MAX MCGREGOR
MEET AYRSHIRE’S YOUNG FILMMAKER
Martin Stewart
Max McGregor makes a big first impression. Not only is he commandingly tall and blessed with a shovel-sized handshake, he’s already a central part of Ayrshire’s community and creative arts scene at just twenty-one years old.
“I always enjoyed filmmaking as a kid,” he says. “Much more than anyone else I knew.”
That childhood passion has led the former Largs Academy pupil straight into the world of filmmaking as the director of Next Take, alongside Archie Nelson and BAFTA-winning actor Daniel Kerr. Their most recent production, Piece of Mind, premiered at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine, and was also screened at the Wigtown Book Festival and Glasgow Film Theatre.
“Piece of Mind was a story about the impact of historical traditions and the turmoil that can come from conflict in family relationships. This was youth-led filmmaking: everyone involved was between sixteen and twenty-five, collaborating across fourteen different shoots involving more than a hundred members of the public. We’ve had lots of positive feedback on it from industry professionals, including Matt Lucas, which has been really encouraging.”
Many Ukrainian refugees took part in the project, fulfilling key roles both in front of and behind the camera. According to one of the participants, Oleksandr, the benefits of this in integrating with the local community cannot be overstated, giving him “a sense of community and belonging I’ve never experienced anywhere before.” The production’s social impact has been formally recognised by North Ayrshire Council, which described Next Take’s work as “among the most successful initiatives that actively integrate New Scots with the wider local community.”
Piece of Mind was a project of truly impressive scale, and a significant achievement in terms of creative ambition, community value, and educational impact. Where did his filmmaking journey begin?
“I made a dozen or so short films when I was younger, spoofing and replicating the films I spent the most time watching, which were westerns. They were the most fun. I think all my family and friends have been roped in at some point as actors and camera operators – and my sister had horses, so of course they were saddled up and put on screen. I don’t think there’s anyone who knows me who’s not been involved at some point – animals included!”
He must have learned a lot through this self-imposed apprenticeship?
“Definitely. I was able to move away from copying other people’s work as I developed the skills and confidence to create my own stories. It was so important to me to understand why this was what I wanted to do, and to really understand my own creative process.”
It’s quite a jump from spoofing westerns to running a large-scale film shoot – not least in securing the necessary funding when money for the arts is in such short supply. How did he make this leap?
“Years of interest in the process had brought me into contact with lots of interesting people. At the end of 2022, I managed to get some funding for my first small project working with Ukrainian refugees, which went better than I could ever have hoped. This started as documentary-style work – news and fact are an easy route to take in the beginning – and that led to a year-long project with fifteen young people producing a fictional story. That led to a further two years’ work at the beginning of 2024, which became Piece of Mind.”
Being in charge of so many people, with such a range of roles and responsibilities, not to mention the demands of funding and applications, is no mean feat at such a young age. But McGregor is keen to stress the collaborative nature of the process.
“All the young people involved are encouraged to share their ideas. It was important to Archie, Daniel and I that there was space for participants to simulate a full production, with the opportunity to learn about every stage of the filmmaking process, from designing the project to shooting, editing, and managing sound.”
Throughout our conversation, McGregor repeatedly stresses the idea of process. It’s clear that this is not simply about him or his ideas, but about the creation of a creative opportunity for the young people offering their time to Next Take’s productions, giving them the chance to get hands-on experience with every aspect of a shoot. Although he’s obviously inspired by the work of so many directorial heroes and filmmaking inspirations, he won’t be drawn on an individual director – or even name a favourite film.
“As a viewer, I need something to respond to on a personal level,” he says. “For me to really connect with a film, it has to tell me something about the experience of being alive – about what it means to be a human being. My inspirations are fluid, and very project specific, so there isn’t a single, constant favourite. It’s something that changes depending on my creative circumstances.”
For now, those circumstances involve another year-long, as yet untitled project, which began in January this year, with the aim of being finished and ready to screen in early 2027. Many young people in schools – and supporting artists from earlier projects – have already signed up. Stressing once again the collaboration at the heart of Next Take’s work, MacGregor says they’re currently finding “commonality in the group, storyboarding narrative scenarios that could tell the stories they want to tell.”
Are Next Take looking for volunteers?
“Absolutely!” he beams. “Anyone interested in taking part can get in touch – we’d love to hear from them.”
Having achieved so much on his filmmaking journey already, you suspect that Hollywood will be hearing from Max McGregor before long.
Anyone interested in taking part in Next Take’s next filmmaking project
can contact info@nexttake.co.uk,
or find them on Instagram and Facebook @nexttakefilm.
Piece of Mind is available on YouTube.
