Words & Pictures

Further to the crushing news of not getting through to the next round of Red Planet (hang on, I didn't enter, did I?), um, I meant not winning the short film competition with "three" - my interpretation of the myth of the Three Graces: radiance, joy and abundance - I thought I might post the film up here for your relish.  

If you are a real glutton for punishment, however, then get on over to The Tenacious Twin site, D-Generation, where you can read my synopsis, extract and Part One, Chapter One of "Taking the Fast Lane", my NaNoWriMo attempt.  And if you go over there, please note the Adult Content waiver...thanking you.

And the Loser is...

Me.

Isn't that funny?  Big capital "W" one day, and then a big capital "L" the next.  Ain't that just life though?  

You may remember a billion years ago I wrote, produced, directed, shot and edited a very short film called "three" for the Swarovski/Three Graces Competition run by Tank Films.  Well, it's taken them this long to judge the rounds so far and as a result - I didn't win.  Boo.  Hiss.

Never mind, the guy who won was, in my view, always my main competition, so at least one of the pieces of cack didn't whip my ass.  I'm sorry to state that, as I don't really like making sweeping statements concerning other people's work, but there really was some sh*t in there.

Although I have just emailed those closely involved with the film, I also wanted to say a big thanks for all the support and cheery words I have had along the way from all my Tenacious Visitors.

Oh, and a shout out to those who got through to the next stage of Red Planet - a very well done to you all.

As I always like to state...onwards.

x

Short films, Short books and a Short Fuse.

Hello again lovelies.

Actually I don't have a short fuse today - as per my post title - but thought it sounded more interesting. Tsk.

Just another quick dip in and out for me just now as a lot of today has been spent running through piles of leaves in the park, pushing swings with all my might and then trying to get the odd word typed here and there.   Time is very precious at the moment and I have to run my days like a Sandhurst text book operation, squeezing in all the usual stuff as well as keeping on top of my obsessive word count for NaNoWriMo.  As of last night "Taking the Fast Lane" was sitting at 12,680 words, so it's moving on.

First up, a couple more job opportunities:

1. Assistant Script Editor, BBC Drama Series & Serials, London : 6 month fixed term contract/Attachment (Maternity cover)
2. Script Editor , BBC Drama Series & Serials, London: 1 x 12 month fixed term contract/attachment and 1 x 6 month fixed term contract/Attachment (Mat Cover)

Well, back to NaNoWriMo.  It *seems* to be going ok, apart from the fact I keep panicking myself by thinking I'm running out of plot/words/fingers.  I have now completed "Part One" (of four) of the book and am wading my way into "Part Two".  When I had two minutes spare yesterday (a bit like now), I very bravely filled in the 'synopsis' and 'excerpt sections' of the  'Novel Info' page on the NaNoWriMo site, so if you want to read what kind of trash a totally unplanned novel reads like (no editing has taken place), then please feel free to check it out here. [Please note: it contains bad language, bad imagery & more than likely very bad writing].  

Urgh. I'm probably really going to regret that, aren't I?  [There's still time to remove the link... No!  Be brave, Tenacious You...it'll be ok - they're all lovely your bloggie-buds...]

Other than that, not a lot has been happening apart from the usual day to day writerly drift.  

I am still waiting to see what happens with my film, "three" - the closing date was the end of August and no decision has been made yet (the second round has also now closed...)!  So that really has been the longest wait on earth.  Never mind, next Monday is the closing date for Screen East's DigiBytes and Digital Nation , and seeing as they have a strict timetable to adhere to, all final decisions after interviews etc (hopefully) should be revealed just before Christmas.

Have a good weekend all.  Not sure what I'm  up to...ha ha ha. Onwards.

At last - The Film!

I have possibly had the most stressful few days of my life over the past 48 hours - yesterday saw me car-less and Mac-less. I now have the car back (after a very large bill - leaking coolant/cambelt/main dealer cr*p & spiel) but as for Macbook...it's gone into the Apple Hospital for a week or so to have a new case - and hence the fact my formatting on Tenacious Me is all over the place.

Anyway, this would have been bad enough apart from the fact that I discovered my uploaded competition film file was indeed corrupt - a nagging feeling I had in the pit of my stomach since uploading it last week. So where are all my film files? On my Mac in Apple General - but backed up of course. On Time Machine - a Mac back-up system totally impenetrable by anything other than a Mac. Unless of course you have a crack IT Team, like I do. So, after The IT Team had recovered a useable file, I then had to upload it via Slaptop, which just took forever. The IT Team only use Linux for their stuff and I really don't understand the whole cute penguin thing so couldn't use their hardware. ;)

Anyway, heartache aside, it's there - the very nice, helpful person from Tank Films told me so this evening.

So without further ado - have a watch if it would please you to do so. You need to click on the cute turquoise square crystal thingy which lets you view all the films including mine. HERE is the link. Enjoy. Please. :0)

Strumming My Fingers

I have uploaded my film for "assessing" before it (hopefully) goes live on the comp site.  I will let you know when it is there - you can't vote (booooo), but you can comment (only nice ones please).

Not one for resting on my laurels too long, I already have three more definite projects in the very near pipeline.  Extremely fun and exciting, all this "Kick Your World Up It's Own Ass" approach.  Liking it.

Anyway, I digress for a change.  

It's Friday, which means there is a requirement for a stupid video.  Seeing as Olympic fever will be choking us over the weekend (or the air quality in Bejing, whichever gets us first), I thought I wouldn't bother with another Olympic blooper reel - soooo last week, darling.  So, here's another really ridiculous one for you instead.  I wonder how much this cost the taxpayer?

Have a nice weekend.

And Reee-lax.

It's only Monday and I need a break already.  I have had a fairly busy weekend but early Kid rises, busy Kid days plus late editing nights equals t-o-t-a-l-l-y k-n-a-c-k-e-r-e-d out.  On the plus side, not much to do on the edit now:  I am very, very nearly there - with around 35 seconds of visuals to edit and mix - then it's onto the never-ending list of 'finishing tweaks'. Fun.  

So, why did I decide to enter this comp, I keep asking myself?  Ah, yes, I was in danger of physically melting down into a blob of decreativity. I remember now. Still, it's only just over a month ago since I read about it and now I have a nice little short that's virtually in the can. Not too bad.  

So here's sneaky peek: a still from the exterior shoot last week - featuring my three beautiful little angels! Honestly, butter wouldn't melt. Yeah, right. 

Oh, nearly forgot to mention the first round of the BSSC has been announced as have BlueCat Semis...well done if you got placed!  My excuse is - I didn't enter!  How slack am I?!

Bring Me Sunshine

Wow. Being sarcastically positive really works.

Today the sun shone, shone, and then shone some more.  In fact it shone so much, I managed to get all the shots I needed - plus quite a few additional ones - of my three very busy little girls.  They looked perfect, did as they were directed and ate ice cream afterwards with aplomb.  We even had time to hit the paddling pools to cool off a bit before lunch.

Today completed the 'shoot' part of my short: now for the edit and my nose being firmly pressed to some random grindstone. Crikey m'lord, we're nearly there.

Busy, busy. Stop.

A pretty manic week to be honest as I have been desperately trying to tie up the last few exterior shots for my short.  These are dependent on the availability of three young girls, and if their social agendas are anything like The Kid's (sounds like they are) then getting them in one place, at one time for two whole hours is really going to be nothing short of a miracle.  It also needs to be a sunny day - hey ho - but let's stay positive, eh?  Let's tick all those darned boxes, goddamit. Let's lift our dreary chins up to the bright sunny sky. Let's smile out loud. Yup. Yup. Yup. Hallelujah!

Anyway.

The Kid now has a rash and a continual drippy nose thanks to his MMR jab but that didn't stop him from pushing his own buggy for half a mile following Mummy doing another recce. I did offer to push him in it, but he flatly refused. T'was a fair deal after a year of me doing the pushing, I guess. 

So here we are, another Friday and another video to ease you into the weekend. I beg you to cast aside your shoes with impromptu nonchalance, divulge your relief in the most verbose fashion, and make merry with sheer frivolity.  

Ok, just have a good weekend, then - I really hope none of these are you...

Never Rains but it Pours

I recently succumbed to the deadly tummy bug lurgy thingy which has been a total killer. It steam-rollered me during the early hours of Sunday morning and I have only just begun to function properly today.  I still ache from head to foot but that is down to the fact that around 1am on Monday I stumbled out of bed in a hallucinatory state, convinced I was going to be sick for the tenth time that hour, lurched towards the bathroom, missed the door handle and face planted into The Kid's door with a rather loud crash. At least that's what my Miss Marple braincell thinks happened but I can't verify the details - I just woke up in a heap wondering what all the noise had been, why I was kissing the door and indeed, how long I had been there. I managed to cut my shoulder, graze my arm and nearly break my nose, which is still a lovely blackened shade along with the pretty, dark "oops, my eyeliner really slipped" looking eyes. Not so much a sexy, smouldering look, as a bruised, smoked kipper effect. ;(

On an up note, last night I finally managed to complete the rough edit for my Swarovski/Tank Films comp entry No.1, so now I know exactly what footage I need to shoot in a couple of weeks' time to complete it.  I'm quite happy with it thus far so hope things will carry on in that vein.  I also got a lovely email the other day informing me of my successful ticket application for the VISA London 2012 Party in August.  Acts are to be announced but it promises to be on par with Live Aid (1985).  It's a bit of a double edged sword as it is happening the day I was meant to be returning from the Edinburgh Festival but I guess I'll just have to head home a bit earlier.  

So, me and 39,999 other peeps on The Mall will be "celebrating the hand-over of the Olympic flag from Bejing to London".  Anyone else going?  Be sure to wave.

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!