The Van Bringing Hollywood to the Scottish Highlands

For the past 26 years, a humble van has been bringing Hollywood to the remote regions of the Scottish Highlands. Going by the name of Screen Machine, the mobile cinema service by Regional Screen Scotland has ensured that no one has to miss out on the blockbusters enjoyed by the rest of the world by physically transporting them to over 34,000 people living among the mountains. It’s a community-building, mood-boosting link to popular culture; but its future is at risk.

Following the vehicle’s tragic breakdown, Collective London created an SOS campaign to raise the £100,000 needed for a new one, which would secure the service for at least another 17 years and avoid thousands losing what most of us take for granted.

The playful film embodies the meeting of Hollywood and Scotland: narration by multi-award-winning actor Alan Cumming explains Screen Machine’s significance as it winds through breathtaking Highland scenery, peppered with the names of villages in the style of the Hollywood sign. There's even a nail-biting homage to ‘The Italian Job’, with the van teetering off the edge of a cliff – a symbol of its precarious future.

But how did a London creative agency get involved with this Scottish cinema-on-wheels in the first place? LBB’s Zara Naseer spoke to Collective London’s senior copywriter, Zack Gardner, to find out the backstory of this unlikely partnership.

LBB> Tell us the story of how Collective came to work with Regional Screen Scotland.

Zack> It started with me being needlessly cheeky to my granny. 

I was up visiting her in Harris late last year and asked if she’d seen ‘Oppenheimer’ yet, knowing full well she hadn’t.

What I didn’t expect was the additional, “because the Screen Machine hasn’t been yet”.

It snowballed from there. I googled it, fell in love with it, then quickly discovered its predicament and thought, “we can help here”.

So when I got back to Blighty I fired off an email to RSS and off we went.

LBB> Why are initiatives like Screen Machine so important? How does the experience of cinema enrich these communities?

Zack> It’s easy to take the cinema for granted but it’s a special thing. The power of shared experience and escapism. And pick ‘n’ mix if you’re so inclined.

But more than that – film is a cultural anchor point, making Screen Machine a cultural lifeline for remote towns and villages.

It’s also a date in the diary for these communities. A reason to get together and spend an entertaining afternoon or evening somewhere different, which has such a positive effect on mental health.

LBB> How did you get Screen Machine’s cause to resonate with people far from the communities it operates in?

Zack> The class thing about the Screen Machine is whenever you tell someone about it, their eyes light up and they usually say something like ‘that’s so cool’. So really – all we had to do was show the service in all its glory to strike a chord in Scotland and beyond.

LBB> How was actor Alan Cumming brought onto the campaign, and what was he like to work with?

Zack> When we were drawing up a shortlist of people we’d like to approach, Alan was a clear front-runner. 

He’s an active champion of Scotland, the arts and creativity in general. Also, he was born in Aberfeldy and the idea of our voice not hailing from the more expected Edinburgh or Glasgow felt bang in line with what we were trying to achieve.

Happily, Screen Machine happened to know someone who knows Alan, so once we’d put our pitch together they were able to get it in front of him sharpish. And the, “Aye, sure”, came back even quicker.

Alan sent his perfect reads ahead of time and with so many different options to play with. He also lent further support to the cause by sharing our campaign on his personal Instagram.

Honestly – he’s a star in every sense of the word.

LBB> Can you run us through the ways in which the film pays homage to cinema? Some, like the ‘The Italian Job’ reference and the Hollywood-style signs, are really clear. What guided those decisions and are there any details we might miss?

Zack> The idea to have Hollywood-style signs on Scottish hills sort of wrote itself. Scotland is famous for mountains and we’re talking about films flying through them. 

The Scottish Job/’The Italian Job’ parody came from the fact that the Screen Machine’s future is precarious, and there’s no more famous cliffhanger than Michael Caine balancing his bus. Plus, you know, hills again.

Our script has loads of nods to movie terminology and is written to be recited as if at a table read, with the “And action!” at the end acting as an intentional double meaning. On one hand, it’s another reference to the talkies, and on the other, it’s a literal prompt for our audience to donate and share.

And no great film is complete without a banging soundtrack. For that, we have indie folk legends Tide Lines to thank after they donated their song ‘Rivers in the Light’ to give our film a sonic tonic.

LBB> What challenges did you face in bringing this campaign to life, and what aspect has been the most rewarding?

Zack> The most challenging part of this campaign was the fact that my creative partner Ellie and I are in London, our director Luke is in Manchester and the Screen Machine is constantly moving around the most remote parts of neither London nor Manchester.

So trying to coordinate everyone’s schedule, around all our other work and within the timeframe we’d been given was extremely difficult. Especially on the very, very, very, very tight budget we were operating on. But necessity is the mother of invention and all that.

To have achieved the dramatic recreation of ‘The Italian Job’ using practical effects would have been excruciatingly expensive, time-consuming and logistically nightmarish, whereas by using Realtime 3D we were able to turn around the project quickly and with no vans harmed during filming!

The most rewarding aspect has been seeing the comments come in on the Crowdfunder revealing just how loved the Screen Machine is and how glad people are that something is being done to try and save it.

LBB> What’s the response been like from Regional Screen Scotland and people in general so far?

Zack> We have it on good authority that Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Culture ‘guffawed loudly’ at the Scottish Job bit.

RSS have been so appreciative and not shy in telling us, which we’re delighted (and a wee bit embarrassed) about. 

And the Screen Machine audience has risen to the occasion magnificently so far with their donations and their support.

But it’s a case of many hands on deck so please donate and share yourself here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-our-screen-machine/backers#start 

LBB> If Screen Machine’s future is secured, what one film do you think needs to be brought to the Scottish highlands?

Zack> Well one of the ‘Transformers’ films would be pretty on the nose! As would anything starring Alan Cumming.

But seeing as the Screen Machine can show three a day, I’ll cop out and give you a trio.

1. ‘The Italian Job’

Given our Scottish Job parody, seems only fair we return the favour.

2. ‘Skyfall’

From one gadget-packed vehicle cruising through majestic glens to another…

3. ‘The Hills Have Eyes’

Or should we say ‘Ayes’? Can’t beat a bit of horror in the Highlands.