Tarmac’s Durnford Quarry provided the moody backdrop to a new tale of murderous intrigue in the latest mystery thriller to hit the small screen.
The quarry, near Bristol, was used for some of the filming of The Ballad of Billy McCrae, starring David Hayman as Billy from the film’s title.
The film – on general digital download release on March 14 following its successful launch on the big screen late last year – follows Chris Blythe (played by Ian Virgo) as he returns to his hometown in Wales after losing a fortune in Canada.
He starts working in a quarry and falls in love with Elen (Sianad Gregory), a volatile yet charismatic woman. But Elen’s father, Billy, is a dangerous man and Chris finds himself torn between love and hate as the two men clash.
Filmed in Port Talbot, Wales, and on-location at Durnford Quarry, the film was directed by Chris Crow – renowned for Panic Button and The Lighthouse – who said: “We’re excited about the film’s upcoming digital release and are grateful for the excellent location opportunity Tarmac allowed us.
“Without such an impressive backdrop, it would have been challenging to tell the full story about where the protagonists work. Without giving away too much, it was really quite central to the plot.
“The Ballad of Billy McCrae is a film about damage and dysfunction, a film about flawed people, emotionally stunted people, people who can’t see far beyond their own desires, dreams and greed.”
Durnford Quarry has been working limestone since at least the 1880s and provided an ideal location for some of the action. Under certain conditions, Tarmac occasionally gives permission to film-makers to incorporate some of its locations into their stories.
Neil Hoddinott, quarry manager at Durnford, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support Cymru Films in the making of this movie. It is not often quarries provide the setting for a storyline so, hopefully, we have lent authenticity to the The Ballad of Billy McCrae.”
Tarmac will soon be launching a new website with details of all its available locations for any production companies interested in filming at one of them. In the meantime, requests can still be made via the company’s team by emailing details to [email protected] for any filming opportunity they would like to explore.
The Ballad of Bill McCrae is on digital download release from March 14 and is available to pre-order here.
Picture – David Hayman taking direction during the making of The Ballad of Billy McCrae at Tarmac’s Durnford Quarry.
