Sick Note

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

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!

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:-
brokenarrowfilms

Spring Is In The Area

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?

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:-
brokenarrowfilms

Valentine Post-mortem

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.

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:-
brokenarrowfilms

Caen WWII

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:-

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:- brokenarrowfilms

Small World

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!

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:-
brokenarrowfilms

BAFTA Preview Law & Order UK

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.

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:-
brokenarrowfilms

A View From The Bridge Press Night

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!

Be Part Of The Miracle!!

Pitching

“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.

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
email:-
brokenarrowfilms