In Conclusion... Roll the Credits!

Overall, I find that the film scene in Glasgow is a lot more popular than I initially expected it to be. Admittedly, I watch a lot of Hollywood produced blockbusters with the occasional independent indie movie here and there but I've never really taken the time to properly investigate homegrown movies such as the ones mentioned on this blog.

As well as movies, there are many actors that I completely forgot were Glaswegian. I like to think that my James McAvoy situation has been made pretty clear from my posts on here but I do often forget that actors such as Robert Carlyle and Billy Boyd, who I'm so used to seeing in media that is not Scottish based, are actually from Glasgow.

It seems almost surreal to think of them in this way which makes me rethink my evaluation of the Glasgow film scene not being as big as I thought it was when it clearly has a lot to offer. It has diversity, infinite talent and shows signs of only improving, especially with the new complex opening in 2017.

In conclusion, through my research in which I've studied the Glasgow film scene, I like to think I've learned a lot about it and been able to change my view on it in order to appreciate it more.

World War Z in Glasgow

So, you know that Brad Pitt movie about zombies and epidemics and the army not being able to fend any threat off like always? It's called World War Z, right? I first remember hearing about this movie when everyone was discussing the fact that scenes were being shot in Scotland. Brad Pitt was going to get his vaccines and come to the scary streets of Glasgow for a film?

I'll admit, I was surprised. Also, at first I was confused about the genre of this movie. Zombies? In Glasgow? Did this mean they were finally making a movie about a typical Saturday night out in the West End? It turns out I was wrong though as the movie is actually set in Philadelphia but for reasons that still puzzle me to this day, they chose to shoot a scene in George Square.

So, here we have a picture of the production team shooting the movie with a lorry crash bang smack in the middle. The setting would probably be easily recognisable to anyone that is a native of Glasgow or Scotland but for someone who hasn't ever visited the city and is watching the movie, I suppose they could be fooled into thinking that it was shot in Philadelphia.

...So long as they sort out the registration plates on the cars. That could be a rookie error.

Och Aye, Haggis, Tartan and Redheads

It’s quite obvious that the rest of the world have quite a stereotypical view of Scotland and Scottish people, right? We’re all supposed to wear kilts, eat haggis and have ginger hair, right? I can honestly say that I don’t fit that criteria at all but that doesn’t mean the stereotype had diminished in anyway, even in today’s media with a number of Scottish characters in today’s media seem to hold a number of these stereotypical traits.

First up, we have Amy Pond in Doctor Who played by Scottish actress Karen Gillan so although it’s a relief to not be subject to an English or (God forbid) American actress try and stumble her way through words in Scottish dialect, Amy Pond does display a number of typically Scottish characteristics. First of all, she’s a redhead. Strike 1. Second of all, she’s fiery and hot-tempered and although some may say that is a stereotype of being a redhead, Scottish people are rarely known for their patient nature but rather their bold and brash personalities just like Amy’s. Strike 2. And finally, this girl knows how to pack a punch, just like most of the natives of Glasgow seem to. Strike 3! While she doesn’t wear a kilt, that’s already been covered by another Scottish companion long before the days of colour TV that went by the name of Jamie McCrimmon.

          Next up, we have a personal favourite of mine which is Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott from the Star Trek franchise. He was first portrayed by James Doohan in the original series before being played by Simon Pegg in the reboot. Scotty was not originally Scottish and his nationality was chosen by Doohan himself when upon learning his character was an engineer, he figured that Scottish people would make good engineers. Whatever gave him that idea, I don’t know. I guess this is just another stereotype that the rest of the world hold for us. With a reference once being made about Scotty being a pub crawler, I figured that he’s a character who can hold his alcohol which fits into yet another popular Scottish stereotype.

           Although not a frequent viewer of The Simpsons I know who Groundskeeper Willie is, the angry school janitor with ginger hair, a knack for playing bagpipes, a penchant for tartan and the worst temper known to man? Honestly, need I say more?

          Finally we have red-haired princess Merida from Disney Pixar’s Brave. Set in Scotland, the movie tells the tale of Merida’s quest for her own freedom (no Braveheart jokes, please). She’s a sarcastic, unladylike archer who claims that she does not need a man to define her. Now, if this does happen to be a Scottish stereotype, then for once it’s one that I can fully support!

Cineworld, The Winter Soldier and the Mystery of D-Box

Having already posted an entry about my experience at the Grosvenor Cinema, I thought it would be a good idea to even it out and also talk about my experience at the less independent, multiplex cinema ‘Cineworld’ in Renfrew Street. Now, as a local of Falkirk I have little experience with this cinema and normally would not choose to go to it, choosing instead to go to my own local Cineworld instead but, seeing as this cinema promised a bigger screen viewing of Captain America: The Winter Soldier complete with Chris Evans’ muscles in high definition, I figured why the heck not?

This particular cinema is supposed to be the tallest cinema in the world and that isn’t hard to believe. After buying my tickets and getting told I was in screen 14, so began my journey up about twenty different escalators.  Believe me, when they say your screen is on the fourth floor, they really mean the eighth floor.

Now the fact that Cineworld food and drink is ridiculously overpriced isn’t lost on me but I worked up a thirst on those escalators, okay? Besides, I am a lot more willing to pay £3.00 for a bottle of water when I get 25% off it thanks to my handy Premium Unlimited Cineworld card, a gift to students everywhere. This investment costs only £16 month and allows you to see as many movies as you want without paying extra which as a frequent cinema goer myself, comes in very handy.

So after accepting my fate and handing over the money needed, I walked towards the screen only to be asked “Do you have a D-Box seat?” A what seat? My obvious confusion was answer enough and I was told to sit in any seat I wanted—as long as it wasn’t a red seat which, as it turned out, was the colour of the mysterious D-Box seats.

After a quick Google search on my phone (completely frowned upon when you’re in the middle of the cinema, I know) I found out that these D-Box seats are just the latest advancement in cinematic technology. They move with the action of the film, a real 4D experience. Given that this Captain America sequel was filled with action (and muscles, can’t forget the muscles) the people sitting in the D-Box seat must surely be getting whiplash from all the moving around, no? 

Apparently that wasn’t the case as after asking one person how their D-Box experience was after the film, the answer I got was ‘a waste of money’. As someone who already feels this way about most 3D movies with few exceptions (shout out to James Cameron’s Avatar) I wasn’t all that surprised. When will whoever is responsible for these ‘improvements’ realise that we can experience a movie just fine without all this extra dimensional nonsense? It seems like all multiplex cinemas fall victim to these advancements sooner or later which makes me appreciate the independent vibe of the Grosvenor that little bit more which, in my eyes, makes it the frontrunner in the admittedly non-existent competition for the best cinema Glasgow has to offer.

Starring James McAvoy...

As I’ve already mentioned before, my favourite Glaswegian actor is definitely James McAvoy. I mean, have you see those eyes. Oh, and his talent too, I guess.

My favourite roles that he has played range from car thief to telekinetic mutant and are listed below:

• Professor Charlie Xavier (X-Men: First Class): When I was first introduced to Professor X, I was a kid who only saw him as a bald guy in a wheelchair that had some sort of super power. The cartoon version of him did little to hold my attention until Sir Patrick Stewart came along and changed that for me but it wasn't until James McAvoy came along and took on the role of a younger Professor Xavier in X-Men: First Class that I became captivated by the character. He was funny, he was interesting, he was Magneto's best friend and, shocker he had hair! Wait, what?
• Mr Tumnus (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe): So if I were to say to someone that I was a little bit in love with a faun, which just so happens to be a half-man, half-goat (wrapped in a nice woollen scarf in this case), I'd get some weird looks. However, anyone who has seen this movie knows all about Mr Tumnus and how he totally could have handed Lucy over to the Evil Witch but, like, totally didn't because he's super cute and stuff.
• Private James Miller (Band of Brothers): Okay, so he was only in one episode but he made that episode. His character was cute, sweet interesting but for the love of all that is good (spoiler alert) why did he have to die?
• Steve McBride (Shameless): I've always made it clear that I prefer the US remake of Shameless to the original one but if there is one thing I prefer about the UK version, it's Steve. In this version, he isn't a liar who is just begging for a punch to the face. Instead, he's actually rather likable. Does my opinion have anything to do with the actor that plays him? Well... possibly.
• Johnny/Max/Whatever his name is (Penelope): It's hardly an outstanding cinematic gem but I love this film. Combining the real world with the classic fairytale genre, McAvoy is the actor of the unconventional prince who is supposed to be destined to break the curse of pig-like Penelope. In the end, she ends up breaking the curse herself so, in all honesty, Johnny/Max is kind of an irrelevant character. He's good eye candy though so we can't complain.

So there you have it, a few of my favourite James McAvoy roles. While this whole post does include a rather shallow views which are really just my opinion on his face, I honestly do think McAvoy is an outstanding actor who takes on a number of diverse roles which is only proved by my list above.

Best of the Bróg

With Scotland being as far from sunny, star studded Hollywood as you can possibly get, it often comes as a surprise when we’re reminded of the amount of Scottish actors who have made it big in the acting world. With a number of Glasgow born actors and actresses slowly but surely making a name for themselves overseas in movies, I figured it would be a good idea to list a few of my favourites.

First off I should probably talk about my favourite Scottish actor which is undeniably James McAvoy. Whether he’s playing a faun from Narnia, a young Professor X with hair or a foul-mouth police officer in 2013 hit Filth, the guy always pulls it out of the bag. He’s diverse, talented and not exactly hard to look at either.

The 11-year-old in me would never forgive myself if I didn’t add John Barrowman to this list. First brought to my attention when he played Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and the spin-off Torchwood, I was unaware that he was born in Scotland but—given the accent—who would think that? However, he was indeed born in Glasgow before being raised in Illinois but given that he’s somewhat of a household name now, we like to always remind people that we had him first. 

With more Scottish actors than actresses making it big these days, I felt that it was important to add Kelly MacDonald to this list, a Glasgow born actress who has since made herself known through films such as Trainspotting, No Country For Old Men and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, even providing a voice for Merida, a rather unconventional Disney princess who is the lead character in 2012 hit Brave.

Probably most well known for his roles in Trainspotting and The Full Monty, Robert Carlyle is another actor that I had to add to my list, simply because he just so happens to star in one of my favourite TV shows Once Upon a Time where he plays sometimes-good-guy-sometimes-bad-guy Rumplestiltskin. The show is produced by American company ABC and stars a broad range of American actors but among these re English actors, Australian actors and Kiwi actors as well as our very own Robert who holds the banner for Scotland. 

Next up we have Peter Capaldi, probably most well known for his upcoming role as the 12^th Doctor in Doctor Who. Really though, if you’ve missed this vital piece of information, where on earth have you been recently? Also born in Glasgow, the actor has appeared in other movies and TV shows such as The Thick of It, In the Loop and The Fifth Estate.

Finally, my list would be incomplete if I didn’t include my most favourite Hobbit Billy Boyd. I’ll admit, I’ve only ever seen him in The Lord of Rings but given that his role as the perpetually hungry and mischievous Hobbit Peregrin Took is a scene stealer, does it really matter?

Grosvenor Cinema, Ashton Lane

Upon visiting the Grosvenor Cinema in Ashton Lane, Glasgow recently I was able to draw up comparisons between independent cinemas like the Grosvenor compared with well known multiplex cinema industries such as Cineworld.

First off, I would like to point out that I had never heard of the Grosvenor Cinema before until it was mentioned by my friends yet I’m a frequent visitor to Cineworld cinemas and so I was a little worried about the fact that I, as a film student, hadn’t heard of the Grosvenor. It made me a little hesitant to go as I had no idea what was so special about this cinema. Could it really be any better than a high-tech multiplex with rows and rows of seating and, admittedly, overpriced popcorn?

The answer is yes.

Upon first seeing the Grosvenor, my first thought was that it couldn’t look any less like the cinemas I was used to. There were no flashy signs, no neon lights and it was clear to see that the building was old and although modernised over the years, it had stayed true to its ‘old-fashioned’ roots.

The exterior was only one of the differences between the Grosvenor and other multiplex cinemas. As well as that there was the interior which included a modest foyer, a small café and confectionary which only added to the old-fashioned feel of the place with glass Coca-Cola bottles and classic popcorn cartons which didn’t have any sort of branding like Cineworld ones do.

The movie I went to see was Dallas Buyers Club and was given a designated seating. Now, the seating inside the Grosvenor is very important as never before had I seen leather armchair style seats in a cinema before, as well as sofas that were available to customers. I couldn’t help but feel that it gave the place a much more personal touch and made it easy to enjoy my cinematic experience.

Glasgow Film Festival

The Glasgow Film Festival is an important part of film culture in Scotland it's probably the most popular as well. It brings a range of different culture to Glasgow with independent movies being made seemingly here, there and everywhere an providing filmmakers with the opportunity to find a platform for themselves to hopefully get noticed for their talents.

Although unable to attend this year due to other commitments such as uni work and, well, work, I did look up the festival to see what was on offer and saw that not only did it have other festivals within it directed at a specific target audience such as the Youth Film Festival which was for younger filmmakers and movie fans.

As well as these extra festivals, the Apple Store in Buchanan Street offered a workshop to inform those who attended how to make movies on their iPads and iPhones. Still very disappointed that I could not go, I do plan on going to this festival next year, probably with my iPhone in tow.

Film complex opening in Scotland

It was recently announced that plans for Scotland's first major film studio were being made. The complex would provide filmmakers with a studio for shooting movies, not unlike Pinewood studios in England and Titanic Studios in Belfast. The complex would be due to open in 2017 which for me, as someone who aspires to work in the film industry, is an exciting prospect as it could mean new job opportunities.

The studio would bring more revenue to Scotland as filmmakers would want to set up shop there for new movies as Scotland as a whole is hardly an unpopular place to set movies with recent successes like Filth, Sunshine on Leith and the upcoming Under the Skin. However, despite these successes, Scotland still isn't the main source of exports for films so our own film complex and studio could get us on the right path for becoming more well known in the world of movie magic. We'll hardly be on par with Hollywood but there will be a lot more opportunities for filming in Scotland.

While our picturesque landscapes have served as the backdrop for a number of movies and TV shows, we don't have a lot to offer studio wise. Sure, the burgh of Doune was used for the setting of Winterfell in HBO's Game of Thrones but shooting eventually moved to Ireland soon after (before I even got a chance to meet the lovely Richard Madden, I might add).

Should this plan be put into motion the studio is set to be open in 2017 at the Pacific Quay area (pictured below), near the headquarters of BBC Scotland.

Bringing Hollywood to Glasgow

While some may think that Hollywood and Glasgow are poles apart, there are film makers out there who seek the sometimes dull, sometimes dangerous ‘appeal’ of Glasgow in order to make movies and because of this, a number of movies have been set in the city, a few of which are listed below:

• NEDS: Probably one of the most popular Glaswegian movies, NEDS follows a group of street youths in their daily lives in Glasgow with the movie providing itself as a sort of analysis on the stigmatised group of young people in Scotland.
• Sweet Sixteen: Yet another movie which attempts to derail the stereotype of a typical Glasgow ‘ned’, this movie was filmed in 2002 and is described to be a powerful coming of age drama. One thing that should be noted about this movie is that it even has English subtitles for people who can’t understand the Glaswegian accent properly.
• Doomsday: Definitely not a typical Glasgow-based movie, this dystopian film portrays a bleak and abandoned, seemingly post-apocalyptic Glasgow. Although the movie depicts Glasgow as a ruined city, there are still some familiar locations in the movie that locals will recognise right away.
• Not Another Happy Ending: Not really a 'gritty' movie but it is set in Glasgow. Starring three favourites actors of mine Iain de Caestecker, Karen Gillan and Freya Mavor, it's more of a light hearted romcom than anything but it was mostly shot in Glasgow's Merchant City.