Date: 1972,  Location: North Sea, Task: To Film the Search for the ‘Piper Alpha’ Oil field, Owner: Occidental Oil.

Result: We found it, 120 miles North of Aberdeen. I was there on the drilling deck, when the drill first penetrated one of the biggest oil reservoirs in the North Sea.

With the potential development of the Rosebank Oil Field, it may be relevant to remember the tragedy of Piper Alpha; the deadliest offshore oil disaster in the world

The discovery of this massive oil field became like a Klondike rush; to extract the liquid gold from under the seabed as quickly as possible.

Occidental Oil had asked me to film the whole process of search, discovery, production, from beginning to end. This was frontiers-Ville, danger everywhere.

Let me tell you about one such danger I faced regularly.

Before the helipad and accommodation modules were built. The only way onto the Production Platform was from the heaving deck of a supply boat; a perilous operation even in calm waters. A crane on the platform, high above the sea would lower a tyre, round which was secured rope netting. Then between myself and the crane driver, precise timing was essential.

When the sea was at its lowest and the tyre flat on the deck, I would leap, with my camera etc on my back, onto the outside of the tyre, grab the netting and as the sea began to rise, the crane driver would haul me over the side of the supply ship, swinging me out across the turbulent sea, on my white knuckle ride, up onto the production platform. 

I’d honed my engineering and progress-report type films, photographing concrete being poured into holes, as the bridge builders crossed the River Tay. For G.R, Steins, I’d filmed the vast variety of different bricks, that built safe homes and lined industrial furnaces and provided such luxury as the Gleneagles Hotel.

Concrete and bricks, not the most glamorous assignments for a young wannabe film Cameraman. Except the discipline and creative challengers of the above came in handy when I progressed to Cinema, Television Drama, Music and Olympic Games Specials and all the other Films that contributed to my B.A.F.T.A. for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Film’.

There was risk to life, but not without reward. The oil business enabled the late Mike Alexander and myself(Pelicula Films) to buy our own film camera equipment and along with the films I was making for British Caledonian Airways,enabled us to make our first innovative, in-depth, Olympic Games film, ‘The Long Sprint: Diary of an Olympic Athlete’.We followed David Hemery(Mexico Gold 1968) coaching David Jenkins for a year to the Montreal Olympics(1976)

Jenkins came last in the final of the Long Sprint(400 meters),but all was not lost. Our film won the GRAND PRIX AWARD at the British Sports Film Festival.

Very satisfying, because our idea had been turned down by all the major broadcasters. Also, it’s raised profile, meant that theBBC bought the film and Mike and I, along with Louis Kramer(sound) and Mick Coulter(asst. Camera) eventuallygot paid.

Tragically, on 6th. of July, 1988, 167 men lost their lives when Piper Alpha exploded. The biggest ever offshore oil disaster

#PiperAlpha #OccidentalOil #MontrealOlympics #TheLongSprint:DiaryofanOlympicAthlete#BritishCaledonianAirways#ShapingTheShadows:APictureMakersStory.

 

All my stories are in my book ‘Shaping the Shadows: A Picture Maker’s Story’

Available from:

Amazon

Marklittlewood.org.uk

National Library of Scotland.