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| Pilton Video - hidden away in a small suburb of Edinburgh Photo: Max Crawford |
If you have an interest in the creative side of film, and if you happen to live in or near the Scottish capital, the chances are that you'll have heard about the Streetwise project, an opportunity to make a short film about the streets of Edinburgh. Prospective filmmakers need to make their pitches by this Friday (15th May), but will receive full support if they're successful, including equipment and assistance with production. Intrigued, we set out to visit Pilton Video, the organisation behind Streetwise, to find out about what they do.
Our first challenge was to find the place. Twenty minutes after we were supposed to be there we abandoned our pride and phoned for help. "We're beside a big red bridge." "Okay. Cross the road and you'll find some grass. There's a path. Go round the road and we're on the second block along."
Even then, we could have been forgiven for missing them. Tucked away behind a big leafy hedge in the middle of a housing estate is the door of number 30, with no sign beside it, just a peeling sticker on the entry buzzer. Invited in, we found ourselves in a fantastically decorated stairwell with cheerful pictures scrawled all over the walls. It turns out that Pilton Video own the whole building except for one flat, which is inhabited by an artist. There's a deceptive amount of space in here. Facilities manager Paul Chan gives us a tour.
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| The equipment stack Photo: Max Crawford |
Downstairs, he shows us the editing suites. They have both Windows and Mac-based systems so users can choose what suits them. They also provide training courses to help their clients develop editing skills from scratch. In one of the suites is John, a local guy who is putting together a short educational film about what it's like to be in prison, to show in schools. This is typical of the sort of community based project Pilton Video prioritises.
"I'm from the estate myself," says Paul, who is clearly passionate about the work he does here and the opportunities it has given him. He tells me about a client who started working with them after coming off heroin and whose love of filmmaking has helped him to stay clean. People of all ages come to work here, including kids. Trusted regulars are allowed to have sets of keys and use the facilities overnight. "Don't you worry about the equipment walking?" I ask. He shakes his head. "If it was anyone from around here, me and Graham would soon find out where it was." It's clear that they'd have a lot of help, too - Pilton Video is a treasured community resource.
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| Paul, hard at work in the editing suite |
Graham (Fitzpatrick) is the Drama Projects manager here, and the man behind Streetwise. He too is a local guy whose first encounter with Pilton Video came when he approached them to learn about filmmaking. I meet him and coordinator Joel Venet in one of the meeting rooms, where we have a cup of tea and talk about their work.
"People from round here don't have great prospects," Graham says. "They can have babies and get a house, sell something dodgily or get into other types of crime. When they come here they get to make their voices heard. It can really turn things around for them and that, for us, is what it's all about. Some of them have gone on to college or done other things with their lives. Andrea Harkin, who worked with us, even won a BAFTA. They don't all go on to film school or that sort of thing but, for us, success is about making a difference in their lives."
Joel agrees. He founded Pilton Video 26 years ago during a campaign to save local houses from demolition, and he's never looked back. His focus is on documentaries and he's keen to encourage people to take on new challenges and expand the limits of what they can do. This fits with what Paul has told me about how they've tried to stop using their studio space because they want to get their filmmakers more involved in outdoor work, "learning some real skills". Streetwise is expected to help with this.
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| Graham Fitzpatrick - Drama Projects Manager Photo: Max Crawford |
"We've run Streetwise once before and it was a big success," says Graham. "It attracted a wide range of people from local guys to film students. We're happy to work with anybody who comes here with ideas. We don't just get people who want to be actors or directors - we get a good balance of people."
Streetwise is also important in its aim to draw attention to creative work going on in Edinburgh. With most of the Scottish media based in Glasgow, getting involved in film can be tough for people here. "Edinburgh's the capital," says Graham, "and we've got the famous film festival, but there are not many opportunities for local involvement. We want to say to people that they can make a film too, and we're here to help."
If you want to find out more about Pilton Video and the work they do, visit their website To find out about the Streetwise project, visit this page.
