Filmmaker’s boost for spoof comedy
Tweet claimed heart-throb actor Hardy was on island
Social media on Arran went into meltdown last weekend after a claim Hollywood heart-throb Tom Hardy was on the island.
A tweet to promote a short film by Arran filmmakers Utter Nonsense Films went viral after they posted a spoof message supposedly from the London born film star.
The message on Twitter read: ‘Just arrived on Arran. This could be the world’s most beautiful island. Checked into Lagg ahead of tomorrow’s shoot. I can’t wait to walk my dogs here.’ The tweet was immediately shared more than 7,000 times.
Eric Dunn, one of the filmmakers along with Scott Clark, said: ‘I posted the tweet on Thursday evening and by Friday morning it was being talked about all over the world. It’s good publicity for Arran.’
As news spread among Tom Hardy’s legion of fans, many took to social media to establish if the news was true and they inundated CalMac with booking enquiries to visit Arran and meet the film star. The Lagg Hotel also received phone calls but they had to break the news to disappointed fans that the tweet was a spoof. So far the original tweet has been viewed more than 602,000 times, shared 17,000 times, liked by 3,400 people and has received more than 5,500 comments. It has also been mentioned in various newspapers and continues to be circulated and discussed online.
Riding on a wave of popularity the short comedy film, Tom Hardy was on Arran,
was released on Saturday and features Arran charity fundraiser Davy Ballantyne as well as filmmakers Scott and Eric. Filming was undertaken by Colin Ribbeck and the idea for the film was from 14-year-old Cameron Clark.
Utter Nonsense Films regularly meets at its production office, also known as the Ormidale Hotel in Brodick. The next meeting is on Tuesday May 16 at 7pm and anyone with an interest in film-making is invited to attend.