charity;
it’s a project with education at its heart.”
But such ambitious and innovative
content is some way from the programme
that first put the company on the map -
the show which showed the nation how
to aerate their lawns, The Beechgrove
Garden.
“It might sound banal, but our basis is The
Beechgrove Garden, which has allowed
us to build and grow. Beechgrove is a
lifestyle programme, and that’s what the
broadcasters want. The key to our growth
has been the returning brands; we did
eight hours of Great British Journeys and
The Spa of series of programmes,” says
Bell, who has vision and ambition for the
company. “It’s great that there are small
companies making small films, but we’re
interested in making big programmes with
big budgets and getting big audiences;
I want to communicate with as many
people as possible.”
As well as their ongoing and wellestablished
Scottish bases, Tern have
recently opened offices in Belfast and
London, an achievement which reflects
their desire to compete on a national and
hopefully international scale.
“On a metascale many companies struggle
to get beyond a ten million turnover;
it’s called ‘the bog’ because overheads
and everything else gets bigger at that
stage, so that’s our goal right now – to get
beyond that,” says Bell. “From Scotland,
you’re close to the large honeypot that is
London, so you have the opportunity to
be part of the deals there. But you also
have to poach. That’s why we’ve opened
an office in London - we’re taking the
game to them.”
www.terntv.com
page 33

made in scotland tV
amy mcdonald (photo by miles goodwin) BBc scotland’s backstage set (photo by mark munro)
EvErything StopS For t
BehInd the scenes wIth the BBc coverage of scotland’s BIggest musIc event
I
t’s 6.15 on Sunday night, and Amy
Winehouse is standing in the centre of
a large field in the rolling countryside of
Balado, Kinross. To most of a crowd of near
Biblical proportions crowded around the
main stage, the singer is roughly the size of a
wasp. But like the viewers at home, the video
screens broadcasting live coverage to the
crowd, and to homes across the UK, brings
the singer into sharp focus.
Covering Scotland’s biggest music festival is
one of the tentpole events of BBC Scotland’s
live coverage. For the millions who’ll see
the event on television or the internet, the
coverage is a way of sharing the best-loved
music of the year.
“BBC Scotland broadcast over 13 hours of
live television across the 3 days of this year's
festival. We covered over 60 bands on 3 stages
across the weekend. A total of 36 cameras
filmed the stages, our presentation area and
single camera features,” says Tony Followell,
producer of the BBC’s T in the Park coverage.
It took just over 250 people to make all of the
BBC's TV, radio, interactive and online output
for the event. It’s a massive undertaking and
as such detailed planning for the coverage
starts in April and all has to be pulled together
in time to go live.
page 34
Directing the cameras is Ralph Spark, who
is amongst the first to get involved with
organising the coverage. His first meeting
to start work on this year’s event was back in
January.
“Every artist and performance has different
requirements, “ he says, “but when we first
start planning, we don’t know who will play
where. When this is locked down, we’ve got
to look at the staging plans and work out how
best to film them. For Amy Winehouse, she’s
got a big brass section to cover, whereas with
KT Tunstall, she’s simply standing with an
acoustic guitar, so we’re going in close with
more static shots.”
Linking the BBC’s broadcast together are
presenters including Edith Bowman and Vic
Galloway. Interviewing rock musicians isn’t
easy, but Galloway has an love of music that
helps to smooth over any potential nerves
about his television presenting duties, plus a
three hour Radio 1 show.
“I'm always enthusiastic about festivals, and I
don't necessarily find the live aspect stressful.
Things go wrong now and again, and you
end up talking nonsense sometimes, but all
in all live broadcasting is superb fun!” says
Galloway.
Together with Bowman, Galloway was the
connection point between the audience at
home and the bands on stage, a vital element
in conveying the flavour of the event.
“Our stage coverage, insert material,
acoustic performances and interviews are
about giving viewers intimate access to the
artists and a strong sense of actually being
there,” says Followell. “Our presentation set
is unique across music festival coverage in
that it is pitched in the middle of the artists'
area. The enormous American rig, which
forms the centrepiece of the set, has proved
a big attraction to the bands; many of them
end up hanging out with the BBC around
their stage performances. This means we get
fantastic interviews and exclusive acoustic
performances especially for the television
audience.”
All through the weekend, television units
are roaming all over the site speaking to the
crowds, checking out life in the campsite
and recording performances on some of the
smaller stages. But not everything can go as
planned at an event of this size. Saturday night
headliners Rage Against The Machine refused
to let their set be recorded, on television or
radio. In the studio, Vic Galloway is gutted: “It’s
a real low point, for me, they were probably
the hottest ticket of the entire weekend.”

“It’s one of those things that happen, usually
with US bands rather than British ones.
Green Day did it too. I guess the have their
reasons,” says Ralph Spark. “I used to shoot
Top of the Pops, and I think most American
bands underestimate how good out coverage
is; I think it’s the best in the world. REM were
very happy with the coverage this year, and
I remember The Killers being the same last
year.”
As with every festival there are no-shows
and surprise guests. But with pre-recorded
inserts ready and plenty of other coverage to
cut away to, the infrastructure of the BBC’s
coverage stands strong.
“We work closely with the wonderful team
at DF Concerts; they keep us up to date on
their artist bookings, stage times and, on the
weekend, any no-shows - we have to expect
the unexpected anyway,” says Followell.
“That's where our brilliant gallery teams come
in, peddling frantically underneath the surface
to turn what is a highly complex operation
and a fast moving situation in to stunning,
seamless television.”
Meanwhile, Vic Galloway is still penned up
in the studio, but nipping out when he can
to take in some new talent on the T Break
stage. With his own BBC Scotland radio show
for new music, and a band of his own, he’s
got to balance up being a presenter with his
professional need to hear as much new music
as possible. “The more you work, the less
you see – that’s a general rule for covering
T In the Park,” says Galloway. “However,
because I have to talk about what's happened
each day, I do make a point of getting to see
as many bands as possible, even if it's for
a short period of time.” This year, he’s only
managed to fit in “Aphex Twin, Battles, Biffy
Clyro, Glasvegas, Rage Against the Machine,
Vampire Weekend, Joe Acheson Quartet, No
Kilter, Kings of Leon, Figure 5, The Blackout
and quite a few more…”.
The net result of the team effort? 13 hours
of live programming for BBC Three and BBC
Scotland on the weekend of T, plus another 5
hours of highlights shows. And once the BBC
leave the site, they’ll put together another 10
hours of highlights programmes for broadcast
on BBC Two, capturing the memories, sounds
and iconic images of the weekend.
made in scotland tV
t in the park presenters: edith Bowman, vic galloway, nick grimshaw, laura marks and Jeff leach (photo by mark munro)
On the Sunday night, as the clouds clear
to allow a few beams of sunshine to pour
down, there’s a classic T in the Park moment
taking place. One of Ralph Spark’s camera
team captures an image of Amy Winehouse
by twilight, her beehive hairdo blocking the
sunlight and framing her like the statue of
liberty in silhouette. For most of the crowd, it’s
an image that’ll bring back memories of 2008’s
festival. Vic Galloway isn’t making any other
plans for the weekend of 10-12 July 2009.
“I thought that this year's T in the Park
ranked very highly in the 15 years it's been
going. I've been to them all, whether going
as a punter, playing in a band or in 9 years
of broadcasting!” he says. “The weather
was good, the sound was excellent, the vibe
seemed friendly, and I thought the coverage
worked better than ever this year. It was great
fun... roll on 2009!”
“live broadcasting is superb fun!”
vic galloway, presenter
page 35

made in scotland tV
alabama 3 (photo by mark munro) t in the park (photo by mark munro) Biffy clyro (photo by mark munro) kings of leon (photo by miles goodwin)
“I thInk vIewers wIll see us move
IncreasIngly towards coverIng nIche
events that won’t feature on the
Broadcast tv channels.”
do you prefer Black Kids to
Counting Crows? Are you
more turned on by Vampire
Weekend than Primal Scream?
‘Press your red button now’, has
become the catchphrase of interactive
television, and a key part of the BBC’s
coverage of an event like T in the Park is
about giving music fans more choice in
what they can see and hear. Since 2006
the BBC has provided wide-ranging
coverage online, with interactive TV
services behind the BBC Three and BBC
Scotland programming.
“In 2006 we decided to negotiate rights
deals with the record labels to provide
performance-led interactive coverage
of T in the Park. The expanded T in the
Park coverage gave us the opportunity
to ramp up our investment in multiplatform,
and we have attempted to
build on that offering in subsequent
years,” says BBC Scotland’s Tony Law.
“The technical set-up at T in the Park
allows us to re-purpose for the web
any performance that is being filmed
for TV. Separate feeds from the stages
come in to the production so really it’s
an editorial decision what we cover
- generally we’ll try to offer as broad
a range of interactive coverage as
possible so that the viewer can make
their own choices.”
page 36
tony law, BBc scotland
That means that music fans can access
extra songs from the main bands and
some smaller acts; there’s two extra
channels of coverage available each
night, each transmitting for 5 hours,
and highlights running all week with
one band featuring each day. In 2008,
that included headline acts like REM,
Stereophonics and The Verve. But
to capture the larger picture of the
festival’s musical content, the BBC
managed to persuade bands to provide
them with extra, exclusive content that
even the most sunburned fan at the
event wouldn’t have the chance to see.
“On the web we also featured acoustic
sessions filmed in Radio Scotland’s
camper van mobile studio, while
the radio production was recording
sessions and interviews with many of
the smaller acts for Radio 1, particularly
Scottish-based bands playing on the
T Break stage as well as established
acts like 1990s who were playing the
Pet Sounds stage,” says Law. “The
production team filmed these sessions,
taking sound from the radio desk - a
set-up that benefited both productions.
This enabled us to bring smaller acts
from parts of the festival not being
broadcast on TV to a wider audience.”
And with professional photographers
covering the stages and the atmosphere
on site, there’s not much that happens
on the Balado site that viewers at home
will miss.
“I think viewers will see us move
increasingly towards covering niche
events that won’t feature on the
broadcast TV channels; either in
partnership with radio or as stand-alone
web coverage. We also want to feature
trusted personalities in interactive
coverage using talent from radio and
TV, and also to introduce new talent
on the interactive platforms,” says
Law. “But choices in live performance
will remain the bedrock of interactive
festival coverage, and we will also
increase our on-demand niche and
local offerings on multiple platforms in
the future.”
www.bbc.co.uk/tinthepark/2008
All T in the Park photos ©BBC Scotland

lauren laverne and
mark kermode
W
ant to read a positive review of a
film, book, album or band? You’ll
get one if you watch a television
show owned by an affiliated network, but can
you rely on it? With many publications and
programmes tightly linked, the line between
arts coverage and publicity material can
become blurred.
The BBC takes its independence seriously,
and one programme that embodies the
interests of corporation’s public is The
Culture Show. Split between bases in
Glasgow and White City in London, it covers
pretty much all the bases on terms of arts
and entertainment coverage.
“If its Glastonbury or Glyndebourne, Dylan
or Keats, we’re there,” says series producer
Edward Morgan. “We’re magpies in that
respect. We’re not taking a tape measure
to high or low culture, we just want to take
a look at it and find out if it’s any good.
Whether it’s architecture or hip-hop, film noir
or indie music, we’ve always got people with
a passion giving their verdict.”
One show can cover this kind of variety; one
presenter can’t. The Culture Show has an
ever-expanding line-up of experts, a policy
they’ve cultivated from the first series.
“There’s plenty of people who can do the
job of television presenters, to walk, talk
and do pieces to the camera. But too often,
they’re boring. On other programmes, I
verity sharp andrew graham-dixon tom dyckhoff
enjoy watching Jeremy Clarkston or Jeremy
Paxman. They’re people who give a damn,
not just going through the motions,” says
Morgan. “So it’s great to hear Mark Kermode
talking about his passion for the film of
Terence Davies, who Mark describes as ‘the
British Fellini’. Or Verity Sharp on Metallica;
she’s on tour with them and thinks they’re
the loudest, most influential band in the
world. But they don’t have to love it either.
From Shakespeare to Hitchcock, there’s no
such thing as a great artist who creates great
art every time, and when they don’t, we say
so.”
Rather than just sitting back and taking a
lead from the interviewees, The Culture
Show’s presenters are encouraged to go
for the jugular, taking risks and sometimes
coming away with a major exclusive.
“We asked Martin Scorsese about the
painter Caravaggio when he was promoting
The Aviator, and I could see PR people
around him shaking their heads as if we’d
done something wrong by mentioning it. But
I had a hunch that he’d be interested, and he
was. I thought it was there in his films, and
he went on to go into fantastic detail about
how he’s been inspired by Caravaggio’s
paintings to create scenes in Taxi Driver or
Goodfellas. It makes you see his films in a
different light,” says Morgan. “Similarly Mark
got into a real conversation with Leonardo
di Caprio when he was promoting Blood
Diamond, when he said he didn’t like Leo’s
made in scotland tV
performance in Titanic. And he discussed
why he didn’t like Amistad, Munich or Hook
with Steven Spielberg, who actually asked
for the interview to go on longer so he could
discuss it. Being honest makes for a more
informed programme.”
Another well-remembered moment is when
director Werner Herzog was shot while
recording an interview for the programme
(“It’s one of the most watched films on
YouTube, and it’s already appearing on lists
of great television moments,” says Morgan).
But it’s not the only piece of The Culture
Show that’s gained an online platform.
“We’re hoping to have over 600 films on our
website as a resource; after all, the licence
payers pay for it, so they should have access
to it,” says Morgan. “The audience is the
real boss, and that’s why we make a feature
of our blogs, so we can forge the closest
possible relationship with our audience.
We operate out of two cities not for any
tokenistic reason, but because the breadth
of our audience drives our choices for the
programmes. Whether its busking with
Frank Black in Glasgow or The Charlatans in
Manchester, talking to Paul McCartney about
meeting John Lennon for the first time, or
a look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,
we’re always looking for the best possible
way to discuss the best arts stories.”
www.bbc.co.uk/cultureshow
“whether it’s architecture or hip-hop, film
noir or indie music, we’ve always got
people with a passion giving their verdict.”
edward morgan, producer
page 37

made in scotland tV
page 38
director abbas kiarostami, on the road with kiarostami
shooting the story of film in china
Black & white
hopscotchfIlms
“Attracting the right talent to work with is a key element of sustaining an
independent business.” Having previously served as Scottish Screen’s Chief
Executive, John Archer is in a better position than most to cherry-pick emerging
voices in Scottish culture. So it’s not surprising that his company, Hopscotch
Films, have a roster of significant talent on their books. Specialising in high
quality arts, documentary and film production, Hopscotch is building a reputation
on the small screen, while constantly looking towards the big screen.
“For me, factual productions are what sustains and builds the company; our plan
has always been to expand into drama and features from a television factual
base,” says Archer. “It’s not always as easy to get to know commissioning editors
as you’d like it to be, but once you get a chance to properly sit down and start to
discuss things, sharing information and getting to know them, things get a lot
easier.”
Hopscotch has a particularly Scottish bent to their output; they’ve completed
projects like Writing Scotland, an eight part series for BBC Scotland, fronted by
writer Carl MacDougall. Another successful partnership is with film critic and
director Mark Cousins.
“Hopscotch has a definite interest in covering the arts for television. Mark’s a
great talent with a passionate and deep knowledge of film combined an ability to
talk about cinema in an accessible way; he doesn’t assume academic knowledge
about film, but addresses a wide audience. He’s someone I think should be on
television a lot more,” says Archer. “We made Cinema Iran with Mark for Channel
4, travelling to Tehran to interview the great Iranian directors. While we were
there we got a second commission, On the Road with Kiarostami, solely with the
great Abbas Kiarostami. The big factual project we’re currently working on is a
television version of Mark’s book The Story of Film. With help from MEDIA and
Scottish Screen, we’ve already filmed in Egypt and China; it’s ambitious, but it’s
exactly the kind of project we think is worth doing.”
McDougall and Cousins aren’t the only talents Hopscotch Films are involved with;
John Wallace’s documentary about Chapelcross Cooling Towers also met with
considerable acclaim. And Zam Salim’s film David Gillanders: Black and White
examined the work processes of the internationally acclaimed photojournalist,
and won the award for Best Short Documentary at the European Independent
Film Festival.
“That programme emerged from working with Zam on some Three Minute
Wonders, and although we originally had another director in mind, we decided
it was worth taking a risk by giving Zam his first documentary television project,
and it paid off,” says Archer. “That kind of low-budget, authored documentary is
ideal for us, and with established drama producer Carolyn Sinclair Kidd recently
joining the company, we can develop the company through a wide variety of
projects. Commissioning editors often think cautiously; at Hopscotch, we want
to persuade them to look beyond tired reality-show concepts and take risks with
more high-concept ideas, in terms of both factual and drama projects.”
www.hopscotchfilms.co.uk
“we want to persuade commIssIonIng edItors
to take rIsks wIth more hIgh-concept Ideas, In
terms of Both factual and drama proJects.”
John archer, managIng dIrector

kurdi
“Why did I come to Scotland? Because it’s
potentially the best place in the world, that’s
why,” says Danish producer Marie Olesen.
“People here are genuinely the nicest you
could imagine, and most tend to have a
social conscience far superior to almost
anywhere else that I've experienced.”
Autonomi set up six years ago and diversity
is a key notion in the development of the
production outfit. The company’s output
ranges from primetime observational
documentary for television to film drama.
Together with Diversity Films, Autonomi
has also taken part in public forums and
discussions about the way media coverage
can impact on individuals, and can point to
recent educational projects like As It Is, which
deals with gang fighting, to indicate the kind
of direction they’ve partly taken.
“Doug Aubrey is someone we work with,
who has had great success translating
difficult subject matter into hard-hitting
pieces such as Wasted Nation (BBC)
and This is what happens to Black Boys
with Big Mouths (one of The New Ten
Commandments films about Aamer Anwar’s
contempt of court trial). It’s one of the
areas we want to keep getting involved in -
producing human interest docs in the sort of
alternative news vein, and producing quality
dramas around the same kind of themes,”
says Olesen. “These might sound like lofty
ideals, but they’re what we believe in and
why we do what we do! We want to make it
real, keep it real and make a difference.”
Along with a string of other filmmakers,
Aubrey in one of the talents that Autonomi
is developing. His Kurdi is an observational
independent documentary about a former
freedom fighter, who shares the alienating
experience of living in exile with another
estimated four million Kurds. Another project
with Aubrey is Islamophobia, which looks
at how an international anti-racist message
“we want to make It real, keep It real
and make a dIfference.”
marIe olesen, managIng dIrector
kurdi
can be conveyed in sport,
and features interviews
with stars like Thierry Henry
and Rio Ferdinand. But
they’ve also got lighter
items on their slate like La
Banda Europa, a look at
the continent’s weirdest
orchestra, and 90 Minutes,
about a swearing football
coach taking on pretty much
everybody in order to obtain
a ceasefire prior to the 2010
World Cup.
“We’re not interested in
producing ‘salami’, or lowbrow
output. There’s simply
no point in putting yourself,
never mind people you
employ, through months
or even years of hardship if
you don't enjoy what you're
doing. And trying to serve
some imaginary audience
who certainly won't enjoy it
either would be a pointless
exercise,” says Olesen.
“Sometimes we feel we're
being asked to pitch projects
going down a line where the
audience possibly cannot
be bothered to follow. Any
film or project has to talk to
us as individuals as well as
have something that makes
it stand out.”
Olesen is currently working
to create a slate of television
and film projects that reflect
her company’s diverse
interest in subject matters
ranging from Indian street
children, Muscovite stray
dogs to revolutionaries. And
that includes developing
features, with awardwinning
director Peter
Mackie Burns, who won the
coveted Golden Bear award
in Berlin for his short Milk.
“We’ve continued working
with Peter, doing his
follow-up short Run, which,
although didn't bag as many
awards, found a sound
audience too, including
screening at the prestigious
Telluride Film Festival,”
says Olesen. “We’re now
developing his first feature
as writer and director with
support from MEDIA Plus,
Glasgow Film Office and
Scottish Screen.”
Olesen muses on the
ethos and vision for
Autonomi. “Small is indeed
occasionally beautiful and
certainly valid as a business
strategy. I think being a
company of our size means
90 minutes
we cannot but help maintain
a certain continuous creative
drive. As a company,
we are in the process
of opening up to Europe
- and beyond - in order
to fulfill our international
aspirations to be a solid
producer of both drama and
documentary,” says Olesen.
She feels positive about
the future and identifies
securing network
commissions as a key
factor in the company’s
growth. “It’s vital that
Scottish indies get their
fair share of network
output. We still have a lot
to do in terms of building
trust and confidence with
what is a London-centric
commissioning system, and
that’s why we have to look
to the continent as well.
There’s no reason or excuse
for being insular.”
www.autonomi.tv
the new ten commandments
page 39

made in scotland tV
page 40
limmy

made in scotland tV
still game empty the will and greg sketch show rab c nesbitt chewin’ the fat Blowout
the
comedy
“comedy Is great In the sense that you’re
workIng wIth very funny people.”
raB chrIstIe, head of comedy
If there’s one quality that Scots are known
for worldwide, it’s their sense of humour.
Spreading that quality around the world is
part of the remit of The Comedy Unit, the
Glasgow based company that has been
responsible for many of the most popular
comedy shows the country has ever
produced, from Still Game to Rab C Nesbitt.
Rab Christie (no relation) is a Head of
Comedy at the company, which is part of the
RDF group, and has an innate understanding
of what makes the nation laugh.
“The Comedy Unit was originally part of the
BBC and went independent in 1996 when
it won three network commissions, Rab
C Nesbitt, Athletico Partick and The Baldy
Man,” says Christie. “Since then we’ve also
focused on domestic products like Chewin’
the Fat, The Karen Dunbar Show and our
football show Offside, but recently we’ve
returned to network commissions with
shows like Empty, The Will and Greg Sketch
Show for Channel 4 and the forthcoming
return of Rab C Nesbitt for the end of this
year.”
Christie went into comedy direct from
University, after performing at the
Edinburgh fringe in the Trio Brothers Troupe
at the Edinburgh Fringe. He earned his
spurs working with Ford Kiernan and Greg
Hemphill on the daunting project of adapting
24 radio episodes of Chewin’ The Fat for six
episodes of television.
unIt
“Comedy is great in the sense that you’re working with very funny people,
and when they’re trying out new material, it often does make you laugh,
but script editing comedy can also be a very painful process when you’ve
having to chose between different pieces of material,” says Christie. “And
there’s always someone keen to tell you what they like and don’t like,
usually taxi drivers.”
Recent successes include sitcom Empty starring Billy Boyd, and Blowout,
a comedy pilot that won the BAFTA Scotland Best Entertainment award in
2007.
“On the strength of Blowout, Channel 4 has given us a Comedy Showcase
for Greg McHugh and Will Andrews (The Will and Greg Sketch Show),
following in the footsteps of Kevin Bishop, who starred in a Showcase last
year and went on to make a full series on Channel 4 on Friday nights,” he
says. “That kind of project is interesting in that when you do, say, an Only
an Excuse? special, there’s stories from the football world that people will
expect to see covered, but with new talent, you can take the jokes in new
directions. We tend to build the shows around talent, rather than vice-versa,
and I think we’ve built up a great deal of talent.”
Working with Glasgow comic Limmy is another Comedy Unit project, and
using the internet now joins television, radio and live stage shows amongst
the Comedy Unit’s favoured platforms.
“We did a recent project called Gags To Go which was about writing sketches
for mobile phones, and we’re also looking to set up dedicated online
comedy channels,” says Christie. “One key element is that we have an
open door policy for writers, with regular nights at The Stand Comedy Club
in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and we welcome new material for Jonathan
Watson’s live radio show, Watson’s Wind Up,” he says. “Many of our best
writers have come from that intake, so it’s something we’ll continue with in
the future.”
www.comedyunit.co.uk
page 41

made in
angel
scotland tV
eye
medIa
“there’s a surprIsIng amount
of cross fertIlIsatIon Between
comedy and educatIon.”
John o’callaghan, creatIve dIrector
page 42
delta forever
Making people laugh can be big business. From
their offices in Glasgow and London, Angel Eye
Media has built an impressive track record in cutting
edge comedy, across television, film, radio and new
media platforms, working with leading industry talent
both in front and behind the camera. Creative Director
John O’Callaghan is amongst those responsible for
keeping the company at the forefront of a number of
different media.
“Our BBC Four comedy series, Cowards, is a good
example of the kind of programme Angel Eye is most
proud of, demonstrating our commitment to developing
new talent as well as developing multi-platform
potential,” says O’Callaghan. “Cowards was produced
as an exclusively online comedy show for BBC Three in
a ten week ‘take-over’ of its homepage, and we were
the first company to do anything like that. The project
was nominated for a DADI innovative award and was a
huge success with up to 25,000 views a week. Now the
series for the show is currently in production, directed
by League of Gentlemen director, Steve Bendelack.”
Angel Eye began in 1998, producing Edinburgh Or
Bust, an anarchic documentary deriving energy from
the melting pot of comedic talent at the capital’s Fringe
Festival. Since then they’ve involved themselves with a
number of other projects, including a feature Beginner's
Luck, starring Julie Delpy and Steven Berkoff.
“Angel Eye has now completed two comedy drama
series for Channel 4, and we are building on this
narrative comedy base with a slate of new productions
for the coming year. This autumn we are producing a
series of comedy shorts for MTV and developing a oneoff
comedy drama film for the BBC,” says O’Callaghan.
And Angel Eye Media aren’t just there for the
funny things in life; they’re increasingly involved in
educational programming. Branching out into different
areas of the media is part of the company’s mindset.
“We have always focused on comedy and
entertainment, but in the past three years we have
been developing a separate division of the business,
making educational programmes,” says O’Callaghan.
“There’s a surprising amount of cross fertilisation
- both teams develop up factual programmes with
either an educational or comic spin. The education
team produced a Channel 4 Dispatches, which featured
Rowan Atkinson’s campaign for freedom of speech,
and the comedy team produced a BAFTA-nominated
documentary about The Broons, narrated by Ewan
McGregor.”
www.angeleye.co.uk

claire mundell
Justin molotnikov
Together with Synchronicity Films’
co-founder, Justin Molotnikov, Claire
Mundell scored a notable success with
the BBC’s popular children’s television show
Shoebox Zoo. But aside from developing the
series into a film, to be titled The Brotherhood
of the Book, Mundell and Molotnikov have
also been working on a slate of other projects.
“Synchronicity Films is a boutique drama
production company working across television
and feature film drama, scripted comedy and
improvised projects. Our company’s ethos is
to develop and produce really ambitious, bold
and quality drama for UK and international
audiences,” says Mundell, who is currently on
TRC’s international programme.
“Synchronicity has an ambitious approach to
its international strategy; we are now actively
pitching projects to the major US networks
and cable channels, and we intend to build on
our relationships and contacts in Canada and
the US as we go forward.”
made in scotland tV
synchronIcIty
“synchronIcIty has an
amBItIous approach to Its
InternatIonal strategy.”
claIre mundell, creatIve dIrector
Scottish Screen National Lottery funded: Business Development Loan
Currently their slate includes a six-part television drama series, Venus
Rising, in development for Channel 4; a co-production with French
company, The Bureau, of James Marsh’s (The King, Man on Wire)
second feature, Rise; a series of morality tales/murder mysteries
based on the short stories of esteemed US author Patricia Highsmith
in development with LA’s Minerva Films; and a contemporary version
of Jack London’s classic story White Fang.
Such a diverse range of projects requires a close-knit team,
and Mundell is enthusiastic in her appreciation of what she and
Molotnikov have achieved so far, while also looking towards the
appointment of Synchronicity’s first development producer.
“As co-creative directors, Justin and I are a long-established creative
partnership from our time together at the BBC. We have extensive
drama development, production and international co-production
experience, in terms of live action/CGI hybrids,” she says. “In
addition to continually refining and refreshing our slate of projects,
we will be looking to deepen our relationships with North America
and to see the key projects on our slate go into production.”
www.synchronicityfilms.co.uk
peter mullan, shoebox zoo
page 43

made in scotland tV
RedKite
“the relationships that are fostered and
networks created through festivals and
markets should not be underestimated
by any professional in our business.”
ken anderson, managing director
page 44
marvo goes Ballistic norm the green man

Edinburgh-based company Red Kite are one of the animation
industry’s leaders. From 1997, when he founded the company
with director Rachel Bevan Baker, Managing Director, Ken
Anderson, has been looking for ways to use the unique
discipline of animation to create high quality television and short
films.
A quick look at the company’s current projects gives some idea of the
range of projects with the Red Kite stamp. They’re bringing the famous
striped jumper of one of the UK’s favourite cartoon characters to life
for DC Thomson with an animated series of Dennis and Gnasher,
while also providing a batch of short animated funnies, Marvo the
Wonder Chicken. And with a new CGI show for pre-teen girls looking
to start production early 2009, there’s clearly plenty of recognition for
the company’s innovative output.
“When we first started there were two of us in the back room of the
Edinburgh Film Workshop Trust offices on Albany Street. We then
filled that room, had people working upstairs in a store room and
even someone next door in what was the rostrum camera room,”
Bungee Jump Blues the Imp
says Anderson. “When we started production on The Green Man of
Knowledge and The Many Deaths of Norman Spittal, we took on an
additional set of offices in the lane behind Albany Street. At that point
we had two producers and ten or twelve animators and artworkers,
working directly onto acetate cel, which was then sent to London
where it was filmed under a 35mm rostrum.”
Finding the right place to house a thriving business can be a problem
for a developing company, but Red Kite found happiness in their own
backyard in Edinburgh’s Leith district, where they are now based in
state of the art offices; the company has evolved over the last ten
years.
“We had started of as a creative animation studio in 1997, producing
one-off short artistic films for Channel 4, S4C, MG Alba and Scottish
Screen. But now, in 2008, we are a TV production company with the
ability to develop, finance and produce long-form TV series with
multiple partners in countries across the globe.”
With new and exciting technical opportunities, Red Kite has been able
to move forward from specialising in 2D drawn or painted animation,
to stop-frame and 3D computer animation, and all forms in between.
“The technologies we use have been changing since we started the
business. We saw the end of film and the advent of digital painting
and compositing. We have seen the growth of CGI; of multi-layered
animation software that allows just about anyone to create animation;
made in scotland tV
flash animation; cel action; computers increasing in power and
capabilities, and so on,” says Anderson. “We have tended to focus our
attention on the front end of the process – the ideas, design, writing,
production and financing – so the technology has been something we
have either drawn on when needed, or subcontracted to those really
great animation studios who live for the technology and what it can
do.”
To maintain their position, Red Kite has a responsibility to stay on
top of the need for state of the art software and equipment, vital for
realising the dreams of programme makers. The advent of the internet
has also been an obvious catalyst for change.
“I think that the internet has had a massive impact on the way that
animation companies work together – digitally sending and downloading
work to one another from one side of the globe to the other. That has
already happened but no doubt we’ll see further improvements in this
area as well, with new better interfaces for creating animation such as
WACOM tablets or motion capture technology.”
The company’s hard work has been rewarded, not just in terms of
fresh contracts, but in the form of awards; films like The Tree Officer
and Pablo The Little Red Fox have carried off top awards at the Scottish
and UK BAFTA ceremonies. That kind of recognition brings not only
job satisfaction, but an international reputation as one of the rising
stars of animation.
“It is important for us that our directors and producers are recognised
for the world-class professionals that they are. In turn we as an
organisation benefit from this kudos,” says Anderson. “The world
of animation is not a huge one and people are very well connected
– always keeping in touch with who is doing what across the globe
– so we have always tried to make sure we maintain a good profile
for our films overseas. That has enabled us to gain name recognition,
which helps when it comes to getting through the first couple of
barriers at studios and TV channels. The relationships that are fostered
and networks created through festivals and markets should not be
underestimated by any professional in our business, so yes, winning
awards matters.”
www.redkite-animation.com
page 45

made in scotland tV
ko lIk
fIlms “our
“Work harder, get funnier….,” is the
admirable company ethos of Ko Lik Films,
an Edinburgh-based animation company
who have gained an international profile
for innovative work, as well as big network
television commissions for pieces like
Haunted Hogmanay and Glendogie Bogie for
the BBC.
“Who do we admire? Pixar, Aardman,
Disney, Dreamworks, in fact, everyone
who gets good work finished! Animation
takes ages and it's really hard so you've
got to admire anyone who gets anything
made,” says Cameron Fraser, who runs the
company with fellow filmmaker, Neil Jack.
“Usually we're straight into the office by
mid-day, a quick browse on Ebay to check
if there are any interesting guitars for sale,
grab a coffee and then home. It's a pretty
punishing routine that's only occasionally
interrupted by endless months of writing and
development,” he jokes.
Such modesty about the famously rigorous
demands of animation aside, since their
BAFTA Scotland winner The Tree Officer, Ko
Lik have built up a reputation for high quality
animation, backed with intense preparation
at script level.
“Since The Tree Officer, all our films have
been captured digitally and we use a lot of
compositing in our films. We tend to work
within pretty tight budgets and we rely
on getting the best from the technology
available to allow us get as much on screen
as we possibly can,” says Fraser. “It’s the
same for any kind of animation; I guess
whether you're Ray Harryhausen or Rockstar,
you're always trying to push the technology
page 46
approach Is very sImple: get the very Best
people we can and trust them to do theIr Best.”
cameron fraser, co-dIrector
available to its limits to be
constantly improving what
you do.”
Making the best use of their
Edinburgh studios is one
of the challenges for Ko
Lik; despite the effortlessly
enjoyable appeal of
animation, scheduling the
use of sets, equipment and
talent is one of the hardest
aspects to master.
“On the last couple of films,
we usually have four or five
sets animating at any one
time with another couple
of sets being dressed and
lit; the challenge is trying
to make sure things remain
consistent across several
different sets and animators,”
says Fraser. “We use digital
SLR cameras which are
fitted with manual lenses.
Lighting inconsistencies and
flicker are two big problems
in stop-frame animation
and the older manual
35mm lenses give a little
more control but it's always
something we're battling
with and it eats up a lot of
time in post-production and
at the grading stage.”
Bringing in voice talent is
also a vital aspect of the
animation process; Ko Lik
recognise that finding the
right voice for their creations
is a key element of the
animation process.
“It's something that's really
key to the success of the
whole film and it's so easy
for it to go wrong. Our
approach is very simple:
get the very best people
we can and trust them to
do their best. We talk to
other producers and friends
about casting ideas and we
listen to what they think,”
Fraser says. “In terms of
actual direction during the
voice recordings, we only
intervene if there's a specific
problem... something in
the reading that needs to
be delivered a specific way.
Otherwise, we just try to let
the actors do what they do
best.”
And with award recognition,
the Ko Lik goal of making
animated features is kept
alive and well, while they
continue to garner success in
the television world.
“BAFTA nominations are
a great honour, not just
for us but for everyone
connected with our films.
You can’t quantify exactly
how much impact BAFTA
nominations have on the
company profile... but to be
on the safe side we've both
had massive tattoos that say
‘BAFTA nominated’.. you
can't be too shy about these
things!”
www.kolik.co.uk
haunted hogmanay

made in scotland tV
brocken spectre
brocken Spectre is a
Glasgow-based production
company which have
picked up two BAFTA
nominations for their short film
work with David Yates, Rank in
2001 and Jim McRoberts’ Kissing,
Tickling and Being Bored in 2006.
And their latest project sees them
getting into television production,
working closely with Channel 4, with
a commission to make a 30-minute
drama for the PILOT scheme called
Stacked.
PILOT provided an opportunity for
drama screenwriters to take part in
a unique training and development
programme and win the chance
to have their work produced and
screened on Channel 4.
“Brocken Spectre was identified
by 4Talent and Channel 4, along
with Scottish Screen and Highlands
& Islands Enterprise, who are
supporting the PILOT initiative, as
a potential provider of drama; I
think it’s important that innovative
drama comes out of Scotland,” says
Brocken Spectre’s David Smith.
Three Scottish companies developed
four writers after a nationwide
search, and from that pool, Bryony
Ive was selected and paired up with
Brocken Spectre to pitch to Channel
4 Drama and 4Talent. Stacked was
their winning commission.
“It’s about three teenage sisters,
Ginny, Tallullah and Shona Turner,
“I thInk It’s Important that
InnovatIve drama comes out of scotland.”
davId smIth, managIng dIrector
Scottish Screen National Lottery funded: PILOT initiative (Stacked)
who live in Glasgow’s West End, and
they’re dealing with the pressures
of young women in their teens,
balancing pressures of sexism and
feminism,” says Smith. “A recent
poll said that many young women
want to be glamour models. The
girls’ ambitions to make it big in this
world, and the conflicts created, are
exacerbated by their father’s return
to Glasgow to edit a lads’ magazine
called Stacked. It’s less of a precinct
drama than a family drama dealing
with contemporary issues. I think
it fits in well with Channel 4’s
irreverent but thoughtful mindset.”
With an August 2008 broadcast slot,
Stacked’s pilot has a chance to get
a wide audience, and a potential
series commission. The pilot was
developed very much with the
potential to become a full series.
“PILOT has been a very quick
turn-around, so it’s been a fast
development process for Brocken
Spectre to show that we’re now a
company who can do television.
We’ve made something professional
and polished, and we hope it’ll
go to series,” says Smith. “It will
encourage us to develop other ideas
and build up our company’s unique
knowledge of broadcasters, so that
we’re in the strongest possible place
for future growth and development
in television.”
www.brocken-spectre.com
david smith
kissing, tickling and Being Bored
page 47

made in scotland tV
Digital Media Quarter
THE BANKS OF GLASGOW’S CLYDE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A HIVE OF INDUSTRY, BUT WHILE THE
MODERN SHIP-BUILDING TRADITIONS ARE STILL GOING STRONG, SPACE HAS ALSO BEEN FREED UP
TO PROVIDE A HOME TO LEADING MEDIA COMPANIES IN THE DIGITAL MEDIA QUARTER (DMQ). NOT
ONLY HAVE INDUSTRY LEADERS LIKE THE BBC, STV AND FILM CITY GLASGOW SET UP SHOP THERE,
BUT DMQ IS ALSO SETTING OUT ITS STALL AS A HUB FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS.
BBc scotland smg
glasgow page science 48 centre
photos copyright: mcateer photograph
river clyde

film city glasgow
“You could say that advances in technology mean that
companies working in a related sector do not need to be colocated,
but evidence from similar developments shows that
co-location increases contact and knowledge transfer between
related businesses, which can lead to the generation of more
ideas and business,” says Scottish Enterprise’s Claire Scally.
“We are already hearing of this from companies who have yet
to move into the quarter but their intention to do so has lead to
a more involved relationship with a partner in the area. And it
is also important from a profile-raising point of view. Scotland
has a wealth of digital media and related technology expertise
but this is not often recognised outside of Scotland because
there isn’t a recognisable focus. As more and more countries
go down the road of creating sector ‘hubs’ it becomes the
short hand for international business to recognise centres of
excellence.”
New tenants for the DMQ include Glasgow School of Art’s
Digital Design Studio, which is moving to custom-built
premises that will provide them with space to expand, and
scope to work on bigger projects. Their new space will include
a state of the art 3D visualisation studio.
“We want to attract a wide range of companies working across
the digital media sector. Enquiries to date have come from
companies across television production, digital design and
communications, data management and digital distribution.
The wider area already has post-production facilities, facilities
made in scotland tV
“scotland has a wealth of dIgItal medIa
and related technology expertIse.”
claIre scally, scottIsh enterprIse
all photos clyde waterfront/mcateer photography
BBc scotland
hire, special effects, digital animation, and radio alongside the
larger more established broadcasters,” says Scally. “We have
left the scope for occupancy quite wide across the DMQ and
related technology and support services in order to ensure
that we have the best mix of creatives and enablers. We are
also keen to attract major global players to the development
and work has already begun to engage with the larger
multinationals and significant international players.”
As well as the Digital Design Studio, academia will also be
represented by The Scottish Centre for Enabling Technology –
a collaboration between three universities: University of the
West of Scotland, University of Glasgow and Glasgow School
of Art.
And with space at the DMQ becoming an increasingly soughtafter
commodity, Scottish Enterprise wants to ensure that
there’s still room for the area’s hard-working media folk
to enjoy their ‘down-time’, highlighting that a further plot
on the DMQ has been put out for tender as a commercial
leisure development for a restaurant/bar, and that The Hub
development will have a late opening fully licensed café to
enable residents to work and play.
www.pacificquaydmq.com
page 49

made in scotland tV
filiming transmission (all photos by Iain smart)
fIlm cIty glasgow
Creating a full production facility and
ideas factory is not an easy task, but
Glasgow’s Film City studios are measuring
up to the task through the ongoing
redevelopment at their site, ensconced
in the building that was once Govan’s
Town Hall.
“Film City is a great example of
indigenous ideas and talent being
supported by local strategic partners
on an ambitious level,” says Film
City’s Operations Manager, Tiernan
Kelly. “The project got off the ground
when Gillian Berrie of Sigma Films,
frustrated with the lack of facilities
available in Glasgow, looked to the
Danish Film industry for inspiration,
most significantly, to Filmbyen, a
media hub created by Zentropa Films in
decommissioned army barracks on the
outskirts of Copenhagen.”
With help from Glasgow City Council,
and local economic development
agency Scottish Enterprise Glasgow,
and with additional assistance from the
European Regional Development Fund,
£3.5 million was raised to redevelop
the town hall into a state of the art
production facility.
“In addition to production offices and
studio space, Film City houses two
of Scotland’s leading post production
companies, Savalas (audio post), and
Serious Facilities (picture post),” says
Kelly. “Brought on board at an early
stage, both companies have been given
“assIstIng and nurturIng talent Is key for us.”
tIernan kelly, operatIons manager
page 50
the chance to have an input on the
design of purpose-built, state of the art
post-production facilities.”
Film City has so far been used
extensively by the TV industry. Studio
use has included T4 Transmission
by Eyeworks UK for Channel 4 and
Dollshouse by Pour Voir Productions/
ARTE. Those taking advantage of the
extensive office accommodation and
rehearsal space at the facility have
included comedies Life of Riley by
Catherine Bailey Ltd and How not to live
your Life by Brown Eyed Boy for the
BBC, and Hat Trick Productions’ God on
Trial, for BBC Drama.
Feature films shooting wholly or partly
at Film City have included Sigma
Films’ Red Road and Hallam Foe, Black
Camel’s zombie horror Outpost, Mob
Films & Infinity Features’ Stone of
Destiny with Robert Carlyle and Charlie
Cox, Hadrian Productions’ Doomsday,
and Viking epic, Valhalla Rising.
But such success only comes from an
appreciation of how Denmark’s film
industry works.
“Film City is the antithesis of an
insular, fragmented production
community,” says Kelly. “The example
of the industry in Denmark is a good
model – we hope to apply the same
innovation and irreverence to what we
do. Sigma Films is the ideal example:
they themselves are a micro-ideas
factory, with projects like Advance
Party, demonstrative of successful
collaboration on an international level.
The prospect of up to 20 other screen
and creative businesses under the one
roof with the same mindset and desire
to create, is tantalising.”
And while Scotland’s screen talent has
been making waves internationally
for decades, having a practically
orientated studio facility should provide
a crucial stepping stone to creating
an environment where the talents of
tomorrow can flourish.
“Assisting and nurturing talent is key
for us. The low cost rental model
we are working to allows us to offer
affordable accommodation to those
emerging in the industry, and the
invaluable opportunity to work and
collaborate alongside established
industry professionals. This incubation
concept, if applied in the correct way,
can only add impetus and energy to
the building,” says Kelly. “The very
existence of such a facility in Glasgow
engenders confidence, belief, and in
turn, investment, in the indigenous
industry, and benefits the deep pool of
creative and technical talent we have in
the country.”
www.filmcityglasgow.com

SAVALAS
Ten years ago, Giles Lamb,
Michael McKinnon and Kahl
Henderson set up Savalas,
a sound post-production
company which is now recognised
as one of the UK’s best, working on
internationally acclaimed projects like
David Mackenzie’s Hallam Foe and Peter
Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters.
“Our team is one of the most innovative
in the industry, offering exceptionally
broad expertise encompassing feature
films, television drama, factual,
commercials, games and exhibition
design,” says Lamb. “Unique for a
facility of our size, Savalas is wholly
owned and operated by its founding
team of creatives and engineers.
This feeds our ethos of complete
commitment to the work, helping us to
deliver the highest production values
on every project, regardless of budget
or size.”
To accommodate increased demand,
Savalas have moved into a customdesigned
£2 million premises at Film
City Glasgow, complete with a 60
square metre Dolby Premier mix theatre
– the first in Europe. This state of the art
facility is already hosting some of the
industry’s most anticipated projects.
“Our most enjoyable recent TV drama
has been the pilot for Annie Griffin’s
new BBC One series, Purves + Pekkala.
Right now, we’re starting on another
BBC show, PAs, set in the City of
London,” says Lamb. “Following on,
we’ve got the first full series of Jamie
Hewlett’s Phoo Action and the animated
shows, One Star and KNTV. Recent
films we have worked on include Kenny
Glenaan’s Summer and Duane Hopkins’
Better Things. We’re currently working
on Zentropa/Sigma Films’ Rounding up
Donkeys and Nicolas Winding Refn’s
Viking movie, Valhalla Rising, is coming
soon.”
made in scotland tV
“we delIver the hIghest productIon values on every proJect.”
Scottish Screen National Lottery funded: Business Development Loan
With the growing need for full in-house
facilities for sound post-production
and music services, Savalas can offer
cutting rooms for dialogue, effects and
music, a dedicated Foley stage with
artists, a live room, and three further
mid-size surround mix theatres.
“Ultimately, our goal is to be able to
win projects from beyond the UK by
securing an international reputation,”
says Lamb. “And to achieve that kind
of growth, we want to keep up our
reputation for insightful, innovative
work and exceptional client care.”
www.savalas.co.uk
savalas
gIles lamB, managIng dIrector
page 51

made in scotland tV
serIous facIlItIes
“we’re offerIng a full post-facIlIty In
glasgow that’s as good as any In london.”
Brendan reIlly, vfx supervIsor
It’s a Thursday morning, and a courier with tapes of the new BBC
drama, PA’s, is standing at the door of Serious Facilities, which is
housed within the Film City Glasgow complex, based at Pacific Quay.
The door buzzes open and the tapes are delivered safely into the
hands of VFX Supervisor Brendan Reilly, who takes his precious cargo
upstairs to the cavernous machine room where the material can be
prepared for the complex process of editing.
“For PA’s we were approached by the series’ line producer; he came
round and took a look at what we could do, then came back with
the series DOP and the director of first two episodes,” says Reilly.
“Everything is working out well; they’re working with our portable,
flightcased ‘flying Avids’, which are basically an edit facility in a box.
It’s our first major drama for the BBC, the first of many, we hope.”
In the past, going to London to do edits, grading and general finishing
used to be the norm. Since being set up by Simon Cull in 1998, Serious
has expanded to the point where they can offer Scottish programme
makers the chance to work on their own doorstep.
“We’re offering a full post-facility in Glasgow that’s as good as any
in London, whether for online or offline, grading, effects or title
sequences, I don’t think there’s anything we can’t do in post,” says
Reilly. “We expanded when we moved in here and set up the first and
only Baselight Digital telecine suite.”
page 52
serious facilities
“Simon is on the board of Film City Glasgow, and
so the company had lots of input into having a
custom built, state of the art facility. I can send an
online edit straight to the dub rather than going
through a courier. And with Savalas directly across
the corridor, it’s like having an inhouse sound
facility under the same roof. For PA’s, the fact that
we could work so closely together was a definite
factor in getting the gig. In October, there’s four
productions in; it’s nice to have the capacity to do
that.”
Serious has been in existence for ten years, and
now have six permanent members of staff; as well
as television dramas, they are also involved in
post-producing nearly all of the commercials work
in Scotland, for companies like, Subway, Tennent’s,
Coors and Bank of Scotland, with the recent Irn
Bru campaign fresh in Reilly’s mind.
“Every shot in the ad had to be amazing, but it
helped that the director Martin Wedderburn and
Simon had worked together on many projects
over the years. Although it looks deceptively
simple on screen, these things take a long time

to get right. In post, we had all kinds
of tweaking to do: creating 3D midges,
adding new signs in the airport, and
highlighting the writing on an envelope.
Martin wanted the stadium shot to have
more scale so we shrunk the shot down
and painted in more stadium seats in
post. If I’ve done my job right, for most
of the work I do, you shouldn’t know
that I’ve done it.”
Reilly fires up one of the machines and
plays the company’s VFX showreel,
which uses ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots
to explain how the company works to
create the best possible visual quality.
“Here you can see the original shot,
then the finished version. I can
tell people how we spent weeks
compositing a figure and putting flames
on a rubber masks (for a advert for Tyne
and Wear Fire Department), but it makes
more sense when you can see the
difference on-screen. In the showreel,
there’s also examples of transitions
between 3D wire-frames, reworking the
details on a Subway advert from the US,
or something as subtle as grading up
costumes,” he says. “Sometimes you’re
making it more real, sometimes more
unreal.”
With Serious able to compete with
anything that London have to offer, it’s
the start of a new era for them, moving
into film and television production
work. But Reilly points out that the
ethos of the company is exactly the
same.
“We’re taking our skills crafted in high
end commercials and moving them
towards longer form, but the ethos
hasn’t changed: we’re still trying to
get the best picture on the screen,” he
says. “We have the kit, we have the
experience and we believe that looking
after our clients as well and their
projects is critical.”
Serious has built up a strong client
base on word of mouth, however now,
buoyed by a large number of successful
projects, they are being a bit more
boisterous and are taking on the UK
sterling advert
tyne and wear advert
made in scotland tV
market and succeeding. “The bottom
line,” says Reilly “is that people don’t
come in just once, they always come
back.”
www.seriousfacilities.co.uk
serious facilities
t in the park advert
subway advert
hydro advert
page 53

made in scotland tV
M8Media
“we are movIng towards offerIng a complete solutIon to the
post-productIon process wIth all the Bases covered.”
“Today, you can shoot, edit and do a
complete Dolby sound mix on a film,
all within walking distance of where
I’m sitting now,” says Jim Allison, of
M8media, from his new offices at Pacific
Quay digital media quarter. “What’s
new is that feature films, TV dramas and
generally all genres of TV can now be
made without leaving Scotland.”
Having formed his own editing company
with his wife Jill back in 1994, Allison
moved his business to a custom-built
facility at Pacific Quay Media Park,
offering in-house editors, colourists
and dubbing mixers, together with a
television studio and digital cinema
facilities.
While the basics of editing can be
learned on a home computer, when work
gets to a professional level, M8media
offers tried and tested broadcast-quality
facilities. “For many people editing
is something which can be done as a
hobby at home, but the equipment which
is used for today’s film editing needs
to be professionally operated,” says
Allison. “From my point of view, the
cost of buying equipment like an Avid
Media Composer has fallen by almost 50
per cent recently, which makes it easier
for us to ensure that we’re offering the
page 54
most up to date facilities possible. This also allows us to provide craft editors on
projects with tight budgets.”
In terms of television work, M8media have creatively navigated their way through
everything from Robbie Coltrane’s B-Road Britain and Britain’s Lost World for IWC,
to studio-based network programmes like the Kids Are All Right and Hot Rods for
Endemol. M8media also post programmes such as IWC’s Location, Location, Location
shown on Channel 4, now starting its eleventh series.
With more and more programmes being commissioned for HD channels, M8media
deliver on HDcam SR. This allows programme makers to deliver all the elements of
a programme, both pictures and 16 tracks of sound, at the highest quality. Keeping
pace with the demands of an ever-changing field and exceeding expectations is part
and parcel of M8media’s business.
“When it comes to new staff coming to work for us, what we’re looking for is a keen
understanding of the industry and an understanding of the systems involved. That’s
what we’re expected to provide as a company; editing has come a long way from the
‘black art’ people used to see it as,” says Allison.
“As a company we are moving towards offering a complete solution to the postproduction
process with all the bases covered. So rather than outsourcing it, which
is what used to happen, we can now provide everything from the initial shoot
through to final delivery, including an integrated graphics capability. That lets us be
incredibly efficient plus it helps keeps costs down.”
www.m8media.co.uk
JIm allIson, managIng dIrector
m8 media

made in scotland tV
a rt em sc o tla n d
Animatronics, models and
miniatures, physical special
FX, prosthetics, atmospherics,
mechanical rigs, action props, camera
rigs, pyrotechnics, puppets and
special costumes.
The list of specialised subjects which
special effects production facility
Artem are prepared to tackle sets
the imagination racing. Having
serviced effects-heavy films like
Hot Fuzz and The Da Vinci Code
from their London facility, as well
as high profile commercials work
like the BT Gremlins ad and the Play
Doh bunnies for Sony Bravia, Mike
Kelt's company set up a workshop
in Scotland to cater for the growing
number of productions requiring
their services.
Kelt, originally from Scotland, reflects
on the experiences, which led him
to create the company. "I moved to
London to work for six months at
the BBC, which somehow became
nine years. While I was working
there, I began to see that to make
things work as well as they could on
screen required raising and spending
considerable amounts of money, and
I wanted a management structure
that would allow that to happen
smoothly. So Artem was created as
a one-stop shop – one place which
could provide pyrotechnics, models
or prosthetics."
While many of the first films to use
computer effects are now dated
by the obviousness of the CGI,
producers have gradually learned
that only so much can be created
effectively in post-production, and
that means more calls to Artem to
provide physical effects that integrate
with digital.
"We don't really do digital effects,
although we will advise, our expertise
is physical. Any project needs a
discussion between physical and
digital; I know from experience what
works best in which area."
Artem has provided their expertise
on a number of high profile feature
films in Scotland over the last year
including, Stone of Destiny, Clive
Barker’s Book of Blood, Doomsday
and more recently Valhalla Rising,
and when Next required snow in
September for their new Christmas
campaign, Artem were the people
they turned to.
But, as well as the high profile film
and commercials work, they are
also doing a lot of television work:
“I’m just going out to blow up a cafe
near Glasgow Green for Dear Green
Place,” says Kelt.
Amongst their TV work is Scotland’s
longest running series, Taggart, with
Artem providing the necessary bullet
hits and various other murder effects.
They have also recently worked on
new BBC dramas, Hope Springs
and PAs, and beyond drama and
comedy, have helped to realise the
wacky imaginations of kids on a new
children’s TV show, Ed and Oucho's
Extraordinary Inventions.
Kelt enjoys Artem's role within
the production team, contributing
creative thinking at all stages of
production, and says that big effects
don't always have to mean big
budgets.
"Working on green-screen won't give
you good performance, so relying on
post automatically creates limitations.
That means that people are coming
back to what they can do in camera,"
says Kelt. "Something that could be
shot in a day for real can become a
massive task that takes days in post.
Younger people may assume every
problem can be solved by computer,
but quite often that kind of thinking is
a big drain on the budget; sometimes
a simple approach is best. Even
something as basic as a hanging
miniature allows for acting in scene
and requires no post-production."
While the results may be dazzling
on screen, it's all in a day's work for
Artem, whose Glasgow workspace is
adorned with the animatronic heads
of tigers, while their snow-machines
are kept on ice in the storerooms
behind the main office. Kelt sees the
professionalism paying off on and off
screen, and only sees more work in
the pipeline.
"I think the physical and digital
effects sides of the industry will come
together, but ultimately it's all about
trying to convince the guy in the
cinema, or at home watching on the
small screen, that something is real.
If you're animating a CG dinosaur,
then you go out and film the clouds
of dust coming from its footprints,
that's the kind of attention to detail
that makes people believe."
www.artem.com
strathmore tv advert
“that’s the kInd of attentIon to detaIl that makes people BelIeve.” mIke kelt, managIng dIrector
mike kelt
page 55

made in scotland tV
page 56
“It’s not only aBout stunnIng landscapes and old castles.”
“It’s Christmas come early,” or so it might have seemed
to the passers-by on Edinburgh’s Princes Street last
September. Clothing brand Next shot their Christmas
commercial there, and the streets were decorated
in a decidedly unseasonal fashion. But why, out of
all possible locations, would they choose Scotland’s
capital? There’s a number of other factors which made
the snow fall in September.
Belle Doyle of Scottish Screen Locations works closely
with television, film and commercials productions to
ensure maximum exposure for the country. “Part of
the reason for Next shooting in Edinburgh was the
willingness and film-friendliness of the Edinburgh City
Council Roads department who have a very positive
attitude towards road closures, parking and filming
on streets,” says Doyle. “Vodafone’s ‘Raining Time’
commercial shot in East Kilbride, Braehead Shopping
Centre and other urban locations around Glasgow city
centre. While nothing about these adverts really said
‘Scotland’ or ‘Glasgow’, the production companies
were looking for a urban space that could have been
anywhere in the UK.”
Other Scottish locations are more distinctive, as the
Volvo advert filmed on the Isle of Skye recently proved.
Land Rover, Aston Martin, Lexus and Smart Car have
all made use of Scottish locations as the ideal setting
to accentuate the attractive quality of their products.
“There’s sometimes a reluctance to travel beyond
Scotland’s Central Belt, especially when production
companies have to keep costs as low as possible, but
the light quality and the landscapes on Skye bring an
additional value to any shooting: it has a magic quality
about it that you are not going to be able to manufacture
in a studio.”
Scottish Screen Locations has a varied list of location
owners on their books, including transport providers
such as bus and train companies, the Ministry of
Defence, Scottish Water, and large land management
organisations like the National Trust for Scotland and
the Scottish Government, as well as private house and
estate owners.
“The more contacts we have, the more chance we
have of fulfilling somebody’s requirements, however
specific and detailed. These types of organisations often
have interesting and unusual buildings that they have
to maintain,” says Doyle. “We are also always looking
for temporary production offices, set-building spaces
or studio space so we are always talking to property
developers and planners about potential short-term lets
Belle doyle, scottIsh screen locatIons

for production companies. So it’s not
only about stunning landscapes and old
castles.”
One first port of call for producers is
the Scottish Screen Locations website,
which includes over a thousand images,
a small fraction of the digital library
they have access to.
“The website is important, but I think
what we’ve realised is how quickly
images and information go out of
date. The website is useful as a waymarker,
and does show different
locations in different areas, but we’re
looking to really build the number
of images to make it a better tool for
producers, to give them a better idea
of what is here,” she says. “Ultimately,
though, we want people to contact us,
not just look at the website, as only then
can we get an idea of their project and
what they are looking for.”
Scottish Screen Locations is more than
just a service, it’s a well-known brand,
used by many location managers
around the UK as a fast, efficient and
confidential locations service. They
also foster close affiliations with
WoW
made in scotland tV
organisations like the Production Guild, the Guild of Location Managers,
the Association of Film Commissions International and the European Film
Commission Network. And to make sure that film and television producers
and production companies are aware of Scotland and what it has to offer, the
presence of Scottish Screen Locations on the Croisette in Cannes and sunkissed
Santa Monica’s Locations Trade Show each year, is vital. They also offer
familiarisation trips and have a fund for recces or to employ a local location
manager to scout for locations.
“We have been really busy with a number of television series and dramas being
in production all at the same time in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The fact that so
much production has gone on in a fairly short space of time shows that we do
have the crews and facilities here. One of our latest productions is Waybaloo, a
children’s TV programme being shot in an industrial space in Westway, where they
have built a forest surrounded by a blue screen; groups of local children have
been drafted in to appear with the creatures in the forest. Shooting starts at the
end of July and will carry on until the end of the year, with the completed show
ready for broadcast in the summer of 2009.”
All the moving image material that gets screened or broadcast featuring Scottish
locations bolsters the country’s presence as a filming location; there’s only one
thing which Doyle admits that Scottish Screen Locations can’t always help with -
the weather.
“Commercials don’t have the flexibility of waiting for good weather, or shooting
a different scene under weather cover while waiting for the right weather to
come along,” says Doyle. “One of the issues now facing us in the light of climate
change is the ever-changing weather – we are not able to guarantee any particular
weather condition, like snow, as everything is unpredictable.”
Like Christmas in September.
www.scottishscreenlocations.com
page 57

made in scotland tV
Celtic Media Festival
2009 WILL SEE THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CELTIC
MEDIA FESTIVAL, WHICH PROMOTES THE LANGUAGES
AND CULTURES OF THE CELTIC COUNTRIES ON SCREEN
AND IN BROADCASTING. THE ANNUAL EVENT TAKES
PLACE IN LATE MARCH AND PLAYS HOST TO OVER 400
DELEGATES FROM VARIOUS SCREEN INDUSTRIES.
“I was born in Belfast, and brought up on the Isle of Islay, so I
feel very 'Celtic'. When I saw that there was an annual event
which celebrated film, broadcasting, radio and digital media
in the Celtic nations and regions, I knew it was the job for me,”
says the festival’s Producer, Jude MacLaverty. “Those attending
include broadcasters, producers, language experts and this year
in Galway, we introduced a new student strand, Celtic Exposure,
which welcomed 80 media students, travelling from as far away
as Sabhal Mór Ostaig in Skye to University College Falmouth in
Cornwall.”
With the picturesque streets of Galway City as a backdrop, the
real business of the Celtic Media Festival was indoors, where
workshops, panel sessions, lectures and discussions shared
information, anecdotes and valuable experiences of working in
the screen industries.
“This year's programme included an Up Close interview with
documentary filmmaker Paul Watson; Jimmy McGovern talked
about the importance of good drama within TV schedules, and Phil
Edgar Jones, executive producer of Big Brother discussed getting
ahead in TV with the media students,” says MacLaverty. “We also
had BAFTA-winning producer Mark Herbert of This Is England
fame in conversation, and countless sessions on everything from
sports rights to multi platform programming.”
Then there’s a three decade celebration of Celtic Media to look
forward to. “It's our 30th birthday next year, and our aim is to
go from strength to strength, getting Celtic product out there in
all the many forms it takes, while continuing to feed and inspire
the future generations of Celtic practitioners,” says MacLaverty.
“Rather than looking to London, I think staying put and working
within the media in the Nations and Regions has become a
particularly exciting and viable option these days.”
www.celticfilm.co.uk
“workIng wIthIn the medIa In the natIons and regIons has Become a partIcularly excItIng
and vIaBle optIon these days.” Jude maclaverty, festIval producer
page 58
stuart cosgrove
derek murray
phil edgar Jones
Scottish Screen funded
paul watson
John sweeney
stephen rea

With a maximum joint
investment totalling more
than £1.5million, BBC
Scotland and Scottish Screen are
continuing their creative partnership
with The Singles initiative, which
invited independent producers and
production companies to submit ideas
for 60-minute single films. The joint
development slate is intended to find
fresh, audacious and entertaining
projects with universal appeal.
“The Singles has an important role to
play in continuing to develop drama in
Scotland and provide opportunities for
independent production companies to
work with BBC Scotland,” says Scottish
Screen’s Development Executive,
Leslie Finlay. “We are looking for
dramas which punch above their
weight: big themes that are relevant to
life in contemporary Scotland.”
Funded by BBC Scotland and Scottish Screen National Lottery
made in scotland tV
“we are looking for dramas
which punch above their
weight: big themes that
are relevant to life in
contemporary scotland.”
leslie finlay, scottish screen
With the results heading for our screens
soon, The Singles look to unearth
new ideas and talent, while also
strengthening relationship between key
media players in Scotland.
Gaynor Holmes, Executive Producer
at BBC Scotland, TV Drama said: “This
has been an excellent forum in which to
continue to develop our long standing
relationship with Scottish Screen.”
www.scottishscreen.com
www.bbc.co.uk/scotland
page 59

made in scotland tV
The diverse communities of London’s Brick Lane might seem some distance from the
Scottish Screen Academy. Yet there is a firm link to Sarah Gavron’s 2007 adaptation
of the bestselling book; the director is a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art’s (eca)
filmmaking courses. The Screen Academy Scotland, a collaboration between eca
and Edinburgh’s Napier University, specialises in providing professionally oriented,
project-based and practice-led film education and training, delivered in partnership
with the screen industry.
The Academy brings together Napier University and eca’s postgraduate degree
programmes in directing, producing, screenwriting and animation to which
additional programmes will be added in the coming years. Ranging from low budget
digital feature production (DigiDIY!) to collaborations with the School of Sound (The
Soundtrack) and the Film Business Academy, the institution offers a growing range
of short course and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for
people entering or already working in the screen industry.
Students at the Academy collaborate with each other and with industry practitioners
in the development and production of projects, with programmes encouraging
personal creative development and a thorough engagement with industry practices,
personnel and expectations. Typical of this approach are the three recent graduates
of the producing, screenwriting and Advanced Film Practice programmes at Napier,
whose short film collaboration, River Child, was recently awarded Best Short Drama
at the Celtic Media Festival in Galway, and also won Best Fiction at the Scottish
Students on Screen BAFTA awards in 2007.
The Academy offers a range of post-qualification support including career planning
and, supported by the EU MEDIA programme, ENGAGE, a six-month series of
international workshops to foster collaboration between students and graduates of
European film schools.
The Screen Academy Scotland provides students with space to learn and a gateway
to fully independent professional practice, as well as providing the screen industry
page 60
screen
academy
ScotlanD
“all of our efforts are dIrected at supportIng new
talent and helpIng them contrIBute to scotland’s
growth as a european fIlmmakIng natIon.”
roBIn macpherson, dIrector
Scottish Screen funded
with access to the next generation of
ideas, talent and skill.
Director Robin MacPherson said: “Screen
Academy Scotland is approaching its
third birthday and, in that relatively short
time, it and our students have achieved a
great deal. From producing the students
who won best short film at the Celtic
Media Festival to leading a MEDIA
funded international collaboration with
the Irish and Baltic film schools, all of
our efforts are directed at supporting
new talent and helping them contribute
to Scotland’s growth as a European
filmmaking nation.”
www.screenacademyscotland.ac.uk

“creatIve loop demonstrates how educatIon
and Industry can work together to develop
the next generatIon of talent.”
hellIate rushwaya, proJect manager
the accelerating changes in the way we create and
appreciate the media means that the skills required
to work in the media industry have to constantly
change. Scotland’s long-standing reputation for technical
excellence and innovation is one which is developed
through international initiatives like the Skillset Media
Academy Network – a national footprint of colleges and
universities to work with industry in developing a new
wave of talent to create the media content of the future.
Created and endorsed by Skillset, the network is made
up of 17 academies, drawing together creative education
partnerships from 43 colleges and universities across the
UK, which are already centres of excellence in television
production and interactive media.
Within Scotland, the Creative Loop partnership sees
Aberdeen College, Adam Smith College, Cardonald
College, Dundee College, Perth College and Reid Kerr
College join forces. Creative Loop strives to work
alongside industry partners to build the capacity of the
Scottish media sector to take advantage of the growing
network opportunities and changing markets, by ensuring
a healthy and competitive skills base is developed.
“The commitment of the six colleges within Creative
Loop and our key national partners the Scottish Funding
made in scotland tV
Council, SQA, Scottish Screen and Skillset Scotland, clearly
highlights the importance of partnership working in order to
bridge the gap between Scotland’s colleges and industry,”
says Creative Loop’s Project Manager, Helliate Rushwaya.
“Creative Loop demonstrates how education and industry
can work together to develop the next generation of talent
that’s equipped with the required knowledge and expertise
to meet the demands of a vibrant creative media sector.”
Ensuring that the quality of students entering the labour
market is high and enhances their employability, and also
ensuring that students are in direct contact with industry
standard practice, Creative Loop has already secured top
level employer commitment to this work. So whatever the
future brings, Scotland’s screen industries can expect a
united understanding of the latest developments through
close partnership between education, industry and the
media talent of tomorrow.
www.creativeloop.org
aberdeen college
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skIllset scotland
Keeping track of the constantly
changing skills, required
by the workforce engaged
in Scotland’s screen industries,
is part of the remit of Skillset
Scotland. Guided by the Scottish
Industry Skills Panel, which has a
membership made up of leading
employers, representatives
from unions, trade associations,
further and higher education and
public agencies, Skillset Scotland
is responsible for creating and
delivering an action agenda for
the industry, working with the
Scottish Parliament, the Scottish
Government and all other relevant
agencies and organisations,
including Scottish Screen.
In practice, that means developing
the skills base of companies,
employees and freelancers across
the country, ensuring closer
page 62
Scottish Screen National Lottery funded
collaboration between training/
education sectors and industry in
Scotland for better integration of
skills demand and supply, while
attracting, retaining and promoting
skills and talent in Scotland by
encouraging existing funding to be
used in a more meaningful way.
Sector Skills Councils have worked
closely with government, employers
and other key stakeholders in
Scotland, including the Enterprise
networks, the Funding Councils,
and the Scottish Qualifications
Authority (SQA) to develop the
first Sector Skills Agreements.
These action plans for employers
will help change the way training
is delivered in Scotland, ensuring
that Scottish employers have the
people with the skills they need,
when they need them.
www.skillset.org/uk/scotland

“Sometimes people outside the industry associate the BAFTA name
with something either very posh, or remote and inaccessible, but
we are much more inclusive that,” says BAFTA Scotland’s former
Director Alison Forsyth. “To me, Scotland’s screen industries
represent a very broad church. Much as I love music, theatre or
opera, there’s nothing like film and television to get people talking,
and that’s why the BAFTA Scotland Awards, a benchmark of really
high quality, are so important.”
As well as running weekly preview screenings for members in
Glasgow and Edinburgh, BAFTA Scotland’s ever-expanding roster
of awards reflects the growth of creative industries in Scotland.
With the annual BAFTA Scotland Awards in November celebrating
the cream of the established industry, there’s now the New Talent
Awards, a new standalone event. This March event also incorporates
the Scottish Students on Screen Awards and so encourages and
rewards the newest intake of aspiring film and programme makers
of tomorrow.
“The 2007 BAFTA Scotland Awards were streamed on the internet
to over 20,000 people, and that’s vitally important because as wide
an audience as possible need to see what’s good about Scottish
talent,” says Forsyth. ‘‘It was the best awards show we’ve ever
done in terms of structure and delivery, and we’ve had nine years
of experience now – so it ought to be brilliant! In the future, I’d like
to see the annual BAFTA Scotland awards broadcast on terrestrial
television, because it’s an event directly celebrating Scotland’s
moving image industry, and the hard work and creativity of these
practitioners deserves to be promoted.”
Following hard on the heels of the November 2007 ceremony, which
saw James McAvoy picking up the Best Actor award for The Last
King of Scotland, the Scottish Students on Screen event in March
2008 saw over 450 students, tutors and industry professionals
taking part in workshops, pitching sessions and a very informative
‘market-place’. The day’s events culminated in the New Talent
Awards ceremony at Glasgow’s Royal Scottish Academy of Music
and Drama.
“We had a full day of events around Scottish Students on Screen and
it’s great to see young people who are taking their first steps in the
industry alongside a genuine Hollywood producer like Barry Mendel
(The Sixth Sense, Munich, The Royal Tennenbaums),” says Forsyth.
“Barry’s a terrific example for them, a wonderful, self-effacing guy
who I’m sure made a memorable impression.”
And looking to the future, Forsyth sees BAFTA Scotland continuing
to highlight the best of creative work, and professional behaviour.
“After the 2008 New Talent awards, many people in the RSAMD
said that they wished every Friday night could have that kind of
excitement and atmosphere. We received many delighted and
grateful responses from the nominees and winners – several saying
that they’d had the best night of their lives,” says Forsyth. “Yes, an
award in itself is important, but it also serves as an accelerator that
gets you one more step on the ladder. Young people don’t have
agents or promoters, they have to learn how to sell themselves, and
the BAFTA Scotland Awards help create confidence by raising the
standards but also by giving the outsider a real chance to compete.”
www.baftascotland.co.uk
Scottish Screen funded: Scottish Students on Screen
made in scotland tV
Bafta scotland
“yes, an award in itself is
important, but it also serves as
an accelerator that gets you one
more step on the ladder.”
alison forsyth, former director of Bafta scotland
lorraine kelly
page 63

trc medIa
carol sinclair
“the rIght content In the rIght genre pItched to the rIght
InternatIonal Buyer can make Its mark.” carol sInclaIr, dIrector
TRC Media is the UK’s leading provider
of high-end training initiatives working
closely with industry and in partnership with
network broadcasters (Channel 4 and the
BBC), regional development agencies, and
the creative content community. Their status
as an independent, not-for-profit, charity
enables them to take a broad and nonproprietorial
view of what is good for the
industry and their ‘honest broker’ approach
to broadcasters, media businesses and talent
has been widely recognised.
“The media landscape has changed very
dramatically since TRC was launched as The
Research Centre in 1998,” says Director of
TRC Media, Carol Sinclair. “Our core purpose
is still to help indies in the nations and
regions to win network business, but now
we advise on everything from international
markets and rights management to
multimedia opportunities. The vital thing
is to have the trust of industry partners
like Channel 4 and the BBC. We achieve
that by following the advice we give to
independent producers – understanding their
needs and priorities and developing close
relationships.”
Backing up their role supporting and advising
indies, TRC Media are also closely involved
with research projects which ensure they’re
on top of the key issues in the rapidly
changing media scene.
“For us, everything connects. We stay very
close to all sides of the industry and pick
up very quickly on issues or trends that are
emerging,” says Sinclair. “That will often
determine the nature of our research projects
and the design of our training programmes
aimed at tackling problems or capitalising on
opportunities. Our multi-media programme
Cross Creative devised for interactive,
games, digital animation and design
companies, is a typical example of this.”
Right now, Sinclair sees particular promise
for Scottish indies who are prepared to look
at the bigger picture, and to think globally
when it comes to finding an audience for
their output.
“There is no doubt that the right content in the
right genre pitched to the right international
buyer can make its mark. Scottish indies need
to be making more of the kinds of programme
in the UK that will also sell overseas,” she says.
“We’ve been very active in the USA for some
years now, the most lucrative international market
there is. Indeed we’re just about to launch
the fourth year of our International Development
l to r: Jo hallows (yo yo media); margaret scott (fierce associates); ronan mccabe (zz enterprises); glynn middleton (true north productions)
katie lander (finestripe); claire mundell (synchronicity films); david strachan (tern); Justine watmough (yap films); laura marshall (Icon film).
Programme. It gives indies unprecedented access
to a raft of international broadcasters like
ABC, CBS, NBC, Warner Bros, HBO, Comedy
Central and MTV amongst others. We open
doors to all the top players in New York, Washington,
and Los Angeles and connect indies with
Hollywood agents and potential co-production
partners. It’s a hugely successful project.”
And in terms of measuring the effect that TRC
is having Sinclair can point to a number of
satisfied customers who have acclaimed the
help that TRC Media has provided in terms of
bringing work to Scotland.
“We measure our success in a number of
ways. We always focus on our reputation
and what helps to strengthen and reinforce
it. The indies tell us we’ve helped them bring
six million pounds worth of business into
Scotland over the last 3 years. The talent
we’ve trained are our best ambassadors. And
there’s no shortage of partners in the UK and
US willing to work with us,” says Sinclair.
“We always go on the old advice that what
matters is not what you say about yourself,
but what others say about you.”
www.trcmedia.org

photos by eve carreno
steven diamond
nick mottis laura rooney
rom Mary Tyler Moore’s attempts to
make it in the world of commercial ftelevision
onwards, there have been
plenty of entertaining fictions about making
it big in TV. But what are the facts for new
entrants to the media?
The New Entrants Programme (NETS) has
been running for 30 years and is the longest
running skills development programme for
new entrants. Now, NETS offers a tiered
programme of skills development for new
or recently entered people to the screen
industries, with a one-year programme
and an advanced fast track, providing
skills development for twelve trainees. The
programme is funded by Scottish Screen
and Skillset. That kind of insider backing
ensures that those seeking to make it big in
the media aren’t left on the outside of the
industry, looking in.
“The training programme has been
constantly adapted over the course of
its life, to meet industry needs. We have
industry figures on our informal steering
committee, who are regularly consulted
about which areas to train in, the skills gaps
and shortages,” says NETS Manager, Kay
Sheridan. “We have specific criteria about
practical skills or experience, or transferable
skills the trainees should have. They’re
starting off learning from the bottom, and
work their way up from there.”
For example, Sajid Quayum was an ex-BBC
E-force trainee in broadcast journalism, and
radio production, who worked in radio in
a production capacity for Radio Ramadan,
and was a project manager with an internet
development company. On joining the
NETS programme in 2000, he worked with
a variety of independent TV companies as
a production trainee and on completion of
the NETS programme, was offered work by
Caledonia TV where he has now progressed
to Head of Production. From dramas
like River City and Taggart to production
nets
“the traInIng programme has Been constantly adapted
over the course of Its lIfe, to meet Industry needs.”
kay sherIdan, nets manager
companies like IWC and Caledonia, NETS graduates have found career paths opening
through their learning experiences.
Nick Mottis is one of the current eight trainees on the NETS One programme, specialising
in Production. He relocated from Liverpool, where he studied for a Masters in Television
Production, and has worked for Hand Pict Productions and IWC Media since being on the
programme. Eve Carreno is a Camera trainee, who has worked on a Gaelic documentary,
Beasties, with Pelicula films, where she travelled around the Highlands; she has also worked
on the drama, Fiona’s Story for BBC Scotland.
“We assess and monitor the experiences of those on all our programmes,” says Sheridan.
There is a built-in support network on the programme through Sheridan and NETS Project
Co-ordinator, Mark Thomas – and this doesn’t end when the programme does. “As the
trainees develop their skills, they also build up relationships with industry. There’s also an
aftercare service, so that we can let them know about work coming up, and it also allows
us to track their progress. There are lots of unwritten etiquettes about working in the media;
NETS is one way of providing talented people with someone that’s on their side to help them
navigate the various pitfalls.”
And NETS has branched out into animation too. They have just relaunched GASP!
(Generating Animation Skills Programme), funded by Skillset and Scottish Screen and run by
Project Manager, Penny Sharp. Now in its second year, GASP! is a ten month programme for
animators to gain the skills required to work in the animation studios making animation for
TV and film.
www.scottishscreen.com/nets
danny khoudary
andy walsh eve carreno dhivya kate chetty
neTs is funded by: scottish screen, The film skillset film skills fund which is supported through by the national lottery through the uk film council and the film industry through the skills investment fund and the skillset Tv freelance fund.
gasp! is funded by: scottish screen, The film skillset film skills fund which is supported through by the national lottery through the uk film council and the film industry through the skills investment fund.
lydia farrell
page 65

made in scotland tV
There are many advantages to
making your programme in
Scotland:
Talented and experienced cast and
crew / Excellent support and facilities
companies to cover all aspects of
production and post production /
Competitive costs compared to the rest
of the UK / A well organised network
of film offices around the country
which can assist productions with
location searching, local information
and practical support / A wide diversity
of locations, from period buildings to
unspoilt countryside to contemporary
cityscapes.
For programme makers from overseas,
there is a 17.5% sale tax (VAT) refund
if your country has a reciprocal sales
tax agreement with the UK. For more
information, see www.hmrc.gov.uk or
contact locations@scottishscreen.com.
scottish screen funding
Scottish Screen invests around £6m
in the development and promotion of
Scotland’s screen industries each year,
including distributing £2.7m of National
page 66
Lottery funds for production and
content development.
Specific funding areas include:
Production company growth / Short
and feature film development and
production / Freelancer and company
skills development / Experimental,
alternative and interactive digital
screen content, formats and platforms
/ Development and production of
television drama pilots / Distribution
initiatives
To find out more about Scottish Screen
and the investment opportunities
available please visit
www.scottishscreen.com/funding.
Scottish Screen Locations offers a fast,
free and confidential locations finding
service, including a research service, an
image library of over 60,000 images,
locations breakdown for scripts, recce
support, and finding locations crew.
The national office and the regional film
offices around Scotland can provide a
wide range of support for your project.
For more information, email
locations@scottishscreen.com, or visit
www.scottishscreenlocations.com.
media antenna scotland
MEDIA Antenna Scotland is the office
for Scotland of the European Union’s
MEDIA Programme, based at Scottish
Screen. MEDIA encourages and
supports the European film, television
and new media industries with funding
in the following areas: Professional
training / Project development /
Distribution / Exhibition / Promotional
activities at markets and festivals
For more information visit the UK
MEDIA team’s website www.mediadesk.
co.uk, or email MEDIA Antenna
Scotland at Scotland@mediadesk.co.uk.

tha
nkYOU
to the following people who helped put this publication together:

made in scotland tV
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