3. In Those Old Days
- Tom Payne
- Jul 10, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 16, 2025
In those old days, when weather was fine, it was luxuriously fine; when it was bad—it was often abominably bad,[1] but it had its fit of temper and was done with it—it didn’t sulk for three months without letting you see the sun,—nor send you one cyclone inside out, every Saturday afternoon, and another outside in, every Monday morning.
In fine weather the sky was either blue or clear in its light; the clouds, either white or golden, adding to, not abating, the lustre of the sky. In wet weather, there were two different species of clouds,—those of beneficent rain, which for distinction’s sake I will call the non-electric rain-cloud, and those of storm, usually charged highly with electricity. The beneficent rain-cloud was indeed often extremely dull and grey for days together, but gracious nevertheless, felt to be doing good, and often to be delightful after drought; capable also of the most exquisite colouring, under certain conditions; and continually traversed in clearing by the rainbow:—and, secondly, the storm-cloud, always majestic, often dazzlingly beautiful,[2] and felt also to be beneficent in its own way, affecting the mass of the air with vital agitation, and purging it from the impurity of all morbific elements.
Footnotes
‘The Abominable Presence’ – a short DIY film response by Gemma Barnes, BA (Hons) Acting and Performance, Sheffield Hallam University, Thursday 11 December 2025.
I chose to take this passage and display the meaning more of an evil presence rather than focusing solely on the weather. I turned the description of what happens during a storm into a slightly more sinister feel, using the idea of a physical presence there but leading into the fear of the unknown. I wanted to display the development of a storm by using use of water, change of filters and sound effects whilst focusing on what happens to the beings that are trapped in the storm. The line "and was done with it" highlights the ending in my film when the figure is seen soaking wet walking through two different settings- I wanted to capture how the figurative storm has left permanent damage and then moves away like nothing happened, leaving the soul trapped in the damage.
After studying Ruskin's text, it definitely allowed me to be more creative and to find a deeper meaning within the text. My observations of the world around me changed and I began to look at my surroundings in much more detail. Choosing to film at the beach gave me an insight on how weather becomes more aggressive when at the edge of land- the wind picked up and great shots of the strong breeze were captured to increase the tension of the storm.
‘Clouds of Those Old Days’ – a short DIY film response by James Eden, BA (Hons) Acting and Performance, Sheffield Hallam University, Thursday 11 December 2025.
I was inspired by the imagery that Ruskin establishes in this section as it presented something we are often scared of as beautiful and I wanted to highlight that more by telling the story of nature vs modernity. I decided on this comparison because it stayed to the purpose of the text as well as helping to expand on it.
While I tried to film this I found that because of the weather being a strong factor for my film I found it interesting how during the moments of calm I was able to appreciate my surroundings and during the harsher weather I was able to notice the harsh atmosphere more.