Photo: RNZ Design
John Selwood is a piper, but he's also a film maker, and when the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands' Association approached him to make a documentary about the Kiwis going to last year's World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland, he didn't hesitate in saying "yes" to the project.
As a piper, Selwood already had a natural sympathy for the idea. But he also knew the effort involved in getting four New Zealand bands across to the other side of the world to compete against the best would make for great storytelling.
The documentary, 12 Thousand Miles, is now available to view on the RNZ website.
Speaking to Three to Seven host Bryan Crump, Selwood says capturing bagpipe action has its own special challenges, especially when it comes to handling the terrific sound volume a pipe band can muster, both in the foreground and background.
He began shooting before the bands selected to represent New Zealand left the country, and if we still shot movies with video tape, he would have had to leave the best part of 12,000 miles of footage on the cutting room floor.
Maybe 5 percent made the final cut, but better to have too much than not enough.
Selwood's production company is called Telling Lives, and he believes he's part of a trend where organisations with a story come (with the funding) straight to a film maker.
Selwood thinks that trend is going to become more important, if funding from sources like New Zealand on Air dries up.
Crump wants to know if after editing so much footage, he's a bit "bagpiped out".
Not enough to put him off playing, he replies. And he'll be sure to bring them out for a blow this New Year's Eve.
