When the production and location teams of drama The Outrun decided to film on the Orkney islands in Scotland for story accuracy, they weren’t expecting to have to compete with cows, wait a while for lambing and be followed around by interested locals.

Filming took place on two Orkney locations – the Mainland island in Kirkwall and Stromness and on the tiny island of Papa Westray.

“Papa is a remote place with only about 60 inhabitants and the ferry across (with its erratic timetable) needs to be prioritised for transporting the locals, cattle, and food for the supermarkets. Our 4×4 trucks carrying crew and equipment were less of a priority. They were like if the weather’s bad or we need to reduce the weight, it’s you that’s getting bumped off,” laughs Richard Brough, supervising location manager on the film, who’s somewhat of a remote locations expert, having worked on the film Limbo in the Outer Hebrides.

The Outrun is based on Amy Liptrot’s 2016 memoir about her journey back home to the Orkney islands to rebuild her life after a decade of addiction. Shooting there was crucial to everyone involved in the film, including producer Sarah Brocklehurst of Brock Media, who bought the rights to the book, fellow producer Dominic Norris at Arcade Pictures, lead actress Saoirse Ronan, who plays Amy (named Rona in the film), and Amy herself who contributed to the script with German director Nora Fingscheidt and Daisy Lewis.

“The islands are a character,” insists Brodie Pringle, unit production manager. “As we were doing the recces and choosing a lot of the original locations that feature in the book (like her dad’s caravan, the rock she used to sit on, the farmhouse she stayed in, etc), Amy was with us and Nora would keep morphing, changing and developing the script to suit the scenery, which is stunning. It’s a mystical place where you’re literally stepping over fossils while staring out to sea.”

Timing was also key as they needed to be there for the lambing in April, the birds nesting on the cliffs in June, the seals in September, and even filming snow in February. All the while keeping an eye on the weather forecasts and wind conditions.

But moving about the islands was easy because everything had to be scaled back. “We weren’t using massive generators and trucks, just small vans and 4x4s. We even had to lug a plastic toilet in the back of a pickup and take it over rough terrain,” Brough recalls. “We were very sustainable, lots of things are wind powered out there, there was no catering truck, and we used a hostel on Papa as a unit base where some of the actors stayed.”

Getting the locals onboard was key. The Orkney islands haven’t had many feature films there before, mostly only documentaries. “So they were very curious, and particularly interested and supportive when they found out it was about Amy who is something of a local celebrity there,” says Brough. “Nothing goes on without everyone else finding out. But the locals couldn’t have been more helpful. I’d be driving around and stop to speak to someone for five minutes and end up spending the day with them as they introduced me to everyone, including crofters and farmers, which was great because then they got to know and trust you. They have a very can-do attitude, which is ideal for filming. Some even insisted that the crew stay in their accommodation.” 

One local who proved particularly helpful was Dave Flanagan, a fixer on the islands who also acts as film liaison for the islands within Orkney Marketing. “He was on from the start helping with logistics, dealing with locals and putting us in touch with useful people,” says Brough. “Screen Scotland and Film Edinburgh were also on hand. If I couldn’t get hold of someone I needed, they’d say hold on a second and get them on the phone for me.”

Obtaining permits was also easy once they got to know everyone – not a hard task in a place where people leave their house and car doors unlocked and “invite you into their homes, so there’s very little paperwork,” adds Brough.

The team used mostly Scottish crew, including many Orkney islanders, in front and behind the camera, apart from a few who came up from London where a couple of scenes were shot. “We filmed a bit in East London, including at Hackney City Farm, Victoria Park, on a tow path by the canal and in a high rise apartment where Saoirse’s character is sat dangling her feet over a balcony (all wired up), which had great, cinematic views of the city. For that we used a woman’s flat who was really grateful for the money,” explains George Couch, location manager for that segment.

“The whole shooting experience in Orkney [and London] was a lesson in if you pare it down and get locals onboard, it can be done,” concludes Pringle.

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