Charles Babbage Videos

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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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