Film fans have had plenty of chances to spot Glasgow on the big screen in recent years, from superhero blockbusters to futuristic sci-fi thrillers. Now the city is to star in cinemas once again - but the difference is that it won't be doubling for another location. It is actually set in the city.
Romantic comedy Premature is out in cinemas next Friday, despite a microscopic budget that is the fraction of Hollywood productions like Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The indie film - by writer and director Kevin Walls - was shot across the city, meaning landmarks such as Kelvingrove Art Gallery pop up - a well as the less obvious location of an east end flat. The film stars James Rottger and Elle Watson as Cameron and Eilidh - mismatched flatmates who face the prospect of parenthood after a one-night stand.
"We shot quite a bit in a flat in the east end, maybe about nine days there," Walls said. "There is a key scene we did in a close there. It is not necessarily the most romantic location you would think of for a romcom, but in real life that's exactly where these things happen.
"Why can't we set a romcom in a flat in the east end? It looks really beautiful on the big screen." That vibe is something the film's leading lady agrees with, despite Glasgow's film appearances often being due to it looking Gothic. "We are so used to Glasgow being this dark and gritty place, but that's not reflective of the city overall", Watson said.
"It's great having it on screen as a bright and funny place, with people falling in love there. Shooting in locations I've grown up around was great too, as I've been going to Kelvingrove since I was a little kid. "Part of me wanted to run around the building when it was all quiet.
But when you see it on the screen it looks beautiful. Being from Glasgow you are so used to it that you almost become immune to the spectacle of the building, and how grand it is." Walls admitted to BBC Scotland News that some of the choices were made through necessity. "The locations were tricky because we didn't have any money," she said.
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