Latest news with #SupplyandDemand
Edinburgh Live
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh filmmaker warns 'we need to be honest about what's happening on schemes'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Edinburgh BAFTA winning TV and film director and creator has called for society to stop failing youths from working class schemes. Gary Fraser, originally from Muirhouse, has recently seen his online three-part series, Supply and Demand, picked up by STV's streaming service. The 46-year-old created the project to explore the dark side of the criminal underworld that exists in the capital. Although the series is fictional, many elements are borrowed from lived experiences which have taken place on the capital's housing schemes. Gary believes Supply and Demand shows a different side to the often glamourised criminal underworld. His focus is on the psychological impact and generational trauma experienced by those experiencing crippling addiction and violence. The third instalment of the series, which is currently in production and requires £10,000 in further fundraising in order to be completed, will delve into the impact of crime, violence, societal abandonment and family breakdown, on youths living in areas of deprivation. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Gary, who has worked alongside director Danny Boyle, has a chequered past as a recovering addict, former dealer and convict. But having turned his life around, he now works with Police Scotland's Aid and Abet programme mentoring youths in the justice system, and is keen to stop the generational cycle which often sees kids trapped in a life of poverty, addiction and crime. 'It does not feel right to glamourise the criminal underworld which I think is the case with TV, film and the media,' he said. 'The romanticisation of gang culture is problematic because you do not see the trauma, PTSD and crippling effect that exists in schemes. 'I really want to explore the psychological impact of existing in areas of multiple deprivation, something I think we did well in the first two parts. But part three moves on from the old and focuses on the new generation. 'A lot of the older characters have been wiped out and it is about the new members coming through. These are the grandkids of the 80s generation and there is a generational trauma passed down to them. 'We explore the circumstances which lead to youths selling drugs or committing violence from their point of view. The reality is it is learned behaviour through their environments, they see adults committing serious crimes and if that is your only role model, then the kids want to emulate that. 'There is a real focus on the breakdown of families due to drug addiction. But we also explore how the education system has failed our kids, with youths from schemes on reduced timetables across the capital becoming all too common.' Through his role with the police, Gary said every child he has encountered going through the justice system, is on a reduced timetable, not getting a full education. He accused the country of failing generations of working class kids. 'Schools are failing kids through under-resourced staff, a lack of learning assistants in classrooms, and rolling out these reduced timetables,' he continued. 'If kids are only at school a few hours a week, what are they getting up to the rest of the time? 'Every kid I mentor, who is facing charges, is on a part-time timetable. For me you have areas of multiple deprivation across the capital, and within that there are failed mental health services, youth centres and schools. 'I really respect Stephen Graham and what he achieved with Adolescence but I wanted to do something different for Scotland while focusing on areas of deprivation. There is a contemporary youth culture which has been imported from England and amplified by shows like Top Boy. 'You go to Edinburgh's schemes and the kids are carrying knives, wearing balaclavas doing drill rap, riding Sur-ron's and there is even a culture of 10-year-olds selling crack. I've taken a psychological approach in looking at the cause and effect of this youth culture in part three. 'Kids on our schemes can experience and witness people being chopped up or stabbed which has not only a traumatic effect on them but also the whole community. 'I want to look at that impact and the aftermath rather than create 'hard' characters to be celebrated." Gary said too often outsiders look at people caught up in the criminal underworld of capital schemes as leading lives to fund lavish holidays and cars. But he said the reality is often far different, with many seeing it as their only viable option to survive after being continuously failed by society. 'There are circumstances leading to people selling drugs or committing violence,' he said. 'There is a massive breakdown of families in these communities because of Scotland's failed drug policies. 'If you do not stay in the scheme, you just see a Mr Big selling drugs and destroying the area. But the truth is the majority of people caught up in this life do not sell drugs for foreign holidays or cars, it's to feed their own habit and to survive. 'Whatever is going on with the gangland stuff in Edinburgh now I cannot comment on but I think the media and others have played a role in sensationalising and romanticising it. The use of words like 'empire' and stuff like that is not portraying reality. 'I hope with Supply and Demand we can create a more empathetic culture where we better understand the generational trauma of growing up and existing in a scheme. It is fiction and is not a reveal-all documentary, but I hope it helps in working towards getting kids away from violence and addiction. 'In Edinburgh the deprivation is hidden because it simply cannot exist. Glasgow has a more open relationship than us because they are not seen a tourist city by the powers that be. 'We need to be more honest about what goes on in Edinburgh's schemes.' Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox In order to get the Part Three completed, Gary has launched a £10,000 fundraiser in order to pay actors, sound, audio and visual staff working on the series. Gary, who runs a workshop for aspiring creatives in working class communities, often uses locals with lived experiences as part of the cast and crew. Both parts One and Two sold out cinemas in Edinburgh with the series being released for free on Youtube to alleviate any economic factors. STV have committed to placing the series on their streaming platform STV Player upon its creation. This will open Supply and Demand up to overseas companies who will be able to bid to show the series. To support the fundraiser, click here.
Edinburgh Live
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh gangster series uncovered life in one of city's roughest schemes
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info 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, created a project that celebrates working class culture. The cast of Supply and 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. 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 and 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 and 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." (Image: No credit) (Image: Supply and Demand.) (Image: No credit) (Image: No credit) "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 and 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 and 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 and 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 and 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." 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.
