Paul approaches his peak as a filmmaker

Published on Saturday 17 October 2009 11:15

MOST climbers take a knapsack. Filmmaker Paul Diffley, however, just takes a nap. Precariously balanced on a makeshift seat created out of an old skateboard and hugging the ropes which are keeping him suspended hanging off a cliff-face hundreds of feet up, the 38-year-old often snatches 40 winks during a break in filming.

"It's actually quite comfortable," he insists. "But it's a funny place to wake up."

Unlike the hardy souls whose exploits he captures on camera, Paul doesn't have to tackle the toughest climbs to reach pinnacles or ridges. "They are looking for the hardest route there is. But there's usually an easy way up the back and I take that," he grins.

But as it can take up to two hours getting himself and his camera into position, he's not keen to shift again until the day's filming is done – unlike the mountaineers themselves who get to take a breather after climbing each section of rock. Hence the mid-air naps.

It's just one of the occupational hazards of the job and for Paul the pros – no longer working in IT, his former profession, for a start – far outweigh the cons.

Another may well come tomorrow when Paul's latest film, Single- Handed, gets its premiere at the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival.

A 23-minute documentary on one of the climbing world's most extraordinary characters, Kevin Shields, who was born with most of his left hand missing, the movie is in the finals for the Best Climbing Film Award, the winners of which are

'I had to learn how to make films properly ..I didn't really know what I was doing'

also announced tomorrow. If he does clinch the title, it'll be the latest in a string of awards for Paul and his Edinburgh company Hot Aches – and a far cry from his early days making his first film, Fools With Tools, shot on a battered camera bought on eBay and edited on a home PC.

Manchester born and bred, Paul began hill-walking and climbing as a teenager in north Wales. He moved to Edinburgh ten years ago and now lives in Leith.

"I was following a woman, but it didn't work out – fortunately as I'm now engaged to someone else. Though I told my friends in Manchester I was going for the climbing!"

His full-time job was as an IT programmer and climbing was just a hobby until he made that first film –featuring four pals from Edinburgh – and it ended up at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

More films – and success at film festivals around the world – followed.

"So I started to learn how to make films properly because I didn't really know what I was doing. I attended a few film courses and started working part-time," says Paul.

Then came E11, for which Paul filmed Glasgow climber Dave MacLeod as he attempted one of the hardest traditional rock climbing routes in the world, up Dumbarton Rock, a 70-metre volcanic plug north-west of Glasgow.

Paul followed him for a year as he trained and geared up for the assault on the rock, waiting for the ideal day, when weather conditions and peak fitness would perfectly coincide – not easy when Paul was still trying to hold down his IT job.

"Dave made it clear he wasn't going to wait around for me if I couldn't get a day off, he was just going to do it," explains Paul. "So I kept having to ring in sick – I had to come up with more and more inventive illnesses."

But the film proved well worth the risk; close-ups of Dave's fingers gripping fragile ledges, as he hauls himself up sheer rock, sickening bone-crunching shots as he loses his grip and swings down on his rope into the cliff face and the sheer ecstasy as he reaches the top, proved compelling viewing. The film won 13 awards worldwide and more importantly perhaps DVD sales meant it actually made money. Paul celebrated by buying two more cameras – both still off eBay.

And with his relationship breaking up and his house being sold at that time, he decided to go for a complete lifestyle change – and quit his job to become a full-time filmmaker.

He's never looked back; Single-Handed is his latest project and Paul hopes audiences will warm to the 31-year-old Ayrshire climber who was born with just a thumb on his left hand and his climbing attempts in Glencoe. "I think people will really relate to him – that's if they can understand his accent!" laughs Paul.

Kevin himself has said he drives himself on to complete ever tougher routes both to inspire other people with disabilities and to prove a point to himself – he was told as a child he would never be able to climb a tree or ride a bike.

"Kev doesn't just do it for a bit of exercise, his climbing is almost therapy, almost cathartic. That's one of themes I explore in the film," says Paul. "He hasn't seen it yet so it's a big event for him too."

As for the future, Paul hopes his films can break through into the mainstream and enjoy the success of movies such as Touching the Void.

Filming-wise there's nothing in the pipeline at the moment but Paul does have still one major project for next spring – his marriage to fellow climber Emma Sutton.

Single-Handed will be shown tomorrow at the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival, George Square Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh University, as part of the evening session, starting 7pm. Visit www.emff.co.uk for more details. Hot Aches Productions www.hotaches.com.