Bruck Monster Goes on Show
Published: 17 July 2015
JJ, Erin and Greg with the Bruck Monster created for the filmZoomFollowing the successful release of the Curse of the Bruck Monster film in Mareel and online, the Shetland Museum and Archives is hosting a focus display, including a series of Bruck Monster films and models used in the film.
The initial film concept was led by pupils from the Anderson and Brae High School. Their brief was to create an antilitter film to be shown in the cinema and, following a series of creative sessions and ideas, their final concept was very innovative - a trailer style advert for a spoof 50’s style horror film.
Local film maker JJ Jamieson, of ShetlandVideo.com, was commissioned to make the pupils idea a reality and, with the help of Greg McCarron, he brought the Bruck Monster to life and created a fantastic film with a distinctly local flavour. Mr Jamieson said: “This was a fantastic project to work on. The pupils came with a cracking idea which gave me a wonderful opportunity to create a fun and memorable film with a serious message. We really have had a great time creating the film and promotional ‘outtakes’ and the Bruck Monster and Town Hall models.”
As well as the pupils involved in the creative process, many familiar local faces appear in the film and promotional ‘outtakes’. Mr Jamieson added: “Everyone was more than happy to volunteer their time and were really good sports about some of the things we asked them to do and outfits we asked them to wear. I think some of them may have been a bit worried until they saw the final films and we are grateful that they trusted us during the filming process and that everyone was so enthusiastic and delighted to be part of it. I think this shows just how passionate everyone is about our environment and any efforts to keep it clean.”
The display in the Museum will show the three promotional ‘outtakes’ and Curse of the Bruck Monster film already released as well as a new film, The Making of the Bruck Monster, which shows the process of making the Bruck Monster model. Alongside this there will be a copy of the film poster and the model of the Bruck Monster and Town Hall used in the film.
The Bruck Monster model was based on the litter collected during the epic litter pick Cecilia James undertook between Voe and Lerwick in 2012. The incredible statistics gathered from this shocked and inspired the pupils and so the Bruck Monster idea was born, based on the actual litter collected from Shetland’s roadsides. JJ and Greg, along with JJ's daughter, Erin, painstakingly recreated the bruck in miniature before threading it together in a way which enabled them to make the monster mobile.
The resultant model is fascinating and the Museum and Archives was approached to see if it could be displayed. John Hunter, Exhibitions Officer, said: “Having heard about the film, we were delighted when approached about the Bruck Monster Model. Rather than just display the model on its own, we have found a space in the upper foyer to create a focus display, enabling us to show all of the films, two models used in the film and the film poster, which was inspired by a Konga poster in our own collection. The fact the film concept came from local school pupils and the film was produced locally all adds to its appeal, and shows just what we can achieve in our island community. We fully support the message in the film and hope it will encourage people to dispose of their litter responsibly.”
The Shetland Amenity Trust, which facilitated the project, would like to thank everyone involved, especially all those who volunteered their time to help create the films, the school pupils for their fantastic ideas, JJ Jamieson for his boundless enthusiasm and Shetland Arts for showing the film before all main screenings free of charge throughout the summer holidays.
The films can be viewed online through the Dunna Chuck Bruck Facebok Page: www.facebook.com/Dunnachuckbruck or by searching Bruck Monster on YouTube.
The focus display will be in the Museum and Archives from 17th July to 23rd August.
