Happy Christmas and New Year

I'll be in touch in January. Have a lovely relaxing time and a happy - and busy - 2010 to everyone.

MmmmmMusic

Most of the music is completed and we should get the rest at the end of next week.

Just so you know.

Music

Thank God for Mr Butt. That is all.

Dents

Happily Jonny's been worked off his feet lately - sadly that meant he wouldn't be able to fit this in before next year.

So, the hair and nails had to wait I'm afraid (picture Howard Hughes) but I have DENTS! You have no idea how excited I am by this, nor how close to escaping to Kamchatka, where Alan very definitely isn't, just to get away from that bloody boot.

Ah, Fabuolous...

What a fantastic feeling, sitting back, waiting for the work of others to come pouring in. Filing my nails, getting my hair done, dressing up in women's clothing - no, wait...

Got two scenes back from the composer this week. Don't think I've ever laughed at music before (in a good way, Chris). Great to be surprised by what someone else brings to it. That's what I love about working with other people. Bollocks to those indie auteur egos out there, they just don't know what they're missing out on.

Joe's beavering away as well, gearing up for the next big push - getting the thing actually seen. So, a little more work on the final audio mix, and a small matter of some effects for the ending (Jonny...) and then it all lands more or less like a great squelchy sandwich of love in the lap of Mr PR himself.

Brilliant.

That's it, I'm DONE

Cut no 21 went up on the etherwaves today, picture locked, audio mixed and now there's NOTHING more for me to do.

Until I get the music back, and the graphics, that is.

In the meantime - hooray!!! Now I'm going to rest my eyeballs and my eardrums. And try to stop reciting the script in my sleep.

Rough Cut 14

Fine cut (aka Rough Cut 14) progressing nicely. Tidying up the audio mix - will need to go and record some random sounds (rain, car boot slam, anyone?) and plugging those flash frame gaps in the picture. In other hotbeds of creative endeavour (sweatshops) someone somewhere is Making Music and someone else is soon to be Generating Graphics.

God, imagine if it had been feature length?!

Back from break

Hi all. Some changes made and rough cut compiled for audio/music input. That will take a little while. I've been away on a job and a break (thank goodness) and will now look at Joe's suggestions for the rough cut next week. Some will be painfree, others a little tougher.

First Rough Cut Viewing

Went well. Need to shave another 2 mins off at least, and try some alternatives in key scenes. Won't be on it till next week since (thankfully) paid work is interfering.

Scene 9 will wait

But 10 is done. (I think I can leave the rest to your imagination.)

The end of Scene 8

Won't start 9 till Monday probably. It's rough. The audio is more of a suggestion, really, and I've been finding the limit of my poor little laptop's processors. As long as it doesn't burn out before we've faded away. That is all.

Been a long time...

Sat down again today to work on the rough cut. A bit of distance is a great idea. It won't be quick, but it's back underway. So while the world and its dogs are off on holiday I'll be trimming this down to a work of art.

Meanwhile to prove I've been sweating away, if you want to see what I've been up to instead, I've been putting this together:

www.aquilinefeatures.net

The update that isn't an update

Right, it's about time I posted an update. The update is - there is no update. Hence nothing posted. I can avoid it no more, time to fess up. Sorry folks, must do better...

Another weekly update

Exciting news is that we're close to confirming a brilliant editor on board. My own cut has paused while I pursue this (and do some very overdue work of my own) but I'll get this going again before getting into the edit proper.

Very little change

Right, I can do this in one sentence. Well, two. That's three... - sod it.
The cut progresses.
Bye.

Bare Feet

Didn't really matter in the end, we went with naked flesh. Luckily the sun was out - as were several of us the night before...

Now that is officially a wrap!

Next hurdle: actively seeking a photoshop/ after effects wizard (or someone who will actually let us smash up the boot of their black car), anyone have any ideas?

Alan's Shoes

I can officially confirm that Alan's shoes do NOT so far appear in this film. Except in really really dark shadows. Until tomorrow's pickups that is - so Alan, you can even wear your polka dotted pumps! (but no heels, please.)

Goodbye to Jenny

Went away for a few days for K's birthday - you know, the one who woke up at stupid o'clock to drive half the crew to a carpark so we could finish the film. Thought it best since I'd barely spoken to him for weeks, because of the film.

Today was lost in file format issues for last week's client for whom I shot an interview and whose company appears staffed with barelyoutofnappiesmediagraduates who wouldn't know a codec if one bit them on the arse.

This afternoon said goodbye to Jenny - our exotic art department. Who'd have thought twenty years ago over our drawing boards in Perth two of us would end up on a bisty short film in London? So glad we did.

Am just trying to sort out a day for our last scene with Alan. It may even be as soon as this weekend.

In other news... Amy and Matt may or may not have ended up in Abu Dhabi on a now-you
-see-it-now-you-don't documentary. Ed will have finished his drama and returned to normal. Jonny D got another high profile portrait commissioned, James C is in a darkly interesting sounding play till April, Jamie V is blitzing it with stuff all month, Joe's finding shaping his new post interesting, Lucy astonishingly ran really really far for charity, and is in a stage production doing loads of things, Harry got another production under his belt and learned we were a really nice bunch after all, Graham's waiting to hear on a sound project, Greg Smith's been snapped up left right and centre, Will and Sam are just about now getting end of term submissions in I guess, Greg A is moving house, Josie's sewing her little fingers off, Carli - well, I don't know - Carli's always just super busy doing stuff... - promise I'll keep you all in the loop as I hear. If you want.

And finally - I see I have another 'follower' to this blog. Brilliant! It feels rather less pointless I must admit. Not a great believer in vanity-blog-publishing. Might as well construct a short film instead...

...And Relax

Today I have mostly been sleeping in. Bliss! Somewhere under the pile of kit is my flat. Wet things strewn across most of the furniture gently reminding me of lost hours in a carpark. The weekend is a blur. Anyone know what we got up to? Think it involved a car and some gales, and a bunch of dedicated nutters standing round in the cold on a Sunday. Thanks to all.

Shoot on 8th March

So, we've got the place and the people. Now, EVERYONE pray for rain. Oh - and bring a very large water bottle with you...

Getting Back On The Case

The good news is, we've got a film! The rough cut works and I've got a clear picture of what we need from the pickups. This week pre-production kicks off again for 8th March so things will get pretty busy again. Oh - and if anyone has a garden hose/large water containers/ big garden sprayers, we'll be needing them.

Rough Cut

Nothing like a project and a deadline to force you to learn new software. Final Cutmywrists Pro. Why can't it just behave like an Avid? Somehow there's a rough cut developing, though quite a lot of imagination still required.

Pickup day

We've got a date for the pickup shoot - 8th March. Here's hoping for dull cloudy weather with a touch of rain. Brace yourselves, the madness begins again! Will be in touch. 12 hours in a carpark - bring it on!!

Admin

Joe points out the blog is due an update... where did last week go? My days at the moment filled with things that life throws up - tax, work, filing, bills. Please send me your land addresses if you haven't already. On the film side, rushes about three quarters logged - and until they're finished and sensibly viewed nothing more will happen production-wise. What we've got looks great, I just have to make sure we get the bits that cut together.

O Alan Where Art Thou

So, we still haven't quite found him, but Alan's whereabouts seem closer... and I'm going to stop looking for a couple of days while I recuperate.  Three astonishing days of graft on location put in by you all plus all your prep - and great pictures to show for it.  Dens of iniquity, grim rainy wastelands, nights of aliens and drunken debauchery... (and not all of it from yesterday).  And the best part is - there's more to do!  So THANK YOU again to all of you including last minute draftees.  Stay tuned.

Great British Weather

Doesn't matter how many times I refresh the page from the BBC weather site, Sunday's heavy rain just isn't shifting. Don't the raingods know how to respond to this interwebby thing? Wishing we'd cast ducks instead. Outlook: glum.

Icing on cake - or at least, turning on the oven...

The unstoppable juggernaut got held up by gastric flu. Apparently we can't insure against wet weather. Gales and rain forecast for Sunday.

On the plus side, we've got the people, the gear and the goddammitwe'vegotthisfar-ness we need, and hey, who here hasn't spent 12 hours in the rain on location in Britain? (Someone remind me - why do we do this, again?)

On Thursday the schedule gets a final going over and Friday the call sheets get issued. That's the theory anyway. And if anyone's actually reading this, see you soon!

So Where The Bloody Hell Is Alan?

So after dancing some location jigs we're baby steps away from having the whole shebang under way.  Details really like where to put the winnebagos and stocking up on Perrier and caviar, and did anyone remember to bring the camera....  I'm away for a few days but from Tuesday next week the unstoppable juggernaut lurches into action. 

Yikes.

Pills, anyone?

Locations...

..... AAARGH!!!!
Just wanted to share that with you.
Better now.
Phew.

Harry on Hand to Help

If you haven't already, then you'll soon start speaking to Harry, the logistics dynamo who's come to help with all things preparation (thank goodness).

Cast Complete

We're now fully cast, thanks to everyone who's agreed to play. A new draft (Draft 9) with some minor line and stage direction alterations - highlighted - will be circulated today. Promise no more changes now unless the rehearsal throws something up on Saturday 24th.

Crew Updates

A big thanks to all crew now helping; a huge relief to have you on board. Still a couple of positions to fill but talking to people about some of these now, so we're on track.