Production
The Crew
Assistant Director: Patrick McGurn
The plan for the shoot was that Patrick would be the bad cop to Gerard's good cop. Unfortunately, by virtue of being more entertaining, everyone liked Patrick more. Assistant Director doesn't really cover his contribution to the film which actually involved everything from production/location management to driving and catering as well as providing accommodation for cast and crew. He turned down working on a film with Werner Herzog to do West End Story. That rocks.
Production Designer: James Lapsley
James was the very first person to get involved with the film. His ability to beg, borrow and steal props was invaluable and the time he fabricated an Italian restaurant in a living room alcove deserved some kind of award for ingenuity. He also, like Patrick, turned down Werner Herzog for West End Story and, like Patrick, occasionally talked like a pirate while on set.
Casting: Laura Donnelly
The second person to get on the West End Story bus, Laura did the impossible by assembling a talented and remarkably good looking mixture of actors for no money at all. She also helped out on the shoot itself and being really tiny came in useful when we ran out of space in the car on the banks of Loch Lomond and Laura managed to squeeze into a space not much bigger than the glove compartment.
Camera Operator: Ray Tallan
When you are making a film for so little money it is important you have people who can handle the pressure and the constraints and still come up with ideas and solutions. Ray is such a man. A rock of calm in the rough seas of low budget film production, just so long as there is a Mars Bar and a can of Irn Bru waiting for him at the end of the scene. The day he shaved off his beard was a bit of a shock to everyone but it grew back over time.
Camera Assistant: Ray Patterson
Quite why Ray Patterson brought a gas mask to the set remains a mystery to this day. In fact, quite a lot about Ray remains a mystery. Clear however was his ability to work hard without complaint and lift the spirits of cast and crew by doing or saying something really odd.
Sound Recordist: Fiona Kelly
When there was a crew call at 7am in Leicester Square, who was there on time? Fiona was, that's who. Another calming influence (you can't have enough), Fiona ably dealt with the hum of kitchen fans, the clatter of beer lorries unloading and every other noise that has sound departments asking 'why wasn't I at the recce?'
Boom Operator: Mazhar Mirza
As well as knowing lots about sound, Mazhar owns eleven mobile phones and fixed many belonging to cast and crew throughout the shoot. Also, his ability built platforms out of flight cases from which to swing his boom was second to none.