As part of this project I developed a collaboration with the hospital’s Grounds and Gardens Team. We began with conversation and I spent periods of time shadowing their work and learning about their duties and routine. After developing a dialogue around aspects of their work that they felt were important to document, and filmmaking skills they were interested in learning, I then devised a series of workshops in filming, sound recording, video editing, and cameraless filmmaking.
Out of these sessions emerged three short films, each captured on super8 film and produced collaboratively with members of the team.
Grit
Filmed in January 2025, Grit documents the Grounds and Gardens team of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital as they work through the night to grit the site, making it safe before staff and patients begin their day. The team are on call to grit every night for 5 months of the year, through the coldest days of winter. This film documents their quiet and methodical work that usually goes unseen, and is accompanied by testimony from team members which appears as text on screen. Title chosen and hand-written by Ray.
Jim’s Daffies
In February 2025, before retiring for the REH Grounds and Gardens Team after 25 years, Jim Goudie planted 4000 daffodils in the hospital grounds. This short film creates a record of Jim’s Daffies, which will brighten up the hospital for years to come. Title chosen and hand-written by Jim.
REH: Daein’ the Life of a Gardener
This film documents a day in the life as a member of the Grounds and Gardens team at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, including the raising of the Green Flag Award 2024/25, earned by the REH team for a fourth year running. Made collaboratively by the team over a series of workshops, the film incorporates foley sound recorded and mixed on site, imbued with the team’s sense of humour and camaraderie. Title chosen by Craig.