Goblin News

26 June 2010

Time, time, time!

I really do need to learn how to clone myself. So many things don’t get done unless I'm the one doing them. Even this blog is being written during stolen moments when I'm supposed to be doing something else.

Well, I've got all the shots in excellent quality. I've got them sorted by scene numbers. I've got one lot sent to my lad in Liverpool to work on. I've told my local lad he can come get his section any time, he got an external hard drive for the purpose.

But what's happened to my lad in Eastbourne? In his most recent message, he was honest and said he had wandered off on his own projects. Oh dear. At least he communicated. I contacted my back-up, a woman in London who wants in on the edit. She’s got a masters in post-production and is actively working in the sector, so she has real possibilities for mastering the day for night. Besides, women see colours better.

Meanwhile I'll be doing another mock-up myself at the same time on the CS3 machines at work. This is to make sure all the shots are there, that nothing got skipped. Only in the back of my mind is the thought that if any of my current editing team slacks, I can easily go from that point to making a good tight cut and adding the effects myself, hair tearing and all.

Ironically, the job I did on the wmv files would have only needed minor changes and tightening up to be good for sequence at least, if I had had the avi files to work on. But it made a good trial run anyway, and is still a model to work from. At this stage I've been through the shots so many times that I recognise the best ones in just a few frames and know on many sequences that the good one is right after the shot where the blue van pulls out or whatever.

My sense of urgency for finishing this project is growing. Now that my job no longer pays me enough to eat on a daily basis without selling my belongings and may even re-structure me out in September, getting a release on the first project is becoming ever more important. I've had rather enough of waiting around for other people to do what they promise and will be effectively duplicating the work they are supposed to be doing, starting with the first trailer.

The mock-up was good, I deliberately chose shots with good sound and no major requirements on the effects, I've separated the shots for that in its own folder on the external and will be giving it top priority, while also setting myself up to get at least a loose sequence on all the other shots and extracting frames on two short shots which really are going to need frame by frame correction.

That isn't as scary as it sounds. There is this one shot where pink zombie brains are being thrown on a yellow dress, and in the one-shot take a woman with a red blouse just had to push behind our girl in the shop. That's the price of working in places open to the public. But I tried a few frames and have a PSD file set-up with an unobstructed background and the colour adjusted so all I have to do is put the frames over that and feather-cut out the woman on each one. It's a bit time consuming, but I could certainly have it done in a day, as well as the other shot that will need a few frames similarly corrected.

I also worked out that I can set up the project file for the correction shots so that the frames are already in place on the external and the corrected frames will fall in naturally. It's not that hard really, and I have many hours of Photoshop experience over the last decade doing harder stuff than this for fun. The idea is that the video clips will be re-saved on CS3, as my old version of Premiere doesn't retain the quality and these shots are too good to spoil.

The Vegas programme will save them properly, but I'm just starting to learn to use that so it's faster to work on the CS3. I will have to master Vegas in stages now that I've got it. One of the contacts who suggested it assures me it can do effects like fire, so there is much to be found useful on it. But I've had too many learning curves of late, and just want to get this job done. I'll spend more time on Vegas with the vampire film shots, as they'll be coming in slowly for a while until I get production really rolling.

This is likely to be mostly late July to September. I've got some public speaking to do on 3rd July which takes preparation, and the stall at the London Film & Comic Con on the weekend of the 17th which also distracts from work at home and takes some prep. Now I remember why I gave up public speaking when I opened the film company.

This will be the last time for now though, I'm not going to accept any more engagements unless I can do the same talk and re-use my materials. Even then a weekend away to attend these things takes time needed for the immediate project.

On top of that, my websites are in dire need of an overhaul. I got some ideas from a seminar I went to recently, I just need TIME to sit down and work on it. I could do with a weekend to do the Photoshop work. I could do with a weekend to just work on the website. I could do with a weekend to prepare for the conference. See the pattern?

But no worries, it will all get done. The trailer is high priority. I actually had some minor changes in mind as I was walking home from work yesterday, which will make it even easier. I still walk a bit slower with a walking stick from last winter's accident, but the creative juices are constantly flowing when I walk again. For a while I had to concentrate too much on managing not to trip over cracks in the pavement, but I'm back on auto-pilot now. I may, however, see a doctor again about the ankle. It isn't getting close enough to normal after six months. I just need TIME to go have it looked at.

I went to recce a chapel last week. Someone offered it as a location, so of course I wrote it in. My lead actor is friends with the lady who procured it so he went along, and I had him reciting Shakespeare in the low echo of the room, it was brilliant. Quite an opportunity to give him a dramatic scene to sparkle in (no, not like Twilight). Things are moving, if not as quickly as I might like.

Priority right now is getting that trailer done. I'll have to do the day to night myself, I'm not going to wait for anyone else's promises any longer. It needs to be good though, so I'm not going to rush a slapdash job either. I should have the shots in place today at least, then it's just how much work is involved in the colour effects and sound that will determine how quickly I can release it.

An experienced editor could do it faster. But, I've done enough waiting. It's time to get a result.

29 May 2010

Breakthrough!

After my last blog which mentioned that a second copy of the editing programme would solve the incompatible OS problem, a second copy of the programme magically appeared! So thank you AGAIN Julian!

It was duly installed on my PA's computer and the new download commenced. After a couple of false starts, he worked out that the camera was stopping after each shot. Much ranting and raving later, a third of the tapes were finished. There is probably a setting for keeping the tape continuously downloading, but my neatly bound copy of the instruction manual which I had printed out from the supplied PDF was left sitting on my table. He would have his own copy with the programme of course, in PDF. He may have read it by now, as this idea was deemed preferable for the HD tapes.

Ironically, the collection of tidy separate shots transferred to me for sorting made that part of the job easier. 12 hours non-stop later, I have a neat collection of individual shots, filed according to scene number. Now I just need the other two thirds of them!

That was scheduled to happen this weekend. I suspect only half of it will, as my PA put his car in for MOT yesterday and never got a call back, so he will now have to deal with car issues today when he would have been doing the download. Fingers crossed, the HD tapes are in the camera bag at his house and could potentially get done this morning. Of course if the garage is closed on weekends, he won’t have the other tapes or the external hard drive and the job will get delayed again.

Meanwhile, we now have editor 5. It seems that one of my actors from the new film does editing as well, and is happy to help. I had to put some thought into how to divide this job up among several people and still keep consistency. I worked it out though, my lad in Eastbourne (editor 3) is specialising in the day to night effect, so we'll have him working on the outside shots while editor 5 does the inside ones. Editor 4 hasn't been heard from. Also, the lad in Liverpool who wanted to help out is happy to work with the 'difficult' shots, the four long scenes which involve the actor who wouldn't practice his lines. Cutting those sequences together smoothly constitutes a separate job. Then the result can be passed to editor 3 for day to night conversion, keeping consistency on the effects.

Editor 2 isn't out of the picture. I actually heard from him yesterday in response to my message telling him what I've worked out for the edit. He does animation, and had mentioned creating an original font before. So, he still gets a chance to do something for the credit, but not something that will hold us up if he doesn't deliver. On the bottom line, I go with whatever is best for the project. How I feel about getting let down is irrelevant, if something good is produced, we use it.

The whole edit saga has made me very conscious of time as I feel rather like I'm racing the clock where my day job is concerned.

I've soap boxed in the blog a bit before about having my day job devalued and the convoluted restructures that have resulted in me getting paid entry level wages for a job I've been doing for 8 years. Recently I drew attention by replying to an invitation to express opinions on a day set aside to celebrate workers and how I felt it affected me. It was a mass email, sent out to the Norfolk County Council as a whole.

I sent an intelligent rant, something I'm a little too good at in the right arena. Short, to the point, and expressing that to me it was a travesty when I had to sell my belongings to maintain the ability to eat on a daily basis while the senior management team puts out plates of posh sandwiches left over from their meetings that could feed me for a week. I don't mind having the sandwiches of course, but the cost of keeping the higher ups feeling posh does appear to exceed the cost of properly paying people like myself that have been devalued to a serf level.

Well, at the last minute, before clicking send on the email, it occurred to me that this would never get fed back to the higher ups. It would just get dismissed out of hand. So I copied in the Chief Executive, and hit send before I could talk myself out of it. I did wonder if it would make trouble for me, but it gets to a point where you just don't care anymore.

The following week, my boss 2 levels up (who was once my direct boss) came to have a chat with me. There is a certain level of friendship between us, so it wasn't an uncomfortable situation. She mainly asked questions about my motivations, although her comments were peppered with, shall we say, the results of going to management classes. In other words, the higher ups don't see addressing the actual issue of paying people fairly as an option, but they will be seen to be 'supportive'.

She made the suggestion that I should address the open questions for the next restructure FAQ, which I knew nothing about. So of course I wrote one, phrased to express the same sentiments. My boss-once-removed promised to follow up and see that any questions got an answer. Soon after, word came to me that the SMT admin was asking who I was, my reputation was obviously preceding me. The person who told me of this referred to me as Che' Guevara. My response was that at least I would be a popular unemployed person.

Amazingly, the question was printed in full. The response was a dance around the issue of course, politispeak as I call it, but at least it was included. I considered sending another question to narrow down the escape routes for the excuse makers, but it is clear that it's a waste of my time. I had a response back from the email that could only be described as platitudes. No amount of grandstanding is going to have any effect on decisions already made.

It has probably put me on the list of people to get restructured out when they get to my level on the most recent restructure in September. This will be my fourth since starting to work for Adult Education. It's becoming an annual event. And we all know that no matter what HR is 'seen to do', the places will be pretty much decided beforehand.

This set me to wondering if I might actually gain from being made redundant, and whether I might actually be financially better off if it did happen. They have a good redeployment scheme though, so it's more likely that I would get stuck elsewhere. Ironically, a potentially suitable job finally appeared on the internal job notices that is half the distance away, a real issue when I walk everywhere and still have a damaged leg. I applied for it, and will just have to wait and see. It's a few more hours at a rate more reasonable for similar work. It would require one more day per week than I'm doing now, but at least the bills could get paid and my resentment level at what's happening in Adult Education at present is such that it's a good time for a move.

So, getting the first film finished and sold has become a rather urgent matter for me on a personal level. It takes time to market a film. I should have been in a position to have it in progress by now. The time for patience is over. I need the job done, even if I have to do it myself.

Hopefully some of the editors I'm farming work out to now will come through though. I need to be moving on to finishing the script for the vampire film and wrapping up admin on the zombie film etc.

We had a good shoot on the 23rd. It was just one scene, but doing it that way gave me a chance to concentrate on the details and break in one of my new actresses. We also had our celebrity victim, Dr Ciaran O'Keeffe. He's a lovely man. He arrived very punctually and was very pleasant, and also took direction well. He even brought several choices for wardrobe, so we could choose what would offset against the actress's outfit best. He didn't even complain about the blood dripping so beautifully down his shirt, I can't wait to see those shots.

Unfortunately he wasn't able to stay for lunch. I would have enjoyed a chat with him, as he's a Doctor of Parapsychology, an area where I've always had rather a lot of interest. He may not be the only guest celebrity we have before we're done. Word seems to be getting round about us. Once that first film gets out, it could escalate. Despite the amateurish early days, the final result promises to be rather good.

10 May 2010

Can Cannes Go On?

A lot of film people in America must be getting nervous by now. It seems the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland is sending ash over Europe again, and France may be closed to air traffic during the crucial dates.

This is no big problem for European filmmakers of course, we have trains within reasonable distance. But in the global filmmaking world, the Americans are undeniably significant. American sales can make or break the success of a film.

If I were over there, I would have an alternate route already reserved. Fly into someplace on the right continent that isn't affected and have train tickets waiting. The long way around may be less convenient, but at least it would be assured as much as anything can be.

As for me, I wasn't going this year anyway. And if I was, it would be by train with or without a volcano threat. I hate flying. Instead, it looks like I'll be sitting here continuing to work out the edit obstacles for Graveyard Shift. The gods of technology have decreed that every technical problem that can be thrown in my way will be, apparently to make a good story later.

The update is that I now have a shiny new editing programme, thanks to a good friend who wants to see this succeed and advanced a birthday pressie. Thank you Julian! So I set up this weekend just gone to re-download the shots. I got the editing programme installed and tested, we're all go there. It's Sony Vegas 9 Platinum, their newest version and it supports HD so this would solve the download issue for the vampire film as well. It's basic, and user friendly so nothing like the labyrinth of complications you get with a programme like Avid. It also costs about a tenth of what other editing programmes do and requires cpu and RAM that are within my computer's capabilities.

So far so good! We brought my DP's camera over, my PA gave me one of his firewire ports, all set up.

Then we get the pop-up telling us that the computer can’t read the device. A little Googling later, we learn that Vista doesn't support 1394 firewire, the standard. Why Microsoft, WHY?!? So many hours of searching for drivers, patches, anything that would make the connection work ensued. Of course Sony help is open Monday to Friday. I left an email plea for assistance, which will be read by someone today.

Meanwhile, the new download is not getting done and my DP's camera is scheduled to be returned today. If I were to get a workable solution and start the new download today, I could ring him up and extend it a day. But I am not convinced that a solution will be forthcoming.

However, Vegas can read editor 2's files. Even the big ones. The sound doesn't transfer from the massive 3 hour files, but could be matched up from the wmv files that have good sound on them. It's the long way around, but we have a solution. I have most of the files on my external hard drive and will start pulling the shots as soon as I finish this blog. I still have to manage to get the rest of the shots from editor 2, and possibly ask him to re-download a couple of tapes that were done in the wrong format. History shows this can be done, if not quickly.

In the meantime I've had some day to night conversion samples from editor 3 that looked pretty good. A little tweaking and I think this lad could make some valuable contributions to the project. Yesterday I met with editor 4, who is an all round crew member that has just joined our merry band, but one of his strengths is editing, and he has Premiere Pro and After Effects. He's happy to take on the sequence and match up the sound. Sound is one of his specialities, something we needed.

Somewhere among this motley crew of editors, myself included, we have a collection of abilities that can patch this job together and get a good result. It will be imperative that we solve the download problem completely for the second film, but that can be accomplished with just a little profit from the first one, or if my DP gets himself a new computer as he suggested he might.

Or, amusingly, we could solve it by getting another copy of Vegas which costs about £55 and put that on my PA's computer. This may in fact be the short term solution, to get our hands on the shots as the vampire film begins to swing into action. I can't lend him mine as some of the components are installed online when registering the computer, which is inconvenient although I understand the security issues for the company.

Speaking of which, our second shoot for that one is scheduled for the 23rd of this month. I have a special guest actor coming in for that one, which I'll tell you all about after the contract is signed on the day of the shoot. So, of course one of the two actresses we need for the scene we're doing is having severe back problems. She isn't the one who directly interacts with the guest actor, so we could do half the scene that day if absolutely necessary. Hopefully she will get better by then though. Apart from the filming issues, she's a good friend and I hate to think of her being in pain.

Perseverance pays off eventually. In theory the shots for the trailer are being put on my PA's memory stick at present, so perhaps my lad who is doing well with the day for night will be able to help with getting that done asap. I don't know if editor 2 may yet contribute to the actual edit. He doesn't answer communications often, and doesn't seem to find much time to do the work. But I am ever optimistic. Perhaps he'll at least finish the shop fire effect he was playing with long ago.

14 April 2010

Capturing Zombies

Throughout this zombie film project, we've been dealing with the issue of capturing from tape to computer with a hodgepodge of available technology with which to do this basic function. Like most aspects of making the film, solving the issue has led to much education.

At first, we had editor number 1 who had access to equipment at the local Art Centre for downloading tapes. I haven't worked out exactly why my DP is unable to download to his own computer, but apparently the age of the equipment and editing programme come into it. Nevermind, editor number 1 had it solved...or did he?

He did get some files to us. But as the Summer wore on, availability of the equipment became less, and then he got a full time job and couldn't slip in between paying clients anymore. Furthermore, it turned out that the files he gave us were .mov which I've since learned is considered a viable alternative working format, but I had been programmed to think of .avi as the best working files.

So, two of the Interview tapes for the documentary that led into doing the zombie film only exist on .mov files at present, as the original tapes are lost somewhere in my DP's room, aka Tardis.

More importantly, most of the zombie tapes had yet to be downloaded. Eventually we found editor 2 who was able to do this, and put the .avi files on DVD's along with .wmv files for me to work with on my limited computer. The plan was that I would choose the shots from the extensive excess footage we had from our early amateur shoots, and he would follow my shot logs to do a proper edit from the .avi files.

However, he too got a full time job, and seven months after the finish of production, was still fiddling around with the video for the Capoeira group without even starting on the trailer sequence that I wanted for marketing.

Eventually I did the Capoeira video myself with the Capoeira teacher sitting in for the final edit, and he was happy with what he got. He turned his copy black and white and re-did the credits in imitation of some well-known zombie movie, but I had done an editing experiment with colour saturation decreasing from high to low gradually as the zombies become more prevalent, so I kept it as is for my own YouTube channel.



The shots will be made day to night for the film of course, but we won't be using the whole sequence anyway. There are other more important things going on with our main characters at that point in the film and we're basically working in the fight scene with some interaction with our characters that don't feature in the separate video.

Meanwhile, editor 2 did eventually try a conversion for the trailer. There were issues. I listed them and he cheerfully said he would make changes. I'm still waiting. But in the meantime, an assistant editor we had just acquired had to drop out as he got some paid work. We had hoped he would be able to do the time consuming job of pulling the shots from the .avi files using the logs, as he had a lot of time on his hands until suddenly he didn't. There was also an issue that some of the .avi files transferred by DVD didn't work in the editing programme. I've since learned that files are not usually transferred this way as DVD's can introduce errors.

Having established that these same files wouldn't work on my computer either, I bought an external hard drive with intent that we would collect the .avi files from editor 2 directly and I could do the file sorting. But he wasn't home at the time we agreed to bring the drive by, and after some telephone communication, he said he would pop over to my PA's house to collect it in a few minutes. He never appeared.

Getting frustrated with the communication issues we have with this editor by now, we looked over options for re-downloading the tapes with what we now had. It turned out my PA had a firewire port and an editing programme, we could bring the original camera and his computer to mine and do this, using the external to transfer the files to my computer. It was a good theory.

However, the programme (Avid) doesn't create .avi files, it makes a file type specific to itself. After many hours of capturing tape over two days, it looked like I would have to pull the shots on the borrowed computer and save them as .avi. Luckily I found a small file to test this on. The result was pixilated and interlaced, totally unusable. It also was invisible to my computer. 140 gigs worth of files just don't exist.

So, new options include learning to edit on Avid and borrowing my PA's computer extensively. This is not a good option, as I have an enthusiast involved who may be able to work with much of the project and there is still a chance of getting some participation out of editor 2, although he never contacted us after failing to show up.

Other options include pushing that communication and getting those files from him, or doing it all over again with a firewire card on my computer. This is what will be tried next, as for some reason there are two of them on my PA's computer. If this works, we can do direct capture on my programme and everything should be peachy.

The saga of capturing the shots for the zombie film may result in an amusing filmmaking book someday. All the lessons we've learned as we go along have an element of sardonic humour to them. In the end, we will conquer. I'm too stubborn to give up now, especially after seeing what the film will look like in my low quality version. We have a good film on our hands, we just have to get it into a form for showing. And we will keep at it until we accomplish that, whatever it takes.

To make it more amusing, I've established that my editing programme does not have HD capture ability. Once we get this film sorted, the saga starts all over again for the vampire film. But, my DP was contemplating getting a new computer, maybe he'll decide to update his editing programme as well. He hates the one he has.

My advice for any new filmmakers is to get Adobe Premiere Pro. It's very user friendly, even if you do have to buy After Effects separately to get some of the fancy buzzers and bells. Avid and Final Cut are considered to be the professional options, but my experience so far makes me wonder why. Perhaps they were just fashionable 'in the day'.

Persistence pays off. My daughter eventually got her twenty pounds back in the banking saga, but from her own bank, not Lloyd's. My appeal for re-grading at work is batched with any others pending which the newsletter says may take "several months" to get to, but I won't let it die and continually remind people that I'm getting entry level wages for a job I've been doing 7-8 years, which keeps their funding ticking over.

At least by the time I find my way through this technology labyrinth, I'll know exactly what the company needs to buy when the profits make it possible to properly equip ourselves. I have a starting wish list already. It's not massive, five thousand pounds would give me all I need to be able to download the HD files just fine. But that's three quarters of a year's salary for me right now. For zombie DVD sales, it's a drop in a bucket. The deferred expenses add up to around twenty thousand. It won't take amazing sales to put this project into profit.

We'll get there.

26 March 2010

Teamwork...Or If You Want Anything Done Right...

One of the things that filmmaking books repeat often is that film is very much a team effort. If you try to do everything yourself, you'll burn out. Every job takes a certain amount of time and focus, no one can do it alone.

But there are times when the old adage comes to mind, "If you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself."

Neither of these can apply 100% of the time. A lot comes down to judgement. If someone lets the team down, do you replace them or pitch in and do it yourself? It has to be dealt with on a case by case basis.

In production, you need a certain number of people to make it work. A full crew actually has quite a lot of people. Camera operators have assistants, sound people work separately, acting and costume people and make-up are all done by different people. In a small independent crew, some jobs start getting multi-tasked. You have to find the right balance between having enough people to do what you want to do, and being able to move ahead on low or no budget. If you don't have electricians for example, there are limits on what you can do with lights and effects.

In post production, things don't happen all at once. There is more flexibility for one or a few people to do more jobs. However, you do need certain talents. Someone does the editing, and someone else might do the effects. Someone may do some animation, someone writes the music. These jobs can be done by one or many people depending on the talents of those working on the project.

But if any one person lets the team down, there's a problem.

Editing is rather interesting, although sometimes tedious. I have no formal training in it, but you can find amazing tutorials on-line. Just the same, I felt it better to have an editor who learned in film school. I'm not sure what they actually learn to do in film school, but I'm sure that timing and some effects must be included. And of course basic use of an editing programme.

What I find astonishing is the number of what I would consider basic tools that my film school graduates have never used. It's always me finding the tutorials and working out how to do things. Making bystanders who walk into shot disappear for example. It's actually rather easy with the right tools. Making a white on black logo disappear from the main character's T-shirt because someone we were going to promote is no longer involved is also dead simple. More so when you learn to use key frames, as I've been doing over the past week, finding tutorials on YouTube.

What has me looking at these tutorials is that several months after the end of production, I still have nothing to show. Fair enough that my editor got a day job, we all need money. At what point do I give up and just do it myself?

Well, I did the Capoeira video. There was nothing very complicated about it, and I even got a bit creative about reducing the saturation during the course of the video so that it becomes creepier as you go along. The Capoeira teacher sat in for the final cut and we tightened scenes together to keep the fight at a fast pace, and he took it away for one of the zombies to do some creepy background music. What this music will be like I don't know. I've got a rock song planned for that sequence in the film. But I'll listen with interest, in case the beginning part might fit in.

I did get a version of the trailer from my editor recently, but there were significant problems with it. I was as diplomatic as is humanly possible in listing them to the editor, and he took it well. I explained that this trailer is the calling card for the project and has to be excellent. So, he's working on adjustments now.

Meanwhile, the assistant editor has had a lot of paid work come in suddenly and has actually had to drop out. This leaves the main film sequence still untouched apart from the mock-up I did. So, the result is that I'm in the process of setting up my editing programme to extract the logged shots from the massive files and prepare them for doing it myself if needed, or passing on a silver platter to the editor or any new editor that might become involved.

Once I've done that, I can go through and do the fix-its, making the bystanders and logo disappear.

Actually, having done all that, I know I won't be able to resist trying the day to night effects. I think I know how to do it and not lose visibility on the main characters. This is why I was studying key frames. And if I've done all that, It's all but finished.

At the very least, separating out the shots will make the job much easier. And they're still fresh in my mind from doing the mock-up on lower quality. Pity I didn't work with the avi files, I would be able to just tighten it up and go for the effects. But it was good practice.

I've gone back to my day job now, but it's still part time. I have a full four days a week I can spend on creative projects apart from meetings and other business. Doing this edit probably can be done in a few weeks, the trailer much sooner. So, one more job for the crazy goblin lady perhaps. At least I never get a chance to get bored.

5 March 2010

The Devil is in the Details

Wow, a gap in my blog dates! I've been busy.

But how busy could I be, trapped at home with a recovering leg injury? It's amazing what you can do with the Internet these days.

I finished my rough-rough edit as far as I could and it is with the assistant editor now, along with all the files. There are spacers for the shots I didn't have yet, which includes the last re-shoot and a couple of scenes that seem to have disappeared. I've had the editor go over the tapes where these scenes should be with no success.

In one case I've actually seen the shots I need. There was a low quality download of the first shoot. Only one shot from that is absolutely essential and could be re-done with any two random extras, but what a nuisance! The DP had made a point of using a new tape each time for quite a while, but the editor tells me that tape jumps from the shots we have to a different shoot. It may well be that the shots are actually lost.

I will have a look myself once I get the tapes back, possibly today. We need to test whether the tapes will play on the assistant editor's equipment anyway, but I can check when we do the next shoot either way. The shot referred to is a simple shot of two zombies walking down a street, but they are referred to by the main character as part of the plot, so there has to be a shot of two zombies walking down that street. Originally they were of two specific zombies who do an attack elsewhere, but it could be any two.

What breaks my heart is that if those shots can't be recovered, we also lose their grave rising, which was rather good, and a shot I took for a dance thing in the final credits that involves various groups of zombies. We may not do that anyway as we now have different music than we had planned when the idea came up, which has a different rhythm, but it would have been nice to have the choice. I may yet use the other dance shots for some advertising materials.

I could re-shoot the grave rising with two new zombies without too much trouble, and probably will. But even with that it's a minimal shoot, and will be done late in the process. I will have to combine it with one of our vampire shoots to make it worth getting the DP out of bed. Not one of the inside shoots as that would just cause a distraction to the day, but an outside one. Perhaps I'll write in something for the vampires in the same area.

I have to smile though, as this particular quiet little street was the one that had a fire drill in a big office building just as we arrived last time.

The thing is, we probably won't be doing outside shoots until late April or May, depending on the weather. If you've ever used a film editing programme, you'll know it's actually very easy to slip a shot in later, but it will hold up finishing the project if everything else has been done by then. It also means having to do zombie make-up again, horrors! Luckily I saved my box of grave dirt.

Meanwhile, I did get the files to the assistant editor, who is hopefully getting on with the final sequence. It's the first time I left my flat for anything other than a hospital appointment all winter. Can you tell where my priorities are?

The editor tells me he finished the first trailer. He was going to try to get it to my PA this morning as he's coming round for some set painting today. We shall see if he got up early enough when the time comes. It's more likely I'll have it next time my PA comes into the city, but within the week at least.

I also finished filling out the form for my day job re-evaluation. I was able to copy some of the phrases from my original appeal which was completely ignored. I'll be sending that today. I've been waiting for a number from a comparative job description but the stonewalling has pushed it too close to deadline, so it goes today with or without it.

Speaking of stonewalling, absolutely nothing has happened with my daughter's attempt to get her money back from Lloyd's TSB. These people should be ashamed of themselves, if not investigated. She has been under a lot of pressure at uni and hasn't had time to harass the banks. If you haven't read previous blogs, she got some cash from their main Norwich branch and a £20 note turned out to be counterfeit. It seems that nobody wants to take responsibility, and Lloyd's and her own bank, HSBC, are dodging the bullet between them, leaving her hanging and short an essential £20 of her meagre student loan. If there are no laws to protect customers from counterfeit money distributed by a bank, why do we use them at all?

Enough ranting. I've been looking at film trailers. There are several coming out that I would like to see, but they will probably be out of the cinema by the time I can walk to it. It will have to be DVD catch-up. Prince of Persia looks potential, and is directed by the same person who did Pirates of the Caribbean. The dialogue in the trailer made me wonder if the plot will hold up, but the music was rather good and the visuals have that big fantasy feel that one of the people who follows my progress is always referring to when he tries to convince me that the cgi is necessary to make a good fantasy.

There is a lot of big cgi in the trailers that attracted me, yet it's a bit like watching a cartoon. I do enjoy good effects, but they still don't replace plot. Good films are still made without cartoon effects.

Interestingly, a couple of remakes caught my interest. I'm generally against remakes. They fall short 99% of the time. BUT, Alice in Wonderland is an exception. This story seems to hold up under any number of remakes. Having one more with Johnny Depp expanding one of my favourite characters is intriguing. Surprisingly, the remake of Karate Kid also looked worth seeing. It appears to be sufficiently different from the original to form a whole new story. I wonder if their only mistake was the title. Especially as they have scenes in China and refer to Kung Fu rather than Karate, which is Japanese. It's a derivative story, but with rather a lot of originality from what I could see in the trailer.

And of course there is another Robin Hood. This one mostly looked good. Plenty of effects and drama, but they made one big mistake. They gave Robin Hood short hair. They could have cast someone else or given the actor a wig, but this stood out and screamed 'historically inaccurate' and 'out of place' to me. Like Alice in Wonderland, I will often go to see any new version of this classic story. But that mistake means I'll catch up on a rented DVD for this one.

There are still details to follow-up for the zombie film, some admin plus picking up shots, but progress is happening. Meanwhile, I had yet another call from a small distributor with their eye on Dance of the Goblins yesterday. This film is developing a life of its own over the time it is taking to get it made. And it is this project which makes me determined to finish and market the zombie film no matter how much duplicated work the project throws at me. Those details will be filled as needed. We will get there.

10 February 2010

Directing Remotely

Well, we did it. The crew went out and got the shots, and they're rather good. The only thing is that not one of them looked anything like I planned, despite storyboards and briefing.

Never mind, they were good shots. My only real lamentation is that they did the most essential shot in a different place than I specified due to some confusion. The shots look good, but I had wanted to get this shot of the ancient priest in the same position in the church as the modern priest to form a connection over the 500 year gap in the story. There are other parts of the church shown, and of course Baphomet. It won't have quite the same effect, but it will still be good.

I didn't start out directing this film so having shots that are not as I envisioned them is not new. We effectively have the work of three different Directors pooled into this now. It was meant to be a co-operative project originally, so there's no point in being precious about a few shots. They work, and that's what's important.

I'm getting very close to finishing my version of the rough edit, which is just to show the real editor as example as I've mentioned before. We now have an assistant editor as well, so things should move faster as soon as we get the files to him. He doesn't live far from me, so when I get back on my feet I can do that myself if the other editor hasn't taken care of it by then.

Watching the weather report, and the snow falling outside, I do wonder how quickly any transfers will happen. In theory it should be sunny this afternoon and melt off the growing ice I see outside my window. I do hope so as I have people running errands for me tomorrow and worry about icy conditions.

I need to take some time to attend to other things very soon. There is a period of time for appealing my re-grading that mustn't be missed. My original appeal was completely ignored as it didn't get submitted through some regimented system they've concocted. I'll be able to copy and paste much of the details, but it's irritating. I've been warned that there have been a few changes at my day job since I've been out. Last I heard upper management was making decisions for closing classes that didn't have at least seven enrolments, completely oblivious to the fact that a large number of our customers habitually bring a cheque to the first day of class and enrol then. I do wonder how long the service will survive sometimes.

Other than that, I'm keeping track of progress on the situation with my daughter's bank and their dispute with Lloyd's TSB over the counterfeit twenty pound note their cash machine gave her. The very fact that they seem to be trying to elude responsibility for the cash provided by their machines, right from their main Norwich branch no less, is something I'm prepared to discuss with the newspapers if necessary. To a student, twenty pounds is a lot of money. There is no excuse for taking so long to resolve the issue as her bank records clearly show where the withdrawal came from. It appears to me that they are trying to put her off in hopes she'll get frustrated and give up the money. I'm not surprised really, she has been treated disrespectfully in that branch before, which is why she switched her account to HSBC.

But I've taught her well. A major bank supplying counterfeit cash in their machine and refusing to take responsibility is the sort of thing that I won't hesitate to make very public and campaign over. I'm looking into official investigation possibilities now, and Wendy is taking advice for a possible lawsuit against them.

Meanwhile, as you can see, I'm writing my blog this morning instead of editing. I can only work at my desk for a few hours in the mornings, as my leg still has to be elevated and it gets very uncomfortable. I'm totally fed up with this dependency situation. Even going back to the day job looks attractive as long as I can walk there, even with a hobble.

Or maybe I'm procrastinating because the next section I'm doing is the last one with the actor who wouldn't study his lines. Splicing together half sentences is more wearing than anything else I've done on the editing programme, and I've been playing with making bystanders disappear and all sorts. Never again!

While the next film has me working with a range of actors from aspiring professionals to amateur role players, at least I know who is who and can write easy lines for the less experienced and concentrate longer passages and complicated concepts on the serious actors. They have the primary roles of course.

I do feel good about getting the re-shoot done. I think I needed to go ahead with it despite my broken leg, to prove to myself that I really am a maniac and won't let anything stop me when it comes to filming. I have a history of this sort of bull-headedness. Only when something is important to me, but when it is, I just don't quit.

So, the next step is organising the first shoot for the vampire film in my kitchen. I have a volunteer to do the painting, and someone is chasing up the props we need. There are two scenes. One is written, the other I have worked out and just need to write up. I'll do that in the next couple of days, regardless of where I am with the editing. I need to not put it off two days running though. This daily progress is what has got it to near finish.

Filmmaking has really taken over my life. I can't foresee a time in the future when I would stop doing it at some level. Once it gets into your blood, there's no stopping it. Dance of the Goblins will happen, it's only a matter of time.

31 January 2010

Dancing on Ice

Well, the latest is that I've got three weeks left of hopping around on one foot and then I can go back to hobbling around the flat as I was doing before I found out my ankle was broken. At least I have a countdown now. Meanwhile, the ground is covered with ice again and the weather predictions change daily so there's no way to know what to expect.

At present the next five days show either sun or rain, so hopefully we won't get any more snow before Friday as we have our Nemesis actor driving up from Essex for a re-shoot.

I can't get out to the shoot of course, but we've got a shot list and storyboards, the cameraman and the actor know the scene, and my daughter is stepping in for me to make sure all the shots get done. Technically she's doing Continuity, but it's a first step towards Directing for her.

Meanwhile I've got a volunteer to do the painting in my kitchen now, so we can set up the first shoot for the vampire film soon.

Did I explain about the vampire film? It's our next B-movie project. This one is going to benefit from the experience the working group got from the zombie film. I expect it to work in a very precise manner, as our later shoots did on the previous project. It will be my real Directing debut. Looking at how efficiently those later shoots went and how neatly the shots fit together on the rough edit, I expect a good result on this one. And the story has been developing as I follow-up on getting post done on the first film, it's going to be loads of fun.

Some of the inside shooting can be done while it's still cold, but the first shoot is likely to be the only one done for a month or so. Everything will be easier when I'm walking again. It's only because it's in my own kitchen and we want to take advantage of the early darkness seen through the large window that I'm pushing to get this shoot done soon.

It's a good place to start anyway. Just the two lead actors, two scenes done in the same location. By March I hope to be mobile and will resume meeting with the other actors and establishing the relationships among them.

I'm nearly finished with the rough edit. The complicated big conclusion scene was finished yesterday, although I have a few smaller scenes yet to piece together. I wanted to get all the scenes where the Nemesis has dialogue done so that we can try to fit his ADR in while he's here on Friday. Ideally it should be done from the final locked edit, but it's worth giving it a try and seeing if we can save him another trip. His lips will move the same in the shots after all. There is only one where it could be a bit tricky.

Looks like everyone will be watching the 2010 Grammy Awards tonight. I don't have television, so will catch up on-line tomorrow no doubt. It seems that most of the news is about television personalities or Susan Boyle, who I hope is doing well.

Meanwhile I'm still trying to get the materials to follow-up on my appeal for re-grading at the day job, and my daughter is trying to get compensation from Lloyd's TSB who gave her a counterfeit £20 note from their main Norwich branch cash machine. She's got a police report number and her bank has opened a dispute with Lloyd's, but it seems obvious that the bank that didn't check their cash is responsible for replacing it!

So between us, we're both getting the run-around from corporations. It's no wonder that I see Media as a desirable career option, despite the degree of work involved to actually achieve anything.

Soon I will be focused on writing the rest of the vampire script. I have loads of ideas bursting to get on paper, but have been keeping my focus on the edit and trying to get my editor to focus on getting the first trailer done so that I'll have something to show people. He's been doing a lot of work on learning the effects we need. It will all pay off in the end.

Well, with four more weeks before I leave the flat again, I should get a lot done in February. There's a limit to how long I can sit at my desk with the leg elevated, but daily progress has a way of adding up.

We are getting there. Completing the first film is priority. Meanwhile, in case I didn't mention it before, I'm going to be manning a Goblin Central stall at the London Film and Comic Con in July. We'll have copies of the book, Dance of the Goblins, and at least information about Graveyard Shift. We may even have some advance publicity for the vampire film by then. It's going to be called Philosopher's Stone.

And no, Harry Potter is not where that term originates. It all goes back to Alchemy, which plays a part in the whole trilogy. Oh, didn't I mention that the B-movies are to be a trilogy?

17 January 2010

Falling Off the Planet

Well, last blog I mentioned slipping on the ice and spraining my ankle. As it turns out, it wasn't a sprain at all. It was broken and dislocated. The medical staff who looked at my X-ray couldn't believe I had been hobbling around on it for two weeks.

So, I went back round the hospital on the designated day to see if I was to have a painful repair of the dislocation or get an appointment for surgery and yoink! I was in hospital. So much for these NHS waiting lists we're always hearing about. I suppose because time would make a difference on this.

So, I literally fell off the planet for 5 days and had no access to the Internet, my editing programme, or anything...wait, there was that Directing book I was reading. So, I finished that in hospital along with some un-related literature, so the time wasn't completely wasted. Meanwhile a small operation put everything back where it belongs in my leg and I've got a new steel plate to reinforce the fracture.

Of course this means I'm off work for a few weeks. Daily work on the rough edit has been coming along, although I tire a bit quickly as I have to keep the leg elevated and the positions this allows are not ideal for desk work. Still, progress is progress.

Being rather cheeky, I've started a follow-up on my appeal for re-grading at the day job as well. There is some official appeal period in the next couple of weeks that the powers that be won't respond outside of, so fine, I'll jump through the hoops. Gods know I jumped through enough for the Physio people at the hospital to convince them that yes, I can manage at home. I had been creating strategies with the first cast, and with my daughter bringing provisions, the mobility devices provided mixed with my own ingenuity make most things doable. They just take more time and effort.

Before the slip, there were two filmings in planning. They will go ahead of course. One is a re-shoot for the zombie film. It's a simple job really, but an important shot. The actor and the DP know the scene. I've added a couple of peripheral shots to add to continuity but a few minutes with my daughter's drawing skills and we've got storyboards. I can direct this one remotely.

The other one was planned for my own kitchen. I think I can get there. The only change is that I no longer have the option of painting the room myself. Half of it was painted some time ago, the other half is the side of the room I need. I'm working on finding a volunteer now.

Other than that, what I need to be doing is working on the vampire script and some artist contracts. All computer stuff, the only obstacle is the need to finish the rough edit at the same time. So this little spill off the planet is only slowing me down a little.

It seems that there was a major earthquake in Haiti while I was in hospital. It does put things in perspective. At least I'm well cared for, in a situation where I can be fairly independent, and have a good support network. So many people can't even get a drink of water! I may moan about hopping around on one foot and the inconvenience of it all, but all things considered, I'm doing rather well.

Still, if the city would have gritted my road, I wouldn't have a broken leg! I'm far from the only one. The Osteo ward was full of broken people. Mostly ice slips. Whoever thinks they're saving money on road salt had best look at the jump in NHS costs for all these injuries. It's not cost effective, and it's not making the voters happy.

All this dancing on ice has made me take an interest in healthy recipes, or at least foods that are good for quick bone healing. It's pretty basic, stay away from caffeine, alcohol and smoking, and eat lots of calcium, green leafy veg, and vitamin C. I've never been a smoker and the rest is manageable, although I do lament that lovely bottle of Amaretto sitting up in a cupboard since Christmas. Never mind, it will be there when I'm healed.

At least the weather forecast has been pretty clear, so it looks like I've managed to sit out the worst of the 2010 ice age. Ironic really as I'm usually the one who can get into work when all the drivers are stuck.

Well the cinema listings show me that everything has changed while I was in hospital, apart from Avatar in 3-D which I have mixed feelings about. I don't like 3-D technology, and the trailer just makes me angry at the American mentality all over again. Yet the world they create looks fascinating, and I've heard some good reviews from friends. I may catch this one on DVD, in 2-D.

Another surge in Fantasy does seem to be rolling in. Not least of all, the next Pirates of the Caribbean film which is set to film this summer. While I'm playing with vampires, the pirates sail again, at least Captain Jack Sparrow and Mr Gibbs, without whom Captain Jack wouldn't be nearly as effective. The story on that one sounds interesting, mystical enough to appeal to my nature.

Now if I can get my editor in gear, perhaps I'll have Graveyard Shift ready for release soon enough to catch Kevin just after filming POTC, when he's likely to have a break in his schedule. Work continues, but there is much to be done!

31 December 2009

Talking About The Weather

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We've had a nice quiet time here at Goblin Central, not least of all because I slipped on the ice and sprained my ankle a couple of days before the holiday, and have been rather inactive as a result!

This has only slowed me down a little though. After a day or so of initial trauma and concocting ways to manage ordinary things around the house, I've enjoyed a planned break and spending time with my daughter, albeit becoming necessary to ask her to do a bit more running and fetching for me than usual.

Now that the holiday is over, I'm back to working on the rough cut. I'm also breaking in a new laptop! Something I've never had before. It's sort of a Christmas present, although I'm paying part of the cost. It's a good deal in any case, due to having a friend with a friend who owns a computer shop. He's been great help with advice in the past, and a good source for things like my spare hard drive. Now he's pulled a cheap laptop out of a hat for me, I must meet this person someday.

So, lack of mobility notwithstanding, progress continues. As a matter of fact, I have a couple of experienced filmmakers looking at the rough shots of the first trailer at present with a view towards offering advice for the best way to maintain adequate lighting on the day to night conversion. My editor has ideas of his own, but it never hurts to ask a few experienced opinions. I've also finished logging all the shots from the last shoots, so I'm back in the swing of things post-holiday despite my mobility restrictions. It's convenient that the things I need to do most involve sitting at a computer.

I had to be signed off the day job this week. There's a question mark over next week, but if I'm not walking by Tuesday I have to go in for an X-ray. The possibility of having had a response to my appeal for re-grading over the holidays is pretty remote though, so apart from ordinary shopping and such, I just had to postpone a couple of meetings outside of work that I had scheduled.

The main point of having the new laptop is actually for marketing. I'll be able to show the trailers and stills for the project to prospective distributors or directly to local exhibitors when I have them ready. And of course having a back-up computer allows me to work on a bit of writing when my main computer gets hijacked. I can hardly stand in the way of my daughter's university work when she visits now can I? Especially when I'm laid up and have to send her out for provisions. I don't know what I would do if I was on my own completely. I'm an independent person by nature, but getting to a supermarket is out of the question at present!

Meanwhile, also delivered with the most recent shots was a first draft of the Capoeira sequence. The editor did a rather good job of the sequence, although we're discussing colour correction details. I need to find some sound effects for it as well. I know where to look. He did a brilliant job of balancing the sound, one of the areas in which he specialises. Once this day to night conversion process is mastered, I'm going to have a very talented lad among my circle of local crew resources. I'd love to see his practice on these films develop him into the level of professionalism that he aspires to. That's what the local projects are all about after all. Gaining practice and experience for everyone involved, and getting those all important first credits. Of course we want to create movies that people want to see as part of the process as well.

And I think we're going to accomplish that. Watching the film fall into place as I get the rough cut sequenced is very encouraging indeed. Compared to other movies in the same genre (one of which I received for Christmas on DVD), we've got far more plot and more laughs to offer. Others may have taken the effects further, but we've got a story that holds attention. Although Colin gets a point for one funny scene that I'm amazed I didn't think of. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but it involved trainers. Real kudos for that idea.

I find myself wondering how Susan Boyle's CD fared over Christmas. If the lady had done a Christmas song, perhaps she would have blasted the Christmas number one controversy out of the water!

Speaking of which, I see in the news something about finding water on the moon. People are still going on about Michael Jackson, and the parents of Madeleine McCann have passed another Christmas in uncertainty. Swine flu is still making the news and several people I know have had it, but it appears that more people are dying from snow and ice in Britain at present. It's no wonder people want to escape to the cinema!

I'm undecided whether I will see Avatar or not. The world they created looks fascinating, but the anger at US marines just from the trailer could cause some controversy alone. The whole 3-D thing puts me off, I've seen a few films in this format and it's hard to stay in the story with the effects becoming a distraction.

I'm hard at work as usual, despite the harshness of the Winter weather and the temporary limitations it has put on my mobility. If anything, it should keep me more focused. Ideas for the next film have been flowing in recent weeks as well. We may actually take advantage of the early darkness to start a little targeted filming as early as January. And hopefully I'll be mobile again in time for the tail end of the January sales!

17 December 2009

What Kind of Christmas Movie Would You Write?

Here we are, less that two weeks away from Christmas, and everything is about Christmas food, ideas for Christmas presents, and of course what Christmas movies you'll see this year.

Of course this got me thinking, what kind of Christmas film would I do if I were going to do one? It would certainly have to be different, yet certain themes prove popular over time.

There are the various re-makes of A Christmas Carol of course. I wouldn't do one of those. How could I possibly compete with the Muppets? And films like It's A Wonderful Life that follow a theme of either hardship or overcoming materialism to discover the real meaning of Christmas. There's an idea to work with in that.

Gremlins was one of my favourite Christmas movies with a difference. But of course it's been done now. I never believed in Santa, even as a child, so the more fantastical children's films along that storyline wouldn't be me at all.

The thought process did lead to a germ of an idea, but I'm going to let that one stew a while.

Meanwhile there is all the usual hullabaloo about the Christmas number one song and the frantic last minute Christmas shopping taking over the city, made bearable only by the benefits of holiday flavoured coffees and other treats that only come out at Christmas.

I have mixed feelings about the Christmas routine. I enjoy the special treats and holiday decorations, yet the emphasis on spend, spend, spending is just so crass, and superficial. 'Getting' presents hasn't been important to me for a long time, but I've known the stress of feeling obligated to find presents for people I hardly knew because they were a relative of a partner and such. It just seems all wrong to me. Perhaps I'll find a way of expressing it in film someday.

Back at Goblin Central, most of this holiday palava has been ignored so far, as I make steady progress on the rough edit for Graveyard Shift. I will put up the tree this weekend, but I have to admit that the commercialism of the holiday season leaves me a bit cold. Perhaps if I did make a seasonal film, I could find a way to give it new life. But I've got enough projects to keep me busy for a while.

I just learned that the shots for the trailer didn't get to the editor yet due to a communication glitch, but he will have them tomorrow. He's been working on the Capoeira video though, so that will make it to YouTube soon. It's effectively an extract from the film, but will hold up as a short on its own. It won't have the full day to night conversion though. Just a little more work on that and the trailer to come next, and we'll have something to show!

10 December 2009

Taking Care of Business

I had an appointment with a tax specialist the other day.

Many people recoil in horror at such a statement, but this was actually rather a good meeting. It was because of a connection I made at a recent mainstream business networking breakfast meeting. Getting up at pre-dawn hours isn't as hard for me as many people, but it would have been worth it anyway.

The owner of the firm came to meet me. He is fairly knowledgeable about film tax law, and was able to answer a few questions about payroll that had niggled me for some time. The most important thing though, is that the tax break for Producers that came into effect in January 2007 is about to become a real advantage for me. It made it harder to find investors at the time, but now that I've got a product to sell, it's a whole different scenario.

Luckily I had added up the deferred payments and have a close idea of what actual costs for Graveyard Shift are coming to. What's significant is that I have an option to claim the tax credit before the film is finished, and can actually use it for finishing funds. It will cover most of what I need for rating and at least one digital print. I have yet to price those. A film print is more, but my short term plan to do a British release before offering it to my distribution contacts overseas just became possible.

This is also significant for Dance of the Goblins. The budget sheet for that will need updating as costs do change over time. Some will be more, but some will actually be less as I've found sources for materials at better deals than I might have had on some things before. My general network increases steadily over time, and choices of where to find anything from crew to prosthetics are much wider now than they were in 2007.

Anyway, there I was meeting a tax accountant with not enough money to buy myself a cup of coffee for the meeting in my pocket, among all the Christmas shoppers, and I was probably the only person walking around afterwards with a big smile on my face. You see, my day job was devalued a couple of grades three years ago and compensation just ran out in September, so my cash flow just went down to ground zero.

I'm appealing for a compromise for the grade between, as myself and a few other people are effectively getting entry level wages for a job that requires experience and is actually rather important, but in the last restructure it got compared to a basic inputter's job so now I'm getting less than I was getting three years ago for the same work, despite more experience. It's mad.

It does pay to speak up though. I spoke up last time something was wrong and got put in a nice cozy office with good company as a result. And the worst thing they can do is say no. I don't really want to learn another job right now with my mind on film, so I would probably hang on a little longer with scraping by every month until this film gets released and see where that takes me.

Meanwhile, the film world moves on. IMDB has listed a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film. So far only Johnny Depp is listed on the page, but I have reason to think that Kevin McNally will do that one. At least I'll know where he is for a while, that man gets around so much it's hard to keep track! I think he released about four films in the past year, plus doing theatre and what have you. Voice for video games as well.

So who knows, perhaps the 'opportune moment' will happen as my zombie film is selling and Pirates is wrapping up filming, and we can get at least Kevin's parts of Dance of the Goblins done in the next year. It's not out of the realm of possibility.

I also met with some of the actors for my next local project night before last. I've dropped a few hints before, but I've actually got two more projects planned to follow Graveyard Shift that would make a good boxed set. This one involves vampires. At this rate, I really will become the next Hammer Horror, but hopefully not quite as cheesy. These three films will have rock music, and a few interrelated references for a bit of fun. All intentional comedy rather than the unintentional comedy that you get with dated films.

This one will be easier than the last one. Partly because of the experience the working group has gained, but also because the needs of a vampire film require fewer public places and smaller groups of extras in general. Like before, I'll be writing scenes around locations here in Norwich. We've had several suggestions from the group already, I'll be having a look at them over the weekend.

I definitely haven't lost sight of Dance of the Goblins though. As soon as the profits come from these small projects, the company share will be turned over into the needs of DOTG. The same goes for my time and attention, although I think I could manage keeping up the pace of a local project at the same time if it came to it. I'm a woman Producer after all. We can multi-task.

4 December 2009

It's A Wrap!

Well, we did it. The film is 'in the can' as the saying goes.

One of the important things I learned from the Goblin shoot back in 2007 was to work to a date. It's a standard method in the industry, and it works. You set the date, and make everything appear that needs to. It's part of being an efficient producer.

So, despite having no zombies and a lack of confirmation on the camera three days before the last shoot, it all fell into place. We got enough people in the end, and the cameraman was just off Facebook for a few days due to a personal situation that needed dealing with. We got the shots, and a rainy morning slowed down the shoppers enough that getting the one that might have been difficult was actually accomplished relatively easily.

So, what happens now?

There is a lot of editing to do. Because of the organising, I haven't got very far on the sequencing. I'll be concentrating on that now. There are a few contracts to catch up yet. Terms are agreed and it just needs putting on paper. I may be helping with some of the finer points of editing as there are a few things on the edit that just take a lot of work.

Like the one chance shot where zombie brains fly onto a bright yellow dress which would stain on the first try, but a shop customer just had to get impatient and stomp behind the actress in shot. These things can be erased, but it can be frame by frame work intensive. Less troublesome but still needed in a lot of scenes is brushing out a logo on the main character's T-shirt, because we had intended to promote someone but he had the kind of agent that reminds me that anyone can call themselves an agent, no training or qualifications required. Unfortunate loss for him, but what can you do?

Meanwhile, I'm starting to reclaim my flat. It has been green room, workshop, storage, dressing room and all sorts for six months. Now I finally have my kitchen floor back at least. No Baphomet statue sitting in the way of cupboards, no stunt microwave sitting in the way of the fridge door. I've even cleared my dining table of props and forms and whatever else had collected there. I'll have to start sewing again now as that's where I set up the machine.

I may even take notice that it's almost Christmas and make some preparations for that. I feel a need for a rest, but there is no rest for the wicked. Time will still be overbooked until the sequence is done at least, and in the meantime I've chosen the shots for the first trailer and sent everything needed to the editor, so I'll be starting the real marketing process as soon as he does the magic on it.

Some of the sequence will need underscore and I've started sending bits to one of my musicians. The song for the credits is in hand, I just need to sit and wait for that. I've got a voice artist lined up for where we need that and have started talking to my DP about the technical side of getting good voice sound from all the lead characters. We'll be doing that fairly soon as well.

Getting clearances for all the music and the artist contracts needs to move up on priority now. They are all people I know so it's just a matter of doing it. I do good contracts. I've got an unusual background in dealing with legal documents, due to fighting a custody battle some years ago when the only choice was to represent myself. I was working at the British Library at the time and had access to the legal journals that would be most useful to me, and just used the papers sent against me as format examples and used my writing talents to make my case.

Two judges and several lawyers complimented me on my legal papers and suggested I should go to law school. One of the judges even said my papers were better than some qualified lawyers he's seen. I can believe that, despite what I know about the difficulty of law school, a law degree doesn't guarantee competency. I was married to a lawyer once, a good one who did corporate law, although he started his career in copyright. I learned rather a lot from him, and as we're still friends have been known to consult him on occasion.

Although it wasn't his area of expertise, he was able to give helpful advice during my custody battle about getting evidence in when things like emails are technically inadmissible. I had to deal with lawyer tricks like requests to change the court date on short notice when I had non-refundable tickets, and post to send an objection would take a week to arrive. Faxed signatures are also not admissible, but a faxed document with a hard copy sent in post the same day can get the quick response covered and still fulfil the need for an ink signature.

I have no desire to ever be a lawyer, but it's a useful skill to know how to play by their rules. When I won that case, it was like something out of a movie, with backdated support payments ordered and all sorts. But the point is, it taught me that I'm perfectly capable of looking up legalities of a given situation. Writing film related contracts can be convoluted, but I work from templates and use standard phrases, while tailoring them to the specific situation.

The main thing is to cover all possibilities, like making sure my animator retains copyright for his characters in my logo. I know I would never hassle him if he did another project with similar characters, but what if I sold the company in 10-15 years? Thinking out such possibilities and covering them is what makes a good solid contract.

So, while the news these days is focusing on Susan Boyle, Michael Jackson's glove, Ronnie Wood and other celebrity gossip between bouts of swine flu, I'm off in my own little world making my first film come to life. Crazy goblin lady or not, I've accomplished more than many people ever do.

21 November 2009

Never Underestimate Sod's Law

After organising around 20 shoots and dealing with all manner of individual schedules and unexpected interference and delays, what do you suppose could prove most challenging?

Getting a simple group of random people together for a last zombie attack scene. Not specific people, or a certain type, but a random mob that anyone could join. Having sent a call to the list of people begging to be zombies and two Facebook groups of actors and zombie Larpers, you would think someone would respond.

But it's Saturday, the shoot is scheduled for Tuesday, and after a week of making noise about it, we have nobody! It's ironic that this could be the first time I actually have to re-schedule a shoot.

No worries though, it always works out in the end. And we still have three days. I've managed to get things sorted the night before a shoot more than once in this project.

So, I've been busy working on the rough cut. Very time consuming! I'm sure it goes a bit faster for an experienced editor, but I'm not that experienced, plus my computer doesn't have sufficient processing power so the programme hangs up on me. Luckily all I have to do is a very rough cut. The proper editor will make it pretty.

One of the people who follows my projects said to me recently that he was looking forward to seeing my directorial debut. I don't really consider this project to be that, as we did start with a different director and she did things differently than I would have. This is most noticeable as I put together some of the early scenes and lament the lack of shots I would have made a point of getting. No worries though, it will all hold together in the end.

One exciting thing that has been happening is that we have some new music, including a new opening credits song. It's not actually finished yet, but it's going to be brilliant. I did like the old song, but an agent threw a wobbly on me so I found myself actually stopping to think about what kind of music I would really like to use for this film. I hadn't actually done that before. I've been picking up songs that fit along the way.

Ironically, the one we no longer have didn't actually fit as it was all about killing zombies with guns and explosives, which don't play a part in this film. We've been taking a very British approach. Brits don't keep guns and explosives around in general. Part of the fun has been finding creative ways to kill zombies.

So, the plot has continued to develop throughout the project. I actually wrote the last couple of scenes we shot shortly before we filmed them. The whole character of the film has been through several phases, although it has remained a comedy throughout. But there are some very dark aspects to the story, especially around the nemesis character. He is actually my favourite character in the plot. It could almost be his story really.

In relation to that, I wanted something darker, maybe a bit Gothy, and preferably with a deep, male voice to contrast with the female led songs that we still have attached. I didn't have to look far. A friend I've known for years leads a band that does some wonderfully intense music, in a style he calls 'melodic metal'. And he has the perfect voice.

I contacted him and found that he is working on several projects, but, as it happened (remember that phrase?), he had a work in progress that might be suitable. He had recorded the guitar and drums and sent me what he had. It's perfect! And in an ideal phase, as he can write the bass line to fit the generally creepy atmosphere one expects in a zombie film.

We agreed that I would write the lyrics. Yes, I do write lyrics, and of course I know the story. Some poured out of me before the conversation was even finished. I recognised that it was the Dark Lord, my nemesis character, behind the words. They were pretty weird really, but symbolic of the undercurrent of what's really happening in the dynamics among the three main characters. As these things tend to go, the pattern of the lyrics suggested a melody for the vocals to him and he has gone away to finish the song now.

I also gave some thought to the underscore, and have plans using the various musicians I have involved. The soundtrack on this looks very promising. I need to finish the rough sequence before I'll have a complete picture of where we need music, but that will be fairly soon now.

There is a formula in filmmaking, a three sided diagramme. You can have two sides of the diagramme in any given film, but not all three. Fast, cheap, and good make up the available choices. We're going for cheap and good. So, those who are impatient, all I can say is we'll do our best to make it worth the wait. I'm more anxious than anyone to see the finished product, but it's more important to do the best job we are able on it. We have the luxury of time.

Except that my DP is hiring out his camera for a while in December, so getting that last zombie attack is fairly urgent. We have a couple of effects and a pick-up shot to do on the same day. All are important.

But the magic that drives this project is still holding. We'll get these last bits done. We have plenty to do still, so there won't be any wasted time. It may be that I'll have to do the zombie attack on a Saturday. That should be fun, as the camera has to look towards a busy pedestrianised street in the centre of the shopping area. Getting a shot with no bystanders in it will be an interesting challenge indeed.

4 November 2009

A Sense of Accomplishment

Last Monday, 2 November 2009, we shot the last of the scenes with a speaking part. There is still a little mop-up to do, but we are effectively finished and in post.

Not that everything went perfectly smoothly since last blog, it never really does. The 25th October shoot was intended to be the last with the primary actors, but an interesting combination of people didn't show up. There was a set of three extras for one scene, who could double as background extras for another. They included a good friend of mine who I know to be reliable, but transportation issues stopped them in the end. The other scene required a supporting actor who also didn't make it due to mis-communication. I thought he was all set, he was waiting for confirmation. It happens.

As it happens, we ran out of light as we finished the scenes we did get on the 25th. Doing those other two scenes may well have delayed us enough that we would have had to call back an actor who I was actually happy to finish, as part of the delay was due to his inability to study or remember his lines. The other part was one of those comical situations that make it all worth a good sardonic laugh, although those with the wrong temperament might get stressed.

We were shooting in Elm Hill, a popular tourist location. Another recent shoot there had given us the impression that tourist season was over and Sundays were now very quiet at the location. Well, it was very quiet on that previous Sunday. But on this particular Sunday, there was a last surge of tourist activity. The shops were closed, but they come anyway, because the street itself is beautiful and very old world.

This of course is exactly why we wanted the location.

In the end, we got the shots. Hopefully we'll have enough cut-away material to cover the times we had to prompt the actor mid-sentence. I don't regret using him, he looks right for the part and we needed someone with reserved expressions for a mystic, but lesson learned. Always do full auditions. We didn't really have the luxury of that for a late addition.

And no worries about the performance. Yes, lines repeated parrot fashion are not going to bring out emotion. But it all has to go through dubbing anyway.

How best to do that when we don't have money for a recording studio has been working at the back of my mind. The actors have to see their own lips move as they speak into a microphone. My computer has the fan noise which we don't want in the background. My daughter is going to see how much noise her laptop makes. I'm looking into possibilities for a projection device that might be able to be physically placed far enough from the microphone to avoid noise. My business networking may come into this one.

Anyway, with a certain sense of urgency, I quickly set up a new shoot to do these other two scenes. I did actually consider cutting them. I was exhausted at the end of the shoot on the 25th, and was ready to simplify things. We even skipped the shot with the cat as we were out of light and everybody wanted to call it a day.

But one good sleep later, I was sending emails around and Monday's shoot was set up. I even worked out how to do the shot with the cat using a stand-in.

Everybody showed up on time pretty much. There was a slight complication in that the one person not available was my driver and the leading lady was collecting the DP on the way in, plus the leading man has moved out of Norwich and stays in different places when he's in the city. I had a text from him in the morning saying he was in a pub on Dereham Road and could he be picked up. Having no idea how far down Dereham Road this pub was, I sent him a text asking how close to the DP he was, and one to my leading lady asking if this pub was on her route.

I assume communications occurred directly between some combination of them, as all three arrived together. I had had no return texts so really didn't know what had been sorted. The important thing is that it did get sorted! My daughter even appeared early enough to help with make-up, which I hadn't expected as she had uni that day.

The shoot went very smoothly. The weather was bright but cold, so we had good light, no rain on the camera, and minimal bystanders in another public place. The few that did go by didn't pose a problem and mostly happened by when we were just focusing. The new actor commented later that he was amazed at how quickly it went. He knew his lines perfectly and gave me some great expressions. I'm pleased not just for this project, but because I've had him in mind for an important role in the next one. I think he'll do brilliantly.

So, what is left to do?

One last hoard of zombies to storm the church.

One last try at a group of specific girls.

Two effects shots that just need a little working out.

One stand-in shot with the cat.

Meanwhile, I'm putting a rough sequence together to pass to the editor with the logged shots. The process will also allow me to pick out shots for the first trailer, which I intend to be no more than a minute long.

The editor is already at work on the Capoeira sequence which will be used for a separate video as well as the film. This fulfils a promise to the Capoeira teacher who made that sequence possible.

Once the full sequence is set and locked, I will work with the ADR (dubbing) while the editor is working on the Day to Night conversion and other effects. This is his chance to shine. I've been tracking down sound effects for foley. Many I have in my own files.

I will have him do the effects on the trailer sequence first, so that I can launch the marketing process while all else is going on.

Oh, and the documentary that started all of this off is to be finished as well. We just needed the presenter, who is also the lead actor for the zombie film, to read some introductions for interview segments. He and the DP, whose degree is in Documentary, went off to do that after the last shoot. I'll be interested to see the result as it probably won't be at the location I had in mind as they had to do it quickly to get their lift home.

But the pair of them are very capable. Baz does fantastic presenter, he's a real natural. I could see him turning out to be a television personality. Once this tape gets downloaded, I'll sequence that as well and the editor will have yet another small job to fit in while getting the main film done.

So we're all going to be rather busy for a while longer. Well, not all. Our main cast are done apart from ADR. They can relax. I, on the other hand, have already set up the Facebook group for the core group of the next project. It will be developing over the Winter while post production and marketing for Graveyard Shift are in progress. No rest for the wicked!

24 October 2009

What a Long Strange Trip

Tomorrow is the last major shoot for the production. I have a few peripheral shots to pick up, but basically we wrap the main characters tomorrow and have most of production done. The editor is starting to put the sequences together.

Getting to this stage has made me reflective. What we started out to do was a shadow of where we're going with this now. But we accomplished that original goal, which was to learn from the experience.

If you take up filmmaking, people will tell you to make a few short films to learn from it. I think I needed the demands of a feature to get the real benefit. And not just me, I've watched the progress of other crew members as we have moved from a rag tag bunch of amateurs to a working group that communicates well and gets some rather good results.

We never expected to get the polish of a high budget production, but what I see now that I can look at the shots to date has real promise. I think it's going to be a good movie, with a wide appeal. Oh there will always be the troll types that pick out any little flaw they can find, but the general audience that goes to find entertainment is likely to get it.

If we had made a short, a lot of those first shoots would probably have been used as is. One of the advantages of a longer film is going back to locations and re-shooting parts that I know just weren't good enough. I mentioned long ago that I saw a low-res version of the first shoot, and I think that tripped a switch in my producer brain that said "No, this has to be better." Unlike the one-off chance we had when we made the goblin trailer, the opportunities to fix the things that weren't good enough would be there over several months.

We started actually shooting in May. It's October now, and we're near the end. It has been a very fun summer full of laughs, partly at the comedy elements in the script and partly at the things that you just have to be there to appreciate. Even a good blooper reel can't fully transfer the experience behind getting those comedy shots, and the spontaneous antics that happen even when we're doing more serious segments.

Looking back, I think I started looking at the project as more than a learning exercise when we advertised for actors. The original plan was to use a few local friends, but we needed some roles filled that couldn't be done this way. Suddenly, instead of an exercise it's a production. And the quality of my lead actors makes me want to make it well worth their while. I have a strong sense of responsibility when I'm roping other people into my schemes. I want to see them benefit from helping me.

Our locations have either been public places, or places owned by generous people who have been very accommodating and supportive of the project. This is an advantage that I fully appreciate. Many filmmakers have to guerrilla their work wherever they won't get in trouble for it. I've had the good fortune to be in a beautiful medieval city where the arts are promoted and expensive permits are not required for film students or small independents to do a little non-obstructive shooting. I have the mainstream business networking to thank for the inside locations. Sometimes it pays to do something practical even when it seems less glamorous than just hobnobbing with other artists.

We've built a local reputation with this project as well. People who spend a fair bit of time in the city may have seen us around shooting. Some of them stop me on the street and ask how it's all going. Many have heard of us even if they haven't seen us. I expect that whichever local cinema gets our premiere will attract a good sized local audience, as long as we get the publicity out there. And we will.

I had hoped to have the first trailer out there in July, but technical problems prevented us from downloading the shots for a rather long time. Again, having the luxury of time gave us a chance to find a solution. I'm being nagged by various interested parties now to get that trailer out and I'm very much wanting to do so, but I'm not going to rush it to the point of doing a hack job of it.

We'll need to use clips that have good sound unless we want to further delay the process for some ADR, which will definitely be necessary in some parts of the film. That's the price of using public locations. One of the shots I want to use is among those to be re-shot tomorrow. The previous shoot in the location did not give me what I wanted. The other director had blocked things very differently than how I visualised it when I wrote it, and it just didn't work.

So, that tape will need downloading and logging before we can put together the trailer. I also need to get a solid agreement with the composer so that I can use his title song for it. We've had slow moving discussions in progress, but this will become a priority after tomorrow. Collecting any outstanding contracts and adding up the spreadsheet and receipts for out of pocket expenses will feature highly as I plan out the last few shots. Everything will be very much in order by the time we talk to cinemas and distributors. Admin is what I do for my 'day job', I've kept contracts and releases in a lever-arch file and updated the spreadsheets regularly.

One of the things I decided yesterday while walking to the day job was that we need to re-shoot one quick shot of the kids in the shop. The complicated shots that follow all came out fine, but the first easy shot, where all they do is turn around so you see they are zombies, was rushed. The BBC were underfoot pressing us to give them material for the Dragon's Den on Tour segment, I was trying to stay out of the other director's way, and the kid's dad was saying they would have to leave soon. I had planned to do the kids first, but the other director hadn't appreciated the need for this until the threat of losing them completely loomed. So, knowing the shop and the kid's mother will be amenable, I recognised yesterday that this had been niggling at me for months and just has to be re-shot. They smiled you see, and I know they can do wonderfully creepy zombie expressions as they were showing me before the shoot.

If we had been doing a short, I might have gone with my first thought, using shadows to make creepy smiles. But the growing perfectionism that the feature demands isn't going to settle for that. This is a sufficiently important shot that it's worth the extra effort.

That's what can make the difference in an independent film. Making the effort to get the shots right. Take an extra one, work out how to get or make the props and costumes you need, look at it in context of the finished product. That's the real key.

When we started, I hardly knew my DP. He was a friend of the lead actor and other director, who had a camera. Five months later, we work together really well. He's learned a few things about his own equipment as well. The shaky shots that characterised the first shoot are no longer an issue. We've all learned a lot. And in the process, we've created something that promises to be worth all the work and personal expense.

If it makes enough profit, it won't just be the financing that makes me ready to make my goblin film now. I've learned that I can direct, and how to get my vision across to a DP. I've had five months of intensive training in how to set up a shoot and look after the cast and crew. That part was easy actually, organising and admin were always my strengths. But I've got the experience of making a feature and fielding obstacles, no shows, weather, and any number of things that are part of the filmmaking experience.

It may not make me Spielberg, but it makes me ready to do it all again, even more efficiently. But first, I need to finish and sell this one. Tomorrow's shoot, two peripheral shoots, a quick re-shoot and post-production to finish.

Piece of cake... ;)

7 October 2009

Hurry Up And Wait

For a project without a serious deadline, this one is beginning to become a delicate balance of timing.

After our battle at the bridge with jelly brains and coke which I described last blog, my stubborn streak kicked in and I got in touch with the friend of the friend who could get dry ice. We wanted steam coming off the conquered zombies you see, and although it can probably be done with After Effects, I really did want to give the dry ice a go. It just felt like an opportunity that might slip by.

So, after juggling between phone messages it was arranged with the very kind friend that she would bring some home from work on Friday. The question was, how long would it last, and could I get the zombies back?

Having never worked with dry ice, I did some essential research on health and safety aspects. I'm glad I did, it emphasised how important it is to keep it away from direct skin contact. I worked out for myself that a T-shirt was not adequate protection. One source mentioned handling it with oven glove protection. But of course first I needed to have the zombies to protect!

I contacted them all through Facebook. It seems to be my film organising tool these days. One definitely couldn't make it. So, I worked out from the photos that wonderful Julie had taken with her phone on the day what he had been wearing. A long-sleeved black T-shirt and a wig from my goblin supplies would make a sufficient melted version of him, with a little crumpled newspaper stuffed into the shirt for lumpy remains.

The one with the odd-coloured shirt was available, this was a stroke of luck. Trying to replace him would have been more difficult. The third showed no signs of logging on to Facebook during those few days, but the one who could come had a friend visiting who could come along. I had no idea of his description, but three guys squirming on the ground amidst steaming dry ice could cover a lot of discrepancy. I had a dark jacket of my own similar enough to the one the third zombie had been wearing.

We did have a shoot scheduled for Sunday and I could have waited until then and got more of the original zombies, but the friend getting the ice sounded very unsure about whether it would last that long, even in a freezer. My instincts told me, do it Friday! I was doing ok with organising all this, then learned that my cameraman wasn't available. Sometimes it really does feel like a test. Everything within me says it can be done, but one obstacle after another has to be overcome.

A few minutes of thought and I remembered Sam. Sam is an old friend who popped up recently. He is very much into acting and has the male lead role in my next project, but he also has a camera. The chances of him being available on a Friday evening were pretty slim, but it was to be done early, before dark, quite near his flat. He was all too happy to come out to do a shot before going out for the evening. I had done it! Camera, zombies and dry ice all sorted.

Unfortunately when I was researching health and safety, I didn't look up enough technical information on making the dry ice do its steaming thing. I thought you just add water and it steams away. Not so.

I set everyone up and poured the water and we got a few gentle wafts. Hmm. So I got some hot water from the pub next to the location, having already distracted their attention as I learned, and poured that. It wafted more! But no pouring steam. Worse, the white pellets of dry ice were still clearly visible on the zombies. They were supposed to evaporate into the steam! I tried pouring quite a lot of very hot water onto my melted zombie and still only got a meh result.

There comes a time when you have to accept that you've done all you can, like when the arms were falling off my Baphomet statue. Whether anything could be done with the shots would have to be worked out later. I know there is a colour change facility on the editing programme which could turn the white pellets to the colour of the clothing they are on. There is also a smoke effect on After Effects that may be able to add to the gentle wafts of real steam. The worst case scenario is that it just can't be salvaged and we have our original battle without melting zombie effects.

I still have the triumph of successfully organising the shoot on short notice. Oh and the rest of the dry ice had evaporated in my freezer by Sunday!

So, Sunday came and we had our first shoot with a new actor. We had been shooting around the role of the Mysterious Hermit all this time as he generally stands apart from others. He does need to be in scene with the main couple for a couple of scenes, but we've organised those for the 25th and could get his close-ups and the scenes alone on a day shoot which would make the rest easy.

This one was a replacement for a younger lad that was a friend of my lead actor. I was actually pleased about that as the character is better as a little older. I was recommended to him by the actor who played the modern priest. He certainly looked the part, and I had him read a bit over the phone. Apart from speaking a little fast for a mystic, he was fine. I could direct him to speak slower.

So, Sunday comes round and my actor shows up on time, Yay! My driver with the cameraman is running a little slow. It's just half an hour, but this time it matters as we want to shoot the clock tower as close to noon as possible so that it can represent being just after midnight. The cliche's are thick in this one. While we're waiting, I explain the character's back story to the actor and he admits to me that he's hardly glanced at the lines. Uh-oh.

Experience tells me that actors who don't study their lines don't give their best performance. Let's just say that there was a lot of prompting. But, there were also several scenes that had no lines, that just required driving to various locations and filming the character walking or doing other things at specific places. Those are definitely covered now.

The dialogue scenes were the close-ups for scenes he will be doing again with the lead couple, so it was probably worthwhile. He's promised to study the lines for the next shoot. And of course there is ADR still to come, as the locations sometimes are in places where there is no chance of getting good sound.

I mentioned timing. Until this month, my lead actor was living round the corner from me. That was very convenient to say the least! Just before my most recent shoot with him, he told me he was moving to Diss on the first. Now a sense of urgency creeps in. I have just this shoot on the 25th and his epilogue scene to do, and Diss is only 20 minutes away by train. We mustn't panic!

Then I hear that he will be moving to London next! Now it gets worrying. So, I'm working on getting his epilogue scene done before the shoot on the 25th, juggling the need to have his hair grow out a bit for that, getting the shots I need to make sure I've filled all the gaps as well as for the documentary we started so I can get him to do the narration for that, then get him to get the Keith haircut just before the last shoot and hope we don't need anymore re-shoots. Of course there is still ADR!

So, I have a couple of weeks to catch up on logging shots and get my breath, yet a driving need to organise these shoots. The 25th is set, I even have some hippies appearing to pick up that scene which was missed when the extras didn't show before. I have one other actor to hopefully schedule in that day as well, for another small scene. My ability to pick up these scenes later is steadily evaporating as my leads get busier and further away. Yet we are so close to finish!

There is just a little more to do once the leads are finished, but no urgency on that. A hoard to attack the church, a group of girls, and some effects shots and we're done. It's a good feeling.

27 September 2009

Zombies Coming Out of My Ears!

I keep saying it gets easier as I go along. That statement doesn't include yesterday's shoot, which was actually one of the most complicated shooting days I've set myself up for. Yet the story will have a happy ending. Mine that is, not necessarily our main characters.

It was, admittedly, a fairly ambitious day. The plan was to shoot a short peripheral scene that required three zombies, followed by making use of them in the background for the end of another scene where I had originally written two zombies in. Then we would feed this group of extras while my human characters came along to do the most complicated part of the church scene.

Now this involved my lead couple plus two other lads, which I mentioned last blog. We needed a new actor for the role of Russell, and I had arranged the person I originally had in mind for the role. I was feeling pretty confident despite his history of being occasionally unreliable, but even better, I had a back-up. Someone else had answered the call for an actor just after I had given it to this lad, and I had asked him to come along as back-up with promise that if we didn't need him for that, we would at least put him in with the afternoon zombies.

He was very keen, I had every reason to feel this role was covered. Then we were scheduled to break for lunch, at which point my two lads would be finished and four more zombies and a victim would be waiting for us as my trusty make-up team would be doing the zombies while I was shooting in the church. We would go off to the battle at the bridge, then come back to yet more food and a feeling of victory.

This was the part where I started to feel like I was about to drop the ball. The person I had in mind for victim wasn't responding to messages, so I speculated that I could do this scene with three zombies if necessary and use one of the extras for the victim. Plus my back-up lad from the morning would be available if he didn’t have to fill in the role of Russell. Meanwhile, I also had a sudden surge of interest from people who wanted to be zombies. The mother of the two children we used back at the shop had started spreading the word, and the emails were pouring in. Many of these were from women, but there were a few men included.

At one point I was wondering if I had too many zombies lined up for the afternoon, as I was trying to be kind to my make-up crew by using small numbers in two different batches. Besides, these were all I needed for the specific scenes although an extra zombie or two can always be thrown in.

So I started telling these new recruits that I have another scene to come that will require a random hoard, which I'll be scheduling in a couple of weeks. Fine, easy to form that one now. There was one pair, a girl and her father, that were prepared to be back-up zombies for yesterday as well. I was covered. I had three confirmed zombies for the afternoon and one more that I thought would come, and back-ups. Sounds pretty good!

Now the trouble with a Saturday shoot is that I work my day job Wednesday - Friday so preparation has to be done in the evenings after work or the morning of the shoot. It's much better to have a day before the shoot for doing these things. Some things like putting labels on bottles can be done in advance on my days off, but the real work involves food items which need to be fresh. This includes food for the crew and many of the props.

Thursday and Friday evenings saw me baking cakes and cutting chicken wings and making zombie brains, both slingable and a solid brain to be eaten. I put a little too much cream in this, so it wasn't going to entirely hold its shape. But it still looked pretty gruesome. Of course we had to get a shot of the producer eating zombie brain. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's go back to a peaceful morning of preparation and order…

I had three people for make-up to make it easier on everyone. I think we're all getting a little fed up with doing zombie make-up at this point. My beautiful daughter Wendy was in charge of home crew and two very reliable friends came along. These are both brilliant people. Julie has been a friend of both myself and my daughter for years, and taught my daughter much of her early hair styling among the Goth crowd. She does wonderful things with both hair and make-up for her own enjoyment. Henri was a friend of a friend when we did the Goth club scene, but her enthusiasm and talent has made her core group. She does make-up, acting, costuming and has a selection of cloaks and such around, not to mention elf ears. These are the kind of people you really want involved in a project like this.

Wendy stayed over and Julie and Henri appeared bright and early, ready to make magic happen. Great start. The first group of zombies was due at 11am. Around 11:30 I started wondering. No sign of them, and no way to contact them as one I spoke to through Facebook and the other two were friends of his who were coming along, so it was an all or nothing deal. In short, they didn't show. So apologising to my crew for getting them out of bed too early for nothing, we awaited our human actors who were due at 12. One by one they appeared near the appointed time. Except the lad who was to play Russell, and the back-up. I started commenting that the role was cursed.

First the first actor I gave it to didn't show, then the lad I recruited out of the extras on skate park day evaporated and couldn't be found for the other scenes, now not one but two actors weren't appearing and both had their phones turned off. So, with the morning passing and absolutely nothing accomplished, Goblin central saw four people frantically ringing everyone in their address books who could possibly play a stoner lad. Several aspiring actors were tried, then random friends, and eventually a friend of Wendy's said yes, we could pick him up at 1:15.

He was actually rather good. He looked the part with long hair and that general young person look. The poor lad was thrown in at the deep end. Wendy hadn't told him there would be lines to do, but she had promised cake. Luckily I had made two this time. Plenty of cake for everyone. The lad hadn't done any acting since high school so wasn't feeling that confident, but it was an easy role with just a few lines and the voices would probably be mostly dubbed later as we were shooting in public places again.

He quickly caught on that it isn't like a play where you have to memorise all your lines for the performance. Just note your cue, and one or two lines per shot were within the capacity of short term memory. He did great. This shoot actually had all the most complicated scenes for the church. We had to move bits and pieces around to clear one area at a time, to show what each of the characters was doing while the lead is having a stand-off with the nemesis.

Having already done the nemesis and much of the leading lady's shots on previous shoots simplified it. We had them all enter, then went through one lad's part, then the other. We found a position for the lead to stand that put him in perspective with the scene and did his lines for the confrontation. But then came the complicated part. We had to have two of them take the girl from her levitating position and all of them rush out a back door. Working in tight shots of course.

It took a little trial and manhandling of the girl, but we got the scene done in amazing time actually. And I think it's going to look good.

So all of the scenes that involve these two lads got done, and we got back to home base just an hour later than planned and found our zombies waiting. Three of them. I had tried ringing my back up pair earlier as I still hadn't had confirmation from the fourth, but the father had gone off to work and there was no transportation for the daughter. I had three zombies, and needed a victim. Ironic, as I probably have 10 people on waiting list for the next hoard but most I already knew weren't available on short notice.

Henri had been put in too many roles already. Julie had also already been in twice and has distinctively bright red hair, and wasn't too keen on the idea. It came to Wendy, who had also been in a couple of roles already but had changed her look a fair bit. So, off we went to the bridge with my delicate jelly brain trying to split all the way. Without giving too much of the plot away, this wasn't the only planned food play for this scene.

If you've ever looked on YouTube with the search words Coke and Mentos, you'll know that a certain explosive reaction occurs when you mix the two. We had quite an elaborate scene planned that involves using this effect rather extensively. The zombies had been warned, and I brought towels. Just as well, as my first attempt to add the mints to a bottle of diet cola resulted in my face and hair getting a good soaking. I never ask my crew to do anything I wouldn't do myself. I had a fair bit of cola and jelly brain on me by the end of the scene. I'm so glad I thought to bring the towels.

The expert on how do work with these materials happened to be our leading lady. With her instruction and a bit of shared logic from all the guys, we all became experts in the use of this particular non-lethal explosive device. The result should definitely be good for some laughs in the finished product. We used all ten bottles of cola I had brought, which was just as well as I won't drink the diet stuff after reading up on Aspartame, yet that is part of what is needed to get the chemical reaction.

One thing I want to mention is my daughter's brilliant performance as the victim. I hadn't seen her act since she was twelve years old, but she has been spending a lot of time with LARP groups recently and has come out of her natural shyness. Her reaction to being attacked and realistic shrieks had my maternal instincts wanting to rush in and save my daughter from the big bad man, but I managed to control myself. I think she loved doing it actually. He didn't hurt her at all, although it looked pretty brutal.

So we cleaned up all of our rubbish and people dispersed in different directions with just a few of us going back to home base to collapse and eat up some of the left over food. I cooked another tray full of chicken wings and we just about managed the strength to eat them and more of the cake.

The end result is that we got two of the most complicated scenes of the film finished off. The little scene we didn't get from the morning can be wedged into another shoot pretty easily, I just need to find another three long haired guys. Pity, the lad who ended up playing Russell would be perfect. But hopefully there are more where he came from.

I did get a message later on Facebook from by back-up lad, he had been clipped by a car on the way out! So, I was right about him being dependable, but a trip to A & E had intervened this time. I'll have a nice little speaking role for him when he's on his feet again. I just hope there's no permanent damage as I already feel awful that it happened when he was coming to help with the project.

Overall though, it was a very successful day. Now if I can just get the tape from the cameraman before it has a chance to get lost...

19 September 2009

A Case of the Giggles

I keep talking about filming being fun. Sometimes it goes a step further and gets seriously funny.

Last Tuesday we had a great shoot. There were five locations, filling in gaps where the lead couple needed to be together. Fairly ambitious, but we did it all in the end. I had been prepared to bump a scene or two if we ran out of time, but we finished just about 5pm when the light was just about to fade.

So, being practical, I started us at the furthest point from home base: the shop. It was just a minor re-shoot there, only slightly complicated by the fact that no one knew we were coming. The owners were on holiday and hadn't got the email. No problem, one of the managers who knows us was there so we got our shot and away we went, across the street.

The shot immediately after the couple leaves the shop had been done by our original director in a way very different from how I wrote it, so I decided it was worth re-doing in the original way. It would only take a couple of minutes...

You would be amazed at how many people can come out of the woodwork on a quiet Earlham street. One by one, the old lady, the woman on her phone, the shoppers looking at things in the baby shop just out of shot that for some reason had to walk back and forth along the street...they all got in to the numerous takes that we had to do to get just two lines.

This is filmmaking! It began getting funny after the same old lady paraded up and down the street for the umpteenth time. We would just about have the shot and she would return to spoil the very last few words. It should make a great sequence for DVD extras as we start to giggle on some of the last shots.

We finally got a take that only had one car whip right through behind our heroes in the middle of it, and decided we had enough takes that we could certainly piece it together by then.

So off we go to the graveyard. I'm not saying which one, but it was where we had the Capoeira fight and we needed to do shots for the lead couple to enter and exit the scene. It would be simple enough, if I hadn't come up with a funny idea in the meantime to extend the scene a little.

I don't want to give away all the best bits of the film before you have a chance to see it, so I'm not going to say what needed to happen. Only that the zombie would come out from behind a gravestone close to the lead actor and something that would probably require a few takes had to happen. It couldn't possibly go right on the first try.

The zombie was played by our DP, as he has wild hair and that would add to the comedy of the scene. I also seem to be pushing all the crew members in somewhere, in complete reverse of the cliche' directors who always do a cameo in their own film.

It was the way in which it managed to go spectacularly wrong on a few takes that resulted in a bad case of the giggles. One take in particular really set me off.

Not just on set. Oh no, although I did fall into a hopeless gigglefit that took a few minutes to recover from. No it wasn't that simple. That particular take stayed with me, you couldn't plan a shot like that. There was just something in the way the zombie fell over that pushed the giggle switch every time I thought of it. For two days I spontaneously broke out into gigglefits while walking around the streets of Norwich, probably frightening bystanders who undoubtedly thought I was one of the local mental cases that give Norwich part of its charm.

After the second time waking at 3:30 am with the giggles because this shot kept replaying in my head, I decided I had to use it. I worked out that the timing could work to have the zombie fall over, then rise a second time to meet his intended fate. The scene would work, and be significantly more hilarious than the original plan. The audience will roar with laughter.

And I could have peace. At last, I could sleep uninterrupted by giggles and walk around in public without people crossing the street to avoid the mad person laughing at apparently nothing at all. At least until the tape gets downloaded and I see that shot again in a repeatable form.

We broke for lunch after the graveyard shoot, and related the adventure to the home crew. More laughter ensued. There were two scenes yet to do. We were in a silly mood by then, and thus we went back to the arch where our favourite security man dwells, protecting the lawn.

Now remember I had patched relations with this particular security man. But that didn't stop our leading lady from talking into camera as he approached, relating his presence as comically as one could expect at the time. That will certainly make the extras.

We had our obligatory chat, he pointed out that we were blocking the drive slightly and would cause complaints. We really did need the characters to stand there...so I gave him my best puppy dog eyes and asked if we could have three minutes. He smiled and turned a blind eye and we got the shot quickly, then another that didn't block the drive, and away we went. Finished with the arch at last, barring technical problems.

The last shot of the day was at Chapelfield Gardens, connecting Keith and Suzi's exit from the punk zombie battle to another part of the park where they meet the priest. This at least was uneventful. Minimal bystanders, but each one was a new joke stemming from the morning near the shop. And at last we finished with a sense of satisfaction that only comes from a really good day of shooting.

Whatever happens with this film, the experiences in making it are worth all the work, the expense, the cast and crew juggling, and everything else that goes into it. I can't think of a better way to be spending my time. With good joss, the end result will be something that can share some of this fun with a wide audience. But we've already had the benefit, and more to come.

Next week's shoot is another ambitious one, involving two separate groups of extras and multiple locations again. I've got props to gather and make, tests to do, people to follow up, and the food to make for the revolving population that will be passing through my flat at different times of the day. I've got two more roles to fill in a week. One would think I would have the decency to be nervous.

But I've obviously gone mad, I'm already giggling about what we're going to do to them.

12 September 2009

Zombies Take Over Norwich

Last blog I wrote about the big zombie battle we were shooting on Monday.

Well, with my aerial battle plan and an overflowing flat full of zombies, we did it. I would say without a hitch, but actually there were a couple of them that got sorted.

After a desperate plea on Facebook, I did get confirmation from my cameraman and a couple of other essential people. No problem, it always falls together in the end.

What did go wrong though, was that one of the lads in the supporting roles didn't show. I still haven't heard from him. This is confusing as he was very keen to get into acting and this was a real break for him.

This of course left me with one essential human short. Specifically a skater. At one point I decided there was no point in waiting longer for him and looked to see who among my zombie extras didn't have make-up on yet. There were two lads.

I asked if either of them had serious acting aspirations, one said a sort of maybe that sounded like a dream he didn't want to admit to in front of his friends. He was recruited into the human role. Wouldn't you know it, he just happened to be a skater and just happened to have his skateboard with him in the car!

So, we got over to the park and shot the human dialogue that comes before the zombies appear. Of course being just across the road from home, I kept having to send my PA back to get things, including a large branch that was the size of a small tree, scrounged from my own front lawn when the gardeners trimmed some trees. Doesn't that sound posh? It's a council flat, the grounds are looked after by the city. But it was very decent of them to leave me the ideal prop at just the right time.

Anyway, the zombies were called over just as they were finishing make-up and I used my trusty aerial map to explain what I wanted them to do. I split them into groups to emerge from different points, at which point they were to stop while I did the other groups and to continue forming a hoard after a camera move.

They were perfect. That whole sequence is done in one take for each shot.

At the end of the hoard approach, they were to split off in slightly changed groupings to show a little randomness. A couple of people went a different direction than planned, but it just added to the intended chaos of the scene and the one that really needed to end up near the skating ramps just got redirected in the closer battle shots so that he wanders off the right direction.

Three human characters had death scenes, only one was a trained actor. But they all did brilliantly! Considering that I was working with eleven zombies and five humans, the shoot went unbelievably smoothly. Even the stunt was fairly easy, although we did do a few takes to get the timing just right.

We were finished by 2:30 (having started with an 11:00 call) and might well have gone on to do another scene with the humans, but the new recruit had a job interview to go to. No worries, I had planned for that scene to be a maybe, as the battle could have taken all day. It would have been outside the church, which is closed on Monday, and we have to go back to do a scene inside the church as well, so it's just as easy to do both of those on another day.

We managed lunch rather well for such a crowd. Good old bolognaise, one pot with meat and one pot veggie, plus the pasta. I even had a vegan zombie who was happy with the veggie version. Then in twos and threes they went away, some of them into the city with make-up still on. Imagine running across punk zombies in Norwich...well, some of you might have actually. The thing about Norwich is that it isn't that far off normal.

So, with all this planned and executed, I had another shoot on Wednesday. This was in theory a simple shoot, just an epilogue scene with two main characters. It finishes off the Dark Lord, apart from ADR. He had been dying to get his hair cut.

The complicated bit was getting yet more extras, as I needed a small group of role players. I know loads of these, but most of them were off to an event! The night before the shoot I was on Facebook, still recruiting. But they came through in the end. The morning of the shoot, the last one was confirmed.

I met these in town, which I think was easiest for all concerned. What was I saying about normal for Norwich? Three role players in fantasy costumes (including elf ears on one) appearing in the bar at the Playhouse is not very unusual. It's by the art school after all. The fourth was filled in by my PA, who has a rather good costume that I made for him some time ago for a SciFi convention. It was a good chance to show it off.

We did a few takes for that shot, as again there was a bit of timing in the entry to the scene that was crucial. But it still only took a short time, and we were joined at the end of it by an observer who is considering becoming a small investor in the company. He's also an actor, so we got a chance to discuss the part I've got for him.

We did need to pick up one other shot with the Dark Lord while we had him, as he needed to interact closely with the leading lady in one shot in the church. So, off we went, walking as it was too close to drive.

More time was probably spent changing make-up than getting our shots. The shot with Dave and Louise really was a simple one, despite timing. We practiced it a few times until we had it right, and did a couple of takes to make sure we had a good one.

Then as long as we were there, we went ahead and did another one with just the leading lady (Louise) that actually was experimental. We had to make her float up into the air in a trance. That gets tricky. But we got it in the end, although the way we did it is worth a story of its own. It needs pictures. When we go back to the church, I'll be sure to get a still of the piece of modern art that made it possible.

What's next? Getting those four actors back to the church together. Now that's a challenge. I'm waiting for confirmation from three of them still, and it's planned for four days from now. Typically, I'm planning two shoots at once as it is possible that we'll end up with my lead couple and one of the lads might not make it, which would mean a change of plan to do some of the other scenes I need these two for. There's a healthy list of those. Only a couple of them require zombie extras.

So fingers crossed, if Louise doesn't have to work, we have a shoot Wednesday again. The question is, which one! I'd like to get the church scene finished. Juggling too many people is probably the most complicated part of planning. But that's life in independent film where actors have day jobs. It's very different from a big studio production where actors are contracted for a block of time.

But then, completing the film despite all the little obstacles is part of the fun.

2 September 2009

Websites, E-Messages and Zombies on Skateboards

I seem to have hit on a good idea for the front page of my website. Making a photo collage of the current project and placing it between the header and footer actually comes out rather well. I'm not quite satisfied with the entry navigation yet, but tinkering with the website is something I do enjoy, so I'll come up with a workable plan soon. A simple 'Enter Website' icon would do the job.

My daughter's boyfriend has been doing some design for the website with a view towards having an example for his work to move into independent contracting. However, the time scales between work sessions are such that I'm back to doing my own tinkering. He did make a brilliant picture for Dance of the Goblins though, which I expect I will use when that one goes into production. By then, Graveyard Shift will have been released and made enough profit to make that happen.

Meanwhile, the last few shoots are just ahead of me. We're nearing the end of production. Naturally, some of those last shoots are proving a little complicated to organise. The odd person becoming difficult to find available can delay things and make the juggling more of a challenge.

This Monday, we have a big zombie battle. It involves our two lead characters, two other supporting characters who haven't been in the previous shoots, one of our crew who did a walk-through on a previous occasion and was written into this scene at the last minute, and 10-12 zombies. Numbers are always approximate in large groups, as someone might not show up at the last minute and others might or might not bring a friend.

This is the scene where my punk zombies get in on the action. I had actually given up on them and started recruiting zombies elsewhere as I had not heard from them. Then one of the girls contacted me by email, in leetspeak of course, and she put me in contact with some of the others on Facebook. Ironically, I haven't heard from her for a while even though she knows when the shoot is. Never mind, I got some of the guys with the mohicans from the original encounter and have even accommodated the schedule to allow for one of them to finish his college induction in the morning before we start their part.

Now, my day job is admin and I'm very efficient about organising and confirming all the people needed etc. I do find that many young people are not so good at responding to emails and messages. They know they plan to come, but they don't always say so which helps my planning. This doesn't just apply to the extras, but to regular members of the crew as well. I'm still waiting to hear that I definitely have a camera for this shoot, now that I’ve organised 22 people for it, and that my lead actor will have got the haircut associated with his character.

No doubt it will all turn out fine in the end, it always does. But something in the stars seems to be making everybody hard to contact at present. Even a lad associated with the next project that I was asking to do a walk-on extra part for some pick-up shots next Wednesday seems to have forgotten how to type. And they've all got their phones turned off recently. I could get paranoid and start thinking they were avoiding me if it wasn't for the enthusiasm when I do manage to get hold of them.

As usual, it will all be sorted by the shooting day.

This next one promises to be great fun. Back at the beginning of the project, I had no idea what the fight moves would be apart from some general ideas about the leading lady pushing zombies away with a tree branch and one of the supporting lads trying to climb a tree and getting pulled down and eaten. The lead lad will be busy with his crowbar as always.

However, finding the skate park that I wrote about two blogs ago made it all fall into place. The tree configurations are perfect for groups of zombies to emerge. I've written a detailed sequence and marked an aerial map for movements so that it's all nicely planned out now. I even worked out a dead simple stunt that will add drama and end up with a zombie on a skateboard, which you just know has to be done.

The only worry is that any one of several people could make the whole plan fall apart. It's essential to have all the human characters. I've had confirmation from all of them, although two of them I haven't worked with before so I will soon learn how dependable they are. The cameraman of course absolutely has to be there or it's all for nothing!

But as time grows close, I will hunt him down and squeeze confirmation out of him, as always. He is actually available most of the time, especially as it's a weekday. And last time there was a conflict with a weekend party, he lent his camera and we used my student lad as cameraman. As he's already coming to share his skateboarding skills, we sort of almost have a back-up plan.

First order of business when the company makes a profit from this is to buy a good company camera. That will save on stress, as I have several camera operators I can call on. It's just as well I don't do stress. But every shoot is another step closer to finish. A few more colour changes on the spreadsheet, where I keep track of what is left to do. We are getting very close now.

Oh, did I mention I came up with two more scenes to write in? Both easily slipped between existing scenes and added for more comedy value. I must really enjoy punishment...

23 August 2009

Zombie Brains

One of the many details I have to keep track of is making sure we have the right props and prosthetics ready for each shoot. Most props are easy, just gather them in a box ahead of time and there's no problem. But some things need to be made near the time, like loose flesh prosthetics and zombie brains.

Now most recipes for good zombie brains are made out of edible substances. Gelatine often features. For splattered brains, other things are often added for texture. Oats, cottage cheese with black food colour (very effective!) or any number of favourite home recipes. We've had great fun splattering zombie brains here and there through the making of this film. It always tends to finish with uncontrolled laughter which will have to be cut from the sound.

I came up with a silly idea recently that is just going to have to be done. It involves making a mould for a brain, mostly intact. Zombies do have to be seen eating brains after all…

But I also came up with a recipe idea (based on experience so far) that I think will not only look good for this but will taste wonderful. I'll be doing some experimenting very soon. One thing I have learned though, is that gelatine doesn't keep all that long, even in the fridge. I'm going to have to throw away another batch of unused zombie brain splodge today. Such a pity…

Speaking of zombie brains, I've been a little distracted by a soap opera at work, involving yet another restructure. It's the third I've seen in just a few years. My only worry is where I may end up sitting, as there was some mention of putting me in a particular office presided over by the one woman in all the organisation that I could not bear to share space with.

It isn't that I don't like her. We were once on the same team and got on ok. But her voice is loud and whiney, and drives me up the wall. Worse, she's under the mistaken impression that she can sing, which makes the room unbearable.

I've actually mentioned to people involved in the situation that it would be totally inappropriate to put me in there. High ranking managers were taken out of the room because the important conversations of this woman required complete confidentiality. I'm a low ranking admin assistant with well-known direct involvement in the media. What's wrong with this picture?

Apart from that, ever since this woman got herself promoted (with a lot of help from stealing credit from my friend Jenny, another member of the old team, for all the work she did towards learning to understand the funding process) she's been rather above us all. She has a reputation among the managers for displaying rather too much self-importance. One person was heard to say they had enough of this annoying attitude from her without her swanning in to meetings as if to say "I am the one!"

Yet another case of nobody competent applying for a position so they gave it to someone ambitious enough to want it. Pity that Jenny isn't more ambitious, she has the ability to sort out a department and make it run smoothly which I've witnessed more than once. She would probably be pleasant to work for as well, as she actually cares about the work and isn't the sort of person to become full of herself.

So, it's a matter of wait and see at the moment. If a decision is made to put me in that office, I intend to make my case to HR and senior management. I don't make a lot of waves, but when I do, I know how to make it count. I can't think of why she would want ex-team mates in the office with her anyway, except perhaps to lord it over. But logic was never her strong point. We of all people can still see the brown stains on her nose, and remember the work that Jenny did and never got credit for. I also remember having to follow-up on a lot of her work as she took short cuts and missed details.

Anyway, getting back to prosthetics and props, I have this big zombie battle coming up that I mentioned last blog. I made contact with one of the punk zombies who wanted to do it so much, but have I heard back? No. I need to have at least 10 zombies for this one. Several of those will have latex scars or bits of flesh that I have to remember to make a day or two before the shoot. There will also be lots of zombie brains flying around. So, those will need to be made and put into portion sized bags as part of the preparation.

I have four zombies from my own closer circle, but by end of tomorrow need to make sure I've got the rest in one form or another. The trouble with this project is I can only recycle extras a very little, as most are seen to have been destroyed in one place or another so I need fresh bodies. I'll be keeping this in mind on the next project. The core group of actors for that one have been partly chosen from some of the more dependable extras I've used for this one.

Also, one of the supporting actors can't take any time off work and the locations we need would be difficult on a weekend, so I've shifted him to another role and need to find a lad in the next week to fill this other role. I have great expectations on that one, I'll advertise it on a popular casting site.

Isn't this fun? After several really easy shoots, I'm putting together a real juggling act. But it's under control. Honest guv.

17 August 2009

A Plan of Battle

Planning a major battle in a film is essential. You don't just go out to a location and make it up as you go along. Well, some people do, but it nearly always looks very amateurish.

We got lucky with the Capoeira battle. The instructor in charge had a natural talent for planning a sequence, and extensive knowledge of the abilities of his fighters as well as familiarity with the location. He did a brilliant job in very little time.

But there is another battle that occurs in the film before that. One with much less fighting expertise, and more struggling by the film's heroes. Planning this one falls to...me.

Now, you may say that planning a battle scene requires an expert fight planner. But we're not talking about sword fights or kung fu movies here. We are depicting an ordinary group of people attacked by a large mob of clumsy zombies. With the help of Google Earth to get an aerial map of the location, a simple sequence plan for the movements of all involved is more than adequate. Plus plans for the individual skirmishes, who dies and how.

So, between trying to get myself to do the other little jobs I mentioned last blog, I've had this mental vision of the zombie fight working itself out in my head. I actually woke up this morning with the sequence clear in my mind, and immediately went on Photoshop to mark the aerial view of the location with battle movements.

This includes camera positions and a detailed written sequence of filming order for all the shots needed, apart from the last ones which I need to work out with a couple of people doing, um, stunts.

You see, the original script says we have this battle, including some general moves of who does what during the fight and the heroes running away to another part of the park where they see the priest, who we filmed in his part of the scene recently. My original plan was to do it all in Chapelfield Gardens, even though the battle would be tricky to do around bystanders.

So, in one of the weird flukes that I've got used to happening in my life, I actually discovered a better location for the battle itself which will work seamlessly with the following shots with the priest, as the tree cover is very similar in both places.

I was out with a friend looking for a particular arrangement of foliage for a shot we wanted to do for a music video. Not a professional one, just some YouTube silliness with my little tourist camera that I used for my kitten video. I live near Mousehold Heath and have plenty of forest just a few steps away from my front door.

We went into the forest looking for what we needed, and found an open area that turned out to be a skate park! On a Monday afternoon, it was empty. We went back Tuesday and a few people were there, but not vast crowds. This is a couple minutes walk from my door, which can be convenient when you need to transport large groups of zombies. It also appears to be sparsely used.

Plus the skate ramps add a new potential to the scene. I had already planned to use my student cameraman in the scene as he had filled in as a random extra in an outside clubbing scene. It seems natural to have him going home from the clubs, and stumble into a zombie attack. Especially as he knows jujitsu and can do some good fight sequence moves. Those too will need to be worked out.

He's also a skater. I see some silly comedy coming.

Now, the friend I was with has already been a zombie, but he can change his look to be a different zombie easily enough. He also skates a bit. Add to that a local lad who has been brought to my attention who wants to break into acting. He has some training and experience, enough to do one of the supporting characters that are in this scene. He also skates a bit.

So, we've got two human characters and one zombie who can ride a skateboard. The potential is awesome. Exactly what is going to happen is something I need to work out with the guys over on the ramps, but the sequence leading up to it is all worked out and marked on the map in military fashion.

The health and safety issues haven't escaped me. We will be careful and keep the action within boundaries according to the skills of my skaters, but one doesn't have to do dangerous tricks to make a good skate sequence. I've already worked out a move that will end up with a zombie on the skateboard that is so simple that I could do it myself. The rest is a zoom shot and some panic in the moan, dead simple, so to speak.

Oh and just to add to the weirdness, the branch prop I wanted for this literally fell into my hands already. Some tree trimming was happening recently where I live, and the ideal branch was left behind just long enough for me to find and claim it. It's big enough to count as a small tree itself, and currently decorates my living room, along with Templar robes, Alchemy books and other props and bits of costuming.

Life just keeps getting weirder, but it is so much fun!

9 August 2009

And Sometimes It's Easy...

I'm getting a bit spoiled with these half day shoots. Getting the ancient and modern priests shots wrapped up actually became easy in the end. We did our Saturday shoot that I mentioned in the last blog, and barring any need for re-shoots, we wrapped the character. We may need to do some ADR, but now it doesn't matter how much he changes his look.

We got some of his best acting that day. The cameraman described his invocation shot as "epic". Funny that shooting upwards to avoid seeing 'stuff' around the church actually results in some pretty intense camera angles.

Then all too easily, we slipped into the following Friday to do the Dark Lord's zombie shots in the church. This time we were shooting in a couple of places that didn't have the open church behind them. One scene was based around the pipe organ (yes, a real working pipe organ) which has beautiful woodwork around it, and that made a great background for his part in the scene.

The other scene was by the door, so once again no bystander problem. Especially as the scene by the pipe organ seems to have scared everyone out of the church, the natural reverb in that church mixed with a superb performance had the actor's voice booming with the kind of drama you might expect from Christopher Lee.

We do have some excellent actors in this project. David Anderson, who plays the Dark Lord, is one to watch. He has another project in post at present, called Breathe. He starts a new feature in September/October. We'll need to get just one more scene out of him before then, as he needs to cut his hair and we want it as long as possible for our purposes. Just have to schedule him on the same day as Louise, our leading lady, for his last shots. The cameraman returns the 25th August, so we'll give that priority when we start up shooting again.

Having the cameraman as well as the lead actor on holiday in August means I get a little break as well, sort of. Last time I had a couple of weeks between shoots, I was frantically making costumes and props for the next shoot. Not so this time. We have everything we need now.

However, I am not without things to do. There is some admin to catch up, and some experimentation with a couple of effects shots to play with. I also need to scope out an exact location for one of them, but I know where to look. And there are a couple of minor props to collect rather than to make. A fallen branch for example is needed for a zombie battle in the park, and there is a patch of wood up the road from me where it's highly likely I can find something suitable.

So, I have a little time to deal with the details. I also want to do some minor re-writing on a couple of scenes, and to add one in that occurred recently. I've got about five more shoots to finish production now, barring scenes getting bumped from one shoot to another because of location juggling.

Oh we're not done with the church yet. I've got two more characters to bring in on the other side of the room and the main characters still need to do their bits. But the current tidy-up is helping make that easier. I volunteered to help with that and did a bit of work last Tuesday, along with my current houseguest who I recruited. He's been helping with make-up and hospitality as well as stepping in as a zombie extra. It's not safe to come near me during this project, I'll turn anyone into a zombie.

Helping the tidy-up not only makes me feel good, but it gives me a chance to really scope out shooting angles and what needs moving from any specific place for my purposes. Always the Producer. I did go in yesterday just to take some photos of some of the lovely features of the church, with a view to donating the shots if they come out good enough. They are thinking of making post cards to sell to the tourists. I have some old photos from when the church was empty that shows off the architecture rather nicely. I'll donate those images as well when I find them.

The arts community here in Norwich delightfully reflects British Independent Filmmaking in the culture of mutual co-operation. We all support each other. This is part of what makes all of this so much fun. It isn't just me making a film, or even my team. We are part of a larger picture. One of the people involved with the project has started a local film festival, which premieres in September. I'm looking forward to seeing the entries. The church is sponsoring a filmmaking group of its own. The local community radio stations support and publicise these efforts, as does the city newspaper.

We are all part of the creative process, and of a co-operative vibe that is growing rapidly. More and more bigger films are choosing Norwich as a location. People generally perceive Hollywood as the centre of filmmaking and London as the centre of British filmmaking, and the amount of activity in both places justifies this, but Norwich is making its place on the map.

Oh by the way, have I mentioned that this zombie project has become a trilogy? Not sequels, but separate films based in the same city. More details on the other films later. I need to keep my focus on one project at a time. But when you go out at night in Norwich, look among the crowds. In time, you may begin to spot the zombies, vampires and werewolves that walk among us unnoticed in the streets, if you haven't already.

29 July 2009

I Warned You There Would Be Zombies

Another weekend, another shoot...or two.

Two of my actors are nearly finished with their scenes, my ancient priest-magician and the modern renegade priest. You would think that finishing off their scenes would be dead easy (so to speak), but life in film land never works that way.

I planned a fairly simple shoot to finish off the modern priest, as he's working on another project, constantly changing his look, and infrequently available. It all looked very simple until I found that one essential location, the church, was closed on the day I was able to get the actor.

So, after a bit of juggling this and that, I worked out that I was going to have to split the shooting day and get the non-church scenes on one day and the church scenes on another. Keeping in mind of course that originally I wanted to get both priests in the church at once as they do actually have one scene together.

That was not to be. My ancient priest has a day job and the work schedule is peak right now, plus he drives a fair distance. His free days of course cannot match the other actor's free days. If they do, they have to fall on my own day job days. This is the way of it.

So, a little film magic and creative use of stand-ins and people who never meet do scenes together, it happens all the time in Hollywood.

Meanwhile, I had tried to change the day from Monday to Tuesday when I learned the church was closed, but the actor wasn't free on Tuesday. Then I tried to schedule him for next week, but the church is actually closing for refurbishing in August! It will be open Fridays and Saturdays, but Fridays are one of my full work days at the day job and Saturdays are when all the tourists come out and clutter up the city worse than usual. Trying to shoot around bystanders would be very tricky in some of the locations we had planned, like Chapelfield Gardens.

The solution became clear. I scheduled the shoot on Monday after all, without the inside church scenes. I even worked out that most of the priest's dialogue needed to occur outside the door anyway, including some bloodcurdling screaming, so we could get that in close-up even with the church closed.

So, we started Monday with a small panic when the cameraman was missing due to the all the switching around causing him to expect the shoot on Tuesday instead of Monday. That and the heavy rain in the morning, plus one extra running late and having trouble finding the place, accentuated the wonderful chaos that is independent filmmaking. But we did the two locations in town with no trouble from bystanders. Having a fairly rainy day meant that they were as minimal as it gets in Norwich. We did have a couple of curious bystanders who didn't interfere, but stood aside and watched.

Now, we travel around in a single car. There is room for 5 people maximum in it, sometimes we have more and make two trips. In this instance, the locations were close enough together that it was actually quicker to have two people walk from the first location to the second, and a few others walk from the park to the church.

So, after doing our first scene for the day, myself and one of the zombies walked through the town centre. It's funny watching people NOT react. A little thing like someone in zombie make-up is not so unusual in Norwich. Probably just the Goths again…

We did our scene in the park, choosing a location that would pretty much eliminate any problem with bystanders in shot, and then the people needed for the external church shot walked over while the others were shuttled back to home base to have a rest before lunch. This time the people did look as we walked across the town centre. A zombie is no problem, but a zombie and a priest together does pique curiosity.

Getting the close-up shot was no problem. The screaming hardly bothered anyone, despite the fairly dense population in that part of the city. It's amazing what you can do when you have a camera. Then there was something a little trickier. I needed a shot of the priest striding up to the door. This required having the camera face Pottergate, a very busy pedestrian street. However, we did get the shot. There were a few takes as we would just hit a clear moment and start the shot and people would come out of somewhere and walk into it. But we did get one that only had one bystander breeze through which we can easily cut out.

Meanwhile, I was busily planning the next shoot in the church. The actor was available, the driver was available, the church was open, the shots are such that doing them on a busy Saturday actually won't be a problem as we were going to aim the camera either close up on an Altar or towards and upstairs stained glass window (to cut out all the modern art and bystanders) so it didn't matter if it was 3 or 30 people in the church, we won't see them either way.

The cameraman is busy Saturday.

But one of the wonderful things about chaos is that a solution can rear its head from unexpected directions. My DP decided he trusts our student cameraman enough to lend his camera. AND, the lad is available and looking forward to it. So, all is saved. We've got the other half of our priest shoot.

As for my ancient priest, for a while he's only available on Thursdays and Fridays and the church is only open Fridays and Saturdays. It looks like I'll be taking a Friday off work. Now if I can just get it organised before the DP goes off on holiday in August, or borrow the camera again, we're on!

19 July 2009

The Eye of the Storm

I've decided to take a weekend. Oh yes, I'll be e-mailing three actors to update availability dates and planning the next couple of shoots as usual, but I've just finished a very intensive month and a half of constant shooting, making costumes, making props, making food, juggling actors and large groups of extras non-stop. I'm ready for a mental rest.

Meanwhile, our Director has dropped out of the project which is actually going to simplify things, as I've been co-directing and we seem to have been working with different visions at every step. We each have our strong points; she has been trained to direct actors (for theatre) and has a talent for that, while I've studied camera angles and have a good directional sense. I read maps well.

But, despite planning meetings and aerial maps that in theory have had details all worked out before each shoot, the plans haven't been translating to real time and space as smoothly as would be desired. The actors know their characters now, so we just have to finish up the rest of the scenes so that they'll fit together.

This of course is complicated by the delay in getting the shots in my hands, but I'm about to sort that. With the help of a friend who is happy to help me download any remaining tapes, I just have to get all the materials from our editor so that I can refresh my memory on some incomplete scenes and we'll have what we need to establish continuity.

It will be interesting to see how the combined influence between myself and the Director will come together. Ironically, I think it may work well even though it was getting to where we didn't work that well together. We've all been learning from each other in this adventure, as you do on a project like this.

I got my second Ed Wood merit badge the other day. There was a bit of architecture we wanted to use for a couple of scenes and while we were setting up, a security guard appeared. As is the case with many pieces of city wall in Norwich, the piece was sitting on the property of a large company.

This needn't have been a problem. The guard was perfectly happy for us to shoot the architecture, as long as we leave out the building. This is actually exactly what we wanted to do. Many of our locations are medieval wall and we're cutting out modern buildings as much as possible, which should make an interesting picture of Norwich as a whole to the audience who are not from here.

What nearly caused a problem was that a friend I was using as an extra started to argue with the guard. He works in television and knows far too much about media rights. NEVER ARGUE WITH SECURITY! This is important. True that it was a little petty that we were told we couldn't sit the camera on the grassy lawn around the architecture or have the actors walk on it when we wanted one of them to come from behind it, and it probably was well within our rights within some distance of the wall, but you just don't argue the point. That's how you can get yourself removed from a property and all the police will see is who is acting aggressively.

I have a very calm disposition, so I'm rather good at dealing with these situations, but I had to shut this friend up. Preferably without offending him and having him walk when I wanted to get that shot. I managed it, by establishing that it was me that was in charge and that we would happily comply with the stated limitations. My friend was still spouting about rights as the guard walked away.

So, we re-blocked our shot in a way that would keep us on the pavement and not violate the grassy lawn. It wasn't actually difficult.

Next day, we had a separate scene we wanted to do at the same place. This is why it was important not to alienate the security. I still have half that scene to go back and finish when I have another actor available.

This time, the scene only required the allowable area anyway. The guard appeared again and I went over and chatted to him without interference this time. I explained what the film was about and what we were doing in the scene, and he was perfectly happy and even interested. The part of the scene I have yet to do will be blocked to stay on the pavement when we go back again, thereby avoiding problems.

Anyway, what I started to talk about was the need for a little rest. My brain won't stop planning but the past few weeks have been non-stop daily work towards getting props and costumes done, so that every day I've been getting up with a list of things to do for this most recent two days of shooting and almost no life outside of this drive towards having everything ready. I still have a hat to make very soon so that the priest can wear it in some of his scenes.

But apart from that, everything is pretty much made or gathered now. Last Wednesday had a variety of scenes planned that required a lot of different materials. We were shooting in the church, which required the statue I've been working on for weeks as well as Altar decorations for two different centuries and the scroll for the ancient spell needed to be written in Theban, which I still have to copy from an example. Plus I had to arrange for the actor to be able to be seen writing the last bit of it.

I also had to do bottle labels for our prop bottles for a scene inside a club, for which I was gathering a room full of extras. That's a job in itself! And of course paperwork for them and the venue release. The architecture scene required fresh zombie brains to be made and some facial prosthetics for the zombie to give him loose skin. Food had to be made ahead as much as possible for several meals for several people including party food for the club extras.

All of these jobs would be done by different people in a studio film. In independent filmmaking, it gets done by a small group of people or just a couple of people. In our operation, I'm the only one who is doing it much of the time. I have too many skills; cooking, sewing, and now simple prosthetics. Not to mention knowing where to get Theban script and parchment. I did the graphic art for the bottle labels, using art from a friend who will be compensated for its use.

Working from a list of things to do helps, but day after day it gets wearing. So this is the first weekend I've had in several weeks where I don't have a deadline to meet for the next shoot, everyone is waiting for me to schedule the next one. I will probably have done so by the end of the weekend and will be hard at work making that hat, but the pressure is off. The props gathered for the church before just need to be sorted and some of them collected for the next church shoot. I have some simple shoots to plan rather than several complicated scenes for one day.

There are a couple of scenes yet to plan that will take some serious working out, but they will probably be done end of August/beginning of September as an essential actor is away for part of August, as is the DP (cameraman). I have plenty of time to work on that after I clear up some of the easier stuff.

But this weekend, I plan to remember I have a life outside of film. I might even make some progress on painting my kitchen. I'm definitely going out to the pub tonight, as I have a gathering with friends to attend. Luckily it's the same pub that we filmed at last week, so I can take along the location release form and ask how the takings were affected by my room full of extras. It never really stops.

6 July 2009

No Rest For The Wicked

July at last, and the director and one of the lead actors (her partner) are away for all of this month and most of next. You would think that would mean a little rest and a break from the project. But not for me.

As if having five production days close together in June wasn't enough, I volunteered to help with a procession for the Lord Mayor's Parade. What insanity led me to that you might ask? Well, you have to remember that my company has a community aspect to it. The original reason we started doing the current project was to give experience to local students and recent graduates. So, having benefited from the generosity of one of our local business owners who gave us use of his shop for a location, I volunteered to help with the parade because he is also Chairman of Buy Local and in charge of their part in the procession. I was just giving a little back.

Who else would take a week off work to work harder? The last week of June, I spent three days doing all sorts for the parade project in between getting ready for another production day in the middle of that week. Needless to say, I was almost glad to go back to my job for a rest!

Meanwhile, as the workspace for the parade preparation was within the broadcast area of Future Radio, I caught something of interest on one of their shows. It seems that Johnny Depp was texting in, participating in a game they had going. Rumour has it that he bought property in the local area, and just happened to be around.

Now these rumours have been going through phases over many months. First he was buying a house in Bath, then he was looking in Suffolk, then just outside of Norwich. Suddenly it seems to be common local knowledge that he is living in the area.

I checked with one of the people I know from Future Radio, just asking what gossip was about. She didn't know anything, and assumed that he had moved to Bath. But I heard what I heard, whether it was a wrong assumption or not.

So why should a nobody small filmmaker working on a no budget project, even with an unfinanced Fantasy waiting in the wings, be so interested in Johnny Depp, an A-list actor who costs rather more than I would expect to make out of the zombie project?

Well, if you read the histories of any well-known filmmaker, you'll find that they weren't born famous. They started somewhere. Peter Jackson for example started out making tacky horror movies and experimenting with computer effects. Now he's got a massive effects company. There's an obvious progression at work. If I make a little profit, even on DVD sales, from the zombie film, it could be enough to make Dance of the Goblins. If it isn't quite enough, we do another lo-no budget film. It sounds too easy and many filmmakers will be smiling and nodding and chanting the word 'distribution', but there is a plan in place. Both luck and hard work are on my side on this one.

You have to keep in mind that I focus on good story and good acting, and those elements will create a saleable product where many others fail, even if their production quality is better than my no-budget jobs.

So why my interest in Johnny Depp? Well, if you've looked at my film company website, you'll see a page for Lost Chord. Lost Chord came into being when one of my actors from Dance of the Goblins related what he had heard in an interview with Johnny Depp. Reportedly he said that he and Keanu Reeves should do a film together which involved a band, as Johnny plays guitar and Keanu plays bass, and they have a similar sort of look and could play brothers. Cherry, who is pictured on the page, is a singer who could complete the triumvirate.

This all came out in a pub discussion as so many ideas do. Then walking home, the story started falling into place. How the brothers got separated as children, how the music brought them back together…by the time I got home, the entire outline was in place. I wrote the first quarter of the script very quickly after, and added to it as ideas occurred.

So, here I am with a great script for a film that could only be made with Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves. A little ambitious for a small company and a writer who is only known as dragon food. BUT, if I make my mark with Dance of the Goblins, I become a filmmaker to take more seriously. The no budget projects won't do it because the production quality reflects the lack of funding, but Dance of the Goblins will have proper equipment and experienced crew, not to mention some wonderful locations.

The thing is, if you can write a good story, that is the backbone of any movie. And that is my strongest asset. I am and have always been primarily a writer.

So, here we are in July and part of my working group is away. Do I rest? No. I've been helping with directing because my director is theatre trained and doesn't know enough about camera shots. Although my own knowledge is from reading, I have three camera operators who have done film school and I encourage their advice. There are a few scenes that I need to direct because they involve occult elements and that is my area of knowledge, the director has no experience of this nature. There are also peripheral shots that I can pick up, and some effects that I'm working out.

All of this helps take the pressure off the director who was dropped in the deep end and is probably much in need of the break. Shooting days will be minimal for these two months, two in July and one in August, but they will cover a lot of details that are important, and will leave just a few scenes to be finished when everyone returns.

I've been working constantly to finish costumes and prop and prosthetic making which are needed for these few days. I've also started writing the next project.

What next project? Well, to put it in a nutshell, some time ago I was speculating on a plot for an original vampire story as so many variations have been done, and I was thinking that Alan Rickman should play a vampire. The notes were put in the Development folder for later expansion. A good idea had occurred.

Recently, because I was talking to an old friend about the zombie project, I decided to pull it out. He has a camera you see, and does some acting. Some other local actors are becoming known to me through being extras for the zombie film. Most of them are Goths. I think the part I had in mind for Alan Rickman could be very well acted by my friend with the camera. And someone else who was auditioned for the part of Suzi in the zombie film, but wasn't quite right for the part, will be ideal for the female lead in this one.

So, another no budget job will follow on directly after production for Graveyard Shift. All I need is a werewolf plot now and I can have a trilogy. Move over Hammer Horror, Goblin Films is on a roll.

15 June 2009

Dealing With Undead And My Ed Wood Merit Badge

Who has time to write blogs? Well, I’ve got my admin from yesterday done and most of the washing up done, so why not.

I’ve been planning three shooting days simultaneously over the past week or so, and as a result it’s all pretty much in hand. Just have to tidy up the make-up kit now, it took a beating yesterday.

If you read my last blog, you’ll remember that we shoved an extra shooting day in last weekend. Now, a fight scene normally takes a lot of planning and probably several weeks to set up. This one was sorted in a week. This was possible because the Capoeira teacher was in charge of the scene and has a few talents besides Photography and fight skills.

He wrote a set-up scene that holds together well as both an independent story and as a segment for our larger story, and despite not having a film background was able to visualise the progression of the fight as a good fight director must. The result is pretty spectacular. On top of that, his gathered hoards and fighters had just the right level of OTT acting to work well in this project. Everyone had loads of fun and it produced a good result.

Once the sequence gets edited, Rod (the teacher) will upload a YouTube video of the full sequence.

Meanwhile, three more shooting days were being planned for the rest of us. The first of these occurred yesterday. The zombie juggling was in full force as I tried to gather two groups; a small group of Goth zombies and a general zombie hoard to attack the shop.

Getting Goths to get up for early make-up is no easy task. However, in the end we ended up with just enough, after I shoved my beautiful daughter in among them. They did their bit brilliantly, and we had our first shoot with another of the main characters, a renegade priest who was raising these zombies.

We did a few shots and even got thrown out of one location, so I’ve earned my Ed Wood merit badge. We have permission to shoot outside in the city, and technically the camera was on a public walkway and not obstructing the public any more than a tourist taking a photo when people are considerately walking around behind the camera. But when a security person approached me, arguing the point wasn’t going to get our shot done. So, I explained we were just doing a quick shot for a project for student experience (all true) and asked if we could just have 5 minutes in my most cajoling tone. There was a bit of churchyard being walked across by the actors (as if the public doesn’t regularly walk across it).

So, he nicely went to ask if that was ok and we got the shot fast. No time for close-ups, he came back and told us that someone wasn’t happy about us walking across the graves. Ok, we left. As it happens, our next location was back at the convenience shop and there is a nice green area across from it which resembled the site we were using very closely. It was apparently identical in lighting according to my cameraman. So we did the close-ups there, and the scene should hold together nicely.

We were working two-camera, something we’ll only be able to do this week as one of our students has finished his course and is using a City College camera which won’t be available after that. This saved loads of time as we got dialogue in the shop and re-shot a few bits from the first time there when we were still getting used to having free reign of the shop and the BBC underfoot.

Dinner break had to be on time, as we had arranged to meet random extras at 5pm for make-up outside the shop for the big group scene. I had received 10 confirmations, which I thought would be just about enough, and perhaps a few random people would show up…

I sent my daughter with the first group to do make-up as she knew where another of our people lived and they were going to give her a lift. As we had a lot of people and some of the Goth zombies from the morning were staying on for the other scene, we had to transport people in two carloads.

I arrived at the shop and we had four make-up people active, and a huge group of people waiting! Counting the release forms this morning, there were 34 general zombies (not counting my 5 Goth zombies) for this scene. A third of them were children! What is this, the Lord of the Flies After Death Reunion?

Looking back, I can see that putting Bonnie’s photo on the poster advertising for extras might have given the impression that we wanted children. Bonnie of course was one of my child zombies for another scene which we did in the previous shoot at the shop.

So, there I am faced with loads of children seeking their first shot at fame while what I need is big scary adult zombies descending on the shop. No problem. I picked out some specific groups for the zombies coming up the shop aisles, all adults. Then the whole group was assembled outside with kids on the shop side of the street and adults across the road.

This gave us a chance to film a hoard of scary adult zombies. However, we couldn’t deprive the kids of their fun, so everyone was mixed together for the next two scenes. This created a nicely mixed crowd, and having children among the undead actually suits the story anyway as the priest is trying to claim their unspent years for his own immortality.

It was a very productive day I have to say. I’m looking forward to seeing the shots. Meanwhile, the next two days are also production days, and we’ll be getting the first shots of our nemesis. I’m looking forward to that. Plus I only have to deal with three extras in the two days, what a relief! Making up the Capoeira zombies (16 of them) had exhausted all of us on make-up, and the mighty hoard had taken its toll as well.

That’s the worst of it done. I have one more group scene where 8-10 adult zombies will attack, and then only a few odd ones here and there to deal with. The only large group scene besides that only has one zombie in it, our nemesis. My make-up supplies just might hold out!

3 June 2009

The Undead, the BBC, and the Neighbours

If you read last week's blog, you'll be familiar with the art of zombie juggling. I seem to be getting the hang of it, although next week will be a bit of a challenge.

Last Sunday's shoot went well. My day started with the BBC stopping by to interview me for a Dragon's Den follow-up to air in the Autumn. I hope the editor likes my answers as much as the camera crew did. We had arranged times so that they would have me to themselves for a while, then my own crew would start showing up. They got some shots of me doing make-up on my best zombie so far. It was my first time adding flaps of loose skin. It came out rather well if I do say so myself.

A sensible person would have screwed it up because they were nervous having the BBC film the experiment, but I just get on with it.

So, my crew and I go off to the shoot while the BBC gets let back in the flat by my daughter and proceed to rearrange my gargoyles so they can get shots of them. Fair enough, most of my shelves are high to avoid cats knocking such things off. It will be interesting to see how they portray me this time. Doesn't everyone keep gargoyles around the house?

It was the first shoot with lead cast, and the Director's first day in position. So, it took a bit longer than expected to get started. Of course we were working in a shop which was open to the public, so we often had to wait for people to finish to get our shots. Eventually we got to a point where we realised we would probably have to ADR the whole thing anyway (re-do the sound later) and just got on with it, letting customers step over the zombie brains on the floor to leave between takes.

One thing I decided on the day was that we had made excellent actor choices. After all that searching to find the girl, we ended up with the perfect leading lady for this project. The leading man was in from the start, but we already knew he was good.

The kids were amazingly good at taking directions. The BBC wanted me to shout "action" at some point (although I'm not Director) and this was largely an effects shot, so I took over with Sapphira's blessing and we got through it Ed Wood style in no time. After that, the shoot started moving faster.

My stills photographer had to leave at the dinner break, but by then our first zombie had been cleaned up and as he's a professional photographer, he took over doing the stills. Meanwhile, between shots, we started formulating a plan for slipping another shoot in next Sunday with a Capoeira group. Fight scenes generally take a lot of planning, but our zombie photographer is also a Capoeira teacher and has a working group of his own students who practice together regularly, so this can actually be done rather quickly.

The good bit is that I'm off the hook for zombie juggling for this one. His people will come, I bring crew and make-up squad. We'll be ready. Working it into the script is falling into place now. As it happens, I was thinking we needed a good zombie attack scene just before the big conclusion. These things just materialise.

So, it looks like Sundays are becoming regular filming days for a while. We do have some others planned, and I'll be organising which shots to do with the additional principle cast members we'll be bringing in for those, including our nemesis. His make-up has been carefully planned out. Luckily zombie extras will be minimal for these shots. I still have the hoard to look forward to on the 14th, plus an interior club scene that requires gathering a lot of Goth extras, but after that we'll have our big group scenes done and just need the odd few zombies here and there as we work mostly with principle cast.

It does get easier. But even the hard work is great fun.

Oh yes, I mentioned my neighbours in the title. They've started noticing the odd undead coming and going from my place. They sort of noticed the BBC filming up on my landing as well. Now if I could just have a zombie handy when the political canvassers come by, we could be on to a winner here.

25 May 2009

It’ll Be Alright On The Day For Night

Doing a film, especially a first film, is an intensive learning experience for everyone involved. Especially for the Producer. In the big studios, there are specialists for every aspect of making a film. Wardrobe, props, etc. For the independent filmmaker, all of the details have to be sorted out by the Producer, who is often also the Director.

I'm not actually the Director for the film we're shooting at present, but for scheduling convenience I'm directing some of the peripheral scenes that don't involve main character dialogue. We did one of these yesterday, a general chaos and mayhem scene that takes place in clubland for approximately 14 seconds of screen time on the estimate. We might actually make it slightly longer, as I got some good screamers.

But to get this 14 seconds of chaos and mayhem actually takes a fair bit of planning and juggling extras. It's just as well that I don't do stress, as the latter might have driven a high-strung person over the edge.

The idea was to have a few random zombies wander into a thick crowd of clubbers on the main street for clubbing. This meant shooting on a Sunday morning when it would be as devoid of bystanders as possible. The whole film needs to be shot day for night anyway.

So, I set about gathering people to play the zombies and to play the clubbers. The obvious place to go was my own archived emails where local people have been contacting me since the Dragon's Den articles and asking if they could be extras. Some of these are professional actors looking for more credits, others are just local people who would enjoy just getting on film once in their life. For a general crowd scene, using locals is fairly standard. Even the big studios still do it sometimes.

The trouble is, when you're dealing with strangers that aren't getting paid up front, you get a variety of reliability levels. Some people will definitely show up, some will drop out after they realise they actually have another commitment that day, some just won't show up. I was going for roughly 10 clubber extras, and originally was thinking 4-5 zombies but eventually decided 3 would do it.

First the 2 ladies at work who were so keen to be extras found they had other commitments. Then I noticed on Facebook that a friend who had asked first when I put the message on a mailing list mentioned that she found out she had to work. She hadn't mentioned this to me. Never mind, I had put the message out in several places so new people were showing interest.

At first the only zombie I had was a female. That was fine, but I needed a couple of male ones as well. An all female group could be interesting elsewhere, but men are just more intimidating in a situation like this. I quickly found two aspiring actors who were interested, great, 3 zombies would be brilliant. Then I got return calls from friends I had asked to fill clubber spots. One really wanted to be a zombie, but he's not very big and this scene required someone who could look mean. Plus long hair is great for zombies, have you ever tried to put make-up on ears? It's a real pain.

One of the zombies didn't communicate well, so I felt a little doubtful about him. I tried to ring a friend of mine who I knew would make a great zombie, but would eventually learn that he had changed phones. Ah, the mobile age!

Then the other male zombie had to drop out. Panic time, I rang round and got my friend's new number. He came up trumps, despite having a party to go to that afternoon. More calls came back from clubbers and Sunday morning I had a list with 3 zombies and potentially 12 clubbers. Not bad. Two of those I wasn't sure whether to expect as they were going to a late party and had only given a maybe. It didn't surprise me that they didn't show.

At make-up call, 2 of my 3 zombies showed up. Never mind, 2 zombies would be ok. On the way to the shoot, one of my clubbers sent me a text to let me know he couldn't make it, he had food poisoning. Nasty! Oh well, we have another similar scene to do later. One other person didn't show at the location, but I would get a call from her that evening to learn that she had misunderstood the time.

So, after all this juggling to keep the population up, we had 8 clubbers and 2 zombies. This actually worked quite well. The framing we had to do to minimise later problems in the day for night edit fit around this number of people rather neatly. For those who don't know, day for night means you shoot during the day, then edit to make it look like night. I had recently been directed to a very professional tutorial on how to do this well. It has been shared with the rest of the crew, especially the editor.

One of the things we needed to avoid as much as possible was oncoming cars in shot as moving headlights are a royal pain to add later, more so than a few flashing coloured lights from the club windows. We didn’t have too bad a time with bystanders, who seem to find it infinitely fascinating to watch someone's throat being bitten out by a zombie as long as there is a camera present.

So, we thanked the clubber extras and gathered our zombies to go do a grave rising scene elsewhere, and then part of a scene later that will have the primary cast involved in the end, but just needed a shot of a couple of zombies shambling towards them. Not a bad day's shoot.

The one maddening thing is that we didn't use much of the tape, so I won't be able to see the shots until we finish it up next week on another shoot and get it downloaded. Even the stills photos I took are on film which needs to be developed.

In the meantime, my kitchen has become infested with a collection of goat's eyes, blood and zombie brains. There's a 6'4" Baphomet statue in progress on the kitchen floor. The cats even sleep in his lap. Flaps of rotten flesh sit atop my fridge, and my meal planning seems to centre around feeding crew rather than keeping normal food in the house. We’ve started in full production now, and there will be several shooting days in June which will hopefully capture most of the main action for the film.

Luckily, I don't have to juggle extras for most of them. Dealing with main cast members is different, as they have the dedication that you only find in a small percentage of extras. This week, apart from perfecting my zombie brains recipe, I only have to acquire a necklace and a hoodie for the costuming as I've been looking ahead on props and have most of what we need for next Sunday's shoot. It pays to look ahead. I only have to arrange 3 zombies, but have to have reliable people for them this time.

We have one shooting day in mid-June that promises to be a nightmare. We need a hoard of zombies extras, especially Goth zombies. I have some promises, but need more, and I've recently learned that Sunday is Larping day (Live Action Role Play) and will be in conflict. The Larpers are where I've hoped to find most of this group of zombies. Plus I'm working with 2 small children and relying on a stoner to arrive from Cambridge.

Wish me luck...I'm sure it will be alright on the day.

13 May 2009

Never work with Children or Animals

The thing about putting out a call for free locations, is that you never know what else might happen as a variety of people will see the email.

Thus it was that apart from the shop location I was after, I found myself with a church, an interview, and two small children.

Who would have thought that people would be so keen on seeing their children play zombies? But apart from those two, I was subsequently offered the children of one of the crew members and then some random day job related people. I could easily start my own Lord of the Flies zombie project!

In the end though, the idea that occurred for the first two sweet little darlings will be far more effective if there aren't loads of child zombies everywhere. Besides, my plans for them are non-PC enough to keep me on a social services watch list for decades. Luckily the kids and their mum are well-chuffed with their proposed role.

No I'm not going to give it away, some things are best experienced in context. It will get a reaction, that much I can guarantee.

Meanwhile, there is the question of animals. I hadn't originally planned to have any in the zombie project. And no, I'm not going to add zombie cows just to be cliche'. But it seems that a certain demonic figure who features in the script has been known to appear as a black cat. As it happens, I have a black cat.

Now those familiar with Dance of the Goblins will know that my ginger cat, Lucky, wandered into that story. He's still in the script, although sadly, Lucky was killed by a driver who was in just a little too much of a hurry on Christmas Eve two years ago. It was pointed out by a friend that Lucky would be getting on a bit by now. He would be nine, probably ten by the time we film DOTG. So his role remains, but he will be played by a professional cat actor. It won't be easy, I could make Lucky attack on command, sit on my shoulder, and various other tricks.

Anyway, I've got this black cat, Lucien. He's not the sort of cat you can train. He is, however, subject to simple bribes. One can of tuna should do what is required. Nothing fancy, just making an appearance really. So what do you want to bet that he'll find a way to be disagreeable on the day? Watch for DVD extras on this one, we could have a few takes for cat chasing.

This gave me an idea. I could make it a habit to put one of my cats in every film I do. Granted I haven't finished one yet so it's a bit premature to formulate a signature, but it is so me. I already worked out that my fluffy seal-point cat would work well in the musical, just as the lead character's posh cat. No fancy tricks required. Let's hope he doesn't get too old before I get to that one. Too many filmmakers are appearing in cameo in their own films these days, I think Alfred Hitchcock was the first. As an official crazy cat lady, it's just obvious that shoving one of my cats into the script instead would reflect my own personality best. I never had a desire to perform.

Going back to children, I might be tempted to add a category for young people. My zombie crew and most of the cast fall into this category. I'm not moaning, not at all. Young people are brilliant in that they have enthusiasm, creativity and the willingness to put themselves into a project for its own sake rather than focusing just on when they get paid for their time. This is something many industry professionals lose over time, as too many no-pay or deferred projects that don't get off the shelf can leave one jaded and feeling used.

But to lose that enthusiasm is to lose the soul of the art, and become a cog in a business wheel. Finding the right balance can never be easy.

The one drawback to young people though, is that they have lives outside of film. We all have day jobs at present, but add to that camping trips, festivals and other things that young people tend to do a lot and the competition for time to go filming can be a juggle with the best of wills. Oh and sport, our DP is a sports fan so scheduling around events can be a real balancing act. Plus contrary to the fears of many parents, not all young people live on the computer. Getting replies to messages to ask if specific dates are ok isn't an instant formula as it would be with office workers, it can take a few days for some of the key people to check their email.

For that reason, a no budget project is almost certain to take longer than speculated. Many never happen at all unless you have one person who is dedicated to keeping the project on track. In this case, it's me. I sometimes refer to myself as the Den Mother, although I also sometimes feel like a female Fagin, gathering the young ones to help manifest my vision.

But the project belongs to us all, and I'm fairly certain that we'll all get paid in the end at least. The story is good, really good. The actors we've got for the main roles are very talented. My quest for the girl finally resulted in the ideal choice. All I have to do is juggle everyone's schedules and get those shots done. And do several people's jobs at once, typical for small filmmakers.

I've got two shoots on my calendar for this month. Getting all the young people together for each of them is a multi-tasker's challenge. I just hope it isn't cricket season, I could have trouble dragging some essential staff away from the telly.

24 April 2009

Blogging Culture Moves to the Airwaves

I did a four-minute interview yesterday on BBC Radio Norfolk on blogging. They were apparently driving their van all over the county and speaking to various people about why they blog. Personally, I started doing it because it was recommended. It seems there are people in the world who enjoy following my progress since the infamous Dragon's Den episode.

I do wonder why so many people do it. One of the things I suggested in the interview yesterday is that it can be cathartic. Another, in my case, is that it helps focus me on effectively reporting on progress, as I don't have a 'boss' above me in the film company to report to. Instead, I report to an unknown audience. I can see numbers on the Norwich Evening News website that tell me people are reading my blogs, but I don't know who they are apart from a couple of friends who I know follow my progress.

Committing to the blog also keeps me writing when film can sometimes take over and distract me from getting much writing done. I am, after all, primarily a writer. The trouble is, I've built a reputation for writing in a few different areas. Right now I'm getting pressure from two different subject groups for getting the next book out. Trying to keep up with these as well as making films is a real challenge. Right now, I'm trying to finish writing the script for the feature project we're auditioning for so we can get rolling.

We actually have enough of it to start shooting as soon as I can get the costumes made. The one essential prop will be with us soon. But we need to cast the girl. I found a possibility from browsing a casting site that allows filtering so I could find someone local, but she doesn't seem to be showing much interest. I'm getting a lot of interest from actresses from London and other places that would require travel, but we can't pay travel so I'm looking close to home.

Time I think to get some posters up at UEA and City College drama departments. We need a young one to play a 20-year-old girl, so we're not going to find someone with an extensive IMDB history. Talent doesn't always rely on experience, I knew some fantastically talented people in drama class when I was in high school.

So anyway, I had a call from BBC Radio Norfolk, can I be available on Thursday. I work my day job on a Thursday but it was only about 5 minutes of my time so why not? I could pop out on my lunch hour for a quick chat. It ended up being on my tea break a while later, but same difference. Suddenly the media side of my life is crossing over into my day job life, albeit only for a moment. It gets bizarre sometimes.

So, what have I got to report? We've cast two of the essential roles and have an audition on 2 May for someone I think is going to be ideal for the nemesis. There are a couple of auditions for the girl happening, still waiting to hear back from the local girl. We do have another local girl interested, but want to see some more possibilities.

I've got a pattern for one of the costumes coming in the post, the rest are in hand apart from one for the opening scene which I need to cobble together from some mixed patterns. I'll have that done over the next few days.

Meanwhile make-up experiments are going well. We plan to do a good job of it. I've been collecting extras from a variety of sources. I need more Goths, both as Goth zombies and for a crowd scene in a club. If you're in Norwich and want to be an extra, drop me a line at goblinfilmsltd@gmail.com

After all, the company is about involving local people. There's no pay, but I'm doing deferred contracts in case the film makes a substantial profit. I think there's a good chance it will actually. I haven't put much on line about it, but it's original, it's funny, and it's got all the earmarks of a cult classic.

22 March 2009

They Said That Rock and Roll Would Never Last

I went to a Hollies concert at the Theatre Royal last night, it was superb. Two standing ovations, and the audience would happily have kept them there forever if they could.

What struck me about the show is that it took me back to the 60's when the band was new, and similar bands like The Beatles were playing in clubs all over England. They built the illusion beautifully, by dressing and styling their hair appropriately. And especially by the front line up having hair to style!

The thing is, I never saw these bands in the 60's. I was just a little too young and not in the right place. So although I've seen a few bands that are still touring and some tribute bands that did a good job, this was the first time I actually felt transported to that time in music history. It was helped a bit by my own short-sightedness, which does a nice job of airbrushing away wrinkles. From where I sat, Tony Hicks looked about 19 years old.

I had to Google the band afterwards to make sure they hadn't been changing the line-up to younger people. But Tony Hicks and the drummer, Bobby Elliot, are two of the earliest members. These people are at least a decade older than me. The only slightly younger member is the current lead singer, Peter Howarth, who joined the band in 2004.

The band has never officially broken up, although there have been various changes in the line-up over time. But that Hollies sound, which uses some lovely vocal harmonies, remains constant. Peter Howarth does a great job in his role as lead singer, as the original singer Allan Clarke retired in 1999.

The one weird thing was that we were in the Theatre Royal. Remember when Rock and Roll was distained by the grown-ups? Last night the majority of the audience was at least a decade older than me, like the band. The Rock and Roll generation are the grown-ups now. And there were no tickets being sold for Mosh Pit, although a few women did get up and dance.

The band was so tight with their harmonies that I found myself watching their lips to determine if there was some lip synching going on. I satisfied myself that there wasn't, but they are good! You can see that this is one band that didn't go down the alcohol and drug abuse abyss that claimed too many. Whether there was experimenting I couldn't say, but you don't get such a tight performance without a lot of rehearsal and clear heads. How many bands can keep going for forty years and still portray that innocent optimism of the first wave of British rock?

Hats off guys, you're doing great. For two hours of my life, I felt like a 16 year old would-be groupie in the 60's.

So what's this concert review have to do with filmmaking?

As it happens, just last Friday I was on the Future Radio programme presented by Eamonn Burgess, the Sight of Music which talks about film music. I was talking about the project I've been dropping a little information about over the last couple of blogs, which was partially inspired by a particular song.

We talked about music in other films, Lost Boys being one of the most notable for our subject. Rock music depicts a young, modern approach to what in an earlier era might have been a horror B-movie. The music brings a contemporary feel to the plot line, which also has young characters to appeal to the young audience. The music is very 80's, as that's when the film came out, but it's still enjoyed by many.

And this relates to my own current project, as the music will play an important role in the feel of the film. The composer of the song that inspired the idea made a cute little video to go with it, although this will soon be joined by an animation being done by a friend of mine in Puerto Rico. Both of them have been recruited to the working team, who are otherwise Norwich based. We should be able to use the animation in the credits.

The team is making good progress on the documentary, which just has a couple more interviews to do before we can piece it together and go to edit. Starting in April you may see us around Norwich, filming a few preliminary scenes for the feature. The script is coming along nicely, and has expanded with a lot of original ideas beyond the original concept that was suggested by the song.

The song is called Graveyard Shift, by Aaron Michael. Have a look at his YouTube video, and try not to freak out if you see us filming around town. Our actors may look a little...undead. I always said I would never make a zombie film because they're all basically alike. But we're making one that's different.

9 March 2009

Engaging in Battle

So, how many film producers will engage in battle with sword and spear to improve the project?

Norfolk County Council Adult Education is running some courses on Ancient Warrior Combat. It's been going on in Great Yarmouth over the past few months, but has now come to Norwich as well. I may have encouraged that a little at my day job.

The idea is that people are being trained for re-enactment and film extra battles. You aren't really meant to damage your opponent, but to put on a good show. Ideal for me.

A one day taster session was held at Sewell College. It was free, an opportunity not to be missed. So, myself, one of my actors, another person who fills multiple roles in the company (which might include being an extra, he's even leant his trousers to an actor in a pinch) and my daughter, who is a company director, all went along. Teacher and warrior David Holman taught us basic sword attack and defence, use of the shield, and spear fighting. It seems that my daughter and I are pretty good with a spear.

There was also some drill, learning to lock shields with your group for a solid defence. Not to mention a free lunch!

You might have even seen us on Anglia TV. I had no idea beforehand that we were to be filmed.

It was a brilliant and valuable experience for all of us, even if it has spoiled us for watching film battles for life. That evening we were watching Star Wars and the battle between Darth Vader and Obiwan Kenobi was peppered with shouted out numbers for the which attack point was being used for each hit. A couple of days later, watching an old film about Roman battles, I found myself smugly thinking that stage fighting has come a long way and I was watching amateurs. Just 5 hours of my life and suddenly I'm an expert...

5 hours was a bit strenuous, the normal classes last for 2 hours each in a series of 5 or 10 classes, depending on which course you sign up for. It was great fun though, and what I learned is going to be very valuable for future film battles, although I'm likely to have someone like David Holman to actually instruct the troops. Still, it's nice to understand as many aspects of the project as possible, and perhaps be able to fill in when needed.

I'm hoping my actor may be able to take the long version of the course. One of the 5 week courses is starting now, but a 10 week one is planned for September. At least we should be able to create realistic battles between the humans and goblins with this new knowledge. Of course my star has already had swordplay lessons from his pirate days. But that will work out well, as his character is supposed to have superior skill from the ancient goblin wars.

Meanwhile the projects I wrote about last time are in continuous progress. Hopefully we'll get the documentary finished in April.

21 February 2009

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

I've mentioned before that creating opportunities for local people wanting to get into film is one of the company goals. I'm not Mother Theresa, but I do enjoy doing a good turn when I'm able.

A couple of recent good deeds seem to have avalanched into something...interesting. I mentioned in my last blog that I had instigated a documentary project in response to a local student looking for work experience. This is going well, and we've got some good shots to use already.

Around the same time, an animator friend was bemoaning YouTube taking down a couple of his music videos because he hadn't got permission to use the music of known bands. So, I suggested to him that composers are always looking for filmmakers to do something visual for their work and I knew a forum to ask, if he'd like.

There were several interested responses, and three of them were potentially great material for him to illustrate. Both composer and animator get their work showcased in a mutual collaboration, it's an everybody wins situation.

One song in particular struck me as something that would work really well as an animation. It's catchy, fast moving, and the lyrics are loaded with imagery. So, one day I was sitting sewing costumes for Dance of the Goblins with this song stuck in my head, and I thought about the Hunt for Gollum project which I believe I've mentioned before. A group of enthusiasts who are filmmakers getting together and working on a project can put out a great result, as that project has proven.

I was also feeling a bit chuffed at the ease with which I was able to pull together the documentary crew and equipment, as well as getting into some public building locations by asking the right people either through the business networking I've been doing or through people I've worked for as a County employee.

Suddenly the concept in the song lyrics suggested a movie plot that could be done with what I had on hand, if we could get some specific locations and find someone who knew how to do a particular kind of effects. I went to write an email to a couple of people who are core group for the documentary project and capable of organising things. In the middle of the email, I was interrupted by a phone call. It was an old friend who specialises in the kind of effects I needed, he wanted in.

One thing sparked another and I thought of the business networking as a source for finding the location we needed. A general request was sent out, and we got a response. Not only were we offered the ideal location for the main action of the film, but also another one that suited a new idea that was added to the script ideas.

I'm not giving away what the story is about yet, but the script is well in progress now and the composer of the song has been recruited in to score the film. We can make this one on effectively no budget, with volunteer crew, actors and locations. Just like Hunt for Gollum, but without their copyright restrictions.

Plus the distributor that approached me for Dance of the Goblins specialises in the genre, so I can definitely get the finished product looked at. If we do a good job and get a release, it will probably make a small profit. Oh there's an outside chance it could do a Blair Witch, but realistically it's more likely to make a limited showing and make more on DVD sales in foreign markets.

But a small profit would be enough to finance Dance of the Goblins, even after paying deferred payments to everyone involved.

It sounds too easy, but it's all a matter of what resources you accumulate and the enthusiasm one can drum up. There are three writers working on the script, and the pooled ideas are creating something good. There is enough originality to stand out, and enough formula to work well.

Between the documentary and the film project, I'm being kept very busy. But it's good to be actively filming again.

Oh and the documentary has been through some development as well and is now about filmmaking in the region, rather than just about my project. I agreed this was a good idea, it will have wider appeal which will increase its chances for exhibition. I still get adequate exposure as a local example.

Perhaps it will show a bit more realistic information about my project than the continuing re-runs of Dragon's Den. The television audience does seem to love a good sacrifice. ;)

2 February 2009

A Night at the Opera

Well, the theatre actually. But it was the Operatic Society, so it makes a good title.

I went to see West Side Story at the Theatre Royal last week. I enjoyed it, I do love musicals. But this one in particular has a lot of sentimental value for me. My first exposure to theatre was working crew on a high school production of West Side Story.

Several things struck me during the performance. I couldn't help making comparisons to that early high school play, nearly four decades ago. For one thing, it was in California so we had actual Hispanic kids to play some of the Puerto Ricans, although my blond-haired blue-eyed brother was also one of the sharks. My mother dyed his hair black for the role.

We had been blessed with a great choreographer too, and it occurred to me that that amateur production so long ago held its own pretty well against the professional show before me. I wonder sometimes what ever happened to the various people who had been involved, and particularly if any of the actors ever went on to professional theatre. I don't even remember most of their names.

Meanwhile, it also struck me that the story itself is very non-pc. Would it have a chance as a new show now? I wonder. Part of what it is about is racism, taken to extremes. The treatment of women is abhorrent, yet accurate for its time. How much, I wonder, did those actors understand the concept of race wars in bad neighbourhoods of New York in the 1950's? Do any of them know what a zip gun is?

Never mind, the show was good regardless. But it takes me back to some of the influences of my early days. I never had a desire to perform. But I loved being part of the show, helping to make things happen. I can see a direct correlation to what I'm doing now, leaving others to stand in front of the camera while I do what it takes to make the film happen.

Back in 1980, I was involved with band management for a while, once again making opportunities for others to perform. It's a repeating pattern. Most recently, I've got involved in a documentary project, which I'll write more about when it's done.

It's about Dance of the Goblins and the road to making it happen, but it's being done by local students and recent graduates, providing school projects for several of them. The Director is a recent graduate of the Norwich School of Art and Design, who is currently enrolled on a Directing course in London. There are students from Norwich City College as well as UEA involved, getting work experience.

It's rather exciting, watching all this fresh creative energy find an outlet for practicing their craft, making films. I like co-operating with projects like this, doing whatever I can to help make it happen. In this case, there is a fair bit I can do. I can even provide some goblin shots from last year's trailer shoot. Hopefully I won't have to be in front of the camera too much though, I definitely prefer being behind the scenes.

The joy is in creating something that is entertaining to watch. Whether it's a play or a film, this takes a good working team to put together. If you've ever been behind the scenes in the making of a play or on set for a film, then you'll know how much fun that teamwork can be. Everyone works towards a common goal. The audience gets to enjoy the result, but the real fun is in making it happen.

That's why we do it.

24 January 2009

Good Luck Obama

Everybody knows by now, America has a new president. Well, the USA does. The rest of the American continent is watching with the rest of us as change happens.

I'm not particularly interested in politics in general, but I do pay attention enough to make informed decisions when voting. There was a time when I was eligible to vote in the USA. That time has passed, but I would have voted for Obama. Why?

Rather a lot is being made about Obama being black (or half black), but that's not a criteria for choosing a political leader. It is a positive stroke for equality and I applaud it, but when I look at Obama, I'm not looking at black. I'm looking at young and Democrat.

Not that I think Democrats can do no wrong, but they are the only party in that country that can beat the Republicans, and Republicans are an evil against the people that must be stopped at all costs. Does that sound like an extreme opinion? I'm not generally given to extreme opinions. But if you look at their track record, the Republicans have a habit of taking freedoms away from the people, making the rich richer and the poor poorer, and throwing the lives of their young citizens away in wars, quite often when they should have no cause to intervene.

Then they complain about the taxes of a Democrat regime getting used to look after the people. You know, like we do here and in Europe. They would much rather use it for the war machine.

I really do believe that no intelligent person with an income under $200,000 could vote for a Republican. Their best trick for the past decade was to get the Christian vote by putting attention on abortion and gay marriage. Look around folks, eight years of George Bush in office and abortion is still legal and gay marriage has become so. Do you feel taken for a ride yet?

Not that I subscribe to this position, I'm definitely pro-choice and anyone else's relationship is none of my business as far as I'm concerned. But those who put so much importance on it surely must be catching on by now. Perhaps so, when they trotted out Sarah Palin as a last ditch attempt to get the anti-abortion vote, it didn't lead enough suckers down the primrose path to more unachievable promises. Even the thickest people have been noticing that they were having their freedoms sucked away, and a constant message of fear that never ends was wearing on their nerves.

His detractors are shouting that Obama hasn't actually done anything yet, but give the boy a chance. He just got his shoes off. And that's another thing, younger presidents have traditionally made efforts to improve the quality of life for the people. The old codgers seem to only care about getting as much profit as they can before they die. I really do think there should be an upper age limit for senior office. Watching Ronald Reagan wander off into Dementia was just embarrassing.

So, what does any of this have to do with the UK, or with filmmaking?

It has been commented on that the UK often follows the US in politics. I see a lot of messages around the media about how crap Labour has been and people talking about voting Conservative. What?! Apparently what many people haven't noticed about what's wrong with Labour is that it has become the second Conservative party. Or as Monty Python might put it, the Conservative but not quite so Conservative but still pretty Conservative party. Times have changed since Labour represented the interests of the working people.

But of course we have a third option here that is strong enough to win seats, the Liberal Democrats. In my area, it's usually a close call between them and Labour. I don't want this to turn into a political speech, but I will say that I always vote Lib Dem. As far as I'm concerned, the Conservatives, both Conservative parties, are just more Republicans. And the Green party would do themselves a favour if they stopped putting so much paper through my door, they far outstrip the other parties on leaflet blanketing. Somehow I don't believe their party line as a result.

I mentioned filmmaking, you know, the primary subject of this blog as a whole.

Has anyone noticed that films about dodgy Republicans are suddenly appearing? I've turned down free tickets to see W, about George W Bush, and the new one about Nixon. Why should I want to watch films about these people? The legacy that W leaves is that he's the only president that has ever had a website dedicated to recording all the really stupid things he says, like "we are all originally created from a faeces." That was one of the classics.

As for Nixon, he's had films about his dodgy dealings before. What could possibly be of interest? I could see a film about Obama eventually, emphasising the road to becoming the first black president. Whether there will be anything particularly interesting besides that is yet to be seen.

But I'll say one thing for him now. He is spreading the message of hope instead of fear, and that's a bloody good start. Well done for that Obama. Whatever else follows. If it's true that UK politics tend to follow the US, maybe we can give that third party a chance to prove themselves at last as well.

Politicians all have the drawback of being politicians, but it's nice to think that at least a few of them might really try to preserve the interests of the people they represent. It could make a good story, maybe even good enough to make a movie about.

11 January 2009

Film Fever!

It's odd that this year more than any other, it seems to me that the whole world stopped for the Christmas holiday period. There seemed to be time and attention for nothing else, just making preparations and catching all the best sales.

But as the world slowly cranks back into business as usual, something even more odd has come to my attention. It seems that my fiction publisher is going into the film business, completely independently from anything I'm doing. I had a clue of this before as he was making the occasional comment about a project he was working on (as a writer), but now I learn that he made a few short films back in college and has actually found funding for his project, a romantic comedy. The blighter...

The thing is, he is something I am not; a salesman. Ironically, he has brought up my project to his investors and got little enthusiasm for a Fantasy. What's odd about that is that if you look at the numbers, Fantasy takes about a third of the market share, which means that it is a far better investment than any other genre of film.

What has become apparent is that very astute business investors generally avoid film, although that may change if current trends continue, while those who do invest in film tend to invest in types of film that they like to see, rather than what will make the best profits. The arty people follow their personal whims.

So, the key would seem to be to find a Fantasy fan with investment capital. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

The alternative of course is to find an astute business investor with a little foresight and imagination. People who play it safe tend to find themselves with things like negative equity. I hear property is expected to go down another 12% in 2009.

Another thought that crossed my mind during a conversation with another filmmaker this morning, is high-rolling gamblers. In any analysis of what kind of investor might go for a low-budget fantasy, this has to figure in. A bet as to whether I could take £400,000 pounds and manifest a Fantasy film of good quality would be great fun for all involved. Many people say I can't do it. My budget sheet says I can.

In the current financial climate, film funding, always tricky, is made even harder despite the reports of good box office sales amidst collapse of everything else. £400,000 is nothing to recover from any film that has distribution. Because of that, my project is as close to no risk as any investment can get right now.

Despite that, the best lead we have now is an investor looking for a tax loss. My assistant is following up on that now.

The good thing is that my company will endure regardless of what happens with the economy, because I've kept it debt-free. If we have to, we can wait for the economy to improve. But what a wonderful thing it would be to provide a good escapist Fantasy film when people most need that diversion!

Meanwhile, my fiction publisher is planning to buy a load of film equipment. He has told me this in a way that suggests that it will be at my disposal. It is after all, to his benefit if I get this film made, as the book sales will increase. I see a co-operative effort as a strong possibility. And I know that if he makes a profit from his romantic comedy, he won't hesitate to invest in Dance of the Goblins.

He saw its potential from the start, despite not being a Fantasy reader himself. He is, after all, an astute businessman. Oh you may ask if he's such a great businessman, why hasn't the book got better distribution? That's a hard nut for a beginning small publisher to crack. But I see the work he's putting into it. One of the few qualities that we have in common is a kind of persistence that just doesn't allow for giving up once we've set our mind on something. Other than that, we are very different people.

Between us, there is no doubt that Dance of the Goblins will break the barriers. As I always say; Whatever it takes.

27 December 2008

Of Plots and Plunder

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas, I certainly did.

No, not because of any material possessions I got for pressies, but because I had a nice day cooking for my daughter and spending the day with her and the kittens. Any material swag is secondary to that closeness with special family members.

Ok so there is a certain satisfaction in organising the whole holiday 'performance' and watching it come off without a hitch, it's the producer's curse that we always have to be in charge of some operation or other. And with Christmas you get the secrecy, passing presents past the intended recipients and keeping as quiet as possible when what you really want to do is shout out that you got them what they were really wanting. But in order to have the great reveal, you first need the build-up.

Many friends have asked me what I got for Christmas. I give them the expected list of 'things'. A book that interested me, a couple of CD's, a nice necklace from my daughter, cosmetic items...so it goes. Meanwhile I watch the news about the recession and how much importance is put onto people going out and spend, spend, spending at Christmas. It's like our whole world depends on acquisition of never-ending collections of material goods of dubious worth and the price tag attached to gifts that people feel expected to provide for others.

It is this more than any altruism that makes me think like a non-materialist (albeit one with various nice things and conveniences in residence). The whole commercialism of holidays, especially Christmas, brings out the cynic in me. Why should people feel obligated to buy some item for a specific person if it isn't what they would ordinarily want to do? Why should parents in particular feel they have to spend X amount of money so their kids can tell the other kids in school what they got for Christmas with pride? It's all a bit disgusting really.

I like nice things as much as the next person, it's the guilt trips and expectations that rattle me. If I had a lot of relatives that don't get on, as is the case with many people, I would find it ludicrous to stuff them in a room together and force them to exchange unwanted presents. On the other hand, it's rather pleasant to spend the day with loved ones and share a special meal, some heartfelt gift giving, and a good film of course. ;)

Christmas can be far too much work if we want to keep up with 'expectations'. Who decided these expectations? Why should the amount of over-spending I do determine my worth as a person in a consumerist society?

Perhaps these radical thoughts are the result of not watching television for 9 years now. The advertisers have to work harder to get to me. I make Christmas what I want it to be, not what some advertising campaign tells me it should be.

Ok so this year that included the enjoyment of watching my daughter open a new Nintendo DS game console with all the accessories and several games. She has always really enjoyed games, it wasn't a matter of being the 'in present' this year. I genuinely didn't give a thought to what I wanted to 'get' this year. Oh yes, film funding would be great and may well manifest, but it's rather a tall order for unwrapping on Christmas day.

Oddly, when someone on an Internet forum asked a question, what would we ask for if we could have just one thing this year, I didn't write the film funding. Instead, I said I would like to find the right home for one of my little kittens who is slightly disabled. That same evening I got a text from a friend, her mother was interested. They met yesterday and the love was glowing. Soon this little kitten will be going to her new home, one I am certain is ideal for her.

Does my superstitious side think I should have said the film funding? No, I am sure that will come as well. I've seen all the old films you see, where a wish is granted and it is the unselfish person who receives a good ending. And of course I believe in films, and magic. That's why I'm here, to create some of that film magic myself.

Meanwhile, after all the plotting to make Christmas go smoothly and the plunder collected, I've had a nice Christmas because I've spent it with loved ones, enjoyed a nice film or two, and my little Tiger Lily, who might have been Tiny Tim if she were a boy kitten, received the gift of a loving home to look forward to in about a week. What could be better than that?

29 November 2008

When It Rains, It Pours

Well, I seem to be developing a small army of helpers. People who want in to the project, who want the experience, who want to see this one manifest.

One of my young actors decided he wanted to help in a production capacity, and is now reading through all the extensive links on the Inland Revenue site to work out the tax breaks and credits. That's quite a relief to me, as there seem to be an infinite number of links within links.

Meanwhile, I keep getting more volunteers for runners and extras. This is good. Apart from having to feed everyone, you can never have too many of both groups.

I'm spending the pre-holiday time catching up on details, creating props and costumes and such, as well as never ending admin jobs while we wait and see what January brings.

It seems from what I read in the news that bankruptcy is going to be the in thing for 2009, both personal and business. Who would have thought that Woolworth's would go down? Goblin Films is safe as it has no debts to foreclose on it. That's the advantage of a project based system, the only buying trend that will effect it will be cinema ticket sales when the film is released, and those are maintaining a good level while everything else crashes.

I was reading an Internet news report and came across this quote from our Prime Minister:

"We've got a global financial system but we don't have global financial supervision of it. When you have global financial flaws and you only have national supervision of them, you inevitably run into the sort of problems that we have seen."

Now, am I the only person who finds this a scary idea? How many historic rulers have seen ruling the world as a viable solution to problems? Hint: All the wrong ones! And yet people immediately look to the bigger tyrants and forget we do have a LibDem party.

I'll leave that thought there, I've never really liked politics and don't want to go into a rant about them. I think the goblins have the right idea, although in practice, anarchy doesn't work on a large scale. Somebody is always too greedy and/or power hungry.

Recession hasn't stopped everyone in the whole of Norfolk from going shopping I notice. Even last Sunday, with Norwich buried in snow, the streets were filled with cars and the shopping area was crowded. Not quite as much as some Saturdays perhaps, but next year's bankruptcy cases are out with their credit cards for Christmas. I should talk, I'm out there as well. To be fair though, I was in town to meet one of these new volunteer crew members rather than to shop.

In other news, I had a call from Dragon's Den the other day, asking for an update. They do this, they look for contestants who found funding elsewhere that might make a good story or mention on their website. I told them about the distributor and the investor we hope will come through in January.

We also got listed on britfilms.com in the films in progress section which is probably why I'm getting loads of emails from people wanting to get involved. I've got composers coming out of my ears and actors everywhere! Most of this was sorted out long ago of course, although I still need a mature actress with a deep voice for one important part. I only have one possibility from my shortlist for that role who was old enough. My circus contact has someone in mind though, I'll have to arrange to meet some of his people.

If all goes well in January, the time I spend hibernating and working on materials for the film will have us ready to roll as soon as the first signs of Spring appear.

Fingers crossed!

8 November 2008

Hurry Up And Wait

Who hasn't heard this phrase used in some context?

Winter and a tightened economy has created a feeling of everything going dormant for a few months. Not my operation specifically, but the whole world. People are aware of Christmas, central Norwich is getting completely mad on Saturdays in particular already.

Meanwhile it seems that everything is happening in January for me. Apart from my cat having kittens, which could happen any moment. That too is creating a sense of waiting, as she is obviously ready.

The trouble with expectations which are months away is finding something worthwhile to put in the monthly newsletter. On the up side, this necessity keeps me from becoming complacent and depending on everything to work out neatly at the right time. Come on! This is the film business! Chaos and crisis is expected regularly. Part of my job is being the cool head that sorts it all out when it happens. That's when, not if.

The thing is, I'm rather good at preparation, so the only wild cards are other people. Herding cats as it were. Getting people to keep promises, to show up where they're needed, etc.

The nice thing about a little dormant time is that it provides an opportunity to catch up with a few things. I actually have quite a lot I can do at any given time. Not just admin, but sewing costumes, making preliminary breakdown sheets, rounding up various contacts and letting them know the current situation.

In case you haven't read the previous blogs, we have a promise of funding in January. I still haven't met the person making the promise, so I can't count it as being in-hand, yet indications look good. So I need to continue looking at other possibilities while simultaneously preparing for this to manifest and be ready to move on it. It's ok, I'm a woman, I can multi-task.

Meanwhile, I need the cash in hand to push my Director over the edge to a definite yes. He's filming his other project in January as well. This means that chaos will certainly be mine in the new year, if all goes well. The tricky bit will be arranging for a light snow on just the right day, to get some Winter shots in one of the stately home locations before the Spring. Don't put it past me, I get on with the weather rather well at times.

In the old days, when people had to work a lot harder than any of us do now to keep themselves fed over the Winter, this would be a time of making final preparation for the cold months ahead. Stockpiling food, making preserves, catching up on work that would help with survival over leaner months. It feels a bit like that now, a quiet time of preparation. Making sure everything is up to date, preparing as much as possible for a more active time to come. I've even got most of my Christmas shopping done.

Don't you just hate people like me? ;)

28 October 2008

Crunching Buzzwords

I've started avoiding products with buzzwords like "price crunch" on them. What political advertising flunky came up with "credit crunch" anyway? Do they really think we won't notice a recession if they put some trendy name on it? Any way you look at it, prices of essentials like food and household heating went up, and even with the usual drop after a while will land in a higher place than they were before. Unlike wages.

The good news of course is that houses are almost affordable for people with professional careers again. It won't last of course, but it's a window of opportunity. If I had the cash, I'd nab one while the going is hot.

Meanwhile, cinema ticket sales have continued to stay up. One news report from The Independent in January 2008 said:

"Cinema-goers in Britain and the Republic of Ireland spent £904m at the box office in 2007, up 8 per cent from the previous year, figures showed yesterday.

And British-made films enjoyed a greater share of the box-office takings - up from 19 per cent to 29 per cent, according to a report by the UK Film Council."

While a report from TimesOnLine in September tells us:

"The CEA is expecting August 2008's overall admission figures to be 17.56million or more, which would make the three months from June to August the best summer for British cinema admissions since at least 1972.

Even cinema industry veterans have been taken by surprise by the popularity of cinema this summer. We knew that admissions generally hold up well when the economy falters but, combined with a series of high-quality movies, that has produced a truly exceptional period for UK cinema," Mr Clapp said."

These reports often cite specific films that are helping figures skyrocket, but the fact is that overall ticket sales are skyrocketing. British film is making a significant impact on these figures. Admittedly big studio supported films like Harry Potter are leading the big numbers, but Independent film is enjoying the benefit of this entertainment goldmine as well.

An article on DVD sales tells us that:

"FILM AND VIDEO INDUSTRIES DEFY THE CREDIT CRUNCH TO POST RECORD PERFORMANCES"

Have a read, it's at: http://copyrightaware.co.uk/downloads/pressreleases/16october2008.pdf

It seems that film and video, once thought of as speculative investment, is leading as the most secure industry short of food production. We have arrived!

My assistant tells me that his investor has said he will definitely be investing the full amount we need in January. He's looking towards taking advantage of a tax break. It's difficult to keep up with these. Ever since they took away section 48 in January of 2007 there seem to be changes happening constantly in film tax law, but one way or another businesses are claiming tax breaks again. I'll be looking into these extensively this week.

I still haven't met this investor though, so I don't see the funds as secured as yet. Unlike the EIS schemes you read about that seem to be difficult to determine exactly what you're investing in or entitled to, I'm very clear about what I have on offer. 40% of company shares, and 40% of net profits against £400,000 investment. Pretty straight forward, and easy to calculate in increments in case various investors of smaller amounts are required to reach the target amount. I have promises of partial investments, but nothing is final until the contracts are signed and the cheques get written. This is one area where I have to be cold and attend to business. First one to whip out the chequebook gets in on the ground floor.

I've actually been having a couple of days off, as yesterday was my birthday. It seems I haven't had a day off entirely for a very long time. But tomorrow, I'm back on the case. I've actually got the week off my day job to catch up with some writing, but will take some time to make film related phone calls.

One of them will probably be to Manchester, to Inland Revenue. The film industry has specialist accountants to keep up with tax laws and I will be hiring one the minute we get any significant investment money in hand, but in the meantime I'm going to ask the experts at the source to direct me to the information I need to be aware of the current tax breaks for business, as it's worth knowing what I've got to offer on that front.

Elusive promises of investment in the future isn't enough to get the camera rolling, the winter chill will not see me idly waiting around. I mentioned last blog that odd little coincidences were falling into place to make this operation easier. Another one happened in town day before yesterday. The wig maker I was in contact with at the beginning of the project three years ago appeared in an unexpected place, so I've renewed contact. It's a little thing in itself, but collectively, these little coincidences are telling me that something is brewing, and not just in the Halloween cauldron.

2009 is going to be the year of the Goblins. I can see it happening. The question is, who will have the foresight to get in on the lucrative seed project of a growing company first?

21 October 2008

What's in a name?

A few years ago, a website developer boyfriend bought the domain name jaqdhawkins.com for me. When the time came that we went our separate ways (as friends), he tried to transfer it to me. Somewhere in the process, someone else grabbed it.

You might ask why. There are people who buy up domain names because they can sell them for a profit. I hear one of them had the foresight to grab 21st century fox before the Millennium and apparently made a bundle.

The person who bought my pen name made a slight miscalculation though. For one thing, I had bought jaqdhawkins.co.uk already. So, I just switched my website to that. Also, as a small time niche market author, I wasn't prepared to spend large amounts on a specific domain name, even my own. So, I hope they enjoyed it.

Being infinitely patient, I waited and occasionally checked to see if it was available. Recently it was, so I own it now, although it isn't hosted anywhere yet. As my current host is going to be giving up hosting at some point, I may just put it somewhere and start developing it for a smooth transition when the time comes.

Meanwhile, I opened this film company. So, I've got goblinfilmsltd.com. That too will need transferring at some point.

When I first started it, the thought crossed my mind that many films, most studio films in fact, get their own domain names. In theory, danceofthegoblins.com would be the obvious thing to nab. I gave it some thought. As I'm subsidising this sort of expense myself out of a part time admin job income, I'm not going to spend money frivolously. I decided to give it a miss, as a few films from a small company can be adequately hosted on a central film site.

To my amusement, two years later, as the project began to gain international notoriety, I got an email from someone telling me they had bought danceofthegoblins.com and danceofthegoblins.co.uk. I have to admit that I LAUGHED.

Too little, too late. Whatever they hoped to extort from me was falling on deaf ears. I didn't even bother answering the email.

What brought this to mind was a conversation with my company secretary about company names. If I were to make a deal to get this first film funded that resulted in a substantial part of the company going to someone else and eventually a takeover, it's possible that I would open a new company under a different name.

Out of amusement, I did a Google on Crazy Cat Lady films. Obviously it isn't a serious choice, or I wouldn't be putting it on a blog. But nobody else has it. ;)

People get really hung up on names. Yes, there is 'brand' in some company names. Even for small companies. Goblin is likely to make its mark in this realm. With 40% of the company shares up for investment at present, it's not too far fetched to see a possibility of 51% getting negotiated away if that's what it would take. Luckily I've got good contracts with myself, just in case.

I went to a branding seminar not long ago as part of the business networking I've been doing. It seems there's a lot in the reputation behind a name. This came to mind recently when I tried to buy some Campbell's condensed soup. Suddenly, it wasn't on the shelves of any of the supermarkets. What?

A casual comment from someone had me worried that the company might have closed. Zillions of easy recipes depend on condensed soup for the sauces! So a little on-line research later, I learned that it was only the name and label that was going from British shelves. They had been bought by Batchelor's. The recipes were safe.

From an advertising point of view, this means a lot of money is going to go into re-branding the product. As long as they don't change the product, I really don't care what they call it or what colour the label is myself. Hear that advertisers? I don't care! As long as I can get the stuff.

Sometimes I swear the supermarkets check my itemised list and discontinue all the things I buy regularly intentionally. Even my cat's favourite flavour of food. I'm stewing a bit that I can't get good guacamole mix anymore. First one store stopped having it, then another…and like the Campbell's soup cans, it's gone from everywhere now. I could be driven to buy a blender so I can make it from scratch. I'm an ex-Californian after all, I need guacamole in my life.

We were talking about names. I've noticed that mentioning celebrity names in some of my blogs immediately raises the hit count, it brings in the search engines. ;)

Oddly, I can mention Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp, and the word pirate and loads of hits will come in, but at least twice as many appear for Peter Cullum. It makes you wonder what people are searching for.

So, where is all this seemingly random babble heading? Goblin. Goblin Films Limited specifically. The word Goblin itself is very popular. How it got associated as a good name for a vacuum cleaner I don't know, but I guess keeping the caverns tidy has something to say for it.

I use the name 'Goblin' on a few film related Internet forums. Sometimes I use Goblin Films, but it gets shortened to Goblin. The Goblin has taken on an identity of its own, apart from the personality behind it. And why not? As a limited company, it is legally an entity. So, what does one think of when one thinks of a goblin?

The LARP'ers could have a few things to say about this one. Goblins are popular characters among them. Playful, intense, strong, chaotic. And they tend to be a formidable force. Stubborn too, setbacks don't stop goblins from continuing to act like goblins or pursue their goals until they achieve them.

Not a bad choice for branding actually.

In some ways, I've become the Goblin. Relentlessly pursuing the goal, finding ways through all obstacles. They're getting fewer. A lot of little things have been falling into place almost by accident over the past couple of months. The most recent one was an out of the blue contact with a circus troupe, which has the child acrobat I need and possibly some other actors that will fill needed roles.

Meanwhile, my assistant's potential investor has expressed definite interest, but for the end of December. That could be great timing with the intended director doing his other film in January. It does take a few weeks to finalise locations, make prosthetics and props, doing auditions, etc.

The success of this film is going to mean more than just one film. It's the Goblin's reputation being made. Once the first film is released, the subsequent ones will be much easier. Not just because of the experience gained or the contact network that has been formed over three years, but because reaching the goal will show the world that the Goblin can produce a result.

12 October 2008

From Amateur to Professional

When does an amateur become a professional? Ever wonder about that? Actors for example. Most well-known actors gain popularity after a particular breakthrough movie, but it could be their first or their thirtieth film. At some point, they become considered a professional, while the actor doing infinite minor spots on sitcoms stays an amateur as far as the booking agencies are concerned.

Oh don't worry, I'm not getting above myself. I've surrounded myself with professionals because I'm very much aware of my amateur status, and until I actually make my first film happen, there is no point in imagining myself as otherwise. I'm just an amateur who is clever enough to see the value of involving professionals in key positions so that the film comes out with a professional look.

I do contemplate things like this and the nature of the universe just because I have that kind of mind, but this most recent speculation was brought about by my daughter's boyfriend offering to revamp my website because he needs to build up a portfolio to become an independent contractor. It's in beginning stages where he shows me ideas and we work out details, but it probably won't be long before the entire website changes completely.

The first image he sent me was very attention grabbing to say the least. He's working in website design now, but will be going independent in the next few months I should think. I remember when he first started fiddling around with websites, but then I've known him for a long time. A couple of years longer than my daughter has known him actually. Exactly when he became a website professional, I couldn't tell you. But it's obvious from his work that the transition did happen somewhere over the years.

So, how many movies do you suppose it will take me? One? Five? Getting to the end of my film career? Writing out my exit strategy for some of the hoops I have to jump through brings these things to mind. Funnily enough, the long term goal is to go back to just writing, and let all the fun of producing go to others.

I suppose if I can get the trilogy out, along with the films that are planned between them, I'll have at least earned my IMDB listing. It's a little sparse at the moment.

But everyone starts somewhere. Director Richard Stanley made his reputation on his first feature, Hardware. No one would question his professional status, even back then. I chat to a lot of filmmakers who consider themselves to be professionals, even though nobody has ever heard of them. They've worked on various projects, many of which none of us have ever heard of. But they get work, and have the time put in learning their craft. I have to agree that makes a professional more than being well-known.

Ironically I never wanted to be well-known, that's why I use a pen name. It creates a layer between my professional reputation as a writer and my private life. But film requires visibility. So I've become visible, for the moment. Once the film is out, attention will turn to the story, the actors, and the Director. I can fade back into my writer's corner, with perhaps a Cinderella story to add to the filmmaker's books.

It's all about making stories, isn't it? It's not about glamour or fame or money, apart from making sure the investors make enough to have faith in the film industry as something other than the black hole some people would make it. It's funny how 'making of' documentaries are getting more and more popular. It seems that some of the most interesting stories are about how the stories get made.

This one should be worth a tale or two in the end.

Meanwhile, my assistant sees his potential investor tomorrow. Fingers crossed...

30 September 2008

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

Had to wait a little longer for this blog, didn't you? ;)

We spend much of our lives waiting.

Waiting in queues, waiting for things to come in the post, waiting for people who are late to show up for appointments, or even waiting long past our own appointment times for a system to catch up to its commitments. One advantage that writers have is that they can always be catching up on reading or scribble a few notes during these short bursts of otherwise wasted time in the universe. Even without a book or paper and pen we can work out details of a plot in our minds in the odd moment.

The first year of my company's existence involved a lot of waiting for people to get back to me. Even a negative answer is better than no answer, and the time spent waiting for people who lack the courtesy to give an answer at all can be frustrating.

But sometimes we have to wait a while for that yes answer. Then it all becomes worthwhile.

Three people are making serious efforts to connect with potential investors for my project now, and several others actively throw any leads my way. The network grows. Of the three people, one is my publisher, who has a knack for making contacts. I've been waiting some time for a response to his most recent attempt to promote my project. Another is my salesman, who is also salesman to others, and apparently makes a living matching investors to good investments. I'm still waiting for results on his latest batch of potentials.

But if I were betting, my money would be on the third person, my assistant. He's just a lad, yet he does seem to have a knack for making good contacts and that 'luck factor' that means being in the right place at the right time. He reeks of future success. I expect he'll learn what he can from me and then move further and open his own company before he's 25. Who knows, maybe he'll buy me out eventually.

Last Tuesday, a week ago today, he had an appointment to talk to a potential investor with contacts to other investors. So, Wednesday came and no report. Waiting. Not a good sign in those circumstances, someone who was jumping to write a cheque would result in quick contact. One day followed another, and I began to think of ringing him to see how things went. But of course as soon as I have that thought, I get an email.

He left the written materials with the person and is waiting for a call back from them. It's someone he sees regularly so an answer one way or the other will come, or perhaps a request to meet with me to answer any questions etc.

So fingers crossed, this could be the one that gets us rolling or one more partial investor. If they don't lead to enough to roll, we’ll just have to wait a little longer...

You know, one thing I read in a film book still bothers me. Someone had Johnny Depp attached to their film and it never got made because the financing couldn't be found. What I can't believe, is that they quit. Some of us never quit, no matter how long it takes. It makes for great stories in the biography later.

Listen to Richard Branson's autobiography (which is recorded on tape) sometime, it will give you some perspective on the value of persistence.

18 September 2008

You Know You're Either A Genius Or Completely Mad When...

There's a rule somewhere that says that to make a feature film, you have to make a few shorts first to learn technique. This is entirely practical, especially for those who will be behind a camera or directing.

The thing is, I won't be behind the camera or directing. I've filled these positions with people who have that experience and have long since proven they can make a good film. My position is not so much to make the film, as to make the film happen. I've mentioned this as someone in casual conversation had brought this up recently, and looked at me in horror when I didn't appear interested in buying a camera and directing a few bad shorts to follow the formula.

I'm the producer, not the director, not the DP. I've got a DP with 20 years experience in filmmaking. If I get the Director that I want, he's an established Director with a cult following of his own. If not, I'll still get someone with experience who has made the shorts at the very least.

What the producer contributes to the look of a film is basically making sure the right people are filling these roles which actually create the images. The Director and DP (Director of Photography) are two of the most important people on set. In the big studios, the producers seldom even visit the set. It's an office job, you hire those with the requisite skills.

In Independent filmmaking, it is frequently the case that the Director also does his own producing. This is where the impression comes from. It's also why a lot of films don't get anywhere, because an artistic talent doesn't necessarily indicate business acumen. In many small co-operative groups, one person may fill the role of Producer alternately with Director as is described in Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe’s Guerrilla Filmmaker's Handbook, but what you have there are two filmmakers, both with experience in the Director's chair, who take care of the business end as a necessity because somebody has to.

My operation, ironically, is modelled more like the big studios. I have no desire to be a Director. I'm a bit of an anorak about doing spreadsheets and organising things. Even in school plays I preferred working behind the scenes, making everything work. Sorting out where the locations are, balancing costs, finding props, is all what I call fun.

This is why I'm the Producer. Not because someone has to be, but because it's what I'm good at and what I enjoy. Making the images does fascinate me, but I'm very aware that I don't have the experience on that side of things to make it as good as it needs to be. For that, I've got professionals. Real actors, experienced crew, and hopefully a known Director who is on par with the rest of the project.

I've already proven that I can do what I need to do. First time filmmakers don't normally get name actors and known Directors or distribution lined up before the film is made. That much I've already done. My previous Director was known, if not as widely as the one I'm close to replacing him with now. First time filmmakers don't even get close to people like this.

But I have.

No doubt I will pick up a camera and make some 'arty' films for fun at some point, but it will be hobbyist. Professionally, I'm a writer and Producer. I make the film happen. And that means hiring the people who can make it look good, because they are long past making shorts to prove themselves.

Most recently, I've been making contact with a co-operative in London who are doing a short film online as a fan film for the Lord of the Rings stories. Check it out. People who can make a film look this good, could be valuable members of any team. It is people like this that I require on my project.

Hunt for Gollum

14 September 2008

If Peter Cullum were my Executive Producer

The biggest uphill learning curve in this whole business is learning how to get an audience with potential investors.

I don't mean like on Dragon's Den, that's effectively a game show and to this day none of the 'Dragons' have a clue about my business or the business aspects of my project. Se la vie, they served their purpose.

No, I mean getting into a situation where you can actually sit down and talk to someone with a serious interest and the capital to work with. A lot of people have expressed that they would like to invest in my project if they had the money, and a few small investors have put their money into the equation. But getting to talk business with people who have substantial funds is an art and a skill that has to be learned.

Some are easier to contact than others. At least if you're satisfied that their PA is actually passing your message on. Sometimes when the party line comes back on an initial query, you do wonder if the person you really wanted to talk to was ever consulted. Especially when the answer doesn't fit the question.

Some people are very cagey about letting people 'get to them'. Peter Cullum for example, making news constantly because of a large bid for Norwich City Football Club, doesn't leave any contact information with the newspapers that interview him. His people contact them. As a result, a message can't even be passed on to a PA.

I'll admit that I've wondered if someone like him would only be interested in football, or if other projects that would benefit the region would draw some interest. I may never know, and he may never know about me until I've actually released the film and the publicity spreads far enough.

Sometimes it can be frustrating just trying to get a chance to ask the question.

Some people however, have a talent for making contact with investors. My salesman for example does it for a living. He is known by people in this position and some will take his calls when they wouldn't listen to a pitch from a stranger.

My assistant has a natural talent as well. I bumped into him the other day in the supermarket. It turns out he has an appointment on Monday to speak to someone he knows who is always talking about investments, and has the capital. Now, if the person has some imagination and has been reading the papers about cinema ticket sales, we could be moving.

It only takes one such person. It's odd this month. Monday is the Full Moon, my intended Director will be watching the Moon rise in a particular window in Montsegur Castle in France. My assistant, Kayne, will be talking to his contact. My salesman, Ashley, has a whole new list of potential investors he's steadily contacting. I've got a meeting with a lady from Weetu to see what their Funder Finder can come up with that may be appropriate for a film company. My publisher also has some contacts of his own examining the project.

These efforts are ongoing, and increasingly getting into the hands of potential investors now with the help of these enthusiastic people supporting the project.

It only takes one.

But how do you get to talk to the right one? Sometimes it comes down to just a message in a bottle, getting your information out there and making it possible for that person to hear about it, despite the protection they get from their PA and other security. Would a person happy to drop £20 million into a football club be interested in supporting the region through the world of film for only £400,000?

Who knows, maybe if he came across this blog on a search on his own name, it would spark an interest. The numbers and potential sales figures are certainly worth looking into. But short of literally bumping into him somewhere, the chances of getting a chance to ask Peter Cullum if he would like to see his name in lights as Executive Producer are pretty improbable.

About as improbable as an obscure writer getting a name actor and Director involved in a film version of her book, getting on television, putting together an entire operation and pulling off getting distribution before the film is even made.

It's all going to make a great story later. I've already got a title for the book.

8 September 2008

A Change of Direction

I've been saving this one until after the monthly newsletter went out, so that the investors I have so far would be told first.

The Director I had on the project for some time has taken a full time job in the Midlands and is no longer able to do the project. But before you panic on my behalf, let me tell you about the saga of the Director position for Dance of the Goblins.

When I first started the project, a friend of mine happened to have established a friendship with a known Director. There was some interesting timing on this. She introduced us, but not in person. It was arranged for me to visit him in London.

We got on well, as we have some other shared interests and had more to talk about than film. I did ask him about the project, and left him a copy of the book. He was wrapped up in another project at the time, and I didn't hear from him for some time.

So, I presumed he wasn't going for it and found someone with a Masters degree in film and high aspirations to fill the job. That went on for a while, many ideas flew around, and then one of his scripts took off and he had to leave my project to follow up on his own. It happens.

So, the next lesson in Producing was how to get in touch with Directors. I found a list of all known Directors in the UK, it was a useful exercise. But it was a fortuitous coincidence that found me working for the same place as a Director with not only a Masters degree in film, but a track record and a couple of awards! So, I met with him and gave him a copy of the script. He liked it, and was on board for some time.

Then the job came along, and survival drew him to the practical choice. I immediately thought of my first Director choice and contacted him. Out of a sense of logic, I also attempted to make contact with another known Director through a business contact I had made in networking, but nothing would come of that. Call me superstitious, but I really think the Director's chair was meant for this one Director on this project.

As it happened, he was in the country and free to meet up. He invited me for a cuppa and a chat, and we spent last Saturday talking about our other interests, although the conversation did naturally turn to film at a late stage. He asked me to send him the script by email and wrote down his address for me.

I sent it, and he's reading it now. So, I don't have a definite yes from him yet and for that reason haven't named him. But I really do think he was meant to do this, and I think he'll see it too. It will mean stepping back and letting him make whatever changes to the script he feels are necessary to get his special 'edge' into the story, but I can handle that. In the end, we'll have created a top notch Fantasy with a horror edge, and that will be a wonderful thing.

Fingers crossed, all he has to do is say yes. Although he's filming another project in January so we're looking at Spring for us, but of course I still have to find the rest of the funding. With his name attached, that should be easier.

Bet you want to know now, don't you? But you'll have to wait until after the Full Moon. ;)

31 August 2008

Motivation to Succeed

I put out a newsletter once a month for investors, which also goes to primary crew.

This is useful not only for keeping interested parties well-informed, but for assessing on a monthly basis what I've done to make progress. It can be easy to get caught up in day job, family, etc and time can fly so quickly. Having someone to report to makes a big difference, as I need to have something to write about!

This is especially important when unexpected demands on personal finances get a slap, which can be very distracting indeed. Like the letter I got last week from the benefits agency telling me that I was over paid and they'll sue me if I don't give them 2 months salary immediately. Quite a surprise and probably a mistake, as I stopped getting child tax credit and all that when my daughter turned 20. She's 21 now.

A lot of people would get stressed about it. My credit limit is suffering from subsidising the company, and the benefits agency wants to push me into bankruptcy. Hardly what they're supposed to be about, is it?

But I went to a benefits expert and have filed the appropriate forms to contest it. As I said, it's probably a mistake. As I effectively have no disposable income and should probably be receiving benefits anyway, it makes rather a farce of the system. Part time admin work doesn't pay a fortune.

It seems to be a trend actually, I've also just learned that my daughter moving out so that I'm entitled to the 25% single adult discount on Council Tax means my tax goes up by £25 bringing it up to 10% of my total income! I'll be looking into that. It's all distractions, distractions, distractions. As if I didn't have better things to do than write to government offices trying to get blood out of a stone.

So, how about the film?

As I related a couple of blogs ago, my publisher, who has a lot of contacts, has someone looking seriously at the project. He won't let me in on who they are, but he's sure they're genuine. I wonder about some of the comments that have come back though, as they are using readers that say a script should be effectively dialogue only. If you study scriptwriting, you'll see that this is not a professional view. Some of the most intense scenes in films have no dialogue at all, it's a visual medium.

My script has been assessed by professionals like the readers at Screen East and the head of distribution from one of the major studios. The first draft was considered dialogue heavy. Too much dialogue is the mark of the inexperienced scriptwriter. It has been established that the people with the investment capital are not in the film industry, it's who they’re going to for advice that is questionable.

Meanwhile, the need for personal cash is making me pay some attention to my writing. Some people have double lives, I have a triple one. I could clear up all my credit cards with one decent book advance. Yesterday I took a friend's advice and contacted his agent. I've had nine books published, but all by small publishers so far. This tends to result in much less royalty money than going with an agent who deals with big publishers who have massive distribution outlets. But it does give you more control of your work.

Anyway, I've got the man's ear. All I have to do is write something top quality in his field of interest, which isn't where I've got my track record. So, even a slap to the personal finances can be turned around to something good. Extra motivation to produce creative work that will sell.

The problem of course, is that writing time competes with producing time. Sometimes I think that if the right studio made me an offer, I'd sell the project. As long as some key people were guaranteed their places.

But moments like that just generate stronger motivation. It isn't just a project, it's a challenge. I put together an impressive operation, and recent suggestions that crew costs could go up have reminded me that I've made a network of contacts and could put it together all over again much more easily if it was required.

They say it takes an average of five years to make a film. I'm coming up on my third. My company accounts are due at the end of September, so the arrival of that month always makes me take stock on a longer view basis of what I've accomplished.

The learning curve and waiting for people to get back to me in the early days took up a lot of time. But when I look at how far I've come and how much I've learned, and the brass ring hovering ever closer, I can't help but smile with some satisfaction, even as the wolf waits by the door. I wouldn't trade this experience for any amount of security. I just need to get my skates on and write a fantastic book proposal today!

24 August 2008

Of Kittens and Cleavage

The quest for film funding takes some weird turns sometimes. I don't like to put things in my Investor newsletter that are highly speculative, but there are a few very speculative situations going on just now.

I mentioned last blog that my publisher has re-submitted it to someone who is listening with a more listening ear now, as he wasn't interested in Fantasy before but seeing that film investment is being touted as safer than many other traditionally safe investments in the papers, even Financial Times, and that Fantasy is taking a third of box office sales, has interested the business sense of the person concerned.

Along with that there is another potential investor from my salesman's list. He was ill at the time the information was going out originally, but he's back on the maybe list now.

My assistant, who I knew was sharp, came up with a whole new area to look into at our last meeting. The main project I've got him on continues, which has to do with young banker types in London, but he came up with something else that never would have occurred to me.

No I'm not going to tell yet. ;P
Sometimes an idea is best on its first time, like going on Dragon's Den. If everyone was doing it, it would be ineffective. Actually I've had some random thoughts about trying to get on another game show, as the cheekiness of it would do wonders for my crazy goblin lady reputation. But as Jack Sparrow says, "Ah, but you HAVE heard of me!"

Meanwhile, as the business end of things moves on, a slight distraction came up about a week ago which I made my most recent obsession and got done. I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but I'm a little reluctant to approach new technology. I was probably the last person on earth to get a mobile phone, and I'm still on my first one. Talking to me about ipods and blue ray generally makes me want to shut down and pass it to the technical people. But I do get there eventually.

I moved into my current flat about a year and a half ago. The quest to completely unpack is ongoing. I discovered just a week and a half ago a box with a brand new camcorder in it, never opened. I have to get in the right mood to read the instructions on gadgets. And well-justified on this one, they even confused my most technical friend.

Anyhow, I did work out how to use it and tested it on my kittens, as you do. It's nothing like the professional cameras I've been working around of course, but something a bit fun, to make things for YouTube. The very next day, I came across a music video contest. The criteria was to make a video of absolutely anything, but to use a particular song. Then it was to be uploaded to YouTube and whoever gets the most views wins! No restrictions on sex and violence even. As long as it isn't illegal or in very bad taste. I'm surprised no one has a zombie movie up there yet, although I might have missed one.

I listened to the song, and it was good. It also had weird lyrics, that immediately suggested a shot list. Right, that's it, I'm making a kitten video for YouTube! But because the hit count determines the winner, I've got to make it quickly. It will definitely have to be the camcorder, no time to organise the local contacts who would put perfectionism on it, over time. We're going for cute, and I've got my secret weapon: The Cutest Kitten Ever Born, just 5 and a half weeks old at that time.

Even on a YouTube scale home movie of a kitten, I immediately launch into producer mode and start organising my supporting actors and props. Unlike the other animal videos on the contest (I checked the competition), my shots would fit the lyrics. I even made an elaborate wedding cake to fill a reference in one line. Took me half a day shopping in town for decorations, mainly because bride and groom cake toppers aren't easily available on the cheap. I wasn't going to spend twenty quid for something I would probably never use again!

Actually, there is a scene in Dance of the Goblins where the main goblin goes into a cavern with a random selection of human articles hoarded up. The one I got is too cute to use even if my daughter ever got married, teddy bears! But it was £2.99 and fit the video 'cute' theme.

It occurred to me as I organised daily progress on this project, that actually it's a good opportunity to test viral marketing. Spreading a cute kitten video around the Internet should be dead easy! So, although the video itself is finished now and I can rest from that, pushing it around cyberspace is just beginning. I won't let the marketing distract me from my important work towards funding, but it will be interesting to see how many views it gets by the deadline.

Have a look, the song is nice and the video is cute. Oh, the cleavage? The Catgirl in the corset is my daughter. Please dribble quietly. ;)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zricqp4x0iI

17 August 2008

Sacrificing Myself To Dragons For The Project

How many people can say they've done anything so foolish for art?

Ok, so I know a thing or two about publicity. I used to live in Los Angeles, they teach Media & Advertising 101 in primary school and take you surfing for PE. Don't laugh, I actually did have a Surfing and Senior Lifesaving class in high school. How Californian is that? It was experimental that year.

The biggest learning curve I've faced in film production is learning how to identify and then gain an audience with those who have investment capital. Ironically, it's a world I had no interest in when I lived in L.A.

The rest was all too easy. I'm a naturally organised person, with some accounting qualifications and a pedantic nature. My first production spreadsheet has impressed a few old hands in the biz already, as my first instinct when planning anything is to draw it all up on paper. I went through the script scene by scene and analysed the details of what was needed; location; actors; extras; props; make-up; weather conditions, you name it I had it down on paper.

From there, making up a budget sheet was just a matter of transferring the information to the appropriate page and then doing the research to find out where I could get what was needed and what it would cost. I have a separate location spreadsheet as well.

I'm far too pedantic to deal in estimates. The first time I saw a small producer write up a budget, I was horrified. He gave a general estimate for crew. No wonder films go over budget so easily! I wanted to know exactly what crew was needed, their daily rate, and how many days they were needed. That information is on my budget sheet now, based on quotes given by my DP who is familiar with all the crew members and their rates as well as their talents.

What can I say, I got a 99% in my SAT's in maths and I've got 3 planets in Virgo. I organise well.

This of course serves me well when I do get a chance to speak to serious investors. I don't mean the panel of Dragon's Den, they never saw any of my planning sheets. You can't take that sort of thing in, although I knew the numbers and would have been able to quote them if we had talked business.

I get an interesting variety of reactions from people over my Dragon's Den appearance. You have the sort of people who think television is real, berating me for getting pwned by the Dragons; and the sympathetic ones that want to console me because the Dragons were "so mean."

Maybe it's because I grew up in television land that the punch line is so obvious to me, and not to them. It's television guys! That's what they do to entertain the audience!

They are there to entertain a blood thirsty audience who want to see people torn apart, and occasionally for someone to slip through and get a positive response. It's a bit like a game show really. The contestant's challenge is to get as much relevant information into a three minute pitch and answers to random questions as possible before the Dragons start taking the . . . mick. The chances of them taking a film proposal seriously were always slim. Who invests in a film without reading the script?

The publicity from the show has been priceless though, and brought me distribution interest. Many people respond with fascination, and admit they wouldn't have the guts to do the same. The interested investors I have so far have worked out, whether consciously or sub-consciously, that someone who is prepared to step outside the box and do something a little weird for publicity will make this project go far, rather like Blair Witch made its fortune from widespread unorthodox publicity.

Why am I bringing this up now, several months after the event? Because apparently they had a re-run of the episode, and it brought in loads of new interest. Much of it more positive than the first wave.

Meanwhile, have you been reading the news about the recession? People are cutting back on eating out, but film sales are up. I've got a film project with name talent and distribution in place (the key to this business), and that makes me a more secure investment than the food franchises that were considered a good bet last year.

I find that amusing. And also encouraging. One more substantial investor could mean that the merchandising alone from my goblin films would surpass Theo's entire fortune. By the time the second of the trilogy comes out, I expect there will be conferences with fans dressing up as their favourite goblins and all the merchandising that goes with that.

But company shares are only available for financing the first film. After that, it will be too late to jump on the bandwagon. When we hit £200,000, we start rolling. So far, getting to investors has relied partially on 'lucky accidents', which have always been a feature of my life. Dragon's Den was a way of fuelling the 'lucky accident'. One of the interested investors I have now resulted from a chain of events that started with a marketing person recognising me from the show at a business networking meeting. He had a list of possible investors.

This weekend, my publisher is discussing the project with someone who has an interest in film investment. At first he wasn't interested in fantasy and had his eye on a romantic comedy. But numbers talk. My numbers are on spreadsheets. The numbers in the news indicate that fantasy is taking about 1/3 of film sales, and that's without figuring in the merchandising that naturally follows the genre.

Interestingly, my publisher doesn't read fantasy. He had to ask a reader for the company if my novel was any good. But he is savvy about numbers, and the potential of a series that takes off. But what makes a series take off isn't just good writing. People have to know about the story in the first place! The uphill battle for small publishers to distribute books has kept mine in the 'cult following' category so far.

But I've shown that I'm prepared to step outside the box and get publicity for my project in the same ways that made Blair Witch make over $250 million despite its low production.

Ironically, my film project is more likely to spread the popularity of the book than the other way round, the way the common person perceives that the media works. This is actually a mis-perception. If you read websites like the-numbers.com, then you'll know that the highest category for successful films is original story, with book adaptations in second place.

When you actually look into the numbers, the crazy goblin lady doesn't seem so crazy after all. ;)

15 August 2008

Goblin Circle

Goblin Circle started on an artist website called Deviant Art. I can't draw, but I joined the site anyway and put bits of writing and photo-manipulation on my profile.

After a while, I began to notice the contests. Someone would set a theme, and hold a contest for anyone who wanted to enter. Prizes varied, usually a first prize would be a drawing by the artist who called the contest. It was all done in a friendly, community spirit.

When my novel was finished and I got snapped up by a small publisher who was prepared to let me have a say in the book cover, I went to Deviant Art and held a book cover contest. The winner would have their artwork grace my cover, and would receive 5% of my royalties. Not a bad deal actually.

Several artists entered, and there was some good artwork among the entries. They are posted on the art page of my author site at http://jaqdhawkins.co.uk

But one picture in particular encompassed the feel I wanted for the book. It was drawn by a young artist called Gina Curtis. It depicted the goblins in The Dance, the spiritual celebration of life in the goblin culture that forms their connection to the earth. She won first prize. I did the graphic art myself.

In the process of the contest, some of the artists developed a real interest in the story and did various bits of fan art outside of the contest. A few had even done them before that point. These artists became the original Goblin Circle.

Over time, I held contests for website images and paid £10 a pop for the winning entries, which paid the artist commission for permission to use their drawing. Copyright always stayed with the artist. I believe in looking after my artists, of all types.

So Goblin Circle expanded slowly, until the film became a reality. Then it expanded rapidly. Goblin Circle includes people who have worked directly on the project, as well as those who have worked in supporting roles to help get the project off the ground. This group has become fairly substantial.

Back at Deviant Art, I continued to hold contests for things that needed design, like the goblin swords. I have some brilliant designs for those. I will pay the artists a fee for using them and help negotiate reproduction deals. The idea is that the artist should benefit from their work, while I benefit from being allowed to use it.

Goblin Circle has expanded into overlap with local arts groups and young people (plus even a few older people) wanting to get into media, but facing the usual barriers to the inside track. As a local company, I have made it policy to get involved in the community and support talent where I find it, of many types. It's amazing how much talent is around. This is something I learned in high school, spending my time around music and drama enthusiasts and again later in 1980 when I went through a phase of Los Angeles based band management. Many very talented people never get to be well-known. I learned a lot about the reasons for that.

Oddly, Goblin Circle took on its own dynamic very like the society of the goblins in my stories. It's a close-knit community. No one is "in charge", we are all creative people doing whatever we are able to do to support each other. It isn't all young people looking for a break, there are some members of the circle that are already successful in acting, journalism, or other aspects of media.

It's only a matter of time before we find the rest of the investors we need, people with imagination and creativity as well as a bit of capital. We're already partly there, we just need another £180,000 to roll into production.

Meanwhile, the journey is rewarding in itself, because of Goblin Circle. The creative projects flow, in one form or another. I lend my prop swords to someone for a short film they're doing, someone else lends me a few items for a little video project of my own that you'll hear about soon. We pool ideas and manpower, and life is a wellspring of imaginative and artistic expression.

This is life in the Goblin Circle. I report about film progress to the various people that are helping to make contacts and ferret out those savvy investors who are reading the news about film investment being a safer choice than even food franchises now. Hey, I've got distribution. I'm as close to guaranteed profit as it gets!

But more importantly, we have fun. That's what Goblin Circle is about. Creating, and the satisfaction that goes with it. If you're reading this, you just might be one of us…

9 August 2008

There's a Goblin in my Soup

One of the things that continually comes up when you're looking for film funding is making a sample trailer so that you have something to show potential investors.

The trouble is, it takes money to make a trailer, and you need a trailer to get money. What's a filmmaker to do?

Well, after going over this dilemma many times, I ran into someone with experience of getting free help and with access to an incredible location. He had worked as an AD (Assistant Director), but also did gardening at a lovely property in Norfolk. Perhaps not quite as grandiose as some of the stately homes we plan to use for the castle interior scenes, but still a lovely mansion with extensive grounds, a forest, an orchard, and a moat!

The one thing I could not get for free was the goblin prosthetics and make-up. These cost a bit. This will be a consideration in planning shoots, getting the most out of the make-up and prosthetics as well as the locations.

I got a friend of mine who does Morris Dancing to recruit some goblins for me. Why? If you've ever been familiar with Leekspin.com or the Leekspin phenomena on YouTube, you can imagine the attention that a quatrain of Morris Dancing goblins could draw. The result is on my YouTube channel. But that's an aside, the main goal was to do a trailer, or rather a taster, as we didn't have the right actors to do actual scenes from the film. As nobody was getting paid, the humans were played by local aspiring actors with potential. Ironically, the one with the most actual acting experience was the actress, Donna O'Hare, who didn't get to do any real acting as her part was very simple.

She did the voice over though, which came out great. Ironically, that too was left out of the last version. But I'm getting ahead of myself…

I based the script on back story to the film plot. Five generations before Count Anton's troubles begin, his ancestor, Count Victor, has his first encounter with the goblins. The story about this is going into a radio play, which I really must finish writing.

I used what little investment money we had (plus a fair bit of my own money) for the goblin prosthetics and food and transport for the volunteers. That's standard on a no pay shoot, food and transportation costs. Another good reason to use locals. I cooked the food myself, it just needed warming up in a small oven we got for on-set use. A lot of things like the oven, make-up chairs, goblin teeth, will be useable later for the film as well.

All things considered, it went rather well. We had no lights and so were fighting the clock all the way. The goblins took longer to do than was estimated, so it got a little tight towards the end. Their body make-up was patchy as a result, but their faces looked great. The hair didn't get done either, a result of too few people to do too many jobs. Notes were taken about anything that might improve future shoots.

We were using off-the-shelf prosthetics rather than original ones as we will for the film itself. They still looked pretty impressive. The one thing I have to be very proud of my goblins for though, is the way they braved the cold in November with no complaint. My goblins don't wear a lot, and it was a very cold day! We kept them running as much as possible to stay warm, and kept blankets handy for between shots.

We got all the shots done and a lot more fighting shots than we had planned. We did run out of daylight for the Leekspin dance though, so my AD rigged up an outside light that would serve the purpose, just.

The shoot is only part of the process though. Rather a lot of filmmaking gets done in post production. I had my first lessons in editing as a result of this project. We did run into a problem when one of our people suddenly dropped off the map due to a family crisis. He was key to sorting the music. But, the show must go on. Time was stretching out as we waited too long for our missing person to reappear, and in the end we went with some music that wasn't good enough.

Some of the shots I liked best got left out of the first edit too, so I did the second one myself to get them in. But we still had cack music. You would be amazed at how much difference this makes to a clip. At this point I didn't put the samples on the website. I knew they weren't good enough. I did put them on YouTube though. People who frequent sites like this can be funny animals. Some with imagination found it exciting, but many made disparaging comments.

Now if you spend time around sites like YouTube and the IMDB forums, you'll come across loads of people who have nothing better to do than criticise other people's work. Many of them have never created anything in their lives, but they make negative comments about others. I got the student filmmakers who threw comments like "Is this a student film?"

Well actually guys, it's the first thing I've ever made, without the professional training you got in film school or any of the professionals involved that I have lined up for the actual film (you need money for that level of expertise), and it's still better than most of the first projects made by those who have ever made anything at all.

The real trolls (as they're referred to in the world of Internet forums) repeatedly encourage me to quit. My first shoot didn't come out looking like a Hollywood epic, so I should quit now. These are the ones that never will do anything creative. If you look at the histories of successful people, you'll find that they are the people who don't quit.

However, I did recognise that it wasn't good enough. So, I went looking for music. I found composers who wanted samples to get in the public arena and were prepared to do just over a minute of free music for the exposure. Some of these people are really good. The last one I found, called simply 'Sylvan', captured the epic drama and tribalism I was looking for. I did a complete re-cut of the taster around the music this time.

This one got a majority of good comments, although there is always someone who will find something negative to say. But for every one of those, there is someone more helpful who will suggest improvements. Sometimes, you even get offers of help.

One of those came recently. A couple of guys who do post production for a living at proper studios in London offered to do some of their magic on my clip. I was sensible enough to accept the offer. As I write this, my raw shots have just been received by the lovely person I've been speaking to, so the magic is going to happen over the next week or two. I'm not sure how long it will take as the work is being done in spare time.

So the message of today's post is basically don't let the losers of the world get in the way of pursuing your ambitions. Let their comments roll off like yesterday's rejection slips. A writer learns to let those roll off quickly, JK Rowling and any other famous author you can think of got them too.

If it isn't good enough, then it isn't finished yet. One of the advantages of being an Independent is that I'm not locked into a schedule until I make one. My distributor wants to see the rough edit when it's done, until then, seeking funding and juggling schedules is still important, but not locked by a release deadline. We will get it right, whatever it takes, and however long it takes.

Besides, they are vastly outnumbered by those who lend encouragement or directly support the project. Perhaps next time, I'll explain about Goblin Circle. If you're reading this regularly, you may well be one of us.

22 July 2008

The Value of an Open Mind

I had no idea that the latest story about my project in the Evening News would be picked up by the Advertiser as well. So, it was completely out of the blue, an email from someone at the paper passing on a name and a phone number of someone who was interested in investment.

Sound too good to be true? Stranger things have happened, at least to me. However, it did occur to me that the message could have been passed by someone who got the information wrong and it was really another local actor that wanted in. No matter, I'll meet with anybody and I do especially want to use local talent in the film as much as possible. And you never know…

So I set up a meeting. I went prepared for a meeting with a potential investor, all the while knowing that I could have asked more questions by phone to establish the actual situation. There's always a reason behind things I choose to do or not do for no apparent reason, I often find out what it is after the fact.

So, I settle into a coffee shop with a nice cold frappuccino on a hot day and in comes a young man. Immediately I know he's not a rich kid with loads of dosh he's dying to invest in an Executive Producer credit, he's thanking me for seeing him. But, it turns out he's not just an aspiring actor either.

Oh yes, he's into acting and fits with what I need for the world I'm building, but he's actually interested in hands-on learning about production. It turns out he's interning with local BBC radio because he had the audacity to walk in and ask for a job, and is doing a business and accounting degree. Valuable skills for a producer. He's got a few other useful skills as well.

Within minutes he's pouring out ideas for approaching people for funding, many of them personal contacts. He's got a friend who owns a theatre company in London who has had some interesting success as well. It isn't hard to see this kid is sharp, full of enthusiasm, and just the sort of person that will go far in life through pure energy and drive.

So, it looks like I've got an assistant. Maybe even a co-producer if he turns out to be the sort of person who has a natural talent for getting people to stump up cash. I can see that possibility in him. One of my own talents is recognising potential in others. He might turn out to be a good actor as well.

So, one more for the local focus of the company. If I can get local investment, I'd love to make a special credit to the people of Norwich. The community aspect of the company does matter to me. The tricky bit is getting the message to those who have the investment capital. I have a feeling this lad just might be the driving force that helps that happen. Call it instinct.

It just goes to show that it's worth keeping an open mind. That's why I network with just about anybody. After all, that's how I got the ace location for the trailer shoot. You just never know who somebody might know, or turn out to be.

14 July 2008

A Moment of Calm

The past three weeks have been mad with meetings, events and social engagements. I find that business networking (through Bizzfizz) is very valuable and actually fun. But sometimes events all happen at once, and I find myself having to look at my calendar every day to see where I'm supposed to be that day. If I'm off to London, I might have as many as three places to be at different times of the day!

Well, this week is different. I have some time to catch up on things, which is good because the one meeting I do have on Tuesday requires some preparation. Not that I'm ever unprepared, but updating my Business Plan and the script needed doing, which I managed to accomplish last week despite the whirlwind of activity. Ironically, my day job (which pays the rent) often provides a breather because I don't schedule meetings to conflict with it.

Despite going out to the cinema yesterday, I managed to go through my various bits and pieces of information and gather together the papers I need for an investor meeting. I should say potential investor in this case. My meeting Tuesday is with someone who contacted me because of the most recent newspaper story about the project. The message I got was that he's interested in investment. Whether it's large or small or something that will hurl me into production this week is something I'll learn on Tuesday. I take every such meeting seriously, it only takes one person with imagination and a bit of investment capital to make this project roll.

One of the things that makes me a good Producer is the satisfaction I get from having admin caught up. It's nerdish, I know. But having all my meeting minutes in place, my receipts neatly stapled to colour coded forms, my financial spreadsheets up to date so that any public inspection would have me coming up smelling of roses, gives me satisfaction.

This is where many independent filmmakers fall down. The 'artistes' that can't be bothered with anything more than the minimum required admin and business consideration because their 'baby' is all that matters. Well my 'baby' matters enough to put the hard graft into making sure the papers are in order. That's what will make me successful while many others continue to slog to get their arty films made and then lose money. Considering commercial potential and keeping records is the business aspect that too many can't grok.

It's also useful going through details of the locations and actors etc every time I have a meeting because it is then fresh in my mind.

Meanwhile, my artistic side is not sitting idle. Apart from continuing to write, I am editing a whole new teaser from the footage that we took last November.

For those who don't know, we got a fantastic location and had a one day shoot to make a teaser/trailer to give some flavour of the world created in Dance of the Goblins. We didn't ask any of the principle cast to participate as we were making it on almost no money so it was all volunteer help, apart from the make-up prosthetics team.

The shoot served as a good test of various aspects of working together. One of the most valuable things I learned is not to leave any of the organising to anyone else, especially if they are used to working in low/no budget projects and settling for 'good enough'. The facilities for the make-up team were far too cramped for starters. But, lessons learned for the 'real' shooting days.

Unfortunately we lost the person who was going to do the music in post-production. A family crisis caused a sudden disappearing act that left us finishing up quickly so I would have something to show the existing investors. Music is an important part of film, and can make the difference of it coming over amateurish.

But, being too stubborn to settle for something amateurish, I found a few aspiring composers on Internet forums who were happy to so a short piece of music for me for no cost. Two of them did nice pieces which I've put on different versions of the trailer on YouTube. However, although the music was good, they lacked the tribal feel I was looking for.

Then I got an inspiration. I decided to do a different teaser, using the best shots from the filming and some new sound effects. One of the composers came up with a brilliant piece of music that would work perfectly for it, so much so that I'm thinking of asking him to do some of the incidental music in the film although I already have a composer attached.

But being a glutton for punishment, I decided that having the whole thing in one location was too limiting. We had the grounds of a beautiful stately home with a moat, bridge, orchard, forest and large lawn at our disposal, but no caverns for the goblins.

However, I have recce photos from the caverns I plan to use for the underground locations. Unfortunately I know enough about editing and animation to do what I then decided was essential. I took a couple of seconds of footage of goblins sauntering through the forest and exported all the individual frames so that I could cut them out of their background in Photoshop. The original clip was 4 seconds. Film runs at 25 frames per second. Eek!

So, I had 102 frames to do delicate cutting work on originally, although I've shortened it to 40 frames after looking closely at the individual frames. I've done about a dozen of them so far, and will be working diligently on doing the rest over the next couple of days. Then the goblins have to be superimposed on a cavern background, which can be nice and shady which helps with the detail. All this so I can add slightly less than 2 seconds of goblins in the caverns to what I already have.

But it will be worth it.

All these things take time time time! But it's all great fun too. Ironically, I'm having more fun with my life than most of the rich people that I'd like to get to invest in my film. I just need to find one that is ready to come and play too. *grin*

6 July 2008

I've decided to start this page over. Why? because I was recetly advised by a newspaper editor to keep a blog, update it at least weekly, and spread it around the Internet as much as possible. I figure he knows his business, so instead of neglecting this page for months at a time, I will put the weekly updates here along with various oither sources.

So What Does A Film Producer Actually Do?

There is a lot of glamour surrounding the idea of that entity, the Film Producer. Most of us think of a producer as the rich guy with the cigar lounging around the swimming pool in his mansion that we see on television and in the movies.

Actually I've met a couple of those. I used to live in Los Angeles and spent some time around Film Industry people there. Mostly parents of friends. You see, I was in high school at the time. But I digress.

The image is overblown. It also only applies even as a cliché to the big studio execs in Hollywood. Any film that is produced outside of the big studios is considered an Independent film, and that brings you back to me. The small Independent Film Producer in your neighbourhood. Ok so there are a lot more in London than in Norwich, but you'll find that outside of the quirks of the job, they are pretty ordinary people in general. If you allow for the fact that 'arty' people can be just a little eccentric in (usually) small ways.

So, what does the film producer do? Well, today started with writing an introduction for a friend's comic, followed by domestic chores, breaking up a cat fight (my cat is the yob in this encounter) then finishing a book proposal, doing some sewing repairs on my jeans, and going out to a meeting with a PR Advertising person I met at a business networking meeting a couple of weeks ago. That's all in between hanging out on the Internet, where my time is divided between business emails and playing around on forums. Some of them are film related.

But how did I get here? This is actually a pretty typical day. I seem to be busy on a regular basis these days between meetings and social obligations and ordinary tasks at home. I have a daughter, although she's grown. I give her time as well. Getting back to the question, before I wander off and start cutting out goblins in Photoshop for the 2 second scene (50 frames) I want to put in a different setting for a re-cut of the marketing trailer, I did actually start out asking that question, what does a producer do?

I had written a story you see, with sequels. And it needed to be a film, it was obvious. So I wrote a screenplay (after consulting a book on screenplay format of course) and I was just looking for information on who I should try to sell it to. Norwich Library has a great film section. I started reading.

I not only found that what a producer does is all my best talents, I also learned the answer to the age old question, "What does a Best Boy do!" No seriously, what a producer does is basically admin and organising. Oh, and raising money. That's why I'm off to see an Advertising person tonight. We may be able to cut a deal on video advertising that could help fund my film.

But that's just one possibility among others that I'm juggling until I reach that goal. 95% of Independent films are privately financed, and I do have a couple of investors already. But I have to reach a target of £250,000 to get through production. In film terms, it's a drop in the bucket. In the lives of ordinary people like me, a fair fortune.

There's always a way to do something, you just have to find it. That philosophy has allowed me to accomplish the impossible before, so this should be a piece of cake. I've already got a name actor (Kevin McNally) and distribution with an L.A. company, which is more than many Independent producers have when they go looking for financing. I've also got two years of organising in place with full crew, locations spotted, props sorted, you know, all the elements that come together to make a movie.

That's what a producer does. He, or she, puts together the right people and all of the ingredients that will come together to make a film. That's what it actually comes down to. I'm surprised there isn't a bigger percentage of women doing it, because it requires a lot of multi-tasking.

To quote Julia Phillips (producer of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Sting, Taxi Driver among others), "That is really all you need to do to be a good producer; you have to convince them that you are ten feet tall all the time. And that you can do something a little crazy. So they better watch it."