Cinema (of horror)

Cinema of Horror, the 2nd of the films I worked on has been enter into a short film competition. Being run by Virgin, called Virgin Shorts - it is being judged by Mr Kevin Spacey, no less lol

CoH is actually 12 mins long, so Peter (Kershaw, the director) has had to cut it to the festival requirement of 2m30s! lol, and shown some rather flashy editing skills too!

Please watch it, link to it, and most importantly - VOTE FOR IT!!!!! LOL

Presenting the shorted version of CINEMA

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/1632719444

Presenting - Bitten

I am very pleased and proud to finally get to show you Bitten. The first of the short films I worked on in February. In this bloggers opinion, it rocks!! lol And looks fab in High Def too.

As I said bcak in February, Bitten is a PROPER horror film. So viewers discretion is advised! lol I do hope you all enjoy it!

Presenting - Bitten!


Bitten from Duncan Laing on Vimeo.

Metropolis promo

The first promos are now coming out for the Metropolis series of docs. Our doc Sweet Fifteen is going out on Dutch TV on 11th April. We have been given a brief for some more different docs, and have started researching subjects. More on this as it lands!

"www.Metropolisweb.tv is a global collective of video journalists that produces personal video reports on a variety of issues and themes. The network consists of over 50 film makers and video bloggers all over the world. Each week we make a trip around the globe on one single issue. From obesity and the lives of fifteen year old girls, to traffic jams, outcasts and Elvis impersonators, we will present to you one new 'global view' every week."

Metropolis - Sweet 15

I was out and about with a film crew again today. Peter has been commissioned to do a short documentary for Dutch TV. If they like the one he's shooting they will commission another 15 from him under a title called Metropolis.

Peters subject was a young girl he met from his shoot in Goole last year on the Goole Silent Movie Project http://goolesilentmovie.blogspot.com/ This young lass doesnt have a TV in her home, and only got internet 2 weeks ago (she's 15 poor girl!) - but she does go to the cinema loads, and now wants to be a film maker. So is the subject.

So we were around Goole docks today, and Cineworld in Castleford filming cut-aways and external shots. All a bit of a laugh. But the best thing is, I get to call myself a TV researcher now lol, and TV production assistant. All the more entries on my CV :)

And the funny thing is, is Peter does the get the commission, then he intends to do one of the docs on me and my poker playing!! From the angle that I play in 3 different formats. I play online, and sometimes 5 tables at once; I play down a proper poker club in a live game; and every week I play in a home game. Peter has ideas of filming me in each of the places I play poker. The Thursday Night Poker Crew are on stand-by to maybe have to behave themselves for once lol.


We'll see! lol And check out another of my cameos, as Feet Walking Up Stairs In Cinema :D

It's a wrap!! Cinema of Horror - day 5

We wrapped yesterday after a fantastic shoot. Technical problems and logistical issues dogged us nearly everyday. But each one was overcome, and the director got (nearly) all the shots he wanted.

We shot the shoot-out up at Almscliffe Crag yesterday. The wind was rushing around and it got pretty cold, but boy, it was worth it!

Our two actors had real guns to fire (with a stern armourer on stand-by), and fake arms and buckets of blood were the order of the day. Then it all ended! I'm both elated and sad at the same time. I made some new friends, and some great contacts. I can't wait to see them all again at the premier (whenever that is).

So onwards and upwards now. I'm creating my new production CV and on Monday I am going to send it to every man and his dog, and lets see what happens. So real world kicks in now. Looks like I'll have to start doing some temping through March. Damn requirement to earn money! ;) See you on the red carpet!!

Cinema of Horror - Day 4

Wow, an almost gremlin free day, although the weather did its best to ruin it for us.

I'm home early today as we are filming scenes in a 14th floor luxury flat in Leeds, but it isn't big enough for the usual 20 or so cast and crew. So a scaled-down crew is shooting the scenes there. I instead ferried actors home, dropped off equipment, and came home to do some emails for a couple of hours - although I will be out again at about 10 for a couple of hours lol. What long days film days are - so its nice to have a couple of hours at home :)

We filmed the Bollywood dance number today, with 14 extra dancers, and 9 extra make-up girls! lol. But it looked fantastic. Cant wait to see what that looks like at the end.

But, of course there was still time for some zombies. This is Cinema Of Horror after all!!

Cinema of Horror - Day 3

What a day!! Duncan and I were woke at 7.30 with news that the sound guy's back was well and truly knackered, and instructions to find a new one ASAP

Duncan found someone from Dundee! who jumped in his car and was with us by 1.30. He didnt have any equipment of his own thought, and our sound man was talking his own umpteen thousand pound sound kit home with him.

So I drove was sent down to Sheffield to borrow some kit from someone down there. When we got it back, turned out some key equipment was missing. So off I went to rent some from a company in Leeds (during rush hour). And no dialogue could be recorded until we got it!

Then our problems with parking in Leeds started....... That's for another day.

Onwards and Upwards!

PS. Look out for another award winning performance from me as Man Looking at DVD's ;)

Cinema of Horror - Day 2

Technical glitches all over the place. The equipment truck was an hour late, the camera had to go back to Provision to be fixed, and the generators keep shorting the lights!!

Oh, and the sound guys back gave way and I had to book him an emergency osteopath!

But great fun! lol

Cinema of Horror - Day 1

Well its 1am, and I'm knackered!

It was a fantastic day, though. So much new stuff and fun stuff going on.

There were technical problems abound though, as the generators didn't work properly. And the whole shoot lost a couple of hours. In the end we plugged it into someones house! lol

Me and Duncan went to Peters house for a late dinner. Peter had been re-united with 3 old friends from his time as producer of Highway. They are doing sound and lighting on the film. I spent an excellent meal listening to stories of Brad Pitt, Robert Redford, Lesley Ash, Harry Seacombe lol

As you can see, we're all having fun!

Will post when I can.

See you in a few days

I'll will probably be offline most of this week as we start shooting Cinema Of Horror today. Hence the larger than usual number of posts this week.

My tasks today include supervising the final run-through of the Bollywood number today in Bradford, then back to Harrogate to the Valley Gardens for one of the Zombie scenes (half brick in car for clubbing scene - check!)

See you all soon!

And I leave you with a final titbit to make you chuckle.

Dustin the Turkey has been chosen by the public to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final in Belgrade in May.

He won Eurosong 2008 from the University Concert Hall in Limerick with his song 'Irelande Douze Pointe'.

He saw off the challenge of other finalists Donal Skehan, Maya, Leona Daly, Liam Geddes and Marc Roberts.


Dustin the Turkey will now compete in the first Eurovision semi-final on Tuesday 20 May.

The final takes place on Saturday 24 May.


Bookies William Hill have installed Dustin the Turkey as the 10-1 favourite to win Eurovision.

The company's spokesman, Tony Kenny, said: "These days you have to be either from the old Eastern Bloc or have a great gimmick to win Eurovision - and a singing turkey will possibly be one of the most bizarre things that a Eurovision audience will ever see."

"He'll go to Belgrade on a wing and a prayer and, fingers crossed, he'll ruffle a few feathers when he gets there," he added.

Cinema Of Horror is coming!!

Shooting 23rd Feb to 28th Feb around North and West Yorkshire

The filming will include a shoot-out with amputations abound, a decapitation with pianowire, a short, decomposing zombie trying to kill a very tall man, and a Bollywood/Bangra dance number around an ornamental gardens!

Can't wait!

PS. The Blue man is having a cast made for his prosthetic head (see above)

;)

So what have I been up to?

Regular readers of my blog will know I quit my old job with the Job Centre last April. SO, what have I been doing since - apart from winning thousands of dollars at poker and catching the gay?

Well, I have been learning film production. I am doing, for want of a better phrase, an apprenticeship with a local director and producer. In return for my time (read un-paid), I have been helping him produce a short movie called Cinema of Horror. We shoot at the end of Feb for 7 days. Through Peter Kershaw, of Duchy Parade Films (www.duchyparadefilms.co.uk) I met his Production Manager, a young film maker called Duncan Laing who has already worked for the BBC and on Hollyoaks. Duncan (aged 22!) has made 3 short films - all of which have been shown on Sky. He has written a short horror film called Bitten which he decided to shoot as the Cinema of Horror roadshow gathered steam. Duncan asked me to be his Production Manager.

This basically had me in charge of all aspects not concern with the actual filming (sound, camera, lighting, and make-up), from location to props to set dressing, and a hundred and one other little jobs; all designed to make the directors job easier, so he can think of shots and direction and other arty-farty stuff ;)

And all I can say is I rose to the challenge. I obtained use of an empty Victorian Terrace house in Knaresborough (free), obtained furniture enough to kit out the rooms we needed (free) and generally was a quite a clever clogs.

Also watch out for my Oscar winning performance as The Shadow! dun dun DUNNNN! ;)

We shot this weekend! And it was a fantastic experience. We hired a professional actress from Liverpool called Claire Wilson, and she was phenomenal!

Bitten is a PROPER horror, with blood by the bucket full, and a make-up transformation that was amazing to see. Duncans make-up girl Hannah was unbelievably good. Like Duncan also very young, very keen, and very good!

I wont given the story away because I will post the film here in due course. Instead here are a few production stills taken (mostly) by me.

Sleep tight. Dont have nightmares!



PS. Peter has asked me to be his Location Manager for Cinema of Horror. This is quite a responsibility as it includes the logistics (parking, water, power, toilets, permissions) of 12 locations around the area, from Almscliffe Crag (shoot-out) to Cartwright Hall in Bradford (Bollywood dance number with 20 dancers and 20 crew) or Virgin Megastore in Leeds). Fun times ahead. Watch this space.


PPS. Bitten will premier at the Bradford International Film festival in March in the Short Films catagory, and Peter intends Cinema of Horror to be shown at the Cannes. Venice, Berlin, and London film frstivals. He will get working on that after he returns from the Berlin film festival couple of weeks time. He's there raising money for the feature film he is directing and producing next. ;)