New Year, New Title

Hello Blog world

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year.Although it has been the holiday period work hasn't stopped on "Wheels". A final edit is being put together as I type and I am very pleased with the film, the footage although ungraded looks crisp and appealing and more importantly the message I aimed at getting across does. However the title which as you may have guessed by this updates title has changed once again, as I have said in previous blog posts "Wheels" didn't really tie in with the film or it's message and "You've Got A Friend..." made everybody instantly think of the Toy Story films so I did a bit of thinking. I searched through every dictionary I own looking up words to do with friendship, adventure and escape and drew a blank until I stumbled across the latin word "Amicus" which means friend. The word sounds good, has everything to do with the message and has no relation to toys of any sort and as a result is now the official title of the film. Below is an updated version of the poster with a little more grading and changes.

Some other good news is that Folk Uke a small folk band from Austin, Texas in the US have given permission for their track "Shit Makes The Flowers Grow" to be used in the film. I can't thank them enough for their kindness and feedback on an early cut of the film as without their music the final act of the film would have been terrible empty and nowhere near as poignant. Please follow the link and check them out as they are awesome! (http://www.myspace.com/folkuke)

Finally although Amicus hasn't even been released yet I have started work on a new script which I believe will be my final film at university I am looking forward to a little bit of a break once Amicus is completed (hopefully in the next few weeks) as I am really excited and eager to finish the first draft and begin another film all over again.  I am aiming to upload a final cut of the film by mid January but until then I'll keep updating with what's going on as it's going on.

Cheers

Rough Edits = Fun Times

Hello Bloggers

The good news this week is that a rough edit has been completed. The film is currently running at around a 9 min runtime without credits and looks very good, the opening scene is like somebody has plugged a monitor into my head and is projecting my thoughts. The performances in the flick are also mindblowingly good and I cant thanks Clementine and Len enough for alll their hard work. I cant wait to sort out the sound tomorrow in the edit and get the flick sent off to Matt over at MembraneAudio so that his score can finally find it's home on film. As the flick is now in post I've been thinking ahead to marketing, promotion and film fests etc, I think the film really has the potential to be selected and is one of the main reasons I'm powering on with the edit. I'm hoping to enter the flick into the "Stoke Your Fires" Festival which is accepting film for the first time as before it was mainly animation based moving image. I think it would be great to get the film shown in the city it was filmed in and a great chance to get the cast and crew together.  As I said I've been thinking of promotional material and quickly threw together a poster for the film.

As you can see the film has been re-titled. After reviewing the footage the title "Wheels" just wasnt working, I felt it didnt relate to the story and definately didnt express the message of the film and so I went back to the drawing board and spoke to some people and one suggestion was "You've Got a Friend" and I loved it. I feel the new title really does express the film a whole lot better and of course any feedback on the poster would be awesome. Right I'm going to settle down to some season 1 "Heroes" and as always I'll keep you posted on things as they happen.

Enjoy!

We Are Shot! :D

Hello Bloggers

I am pleased to announce that "Wheels" is 98% shot. The last two days have been very very tiring but the footage looks amazing and I am very eager to get it into the edit tomorrow for a rough edit. I have to thank a lot of people for getting the film into production so I'd like to thank: Adam Georgiou (1st AD), Dave Gawne (Cam Operator), Clementine Conlon Spears (Jennifer), Len Dobson (Victor), Ben Spencer (Behind the Scenes), Rachel Wood (Producer), Steven Cooper (D.O.P), Callum Woolhouse (Sound Operator), the entire Wood household for letting us invade, my girlfriend Emma for putting up with me and anybody else I may have missed out. Below are some promo stills.

Right I am shattered and really need some sleep so I'll update in a few days.

Enjoy!

What Been Happening

Hello Bloggers

I'm sorry to say that "Wheels" was not shot this week as planned. Unfortunately one of my actors had caught a nasty case of flu and the decision was made to push production back a week to the 1st and 2nd of December. It was a real blow to my confidence and left my feeling a little down but my crew really rallied round and we got everything sorted!

Fast forward to now and I'm stupidly excited about next week, Nothing is going to stop me shooting whether it be snow or otherwise! The cast and crew have been awesome and I feel with them both at my side the film will be a real winner! I have also uploaded my Aimhigher Regional Video to the site, be sure to check it out. The video was directed by myself and a fellow student Roberta Spain and was the most challenging project either of us had ever taken on. Production took roughly 10 months and was very grueling but it was all work it in the end!

On a lighter note I attended the "Thought Bubble Comic Convention" last weekend. It was awesome! I finally discovered what my comic buying limit is.......15 graphic novels!!!! I also met John Romita Jr the artist on Frank Miller's Daredevil:The Man Without Fear, Spiderman and Kick Ass. He was such a nice guy and was nice enough to sign my Daredevil copy and have a little chat with me about comics, films and basically being a nerd. Below are some examples of his work.

 As always I'll update when I have more news! Only 3 days until production and I cant wait!

Peace!
 

Best Of The Fest

Hello Bloggers

Well I just got back from the 2010 Exposures Film Festival which was held at the Cornerhouse in Manchester, and wow! what a brilliant three days. I think the best thing I got out of the whole thing was a massive boost in confidence, I saw some truly great films but at the same time I saw some truly awful films too. Meeting industry professionals and other film students was great and really showed me how far I have come in just under three years on the BA Media Production course and how good my course is. I had to wince when a college student proclaimed "I edit my films on Windows Movie Maker".  I believe that "Wheels" has every chance in the world to be in the festival next year.

The fest was also great for ideas generation, nothing stimulates the brain into ideas mode better than sitting and watching 12 hours worth of films for three days. Below are some of the best films I saw this week.


Adrift from Adrift Animation on Vimeo.

I loved Adrift because it was one of the very few lighthearted films shown at the festival. One thing that annoys me more than anything about student films is that they are very rarely lighthearted and nice, it seems everything must be violent and involve death. This annoyance was one of the driving forces for me to write "Wheels".


Notice from Amy Hill on Vimeo.

I also loved Amy Hill's "Notice". I loved the interaction between the two main characters and how natural and realistic the film felt. It was brilliant to see a film which was simple and yet had character's with serious depth and personality. It just proves that a good film is not always an action packed, heavy dialogue driven three hour epic and is often based an a very simple premise.


The City from Dylan Blythin on Vimeo.


Finally The City directed by Thomas Beswick. I loved the look and pace of the film, it must have cost a fortune in film to create and the soundtrack is extremely good too. However had I directed the short I would have cut the running time a little.

Anyway I better run as I have a train to catch to Leeds for the Thought Bubble Comic Convention this Saturday. I'll update in a few days.

Peace!

We Have A Victor!!!!

Hello Blogosphere

Well what a week! I've been on three shoots, one for "The Dog and The Suitcase" by Adam Georgiou, which was great fun if a little cold and the other for "Untitled Horror" by Steven Cooper. Steven's shoot was a blast, nothing beats filming at stupid o'clock in the morning in a haunted pub in Nantwich!

The main news this week however is that I'm super excited to announce that after a brilliant audition Len Dobson will be playing Victor in my short film "Wheels". It was a close call to make as everyone who auditioned was great but Len was the right choice. I have also tweaked the script this weekend, making the number of drafts come to seven!

Now it seems nothing can stop me flying into production and I really cant wait. I have a meeting with the crew tomorrow afternoon and before I know it I'll be shooting......at last!

However before production there are some very exciting things to do. For three days this week I will be at the Exposures Film Fest eyeing up the competition and getting to know industry professionals, and next weekend I am going to be nerding out at Though Bubble Comic Con in my hometown of Leeds. It will be nice to head home before the massive rush and stress that is production and its a brilliant excuse to stock up on some comics! As always I'll update soon!

Peace!

Things are looking up!

Hello Blogworldians

Things are operating at full pace again after a slight hitch with casting Victor last week. I am pleased to say I'm currently in talks with actors wanting to play the role of Victor.  Audition are taking place next Thursday (11/11/10) and I have the shoots scheduled for the 23rd and 24th November. I am praying everything goes well next week and no other surprises are in store.

Casting isn't the only good news. I recently put out a call for composers and the response is immense! I've currently had over 70 applicants and counting, my phone hasn't stopped buzzing. It seems I'll have to take a day out to go through them all there are that many!

I have also booked tickets for the "Exposures Film Festival" held at the Cornerhouse in Manchester. I am looking forward to meeting industry professionals and watching the competition in the screenings. The fest also has some very interesting lectures and seminars and I am particularly interesting in the "How to Get a Job in TV and Radio"and "The Highs and Lows of a Freelance Filmmaker" lectures. At £20 for the whole three days its a steal!


I'll post an update in a few days.

Peace!