Looking back at the 18 days of filming for his upcoming movie, director David Keith says it was one of the most challenging shoots he has ever been through.
The Portlethen-based filmmaker completed the original script for Primal Games more than five years ago but the Covid pandemic meant it could not be made at the time.
“It found its way back to me in 2023,” he told The Press and Journal.
“The producers wanted to make it in Scotland and we were able to hire Cairngorm Lodges in Aboyne.
“We took over the whole estate.”
After a stressful pre-production period, filming for Primal Games was finally ready to begin at the end of that year.
Cast and crew from the UK and the US travelled to the remote Aberdeenshire location – and then a major storm hit the country.
“It’s amazing we now have a movie, to be honest,” he said.
“We had to work through red weather warnings and torrential rain.
“We were trapped at the location by flooding for part of the filming.
“It was like the Big Brother experience, with everyone living in the cabins.”
Primal Games filmed in Aboyne
David founded production company Clear Focus Movies with his wife, Lorraine Keith, more than a decade ago.
Primal Games, which is released worldwide on May 6, is the seventh film he has directed and produced.
It follows a newlywed couple, played by Hannaj Bang Bendz and Stirlingshire actor John Love, who become the unwitting victims of a cruel and sadistic honeymoon experience.
“I think everyone who goes into television and film ultimately wants to make feature movies, but obviously Aberdeen is not the mecca of film production,” David said.
“We work to bring talent and crew from the UK and the US together.
“With every film we try to take different crew, so more people from here get those opportunities.
“In Primal Games, a lot of the extras and crew were from the Aberdeen area.
“Not as much gets made up here so it was a great opportunity for them close to home.”
From Aberdeenshire to Los Angeles
Despite the severe weather, the cast and crew successfully filmed Primal Games on schedule – complete with live fire, explosions and impressive stunts choreographed by a Hollywood coordinator.
The feature-length film will premiere in Los Angeles on April 29, a week before its worldwide release.
A year on from completing the project, David is excited to finally share the movie with audiences.
“It was an intense experience,” he said.
“Normally, we’d do our premieres locally, but we had to say yes to the Los Angeles offer.
“A lot of people are going so it’s nerve-wracking, but I’m incredibly proud of what we pulled off.”
The film will be available on streaming services. Previous features have been on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
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