Anyone who knows me will be aware that I'm passionate about filmmaking. I have other skills but this is the one that centres me. When I travel I always have a camera with me. In the winter of 2008 I visited Weifang - a Prefecture-level city in the Shandong province of China - for what was to be the coldest winter I ever spent anywhere. My friends have heard me talk about this so often now... about the solar powered water tank on the roof that delivered piping hot water but stopped short of coming out of the tap because it had re-frozen along the way... or the restaurants with thick blankets across the front doors and patrons eating their meals whilst still wearing their coats (and in my case - hat, gloves and scarf)... or the office buildings where the receptionists greet you from behind a desk - again - wearing coat and scarf.

Be that as it may, I met some wonderful people and I was constantly reminded of how simple and uncomplicated life can be. The people were lovely and the children played together in the streets. I was fed often. Sometimes too often due to my very small stomach. One day - to escape the continuous flow of delicious food - I grabbed my camera and headed out into the cold with a friend to shoot some footage that would remind me of sights and sounds that are truly unique in the technological social-media-driven world of today. Whilst I didn't enjoy the cold, I was left with a sense of discontent with my own world. For some reason, the editing process for my Weifang film became a slow burn for me. It was like a good book that I didn’t want to end. I wanted the process of putting this film together to be an ongoing part of my life. Here’s some of it.