Left: David Gent, Charles, Chuck the Truck. Right: Oli/JP cycling
Those of you who are avid readers of this blog will recall that on 10 June this year we interviewed the Rev Ian Browne at Oundle School. We mentioned en passant that we were on the lookout for a young Piper clone, late teens, long and lean, whom we could film cycling along idyllic country lanes a la Piper in the 1920s.
And the gentleman in question came up with just the young blade we were searching for in the form of 14 year old, 6ft1in Oli Gent, long and certainly lean. He and his parents, David and Carolyn, tooled up at Film Farm on the 19th October, a delightful family, Oli kitted out magnificently by the Oundle School Drama Department. We introduced him to Charles' old uncle Frank's old bicycle fitted with spanking new (but suitably old fashioned) bell and they got on famously. Oli even named the bike - it is now 'Harold'. We then cranked up Chuck the Truck who was overjoyed to be seeing some of the action again, all piled in, plus bike and cameras and off to the chosen locations.
The great thing about the countryside where Charles resides is that it is stuck in a time warp (as is the renowned filmmaker himself) - no road markings, no street lights, no cat's eyes, real hedges, small fields divided by hedges and copses - in fact pretty much as rural Surrey would have looked in Piper's day.
Oli was an absolute STAR. Not only did he look the part (probably not facially but we didn't need close ups) but he entered fully into the spirit of the thing, even riding the bicycle with a ram rod straight back. After various locations we ended up at the church next door to Charles where Oli/JP rested his bike against the railings and entered the churchyard, sat on a bench and sketched architectural details, before trying out his No 3 Folding Pocket Kodak Camera (1912).
Lunch was the inaugural outing for the new venture jointly owned by Chef Eliza of Pomegranate and Chef Charles of Hare in the Gate, namely Sound Bite Location Catering, as a token of our gratitude for the family's efforts. A hugely successful day.
Those of you who are avid readers of this blog will recall that on 10 June this year we interviewed the Rev Ian Browne at Oundle School. We mentioned en passant that we were on the lookout for a young Piper clone, late teens, long and lean, whom we could film cycling along idyllic country lanes a la Piper in the 1920s.
And the gentleman in question came up with just the young blade we were searching for in the form of 14 year old, 6ft1in Oli Gent, long and certainly lean. He and his parents, David and Carolyn, tooled up at Film Farm on the 19th October, a delightful family, Oli kitted out magnificently by the Oundle School Drama Department. We introduced him to Charles' old uncle Frank's old bicycle fitted with spanking new (but suitably old fashioned) bell and they got on famously. Oli even named the bike - it is now 'Harold'. We then cranked up Chuck the Truck who was overjoyed to be seeing some of the action again, all piled in, plus bike and cameras and off to the chosen locations.
The great thing about the countryside where Charles resides is that it is stuck in a time warp (as is the renowned filmmaker himself) - no road markings, no street lights, no cat's eyes, real hedges, small fields divided by hedges and copses - in fact pretty much as rural Surrey would have looked in Piper's day.
Oli was an absolute STAR. Not only did he look the part (probably not facially but we didn't need close ups) but he entered fully into the spirit of the thing, even riding the bicycle with a ram rod straight back. After various locations we ended up at the church next door to Charles where Oli/JP rested his bike against the railings and entered the churchyard, sat on a bench and sketched architectural details, before trying out his No 3 Folding Pocket Kodak Camera (1912).
Lunch was the inaugural outing for the new venture jointly owned by Chef Eliza of Pomegranate and Chef Charles of Hare in the Gate, namely Sound Bite Location Catering, as a token of our gratitude for the family's efforts. A hugely successful day.
Oli/JP arrives at a church with Harold and takes some snaps.
Libby even managed to do some Letterpress printing (the new thrill in her life) with what was left of the afternoon - this is printed on hand made Nepalese Lokta paper and is the title sheet for her latest tome, Christ's Hospital Murals, to be published next month.
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