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Cinema for Thurso Campaign | The filming wing | Productions | Thurso as a location | How we operate | Contact

Cinema for Thurso Campaign

Cinema For Thurso Group was established in 1984, a year after our local cinema closed, as a campaign to fight for the return of cinema to our town. Originally the "Cinema For Thurso Campaign", we were successful in attracting a bi-weekly visit from a mobile cinema called The Moving Picture Show. It was very successful and so we continued to fight for a permanent screen and in 1992 an approach was made to a local company with a copy of our petition (containing over 2000 names) with viability figures for a two-screen complex.

Today Thurso now has a two-screen cinema thanks to that approach.

The filming wing

In 1985 we formed our filming wing under the name of Picture House Films to continue the use of the old cinema's name. The logo for the filming wing of CFT Group retaining the name of Thursos' old cinema. Primarily working in topical filming our aim has been to expand in our use of SUPER 8MM.

 

Today topical filming is now done on MiniDV format but Super 8mm remains the main interest in our works. With the advance of technology over the last 20 years every facility we have has moved with the times but we not left old equipment behind- we don't believe in binning things just because they are old. There is a strong emphasis on using old and new technologies together to achieve the aims of a production.

In filming, whether on film or video, all material is photographed in Panascreen format with 2x Anamorphic lenses. This has been made possible with advances in video projection meaning that video could be formatted the same as film. CFT Group owns all it's camera, projection and sound equipment.

Productions

In 1997 we got down to our first story film called "Confusion" and not surprisingly it remains unfinished but recent advances mean that we will be coming back to it in a bid to finish it. We have enough outtake material to play with to create the shots required for the final edit.

Three other films have been shot since then, "Aimster", "The Mongoose Grip" and "Crux Of The Oxon".

A scene from "The Bilbster Adventure"- Grant (left) waits despairingly as Levack (right) calls the fairy folk.

 In production now is "The Bilbster Adventure" (left) which will form part of a package feature including several other stories explored through the language of music. Our biggest advance to enable the story to be filmed has been with special effects. "Bilbster" is about a man who believes in fairies and his friend who believesnothing of the sort (below). Traditional techniques were simply not good enough as they don't meet the expectations of todays' audience even in the amateur field.

In December 2002 we played with an idea that had been hanging around for some time- we did a test composite and then another and then decided we could do anything. More on that in the future. The sample shown here is a section of composted film and the secret of how it was done (not to mention how affordable it is) will be revealed soon.

Right: A sample of composted film from "The Bilbster Adventure"- a fairy sprite with glowing blue eyes about to spread fire through the forest.

Thurso as a location 

Thurso is the UK's north-most town on the mainland with a population of 14 500 and a total catchments of 45 000, it is the largest town in the Highland region of Scotland. It is a growth area surrounded by an amazing diversity in landscape. Thurso is bright, clean and modern yet a traditional Scottish town. A bit small to offer the same as a city in leisure pursuits but we do have Tenpin Bowling, Cinema, Theatre, hotels, restaurants and various sporting act ivies including Surfing for which the town is world famous for it's break at Thurso East which attracts surfers from all over. There have been several international competitions held there too.

To the west side of town is the local port of Scrabster (port of Thurso) which is a busy harbour and fastest growing port in the UK. Soon to be seen here are cruse liners on call as well as the regular ferry for Orkney.

The various buildings in the town transcend the centuries from Medieval to the modern day, everything from ancient castles to a lithium battery factory. Thurso has been alikened in appearance to Edinburgh but can also serve as a provincial American town or offer locations suitable for the heart of a city.

In a ten mile radius there are ancient historic sites, crofts, farms, meadows, forests of traditional or plantation, dunes, moors, mountains, beaches, rivers, villages and much more which can serve in many ways for film needs.

From the Thurso shore you can see the Old Man O' Hoy on the Orkney Islands and at night there are spectacular stars and moon skies with displays of the Northern lights. In daytime our area gets more sunshine than the rest of the UK even in winter (due to fairly consistent breeze which keeps the clouds broken or clear). The weather is never like you see it on the forecast, we enjoy mild conditions most of the year and winter is short with plenty sunshine all year and a brilliance of light much sought after by artist, photographer or film maker.

How we operate 

Cinema For Thurso Group is a non-member group where all persons come on board in a purely voluntary basis with a contribution to make and generally has around ten people at any giving time. Anything from acting to providing a car to locations is welcome. There is no membership fee and we only ask one thing if you get involved- STAY INVOLVED UNTIL THE PICTURE HAS FINISHED FILMING. After that it's up to you. Cinema For Thurso is not responsible for and will not be held liable for it's contributors. (Full details can be had by email).

Performances and or contributions reaching a filmed medium are held as the copyright property of Cinema For Thurso Group. (Contributors of artwork, works or props retain the right to use their works elsewhere without control or authorisation from CFT excepting that it does not recreate an image produced for film by CFT or Picture House Films)

We are interested in any contribution, a story idea, technical suggestions or assistance, actors (desperate for actors), transport, costumes and make-up, model makers or even one drawing that might look good in a film.

Cinema For Thurso is an IAC member and provides information to both amateur and professional producers without fee (we reserve the right to refuse information under some circumstances). We can be contacted directly by email or through the Highlands & Islands Film Commission in Inverness.

Cinema For Thurso is also represented on the board of directors of Caithness Arts. 

Contact 

  Email