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Save Pollok Park
(UK / 5 min / 2008)

A short film highlighting the urgency of preventing the beautiful North Wood of Glasgow’s Pollok Country Park from becoming a “Go Ape” theme park…

Looking Back…

Quite simply, after hearing that Glasgow City Council were proposing to grant
Adventure Forest Ltd a 21 year lease to develop a “Go Ape” theme park in the North wood of Pollok Country Park, Darroch felt compelled to do something about it.

 

   

Therefore, he set about filming various scenes of Pollok Park over a two day period.

On the first day he recorded ‘well known’ locations showing just why Pollok Park was voted “Britain’s Best Country Park” in 2007, and then “Europe’s Best Park” early in 2008.

On day two, he filmed scenes from the tranquil North Wood of Pollok Park, in order to show just what would be under threat if the “Go Ape” proposal goes ahead.

The film may be currently seen on www.youtube.com

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Second Moon On the Right
(Co-production with Inner Eye Interactive Films)
(Dir: Ken Rice / UK / 10 min / 2008)

A strange visitor has come to a dark Glasgow café bar with and agenda all of its own; the indigenous life-forms are oblivious to the visitor's motives and carry on with life as usual.
Starring: Robert McElwee, Kal Sabir, Louisa Thornton, Kevin Mains

Looking Back…

Having worked on several short films together, Darroch and Rice decided to collaborate on a psychological sci-fi with Darroch producing, and Rice writing, directing and editing.

Inspiration for the film’s story came about when Rice was visiting the Arches Theatre Bar in Glasgow, where Darroch was acting in another short film.

Impressed by the Arches unique design and layout, Rice soon got down to writing the screenplay where the location is, in effect, a character in its own right.

Filmed over three mornings, and edited over several months (with the director also creating the film’s soundscape), the result is an extremely atmospheric and thought provoking debut from Rice

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The Story of the Fenwick Weavers Co-operative
(Dir: Paul Darroch / UK / 10 min / 2008)

Local Fenwick weaver Thomas Barr meets a stranger in the Kings Arms one cold winter’s night in 1763, and soon goes on to explain how the world’s first worker’s co-operative was started two years earlier.

Starring: Robert McElwee, Eric Robertson, Vivien Taylor

Looking back…

In 2007, amateur historians John McFadzean and John Smith successfully changed the history books by proving that the village of Fenwick in North Ayrshire was the first place in the world to set up a worker’s co-operative.

Having met on Second Moon On the Right, actor Robert McElwee recommended Darroch to McFadzean and Smith to co-write, produce and direct a dramatisation about the origins the Fenwick Weavers Co-operative
in 1761.

Having only a month for pre-production, production and post-production (due to the film being the planned centre piece for a celebratory night in Fenwick Town Hall in mid March 2008), Darroch quickly set about co-writing the screenplay with John McFadzean.

Once the script was complete, an experienced cast and crew were recruited.

The film was also shot on a High Definition camera by experienced DOP Sean Walker, in order to provide the highest production standards possible.

The icing on the cake was incorporating pre-recorded fiddle music performed by musician Pete Clark, from the works of Robert Macintosh (an Ayrshire composer who lived at the very time in which the film is set).

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Pulling Teeth: Fully Crowned
(Dir: Paul Darroch / UK/Australia / 10 min / 2008)

5th Year Anniversary film cut of the Scottish-Australian black comedy from 2003.

Starring: Eric Jackson, Paul Darroch, Anne-Marie Feeney,
Angela Auld, Roslyn Toal, Matt Dykes, Earl Francis, George Pantelopoulos, Katrina Kiely, Natalie Vella.

Looking Back...

Being an editor in his own right for over three years, Darroch felt that the
time was right to re-visit Pulling Teeth, now that 5 years had passed since it was originally completed.

Although he was very happy with the way the original edit was structured, he felt that (like The Last Days of Joe McDonald and Call Back) the film was unnecessarily long to tell the story.

   

Furthermore, the original film never had an original musical score.

Therefore, once the film was trimmed down to an economical 10 mins,
he brought on board film composer Mark Rushbury, who created an exceptionally atmospheric and haunting score, which in turn gives both
a darker edge and greater sense of consistency to the film.

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The Big Ask Day of Action
(UK/ 3 min / 2008)

Friends of the Earth in Glasgow join campaigners from across the UK
on Saturday 5th April 2008 to call on politicians to pay urgent attention to international carbon emissions from aviation and shipping.
Looking Back...

Being an active member of Friends of the Earth (Scotland) for several months, Darroch employed his filmmaking skills by documenting Glasgow’s contribution to The Big Ask Day of Action.

   

Working with a small group of Friends of the Earth supporters with largely
no acting experience, the members were encouraged to “ask” the larger than life Gordon Brown impersonator questions about the Government’s new Climate Change Law, and why aviation and shipping emissions were exempt from it.

Once shot, the film was edited and ready for online distribution the following day, due to the urgency of the campaign.

The film may be currently seen on www.youtube.com

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Saving Iceland: Scottish Information Tour
(UK/ 6 min / 2008)

Saving Iceland is a direct action network dedicated to protecting the beautiful Icelandic wilderness from destruction.

In a recent visit to Glasgow as part of a Scottish Information Tour, Katie & Dan explain in more detail what the campaign is all about…

Looking Back...

Receiving an invitation from Saving Iceland to attend the Glasgow leg of their Scottish Tour, Darroch arranged to interview the presenters immediately before the talk.

Incorporating a mixture of text, photos, moving image and classical music,
the film highlights the urgent fact that Iceland’s natural beauty is now threatened by plans to dam and exploit all the major glacial rivers and geo-thermal zones.

Similar to previous environmental shorts, once the film was shot, it was edited and ready for distribution online over a period of a couple of days.
 
The film may be currently seen on www.youtube.com

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Contact:
If you are interested in finding out more about Oak Tree Productions’
future projects, then please email us at:

info@oaktreeproductions.co.uk