From comedy to running film tours around Liverpool, Gary Lunt – aka Reeltours – has now added a YouTube account detailing film locations around the world. We sent Ellie Shannon to find out more…
Thursday night in a quiet room in the Everyman Theatre, saw the launch of Gary’s channel, Reel Tours, as well as the release of two videos to the channel.
The videos, which were filmed in America, follow Gary as he visits landmarks in horror classic The Exorcist as well as locations from multi-award winning cinema classic, Rocky.
Videos released by Gary hope to show film locations not only in Liverpool but also from the rest of the world. The film graduate and walking tour guide hopes to showcase Liverpool in a new light through the channel.
He said: “Liverpool is undercelebrated as a location so it’s a way to try and celebrate Liverpool a little bit more.”
Upcoming videos will explore locations shown in American cult classics such as Hocus Pocus, Forest Gump and Jaws.
Despite only launching the Reel Tours YouTube channel last week, Gary has already moved onto his next project.
“I’m in the middle of writing a book all about cinema at the moment which should hopefully be out next Christmas, it’s all about Christmas films.”
The final episode of BBC One's The #WarOfTheWorlds is tonight at 9pm.
Keep your eyes peeled for more #Liverpool based locations throughout! pic.twitter.com/bzHeSCXCun
— Reel Tours (@ReelTours) December 1, 2019
As far as the Reel Tours YouTube channel is concerned, Gary has plenty lined up, including dancing down the Joker Steps, visiting the remains of The Wickerman and exploring Spain to see the locations of Spaghetti Westerns as well as much more.
Read the full interview with Gary below and head to Reel Tours
for more information.
LiverpoolUnderlined: What inspired you to start the YouTube channel?
Gary: I mean essentially everything I do is film related. I’ve been doing these tours for just under two years now and I just think that Liverpool is undercelebrated as a location really it’s a way to try and celebrate Liverpool a little bit more.
By mentioning the videos and films that have been made in the city and put online, it’s more accessible to the people that wouldn’t know that it’s featured in so many films.
Obviously it’s a nice way to mention other locations as well that I happen to go to on my travels because loads of places… if I’m looking to book a holiday will be what films were made there before is it sunny or is it cold, I’ll always look to see what’s made there first.
LiverpoolUnderlined: You’ve already recorded a few episodes, what else do you have planned?
Gary: Essentially it’s going to be filled with loads of different content, I want to do more location videos. There’s still more videos from when we went to America too so we’ve got Forest Gump coming up, Hocus Pocus which I’m really excited about, Jaws and The Departed.
I’m looking to go on more holidays…well working holidays keep it professional, so I’m looking to go to Spain early next year to go to where The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and all those Clint Eastwood westerns were filmed.
And then one of my favourite films, Halloween… the original Halloween from 1978 – I just need to go and see all of the locations for that as well.
Liverpool is undercelebrated as a location really
LiverpoolUnderlined: What is your ultimate film location that you’d want to visit?
Gary: My favourite film of all time is Rear Window, which is a Hitchcock film from the 50’s but that was all done in a studio so there’s no way of actually seeing that. So my second favourite film is The Wickerman but the original – as far as I’m concerned the Nicholas Cage version doesn’t exist! I just try and ignore that. I’ve already been, I went up to Scotland and tracked them down about a year ago, have you seen The Wickerman?
The end of it where they burn the Wickerman the big massive wicker effigy – the stumps are still in the ground and it’s just in the middle of a caravan park now in Scotland. It’s mad that people go for their holidays and in the middle of this coastal town there’s these stumps that are part of horror history. And I went up there before I had even thought about starting a YouTube channel so I’m hoping to go back up there when the weather gets a bit better.
My film tastes are like massively varied, like the other day I did a film double bill and I watched Frozen and then Nightmare on Elm Street back-to-back, so if it’s good I’ll watch it.
LiverpoolUnderlined: Do you think the channel will appeal most to film buffs?
Gary: It’ll be the film buffs that will be looking directly for the videos but I hope that people who aren’t necessarily that interested in film will take an interest in it a little bit more and find something out that they think is an interesting fact and hopefully it will lead them into wanting to see all of the videos. I want to make it quite accessible.
It’s like the walking tours I do, I get a lot of couples that come on it and I see it as a challenge, I want to get them to want to watch some of the films by the end of it. So that’s the idea to try and make it as accessible as possible really.
I studied film at university and got a film degree, so everything that I’ve done has been like making films or writing about films. I’m in the middle of writing a book at the moment about cinema, which hopefully will be out next Christmas. It’s all about Christmas films…
I remember just being sat down in front of the telly and my parents being like this is Jason and the Argonauts and I remember watching it and being like, ‘Oh my God’!
LiverpoolUnderlined: Why is Liverpool so underrated as a filming location?
Gary: I don’t know, I mean a lot of people just presume. Like War Of The Worlds at the moment on BBC is set in London, so people will just see it and assume it’s in London but its actually filmed at St George’s Hall; Sefton Park is in there and Martins Bank on Water Street just by the Town Hall.
So, all these locations, people in Liverpool would probably know, but you just don’t realise how much good stuff there is in the city.
Manchester is similarly underappreciated for how much is filmed there. There’s a scene in Captain America, where he’s running along the streets and it’s supposed to be in Brooklyn. Every time you see Steve Rodgers that’s Manchester, on Princess Street. Everytime you see the guys he’s chasing that’s Dale Street in Liverpool, it cuts between both cities in one scene. So both cities are really prominent in British film making.
LiverpoolUnderlined: What sparked your love of film? Is there a particular film…
Gary: It was 1999, I remember just being sat down in front of the telly and my parents being like this is Jason and the Argonauts and I remember watching it and being like, ‘Oh my God’!. This film is nothing like I’ve ever seen, and it’s still one of my favourite films today. I’ve just been glued to cinema ever since!