Brit Rock Film Tour puts UK adventure in the frame
ALASTAIR Lee has a mission — to get British climbing on the big screen.
There already succssful tours of climbing films shown in cinemas and theatres throughout the UK, but most of these look to North America for their content.
Lee plans on putting British climbing an adventure talent in the frame with the first Brit Rock Film Tour.
"I’ve always felt there is a gap in the market for something from a UK perspective, something that celebrated the rock, mountains, landscape, but also the people we have in this country," the Yorkshire based filmmaker explained.
Judging from the response to Brit Rock Film Tour’s first year, there are plenty of others in the UK climbing community who feel the same.
"It’s gone really well," Lee added.
"It’s done as well as it has with pretty much no marketing budget, just through word of mouth, but if we can get some proper funding behind it, I don’t see why it can’t be much bigger than it already is."
He also hopes next year’s tour will attract some more filmmakers. Of the four main films in this year’s tour, three are directed by Lee.
"A friend did say last year: ‘You realise that when you organise a film tour, you don’t have to make all the films?’" he laughed.
"There is one film in the tour I didn’t make, and that’s by a Glasgow-based filmmaker, Jen Randal, which is a really good addition to the programme, but making three half-hour films on your own is really hard, and, of course, manage and promote the tour. It was a big ask and I know I couldn’t pull it off every year."
However, he admits that there might also be an issue in sourcing quality climbing films from the UK.
"You can draw parallels with music and photography with the availability of technology. Lots of people have a go, but no matter how accessible cameras become, filmmaking will always essentially be quite hard," he said.
"It’s a big thing to learn. It’s not just about learning to use a camera or edit. There are so many skills, it’s going to take time before you think about being professional.
"There have never been so many adventure films on the internet, but I need to offer something that is of a standard that you won’t see on YouTube for free. I do get sent a lot of showreels, but it’s not as if I’m drowning in quality. Having good quality cinematography does not equate to a good story."
Lee himself was a climber before he became a filmmaker, beginning by taking photographs of his travels, and then adding video clips to his slide-shows.
His films this year include Stone Free, where he follows Aberdeen-shire climber Julian Lines across the Highlands.
"He is probably the best free climber in the country, but the thing about him is that he is a very quiet, considerate and reserved person," Lee said.
"You see these people climbing without ropes and think they must be crazy, but he doesn’t fit those preconceptions at all.
"The other thing about the film is that we went to some of the most amazing places in Scotland — the Cairngorms, the Isle of Skye, Lewis, Glen Nevis. It will be a big hit with the Scottish audience."
Also on the bill is a film about fell runner Steve Birkinshaw, another quiet and unassuming figure, and his attempt to run across the 214 Wainwright summits in the Lake District in under a week and another showing mountain biker and stuntman Rob Jarman’s fight back to recovery after suffering a serious crash while filming in the Dolomites.
There is also some comedy in a spoof or adventure filmmaking and another short that is "darker, weirder and more thought provoking" according to Lee.
"I think it’s healthy to put something like that in there to shake up the audience because the main features deliver what they paid their ticket for," he said.
The fourth film, Project Mina, looks at the life of top competition climber Mina Leslie-Wujastyk, as seen by Jen Randal.
"Because it’s made by a woman as well, you get something different from the film I would have made and again it adds a different dynamic to the line up," Lee added.
However, for all the daredevil moments in the films, Lee’s own favourite sequence is rather different.
"The end of the fell run. It starts and finishes at the Moot Hall in Keswick and when I filmed Steve coming into the village, there was a crowd of a few hundred people there and everyone going absolutely berserk," he said.
"It was really special to be there and capture it. I came away from filming that evening thinking: you’re not going to beat that."
• The Brit Rock Film Tour comes to Eden Court Theatre in Inverness at 8pm on Saturday 10th January.
The main films are:
Wainwrights Record Attempt — Fell runner Steve Birkinshaw attempts to break Joss Naylor’s 27 year old record by linking up all 214 Lakeland Wainwright summits in under seven days.
Stone Free — A portrait of British free climber Julian Lines.
All My Own Stunts — Yorkshireman Rob Jarman is a downhill mountain bike specialist and professional stuntman. This film tells the story of a near fatal accident and his road to recovery.
Project Mina — A look at the moments between the top-outs and success, following Great Britain climber Mina Leslie-Wujastyk during the 2013 competition season. Filmed by the talented Jen Randal.
