A VALE filmmaker has realised a dream after producing a documentary on hard rock legends Deep Purple.

Craig Hooper, of Rhoose, followed the rock pioneers as they wrote and recorded their 20th - and possibly last - studio album for his film Deep Purple – From Here to Infinity.

Mr Hooper said: “This was a dream come true for me.

"I’ve been a fan of Deep Purple since I was a teenager at Barry Boys comp.

"Documenting them writing and then recording their album was an amazing experience - their levels of musicianship are off the scale.

"It was also nice to spend some time with them off camera, socialising. They’re all genuinely nice and very funny people.”

Known as one of the most incendiary bands on the planet, both on and off stage, Deep Purple were at the forefront of the creation of a new genre of music in the 1970s, recording a string of classic songs such as Smoke On The Water, Black Night and Strange Kind of Woman and selling in excess of 130 million albums on the way.

Mr Hooper and his team, including Dinas Powys cameraman Trevor Burgess, managed to get a unique insight into the creative process as they filmed Purple writing and recording in Nashville and Toronto.

Mr Hooper, who also runs the BA Journalism course at the University of South Wales in Cardiff, explained how he came to be involved with the band

“I’ve worked with the band previously," he said. "I’d made a documentary about bass player Roger Glover, who’s from Brecon, for ITV Wales and we produced a DVD for lead singer Ian Gillan. It was nice to be asked back and a bonus that we got to spend a few weeks in Nashville and Toronto.”

The film also sees the band reflecting back on the many highs and lows of a career that’s influenced generations of musicians, and they consider a future choice – to retire gracefully or keep on rocking into their 70s.

An extended version of the documentary will be available with Deep Purple’s new album, InFinite, which is being released worldwide next month.

Mr Hooper’s next project is running the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival in Transylvania at the end of May - as well as teaching journalism and investigating his next rock documentary for his company Coolhead.

Deep Purple – From Here to Infinity debuts on Sky Arts at 9pm on Saturday, March 11.