In "materials" we ask filmmakers to send us images, statements, stories, videos or quotes that were important for creating their work or are a documentation of it.
Tape of psalm singing from North Uist
This tape was gifted to me by Duncan MacKinnon of Berneray whose voice appears in the film several times. It's a very rare recording of Gaelic psalm singing; a form of singing which is now only found in the Western Isles and mostly located further north on the islands of Lewis and Harris.
These recordings originate from the island of North Uist, where Psalm singing is no longer practiced, and approximately dates from some time in the early '90s.
I didn't end up using this tape in THE TWO SIGHTS as I was lucky enough to film with a group of singers up in Lewis.
Found tape from Bàgh a’ Chaise
This is one side of a tape that I found and filmed at an abandoned croft in a place called Bàgh a’ Chaise which is anglicized as Cheese Bay but means something more like bay of foam or spume in Scottish Gaelic.
Despite some digging, I was never able to figure out who the folks were on the cassette. The recordings begin with what seems to be a Hogmanay party (Scottish New Year's Eve) with people singing, laughing, and dogs barking. This is followed by a woman singing directly into the recorder. I worked with the Gaelic museum and arts centre in North Uist (Taigh Chearsabhagh) to have it translated and ended up using one of the songs in the film several times. Also, the beginning of the tape is used as well, I would take fragments of these voices and sounds and hide them across the mix throughout.
Innse Gall book except
These images are excerpted from a book and LP forthcoming on Shetler Press in November. The book is made up of photographic studies for cinematography, film stills, and audio waveform analysis relating to THE TWO SIGHTS.
