My name is Michael Bott (with the cap) and it has been my privilege to partner my pal Rupert Soskin (with the shades) in the making of an amazing and unique film, Standing with Stones.
I think I was about 10 years old when I first visited the Rollright Stones. I remember it was part of a day in which my parents were showing visiting relatives the countryside around where we lived. Why I should remember that visit and why it should have had such an impact on me, I don’t know. After all, what are the chances of a small clearing with a collection of grey and battered looking stones arranged in a circle registering on the consciousness of a boy of 10? I liked cars, planes, guns, Action Man. Perhaps it was the way it was presented to me, perhaps the tales of witchcraft brought it alive or maybe it was just my own imagination confronted with a real life enigma for the first time, but for some reason, the image held and 40 odd years later I found myself returned to those stones, in the privileged role of film maker, for the making of Standing with Stones.
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It is clear to see from internet postings alone, the numbers of people who are captivated by so many different aspects of prehistory and archaeology. The traces of our ancestors leave us with a sense of wonder and even though comparatively little is known about our ancient monuments, our feeling of connection to them runs very deep.
Whenever people hear about the film we have made, we’re always delighted to be met with a genuine enthusiasm for the subject. It is also fascinating to hear so many different opinions on the uses of the sites and the motives of our ancestors.
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