What the Director of Photography Larry Manly thought of Jersey

“The story of The Crooked Mile was set in Ireland, so we were a bit constrained sometimes when it came to exterior filming, in that we couldn’t show anything that was recognisably not Irish. The scenery in Jersey is wonderful, and it was sometimes frustrating that we had to turn away to shoot into a corner so to speak, to maintain the illusion that we were in Ireland. This is no slight on the island of Jersey, which manages to fit a huge variety of scenery into an area of its small size. We had little problem in finding locations to fit our script. 

Finally, the weather was a big plus in Jersey. We shot in October, and apart from one stormy day, I don’t think we were delayed by rain at all. In general, due to the more southerly latitude, the climate in October was similar to early September back in Ireland, most of the time I remember blue skies”.

To work behind the scenes of a film was like a dream come true for me, but what I did not realise was how much work really goes into it!

Cold, early mornings till dark, late nights, you needed clothing for all weathers. Come rain or shine you’d have with you hats and scarves, raincoats, umbrellas and even your sunglasses!

I was asked to be the Hair Stylist for the film, but a few weeks later I also doubled up as the Makeup Artist as the first girl pulled out. As there was no one else to do the job I decided to give it a go and with support and help of the crew I soon got the hang of it. I had an absolutely fantastic time and learned so much.

I was with the Crew all day, every day. I worked with the Characters from first thing in the morning in the Dressing Room (Ha! Ha! – the Portacabin!) to get them ready for the first scene of the day and I would then be with them for the rest of the day to do “touch-ups” before and during each scene.

The Crew were a brilliant team, always helping when you needed them, keeping you laughing and smiling – they were ALL great!

Kim Sheldrake
Blades Hairdressing & Beauty Limited

The Crooked Mile : Reminiscences of a Transport Captain

Having joined the film crew at a relatively late stage, I was greatly impressed by the overwhelming professionalism of the actors, technicians and ‘backroom’ boys and girls. I had always assumed, wrongly, that life in the movie world was relaxed and laid back. I soon realised that there exists a professionalism and idealism that I had not seen before, even in the world of high finance.

The search for perfection was a pre-requisite and nothing was left to chance. The sets, both indoor and outdoor were chosen and dressed immaculately, scene after scene was repeated until perfect for lighting, sound and camera; repetition was not dirty word.

However, throughout all this hard work, there developed a remarkable camaraderie, not only among the Irish crew but also between them and the Jersey crew members. The Irish sense of humour shone through all the time and especially during lunch breaks and in the evenings when mickey-taking, joke telling and general wit and reparti were the order of the day. I could not have imagined such team work developing so quickly. Actors and crew mixed together without any egos getting in the way and a good sense of fun prevailed.

As you might imagine from the above my month on the Jersey crew was a most enjoyable experience and one which I will never forget

David Jelley
Manager, Dexia Private Banking

Catering for the crew - Matthew Wainwright

This was the first time that we had ever been contacted to cater on a film set and feelings of great anticipation mingled with those of trepidation as to what was to unfold over the next few weeks. From day one our fears were allayed as the actors and crew were great fun to be around and extremely appreciative of all that we did. Although it was hard work, very early mornings into late nights, it was well worth the while and also extremely interesting to be involved at the heart of the daily action as it took place.

Unit Production Manager:

“My name is Elaine Waugh and I was the Production Manager on The Crooked Mile, which was shot in Jersey and Dublin in 2000. As Production Manager my job was to oversee the entire production keeping an eye on the schedules, the spending and most importantly the cast and crew. As it was a very low budget affair it makes this job a lot more difficult and you have to learn to become resourceful and to try your best to keep a calm and collected head. In order to get the picture done we had to rely on many favours and help from the people of Jersey while we were there and it was due to their willingness to give us this help that we managed to get it done. Everybody helped out in whatever way they could, from the local police services, hotels and businesses to the local people themselves. We were able to hold up traffic around the island on numerous occasions, which is vital to control the circumstances of filming. Special thanks and tribute must be paid to the local students at Highlands College who were taken on as film crew, working for no money with just their eagerness to learn and take part to keep them going. We had them working with the Assistant Directors, Electricians, Grips, Camera Crew and I know every other member appreciated their help and commitment throughout the shoot. In fact we missed them once we returned to Dublin.

Jersey is a beautiful Island and there is a lot of potential for film making there given the right level of organisation. There are some amazing locations and all within minutes of the main town. There are a lot of things I would do differently if I ever got the chance to return to Jersey in this capacity, but I guess at the end of the day I learned a great deal about managing a production on a small island. It has its advantages and disadvantages but you have to be prepared to let these work in your favour.”

Set Decorator: Lara Wallman

“It was wonderful having the opportunity of shooting this film in Jersey, I am from Jersey and it was a promise Julie Daly-Wallman my twin sister made that someday we would make films here, it was an electrifying experience and one I shall never forget it will always hold very fond memories for me, I look forward to new projects Julie has in store”.