Christina came over to North Berwick a couple of months ago and worked with me to produce a book video for The Storm Leopard which is now posted on YouTube. Chistina is an artist with a uniquely expressive style that combines beauty with emotion. It is a magic combination which connects her audio, graphic, animation, video and musical compositions.
Rather than making a simple promotional trailer, we wanted to express the motivations that drove me to make the journey across Africa and the even longer journey of writing Storm Leopard – a cogent mix of enchantment with Africa, passion for wild places and irresistible challenge to understand the environmental crisis. It was my first attempt at trying to express such things on video (which shows, despite Christina’s patience and skill) but I hope it may at least give a flavour of what was going on.
Most of the images are from the book or my own collection, but a few are “borrowed” from elsewhere usually to bring home a message. I hope you will forgive me for any transgressions. I’d be happy to have your feedback.
We hope you enjoy the video. Many thanks to Catherine for giving me the idea in the first place, to Des for technical help with de-hissing the audio track, and to all others who helped with the production in one way or another.
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About Martyn Murray
Martyn is a writer, sailor and conservationist. His first book,
The Storm Leopard, is a journey across Africa and into the heart of the environmental crisis. His second book,
Origin of Species: Bite-Sized, contains the essence of Charles Darwin's greatest work - his theory of evolution by natural selection - in a text that is 15% the length of the original. His third book,
Beyond the Hebrides, is the story of a sea voyage in an old leaking boat beginning in an Irish creek and ending on the remote islands of St Kilda in the west of Scotland. It is a tale of romance and adventure which arises from one man's exploration of practical ways to keep personal freedom alive in today’s demanding society. Visit Martyn's website at www.martynmurray.com.
Martyn was born and brought up in Ayrshire, Scotland and now lives in North Berwick. He went to school in Perthshire, and studied at the Universities of Edinburgh, Zimbabwe, Malaya and Cambridge for degrees in Zoology with field research into: shelduck along the Scottish coast; impala in the Zambezi Valley; wild figs and figwasps in the Malaysian forests; and wildebeest migration in the Serengeti. This work was underpinned by theoretical investigations into competition, conflict and social behaviour. Martyn is a consultant in biodiversity and natural resources management.
Christina came over to North Berwick a couple of months ago and worked with me to produce a book video for The Storm Leopard which is now posted on YouTube. Chistina is an artist with a uniquely expressive style that combines beauty with emotion. It is a magic combination which connects her audio, graphic, animation, video and musical compositions.
Rather than making a simple promotional trailer, we wanted to express the motivations that drove me to make the journey across Africa and the even longer journey of writing Storm Leopard – a cogent mix of enchantment with Africa, passion for wild places and irresistible challenge to understand the environmental crisis. It was my first attempt at trying to express such things on video (which shows, despite Christina’s patience and skill) but I hope it may at least give a flavour of what was going on.
Most of the images are from the book or my own collection, but a few are “borrowed” from elsewhere usually to bring home a message. I hope you will forgive me for any transgressions. I’d be happy to have your feedback.
Hi Martyn
I loved the video. Hearing the words of the old timer: “they will all disappear one day. Every single wild place” is chiiling. It inspired me to immediately write a song/poem, called “Careless”. All 6 verses and the chorus took 10 minutes. That´s a record for me! So thankyou. Whenever I perform the song I will credit it to you and your book.
By the way, this is a lovely site.
Keep up the good work!
Lorrie at the Lake of Constance, Germany
hey Lorrie of the Lake of Constance,
That is brilliant. I mean totally BRILLIANT.
I am looking forward to hearing you perform the song.
Martyn of the Firth of Forth, Scotland
Waiting eagerly for the next thoughtful MGM insight and/or creative endeavor….
hey Kirk,
It’s been awhile; problem is I’ve been thinking – no funny comments please!! And the more I think the less inclined I am to write. Best solution I’ve been offered so far involves a log fire, a hammock, the sea and a month without any distractions…