Oxfordshire, 18th October, 2006
I always wondered why Rupert got the giggles so badly today.
Just don’t mention Tom Bombadil …
Oxfordshire, 18th October, 2006
The next morning – this is what we wake up to. Photographically, mist is good and has served us well a couple of times on this film and especially today at the Rollrights.
Oxfrodshire, 17th October, 2006
The first night away on a four week trip through Wales and Ireland sees us camped up in the car park by the Rollright Stones. By now we’ve learned not to finalise the script until we’re on site. No matter how much research we’ve done (note Cope’s ‘Modern Antiquarian’
here, Rupert writes for tomorrow’s shoot.
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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I’m afraid there’s much that’s going to come all in a rush now as I’ve finally seem to have the time to attend to this blog.
Anyway, first thing to report is the wonderful success of Standing with Stones at its first public showing at the Chipping Norton Theatre in Oxfordshire – not a stones throw (forgive me!) from the Rollrights themselves. I’m happy to say that filling the theatre for the night proved not to be a problem and it really gives the lie to the notion that interest in megaliths and standing stones is a ‘niche’ subject. Most of the tickets – certainly the initial rush seemed to come from the newsletter of the theatre itself which certainly does not have a demographic bias towards stone freaks. Whatever the main source for getting the bums on seats on the actual night, it was gratifying that the theatre filled to its 213 seat capacity with very little effort on my part.
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Really excited because it’s the premiere of the film tomorrow at the Chipping Norton Theatre. Evening is a benefit for the Rollrights Trust – the organisation that looks after the Rollright Stones – and all proceeds go to them. Tickets are £10.00 each and available from the box office on 01608 642350. The theatre only has 213 seats and as of Thursday over 150 were sold. The lovely Kate (deputy theatre manager) reckoned that many folk would just turn up on the night – so if you want to come: BOOK RIGHT NOW!
