See South Scotland

Client: Visit Scotland

Trying to portray a pleasant summer’s day when you’re filming in the middle of February with Storm Ciara fast approaching was, to say the least, a bit of a challenge.

Following a successful campaign in 2018, The Chase Films were again approached by Visit Scotland to create a new TV ad series, to explore some of the immersive and unique experiences found in the Scottish lowlands.

Across three 30-second commercials, ‘See South Scotland’ takes a journey across the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway. Highlighting a multitude of activities and experiences available in the region, including a stunning distillery in Hawick, a chocolate boutique in Peebles, painting classes in Kirkcudbright, mountain biking in Kirroughtree forest and much more.

The back-to-back schedule of filming in eleven locations over five days in mid-winter took a lot of considered & detailed planning by our resident production team. However, as with any film shoot, the ability to be agile and flexible when challenges arise was absolutely necessary in contributing to the success of this production.

Director Mitch Walker explains: "In the final days before the shoot the threat of the imminent arrival of Storm Ciara forced a last minute change to our schedule. The addition of an extra shoot day to film the sequences of the rib in action and the fisherman landing his catch at St Abb’s meant we had the most weather (and tide) dependant scenes 'in the can' by the end of day one. However, the rescheduling inevitably had a knock-on effect, and everything had to be changed as a result."

A complete reorganisation was required for the other ten filming locations, our featured ‘ambassadors’, supporting artists, costume and art department. It takes quick thinking and a calm approach to keep all the balls rolling in production, even more so when they change direction at the last minute.

Nevertheless, the team worked tirelessly to make sure the shoot ran smoothly despite fighting with the elements. The shoot was action packed, which coincided well with the adventurous nature we were looking to capture.