When did you first become aware of the work Street Assist do?

 

We knew the name because Street Assist’s office is based in our local community, but knowing they existed and actually understanding what they do in Edinburgh city centre were completely different things.

 

It wasn’t until we went out with the volunteers that we properly understood it. There is this whole side of Edinburgh nightlife most people never see, with volunteers quietly looking after people when their night has gone wrong.

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What was the process like working with them and their volunteers?

 

Honestly, really good fun. They deal with some serious situations, but they’re also a brilliant mix of characters and personalities. They trusted us very quickly and mostly let us follow along and capture things as they actually happened.

 

We always say the film belongs to them as much as it does to us. We filmed and edited it, but they created the story we were lucky enough to capture.

 

Do you think your documentary will shed light on the organisation that many attending the multiple festivals this summer might not have been aware of?

 

We really hope so. It’s actually quite perfect that it’s screening during the Fringe. Edinburgh is full of people having nights out, seeing shows and enjoying the city, while Street Assist is working in the background when someone’s night goes a bit wrong.

 

Lots of people probably walk past their volunteers without knowing who they are until one day they need them. If someone watches our film and walks away knowing Street Assist exists, that’s already something.

 

What is the message you want to tell with Street Assist: Edinburgh After Dark, and do you think you’ve achieved that?

 

We didn’t want to make an advert saying, “Look how amazing this charity is.” We wanted people to actually see what happens. The funny moments, difficult moments, weird conversations, patience and kindness.

 

At the heart of it, these are ordinary people choosing to spend their nights looking after complete strangers. When the volunteers watched the finished film and felt like we had represented them properly, that meant a lot. Hopefully the audience feels the same.

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As a filmmaker what have been some of the challenges you've faced bringing this film to life?

 

You have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. You can’t exactly say, “Sorry, could you have that crisis again? We missed the shot.” 

 

Everything happens once and you have to react. There was also a responsibility because we were filming people during vulnerable moments. Something being dramatic doesn’t automatically mean it should go into the film.

 

And then there was the nightmare of squeezing everything we loved into ten minutes.

 

Looking back, what would you say have been the most valuable lesson you’ve taken from making Street Assist: Edinburgh After Dark?

 

Trust the story.

 

We went in with ideas about what we wanted to capture, but reality was much better than anything we could have planned. Sometimes you just need to watch, listen and let people be themselves. We also learned to trust our own instincts a lot more rather than constantly wondering whether we were doing it the “right” way.

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Have you always had a passion for filmmaking?

 

We’ve always loved creating things and telling stories, but calling ourselves filmmakers still feels quite new. We’ve worked together for years in marketing, events and content, so cameras have always been around. Before that, the original Mad Sisters idea actually came from travelling.

 

When we first came to Edinburgh exactly ten years ago, we were travelling whenever we could, taking photos, making little videos and talking about creating a Mad Sisters travel account. The idea changed a lot over the years, but creating things together never really stopped.