‘Power of cinema’ is celebrated by GFT staff member’s short film
AMEMBER of the Glasgow Film Theatre’s (GFT) cleaning team is hoping to submit his own short film to a number of festivals. Ross Woodhead, originally from Kelso but who has been based in Glasgow for 12 years, has produced a short film called In Motion which he says is a “celebration of cinema”.
Having originally worked in the care sector, Woodhead applied for a job at the GFT – a place he holds close to his heart. He explains one of his best memories is seeing the 20th anniversary of Ken Loach’s comingof-age drama Sweet Sixteen, with Martin Compston, at the cinema.
“Care work, as many people know can be quite tiring so I applied for a job at the GFT because it’s somewhere I’ve always come as a lover of films,” Woodhead told The National.
“It was a cleaning job but it was a way to get in the door and my main aim was to maybe try and work my way up through the different areas.”
Specifically, Woodhead explains he has a keen interest in projection and
ACCLAIMED authors Sir Alexander McCall Smith, Julia Donaldson, Jackie Kay, Damian Barr and Alan Windram are supporting a new initiative to inspire Scotland’s future literary greats – aged seven to 15.
The project will give children and young people the chance to appear alongside globally renowned authors at one of Scotland’s leading book festivals, and to win £250 worth of books for their school.
The Great Tapestry of Scotland’s 300 Words is a creative writing competition designed to continue the centre’s legacy for celebrating the people’s story of Scotland and engaging children and young people in the creative process.
The competition encourages children of all abilities from across the Borders to write their own fictional tale inspired by the intricate details within the tapestry. Winners will be revealed at a special event at the his latest film In Motion aims to capture the magic of that process.
He says it was inspired by watching Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on 70mm upon its release in the summer. “The GFT usually sells out these shows, Oppenheimer did anyway and I think we’re one of the only places where you can see films like that in Scotland,” Woodhead said.
“I wanted to capture some of that magic that goes on in the projection room. I was working with celluloid and when I went in to film the guys, there was so much beautiful motion and light moving around the room.
“Capturing those images passing through the light to make that film, I felt I wanted something that celebrated that form of cinema.
“It explores the light that hits the cinema screen and the light that goes into the viewers’ eyes.”
Although Woodhouse admits film projection is something of a “dying art,” he still says he believes this adds a new dimension for viewers.
He explained: “An important part of my life is the communal experience of watching a story unfold together and that’s what I’m trying to say with this film. I think people like the thought that there is something analogue going on behind them rather than someone just pressing play on a digital film.”
On the short film itself, Woodhouse says he is hopeful that once it’s gone through some final touches that he can submit it to some short film festivals.
There’s even the possibility he might be able to see it in his beloved GFT.
“I’ll be submitting it to festivals. My friend is an audio engineer so he’s doing a sound mix and as soon as that’s finished we can look at getting submissions sorted,” he explains.
“The programmer here also told me there is an avenue for it to be shown here. I really just want for it to travel a bit and have a life because it’s really all about celebrating cinema.”
Borders Book Festival in June. Their stories will also be displayed in The Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre in Galashiels and, thanks to the Borders Railway Community Partnership, three lucky winners will receive tokens worth £250 to spend on books for their school.
Launching a call for entries, centre director Sandy Maxwell-Forbes said: “With Scotland’s outstanding literary heritage at our roots, visually compelling storytelling at our heart and one of the world’s longest tapestries just bursting with inspiration in our centre, we are thrilled to launch our first-ever 300 Words competition for children.
“The Tapestry provides a fantastic creative muse for children and young people. We’re very excited to read the wonderful works of fiction that it inspires Scotland’s future literary stars to write and look forward to hosting a special event for to celebrate the winners at the brilliant Borders Book Festival.”