brokenarrowfilms' blog

Cannes 2010

2010-05-05T17:32:00.004+01:00

My latest short The Triumph of Venus will have its first international outing at the Cannes 2010 Short Film Corner from May 12th. However due to ill health I will not be attending myself, instead my good friend Jack Marshall will be over there pressing his own projects and TToV. The first public showing for The Triumph of Venus will be in the USA during August at The Washougal International Film Festival.

The Triumph of Venus - First Results

2010-03-29T15:31:00.003+01:00

With a great thank you to Jack Marshall I can announce that my short film The Triumph of Venus is launched on the film festival circuit. The world premiere will be at Cannes in the short film market place (Short Film Corner) and the first public showing will be in the USA at the Washougal International Film Festival.

My feature script The Pied Piper Killer has almost completed its proof reading stage and then I must decide how to proceed. One thought would be to go for crowd funding and produce the film myself... this would require around £80k (cash). If I could attract a crowd of around 300 then a contribution of little over £250 would get the film made. Of course my current health problems really mean that this could be just too much. However, my experience with other producers leads me to believe that if I want one of my scripts actually produced, then I need to take the short film approach and get on and do the job myself!

The Triumph of Venus

2010-03-13T20:28:00.005Z

The Triumph of Venus is off and running, with Screeners sent to three film festivals; The Cannes Short Film Competition (France), The Washougal International Film Festival (USA) and The Norwich Film Festival (UK). Now is the time for lots of sustained finger crossing! Once I have a file in the recommended format (from our stalwart editor Jack Marshall) for the Cannes Short Film Corner then this market place will be the films premiere (unless we get into the Competition!!!!). The current screener has a small continuity error which hopefully Jack will be able to correct shortly. When this version is available then several other festivals may be hearing from brokenarrowfilms! Follow this blog for progress reports.

Finally, my new feature film script The Pied Piper Killer is currently being proof read so there’ll be more to say about this soon.

Shutter Island - Review

2010-03-10T22:17:00.004Z

Yesterday I was luck enough to be sitting in a comfortable West End cinema seat at a preview showing of Shutter Island. If you are a film goer that likes to relax back and allow the film to wash over you; then Shutter Island has enough visual stimuli to satisfy you. However, if films make you think and you enjoy trying to solve a good mystery then I’d avoid this film. The mood music tries desperately to enhance the mystery but in reality the film is transparent and then it’s a long wait until the end, which is admittedly rather well done. To make a feature the plot needed so must more death, as a short film it would have been a winner!

The Pied Piper Killer

2010-03-07T18:37:00.003Z

The Pied Piper Killer is the new name for my feature By Degrees. I’ve been fiddling with the script and I’m now very happy with its 103 pages. In any event it’s now printed and my dear wife will be proof reading and critiquing the work over the next week or so (wish me luck!).

My other feature The Bloodline is still stuck in the mud having obtained an almost non-existent priority with my Producers (Oh, if only we could do without them!).

However, there is good news about my short The Triumph of Venus…. It’s now officially entered into the Cannes 2010 Short Film Competition (lots of luck wishing here please!) and will shortly be entered into the Cannes 2010 Short Film Corner (which is the Cannes market and not a competition). Well done to Jack Marshall who edited the film!

By Degrees

2010-02-21T17:41:00.004Z

There is one advantage of being a little physically weak for a while and that is that one can turn ones attention back to writing. I have just completed a 100 page first draft for my low budget feature By Degrees... naturally I think that it’s brilliant at the moment... what I’ll think when it comes to my first review in a few weeks time is another matter! The first big test for the script will be my wife, who will be proof reading soon... wish me luck!

Visitors to my website will notice that By Degrees does not yet appear on the site. This is because I have been experimenting (using a shadow side) with a complete re-write of the site. So watch this space!

And as for my short The Triumph of Venice this is still in post but should be ready in a week or two for it's first festival entry!

The Vet and the Pornstar

2010-02-09T16:30:00.003Z

It is more than possible that I have lost a few readers due to my long absence. However, I do have a good reason I've been ill!

This has not stopped the post-work on my short The Triumph of Venus but it has meant that I've had to leave it in the hands of my friend Jack Marshall .... overworked as he is, he has managed to produce a great edit (including underwater shots and other effects) which should be ready for Cannes 2010. I've also managed to put in some work on my low budget feature, which has a working title of By Degrees.

I had an email from an LA actress friend of mine (Paula Labaredas) , which brightened my spirits as she sent a clip of her latest film The Vet and the Pornstar. It's an interesting take on traditional film making and I wish it well. Click here for the clip and here for the IMDb entry.

Variant D4 and Daybreakers

2010-01-13T12:05:00.004Z

If any reader has visited brokenarrowfilms.co.uk they may have seen, amongst the projects listed, the feature film script Variant D4. This Vampire story was written some years ago, long before the recent popularisation of the sub-genre. But as it requires a “real” budget I’ve pushed it back and back to promote cheaper projects such as the feature The bloodline and short films like A Question Of Content and my current project The Triumph of Venus. And of course I have worked on other peoples projects like the feature film script Babbage for Frame On Frame etc.

So why bring this up?

Let me tell you:

Yesterday I went to see the Austrian film Daybreakers . It’s a good Vampire yarn and well produced, well worth a visit even if you’re not a total sub-genre fan. However, the point is that the film contains many of the themes and circumstances contained in Variant D4!

It does not put pay to the D4 project entirely but if it did ever get made (and personally I think my story is even better than Daybreakers – {of course I would say this!}) it would be considered to have been inspired by Daybreakers. So, just in case it does get made I will now be able to point to the many, many (somewhat wishful thinking here!) people who have read this blog and visited the website to vouch for D4’s originality. Egotistic or vain is that?

The Bloodline

2010-01-11T17:28:00.003Z

The logjam on my The Bloodline feature film project may have moved slightly as a result of a meeting with the main Producer over the holiday. Hopefully, he will soon be in a position to take the Portuguese version on by engaging our nominated writer. In the meantime I’ve polished up the English version and added a little more interplay between the two main characters, which goes some way to satisfy a wish of the Producer, without making a major change to the structure of the story.

Regular readers will remember my blog on the technical issue we had with my short The Triumph of Venus – I’m happy to report that Jack Marshall has demonstrated how we can fix the frames using Adobe After Effects.... well done Jack!

First Cut The Triumph of Venus

2010-01-08T14:23:00.005Z

The Jack Marshall has completed the first cut of my short The Triumph of Venus. We still have a few issues to deal with, music, shot selection and a tricky technical problem, but it looks like we'll have something we can put into the Cannes Short 2010 Film Competition and the Short Film Corner.

The technical issue relates to a few frames that need correction or replacement during what I call the candle scene. The frame above indicates the problem, the frame below indicates a rough correction... can you spot the difference? Well, you would if the image was projected on a full sized cinema screen, which must be the aim for our final version!

My feature script The Bloodline polish is going well and has been helped by the experience gained making two shorts.

New Year

2010-01-01T19:02:00.004Z

For much of last year and back into 2008 I was involved in the Babbage feature film. Although no longer on the project, collaborating with Frame On Frame has help to polish up my script methodology. With this in mind I’ve started a review of my own feature, The Bloodline. I hope to tighten up the latest version so keep reading this space. Over the break I was able to speak to my producer and hopefully 2010 will provide an opportunity to take this project further. In the meantime Jack Marshall has made good progress in editing my short The Triumph of Venus and hopefully a rough cut version will be available soon.

Christmas Dreams

2009-12-23T15:33:00.010Z

It’s time for Christmas dreams, so I hope you are all lucky enough to have all your dreams come true. On this subject Jack Marshall has started to edit my short The Triumph of Venus... fingers crossed please!

brokenarrowfilms and Frame On Frame have agreed terms for the scripting work I did for the Babbage feature film project... good luck to them in the new year.

Tomorrow it’s off to Pantomime land and Robin Hood (played by my professional actor son Peter – tickets are still available but hurry!) and then Christmas starts for real. So Merry Christmas and don’t forget to drop by next year!

Snow

2009-12-21T18:21:00.004Z

Where would Christmas be without snow? And if you enjoy animated-interactive e-cards you can get both by clicking here. Enjoy!

Christmas Cards

2009-12-18T16:05:00.004Z

It’s Christmas card time again!

Last year I used a widget from iclone to send seasons e-greetings - but this year I’ve used a photograph I took a couple of weeks ago in Hyde Park, London. To see what I created from this image click here.

Incidentally the jpg above was taken the same day in Trafalgar Square. My wife had spent a pamper day in town and I joined her for drinks at the Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, where Chris Eubank also happened to be enjoying the evening. Hobnobbing.... fun for Christmas!

Intruder - DVD

2009-12-16T18:22:00.006Z

Just in time for Christmas Jack Marshall has released the DVD of his award winning short Intruder. As a bonus the DVD also contains a copy of my award winner short-short A Question Of Content. Jack plans to make the DVD available for purchase via his distributing arm Cambridge Film International and naturally I'd like everyone to buy 10 copies as this will help finance a planned micro-budget feature film next year.

With regards to my, in post, short The Triumph of Venus; would you believe that I have spotted a TV commercial that almost mimics part of the storyline? Well it's true... fortunately they don't do it as well as we do! This happened to Jack last year were the film we saw at the 2008 Royal Film Performance was almost a copy of a script he'd been working on for some time.... life eh!

The Triumph of Venus

2009-12-09T13:02:00.005Z

At the weekend we filmed my short The Triumph of Venus (originally titled A Martian Eclipse). The story, as the titles suggest, is about the “battle of the sexes”. We used a single location with four scenes (although two scenes were external establishing shots only) and shot in full HD. Whilst a simple concept the actual filming was a challenge as we were working in a confined space and the story involved a water stunt. The stunt was performed by the actors (with a little help from yours truly, that will not be evident in the final cut) and although fairly straightforward required some thought and effort to make it appear realistic. We also managed to get an underwater shot due to the ingenuity of our Cameraman and Editor Jack Marshall . The actors Helen Rynne and Andrew Franzkowiak were great sports and put everything in to this little production. Thanks must also go to my wife Diane Williams who was location manager, caterer and hostess for the weekend. I would be more than happy to work with all four again sometime in the future. The film is now in post and the aim is to have a cut ready for the Cannes 2010 Short Film Competition and also for an IMDb qualifying festival (most likely the Cannes 2010 Short Film Corner – which runs in parallel with the Cannes Film Festival but is in the market rather than the competition). So watch this space for further updates.

The Lovely Bones - Review

2009-12-08T15:45:00.003Z

At long last a word or two on the Royal Film Performance. It was attended by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (according to my wife she was wearing a long deep blue sparkling dress) and was the world premiere of The Lovely Bones. The Director (/writer/producer) Peter Jackson and most of the cast were introduced by Steven Fry and then had to struggle back to their seats in the dark as the film started. The film is based on Alice Sebold’s second novel and is a close adaptation (although the role of the mother has been drastically reduced with a complete sub-plot removed – this does not help explain her actions, which is one of the weaknesses of the film). The story is told with large chunks of voice over from the young victim of a sex crime (Susie Salmon played with great feeling by Saoirse Ronan). The film switches from Susie’s spirit world (filmed as a kind of telly tubby land!) to the real world. If you loved the book but hated the end then you’ll have the same problem with the film. Personally I hated the whole thing! The film opens in the UK in about a month. If you loved every part of the book and can live with the mother’s sub-plot removal it would be a must see event.

After the film we went to Gauchos, off Regent Street, for a meal. It is a beautifully appointed restaurant and before you order they bring you a wooden platter of uncooked beef joints and give you a little lecture on the various cuts and how they cook them – great fun!

We stayed in the West End overnight and on the following day it was the turn of Hairspray to get our critical eye. The show is well staged but personally I preferred the film version, still it’s worth a visit if you’re in London.

Tomorrow I planning to write a little more about my short film The Triumph of Venus, therefore watch this space!

The Triumph of Venus

2009-12-07T21:40:00.002Z

I can announce that this, the latest short from brokenarrowfilms is now in post! Thanks to a great effort from the cast and crew. Well I say crew but due to the confined space that we were filming in, this amounted to me and the Cameraman (with my wife acting as location manager). I doubled up as clapper, runner and sound man! Let me confess that I don't think anyone out there should contemplate using me as their sound man! If it were not for our CM I'm not sure that we'd have captured any sound other than the camera's own pick up! Everyone else was great.... there will be more on this later but I'm aware I promised a review of the Royal Film Performance so I'll try and make this the subject of my next blog.... then I'll come back to give more detailed credit to the cast and crew. Watch this space!

Chris

2009-11-28T12:55:00.002Z

The best laid plans…!

After attending the funeral yesterday of a fellow re-enactor from the Medieval Siege Society I’ve decided to put off my rather trivial planned show (Hairspray) and film (The Lovely Bones) review for a word or two about Christopher John Broome-Smith (1951 – 2009). Chris was a founder member of the MSS and his death leaves the society the poorer. Anyone, who is a member of any organised group of people, will know that there are doers and watchers and Chris was one of the best doers that I ever had the privilege to meet. He had time for everyone and lived his life to the full. A dedicated family man, his wife Sheila (a fellow member of the MSS) is surrounded by the heart felt best wishes and support of her family, friends and the society membership. Goodbye Chris!

Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund - Royal Film Performance

2009-11-26T17:46:00.005Z

Once again it is time for the CTBF Royal Film Performance. This gives me the perfect opportunity to promote the charity. So if you are not already a member go and see what it is all about by clicking here.

Prince Charles & the Duchess of Cornwall were in attendance this year to see The Lovely Bones, but I'll report on the film tomorrow. For now the slide show below is a little taster.

Disaster on a grand scale 2012

2009-11-18T14:31:00.004Z

Many years ago realistic "disaster" movies (eg The Towering Inferno ) were ridiculed by such films as Airplane! and almost disappeared from our screens. Of more recent times the disaster has returned contained within other genre (eg Titanic – Romance and Independence Day - Science Fiction ) but recently the disaster itself is beginning to return to the classic structure with such films as the fact based A Perfect Storm and on a grand scale with the science fiction/dubious science based The Day After Tomorrow and 2012 . The disaster is centre stage once more, pitching ordinary people against the destructive forces of nature. 2012 may be a special effects masterpiece (which in my view it is!) but it’s also a very good example of the art of genre writing. Go see!

On another subject I’m toying with changing the name of my short A Martian Eclipse to "The Triumph Of Venus". Some how the calligraphy
of The Triumph of Venus looks pleasing to the eye and rhythmically more enticing. This may sound trivial but an effective title is a very import part of any project. For example, had the Baktun cycle of the Mesoamerican (Mayan) calendar ended in 2013 rather than 2012 then the title of the film above would have been more symbolic to the superstitious amongst us but may have been misinterpreted as comic or cliché by those of a sceptic nature. Lucky for the filmmakers that it ends December 2012, giving them a nice neural number to work with!

A Martian Eclipse – Techno run-through

2009-11-15T18:23:00.004Z

At the weekend we had a technical run-through of my short A Martian Eclipse (the shoot is scheduled for the first weekend in December). Once again we reviewed the need to use the Red Rock M2 film effect filter (see last year’s blogs for A Question Of Content), but this time connected to Jack Marshall’s new HD 1080p camera. The camera itself is tiny (due to the lack of moving parts) but very effective (having been used on the shoot for the feature film Crank series when multi-cameras were required during action sequences) and it comes with a “cinema” setting to give a “glaze” to the digital footage. As we are filming in a relatively small space we don’t really need the depth of field offered by the M2, so for all but one shot will be using the tiny camera alone! This also has the advantage that we don’t have to deal with a large rig for the point of view set-ups.

Sound was also an issue and we have decided to purchase a better quality mike for AME.

Running through the script, from the technical perspective, also revealed some changes we could make to the script which will improve the filmic effect of the story, so we are almost set to go.... watch this space!

PS: Many thanks to Jack and Diane Williams for the weekend's work.

A Martian Eclipse Added To Withoutabox

2009-11-06T16:04:00.002Z

I’ve created a project page at Withoutabox (this is the main online portal which eases the process of festival entry - with a few exceptions like the Cannes Short Film Competition) for A Martian Eclipse, now I’m ready for the technical run-through next week of the short. The shoot is scheduled for early December and the aim is to have the post finished so that we can enter AME into the Cannes 2010 short film competition (less than 15min) and possibly the Cannes 2010 sfc (which can be done via withoutabox!).

The update to my IMDb page has been accepted by the adjudicators and I’d welcome your clicks on the link (this improves ones movie-meter ratings) and also the page for last years short A Question Of Content. Every little click helps!

PS. The photo above is Jack Marshall's new mini-HD camera on it's rack with the M2 film effect filter attached... teeny isn't it!

A Martian Eclipse

2009-11-01T16:59:00.006Z

My short film for the 2010 Cannes sfc "A Martian Eclipse" looks set to 'go', in December, now that we have our cast in place.... Helen Rynne and Andrew Franzkowiak and Jack Marshall is available again to make the images special. Using Jack's old Canon XL1 camera we managed to make an award winning short (A Question Of Content) last year so I'm expecting great things from his new HD camera.

More good news.... after chasing the ISP my web forwarding is now functioning correctly, so if you'd like to visit the brokenarrowfilms web site you can either use http://www.brokenarrowfilms.com/ or http://brokenarrowfilms.co.uk/ .

I've also updated my IMDb CV to include my involvement with the short film Lover and the soon to be realised feature film Round Ireland With A Fridge... these updates take about 10 days to become active so I'll add a link shortly.

World Wide Web

2009-10-28T20:00:00.003Z

Who'd have it? The World Wide Web... irreplaceable ... unbeatable and infuriating at times. For some time I have owned the domain http://www.brokenarrowfilms.com however my web site hosting was with a different ISP and therefore I used Internet forwarding to redirect traffic to my web site via the .com portal. No problema you'd think and you'd be correct until my ISP shut down its hosting service. So now I purchase the domain & web hosting with another ISP under the address http://brokenarrowfilms.co.uk and transfer all my web pages... boring but necessary work! All that remains is to update my web forwarding for the .com domain above to redirect to http://brokenarrowfilms.co.uk .... easy yes? Easy no! Without naming and shaming the .com domain registration site I can only say that the redirect function is still not functioning! So to bring an ugly story to an end, please use http://brokenarrowfilms.co.uk to access my web site until further notice... end of message!

Women of Manhattan

2009-10-23T17:38:00.003+01:00

If you find yourself in London over the next few days why not visit a small intimate pub theater. There are several in London but if you're quick enough why not try The Old Red Lion near the Angel UG. I can personally recommend Women of Manhattan currently playing. Some fine performances and an insightful glimpse into the female psyche. A grander affair than my short A Martian Eclipse but a subject close to my heart as us men struggle to understand the so called fairer sex. Go on go treat yourself!

A Martian Eclipse

2009-10-21T21:08:00.004+01:00

All other projects, in the hands of others, are at a stand-still so I'm pushing ahead with my own very short film A Martian Eclipse. Jack Marshall will be my cameraman again (see A Question Of Content blogs below) and will most likely be my editor. I've short listed my cast (more on this later) so it looks like we may be able to shoot this project in the near future. Watch this place!

It seems to me that the only way to ensure a project gets produced is to be the Producer yourself. This is easy enough for shorts but it is usually too much for a feature. Still I'm hopeful that The Bloodline feature will start moving again soon once my Producer can devote some time to the project. As for Babbage I'm still waiting for a response from Frame On Frame (see blogs below) but I can only assume that silence is an indication that they agree with my assessment of the appropriate way of dealing with the Intellectual Property Rights.

Moving Forward II

2009-10-12T19:44:00.005+01:00

As part of my get moving plan I have put my "award winning" short A Question Of Content into another film festival - the Long Island International Film Expo. This was made extra easy as Withoutabox has introduced Secure Online Screeners, which removes the need to post DVDs around the world... Great! Watch this space to see how the experiment goes.

Moving Forward

2009-10-11T21:39:00.007+01:00

At last some forward movement...

It looks likely that Jack Marshall and I will collaborate on a couple of shorts. Jack has-got/is-getting some great new kit/SW, so my A Martial Eclipse and one of Jack's emerging tales may still get made for Cannes 2010. Of course I've yet to cast for AME so if any actors (slightly built, less than 33, less than 6ft and with film experience) or actresses (less than 32, 5ft 9in or more and with film experience) are interested please send details to mail@brokenarrowfilms.com.

Jack also reports that the "Intruder / AQOC " DVD should be available before Xmas (if anyone would like a copy at a discounted price please contact Jack or BAF).

The Bloodline is still on hold (Producer too busy) and my divorce from the Babbage project has yet to be finalised. We have not be able to agree how to deal with the Intellectual Property Rights accruing, to brokenarrowfilms, over the months of work put into the project.

Rain

2009-09-21T21:45:00.009+01:00

I once asked a fellow blogger why he hadn’t blogged for a while, his reply was that he had nothing to say (at least in terms of his blog’s themes). Well my dark period has been because there has been too much to say! After triumph in the US (see my last two blogs) I returned home to find that; I had to transfer my web-site to another server; I’d lost my cast and crew for my new short A Martian Eclipse; my feature The Bloodline was still at a full stop; and I’d been replaced on the Babbage feature for a US Scriptwriter! I could write pages on each subject but I will spare any readers, that I may have left, that weighty burden. Instead you will find a slideshow of our trip to the US Northwest (Washington and Oregon) enjoy!

Best Foreign Shortest

2009-08-25T23:59:00.003+01:00

Having returned from our extended tour of the US Northwest we (myself & family) are pretty tied, however, we did not return empty handed as I was carrying a large medallion from the WIFF! A Question Of Content won it's category (Best Foreign Shortest) so we are all quite delighted. The festival itself was great fun and very friendly with Breven (the organiser) being a perfect host. Work must start now on my next short A Martian Eclipse!

Seattle USA

2009-08-12T06:03:00.003+01:00

Welcome from Seattle USA ... just a brief blog today as I'm on an unsecured network and I am paranoid! Right:- Fact #1 Did you know that Jimi Hendrix dead at the age of 27? Fact #2 Did you know that he came from Seattle? Fact #3 Did you know that he served for about a year in the 101st (of "D" day fame!) Airborne Division? No? Then visit the Experience Music Project Seattle to find out more!
Off to the Washougal International Film Festival tomorrow so bye for now!

The Struggle For Life

2009-08-07T21:08:00.003+01:00

Next week I travel to the US to attend the Washougal International Film Festival (with A Question Of Content) but before I go I’d like to share with you extracts of an email I received from the organisers. It makes difficult reading, but I hope you agree with me that it is right to publicise this as widely as possible.
‘Family, Friends and Filmmakers, July 30th, 2009…. I optioned a feature film docu-drama project to shoot in Southern Sudan. A film about a group of refugee women who build a sustainable farm…… We had started building this farm and the local Sudanese and Congolese community were generous and helpful in making this farm a reality, from tribal leaders, to political leaders and even local diocese, everyone was involved. I have met with so many of these people who were willing to collaborate with me to help share the plight of their people. It seemed everyone wanted to be involved to help tell the stories of their family members, many who had been refugees themselves. Never could we have imagined that the LRA [Lord's Resistance Army] would actually move into this area. What we started has been destroyed and my friends who have helped me are now in a refugee camp. Some have been raped, tortured and murdered. This plea humbles me beyond belief.I know these stories may seem unreal. ………. And I thank you for reading an email unlike any other I have ever shared. Simply, my heart has broken in unimaginable ways in the past few days. My father returned from Sudan and Congo only 10 days ago. After over a decade of working in this part of the world he has just returned from the most emotionally stressful journey he has ever faced. Mind you he has been bombed, surrounded by the LRA(Lord's Resistance Army) rebel armies, been struck at by a black mamba and faced disease, but this most recent trip, no one could have prepared him for. …….. people whose stories burden my heart and I must share with you. These people fled to the center of Ezo town where I have filmed and met many locals. There is right now over 20,000 people in an area the size of two football fields. There is no water, no food, no place to dispose of waste and disease will quickly be a factor. Because everyone fled the rebels with nothing but the clothes on their back they have little to nothing. These people are traditionally subsistence farmers. They eat what they plant. And when they do not plant they do not eat. They have two planting seasons in the year. They already missed one. There are no food relief programs currently helping in this area. The end of September will be the last planting season. We are simply trying to get seeds and basic tools (rakes and hoes) to the people before this season ends. It is our hope that we can get there to deliver these materials by the beginning of September. Please meet some of our friends.

1. Suzanna Luka had escaped from the LRA two days before my dad met her and spoke with her, and took her picture just two weeks ago. Suzanna was unable to speak her own tribal language and only able to speak in the language of the rebel army. ………
2. Margaret, Pastor Paul’s wife ….. . Her husband Pastor Paul has been working with my father for six years. ….
3. Josta, …….. He lay in some bushes while 4 babies were beaten to death, 13 young girls were abducted and 70 people including his family were burned alive.
4. …..
5. …..
I do not know how to tell you that these are just a few of the stories that my friends are sharing with me. I spoke this very morning on the phone with my brother Godfrey. He said, "How are you doing my sister?" And I stand here in the Pacific North West splendor, with my abundant garden full of fresh food in the safety and comfort of my home and family. And I tell him "I am blessed". He tells me, "Sister, today I was meant to die. Three bullets were shot directly at me, but they did not kill me." He says, "We must share the suffering of our people, it is very hard for many people to live." I know I am small and cannot do much. But please won’t you help me in getting my friends some basic needs and supplies. I do not know what is possible for you to do. It is my hope I can get back to Sudan in September and film the delivery of seeds and tools to my friends and family. We can supply a family with seeds for the season and tools, such as a pick and hoe for about $50 per family. I have never asked for anything like this, but if you can help in anyway please please make a tax deductible donation to EMI and the seeds will be delivered directly into the hands of these people next month. Mass starvation come the new year will be a serious reality without this help. Follow this link to help now:

https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1001648

Learn more about my family's nonprofit at Equipping Ministries International:http://www.equippingministriesinternational.org/And if you'd prefer to mail support, you can make checks out to Equipping Ministries International and mail to: PO BOX 1125, Washougal, WA 98671 USA …… Thank you so much for your time and consideration. And I pray I never ever have to share such grievous realities again. May my next news be most blessed for all.
Feel embraced,breven’

Summer Time

2009-07-30T19:16:00.007+01:00

Regular readers will recall my blog on the BAFTA premiere of Morrison’s Birthday, from Frame on Frame. Well, if you’d like to see their blog on the event click here.

As Summer progresses there is not much to report on the writing; The Bloodline Producer is still waiting for our Brazilian writer to start on the Portuguese version of my script, the Frame On Frame people are in the US trying to raise money for my Babbage feature film script, my short A Question Of Content is on hold pending its US premiere in August and my new short A Martian Eclipse is not scheduled until the Autumn. So, I’m forced to simply have fun… which included a brief freebee cruise on the brand new Equinox from Southampton! brokenarrowfilms

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:- brokenarrowfilms

Events in the dark ages.

2009-07-19T18:22:00.006+01:00

Welcome back to Broadband so a quick round up of missed events.

1. Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund Annual General Meeting

This was an enjoyable meeting from an organisation that does much good work amongst the backroom boys and girls of the Cinema and Television industry. I’d recommend membership to everyone… it’s not very much, but every contribution is useful. After the AGM we had a free 3D showing of the latest Ice Age movie at the Vue Cinema Leicester Square.

2. Hampton Court

A few pictures tell the story…. Particularly the fashion-show!

3. Shakespeare

I’m waiting for feedback on my latest draft for the Babbage feature, so in the meantime I’ve started to adapt a play attributed William Shakespeare – Titus Andronicus. They play is really performed but I had an idea for a new setting and I’m adapting the play for the big screen…. Watch this space!

4. Village Fete

As my wife is a yoga teacher I was roped in when she agreed to give a couple of demonstrations at our village fete. It was not as daunting as I’d imagined and in fact it was fun.

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Technical Difficulties

2009-07-13T15:37:00.005+01:00

Apologies to regular readers but due to technical difficulties I've been off the "air". A long term solution requires new cable and ducting on my premises; this work has started but I'm not expecting to be fully operational until next week. I've also learnt that my website hosting service is closing down so I have to arrange a transfer to another provider - Great - with no BT broadband!

In the meantime I've been busy, having completed another Babbage draft and in preparing for my trip to the US next month. At the weekend my wife took/dragged me to the Hampton Court Flower show, but no time for details or pics right now.

Film Festivals & AQOC

2009-06-30T16:02:00.003+01:00

Just a quickie today for those interested in the progress of my short A Question Of Content.

Now that I have the edit as good as it is ever likely to be (and have a reasonable uncompressed Quick Time file) I’ve started to enter more festivals.

In particular today I dispatched DVDs to the Daytona Beach Film Festival and the Beverly Hills Shorts Festival – so watch this space!

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Story By - Robert McKee

2009-06-28T14:25:00.002+01:00

OK, it must be that almost every blog of recent days would have included something on the tragic events in the US with the death of MJ. No doubt he will be added to the US’s collection of iconic artists dying well before their time MM, EP, JD etc all of whom added colour to a world that is too often bathed in gloom. Long may all artists be praised for bringing us the light that they carry.

Now does the week end on Saturday or Sunday? For the purposes of this blog the week ends today with yet another review, this time a book - Story by Robert McKee. Robert McKee is regarded as a scriptwriter’s guru and I’ve been reading Story as part of my Creative Writing refresher course (which by the way is now finished). Yesterday I finally got through the 419 pages. So what did I make of it? Well, from my point of view some 250 pages are devoted to showing writers how smart and academic Robert McKee is, perhaps there are 150 pages of useful insights and the remaining 19 pages are real gems. The main problem I had, with this so-called standard work on the subject, is the dogmatic approach he has adopted. In every sense his very methodologist approach is “do as I say, or your work will be sh*t!” rather than “this method works for many great writers”. This is particularly so with chapter 19 “A Writer’s Method” where writers are instructed to adopt a particular working strategy. If his formulae were really so foolproof then one is left wondering why there are no great movies (check IMDb here) carrying his scriptwriting credit? Having said all this I would still recommend reading Story for the insights and gems. Remember as you read that some chefs can produce a brilliant meal without using either weighing scales or a recipe book, others are very methodical, whilst others still are adaptive; measuring when needed trusting to personal judgement elsewhere. So read lots of instruction works, lots of scripts, attend courses but determine and select what works for you. There is no magic bullet (in my view of course, but you may know better?!) to becoming a success as a writer, particularly given the degree of pure chance involved, but continually putting off or delaying the writing of that first feature length script is the best way to ensure failure (in my book at least!).

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Cosi Fan Tutte

2009-06-27T13:51:00.003+01:00

At the end of a week of culture it was back to the West End for Cosi Fan Tutte at the London Coliseum. The English National Opera performance of some three and a half hours (including a single interlude) seemed no harder on my rear than the much shorter La Cage Aux Folles so either the seats are better or the show more griping… who knows? One thing for sure is that the libretto made the Playhouse story (see yesterday's blog) seem positively complex…. but that’s Opera for you! All in all in another good night out. Of course the audience was very different, more restrained but also reverential with never a cough escaping a single throat. Rousing applause at the end but not the riotous exuberance of earlier in the week. And for me the biggest shock was no curtain call for the chorus, admittedly they had little to do, but they were not allowed on the stage at the end and the adoration was rather greedily hogged by the principles and conductor… but no show for the chorus. This left me with a feeling that Opera will always be viewed as a pursuit of the elite rather than entertainment for the masses…. shame!

La Cage Aux Folles

2009-06-25T17:12:00.004+01:00

On Wednesday I found myself at a loose end because my Babbage preproduction meeting was put off until next week, so my wife booked us into a West End theatre. Not exactly my thing, but there I was in the Playhouse watching La Cage Aux Folles. The audience really enjoyed the show and entered into its vibrant spirit, however for me I thought that the transvestites were a little too cliché and the lead gay somewhat hammy. Having said this it wasn’t a bad show; in fact it was well acted and the song & dance routines lifted up the somewhat simplistic plot to make an evening at the theatre worthwhile. Go see it if you enjoy being washed by a glam performance.

I’ve been thinking about a short-short for Cannes 2010 and I’ve already changed the title from “Bath Time” to “Martian Eclipse” as I think this will capture the essence of the theme better. Watch this space for more on this during the year.

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IMDb

2009-06-22T19:37:00.005+01:00

Hi all, I’ve been updating my web site and would welcome any comments you may have (click here to visit). During the process I added a few IMDb links and it struck me that I could use this blog to plug a few of my friends. Apologies for those not included as either you are not in the film database or I could not find the right you! So here is my first attempt:-

Me brokenarrowfilms
Julian Richards Jinga Films
Paul Dawe Blue Rider Films
Len Evans Vision In Production

Jack Marshall Films
Sabina Sattar Sabina
Chris Jones Living Spirit Pictures
Ross Wharton Ross

Paula Labaredas Paula
Alicia Arden Alicia
Elinor Lawless Elinor
Peter Basham Peter
Steve Payne Steve
Zoe Rigby Zoe

Trevor Hughes & Claire Barker Frame On Frame

Anna Brabbins 2nd Unit Director

Catherine Arton ACA Casting

David Hewitt Satellite Pictures

If you are going to explore the database please visit the links below and vote for:

A Question Of Content and
Intruder

You’ll find the rating link on the left-hand hyperlink lists, on the main page for each film. Even if you cannot vote please visit the links. All the best.

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An Open Window

2009-06-21T15:55:00.003+01:00

Regular readers will recall that a couple of months ago I started a Creative Writing fresher course; I’ve already shared a poem, that I had written as a result of an exercise in class, so for today’s blog I thought one of my short stories would be appropriate. It’s call “An Open Window” and it owes its inspiration, in part, to a scene in my feature film script “The Bloodline”. Enjoy!

An Open Window

Clinging to her like a shroud the clinical, caustic and contrary urinal smells of the room went unnoticed. Amanda was half focused on the book that she held tightly in her grasp and half-listening, listening for a moment she knew was close.

"Nurse Fairchild tells me you had a restless night. I’m going to stay with you a little longer today mum," she heard herself say.

Amanda’s mother, withered, dwarfed by the bed and propped up with countless pillows, slept a noisy uncomfortable sleep and did not reply. Nor would she ever again, her daughter, sensed rather than thought.

"I found that book you asked me for. I thought that I’d read it to you tonight."

Meaningless words, Amanda knew, but it was a comfort to her nevertheless, for was it not possible that her mother might just be hearing them? She loosened her grip on the book and opened it at a familiar place.

"I remember that flaming daffodil spring, like no other. Father had just been promoted to Captain or something and Mother was busying herself sewing gold braid onto his navy uniform. She held the thin strips of ribbon up to the light as I sat on the floor gazing up at the stucco and gold leaf ceiling. I knew then, with all my heart, that I would never be this happy again."

Listening beyond her own voice Amanda stopped reading; it had started! Guttural breathing from her mother, chain-stoke, she thought it was called, after nurse Fairchild had explained it.

"Call me if you’d like someone to be there," she had said.

Should she ring the bell? She knew that there would be no rush, no heroic efforts as they had called it, only a peaceful exit they had assured her. Should she ring, she thought again as the stoking of her mother’s lasts breaths seemed to fill the room. Afraid now she took her mother’s hand, but said nothing, what could she say? The fearful smell of approaching death swept away the mask she had erected and the hospital smells rushed into her nostrils making her feel sick. Amanda rang the bell.

She waited an eternity as the sickness turned to a numbing of her spirit, leaving her devoid, empty and alone.

"Goodbye mum," did she say that or was it someone standing just behind her?

"I love you," the disconnected voice went on and she was uncertain now if the words had been spoken or thought. So she forced herself to say aloud, "God be with you mother."

As her words faded nurse Fairchild entered the room, bringing with her the cold air of reality from the ward. She went to the opposite side of the bed and took her patient’s other hand.

"Not long now," Fairchild said, feeling the weak pulse under her fingers. "Would you like me to stay?"

Before another word could be spoken the breathing had stopped. Nurse Fairchild then placed the corpse’s hand so gently onto the bed.

"She’s gone."

Amanda said nothing. Her mother’s hand turned to ice within her grasp and Amanda slid her hand up the corpse’s bare arm searching for the heat of life, but the chill of death was too fast and she dropped the limb to the still warm blanket. She resisted the impulse to cover-up the arm, there is no point now, flashed across her dizzy mind. Looking around the scene which appeared as a distant dream, Amanda watched nurse Fairchild open a simple window.

"It’s a tradition, the idea is to allow the spirit to leave", Fairchild seemed to chant from another world.

For the very first time Amanda realised, realised for real, in absolute terms that one-day the window will be opened for her.

© brokenarrowfilms - June 2009

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Last Chances

2009-06-20T18:44:00.003+01:00

Just over a week ago Jack Marshall and I (mostly Jack!) produced the final cut (if there is such a thing?) of my short A Question Of Content. It was a devil of a job to get an uncompressed Quick Time file of quality out of AVID, as for some reason the compressed mpegs (used to make DVD VOB files etc) were of a higher quality when viewed on a PC (suspicion falling on the interlacing associated with the larger files). By Thursday this week I was able to send off final cut DVDs and QT files to the Washougal International Film Festival ( where AQOC has been accepted) and the 11th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival (where selection is pending). Thanks Jack (who worked through a cold to complete the job!)!

Trevor Hughes is off to the US in a few weeks time (to raise funds) so our production meeting this week may well be our last opportunity to get the Babbage feature film script in a good shape for the investors. Watch this space!

Time is running out, for this year at least, for my other feature film script, The bloodline, but once we got a Portuguese version we should be able to move forward next year. My main Producer and the Director designate have been discussing principle cast but I can’t say any more at this stage.

Time has run out for my Creative Writing refresher course (until October anyway) but my last piece was very well received and it may form the basis of a short-short for next year’s Cannes. Watch this space!

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Jack Marshall's Blog

2009-06-16T19:27:00.002+01:00

There has been some progress on The Bloodline feature and some encouraging noises on the Babbage feature but I can’t give details until matters are settled. Still two of my scripts in production next year, is a prospect to savour. But by far the most interesting thing at the moment is Jack Marshall’s blog. He’s just won his first award with the short I helped him produce Intruder and he has some great incites into the whole Cannes experience. Go visit!

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Babbage and more

2009-06-04T18:31:00.003+01:00

Further to my earlier blog the IV Draft script for Babbage – the feature film, has been dispatched to Frame-On-Frame. There are two further items of note. 1) I should find out tomorrow if the book (of one of my own scripts) that I’ve been writing for some time has any merit. Loyal readers will recall that I have been taking a Creative Writing refresher course. Well, tomorrow is our mid-point workshop, where we will critique each other’s work. My contribution is the first two chapters of “The De Lacy Legacy” a historical novel, set in 14th century England after the defeat of the English, at Bannock Burn in Scotland. 2) I hope to get the final post Cannes edits done (with Jack Marshall) on my short A Question Of Content next week. Watch this space!

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Babbage - The Feature Film & WIFF

2009-06-01T16:59:00.004+01:00

Babbage - The Feature Film
We've just had our third production meeting and we all sat down and watched a film recommended by Sabina Satter (The Magic Box). This was very useful as we were able to use this to discuss the vision for Babbage.

The actual script meeting went very well and I think the next draft should be very close to capturing the vision Trevor & Claire now have. Personally I think we'll probably need another draft before we are ready to tackle the finer points of the dialogue and take the script to a wider audience.

Regular readers will recall that brokenarrowfilm's A Question Of Content has got into the Washougal International Film Festival. Washougal is a small town of around 12,000 people in the south of Washington state (USA). It's very close to Portland and not that far from Seattle and is 101 years old... so it seemed to my family a great place to centre a holiday. Thus the net result is that getting into this festival will cost a great deal of money! Good help me (and more importantly my bank balance) if we get into any other festivals!

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No Regrets

2009-05-28T18:34:00.005+01:00

First some best wishes:

Good luck to Alicia Arden (another LA actress I met on the beach in Cannes) and Paula Labaredas with their film No Regrets. Alicia was having great fun on the beach posing for her many admires whilst I discussed The Bloodline with her friend Paula. Following up Paula’s interest in The Bloodline I discovered this very interesting Documentary about a can do Director of the feature The Last Eve, where Paula played Lilith. Enjoy!

Did you know that Texas has overtaken Germany as the world leaders in wind power? Yes, wind turbines! And did you know the cause? G. W. Bush when he was Governor… Who would have believed that? But it’s true, at least according to the BBC. Life is full of such surprises, just look at A Question Of Content getting into it’s first film festival proper (WIFF). By the way AQOC has an IMDb page, but I’m waiting for a few votes to formalise its place, so if you click here you could add your vote. The short is not available on the web yet (as I need to wait until the festival exploitation is over) but there is a trailer on the IMDb which should enable you to vote.

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A Question Of Content

2009-05-27T20:52:00.005+01:00

I’ve been holding back on some blog news for the right moment. This is the moment.

A Question Of Content has so far been entered into three film festival competitions. I’m pleased to announce that my little first attempt, thrown together short has got into the first festival that I submitted it to. This was in no small measure due to Jack Marshall who took over the editing when my system failed. Having got into the Washougal International Film Festival, by sending them a DVD, they now require an uncompressed .MOV file as an exhibit screening file. This means one more trip to Jacks place to make a few tweaks before transferring a master .MOV file to my new machine.

Watch this space!

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Cannes 2009 - In a Flash

2009-05-26T18:06:00.004+01:00

A blog-moment. Last year I took a camcorder to Cannes and uploaded a brief video to youtube, I’d decided not to repeat the exercise but on the plane I rashly bought a camera so here below are my first pics with my Praktica DCZ 8.3!

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Glamour at Cannes and more.

2009-05-23T11:44:00.004+01:00

Back from Cannes to end the blog-draught, but hardly a moment to relax as I travelled to BAFTA on Thursday to attend the premiere of Morrison’s Birthday Party, a short made by Frame On Frame (Trevor Hughes and Claire Barker). There was no time to discuss the Babbage feature draft three (which I’ve written for them), but Claire was able to say that we’re going in the right direction. Friday was my Creative Writing refresher course and today Diane and I are off to do some medieval re-enacting (for new readers we are archers). All this and not feeling 100%, but I’ll not bore you with that accept to say that it limited the fun at Cannes. Despite a more subdued Cannes than last year it was nevertheless a success, as I held two brief business meetings and met some interesting people. They included a Director/Filmmaker David Hewitt who had read and enjoyed an early version of The Bloodline (more on this another time!) and Paula Labaredas an American actress that looked like how I had imagined Sandie (the lead female character) when I was writing the original version of The Bloodline. Interestingly enough I had a specific American actor in mind for the male lead, James Masters. He’d be an older more evil and American version of Spike (Buffy/Angel), but we haven’t approached him because it’s unlikely that he’d wish to reprise his vampire persona. Regular readers will remember that The Bloodline location is now likely to be Portugal for funding and other considerations. Well, it just so happens that Paula has Portuguese parents (... small world no?) and she is also interested in the part! We are now in communication and I’ve sent her the latest English-location version of the script. My Producer approves the exploration of the possibilities so watch this space.

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Waiting

2009-05-15T17:18:00.003+01:00

My wife is a Yoga teacher but this does not prevent her from attending classes to maintain her personal body awareness, in fact it is essential if she is to keep her own students enthralled. Likewise I’m attending a weekly Creative Writing course. An exercise set last week was to write a poem that describes an abstract noun (eg Joy), but without using the word in the poem or title. Just for fun I’ve included my contribution below (called Waiting) can you guess the abstract noun I was given to work with?

Off to Cannes tomorrow so there may or not be a blog for a few days. Enjoy!

WAITING

Woken in rain,
Barbed, cutting, malevolent rain.

Soaked in mud,
Slimed, submerging, unearthly mud.

Griped with pain,
Leached, invading, hellish pain.

Bombarded by sound,
Secreted, wailing, bursting sound.

Covered in stink,
Racked, incising, cordite stink.

Separated from man,
Misplaced, missing, forgotten by man.

How long do I wait for death’s cruel hand?
How long the torment, the suffering?
How long?

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Round Ireland with a Fridge - And more!

2009-05-14T11:48:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening with my family in Wimbledon. And, as if to prove that Wimbledon is not just for tennis, it was to take part in, the soon to be, highly successful adaptation of Tony Hawks book Round Ireland with a Fridge, for the silver screen. We were only background artists (extras) but in a small way we were doing our bit to keep British film alive. Anna Brabbins (2nd Assistant Director) ensured that we were looked after. But no money of course, however, as a filmmaker myself I admire anyone who is able to get a project off the ground! Having personally aided Tony in the lifting the fridge in question, I’m sure it’s staring role in the film will guarantee an audience of white-goods-a-philes who will be clamouring to see it on the red carpet at the premiere! They have four more weeks of filming around England, Wales and finally Ireland, so may fortune smile on them.

I’m making final preparation for Cannes on Saturday. I had planned for a quite time assisting Jack Marshall to push his projects. BUT, I now have a session tomorrow with my Pinewood producer (Len Evans – VIP) to discuss a couple of meetings he’d like me to take on his behalf. AND I’ve already agreed to update Julian Richards Jinga Films (The Bloodline Director designate) on the latest developments for my other producer Paul Dawe (Blue Rider). No rest for the scribbler!

Other News:

1) My Cannes sfc entry “A Question Of Content” now has a basic IMDb page (click here) which I hope to add to during the months to come.
2) I have completed the 3rd Draft of the Babbage feature and it’s now with the Producers, Trevor Hughes and Claire Barker (Frame On Frame).

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Lover and more

2009-05-09T18:49:00.005+01:00

Apologies once again for the bloggap but it has been a busy time.
1) Yesterday I attended a film premiere, at the Solo Screening Rooms in London, of a short made by Sabina Satter called "Lover". It’s a film that left you wanting more and was well crafted with some fine performances amongst the cast (which included a 10-second moment of fame for myself!).
2) We’ve had a second development meeting (myself as writer and Trevor Hughes & Claire Barker from Frame On Frame) on the Babbage feature film project and the third draft is well on its way.
3) Movement has started again on The Bloodline feature, but I can’t say any more at this time.
4) Preparations continue for Cannes 2009 but on the wider festival front, I’ve entered A Question Of Content into the Milwaukee SFF. However, I’ve had to dispatch a second DVD to the Washougal IFF as the first copy seems to have been lost in space!
5) Oh and tomorrow it’s my birthday and over this last week my wife and I have been catching up with friends and family, culminating in a mass (family) trip tomorrow to see "Star Trek" and then a meal after!

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Pinewood Studios

2009-04-26T20:45:00.005+01:00

At the weekend I attended a function at Pinewood Studios (that's my step-son Jonathan) and had the opportunity to see one of the Harry Potter external sets. Photographs are forbidden, but the experience really brings home to you the difference between a micro or low budget film and a Hollywood funded movie.
Acres of scaffolding, flats, decking, tracking, camera cranes, snow, barriers, window decorations, a pub interior, a church front - with tower, a derelict house, a row of house fronts - with snow on the roofs, a bend in the road by the churchyard, the churchyard, more house fronts and a bridge to nowhere - part built! I thought to myself how many pages of the script did this represent? One, two maybe as many as five in one hundred and twenty pages! But the scariest thing of all was that the set is still up… I believe the film is in post, so the set is deserted but still standing, what British Indie Filmmaker could afford that? The gap in production values is like comparing a teardrop (and it does make you cry!) and the ocean, so it is simply amazing to think that so many modest budget films turn out to be great! And of course if a modest budget film is a box office success the ratio of cost/returns is equally amazing. I believe that if we get the right funding for Babbage then this could be just such a film. So watch this space!

A Question Of Content is now in the Cannes 2009 sfc catalogue!

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NBC - Another Film Festival

2009-04-24T17:51:00.002+01:00

And the beat goes on for A Question Of Content as I’ve entered the film into another competition festival. The NBC Universal Short Cuts Film Festival is free to enter and they look favourably on films 5-7 minutes long and AQOC is 6 ½ minutes… ainsi nous verrons. Having said this, even a very good film is only likely to get into 1 in 10 festivals and a win or be placed in a similar but unpredictable ratio. For example, Gone Fishing, the short film from Chris Jones (with Jack Marshall, Trevor Hughes and myself as Associate Producers) was short-listed for the Ocars, but has yet to be accepted by any European competition festival! So let’s see what we will see. And just for fun, below is a film made by Trevor (on his mobile phone) during the filming of Gone Fishing… enjoy!

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First Film Festival!

2009-04-22T17:30:00.005+01:00

Not one to rest on a place in the Cannes 2009 Short Film Corner (sfc), I've entered A Question Of Content (AQOC) into it's first Film Festival. Unlike the sfc the Washougal International Film Festival is a competition rather than a market place. I selected the WIFF (via Withoutabox) as it has a category for shorts between 3-10 minutes, which fits nicely with AQOC's 6 1/2 minutes. Selection is early June so watch this space!

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Preparing For Cannes 2009

2009-04-21T21:19:00.004+01:00

Good news Jack Marshall’s short Intruder has arrived at the Cannes Short Film Corner so we are all set for next month. With this in mind I’ve been updating my web-site. I’ve added separate status pages for A Question Of Content, Babbage and The Bloodline and updated the general status page. They will not be updated as often as the blog, but I try to update the web-site once each month.
On the Babbage feature front, we have our next development meeting at the end of the month but I’d like to thank publicly Sabina Sattar (Gone Fishing, The Crocked House, The Lover) for her recent input to the project. You know that generally speaking Filmmakers are a friendly bunch, often ready to help fellow Filmmakers at the drop of a hat. I suspect it is because we all have a common enemy "The Lack Of Funding Opportunities!" … thanks again Sabina!

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Tag Lines - Vistaprint

2009-04-19T20:54:00.005+01:00

It looks like Jack Marshall’s short film Intruder should appear tomorrow, along side A Question Of Content, in the Cannes 2009 Short Film Corner catalogue. One of the items for the catalogue is a tag line for your work. Often it is very difficult to encapsulate your themes in one sentence or phrase, but for A Question Of Content it seemed very clear and it’s; “At the end there is always a question”, which I hope will prepare the viewer for something a little enigmatic?
A trailer for Intruder is now available at Jack Marshall's web site – go visit! This fact has pushed me into making a brief trailer for A Question Of Content. This is not as easy as it sounds as my short is under 7 minutes long and therefore a trailer could almost tell the story! Enjoy (or not)!

I’ve used Vistaprint to produce my promotional material (Business Cards, T- shirts, Pens, calendars, mini and micro posters etc) and if any reader is interested click HERE to get a 25% discount (and I will also get a few credit points!).

Draft II of the Babbage feature seems to have gone down very well with the Producer and the next production meeting is set for 1st May, let's hope the Director feels the same way? Clarity of vision between writer/producer/director is essential if a project is to continue to move forward. So far Babbage has this clarity, whereas The Bloodline (my other feature in development) seems to have run into the mud because of a lack of this clarity. I’m still waiting for feedback on my historical drama so watch this space.

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Cannes Plus

2009-04-17T16:40:00.006+01:00

Apologies for the bloggap - busy week no more to say. Oh yes, it’s a blog so I’d better say. Briefly, the weekend was a dip back into the past. That is, medieval re-enactment, taking the war of the roses period 1455-1487. My wife and I are common archers, but I hadn’t loosed an arrow for 18 months. I’m pleased to report that it’s like riding a bike! The event was at Castle Hedingham where my ancestors first took their name from a Norman knight (Barham) who’d been granted land in the area. I also found time to visit Coggeshall nearby. After the weekend it was back to Babbage and I’m happy to say I’ve finished the second draft of the feature and sent it off to Frame On Frame. Oh, and last but not lease my short A Question Of Content arrived at Cannes and I have completed my registration and booked my flight!

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Cannes 2009

2009-04-11T12:46:00.003+01:00

On Wednesday I received Jack Marshall’s final edit of my short A Question Of Content. By Thursday I’d authored a DVD, sent it on it’s way to the Cannes Short Film corner (the CFC is part of Cannes 2009 Film Festival market place) and registered myself to attend. I’ve followed this up by ordering some promotional material and new Business Cards but I have no specific plans during the event so I’m feeling some pangs of guilt about going on a whim! This is mainly because The Bloodline is still stuck in the mud, I’m still waiting for feedback on my historical drama and the Babbage feature was promoted last year by a short at the CFC! So as AQOC was only intended as a calling card I really have nothing to promote at Cannes (except perhaps myself?). The good news however is that the second script draft for Babbage is going well and I’m on schedule to complete by the end of the month. Watch this space!
For Filmmakers who like Podcasts they may be interested in this one from Stacy Parks (Click Here).

A Weekend With Fens

2009-04-06T19:08:00.005+01:00

As promised more about the weekend. Jack Marshall is reaching the final stages of his short Intruder and on Sunday the music for the film was being recorded at Witchford near Ely, Cambridgeshire. This was an elaborate affair with an 18 piece orchestra, sound recordest and camera team (for the "making of"). My wife and I decided to make a weekend of it so on Saturday we "did" Ely, including the cathedral by day and a concert in the evening (Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah). Sunday morning we were on the Fens at Wicken Nature Reserve and PM, into the early evening, helping Jack with the camera work at the music recording. I was extremely impressed by the professionalism of the conductor, sound engineer and orchestra who had all given up their day for the love of it… And now I must get back to Babbage draft II! Oh, and as a taster, below are some of the impressions of the events, enjoy.

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Charles Babbage Plus

2009-04-05T22:39:00.003+01:00

On Friday I met with Trevor & Claire (Frame On Frame) to discuss the exploratory Babbage script (i.e. draft I) for their feature to be filmed next year. After four hours plus of hammering out the ideas and requirements for the next draft I had a pretty good idea of the way ahead and have already started work. However, I got no further than page 4 before a busy weekend started. More on this to come as it involved a B&B at Witchford, recording the music for Jack Marshall’s short Intruder, a tour and concert at Ely Cathedral, a walk along the Cam, a visit to a nature reserve on the Fens and the collection of the final edit of my short AQOC. Watch this space!

Alice De Lacy - A Divided Kingdom

2009-04-01T21:15:00.002+01:00

Did I tell you that the other day my Producer asked me to dust off an old script of mine as he had a Director interested? The script is for a full-budget film (ie £M+) historical drama, which I've been holding back until one or two other (much cheaper) projects have been completed (if ever!). The film really needs studio backing, but if an Indie Director wants to read it who am I to stop him? So, today I sent off a 123 page script to my Producer... it has a working title (if only they'd read it!) of "A Divided Kingdom" (formerly Alice De Lacy on my website) and it's based a true event in history. If you'd like to know a little bit about the real Alice De Lacy click here.

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Charles Babbage Videos

2009-03-29T18:58:00.007+01:00

I've just completed a paper for Frame On Frame outlining what I believe were some of the reasons why Difference Engine #1 was never completed. The picture here is actually Difference Engine #2, two of which were built between the late 1980s and 2002. They include Babbage's amazing printer. One engine is in the Science Museum in London, the other is owned by a private collector in the USA (Nathan Myhrvold). Both were built in the UK, but funding for both printers and the second DE#2 was from the private collector. For the nerd in us all I've collected below a few videos which you may find of interest?

And just for fun:-

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EPIC Events

2009-03-28T16:21:00.005Z

On Thursday Jack Marshall (JM films) and I took a trip to witness the crowning of EPIC’s "TV Programme Pitch of the Year" winners at the EPIC studios in Norwich (see earlier blogs for the rest of this thread). Whilst enjoying the evening it did re-enforce some obvious things about TV production. Unless you are an insider, think cheap, think lowest common denominator, think Game Show, think Reality TV, think Celebrity Challenge, think Very general interest (e.g. Home-made Dog Kennel of the year), think Talent Show and think 360 (i.e. spin-offs such as merchandising, Gaming platforms etc). The one drama short-listed got praise from the panel, but without a sample script they were unable tell if it could fly… and they considered the projected cost (@ £1.5m for three episodes) a "difficulty". Of course the other point to note is that you actually have to pay people for TV work! With micro/small budget films almost everyone is on a deferment so you only need cash for catering, communications, locations, studios and accommodation etc. Having said all this well done to EPIC, £10,000 worth (note the word worth!) of facilities and support is not to be sneezed at and last year winners are close to signing their first TV deal (albeit outside the UK!).

I’ve just completed another draft of The Bloodline feature, my Producer wanted me to include some of the back-story, with modifications, into the script (a common request I understand?). However, it’s my view that this project is stuck in the mud and will remain so unless we get a really high tide. In the meantime he wants to have a look at my historical drama Alice De Lacy, so watch this space.

I’ve had another editing session with JM and my short AQOC is now very close to completion.

The Babbage feature is progressing nicely and we (Frame On Frame) have a development meeting on Friday to discuss the next draft.

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Babbage & Ada Lovelace Day

2009-03-27T11:30:00.006Z

An apology to all technological feminists as I missed Ada Lovelace Day on 24th March. Thanks to Computer Weekly for pointing this out, albeit an unofficial date. I believe it is honourable to encourage a wide range of humanoid types to take up the pursuit of technology. However, the article in Computer Weekly rather re-enforces a myth that Ada Lovelace was the first programmer. Anyone who had actually read her translations and notes on L. F. Menabrea’s, of Turin, Officer of the Military Engineers, Italian article on Babbage’s Engines would recognise her insights and intelligence, but it’s a stretch to call it the first program. As stated in my blog on this subject a few days ago there is also no time-line link to the first "real" program. Whilst the revision of history (his-story), to include the valuable contribution of women is long over due, her-story will be discredited if the facts are ignored or distorted for a PC (or PC!) point-of-view! Having said all that, I still like the idea of Ada day but for what she was (which was great enough) not for what a particular movement would like her to have been. Whilst on this topic I have received from Claire Barker (Frame On Frame) the Character Breakdowns for draft II of the feature script Babbage (I will be starting soon) – so we are moving again towards a great movie.

Tomorrow I have an EPIC report for you, so watch this space.

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A Lecture - Sorry!

2009-03-22T22:50:00.003Z

I had a meeting with my feature Producer for The Bloodline, it looks like the project may start moving again, but I can’t give details… except that I’ve got some tasks to perform. This could clash with draft II of the Babbage feature but we’ll have to see. On that front my Producer said I should be careful what I put on the blog. He’d met one of my new readers recently who was shocked to see I’d written a 92 page script in six days and thought that it must sh*t because of this.
This misses three points:
1) The blog is warts and all and if that makes me look bad so be it.
2) The Babbage project needed an injection of pace and to this end it has worked as I’ve been asked to do draft II and the production team now have a clearer picture of what they want.
3) I’ve been consulting on the project for almost a year and carrying out significant research and it was a good treatment to work from.

So a message to my readers… if something seems odd or out of place e-mail me and I’ll explain, don’t make assumptions. If this person, who will remain nameless, had followed the thread backward for the Babbage project they would have discovered points 2&3 above at least. I’m not going to bore readers by putting yards of back-story into every blog so I apologise to new readers if they find that they have to do some digging! Once again if you have a problem you’ll find the e-mail link on this page. Lecture over – God Bless!

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EPIC

2009-03-20T17:41:00.004Z

The bad news is that my pitch did not get short-listed (see my blog of Feb. "Pitching") by EPIC-TV, the good news is that Jack Marshall and myself will be attending the show next week. So watch this blog.
I'm hoping to use the trip to visit Jack so we can finalise his edit of my short A Question Of Content. As for The Bloodline feature there has been some movement forward, but I can't give details at the moment. And on the Babbage front? I'm expecting Claire Barker's Character Breakdown today or tomorrow, then we will be discussing Draft II early next week.... So watch this space!

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Ada Augusta, Countess of Lovelace

2009-03-18T18:04:00.004Z

A name to conjure with!
I’ve been bullied into writing the second draft of the feature film script for Babbage, so it appears that the first draft found some resonance with the filmmakers Frame On Frame. I would imagine that the second draft will take much longer to write as I’m to be presented with a character breakdown, which to some extent will limit creativity, and I’ll need to firm up and possibly expand on some of the technical issues of the great man’s work.
To the latter effect, I’ve been reading Ada’s account (based on an Italian article) of Babbage’s Engines. Ada is often credited with the first computer notation (indeed there is a computer programming language named after her). However, if you read the article you’ll find the notation effective for the benefit of describing the "programming" of Babbage’s Analytical Engine but a poor substitute for even machine code. Although it’s a stretch to call her the mother of programming (as Her-Story revisionists attempt to do) I have no doubt that given the right circumstances, she had the insight and intellect (albeit in a slightly crazy form!), to be that person.
So well lost was Babbage and Ada’s works that it is not possible to draw a direct timeline to the invention of the computer, nevertheless this should not diminish their legacy nor the intriguing nature of their story. Watch this space for Babbage the feature film!

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Writing is strange!

2009-03-14T15:43:00.005Z

Yes, strange! Yesterday my blog was about completing a script in just 6 days from a treatment written by someone else... the words just burst out. Today I returned to a script based on my own treatment - Caen a WWII story. Although I still love the story the words are not rushing out but are dripping out... strange yes?

For those interested I've updated my website today.

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Babbage First Draft Script

2009-03-12T18:26:00.007Z

A very brief blog from a spent writer... The first draft script for the Babbage feature film project from Frame On Frame has been completed and sent to Trevor Hughes (the Producer) and Claire Barker (the Director). It's a little short at 92 pages, but I completed it in 6 days by putting everything (and I mean everything) else aside. It's intended to put some momentum back into the project as the short was made almost a year ago. Trevor and Claire now have something to work with so watch this space for any more action on this front.
My own feature The Bloodline is still on hold, but I've had the edit of my short A Question Of Content back from the editor Jack Marshal. There are still a few points to clear up, so I'm hoping to arrange a face to face shortly.

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Babbage

2009-03-08T18:23:00.004Z

After I gave Trevor Hughes, FrameOnFrame, my comments on Claire Barker's treatment, Trevor asked me to spec write the first draft screenplay. I'm still not 100% but I've managed to get 50 pages completed, so far, so I'm quite pleased. This event is just as well as The Bloodline seems to have gone into hibernation and I have not been able to visit Jack Marshal to complete my short A Question Of Content.

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Sick Note

2009-02-27T18:41:00.007Z

If I'd been an actor then I'd not be writting a sick note to explain my absence, as it is I've just about had the odd gap in between two weeks of "rotten stuff" to read and report back on the Babbage Treatment to Frame On Frame. I've even written a line or two of Caen my own WWII story.

Windows, Doors & Timing

2009-02-23T19:58:00.006Z

Yesterday should have been a blog on a seminar I attended at Ealing studios on Saturday, but as I spent virtually all day Sunday in bed and today my brain is floating around 3 feet above my left ear the window of opportunity may have passed? Surely I should write of the Oscars? After all, it was a nice haul for the Brits, despite Chris Jones’ (Living Spirit) losing out with his short Gone Fishing (it reached the last 10). But perhaps this neatly opens the door for me to say a few words about the seminar on Saturday, which was run by the said Chris Jones? This was up to his usual enlightening standard, the subject being the exploitation of his short Gone Fishing. His warts and all experience during his year on the festival circuit, leading up to the Oscars, was an eye opener. But time may be running out for would be filmmakers to get the direct benefit of his insights, as Chris has made no secret of the fact that he is contemplating moving to LA. Chris has inspired a lot of filmmakers and facilitated networks of like-minded people to get together, at various degrees of collaboration. Below is Gone Gangstering a spoof of youth culture filmmaking by Trevor Hughes. The film is dedicated to Chris Jones.

I’m sure I speak for most when I say that if Chris does go then it will be the UK’s loss and the US’s gain!

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Spring Is In The Area

2009-02-16T21:35:00.005Z

Financially and physically (two colds!!) it's been a difficult year (not sure if they are connected?) but today my latest cold had passed its zenith and I had a promising financial meeting. Even the weather was sunny and warm, so lets hope that Spring, in every sense, is on the way.
The Caen feature is going well and I'm about a third of the way through script draft 1. So maybe spring is in the area?

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Valentine Post-mortem

2009-02-15T16:40:00.008Z

One of the attractions of being a writer is to be a witness to the ever-changing circumstance that one finds oneself in. Of course these changes are not always good. As an example, a few years ago my wife and I went to a local Best Western hotel for a Valentine Ball & overnight stay. The three star hotel had four star rooms and it’s service and it’s catering were aspiring to greatness. Last year the hotel began an expansion programme adding a sports/leisure centre, which included a pool. Right, I thought, let’s checkout the Valentine’s day event. No Ball, but a meal and bed… and a freebee massage or facial that would get me some brownie points! And the result? The food was served on a factory basis and tasted like it was made for a Christmas party at a staff canteen. The room was still four star but the service staff were now ill trained and to cap it all the pool wasn’t finished! They couldn’t even take a booking for the freebee, as the appropriate staff wasn’t available until Monday.
Above is typical of how this year has been to date, there are other more serious setbacks which I won’t detail here but they could well affect projects such as The Bloodline. Jack Marshall (Intruder, A Question Of Content) is also having an bad start to the year with a car bump in the snow and now he’s even been stranded in the snow and had to put himself up at an hotel. Chris Jones (Gone Fishing) is having strife at the moment too. After Gone Fishing reached the last 10 at the Oscars, but failed to reach the final shortlist, he’s been torn between remaining in the UK Indie scene or making the move to Los Angeles to try and catch the big fish!
To digress… I have a theory about LA. America has a massive market for film, but I think LA is LA for reasons beyond the captive market and the weather. LA is Film City, it was effectively rebuilt for film, after the gold rush was over, and LA grow up on Television… almost everyone there wants to talk film or TV "shop" and some are even in the industry! As well as a smaller captive market and poorer weather London suffers one other great disadvantage. London is a truly world-wide great city, it has tradition and history, it has a diverse culture and a dynamic life all of it’s own. When people talk about film or TV it’s not shop, it’s "what’s on?", "what’s good?", what to miss etc. I believe that this is why having the once world capital of finance (The City) on it’s doorstep has not helped London. When LA started the money was in the East, thousands of miles away… as LA became Film City the money followed it, as money always follows a phenomena. If the British film industry had started a new town around the Bournemouth area, then perhaps we could have had our own LA? As it is we have a dispersed cottage industry of Indie filmmakers with no money and a few studios on the fringes of London fighting for the next American financed blockbuster.
Finally, Caen… and more on my previous blog and another clip of the real events in WWII.

The feature film outline for Caen was finished some time ago and I’d even started on the script, so what I did on Friday was to reread the script and then I added a few more scenes. I’m quite pleased with it so far, but as always the budget I’m building up to could be a problem! Watch this space.

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Caen WWII

2009-02-13T21:30:00.008Z

I've finally got around to working on one of my unfinished projects, Caen. Based on real events during the Normandy campaign of WWII. The story begins just before Operation Overload (the most famous of all D-days!) and ends in July with the fall of Caen. This was a defining moment in the Normandy campaign, as by the time Caen fell the Germans had committed most of their best troops and armour to the British & Canadian fronts, thus facilitating Montgomery's Normandy plan for the American breakout a few days later (a fact most Americans are unaware of!). The story also highlights the part played by the Canadians as illustrated by the newreel below:-

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Small World

2009-02-10T21:10:00.005Z

Adding to yesterday’s blog I should point out that Bill Paterson is on the cast of Law & Order UK although he wasn’t at the BAFTA preview. Bill played the “Old Man” in Gone Fishing Chris Jones’ acclaimed short and if you’ve seen the film I’m the grey haired guy behind him in the church. Small world no?

I was at my Producer's birthday celebration at the weekend and several guests pointed out the up and coming nature Brick Lane in London. Amazingly on the way home from BAFTA I heard a group of young bloods discussing the meal they’d had in Brick Lane. Small world no?

Movement on to my feature The Bloodline is at snail pace but I’ve reported on another writer for my Producer and hopefully we can appoint someone soon to do the next draft. Watch this space.

Finally, if you haven’t seen Gone Fishing go here!

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BAFTA Preview Law & Order UK

2009-02-09T23:44:00.001Z

I arrived at BAFTA tonight with Apollo (Jamie Bamber - Battlestar Galactica)… no not arm in arm, but ducking out of the rain at the same time. Jamie (who doesn’t know me from Adam!) was attending a preview of his new TV show, Law & Order UK. The show itself follows the formula set by its famous US parent Law & Order created by Dick Wolf (who was also there for the launch and Q & A session) some 18-plus years ago! As a fan of plot driven TV crime drama it’s nice to see this fast moving style transferred to the UK. The downside is that they are reusing (with adaptation of course) US scripts and thus for fans like me it had almost the feel of a repeat (eg I remembered the US episode used for the pilot and therefore knew the outcome too soon). However, for new viewers they should be in for a treat. The Kudos produced show will be appearing on ITV in the near future.

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A View From The Bridge Press Night

2009-02-08T20:26:00.007Z

If the recession has left you with any money at all I'd recommend a trip to the Duke Of York Theatre in the West End. But don't take my word for it .... after the press night the Arthur Miller play, A View From The Bridge, got simply great reviews including a page three spread in the Evening Standard on Friday. According to the same paper Broadway has already succumbed to the recession with several big shows closing. DON'T let this happen in the West End. As the father of a budding actor I know how difficult the profession can be in the best of times so please support the West End and your local theatre. Please!

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Pitching

2009-02-05T16:46:00.004Z

“Pitching” is an art form in itself so it’s always useful to practise as much as possible. Although it’s a very important part of the writer’s armoury I personally do not like the 30-second or one page pitch. I know that there are great pitchers out there who are poor scriptwriters and visa versa. For me the only real way to know if a project is any good is to read the script (but Producers are too busy or lazy for this!) and even here one mans epic is another mans dumbbell! And this brings me to Epic TV. This is the East Of England Production Innovation Centre and they are currently running a pitching competition. Although open to all genre, reading between the lines, they are really looking for studio based Reality TV or Games Shows etc, however as I happen to have a pilot script (The Solar Tower) for a Science Fiction TV series I’ve entered the contest. Six finalists will be invited to pitch to camera in front of a studio audience so wish me luck! Watch this space in March for an update.

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A View From The Bridge

2009-01-31T14:57:00.008Z

Arthur Miller is arguably one of America's greatest playwrights and as a humble writer myself it was a tremendous pleasure to see the master's work at the Duke Of York theatre yesterday. As an example of inspirational writing his A View From The Bridge is difficult to match and for me, at least, probably impossible! Ken Stott gave his all in a very demanding and energy sapping role. He was ably supported by the rest of the cast, which I'm very happy to say included my son in his first west end role (albeit of tiny proportions!). Well done to everyone... I'd recommend it to any aspiring writer of topics relating to the human condition and as a great play to the rest. The show opens to the general public after the press night next week. I'm sure it will get magnificent reviews and it's six month run will be a success.

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Evaluation

2009-01-27T20:25:00.006Z

Reading is not an automatic fun activity for a writer, in particular it can be difficult to read your own work with objectivity. Imaging then evaluating other peoples work! With my Associate Producer hat on I'm taking part in the selection process to appoint a writer for the next draft of my feature The Bloodline. It was easy with the first writer as we had a film to judge... however my Producer liked it and I hated it! The next two writers we are judging by reading their scripts. If there is a magic way of identifying a great script I'd like to know it, and so I suspect would Working Title! It's easy to identify bad writing but good to great is harder and I don't envy all those readers for the BBC or Film 4 trying to shortlist worthy submissions for a deeper evaluation. But the work must go on!

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Deflation

2009-01-23T19:33:00.007Z

A dark day for the economy but a deflated day also for the Associate Producers and all the rest of the men, women and children involved in Chris Jones’ short film Gone Fishing. Yesterday the Oscar nominations were announce and although Chris knew that he was in the last ten for selection, in the end Gone Fishing did not make the cut. As Chris would say “onward and upward”! The silver lining being that Chris has been able to appoint two Sales Agents to promote the film.

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Charity My Friend

2009-01-22T17:40:00.011Z

What is your reaction to the begging bowl? Personally I don’t like to be pushed, so I’m going to apologise in advance for this blog. Most people give something to charity most years and there are almost as many ways of doing this, as there are honourable homes for your spare money. I tend to give in two ways, membership of cultural organisations such as The Art Fund, English Heritage and The National Trust coupled with the disposal of all copper coins I’m given in change into charity tins. However, after attending this years Royal Film Performance (see archive sidebar links 9/12/08) I thought that I’d have my cake and eat it. What can be more cultural than Film and Television and where would you find the unsung heroes of the industry? Why selling you that Cinema ticket or something similar. Therefore the Film & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF), who stage the Royal Film Performance, and specialise in helping those heroes of the industry in times of need, seemed like an ideal candidate for my largesse. But here is the dark side, today I became a member of CTBF without spending a penny! How, you ask? Have you forgotten Christmas already! My daughter is the Business Development Manager for the Cure Parkinson’s charity so it gave her great pleasure to purchase my membership as her Christmas present to me. Smiles all round and what’s more this could be an annual event! So what’s stopping you from checking out the CTBF (and don’t forget Cure Parkinson’s!)?

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Downturn

2009-01-21T21:16:00.005Z

As a filmmaker (or would be!) you cannot avoid getting involved with money, so I’ve been thinking about the current downturn. Can it be explained? As a writer I’ve written a little story, which crudely illustrates the situation, at least, to me! I hope you find it useful?

Jean was a lucky girl, she won £1000 on a government scratch card. She loved collecting porcelain and in four weeks time there was to be a local auction. She decided to put her money aside for four weeks in a new business called FirstBank.com. In Jean’s land banks could not charge or give interest. Jean’s deposit was FirstBank.com’s first customer and, as was the custom, 10% of the deposit (£100) was placed into a reserve fund (which already had £100 stored as a matter of law). The remainder (£900) was available to loan.

This was lucky for Frank, who knew of the auction and loaned £900, on a short-term basis, from FirstBank.com. In this country it was illegal to hold £900 or more at home, as a crime prevention measure, so Frank put the money into another new bank, SecondBank.com. Frank was SecondBank.com’s first customer and £90 (10%) was put into reserve (which already had the mandatory £100) allowing £810 to be loaned out.

How lucky for George, as just before the auction started he loaned the £810 from SecondBank.com on a long-term basis, with a repayment plan of £10 per month.

The auction room required payment by cheque or cash, after the sale, and so Jean and Frank took cheque books to the auction. George took his £810 in cash. Between them they had £1000, £900 and £810 respectively to spend on the day. At this stage readers should note that the original winnings of £1000 has become £2710 spread between three people!
On the day of the auction Jean out bids Frank and George for a piece of porcelain and spends her £1000. She pays by cheque and leaves with her purchase. In disappointment, Frank leaves but George purchases another piece for £800 cash then goes to SecondBank.com to repay £10 of his loan. Readers should note that of the £1000 winnings £1800 has been spent between Jean and George!

Now when the auction room presents Jean’s cheque to FirstBank.com they have only £200 reserve but fortunately for them Frank’s loan was due to be repaid on that date. However, when Frank goes to SecondBank.com to collect his £900 to repay FirstBank.com, he finds that they only have £190 reserve and the £10 of George’s first repayment. The rest of the £810, loaned to George, is not due back for months! SecondBank.com must seek a loan of £700 from the government or go bust but this takes time to arrange.

In the meantime Frank defaults on his loan of £900 from FirstBank.com and therefore FirstBank.com cannot honour Jean’s £1000 cheque and the auction rooms cannot pay its staff.

The £1000 put into the economy by the government, in the form of a scratch card, has become £2700 due to banking policy and was not a problem (if the money kept revolving), but once a demand is made, which is too great to be met, the entire system collapses.

And the net result is that the auction room made one man redundant and the government had to bailout FirstBank.com for £800 and SecondBank.com for £700. They also paid the redundant worker £300 for the period he was out of work. Thus the £1000 pumped into the economy lead the government to spend a further £1800 when the merry-go-round failed (a staggering 180% increase in the money supply!). If our little story had taken account of interest payments, bundled debt packages and the like then you’d have realise that this fictional country had been heading for financial thin ice for some time!

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International Rescue

2009-01-18T16:35:00.003Z

Regular readers will recall the technical problem I ran into on my short A Question Of Content. Briefly for newcomers, my short was filmed using a Canon XL1 digital SD camera with a Red Rock M2 filter attachment to give a film effect to the digital recording. During the process the image is reversed and therefore needs to be rotated by 180% during editing. I had intended to edit the film myself but I found that either my machine (Aspire 7112WSMI), operating system (XP Media Center), background processes or the editing software (Adobe Premiere 6.5) produced quality issues (pixelization strobing) on the rotated footage. Investigations seemed to point towards Adobe, but at this stage International Rescue (in the form of Jack Marshall Cambridge Film International) stepped in to save the day. Jack uses Avid editing software, which seemed to "flip-flop" OK. Further than this, he took over the editing role as the Avid clip grading/colour adjustments/balance etc was superior to the Adobe S/W (thanks Jack). Yesterday, Jack and I spent much of the day going over his initial edit whilst also getting an important pickup shot in the can. We then spent a few minutes going over the early edit of his own short Intruder (which is already looking pretty good {shot on a semi-HD camera}) so we had a most successful day.

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BAFTA

2009-01-15T22:07:00.006Z

A happy evening at BAFTA (around a year ago) for the private premiere of Gone Fishing the short film by Chris Jones. As an Associate Producer and featured Extra I have taken much pride in the success it has achieved since it's first public showing at Cannes 2008. It is therefore a little sad to report that Chris' film did not get nominated for Best Short for this years BAFTA awards. Still as Chris has frequently said his main aim is the Oscars.... so watch this space! The film has already won a string of awards so there may not have been room for a BAFTA in Chris' flat anyway!

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Lethargy

2009-01-13T17:36:00.003Z

The pace of life is slowly picking up, after the post Christmas lethargy, as my Producer has sent me a feature film to watch. It was made by one of a shortlist of candidates that my Producer and Director designate have suggested should write the next draft of The Bloodline. As the current exclusive owner of The Bloodline copyright this is a big step for me to take, but as a co-Producer I also recognise it as an essential one (particularly as the story may well be transferred to a European country). Watch this space!

Jack Marshall (cameraman/editor) on my short A Question Of Content is coming over at the weekend for a couple of pickup shots and to finalise the edit, so I guess I’m going to have to start motoring myself soon?

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The Duke Of York

2009-01-10T22:39:00.007Z

I do not intend to use this blog to plug anything but I have made an exception for A View From The Bridge. This is an Arthur Miller play and is due to open in about 10 days time at The Duke Of York Theatre in the West End. The play stars Ken Stott. And the reason for the plug? My son is in the cast and it's his first West End production! I hope the whole cast break many "legs"!

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Jack Marshall Films

2009-01-07T21:23:00.010Z

Today I received Jack Marshall’s latest cut of my short A Question Of Content. The grading is looking good and I do believe that we may yet get something we can take to Cannes 2009. Well done Jack... he put aside is own edit of Intruder to complete the latest AQOC cut! This good news inspired me to look again at my Director designate’s lukewarm comments about The Bloodline feature ReWrite, I’ve sent a rebuff to my Producer, so it will be interesting to see what comes of it… watch this space! I’ve also sent a copy of the script to Jack and Len Evans of VIP Ltd (my other Producer at Pinewood) so you'll need to check back here if you’d like to know what they made of the ReWrite!

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Katie Melua

2009-01-04T22:13:00.007Z

I'm still trying to avoid picking up on one of my many outstanding projects! The excuse today is a phone call from my Producer. He tells me he has a meeting with our Director designate tomorrow, to discuss the best way to take The Bloodline feature forward, so I may as well wait and see how that turns out.

In the meantime I've been listening to some music and I'd like to recommend Lucy In The Sky performed by Katie Melua. She is reported as worth £18m... not bad for someone in their early twenties! Enjoy!

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Battlestar Galactica

2009-01-03T17:22:00.005Z

Traditionally one does a review of the year at this time, but until today my Laptop had other ideas so you’ve been lucky enough to miss it! However, you’ll find my first ever blog (14 January 2008) here and you can follow the links if you missed anything, and have nothing better to do!!!!??

I hope you all had a splendid holiday… but are you now suffering from a post Christmas melancholy? Is the thought of the “work” ahead dragging you down? Or can’t you wait to get back to the grindstone? Regular readers will know that I have several projects at various stages of development, so in theory I have plenty of creative outlets at my disposal… but since that somewhat lukewarm response to The Bloodline ReWrite, by the Director designate (see previous blog), I’m in something of a malaise. Therefore instead of being productive I’ve been enjoying Battlestar Galactica Series 4, DVD’s from Lovefilm. It’s not as good as series 3 (e.g. the Grace Park, mixed marriage, subplot seems to be on hold) but it’s a dead easy way of passing a day or two!

Grace Park Battlestar Galactica - More amazing videos are a click away

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The Bloodline Script

2008-12-31T00:22:00.003Z

Some readers may recall my blog on The Royal Film Performance (see side bar) of A Bunch Of Amateurs, in particular my comments about the gestation period of the script (seven years). The original writers got to the point where they needed help to polish the script and two further writers (including Ian Hislop) were brought in to complete the project. It must have been difficult for the original writers to dilute their involvement but at least it got the film made. I’ve reached a similar position with The bloodline feature, insofar as the Director designate is not satisfied with the ReWrite and believes another writer (one he has worked with before) will be more in tune with his vision for the movie. So do I give up ownership of The Bloodline in order to retain the Director or stick with my vision and start the search for a new Director (and possibly Producer!)? Answers on an email to brokenarrowfilms!

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Art

2008-12-28T19:16:00.003Z

Have you eaten all those mince pies yet? Any turkey left? Maybe some Christmas pudding is sitting at the bottom of a bowl? No? Well, you must have had a good Christmas but at least you have around 360 days to get rid of the calories! At my age of course, I try to be careful… but usually fail. This year, to take my mind off food I’ve put together a video of some of my artwork. I hope you enjoy it.

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X Factor

2008-12-27T18:46:00.004Z

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas, my Producer Paul Dawe (Blue Rider Films) most decidedly did! Paul was part of the X Factor team and was obliged to attend the show's rap party in the VIP suite of London’s most fashionable night club, Movida in Shaftesbury Avenue. As you can see he was forced to get up close and personal, with some of the talent show contestants, due to the body press in the VIP area. It’s a hard life but someone has to live it! Come on Paul, go and give Julian a squeeze and get his report on The Bloodline ReWrite!!

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Christmas Greetings

2008-12-25T12:24:00.004Z

The warmest of Christmas greetings to one and all from brokenarrowfilms. It's been some time since I held a paintbrush in my hand, therefore, todays illustration is of a painting completed a few years ago. Enjoy!

Oliver Cat

2008-12-24T11:31:00.004Z

Yesterday Oliver Cat died at the grand old age of 19 years (all but 2 months), his owner (my wife) is sad but stalwart. Oliver will be remembered, particularly because the day! Happy birthday Diane! Merry Christmas everyone.

The Crooked House

2008-12-23T15:51:00.006Z

I’ve now completed twenty-three pages of The Haunting Of Becky Thomas and its legs are still in place (see earlier blog “The Writer’s Mantra” on side bar). I took a break from writing to watch a ghost story I had recorded from BBC 4. Sabina Sattar of Gone Fishing fame (see Gone Fishing blog on side bar) was the Production Designer on the Tiger Aspect’s production of “The Crooked House”. If you missed it you can get it on the BBC iplayer, but the next episode is tonight at 22.30hrs.

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Unavoidable Sex?

2008-12-21T19:01:00.006Z

A possible apology to my regular readers? My wife noticed a problem with the Christmas video that I directed you to a few days ago. Once the video has stopped running you are given options to run similar videos on YouTube… she found that these so called “similar” videos are rather rude and softpornish! If you enjoy softporn then “no problema”, if not don’t blame me YouTube make the selection not me!

You must know about buses and bus stops, well yesterday I mapped out another ghost story! This time a generic short (ie one that they can “play” around with and ring the changes) for my friends at FrameOnFrame. I’m not expecting anything to come of my one-page pitch but it was fun to send some creative fertiliser in the direction of FrameOnFrame!

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