Something a little bit different, originally released to celebrate meeting up with Maria in Las Vegas at the UMD XX celebrations, this is a scene we shot in the summer of 2017, just after an utterly torrential downpour had turned our mudbanks even sloppier than usual, and created a genuine quagmire along the deep sloppy bit nearest to the riverbank.
Dressed for protection in a royal blue Flex-o-thane jumpsuit, and Union Jack wellies, Maria looks ready for anything--but can she escape our mud?
She starts standing on the grass bank, all clean and dry, and then jumps straight into the mud--and instantly sinks to her knees! She soon sinks further and is well and truly stuck. The more she tries to free herself the muddier she gets until her suit is covered pretty much to the neck. She keeps struggling, and geting ever muddier. Eventually she frees herself at the cost of losing a welly, which she then has to find and dig out of the mud--it wouldn't do to be leaving litter after all. Having rescued the boot she puts it back on, and then plays and wallows in the mud getting all the remaining clean bits of her outfit well and truly coated, and towards the end she covers her face in mud too.
Technical: There is full original sound in this scene. Maria genuinely did get properly stuck and the struggle to free herself you see was entirely real. We had a safety crew on-hand and agreed signals so she could request our help to get out if necessary, so at no point was she in genuine danger, but all of her struggle to escape the mud is real.
I couldn't recommended this one enough! This is one of the best rainwear+mud video I've ever seen. Maria's gleeful joy and enjoyment really comes through as she gets really muddy. I'd rate it 8/10. My only wishes would be that she was wearing more gear (wetsuit, waders and the rainsuit!). Fantastic!
swish87 said: I couldn't recommended this one enough! This is one of the best rainwear+mud video I've ever seen. Maria's gleeful joy and enjoyment really comes through as she gets really muddy. I'd rate it 8/10.
Wow, thanks, that's a review! Really glad people liked this one, working with Maria was a privilege and an absolute pleasure and she quite literally threw herself into this one with wild abandon, which was truly glorious to be able to shoot.
Weirdly enough today my Facebook memories have brought up a pic of Maria and Friday partying at Harrah's in Vegas back in 2018, that was a wonderful meetup too.
swish87 said:My only wishes would be that she was wearing more gear (wetsuit, waders and the rainsuit!). Fantastic!
Wetsuit under the rainwear? Interesting idea and we do have a wetsuit I found on the bargain sale rail of the Sainsburys at Great Insmouth some years back which we've never got round to using in a scene. Something to think about for the future perhaps.
the_snowman said: I really miss seeing Maria on the UMD. I never met her in person but she seems like she has a great, bubbly personality and truly loves getting messy.
Right on all counts. I had the pleasure of her company here at the Hall on two occasions, she was wonderful to work with and a good friend to hang out with too. On her last full day here we took a driving tour of my favourite parts of the Dales, we shot some wetlook but also had a lovely meal in a great local pub in a tiny village. Good memories, the kind that stay with you.
And then there was the partying in Vegas, which really was something else again!