It is not every day that you have a gangster thriller series that explores Scotland’s drug underworld set, filmed and produced in the capital.
But Edinburgh filmmaker Garry Fraser, 44, who grew up in the scheme in Muirhouse, has done just that by creating a project that celebrates working class culture. The cast for the first instalment of Supply & Demand is mostly made up of non-actors who have experienced trauma in their life, whether as ex-veterans or martial artists from economically challenged backgrounds.
The series is based on a family that is torn apart by addiction and involvement in the international drug trade. It focuses on the war on drugs, the role of the establishment in propagating the issue, as well as the real life stories of those caught up in the illegal narcotics trade.
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Garry, who is a former heroin addict and double BAFTA winner, is proud of the series for a number of reasons, from its authentic portrayal of personal trauma to the fact it was self funded without help from establishment media. Not only this but he says that the project used schemes like Pilton, Granton and Leith as its set.
Of course this did not come without issue, after one scene involving a machete spooked North Edinburgh police into racing into a shop, only for them to be calmed by Garry after he explained they were in fact on part of Supply & Demand set.
On the basis of the series, he said: “The war on drugs is something that can evoke many different images and emotions about the characters who might be involved in this complicated, contentious issue, but very rarely is the desire for change explored, or the abuse of power and the information network linked to deprived Scottish communities examined in-depth.
“In Supply & Demand, however, this powerful desire for change is the common thread which binds our characters together. Told from the perspective of a broken, grieving family, this often-unexamined front line gives our intertwining plots a coherent dramatic structure, accompanied by original, intoxicating, local music that underscores the gritty tone.
“Drawing on the personal experiences of the cast of mainly non-professional actors, through an intense rehearsal period we have been able to tap into powerful emotions to tease out raw and authentic performances from my actors, often drawing upon their own lived experiences.
“This authenticity shines through on screen as together, we tackle themes of what masculinity means in the modern world, alcoholism, drug addiction, family breakdowns, PTSD, and the constant strain of living under regular abuses of power from the people who are ostensibly there to protect us – the police.”
Garry elaborates that Edinburgh is no different from any other major European city with regards to having a criminal underbelly. He cites shows such as Snowfall and The Wire that are set in the US, and portray the role of law enforcement in the drug trade whilst telling the real life stories from the perspective of those living on the projects, as motivation.
That is what he has tried to deliver with Supply & Demand. A journey through the eyes of those who have lived through war in their communities through the drug trade.
He says that there is a lack of storytelling from the perspective of working class people in Edinburgh. Too often he says, stories depict drug addict mums or down and out drug dealer villains hell bent on destroying their community, when in reality the stories in schemes are often more complex and diverse.
It was important for Garry to use non-actors who had experience of trauma as he wanted to get a cathartic realistic performance from cast members. The project started two years ago in lockdown and has been a painstaking journey of drama workshops and meetings to bring the idea to life.
The premise of the series follows a character Frank who has just returned from a tour with the British Army in Iraq, only to discover his cousin Charlie is heavily involved with high level drug dealing. Frank is recruited by MI5 to infiltrate and unravel his cousin's enterprise.
“I don’t think there has been a film made like this before in Edinburgh. As a screenwriter I have had to research our criminal underworld past and I was amazed to discover that we have had foreign mafia involvement in schemes like Pilton in the past”, Garry said.
“It was important to create an artwork that is from the perspective of ground zero and not the establishment. In countries like France, Italy and Poland there is a celebration of social realism but in Scotland it feels as though the arts have been hijacked by the middle class which means real working class stories are not told properly in this way.
“We stay in a country where an addict dies every seven hours but where is the media telling the story from their perspective? There is a crazy inequality when it comes to life in Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole.
“We have had refugees from Afghanistan and Ethiopia, veterans of the Iraq war and everyday folk from the scheme involved in the film making process for Supply & Demand. The project has been about breaking down barriers and opening doors.
“I think if there are thirteen young bairns shouting ‘action’ and ‘cut’ alongside me on set, whilst seeing how passionate I am, then they may end up thinking they can build a career in film too.”
Garry says that wherever they went, whether Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton or Leith, they were met with love and support from the local community. Whether it was being offered food, tea or electricity or by local youths refraining from nicking equipment, Supply & Demand was a hit with whatever area they filmed in.
The Muirhouse father-of-five added that local businesses were always up for offering their shops as sets. But on one occasion this sparked a response from local police.
“We took over communities like Pilton, Muirhouse and Leith and had no trouble. We involved everyone and people were so generous towards us.
“A big thing was turning the schemes into a filming location. A shopkeeper offered us his shop to film a scene where someone was brandishing a machete in a robbery.
“It caused a stir and for a minute we thought we were getting charged with brandishing a weapon in public. But a senior officer listened to the shopkeeper who backed our claim that it was a live film set - art had taken over life in the community.
“When people are struggling in poverty there is a lot of negativity and self defeat. This is not helped by the portrayal of working class culture in our media.
“A large part of making Supply & Demand was to bring confidence to those living in schemes and to dispel a lot of the self defeating lack of empowerment. We wanted to show the empathy and complex nature of life on a housing estate.”
Since the series launched on Wednesday it has had almost 10,000 views. They sold out an Odeon cinema as well as Summerhall when showing the premiere of the series.
Garry, who is father to Gary J 20, Billy 16, Destiny 13, Faith nine, Lee four weeks and boyfriend to Xanthia, says he has not received any national funding for the series and as a result he is trying to fundraise to continue the project.
If you would like to watch the first episode you can do so above via YouTube. To support their fundraising efforts, click here.
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