BIG PI MEDIA
GET YOURSELF A SLICE
Robert Neil
Something is happening in the world of filmmaking, and it is more Bourtreehill than Beverly Hills. Every Monday morning, a like-minded collective gets together. They use this time to reflect, discuss, and practice all aspects of the process of filming and documenting and, of course, tea and biscuits are involved. Each and every one of them is a volunteer.
The whole thing is the brainchild of Eddy Gemmell, a man small in stature but with a huge heart. No stranger to production and presenting, Eddy used to be a DJ for the legendary Radio Clyde. Big Pi Media was established when Eddy chose to part ways with Ayrshire Film Company.
Eddy explains the original idea for the inception of Big Pi: “I felt the over-50-year-olds were being ignored as most funding was mainly going towards the 16- 25-year-old age group. I applied for funding from Screen Scotland which I got, but it was only enough to run a six-week course in the summer of 2025.”
He goes on to explain that after the funding ran out, he wanted to keep the group going but to make it more of an inter-generational thing.
The name Big Pi was decided upon at a meeting.
“The ‘pie’ bit came from when we were younger,” he laughs. “We used to get pies from Short’s The Bakers on the way home when we were out clubbing and would end up trying to throw them at the moon!”
When I ask Eddy what the main aim of the group is, he becomes animated: “I see it as a good way of bridging the generation gap. The older people have the life experience and the stories, but the younger generation has the technical wherewithal.”
He starts rolling an invisible ball in his hands before adding: “Our motto is ‘Learn As You Do’ which I believe is the best way to learn – as you are using the equipment.”
The roster of projects is wide and varied and there are plenty of things that will interest a lot of people in the broad spectrum of work that has been produced or which is under production so far. These include films about the Covid pandemic, Marymass and The Great Fire of Ayr.
Eddy gets visibly emotional as he explains: “The Great Fire of Ayr documentary was a particular eye-opener and a project that just seemed to take legs. As we delved deeper into the story, several previously unrelated groups began to connect.
“The fire took place on June 16th, 1876, which was 150 years ago, and eventually there is a red plaque being placed in Fort Street by the Fire Brigade in honour of the 29 poor souls who perished in the blaze. This will also be the first red plaque event to feature live music.”
He says this in reference to local singer, Debbie Campbell, and musical collaborator, Scott Nicol, who took a poem about the tragedy and turned it into a beautiful song.
Eddy eagerly shares that preparations for the 200th anniversary of Marymass are underway, including interviews with locals about past celebrations and meetings with various community members. Proudly, he then tells me: “We really have a great welcoming team of people from all walks of life and the numbers are gradually growing. I feel that Big Pi has endless possibilities and that the key to our appeal is the inter-generational aspect.”
Big Pi Media meet every Monday at The Kirk Halls in Kirkgate, Irvine at 10.30am. You can check them out on Facebook and YouTube.
