1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I’ve not had a conventional path into the creative industry - I never studied films but I have always loved reading - so, in a sense, I’ve always had an interest in creating and telling stories.  My work initially started out on developing narratives and stories for brands and record labels around a specific product. I work with a few friends under the name  ‘Shift productions’, and for the past couple of years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with brands like Nike, The North Face and Sony music on some really great projects. 

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

It started in February/March of 2020, with a conversation with my brother, Koen, around spending more time outside. We both had fond memories of spending time with our parents outside, and that seemed more apparent than ever during the start of lockdown. During these conversations, we both joked about always getting weird looks or sensing a lack of friendliness that seemed to be reserved for others. We recognised that it wasn’t just us who had experienced this, having spoken to friends and our dad. 

It was at this point we decided we wanted to create a project that would highlight the beauty of the Lake District, a place we had fond memories of as children, as well as helping normalise black individuals in this space. So everything from the design of the product and graphics, to the story and film references took lead from those two points. 

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?

The biggest challenge was having to do it on a budget - the project was entirely self-funded, and everybody who took part took the bare minimum to make it happen. The little funding we had meant that we had to sacrifice shots and locations we wanted to use because we didn’t have the tools available to us to do so.

The easiest part was working with everyone - they’re all good friends who went above and beyond to help make this project what it was.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I recently watched Lynne Ramsay’s ‘Ratcatcher’, a sort of coming-of-age film about a young boy growing up in Glasgow. I won’t say too much about for fear of ruining it, but I really enjoyed the director's approach to the genre, what is usually quite light and comic, but instead telling it through a lens of realism that is far closer rooted in the reality than one of idealism. It can be quite dark in places, but I think that’s what makes the film incredible.

5) What’s next for you?

We’re working on the next project for Last Pick which has similar themes as The Great Outdoors but takes a different approach. We’re going to hopefully be able to invest more in the visuals for this project which will hopefully go some way to realise some of our crazy ideas! We’re also working on a charitable project around participation sports, which I’m hoping we can begin shooting once lockdown measures lift!

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https://vimeo.com/user99714612 | IG: @Taylerprincefraser