Film Festivals & AQOC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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