Making a film like Megalithic Anglesey is no easy undertaking. Forget any idea that film making has glamour, this was hiking across muddy fields, freezing hands almost welding to lighting rigs, dealing with inquisitive bullocks and always a ton of equipment to carry to every location. This really was filming at the raw end.

Every shot you see in the film is carefully choreographed, a complex arrangement of camera, lights, sound rig, stills camera and at the centre of it the presenter and the actual monument itself. In the luxury of a studio easily achieveable, cramped into prehistoric burial chamber, a totally different undertaking! The opening picture (left) shows the crew filming Frances Lynch inside Barclodiad y Gawres, every camera position being set up by mining headlamp, and every cable run having to satisfy health and safety requirements. Add into that the sheer logistics of arranging everyone into one place at one time and you start to get the picture.

One aspect of film making that you never see is the backroom stuff. Before you even take a camera out of the van you have to negotiate permissions. Some are relatively easy, a quick phone call to a friendly farmer or landowner. Some are trickier as the monument is on private property with no public access, there we have to rely on the goodwill of the owner. Trickier are those in the stewardship of national bodies. We had to negotiate with the National Trust for example for permission to film at Plas Newydd. Barclodiad y Gawres being barred to the public entailed paying a fee just for us to collect the key, let ourselves in, film, and then return it!

The work doesn't even finish when the last tape is filled, what you then see onscreen is the result of weeks of editing, adding music and effects etc.

We've really enjoyed making Prehistoric Anglesey. If you live on this wonderful island we hope it helps you better enjoy the history amongst us. If you live away we hope it'll make you feel a part of it and want to come and see it. Croeso ~ Welcome!

- The Parys Films Crew -