Who Are Fort Film?
Fort Film is an independent video production company based between Glasgow and Dundee.
We make commercial, documentary and cultural films for brands, agencies, cultural organisations and artists across Scotland and the UK.
Alan founded Fort Film after several years of working independently in commercial filmmaking and multi-media production for broadcast, online and social platforms.
The work outgrew the personal byline and Fort Film became the place to put it.
Alan produces, directs and shoots many of the projects as well as collaborating with a network of like-minded creatives.
Fort Film has been operating since 2021.
Scott Dee
Scott on set of Heart of Lochee
A network of freelance collaborators
Fort Film works with a regular network of Scottish freelancers — camera assistants, gaffers, sound recordists, hair and make-up, production assistants, colourists and composers.
Most are people we've worked with for years.
Crews are built around the brief rather than the other way round, which means a two-person documentary shoot and a fully crewed studio day are both normal weeks.
Scott Dee is a frequent collaborator, directing several of Fort Film’s documentary and cultural projects – including Heart of Lochee, Realtime Remote and Mainbeam Virtual Redux.
Scott has spent the last three years working with virtual production technologies, including real-time capture and LED volume stage environments, which now sit at the centre of his practice.
Alongside directing, he tutors in filmmaking with a focus on accessible and inclusive moving image and sound design – work that’s brought him into collaboration with a wide range of community groups and cultural partners.
Alan on set of La Fête des Fous
Alan McIlrath
Together, Alan and Scott also co-run Fort Dee – a sister company developing immersive and place-based projects, where the more experimental heritage and AR work lives.
What we actually make falls into three areas:
Commercial and branded films for agencies and direct clients — including work delivered through agency partners for Accenture, the Design Council, Avast and Jura.
Documentary and cultural film for heritage organisations, councils and arts clients — ongoing video content for V&A Dundee, The Georgian Kitchen at Callendar House for Falkirk Council, Heart of Lochee, and Mainbeam Virtual Redux.
And virtual production using LED volume and real-time environments — most recently La Fête des Fous and the launch film for CoSTAR's Realtime Lab in Dundee.
Because Fort Film is small, the person you meet at the brief stage is the person who makes the film.
We’re based in Scotland and we work everywhere.