Whoever said film-making was glamorous got it wrong, or so you’d believe if you’d been on set of the Eskleyside Film Project. In harsh weather conditions, knee-high mud and freezing rain, nearly 150 locals took part in the making of Shroves, the darkly satirical tale of how a community of hill-farmers learns to deal with the aftermath of the Foot and Mouth crisis.

The 12 minute film is the result of an LHI funded community project involving two groups within one rural community: traditional farming families on one hand, and incomers to the Eskleyside valley – commuters, retirees and holiday home owners. The film was written, filmed, and produced in 2002 by the community following the Foot and Mouth crisis. They were helped by independent film producers, The Rural Media Company. So what’s the film about? "The story centres on the community’s traditional carnival celebrations on Shrove Tuesday, and what happens when outside influences threaten to alter their traditional way of life." says Melanie Williams, a local farmer’s wife who worked as Shroves’ location manager. “The film helped bond the community together and allowed people to show their hidden talents.”

Uncovering hidden talents
The film in fact gave the volunteers the opportunity to uncover a host of hidden talents such as scriptwriting, prop-making and location management. Locals were invited to get involved with workshops held in village pubs where they tackled everything from casting to location finding and other film production skills. Others turned their hand to costume making, lighting, transport, catering, make-up and stock-handling.

People soon began to realise the value of taking part, and the volunteers discovered which skills were already available in the community and which skills had to be learnt. Two local musicians have since set up their own music writing and sound recording company after producing the sound track for the film. They have gone on to produce music for 4 short films and a TV documentary.