With a desire to tell stories, explore people, places and communicate passion, local filmmakers SlingShot films advocate the power of working with like-minded creatives to bring a vision to life. The premise behind their latest personal project, “Gold Dust”, came from the desire to explore the notion of skateboarding. With a particular interest in the visual impact of the sport, Mark Errington and his team worked alongside local photographer, Andy Le Gresley, to capture the colours, explosive movements and precise details that occur in the sport, but can often go unnoticed.
Through incorporating highly-saturated powered paint, the creative team were able to capture the sheer power and precision associated with skateboarding.
“We ended up with something far more visually impressive than we imagined,’’ says Mark, “the setting was incredibly important to us; we wanted to incorporate Jersey’s incredible coastline and juxtapose it with the traditional urban visuals of skate culture for a really impactful end result.”
For Mark, the collaboration with like-minded individuals to bring these types of projects to life is of paramount importance. Prior to filming, the team were introduced to local skateboarder and advocate for the Jersey Skateparks Association (JSA), Dillon Catney. Dillon later introduced the team to another JSA member, Eddie, who helped give further substance to the project in providing their ideas and helping translate the message of the JSA to the film.
“Collaborating with other creatives is very important for us. When you bring together different people with a variety of skill sets, it helps give more dimension to a project. We really thrive from working with other creatives who are equally keen and as ambitious as we are. For ‘Gold Dust’ in particular, the collaborations we had really enhanced the end result.”
No stranger to working closely alongside individuals from other creative industries, Mark advocates collaboration over competition as a means of professional growth.
“Having a good working environment on a set so as to share ideas is always beneficial, as it keeps you inspired and pushes you out of your comfort zone. In our experience, surrounding yourself with equally ambitious and creative-minded individuals can only lead to great things.”
There’s no question that there’s no lack of creative talent on our island, but with the finance industry continuing to have such dominance over local graduates and school-leavers, Mark believes that more should be done to educate students on the availability of creative careers.
“We live in a time where people communicate in a much more visual way, whether that be through videography, photography, design, or any kind of visual medium. Even though I think Jersey’s creative landscape is definitely growing, I do think there need to be more opportunities for students and graduates looking to go into the creative sector.
There’s a lot to be learned from both training and working for bigger production companies – if this means working with off-island businesses to further young people’s knowledge and experience, it would benefit not just the individual, but the island’s creative sector as a whole. For me, working for both the BBC and the Olympic games in Rio gave me a real insight into the industry that you just don’t get to see on the island.”
Not only with the hope of seeing growth in our island’s creative industry, Mark hopes his business will be a catalyst for both his personal and professional growth.
“I want to see SlingShot become part of the bigger picture. We constantly strive to work with new and exciting brands, both on and off-island, to further develop our expertise and test our creativity in new ways. The realm of video is an ever-changing industry and one that we are constantly excited by. Personal projects such as ‘Gold Dust’ are hugely important for is, as it allows us to be ambitious with our ideas, help further develop our skill set, whilst being inspired and building strong working relationships with equally ambitious creatives”
To find out more, visit www.slingshotfilms.co.uk
