Dior In Scotland: The making of the Cruise 2025 collection

[OC Richard]

Thanks!

That answers all the questions...except about whether the producers originally wanted all the pipers to march down the stairs while playing.

Believe you me, if there are stairs the client wants the pipers to march down them while playing. Last-minute negotiations are rare in my experience, and that's the most common issue.

Marching down stairs piping without looking down is tough. Worst is marching down stairs piping in the dark while not looking down, which myself and another piper were asked to do.

It was at a major concert hall, and the orchestra was doing some Christmas piece that had pipes coming in halfway through.

Rather than just having us walk out onstage, the conductor wanted us to come in where the audience does, start playing (joining in with the orchestra) then walk all the way down steps, then up more steps onto the stage, continuing to play the entire time.

The house lights were down and it was pretty dark, tricky steps if you're looking down, but we had to keep our eyes on the conductor to stay in time with the orchestra. Add to that the other thing that clients always want: two pipers coming in from opposite sides, so the pipers can't hear each other, and get out of time from each other.

After a couple run-throughs we made it clear to the conductor that we couldn't both watch him and go down a long flight of steps in the dark while piping.

The compromise was that we would come down the steps and get into place nearer to the stage prior to our joining the orchestra, then play in place, exactly what is seen in that Dior video.