Free Falling

At least, that's how it feels. Mad? Tick. Exciting? Tick. A revelation? Tickety-tick-tick.

Whilst most of my learned cyber-buds were soberly sanctifying their scriberly souls (ahem) at SWF, I decided to throw down the gauntlet and set myself a little challenge.  Or perhaps that should be: I threw a great, heaving, metal gauntlet at myself and it hit me in this guise:

Swarovski has teamed up with Tank to search the creative community for the freshest film directors around. The Three Graces competition, which launches today, is an open call to filmmakers and creatives working with the moving image to develop a short film to accompany one of three exclusive tracks we’ve commissioned for the project.  Submissions will interpret the myth of the Three Graces, who symbolise the qualities of radiance, joy and abundance.

After reading about the competition in Saturday's (28th June) Shooting People Filmmakers' Bulletin,  I spent the best part of yesterday storyboarding, setting up test shots, checking light levels, filming, chucking together a rough edit and thoroughly enjoying every single darn second of it. After very little sleep (editing becomes strangely obsessive, y'know), I woke up exhausted but buzzing and ready to get going on my plans for a second day of filming drop-ins and cutaways which will complete the shoot.  

After editing and perfecting (ha!) the current material, this will be Entry Number One.  Whether I have the time to devise/shoot/edit Entry Number Two, Three and so on is another situation entirely but I do have lots of ideas kicking around - what happens to those remains to be seen; however, if I don't do something with at least one of them, that gauntlet is going to jump up and choke me. Fingers crossed it doesn't!

For all you out there who wish to have a punt, full details are here.

Good Luck & leave a comment if you are entering!

More Procrastination Needed?

Obviously, far more time-wasting games are required in this cyber world of writing.

Click on this link for another five or so minutes well spent.

WARNING: this game is addictive and no responsibility is taken for unfinished drafts, half written outlines, confused character breakdowns or gelatinous log-lines.

It's Bank Holl-eee-day

Only click on this link if you wish to procrastinate more than normal. You have been warned.

A Very Annoying Little Game

Happy May Day!

Yipee! It's the 1st of May - one of my most favourite days in the year. Hell, it even features heavily in my 'pet' screenplay. (As opposed to featuring heavily in my pet, Screenplay ;)

Call it the Celt in me, but there's something so special about May Day, or Beltane as it was know in the pre-Christian [Celtic] epoch. Beltane marks the start of the pastoral Summer season and is one of the cross-quarter days in the Celtic calendar - these are days that signal the beginning of a new season and are half way between an equinox and a solstice. Special days.

There is always so much raw, unchannelled energy around on May 1st - a negative example of which was the May Day Riots of 2000 in London, Glasgow, Doncaster & Edinburgh. Nicer examples are the many festivals held around the UK over the May Bank Holiday weekend celebrating with Morris dancers, maypole dancers, music, good company, food and laughter.

This year, there is also a Full Moon on May 2nd, so in addition to the energy of May Day itself, we will have the lunar influence on the emotions with the touch of insanity and insomnia it sometimes brings.

I may be very wrong, but interesting days ahead. If there was ever a week to have/not to have local elections (dependant on which 'side' you're on), I reckon this is it.

So, here are my instructions for today:

Take a break - in fact take a whole lunch break - stand outside in the sun, shut your eyes and breathe in. A. Big. Deep. Breath. Feel the energy, and the promise of splendid things to come.