THOSE walking along Ardrossan beach earlier this month may have noticed film crews down the local shore.

Social media posts later made it clear that this was for the filming of a music video.

Glasgow based singer songwriter John Taylor brought his talents to the town as he and a film crew - which featured a couple of talented locals - created the video for his song 'The Only Way To Be'.

It was a song which gathered much attention and popularity, having featured in popular Amazon Prime show 'Daisy Jones and the Six'.

Though who exactly is John Taylor and why was Ardrossan chosen for his music video? Well the Herald had a chat with the artist, and his music video director, to find out a bit more.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: A snippet from the music video featuring director Craig Maclachlan and actress Nicolette McKeown.A snippet from the music video featuring director Craig Maclachlan and actress Nicolette McKeown. (Image: John Taylor)

John is a 53-year-old artist who is originally from Motherwell. He has been playing in bands around Glasgow since he was young and signed a record deal in Germany then released his first album when he was with a band called Mudshark.

The popular band played at T in the Park and all over the UK with two tours around Europe playing Barrowland-sized shows and open air festivals before splitting while writing their second album.

John then started working on his own material, setting out a plan to one day record 10 albums - releasing his ninth in February of this year.

This latest album has brought John much success, with his music featuring on a number of films and TV shows - including Daisy Jones and the Six.

This isn't his first song that has made it to the big screen, nor will it be his last.

John told the Herald: "It's great to get my song used in Daisy Jones and the six in a scene where the granddaughter of Elvis comes off the stage in a folk club in the 70's and is approached by a record producer.

"While they are talking you can hear me playing this song in the background like I'm performing at the club.

"I've had a good year so far as in January my song landed in a movie called Dog Gone which ended up being the global number one movie on Netflix.

"I also have another song coming out in another movie in the US shortly called Clear Mind but that's what I've been doing since 2012 when I landed my song in a show called Californication.

"It went crazy and I even got a number one download, then a couple of years later I landed the massive State Farm Commercial in the US which sent me into the download charts again."

So what exactly brought John to Ardrossan then?

He explained: "We were scouting a location to shoot the video and Jo McAuliffe, who I worked with before doing hair and make-up for film and TV, has a beauty salon called Radience in Ardrossan and suggested and showed us the locations we filmed at."

Though she wasn't the only 'local' who provided some inspiration for the set up in Ardrossan.

The music video was filmed by Arran based director Craig Maclachlan, who also gave the Herald a bit of insight into the shoot.

Craig has worked with John on a number of other projects, and both say they make a "great team" and wanted to work together again.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Craig Maclachlan and John Taylor at a previous film premiere night.Craig Maclachlan and John Taylor at a previous film premiere night. (Image: Craig Maclachlan)

Craig commented: "Living on the Isle of Arran, I constantly spend time in and around the Ardrossan and Saltcoats area, and thought the Ardrossan beaches would provide the perfect landscape and backdrop for our music video.

"As director, I am absolutely over-the-moon with the final result of the video.

"We had a small dedicated team of creative individuals that worked incredibly hard to create something good that people can enjoy and just have fun with.

"The reaction online has been great, both from the internet and local people."

While Craig even made an appearance in this music video himself, something he isn't too accustomed to.

He added: "Making a cameo in the video alongside award-winning Scottish actress Nicolette McKeown (who is currently starring in soon-to-be released feature film 'Mercy Falls', alongside Outlander star Lauren Lyle), was lots of fun.

"My introduction to the filmmaking industry was as an actor more than 15 years ago, and Nicolette and I have always worked well together.

"I should also give a special thanks to our local hair and makeup artist Jo McAuliffe for making us all look and feel glamorous."

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Jo McAliffe doing Craig's make-up.Jo McAliffe doing Craig's make-up. (Image: Craig Maclachlan)

So after a successful first stint in Ardrossan, can we expect to see the team return again in future?

John said: "I thought it turned out really good and there was a great atmosphere between the team and everyone was chatting to the locals as they passed by and wondered what we were working on.

"I will most definitely be returning - and maybe next time we will get a lot more locals to come along and take part of the video."

While Craig added: "This is the third music video that John Taylor and I have worked on together as musician and filmmaker, and I'm certainly looking forward to working together again, exploring beautiful locations in Scotland and experiencing local communities there."