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!

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
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Preparing For Cannes 2009

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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Cannes Plus

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!

Be Part Of The Miracle!!

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Cannes 2009

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).

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.

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
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brokenarrowfilms

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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Evaluation

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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Lethargy

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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Jack Marshall Films

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!

Be Part Of The Miracle!!
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brokenarrowfilms