Monday, August 30, 2010

Taco!

I'm excited about the LA screening of 140, little bummed that I wont be in attendance! Sounds like it's going to be a fantastic screening.

It's screening on September 11th as part of a Downtown event called 'Taco Cinema', where dozens of gourmet food trucks gather in an area called the Medallion (coincidently, last time I was in LA my good friend Trampas told me about this event and how great it was!)

(Some of the locations of the festival. Top Left: The Medallion Area. Above Right: LA Gourmet Food Trucks. Middle: the penthouse of the Roosevelt, where the Filmmakers reception is taking place.
Bottom: The Roosevelt.)

There will be a food festival all day, which will end at sunset (8:30pm) with an outdoor screening of 140! Sounds fantastic. I always though 140 would make a great out door movie! I'm sorry to miss it. But it should be well represented by the LA filmmakers, who I hope can all make it. They blimmin better, if I could afford it I'd fly across the world for this, thems lucky sods just have to trip out their back doors! ;)

Anyone in the area interested in attending tickets are only $10 for the entire day. Check out the listing on the Downtown Film Festival website.

Post a comment or send me an email if you do attend, I'd love to hear about it. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Precious Little Things

Some wonderful news, 140 has been officially selected to screen as part of this years Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles! I'm very excited and honoured. I was really hoping for this one. it looks like a great festival and I really wanted an LA screening of the film, as so many of the participants are from there. So I guess this is the official LA Premiere!

I have a another festival lined up for October, but I can't announce that yet. So the fest run has well and truly begun, PHEW! I was hoping it would next month, and so it has. I've entered quite a few, so hopefully a few more will pick it up.

Ghoster news: Not much happening I'm afraid. I put an open call for crew on filmmakersnetwork.ie, but got no response, disappointing, I was hoping some friends or passed colleagues would answer the call, but it was not to be. I think it's a hard sell asking people to give up so much time and energy when there's no money in place, just the promise of money... I've always said you can't pay the rent on promises. So I get that. I think I need a different tac. Not sure what, I suppose money would help! But where's that going to come from. I guess I'm creatively minded, so time to get creative!

I haven't started back on the script yet. I've been thinking a lot about it though. Making sure I'm ready and know exactly what I want to do with it. I'm playing with the idea of a couple of different angles, changing the lead to another character and seeing how that plays in my mind. I want to be sure I'm right before I write.

So everything's still up in the air at the moment. Nothing concrete. No crew. No cast. No money. But where there's a will there's a way. If you will it, it is no dream. Throw your heart in front of you, and let you head catch up... and all that stuff! I think any film that was ever made, especially independent films, was willed into existence be sheer force of determination. Nothing tangible at the start, just an idea and we all know what precious little things they are!

That's all for now. More news soon. Couple of new projects to talk about, including a completed short waiting in the wings. But more on all that later.

Friday, August 20, 2010

A Call to ACTION!

Here's a recent post I put up on filmmakersnetwork.ie as a call to action for Ghoster, figured I might as well stick it up here as well:

I need a crew, position are open for everything.

Production Department:
Producer:
Production manager:
First AD:
Production Assistant:
Script Supervisor:
Continuity Supervisor:
Make-up Artist:
Hair Dresser:
Stills Photographer:

Art Department:
Production Designer:
Set Decorator:
Props Master:

Camera Department:
Cinematographer:
First camera assist:
Loader:
Lighting Technician:

Sound Department:
Sound Mixer:
Boom Operator:
Sound Designer:
Composer:

Other Departments:
Location Manager:
Location Scout:
Transportation Manager:

I’m hoping to shoot late January/early February in Drogheda, provided I get the above, plus a cast of course! I held a reading of the script at the Attic Studio last year, which went great, the script was really well received and all of the actors who read did a fantastic job. I’m confident I can put a great cast together.

At the moment the positions are unpaid. I know I know! But I’m working on that. I’ve started a fund on IndieGoGo and will hold several fundraisers in the lead up to Christmas. Initially I’m hoping to raise enough to cover equipment, expenses, food and insurance.

Obvious this is a feature, not a short, so I expect the shoot to be between three and four weeks – a lot of which will be night shoots!Baring that in mind I understand who BIG an ask it is to sign up unwaged at this stage, which is why I’m going to do my damnedest to arrange something. But I want to be honest, there is no money in place as I type! I have blind faith it will come. Those who have worked with me in the past can hopefully vouch for my word on that!

In the meantime I’m looking for talented people with a lot to offer. People who can help me craft something special. People who are willing to seriously commit to the project and come on board as collaborators and the stay the course, who will bring their own creative ability and energy to help drive the production forward and who truly want to be a part of the project. This is a very personal one for me, it’s been with me for many years and is close to my heart – as it’s largely about my own family!

So whether I’ve worked with you before, talked about it, never met you, only spoken to you, whether you’re a recent graduate an impassioned self-taught prodigy or a seasoned pro, if you’re is seriously interested and have something offer I’d love to hear from you. You can PM me here or go to my blog and look for the “Drop me a line” button on the right panel, with any questions. I can tell you more about the film and my plan.

Thanks for reading! I look forward to hearing from you.

Please follow along too on Facebook.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

GoGoGhoster

Well, it's full steam ahead on Ghoster. I've started the usual publisity and fundraising campaigns:

The Facebook Page (please 'Like' and 'Share')
It's GoGoGhoster on IndieGoGo (please donate and share!)
and
The T-Shirt Shop! on Zazzle (please buy and wear!)
(All the links are also over to the right here ->)

I used Kickstarter for 140, which was great and worked a treat, but I've found with IndieGoGo it offers a bit more freedom. For example, unlike Kickstarter, I don't have to raise every penny to get the money, it's available to me immediately, so it can start help the production straight away. I'll probably let it build up for as long as possible, and as with the 140 money, I'll be completely transparent on how it's spent.

I've but up reward for the donations:
$25 pre-orders a DVD.
€50: DVD and Poster.
$100: DVD, Poster and Prop.
$150: DVD, Poster and T-Shirt.
$250: DVD, Poster, T-Shirt and signed directors shooting script.
$500: DVD, Poster, T-Shirt and a Frame Original One-of-a-kind still, taken on set by the professional stills photographer.
$1000: DVD, Poster, T-Shirt, Frame one-of-a-kind still & 5 more, unframed, limited stills. Everything is signed, poster by all cast and crew.

The money will be spent on everything to do with getting the film made: Equipment rental, expenses, insurance, post production, promotion. Same with any t-shirts sold, all royalties will go directly to the production.

Getting all this up and running has certainly got the fire in my belly stocked again. I think I've mentioned that I've been feeling somewhat uninspired of late and after finished two big projects like I was twisting in the wind a bit. But this has focused my mind and my energy. I hope I can pull it off!

So I'm going to get back to work on the script, get a next draft done and start to gather the people and tools I need. I hope I have enough goodwill left. Sometimes I feel like I've used all my lives on Emily's Song, where everyone worked for free and friends and family donated so much money and energy. Bill, For Short, where again, people worked for free. Slán agus Beannacht, again, cast and crew for free and the generosity of the friends help pay for it and of course, not to mention 140, were filmmakers from all over the world worked for free and friends, family and complete strangers pitched in to help me promote it.

I've been very lucky to have been able to make my films and that so many people have given so generously of their time, energy and belief. I'm awed and humble at the same time and always thankful.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Love in the time of Recession.

(My Dad, and part of the inspiration behind Ghoster)

OK, I'm finally utterly fed-up of not doing anything and faffing around waiting for the next project to magically arrive at my door! So time to change that and the fact is, I already have the perfect project. It's a script called Ghoster, you may have read about it before in these pages.

It's a story I've been wanting to tell for as long as I can remember, since I was a kid working summers with my Dad and my Uncles. I've been thinking about writing this script for more then 10 years and I finally did at the end of 2007. I spent 2008 developing it, which ended in a reading at the attic studio that was a resounding success where everyone really enjoyed it and told me I should make it. That was in January of 2009, and the last time I did anything with it. I still love the story and while the script needs a little work, I think it holds up!

So here it is - I have no cast, no crew, no equipment, no locations and absolutely no money, but I want to make a movie - Who's with me?

About:

It tells the the story of Kevin and Connor, two brothers in their 20s working as painters on a building site with their Dad, Fred, as their boss and their extended family of uncles and cousins as work mates. Kevin feels caged in and ready to explode, he has lost all respect for his father and wants to escape. It's about the complicated male relationships in a family where nothing is talked about... but it's also blokes on a building site, so it's bloody funny as well.

The story takes place over one night a few years ago. Set just as the recession was about to happen and right at the end of the building boom, it's the last job before they break for Christmas and an uncertain future. They have three houses to paint in one night, so they have to pull a Ghoster. If they do it they get a big bonus, something they all need.

But there is more going on. Marco, the oldest of the brothers and the main boss, keeps disappearing. Soon the police come looking for him. The relationship between Kevin and his father Fred reaches breaking point with Connor in the middle. The rest of the crew struggling against tiredness, the cold, slacking workers and disappearing boozey painters to get the houses finished for morning.

So if you want to find out what happens between Kev and his Dad, why the police are looking for Marco and if they finish the job on time maybe you can help see this film realised and have those questions answered up on the big screen!

Shopping list:

A Big Cast of talented actors!

A Brave, tireless, talented crew of hard workers!

A building site location for use over two/three weeks.

FOOD! We have to eat! Any supermarkets or cafes out there who'd like to help please send anything you have our way, we'll eat it!

Equipment: A Camera - Maybe two! Lights. Sound equipment.

And everything else needed to shoot a feature film!!!

I'd like to work with a good cinematographer, someone who understands light and has worked at night before, who's willing to improvise and work fast. This is a drama, set on a building site at night, in the cold with a bunch of lads in dirty clothes, but there's no reason we can't make it visually arresting and beautiful to look at.

The cast is the most important piece of the puzzle. This is an ensemble piece, 15 plus cast members all interacting with one another and playing off one another and all with different relationships. Timing and chemistry are everything. We have to believe this lot are family, and family who love and hate each other at the same time all the time.

The cast is as Follows:
Kevin (26)
Connor (24)
Fred (49)
Captain (52)
Maz (34)
Banjo (33)
Marco (59)
Caper (29)

Skinny (58)
Meehan (59)
Kathy (46)
Alex (female) (28)
Alco (40)

Joe the Carpenter (40)
Cop 1
Cop 2

There will be a casting process and I'm looking for the right people in the right roles. I have some people in mind already, but I'd like to be surprised as well.

I love the characters, the humour and heart that runs through it. I think with some belief, commitment, good will, energy, effort and the right people, we can make a really great piece of work we will all be proud of and will stand up as something special in modern Irish cinema.

Being somewhat realistic I'm aiming for a January/February shoot. I think it'll take that long to gather everyone and everything we need. Perhaps between now and then I can raise some money too!?!?

I'm just looking to create some love and fun in a time of doom and gloom! I can't think of a better film to be made in these times. I want to make people smile and laugh and bring a little light into people's lives'. So again I say - WHO'S WITH ME?!

If you're interested in getting involved by donating time, money, equipment or supplies please contact me, the details to do so are to the right - click 'donate' to make a donation via paypal, click 'Drop me a line' to email me. No time wasters please! Anyone who has worked on a feature film (or any film) before knows what size task and commitment this is and what I'm asking here - ALOT, but it will be worth it. I need people who are fully willing to commit to that task - Whole Heartedly.

My thanks in advance.