[Fiend]

The feeling about that weekend is mutual Mike

It's worth pointing out, in my defence, and in hope of ever finding climbing partners again:

Both The Complete Works and Great Crack Of Porth Oer (which is a Martin Crook route, actually at Porth Iago and so named to put other aspirant FAs off the scent) are quite slanting so the stuff I was knocking down was very unlikely to come near the belayers. And I took safety seriously - on TCW I placed 32 bits of gear (including 12 slings).

Poor lovely Kate, I am certain that whichever way around we had got in touch I had definitely mentioned that I really needed to get on some sea-cliffs as part of this film, and she'd agreed to give it a go (she is a strong and experienced climber). I maybe hadn't gone into full details of some of the ideas. Also Bane On looked good and Yellow Brick Road is a genuine mini-classic (I'd done it before with a VS leader who'd liked it).

Hopefully people notice in the Cornwall section (and belaying Wil on The Bardsey Ripple) that I am a pretty positive encouraging partner (current health circumstances aside). And it was nice to be part of Duncan's and Cecile's challenges.

Other than that though, guilty as charged!

[Wil]

The trip to North Wales with Fiend was absolutely brilliant- driving over with Wil to meet someone we only knew from the internet and feared would be absolutely crazy...

That was a great trip. Jen was unconvinced...

J: "How did you meet Cheque?"

Me: "In the back of Shark's car."

J: "Who is Shark and how did he meet him?

Me: "I teach Shark's kids. He met him on the internet."

J: "And you're climbing with?"

Me: "Some guy called Fiend."

J: "Do you know him?"

Me: "Only from the internet."

J: "Do any of these people have real names?"

Me: "Kate did. We picked her up in the pub, she said she was scared of sea cliffs but was secretly a badass who once crawled down a glacier in Kyrgystan."

J: "Of course she did. So you went to north Wales with pseudonymed strangers to be filmed on X rated routes?"

Me: "I thought Fiend was going to die. It was great."

[Wil]

Both The Complete Works and Great Crack Of Porth Oer are quite slanting so the stuff I was knocking down was very unlikely to come near the belayers. And I took safety seriously - on TCW I placed 32 bits of gear (including 12 slings).

I was genuinely impressed that TCW could be climbed with such composure. It shows there's a real skill to protecting and climbing these things. I thought it was more that 32 pieces? I have the photo somewhere. As you say, despite appearances I wasn't in much danger of being clobbered, and the Crack of Porth Oer was actually surprisingly solid underneath the initial crust of rubble, the runners were good and I wasn't really concerned. TCW was another story.

Hopefully people notice in the Cornwall section (and belaying Wil on The Bardsey Ripple) that I am a pretty positive encouraging partner.

5/5 would recommend to a friend.

[AJM]

Very much enjoyed it. Some great footage of some cool routes...

[Will Hunt]

Loved the Mousetrip edit.

This is interesting. Out of the whole film I think the Mousetrap bit was the only bit that I didn't get on with - just because I couldn't easily make out what Michaela was saying amidst the effects and I think the visual distortions were used a little too much.

But anyway, that's just one person's opinion and very small beer when you're looking at a whole hour long film which has been painstakingly put together at great expense to one person. Buuuuuut, if I was to say one other thing it would be that I've played it back a few times and I still don't know what John is saying half the time, and I was there listening to him when he said it! That might just be John or it might the sound on the film (I was straining to hear the voiceover). Maybe a little tweak of the sound levels or a few subtitles if you submit to a film festival.

Sorry sorry sorry. I know you've probably agonised over all that already. I love the film - it's brill.

[cheque]

I still don't know what John is saying half the time

John put his jacket on over his mic without me realising, so the sound on his interview is a bit of a salvage job unfortunately. As you say though, he’s not particularly comprehensible at the best of times and I decided to keep it that way. As soon as you start subtitling people with strong regional accents it becomes a joke at their expense which I didn’t want.

I think I agree with you that I overlooked the first pitch of Mousetrap visually. Sometimes I watch it and it seems a bit heavy handed but sometimes I don’t. It’s intentional that you can’t hear everything she’s saying though. So deal with it. 

[Will Hunt]

I still don't know what John is saying half the time

John put his jacket on over his mic without me realising, so the sound on his interview is a bit of a salvage job unfortunately. As you say though, he’s not particularly comprehensible at the best of times and I decided to keep it that way. As soon as you start subtitling people with strong regional accents it becomes a joke at their expense which I didn’t want.

I think I agree with you that I overlooked the first pitch of Mousetrap visually. Sometimes I watch it and it seems a bit heavy handed but sometimes I don’t. It’s intentional that you can’t hear everything she’s saying though. So deal with it. 

Sorry, I meant that I can't understand what he's saying half the time in the video. But yes, I absolutely get what you're saying about subtitling people with accents. Sometimes they do it on the telly when the interviewee is one of them Johnny Foreigner types, even if they're speaking perfect English (more often than not on ITV, which is ironic since their audience can hardly be literate).

To all the people saying that Fiend's bit was scary. Pah! That was nothing! He's climbing rubble, but it's piss rubble. That bloke trying an E1 on his first time out, however. I was writhing in my seat trying to escape the inevitable fuck up. Hideous to watch! You could just see how out of control he was and, on his first day of trad climbing, do you really trust his gear? Grim scenes.

[Johnny Brown]

Just watched, brilliant. Highlight is of course Fiend on The Complete Works (an hour sounds quite quick to me!), but really enjoyed all of the second half. Swanage section was perhaps a bit of a slow start but it soon got going. Mousetrap worked quite well for me, it's a shame it's best angle is from out at sea. No slow-mo replay of the Barbarella deckout left me hanging, I had to rewind.

I had no problems with any of the audio/ catching dialogue although I did wear headphones.

Tempting as it must have been to make the whole film about Fiend I think you made the right decision!

I was genuinely impressed that TCW could be climbed with such composure. It shows there's a real skill to protecting and climbing these things.

Indeed. Can be a real eye-opener when some big talent completely goes to pieces on such terrrain.

[Duncan campbell]

Agree with JB about no slow-no of the deck-out! Horrible shit that!

Being an elitist wanker I wasn’t so into the easier climbs. Though totally see/understand/empathise with why you have these in here too.

Enjoyed Will fucking up his ropework... c’mon will! Schoolboy!

But I’m only half way through at the moment. So far it’s been a nice trip down
Memory lane on some routes that I really enjoyed doing!

[SamT]

That bloke trying an E1 on his first time out, however. I was writhing in my seat trying to escape the inevitable fuck up. Hideous to watch! You could just see how out of control he was and, on his first day of trad climbing, do you really trust his gear? Grim scenes.

Totally This ^^^

[Fiend]

Cheers for your words JB. Since people seem to like that section, I've written some words about it: https://fiendophobia.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-complete-works.html

Watching the premiere, I wasn't sure about the Mousetrap section, it didn't do it for me, but I assumed that it was a style Cheque wanted to put in there, it's nice to see it working for some people.

The first E1 sketching had me worried too!!

[andy popp]

Tempting as it must have been to make the whole film about Fiend

That would have been great! The parts with Fiend were far and away my favourite, especially once he'd teamed up with Duncan.

I really liked that most of the climbing shown was "easy." Personally I would like to have seen more from the South-West, but that's just a reflection of my own climbing history rather than a reasoned argument. Overall, thoroughly enjoyable and (for me) a little nostalgic.

[Falling Down]

That bloke trying an E1 on his first time out, however. I was writhing in my seat trying to escape the inevitable fuck up. Hideous to watch! You could just see how out of control he was and, on his first day of trad climbing, do you really trust his gear? Grim scenes.

Totally This ^^^

Me too... I was squirming in my seat saying “what the fuck are you doing!!” waiting for all the gear to rip - could barely watch. 

[cheque]

The hour-long version is the director’s cut! Some of it, like the slow-burning nature of the Swanage start JB mentions is pretty self-indulgent and will be trimmed for the harsher reality of the film festival world.

Black Magic was pencilled in as the closing route for a time, but while on paper it’s fantastic (a very solid ascent by Fiend of a classic route that nevertheless tested him) in reality it doesn’t really work on screen- I shot it with a single camera from above, an angle that doesn’t give an idea of the route at all.

However it will see the light of day at some point along with other extras I have- there are three full chapters (Rhoscolyn, North Pembroke & Pembroke DWS) that didn’t make it plus more.

[fatneck]

Just to add that I loved it! Thanks Mike!! Great work - echo what everyone else said really. The closest I ever got to sea cliff climbing was Holyhead Mountain about 15 years ago but almost psyched to dust off my rack and travel to Pembroke!

[galpinos]

Mike,, it didn't feel an hour long, I was surprised when it finished thinking I'd only watched about 30 mins. I've no idea what the world of film festivals is like but |I wouldn't be too harsh on the Swanage bit, normal people climbing normal routes is part of the charm!

[Doylo]

Good effort on the film. Must have been a lot of work.

[SamT]

However it will see the light of day at some point along with other extras I have- there are three full chapters (Rhoscolyn, North Pembroke & Pembroke DWS) that didn’t make it plus more.

I'm pretty sure we were climbing on Rhoscolyn when you were filming from across the other side.  Hot sunny day.  Be interesting to see if it was you/us.

[Will Hunt]

There must be enough footage for The Seaside Part 2. We just need to convince Mike to shut himself away for another year to make the edit!

I would have thought that the North Pembroke section would be good. Obviously because it would mean more glorious seconds of on-screen puntering for myself, but also the day we were at Barcud was quite atmospheric.  It was a big sea day, but Barcud just avoided the worst of it. Somebody I know was climbing in south Pembroke and a big wave swept them and their partner off their belay ledge, completely removing their 3 point belay as it did so - the only reason they weren't taken out to sea was that they were still clipped to the ab rope. Some friends hired some kayaks in St David's (after trawling round every other more sensible shop which refused to hire kayaks on that day) and had a very near drowning when one of them got broadsided while trying to surf a wave.

Rob had just fallen off Barbarella the day before. He said he came away lightly in the film, that's not what it seemed when he spent the whole day wrapped in duvet jackets, nursing a sore arse at the top of the crag! 

[galpinos]

Rob had just fallen off Barbarella the day before. He said he came away lightly in the film, that's not what it seemed when he spent the whole day wrapped in duvet jackets, nursing a sore arse at the top of the crag! 

I bumped into Rob in the Depot (Manc) on Tuesday. I'm not sure he's relishing his new found fame....

[cheque]

Somebody I know was climbing in south Pembroke and a big wave swept them and their partner off their belay ledge, completely removing their 3 point belay as it did so - the only reason they weren't taken out to sea was that they were still clipped to the ab rope.

I should have been filming that!

Rob had just fallen off Barbarella the day before. He said he came away lightly in the film, that's not what it seemed when he spent the whole day wrapped in duvet jackets, nursing a sore arse at the top of the crag! 

The next morning (the day I filmed his interview) he was absolutely fine and climbing again. Amazing that neither of them were properly hurt. A good advert for wearing a helmet when belaying in a situation like that- could have been nasty.

[duncan]

Mike, watched it a third time through the big speakers last night. Looked great. No issues at all with sound balance.

Sounds like you're planning a 45 minute festival edit (a Glasto. set!). This should include Yaz at Swanage, it's almost as gripping as the start of Hard Grit. The unseen material presented as chapters "A day trip to The Seaside: N.Pembroke" sounds like a good idea and should keep folk coming back to the main film. 

[Yossarian]

Ditto to all the preceding praise. Such a brilliant film - bravo!

The only thing I think it’s missing is Fiend preparing like Neil Bentley before Strapidictomy. Munching a Big Mac, painting some orcs, small box big box to some gabba, etc.

It has persuaded me to return to Swanage after my most recent avowed decision to never return. I’ve obviously got to have a go at Peacemaker.

[Will Hunt]

The only thing I think it’s missing is Fiend preparing like Neil Bentley before Strapidictomy. Munching a Big Mac, painting some orcs, small box big box to some gabba, etc.

Post of the thread, right there. 

[dunnyg]

 Finally watched it. Awesome, got me so psyched for the seaside. All of it. I was only slightly disappointed that Fiend didn't have the thick unintelligible Glasgow accent that I read all his posts in.