New Site online

Firstly I would like to redirect you to the brand new micro-site I have made for the short film I made for the Sci Fi London 48 hour Film Challenge 2009, called Status Update. I have said it before, but I had a lot of fun making the film and look forward to entering again next year.

Still Alive

Just a quick update really, to confirm that I am still alive and active. I have just started a new job, which has been keeping me very busy for the past month. I cannot say much about the job at the moment, but I have moved to Cambridge, which also kept me a little quiet, and I am working a 4pm - 2am shift today which gives me a few hours to tweak this.

Status Update, the short film I entered into the 48 Hour Film Challenge, didn’t make the short list, but I did see it on the big screen, and finished the competition in the time limit and that is what I entered for. They have posted a behind the scene video, and although I don’t get interview or speak at all, I am featured in the background quite often.

I am currently in the planning stages of another video project, I have to approach a couple of people with suggestions about it before I get too much further along, but watch this space.

At the moment the Lord of the Rings: Two Towers Spoof isn’t available on Youtube as we have used music from the sound track, and it is currently being blocked. It can be viewed on our Vimeo channel. We are hoping to sort something out for youtubers shortly.

Status Update: Delivering to target

The film is finished, and now burnt to a DVD ready to be delivered to the West End of London to be judged.

I would like to take a moment here to thank everyone that took part, and helped make this weekend memorable, and so much fun. Drew and Dave, as much as I hoped to have more people helping out, just the three of us turned out to make a really great film, it wouldn’t have been as much fun without you both. Of course, thanks must also go to Ricky Horn and my mum who joined us to make sure that the cameras kept pointing at the action and soldiered on past fears of horses, and dislike of forests in general to assist.

Of course it wouldn’t have been possible without the script written by James Crowther, who has a brilliant grasp of characters and managed to write a 5 minute film script in the time it took me to get back from London on Saturday which really helped us get moving. My Uncle, John Whybrew, jumped in Sunday afternoon and provided the film with an original sound track and I really like it. For a start it is really nice to have a piece of music the complements my editing work, instead of needing to work the other way round for a change. While most of the special effects and titling work was done by yours truly here, there was one piece of the puzzle that I needed to call in external help for. The Eternity Syndicate, as secretive as they are, needed a logo, in my opinion, and for that, I needed a graphic artist to make one. Thankfully I knew just the guy, Carl Mitchell, the second of my ex-housemates to be roped into helping, and he delivered the brilliant logo that accompanies part of the opening monologue.

So, once again, thanks to everyone that took part in this contest alongside me. It was really great fun, and I mean really mean that. Anyway I need to stop being all sentimental now, and get my act in gear, I have a DVD and just over three hours to get from here to the West End of London and hand it in. Keep your eyes on this space for more information about what happens next.

48 hour film challenge - Day 2

Slightly more refreshed now, after a couple of hours sleep, and a dip in the bath, I am now ramping up to get day 2 of the film challenge started. I was up until 3 am last night getting the rough cut of the film together, and the titles and as much of the special effects together as possible. Today we have to do a round of re-shoots, a couple of things that we didn’t mange to pick up yesterday, or stuff that we noticed we needed only once we started editing. It has been a great laugh so far, and hopefully we will have a lot more fun today, and have something back to the Apollo by 13:00 tomorrow afternoon.

We might also be shooting the last scene needed for the Animus trailer this afternoon as well, so that should be finished by the middle of the week. Thankfully it is only a simple effect so it shouldn’t take too long to put together and add to the trailer.

48 hour film challenge - Now on

As you read this... assuming you read it soon after I post it... I will be working on the 48 hour film challenge. I have pre-written most this blog post so that it can be posted without taking up too much time while I am meant to be working on the actual film. Below is a countdown timer until our deadline for delivery on Monday

[UPDATE: The contest is now complete]

So, on to the part that couldn’t be pre-written. The details about the film. Every film made for the contest has three randomly chosen elements that are partly to add to the challenge of filming, and partly to show that the film was actually made in the 48 hour time limit. That way you cannot submit a short film you made prior to the contest. The three elements are the title of the short, a prop or action that must appear during the film, and a line of dialogue that must either be spoken or written somewhere in the film. My short is called “Status Update”, and includes the dialogue “These are the fast times, these are our fast times” and a black rucksack with a selection of credit cards three mobile phones and two differently coloured passports. Thankfully my friend from university, the very talented Jexus, agreed to write us a script and while I was travelling back from London and acquiring the props that we didn’t have.

My brother and his friend, Dave, agreed to star alongside myself in the epic short, and when I arrived back we divvied up the three roles and secured my mother and another of their friends, to be camera people and away we went. About 2 and 1/2 hours later we have primary filming done and dusted and editing is now underway. This affords me a little time to write this up as the computer captures the footage from the camera automatically. Tonight is going to be a long night... I can tell already.

Elsewhere the Two Towers spoof I am working on has finally finished editing and will be uploaded soon, sadly this weekend gets in the way but looks for it coming out to youtube, and various other video sharing web sites,some time in the next week or so, after we have our little premiere here.

In other more personal news, I have succeeded in getting a job with a video games company in Cambridge. At the moment it is only a limited term contract doing player support, but it should hopefully be easier to move on to bigger things from there. And my brother is home for the Easter holidays, which makes me very happy.

48 hour film challenge - this weekend

I am entering a 48 hour science fiction film challenge this weekend, it should be really interesting. Basically my friends and I will be getting a brief Saturday morning and writing, filming and editing over the next two days before delivering back on the Monday. I will hopefully make an update or two while working on the project, either here in my blog, or more frequently on my Twitter account. The film will be available online a month after the competition ends.

[UPDATE: The challenge is underway now]

In other film making news, the second Animus trailer, for Animus: Origins, is nearly complete and hopefully will be uploaded before the weekend. The Two Towers spoof is the the final stretch, just some final touches need to be applied and then it will be uploaded.

The first set of courses I have been working on at FXPHD have drawn to a close and they were thoroughly enjoyable. I would highly recommend them to anyone interested in making special effects, although it is quite expensive. They have announced their next series of courses, the April ’09 Semester, today and it revolves around the work they did for the soon to air special of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth.

Red Nose Day 2009

Red Nose Day is this Friday, for those in the UK. Anyone confused should check out the official web site for more information. This year the slogan is ‘Do something funny for money’

Anyway, I don’t really have that much too share right now. The Two Towers spoof is moving closer to completion, as is the second Animus trailer. I have been taking some courses at FXPHD, which is great, but sadly I don’t think I am going to be able to afford another semester. The fight scene is one example of the work that I have been doing for the course.

I found a couple of useful links for film makers:

Links:

• In case you haven’t seen it, 60SecondDirector tweets on a regular basis film making tips.
• There is a wide selection of how-to videos, to be found at HowCast, including how to make your first film. Check out their emerging film makers program, for a great way to boost your show reel