Spanner Films - The Alps

We apologise for the break in diary service

franny — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:21:23 +0000

Hello anyone who might be reading this.

Sorry I haven't had a moment to get the diary entries from August to December up here.

Barely broke a sweat cycling 20km uphill aged 82

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 13:30:29 +0000

Second of two consecutive nights in two consecutive weeks in French train bunk beds.

As Fernand dropped us at the station last weekend, he casually mentioned he was going on a big anti-truck cycle protest this weekend. 300 hardy Chamonix-ers cycling, Critical Mass style, along the huge motorway that cuts through the valley. Couldn't resist coming back to film it, as it's so perfect for the some-hope-remains theme.

Camera attached to bungee, Franny attached to helicopter

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:58:25 +0000

The predicted thunderstorms duly arrived and wiped out our helicopter plans. But managed to get some good shots of skiers trying to ski across a wee lake thing - till a snowboarder crashed right next to me and sent half a lake of icy water right over camera and me.

"Did I waste my life?" as oblivion beckons

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:49:22 +0000

En route to Chamonix once more. Hoping to film aerials of the mountains for the opening scene in a bid to fool our viewers (and potential distributors) that they're watching a big budget extravaganza. Left it right to the last day of the ski season (tomorrow), so we can get lots of skiers on the mountain, but with patchy snow. Which was a good plan, except there's been thunderstorms all weekend, with more predicted for tomorrow, so looking highly likely to be a flop.

Signed-up snowboarding addict

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:11:45 +0000

Mountain Picnic with Fernand

Guarding a snowman to no avail

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:06:43 +0000

Lugging gear in the rain (again)

Photograph: Charlotte Rushton

Making a film shouldn't be all fun & easy

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:52:38 +0000

Got a bit of a running joke going with myself (sad, I know), to do something foolish every year on the 28 February. I set a very high standard last year, with an act of folly that couldn't possibly be printed. And this year seems to have come together at the last minute too.

Secret to being lucky?

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 23:39:51 +0000

Lucky we had pro-skier & cameraman Tchouky on La Vallée Blanche

School trip in the morning

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 23:29:16 +0000

We're going to try and ski / film there??

Photograph: Charlotte Rushton

Human race may as well destroy themselves

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 23:20:11 +0000

Missed our night train to Chamonix after the Eurostar broke down and deposited us in Paris two hours late. So then we had four hours’ sleep in a dodgy hotel, the first train South, unfortunately full of what we are assuming are gonnabe soldiers. We'd been hoping to catch up on some sleep, but they put a stop to that. Then I cracked my tooth on, of all things, a crisp. Looks like the first job in Chamonix will be to find a dentist.