Pìobairean Bhòrnais – the Pipers of Bornish – was my first broadcast animation and a big hit. It’s built around an archive recording of an age-old South Uist story, which I found in the form of an old reel to reel at the School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh. In it, a young boy makes a pact with a sinister fairy to acquire the gift of piping.
The trance-like musical score was composed and performed by renowned piper, Rory Campbell, and I painted this animation frame by frame using Corel Painter.
Pìobairean Bhòrnais was first broadcast on the BBC in 2004, screened in over 50 cinemas and around the world and distributed on DVD in North America by National Geographic. It’s still a firm favourite with Gaelic audiences today.
Pìobairean Bhòrnais was commissioned by BBC ALBA and funded by CCG and Scottish Screen National Lottery.