I don’t think the photos can ever really capture exactly what it’s like on a film shoot. Somehow, the camera always manages to make it look like a serene, beautiful affair, and completely misses the thrill of leaving the house in the pitch darkness, the breathtaking moment of the sun rising over the horizon as you’re singing. Or the sleeplessness of getting up before 4:30 so you can be at the location with enough time to set up before the light is just right for filming.

Some of the places we film at need a bit of hiking to get to. Lo, How a Rose was nearly 20 minutes from the car, stumbling over a darkened path, pushing through clinging bushes to get to the white gum trees in time to set up. For Connemara Cradle Song, filmed quite near that stand of white gums actually, it was more of a case of shimmying round jutting rocks, edging along the river bank, and trying not to overbalance into the water with all the equipment.

Every time we go out, I have to wonder why on earth my team keeps coming with me. All through the long cold winter when our toes froze in our boots and our misty breaths could be seen on camera. All the early mornings, the windy days, the awkward locations. Connemara Cradle Song wasn’t an awkward shoot by any means. It was a little windy, but sunny and warm. One of the best we’ve had. But it still meant getting up fantastically early to be there to capture the glory of a sunrise over the river.

Filming Connemara Cradle Song was special as well because my dad was able to be there as well. Most of the time it’s just us girls and Mum out in the pre-dawn darkness. We work very well together after over a year of producing these videos. But it’s a completely different matter having Dad along. As a member of Team Elvis, his job appears to be to crack jokes, bust a dance move or two, and enjoy himself like he’s on a picnic.

This week’s behind the scenes has a lot of him in them. I’m never quite sure what’s gone on behind the camera until I get back and take a look at the footage. It captures so many magic moments that I would otherwise have missed if it wasn’t for putting these behind the scenes videos together. I think they’re some of my favourites. I hope you enjoy them too!

I’ve done a few folk songs in the past for my YouTube channel too, including Loch Lomond, ScarboroughFair, and The Parting Glass. This week’s song, Connemara Cradle Song, is probably one of my all-time favourites though. We sang this one plenty of times when I was younger. Arranging this version for myself was so much fun. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I hope you enjoy it too. Let me know what you thought! And, as always, if there are any songs you’d like me to do, let me know!

This week on my channel I posted a second video for my cover of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” featuring the whole of Team Elvis. We filmed both this and the original video while on holiday a few weeks ago. I really wanted to make the most of the opportunity while we were away to film a couple of videos somewhere completely different to normal. And it was so worth it. ‘Fight Song’, the original video, we filmed on the shore of a huge salt water lake five minutes drive from the beach. With the trees, the sand, the water, and even a little yellow boat, I knew it was the perfect place for this video the moment I saw it. I hope you agree!

To be honest, we weren’t even planning to film a second version. But some people started dancing behind the camera (I’m looking at you Gemma-Rose) and the next thing you know we’re choreographing the whole thing over coffee back at the beach house and filming it in the back garden with the dog running around through the bushes. (If you look carefully in the background while we’re dancing, you can see her in the bushes wagging her tail and having a wonderful time). Things tend to work out that way a lot when we’re making videos.

I love this song so much because, as a person with big dreams myself, I find "Fight Song" to be so encouraging. Dreams are funny, amazing, bright, beautiful, personal things, and they take such a lot of courage to follow, whether the dreams are big or small. And it can be so hard to follow them when other people don’t support or encourage you in following your dreams. To me, ‘Fight Song’ is a reminder that our dreams are worth chasing, even when no one else supports them. We are strong enough to fight on anyway.

That’s why I like this song, but I’d love to know what you think of it. What dreams are you chasing at the moment, or would you like to follow? Does your family ever do crazy, amazing things?