Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill Museum Reaches For The Skies

Bristol-based professional video maker Chris McComish was flying his camera-carrying drone to capture footage of the stunning views from Shaftesbury on a sunny Friday morning. He has been commissioned to make a short promotional video on behalf of Gold Hill Museum. (Now available to view here) The Trustees felt that there couldn’t be a better time, with scarcely any visitors through the Museum door in the past 12 months of pandemic, plus the possibility of a staycation boom in 2021, to beef up their marketing effort. At least a third of the film, as conceived by screenwriter (!) Ian Kellett, emphasises the magnificent views into three counties from Dorset’s highest town, the importance of Shaftesbury Abbey, and the impact of Ridley Scott’s Hovis ad shot on Gold Hill. The camera lingers on the Georgian Town Hall and medieval St Peter’s before floating inside the Museum door. At this point the viewer should already be convinced that Shaftesbury is a worthwhile destination.

“I was very impressed by the drone footage in a video made for the benefit of Weymouth and Portland Heritage,” says Ian. “I thought that Shaftesbury and Gold Hill Museum needed something similar. Perhaps North Dorset can siphon off some of the thousands flocking to the Jurassic Coast. Our video will also have an authentic Dorset-accented narration, voiced by Dave Hardiman.”

Click here to listen to Amber Harrison’s location interview with Chris McComish on The Alfred Daily (22 minutes 14 seconds to 27.14)