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So, I have bitten the bullet and I’m now a full-time freelancer. This was a scary decision but all the signs pointed towards filmmaking-with my part-time employment getting in the way, some paid work is lined up working with some really talented people. With this, I throw myself into the deep end and so far I’m swimming. There will be difficulties, of course, but I have the determination to hopefully keep myself floating.   Click here to read more »

After thinking over all the films that I have watched this past year, I have settled for the following films. Counting down in order from ten to one. Click here to read more »

So, over this Christmas period I ended up thinking about what we have managed to accomplish this year and it’s quiet a lot considering we are independent filmmakers with no funding. We have managed to meet some amazing people, network with many creative types and work with a lot of talented people. Amongst this we completed five short films which all seem to be doing something good.

OVERWHELMED

This was my own first professional film since leaving university as a director/producer and was developed and filmed over one weekend through an inspired collaboration with my friend, Jordan Dawes. The film stars Joe O’Byrne who delivers a stunning performance of emotional subtleties. It was a real pleasure to work with someone as talented and dedicated as him. Between this film and Ante was the development of our core team that we have worked with throughout the rest of 2011.

ANTE

Ante is a stylish thriller directed by Chris Cronin who really did create something special and visually unique. This film was something that I was not involved with from the start as I came on board a few days before filming. I helped out where I could on set before helping to promote the film itself after post-production. This was the first step towards working as a producer for Chris Cronin and the rest of his films in 2011.

HAIL OF BULLETS

This short film derives from a one day tester as we where developing an action feature film  which has been put on hold due to funding. For myself, this was the first test of being solely a producer and working with Chris Cronin as a partnership. It was a great test for everyone involved as it was an intense action scene with stunts, difficult set ups and shots with less than a minimal crew. We only consisted of three people for all camera, lighting and technical set ups for this film. We had Andrew Layfield and James Rackham on the sound as well as Anna Bailey doing make up. This was the set where we learnt how to work with each other and what to alter on for the following films.

SOPHIE’S FORTUNE

When Chris approached me with the impossible task of making an “Indiana Jones” style film which must be a Summer blockbuster style film, shot in rainy England and have as many bullets and explosions as possible, I only had one answer for it. “Hell yes” and “The script is outrageous… We have try and make this”. Both of us looked into some interesting locations that had an ‘epic’ and derelict feel to it. After a few nights of google searches we found a good list of locations and went about investigating to find the right people to talk to. With a polite manner, honest approach and confident tone we managed to obtain a lot of great locations rather quickly.

Then it came to casting, Chris managed to find a good selection of talented actors who where more than excited to be involved with a film of this kind. Also, it made us expand our crew into areas that we have never worked with before such as CGI, prop makers and armourers. It was a great experience and something which hopefully will be of great interest once completed.

WHAT STARES BACK

After suggesting to Chris that he should network more in Leeds, he entered himself into a 3 day film competition called “2.8 Days later”. This competition was put on by Left Eye Blind, Hebe Media and Trinity Leeds. It was a great opportunity to meet some interesting and creative people who are acknowledged within the film industry. The competition ended up being a great bonding experience for us and our crew as we had to really knuckle down and complete an entire film in such a short time scale. (That’s write, film and edit a full film). Everyone did an exceptional job  in pulling this film off but I just wanted to say a special thanks to Paul Thomas for creating a script as good as it was in under 5 hours, Joel Catchatoor for being able to produce another stunning musical score, Mick Bahler for jumping on board with the CGI and the sound guys for sticking with us through another tight deadline. We were all sleep deprived and exhausted by the end of it but I loved seeing the commitment people put into actually get it completed on time. It was a pleasure working with people who are willing to do the same as you.

So, that was our 2011 and we already have plans to make 2012 a highly productive and successful year for ourselves. We hope that it is a great year for all and that we can all help to bring back the British film industry which, in my opinion, is slowly fading away. I also want to thank everyone who has worked with us so far and to let you know that you are invaluable to us. Without you, we would not be able to make the films we want to.

“Give actors the permission to play” 

As a new director, I really wanted to throw myself into a rehearsal/script breakdown with some motivated actors to really explore the script. I wanted to listen to the actors ideas and problems that they might have had with the story, characters or actions. We managed to get some very interesting actors involved and it was a real pleasure to work with them.

We explored the story’s depths and connections of it’s emotions with some nice thoughts shining through. We broke the character’s down and really studied why these people are the way they are. It was great to see Max, Victoria and Derek chat about their opinions.

We then went into blocking the first scene and working out it’s beats to find the physical life of the story. All actors took direction well and added their own little touches to the character which allowed them to be humanised. It was a great process to see as we explored the story even further by adding layers of emotion.

I understand that in rehearsals you should never try to find a ‘finished result’ but really wanted to test these actors and see how they absorbed my guidance. We finished off by allowing them to improvise the scene now knowing that they have to get from point A to point B. This was a pleasurable practice to see with the actors really having to work with each other, not fully knowing what they will say or do.

The actors that collaborated on this workshop were:

Max Calandrew

I have recently graduated from Manchester School of Theatre and I’m looking to work within the world of TV, Film and Theatre. I pride myself on working hard for the opportunities I get as well as putting a huge amount of work into each character I play. If you wish to see material of me performing please click the link below. The material is scenes from a filmed version of a production of Stags and Hens that was performed at my Drama School. Please note that the Liverpool accent is a character trait and is not my native accent.

http://vimeo.com/28463341

Victoria Connett

I studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York City. I have done roles in Coronation Street, The Royal, Doctors, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, along with others. Will be on ITV’s Christmas film ‘Just Henry’ this Sunday.

IMDb link http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0175234/ 

Follow Victoria on Twitter #victoriaconnett

Derek Lawson

Derek started his career in London in the early ‘80s and appeared in several plays there such as Hedda Gabler (Henrik Ibsen), Major Barbara (George Bernard Shaw) and Amadeus (Peter Shaffer). He made his London debut as a Director with Educating Rita (Willy Russell) and followed that up with Middle Aged Spread (Roger Hall).

During his absence from the theatre, Derek has appeared in many film and television roles. Most recently he has been viewed at the Cannes Film Festival in the short film, Dark Solitude. He has also played parts in the cinema versions of Ghosts, Sherlock Holmes, and Across The Universe.

http://www.castingcallpro.com/uk/view.php?uid=46944

So, our latest short film is now online for you all to see…

We entered a film competition where you have to make a film in 3 days and we did it, even if we ran out of time. The film is called ‘What Stares Back’ and is a supernatural suspense horror that follows a thief taking the opportunity of robbing an empty house. What he doesn’t know is that he is being watched by something that isn’t at all human.

You can see the film through this LINK here and we’d really appreciate your support by clicking LIKE on the film. It goes towards the audience award put together by Trinity Leeds and 2.8 Days Later. The film itself is unfinished but we now have the finished piece which will be screened tonight at Kino Shorts 20. If you are interested it seeing this film or meeting the people that made it, get down and enjoy the event

Phil Meachem

Write, plan, record and edit a short film in less than 3 days?… why not!

We decided to get involved with 2.8 Days Later where you make a film within 3 days to really test ourselves on a high pressure shoot. The competition was set up by Left Eye Blind, Trinity Leeds and Leeds City Council with around 150 filmmakers getting involved. People that got involved included independent filmmakers, graduates from film schools and amateurs, a real mix of people. I love the idea of these competition’s and have always wanted to get involved as it just looks so much fun. Everyone involved at Left Eye Blind all seemed to be really helpful and friendly towards the people who participated. They even set themselves up as mentors to help give advice and guidance where needed, it was really good to see.

The theme for this 2.8 Days Later was REFLECTIONS and was given to us on Friday morning as the weekend of filmmaking began. As soon as we were told, myself and Chris Cronin got on with developing the film. Chris instantly rang the scriptwriter Paul Thomas and told him the idea as I went about trying to find a location. We searched through Leeds trying to find the right location ringing random companies, hotels and business buildings with some successful possibilities and a lot of rejections. After a few hours of looking we found a location which over looked the Trinity Leeds in construction but the room itself was unfortunately not what we wanted. This drove us to a back up idea/plan which we ended up using a house and public streets. (not exactly an impressive location but allowed us to combine location and base unit together).

We had to film on the first night of the competition due to the equipment we managed to get our hands on which was only available for that night and that night alone. It really was a high pressure film shoot where we delved into it with nothing fully planned. It was a scary situation but that is what the competition is all about, it see if you CAN create something worth watching in just 3 days. For us it did get to the point of confirming cast whilst we were driving to the location itself, it is something I wouldn’t like to recommend to people as we had our hearts in our mouths. We had everything confirmed by the time we got to the location and received the script via email from paul. We then had a good look over it and off we went to plan it all. The cast came and had all the crew prepped ready to start filming.

The filming went very well and had the majority of the footage but finished at around 7am due to tiredness and having to let our crew get some rest. We went back to Chris’ to start editing and planning for a second nights filming. (We found out once we had finished the first night that there would be a possibility of filming for the second). For the second night we had to confirm a few more cast and try to storyboard/list exactly what we needed to film. The second night came around and we got on with it. This lasted around 6 hours compared to the previous nights filming of 11. I have to take my hat off to Sam Cronin who worked on two film sets that weekend with literally no sleep at all. I have the up most  respect for him to be able to pull off something like that and still get some good shots.

When it came to the editing for this film, we had a very enjoyable yet energy sapping job ahead of us. We simultaneously had to co-ordinate the sound design, music composer and VFX whilst trying to edit the visuals to get the film completed before the deadline of Monday morning 10am. The team worked really hard to get this done and loved to see the dedicated that shined through. We all stayed up through Sunday night to try and get the film finished. Inevitably though we simply just ran out of time and have to export without even looking at the full film to hand in before the deadline. The export was awful to watch, as the time ticked away we saw the export percentage slowly climb. As soon as it have finished it’s export we all jumped in the car and drove like there was no tomorrow to get it in before the 10am deadline. Traffic held us up and we just did not know if we would make it. We got to the Left Eye Blind offices and ran up to stairs to hand in our film with just 6 minutes to spare!

This film and the competition itself was a great experience but with ourselves handing in an unfinished film it truly goes to show that organisation and quick decisions are utmost key to having a finished, high quality film on your hands. I would just like to thank everyone who helped us with our film, our mentor Adam Lyons and Left Eye Blind & Trinity Leeds for putting on this competition. We are excited to see what everyone else has been able to produce and hope to meet people at the screening.

Phil Meachem

This month is looking to be a busy one for myself with “Love & Light” pre-production, networking events and a few screenings. We recently released the official teaser trailer for “Sophie’s Fortune” and so far it has gone down a storm! Many people commenting in positive ways and sharing the link with friends so thank you.

“Sophie’s Fortune” is an action/adventure film that follows Brendan who gets involved in a ‘Fathers only’ treasure hunt for the sake of his 9 year old niece Sophie. But what Brendan begins to realise is that the parents imagination may have gotten the better of them by taking the treasure hunt far too seriously. The film stars Simon Hardwick, George McCluskey (Front Man), Steve McTigue (Dragon Crusaders), Cameron Prudames, Adam Baroni (Making Gods Bleed), Christopher Faith, David-Edward Robertson (Shameless), Greg Walsh, Russel Baines, Noel Ross, Victoria Delaney and Verity Rushworth (Sound of Music). The film itself is in post-production and should be completed early next year as there are a lot of heavy CGI shots which take time to complete. We feel proud to have worked with such talented people on this film and look forward to our future projects with them. It really is becoming an exciting time for us and our crew.

NEW SOPHIE’S FORTUNE TRAILER HERE! 

I have been sinking my teeth back into my own short film, “Love & Light”, this week with having some great conversations with the writers, developing the characters and resolving some technical set up difficulties. Dean Lines and Ray Bogdanovich, the writers, have been doing a great job so far and we should have the final draft in the next couple of days. This excites me no end as I know i will be able to really knuckle down with that script in my hands. I will be setting up a rehearsal day with some actors to see if the dialogue and actions work within the context of the story. This will allow us to play around and really make it work. It will be a great day for doing what we love so look out for posts about that. (The actors I choose won’t be confirmed for the roles but will be considered). I’m wanting three actors from the Manchester area.

Also, my friend Rebecca-Claire Evans has been doing an amazing job with her film “The Zombie King” and I have been told that she will be announcing a big name signing for the talent next week. Keep your eyes peeled and join this page.

So, it has been a few weeks now since we finished filming Sophie’s Fortune and now well rested and caught up with sleep. We have had some time to reflect on how the filming went and a good look over the footage. I want to start off by saying it was a great experience and loved working with everyone who was on set. We truly made Sophie’s Fortune as big as possible with the use of castles, ruins and forests, managing to get around gun laws and having a cast of more than nine main characters. This film was the first ‘real’ test for myself as a producer and it really did pushed me to the limit with conflicting schedules, near impossible requests and a more than adventurous script but we did it!

I would like to give praise towards the director, Chris Cronin, who did a solid job. He managed a large scale cast and crew, child actors and difficult situations on set. He has managed to create a very interesting teaser trailer and this will be online in the very near future. It will truly give you a small glimpse of the film which should get you all excited.

I myself, will be going straight into my own short film called “Love & Light” which is a quirky romance set within the confines of a second-hand lighting shop. The film will be produced and directed by myself and will hopefully be filmed at the end of the year all being well. I do not want to give a solid date yet and we all know, things can change in this industry. I feel very passionately about this production and have a brewing feeling that this one will be of some originality.

Myself and Chris Cronin where invited by John Wojowski to be guest speakers at the HotchPotch Inauguration last Wednesday 19th October and it went down really well so thank you John. We shared our filmmaking journey and although very short, we managed to screen six films. The audience seemed to respond to the films and our experiences really well with some people asking us a series of engaging questions. It was a real pleasure being able to stand there and share our accomplishments and mistakes with new people. I also want to say a big thank you to Zuzanna Zukiewicz who was the event organiser at HotchPotch and did a great job of filling a bar full of creative people. She was a excellent host and is a great person to know.

And finally, the Three Minute Theatre is holding a week long festival, with art, music, dance theatre and film.  On the 24th of Oct from 7pm onwards short films and music videos from independent film makers across the UK will be screened.  The Three Minute Theatre is on the bottom floor of afflecks palace and be entered from the oldham street entrance.  This is the first time they have done something like this and if successful we hope to make it a venue to show case the best of independent work on a monthly basis.  A chance to see some great short films, meet some film makers and if all else fails theres a cheap bar.  If anyone is interested in showing of their work please get in touch with James Raynard @ Jamesgarnet@hotmail.com or send me a message on facebook asap.