A big longhorn, a seasoned rancher and some old wooden derricks help locate this picture in West Texas. That was always the intent; sometimes a stripped-back pastoral scene is the most effective way to play to the lore of the American West. Less can be more.

If Texas were a country, it would boast the 8th biggest economy in the world. Many technology companies have, of course, moved to the business-friendly state over the last 10 years, but for the last 100 years, it has been a story of cattle and oil. They are the mainstays of the Texas story and I sense that those working in these trades are accorded added respect locally for flying the flag for the Lone Star State. The self-sufficient swagger of Texas has long been noted and as John Steinbeck wrote “It is a Nation in every sense of the word”.

We often film in the arid and unforgiving land between Fort Stockton and the Mexican border. We have built up a formidable book of contacts in this isolated part of America and logistics are easier as a result. I know I am guilty of leaning towards familiarity in locations, but sometimes it’s simply the best way to operate. I don’t think there is any merit in exploring new territory just to appear intrepid and curious. That spanks of leaving fiscal custody at home.