Lara Greenway: Tenacious Me

Demonstrable Deviation

2012-01-31T11:54:00.000Z

It's been way too long since I rocked up here - many apologies. And the place looks like it could really do with a little dust and polish too...

I'm afraid I can't linger for very long as I have a couple of other things I need to attend to, but just in case you have been living on the moon or have taken a vow of social network silence, I thought I'd bring you up to date on the release of 'DEVIATION'. Yes, that's right - that was the film I popped off to produce just a smidgen over a year ago and is now imminently hitting the screens - all kinds of sizes and types of screen too.

If you like your films on a big screen - the theatrical release is 24th February 2012; if you like your films on demand, downloaded, on DVD or BluRay, then the multiplatform release on 27th February is your date - but hey, you can even pre-order the DVD/BlurRay to arrive for then! If you like films, but prefer to watch the c'lebs arrive for the premieres and parties then 23rd February is the date for you. Watch this space for details of the premiere and a list of cinemas the film will be showing in...

It's all a bit of a weird time just now - a bit whirlwind-ish with so, so, so much to do and not nearly enough hours to do it in AND sleep. But I know you lot, you'll be glad to hear I'm not just sitting back and enjoying it all: so I'll let you know I'm now in early prep for the next one, which we'll be shooting in April.

More on that soon, but in the meantime (just in case you haven't seen it) here is the 'DEVIATION' trailer.

Although lots of big online & supermarket retailers will also be selling it, these guys have it online so far...

Now be sure to pop in a pre-order for the DVD, won't you..?

Amazon
Amazon BluRay
Base
The Hut
HMV
Sainsbury's
Zavvi

Ciao for now. x

Deviation

2011-06-10T09:04:00.000+01:00

The poster: here. The movie: coming soon...

Did someone say 'Raptor?

2011-05-20T20:24:00.000+01:00

I have been joshing about a lot this week about The impending doom imminently upon us - now more commonly know as the Rapture. I have also been asked on many occasions WTF I am wittering on about - especially by my Mother who *knows* All Things Important.

So - the Rapture? Am I talking about those little dinosaurs that creep up on you silently until they slash your jugular? Nearly, but not quite.

The end of the World is Nigh, babycakes - didn't ya know?

It all stems from the fact that Jesus is popping back to reclaim his Saints, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17:

"... and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

So, Jesus is popping back to gather up all his buddies - but don't you be tricked into thinking this is the Second Coming just now. Oh no - that comes after the period of Tribulation, which itself pre-empts the battle at Armageddon. Got that? Good. 'Cos you're going to need your wits about you.

If you're not a follower, it's going to be a rough ride, hun, as the period of Tribulation will throw out pain and suffering, world disaster, famine, wars and general hardship - envisaged to wipe out over three quarters of the world's population. But we need to understand the Rapture first, right?

The 2011 End Times prediction has been made by a gentleman called Harold Campling who is a US Christian Radio Show Host. He has stated that the Rapture will sweep across the globe by timezone with earthquakes hitting at 18:00 local time in each location. Citing Jeremiah 25:32 -

"evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth"

- he states the earthquakes will continue across the globe as the sun advances.

"I know it's absolutely true, because the Bible is always absolutely true." Campling says.

Nice.

Campling has argued his case on a numerological level tallied with biblical proof. You see, this is the guy who managed to work out the date of the Great Flood and then move forward, interpreting God's Code in the Bible, to work out the Rapture date for us all and it sure saved me the bother. However, not infallible, Campling previously predicted the global expiry date to be September 1994 and following a no-show from Jesus, he retracted his claim as a mathematical error. Quite rightly so.

Well, dear friends, now you know what I'm mumbling on about.

If we're all still here tomorrow post 18:00 local times, then that's great. We've had our fair share of earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, freak snow and freak heatwaves over the past year or so - and we've also had a few nasty wars, disasters and a whole lot of suffering of late. Perhaps we've been in our period of Tribulation and not realised it, anyway?

Of course this is only the beginning of the End, dears - the actual world expiry date is 21st October 2011. Of course.

It took 7 days to create - but will take five months to destroy. Cool. That is significant advancement for you.

Hope to see you all tomorrow.
x

Waiver:
Please note: I am not an expert in theology and the views expressed are entirely my own. Like you didn't know that already.

Hard Boiled Sweets

2011-05-09T12:22:00.000+01:00

Our first official teaser poster...
It. Really. Is. Coming. Soon.
:0)

A little night Deviation

2011-01-07T21:14:00.001Z

Apologies (once again) for my lack of attention to your mouse clicks...I will be back here soon. Many things to attend to, never enough time!

In the meantime, a little more DEVIATION for you...oh, and Happy New Year!

---------------------------

So, finally: it's *that* time for the announcement we've been mentioning on our Facebook and Twitter pages all week.

Deviation is pleased to announce a Tagline Competition. The brief is simple:

Create a tagline for DEVIATION. The tagline must reflect the tone of Deviation the movie, which is a dark thriller. For more information on Deviation and its characters, make sure you check out our round up of all the posts and articles about this film online, here.

The fab Rinaldo from Moviescope Magazine is offering a subscription to the winner of this contest and fellow deviant Chris Jones of The London Screenwriters' Festival has offered up ten Screenwriters' Pocketbooks: one for the winner and another for a whopping NINE runners up! Thanks guys!

Deadline for entries is 5pm, Friday 21st January and entrants may enter 2 taglines only. After this date, all qualifying taglines will be uploaded to this blog in the form of a poll and all you Deviants will have chance to vote for the winner!

NB. Entry must be via Twitter* or the Deviation Facebook page only wherever possible; all entries must be marked on both Twitter and FB with the hashtag #devcomp to be considered. If you have no Twitter or FB account, you can send the entry to Associate Producer Lucy V on Bang2writeATaolDOTcom, but please make sure DEVCOMP is in the subject line. *Please note Twitterati: you needn't take up extra space by adding either @devmov or @Bang2write into your tweets, just add the #devcomp hashtag & we will see it!

This is a writers' opportunity, so make sure you tell EVERYONE you know who is into the scribe thing! Please spread the word via your own blogs and social networks.

FURTHER INFO:

For anyone who doesn't know, a tagline is that little sentence or sentences you find on the movie poster or the DVD box. Famous examples include "In space, no one can hear you scream" (Alien); "They're here..." (Poltergeist) and "Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free." (The Shawshank Redemption). Find more examples of movie taglines in this huge list.

For more the more advanced screenwriters out there, please note we are NOT looking for loglines. If you're not sure of the difference between a tagline and a logline, please read this article.

If you have any further queries, please tweet us or leave a msg on our FB wall. Before you do however, please check out the terms and conditions below, as there is a strong chance they may answer your questions.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1) Deadline 5pm, Friday 21st January, 2011; maximum 2 entries per person and the tagline must reflect the tone/genre of Deviation the movie.

2) There is no charge for this contest.

3) Winner will be picked after the 21st January by the readers of the Deviation blog and social networks via a poll, which will be hosted here.

4) Entries must be made via Twitter and the Deviation Facebook page; entries posted in the comments section of this blog, on any other blog or social networking page (including those of the producers' of Deviation movie) will not be counted.

5) For non-social networkers ONLY: please send entries to Lucy V Hay on Bang2writeATaolDOTcom with DEVCOMP in the subject line of the email.

6) Tweets and FB wall posts must be hashtagged #devcomp to be counted as part of the contest.

7) Joke taglines are welcome, but will not be counted as part of the contest.

8) Taglines limited to the size of a tweet incorporating #devcomp or the allowed 420 characters on the Facebook wall, including the hashtag #devcomp. Those longer or without the hashtag are disqualified.

9) The tagline must not be a logline.

10) Good luck!

Deviation

2010-11-30T03:33:00.000Z

Long time no speaky; long time no writey. Forgive me for the lack of updates but I have once again, been a little busy.

CR!KEY VILLAINS is now in Post (with a lot of beautiful footage coming through from that), and I'm now producing J.K. Amalou's, DEVIATION, (which, from the rushes so far, is going to grip you by the stomach and not let up).

So for now at least, you can catch me over HERE, HERE, HERE or HERE.

Until Yuletide, amigos.

LMG
x

CR!KEY - We're off!

2010-08-17T22:15:00.005+01:00

For those of you who haven't seen recent Twitterage or haven't yet become fans of the Facebook site, the new film I'm Producing is called "CR!KEY VILLAINS". I was intending to have a countdown to the shoot starting, but pre-production is all over and here I am, all lonely in the Production Office; everyone having fun on set. [This, of course, is a total untruth as we are all having far too much fun, on and off set. We are a very happy shoot, us lot. :0) ]

It's been a remarkably busy, but only sometimes stressful, few weeks of pre-production. We have still managed to laugh on a daily basis (that says something) and although there are many details to be ironed out, therein lies the fun and games myself, Demi Jones (Producer), Michael Riley (Producer) and Margaret Matheson (Exec Producer) are yet to have - that is once I am through bowing at their jaw-dropping omnipresences.

With our locations spread over many parts of London as well as Southend, the scale of shoot is wide enough - but not once will we let our dear Writer/Director, David Hughes, be bothered with such trivial details, or allow him to move away from his position of picturesque, calm demeanour under extreme pressure.

Last week, we had the cast read through and photo shoots which allowed colourful 3D life to billow into these, up until now, entertaining but 2D black and white characters on a page. The actors started to fill out the personas and possess the words on the paper as their own - and suddenly a whole new world was emerging. The big, small-time crooks; the ganstas; the girls; the cars; the guns; the houses; the money - the whole new world of the CR!KEY VILLAINS. But, "Who are the Cast?", I hear you shout! Who exactly are the CR!KEY VILLAINS? Well - you'll have to stay tuned for that.

If you'd like to keep up to date with me and the world of the CR!KEY VILLAINS shoot, then head over HERE - the Producer's Blog is where I'll be for a little while (starting soon) and I will do my best to bring you the news as it happens.

Hope to see you there. But remember: "Lie. Cheat. Steal. Whatever it takes to have a nice day."

Laters, beautiful people.

LMG x

Pssssst...

2010-07-02T14:58:00.003+01:00

*shuffles*

Errr, hello? It's me?

It's been so long, I've forgotten what you look like! Oh, but how I have missed all your little japes, and the way your dimples tilt upwards when you laugh! Ahhh, it's been months since we shared a quiet gin and tonic and munched on chippies. Yes, yes, I know - you still like ketchup and I still prefer HP Brown Sauce - but some things will never change. At least we agree on the piri piri mayo side of things - we could never have too much of that good thing, could we?

I trust you've been behaving whilst I have been away? Good. I really have been away too - here, there and everywhere. I undertook what felt like a whistle-stop tour of Europe - literally a few nights here, a few nights there and then a few nights everywhere else. It rained in Cannes, it rained in Andalusia - in the mountains and on the coast - and apparently it's also due to rain in Rome when my path may cross it. I really need to buy more WD40 before my mechanics halt with rust. The trip(s) were part pleasure, part work and the recces I did whilst in Spain were ever so worthwhile - returning me to the UK with a big smile and a lovely bunch of contacts who will be more than happy to have a film crew irritating the hell out of them for a bit. It's how I roll.

I suppose you want to know what I've been up to then? Hmmm. Complicated. Lots of stuff. This, of course, comes with the territory as I am neither one thing or another but all at the same time, and in one pot. I'm currently writing a TV pilot, producing a different TV pilot¹, producing a very marvellous feature², developing/self-shooting D/P a doco and I'm also looking at a different way of working and production which could be very good fun. "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" may be the first victim - I mean, trial - but more on that another time. Well you get the picture - life is good and any more talk of my stuff on my own blog and I shall be accused of self wank publicity - and heaven forbid that should happen. ;0) I often think it's odd how Producing has crept up on me like it has - but apparently you can't actually call yourself a Producer until your 4th feature, so I guess that makes me a Producer-in-Waiting-Bum. Well, whatever it is that I spend my days doing, I really do enjoy it and apparently I am quite good at it, which is rather lovely for everyone else, too³. I do miss the immersive creation that comes with writing and directing though, so there's no chance I could 'just' Produce, I don't think. Although, I have to say, budgets can be quite creative and if the money's right...

More than anything recently, I have been quite studious. Quiet. Still. Observing. Hiding from the light whilst constantly seeking out talent for in front of and behind the camera, crunching numbers one minute, researching words that go together, the next. I have now emerged from my shell a little but I fully intend to retreat back very soon. It's not that I don't love you all, it's just the noise, you see. The digital white noise, it deafens me. It's everywhere. And it has done my head in. Sorry. But I only do online when necessary⁴.

Every day I receive in the region of 100-200 emails (some people think I am worth a punt, obviously). I flag them up to respond, as follows:

I will die a painful, torturous death if I don't reply immediately
I will self-combust if I don't reply soon because it's so exciting
I will die if I don't reply in the next hour
Yes, it's important but I'll reply after torturous death, certain death and self-combustion ones
I will reply later when I have five seconds to breathe after the death mail
I will reply when I remember
General news and views - tea break reading fodder
Friends and relatives (non work related)
I won't ever reply, so fuck off and get out of my life, my face, business & Inbox
Spam, Junk and Nigerian Prince Marriage Proposals

Information overload, every morning. And that's just email. So please, if you are waiting for an answer to anything, bear with me. Just don't threaten me or get too sassy, otherwise you will be flagged as No 9 along with the exes. On the other hand if I say remind me in [insert timescale here]...guess what? Remember to remind me⁵: strangely, I said it for a reason!

I hardly ever read any blogs or Facebook pages these days either, so I have no real idea how you all are, where you all are or what you are doing; I find it virtually impossible to 'socialise' unless it's heavily work-related and my livelihood is under threat for not attending. Having said that, when I do actually catch up with people or bump into them whilst they are also 'doing Soho' (so to speak), it's really lovely to grab a quick cuppa/G&T/Rioja and have a chinwag.

But don't fear, I haven't abandoned all technology as I can usually be found on Twitter a great deal. This is only because 140 characters don't take much thinking and I have a knack of not really noticing unless I have a message, plus it's nice to say Hi to people I haven't seen for ages. (Hi if you're not on Twitter *waves*)

I am also found to be lurking in the dark corners of eBay a lot as I am currently building up my own shooting kit. I'm basically over there like an elephant running through a car boot sale at the moment, to be honest. It's fun and I do like to win bids. On the other hand I can get a little stroppy if I don't [Yes, I'm talking about you, you slinky little matte box and sexy follow focus. Just so you know - I would have loved you more...]

Phew. Well, you know what? It's been lovely chatting, but my shell is calling me and I'm starting to get a bit tetchy. I need to return to my script, the Spanish mountains and Rodrigo y Gabriella.

Until next time.

¹ 0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious of course, where have you been?
² Watch this space. There may be news, soon.
³ Of course, now I will fuck everything up and have to choke on humble pie or eat through a straw for the rest of my days

⁴ eBay is an online necessity
⁵ It's not rocket science. Mad, but not rocket science.

Quite Possibly the Best Version

2010-03-05T12:25:00.000Z

I present my week to you. Once I have stopped laughing/crying I will bid you all a good weekend. That is all.

Dad

2010-03-02T23:29:00.001Z

Today should have been my Dad's 70th Birthday but thanks to that bastard disease cancer, he's not here to celebrate.

Bless his little cotton socks - cannot for one moment imagine Dad ever being s-e-v-e-n-t-y. I have been thinking about him all day, working out his year of birth, convinced I am wrong - but my maths is correct: he would have had a big load of candles today.

I miss my annual 'surprise' red eye flight up to Edinburgh on the morning of the 2nd March; I miss turning up at his door like an excited five year old with parcels, breakfast rolls and bubbly; I miss him acting surprised and saying "I thought it was a bit bloody early for the postman!"; I miss him giving me such a big bear hug I can't breathe. I really miss him.

I've had an unusual amount of positive news today - nothing definite, nothing guaranteed - but good all the same. I'd like to think that somehow, Dad had a hand in some of that.

Cheers Da-Da. Happy Birthday. x

Schminterview

2010-02-23T14:37:00.004Z

I was recently approached by the lovely Scriptwriter and Reviewer, Andrew Tibbs, and asked if I would mind doing an interview for his new blog. I considered this for all of a second and the results are HERE. I hope you enjoy it.

Meanwhile in "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" land, things are getting very exciting. The final drafts are all but in; about sixty percent of the Commissioner's Pack is complete and the whole of Series 1 and 2 are tied up with a pretty bow - but I didn't knot it too tight, just in case. I'm one for making a decent contingency.

That's it for now, short and sweet. How very unlike me.

Ta-ra!

List of Lists

2010-02-05T09:16:00.000Z

I make a lot of lists, loads in fact. I usually include a little diagram here and there too, which represents the flow of items on the list.

This week I have made big lists - wish lists, reality check lists, to do lists, to don't lists - and the list that is currently top of my...er...list, is "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious". A rapid and ever-growing succession of words and figures, one tiny glance in its direction tells me one important thing: it's nearly there. The full season product, the pilot, the teaser, the promo: every element is teetering on the edge of completion and now I need to scoop it all up and add a final piece of formula to the equation.

Yesterday, I heard the very first musical interpretation from 0110 Composer, Sam Watts, and last night felt the urge to storyboard various scenes and items. Sam uttered to me that the inspiration on 0110 is extremely cyclic(al) - and that is pretty much it in a nutshell. Birth, life, death. The eps actually go through that cycle - not in physical terms on screen but emotionally; the series will also move through the cycle working on that very base-level principle.

What has now been created (or very nearly) is the final stages of gestation of 0110; by the time you are two thirds of the way through the Pilot episode, as an audience you will have travelled through an odd time - the final stages of labour, if you like; and by the end of the episode, you will feel the new entity has been born - the DNA of which consists all the threads and elements just observed.

But what have you observed? Everyone will be different.

You may walk away with a smirk and a giggle, thinking it was entertaining; you may shrug your shoulders and think, "So what?"; you may have it pop into your head for a few days afterwards, whilst you ruminate on certain details - were they important or not? You may even dream about it, wondering where your reality ends and 0110 begins.

Whatever you think, I hope it makes an impression on you. We all know many brilliant ideas fall by the wayside and are never even seen by the great viewing public. So much hard teamwork and dedication goes into creating entertaining and intelligent programming and for that reason alone (but out of many), I hope "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" succeeds.

But then this project is slightly different. It has one element - one very important element - woven through the core of its very being: that is the zerooneonezero effect.

Not sure what that is yet?

You will.

Onwards.

Develop the Vision

2010-01-29T15:40:00.002Z

Hello

Just nipping in and out, and thought I'd check on you all. How are your chilblains? Better I hope, now.

I am so rubbish at keeping up with other people's blogs and suchlike these days that I had actually forgotten about my own. Totally forgot its existence (even though I updated a few weeks ago) until someone mentioned blogs to me the other night. Most queer.

Well, just for a change, I have been keeping out of trouble thanks to sheer lack of time. This past week has seen the "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" bar being raised even higher as the entire Team so far* met for another very intense but enjoyable day of development discussions. What can I tell you apart from it's all perfectly brilliant?

The full Pilot script was read from cover to cover, we noted, suggested, moved, added, deleted, drank tea, coffee and ate food. I, of course, was in charge of pretty coloured things and blutack - my lovingly prepared chart which represents the story and character flow across the Pilot. Once we had settled on our final steps for the Pilot we moved onto the Series flow, links, twists and turns. If I didn't have anything to do with this project, I would be excited, but as it stands, I am very excited and utterly chuffed with how it is all going. There's a lot of work still to be done but the majority of it is mine - the Scribes are polishing their final drafts as I start to pull together the whole kit and caboodle.

Damn, I love it - but it's like a drug, you know, and I can't stop the euphoric rush even though sometimes I really need to.

Damn this crazy, lovely and totally silly world I live in too. I wouldn't be without it.

Upwards.

*Scribes: Alan Mckenna, Daniel Hall, Helen Smith, Laurence Timms, Michelle Lipton, Piers Beckley, plus Script Ed, Elinor Perry-Smith and Composer, Sam Watts.

Hello Mr. Brightside

2010-01-12T21:01:00.000Z

Well, hello there! Long time no anything. Did you have a nice Christmas? A good New Year's Eve? Fallen off the detox wagon and hit your head off a dumbell yet? Excellent. My festivities were all very lovely, thanks - choc full of hoardes of people and silliness which is always a delight. And so here we are, mid January already and there's nothing like having hit the frozen new year ground running already.

I've been firmly ensconced in 'Untitled' feature as well as being most excited to receive all the first drafts for "0110: Twisted Tales and Glorious". I have to say, although I knew they would be good, both myself and Script Ed, Elinor, have been blown away by just how good. Obviously [you think to yourselves] I would say that, but I sincerely believe this Series has something very special about it and day by day that 'certain something' gathers more momentum and strength. It's all great stuff and I'm quite fortunate to be involved as well as being able to watch it evolve at the same time.

So now to other things...

I bravely managed to find an escape route out of Narniashire through the snowcapped peaks in order to support the British Indie Film market in my own little way, and attended a combined screening and Q&A session of "Exam", written, directed & produced by the delightful Stuart Hazeldine and associate produced by the equally delightful Chris Jones. I was personally interested in seeing how Hazeldine created and maintained the audience's interest in these various characters who were to spend the entire film in one room, but believe me, he managed. Admirably. The total stand out performances for me were Jimi Mistry - who beautifully underplayed throughout - and Luke Mably (who I later realised I had noted a while ago in "Uprising" - I think it was just a US TV release). Mably not only inhabited, lived and breathed the character on screen, but seemed to teeter on the stress edge of sanity - never letting up once throughout the whole film - which was quite remarkable. After the screening, Jones led a really worthwhile Q&A with Hazeldine, Mark Talbot-Butler (Editor) and Matthew Cracknell (Composer, with Stephen Barton) which not only focussed on each discipline but also looked at how everyone learned during the process - a process which, to me, appeared very organic.

"Exam" was shot at Elstree Studios on 35mm with, in the main, A & B cameras and in script order, which of course is fairly unusual. One benefit of this was being able to distress the set in time order and because there were no natural scene breaks in the script, it was shot in sequential 'time chunks' instead. One would have thought it was pretty good for logging shots for the edit too! Also for a performer, working in chronological order on something as continuous as this, allows you to track your character easily as well as monitor your growth pattern, which is great stuff.

A lot of talk time was then given to Post and Sales & Distribution, which for me was one of my main reasons for being there. I have recently been working on many different models for digital distribution and business offshoot ideas to support that, so I listened to words from the tried and tested routes, with great interest. Having not been screened from a 35mm print but digitally instead, the fact that "Exam" had been bumped from a few screens so that another billion people could watch "Avatar" that day was a pretty stark reminder that in reality, übermoney advertising budgets talk and the big boys will always win with bums on seats; however, thanks to those who supported the day, "Exam" has had its run extended for another week at the Odeon, Panton St, Off Leicester Square, London ( and Manchester, I think) which is really great news. What are you waiting for? Book a ticket; go and see it!

And so finally...to the (working) title of this post: it's a fairly new screenplay of mine and I quite like it. There's a way to go on it (a really big way) but it's kind of shaping up and there's no rush anyway. Based loosely on a series of events that occurred to me/around me 2008/09, the title stems from The Killers song of nearly the same name which featured a great deal at the height of events unfolding. S'gonna be fun.

Til next time.

Onwards ever onwards, guys 'n' gals.

Three Little Words in Advance

2009-12-31T10:53:00.005Z

"Happy New Year!"

As the 1st of January dawns, I hope it brings you promise and hope for the new decade.

Catch you on the other side. x

Greetings of the Season

2009-12-23T21:15:00.002Z

The tree is sparkling,
The wine is mulled,
The veg is bought,
The turkey culled.
The snow won't stay much,
But hey, what's new?
Merry Christmas, All -
My glass is raised to you.

Sending very Merry Christmas wishes to You & Yours from all at Tenacious Towers! May the Festive period bring fun, happiness, rest and relaxation...in addition to the revolting amounts of food and alcohol...

Enjoy.

Ruby 0110

2009-12-11T12:27:00.006Z

Another day, another terribly talented "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" Covert Team member - this time though, it's time to face the music (*groan*) and announce the wonder that is Sam Watts as our Composer. He has a lovely way with his hands, so I'm really looking forward to hearing his musical take on 0110! If you would like to know more about Sam and 0110, HERE is where to go. I popped a little bit into The Diaries too...

Having a lot of work and socials all on at once is a marvellous moan to have, however I can categorically state that from tomorrow until the second week in January, I will not be attending anymore frolics. There I've said it. Tonight, after taking in some of Piers Beckley's finely adapted atmosphere in the form of "Oliver Twist", I shall literally fade into the evening mists, not to be seen again until the year Two Thousand and Ten.

I will of course, still be working away: with "0110" drafts coming in and many Feature discussions to be had, it really will be a busy few weeks ahead. Oh, yes, and then there's Christmas. I love Christmas, me. I love every single darn thing about it. It's just...sparkly - need I say more?

Adios for now.

Developing the Team

2009-11-23T19:00:00.003Z

Last Friday saw an amazing occurrence. Apart from the fact Piers Beckley was up and communicating before midday (quite coherently, I'll add), our five other intrepid 0110 adventurers - Alan Mckenna, Dan Hall, Helen Smith, Laurence Timms and Michelle Lipton - had battled their way across London Town (Michelle having already walked barefoot from Brighton) to arrive fresh as daisies at the gates of Tenacious Towers - 0110 HQ for the day.

After Dusty the Maid had mistaken them for mere tradesfolk and encouraged them to warm their hands by the kitchen Aga, Billson (new Butler) apologetically rescued them and brought them to the Drawing Room. Here, we plotted, planned and schemed our way through the 0110 avenue of trees, thus enabling us clear vision of the Twisted Tales & Glorious wood lying before us. Oh yes, indeed it did.

We gallantly charged our way through marshy bogs and zombie infested enclosures and emerged in a vast clearing just in time to pop back for a spot of lunch: the seven of us looked quite a neat little package sat at the Southernmost end of the Grand Hall Dining Table. We filled our faces, swigged mead and chatted nonchalantly as Mrs B, the Housekeeper, screeched orders from the kitchens in the distance, often overtaking the dulcet tones of the Monks and lyre playing to us from the corner.

Once we had partaken of a brandy to warm our cockles, it was back into the wild - plagued by spectres and decisions. Which path did we take? We knew we had to decide as a Team - an Army - and we made it. We chose the correct trail through the choking fog but just as we thought the end was in sight we caught our breath: a huge beast emerged from a primordial swamp for the final showdown. We all looked at each other and immediately knew how to proceed. Fortunately for us we had an old Ghostbuster backpack kicking around and we zapped that blighter down to size in no time.

That, my dears, was our "0110:Twisted Tales & Glorious" Story/Pilot/Series Development Day.

Team works - in fact it works so well, two story first drafts are completed.

0110 - Scribe Diary 7 & The Meet

2009-11-20T09:47:00.003Z

It's D-Day today - the day when me and the "0110" Scribe Team crack this baby.

Excited.

Nervous.

And Dan Hall has a Diary Update too.

We're motoring.

See you on the other side.

0110 - Scribe Diary 6 & Other Stories

2009-11-19T12:15:00.001Z

Feature Film Development is soon to end and Pre-production looms, as well as two new projects materialising in front of me: this really has been a good, busy week, and I wouldn't change one iota for a second. Nossiree. This coming Friday will see the biggest, longest story/script/series development-meeting-covered-in-one-huge-blast ever known to mankind: it's the day when We* stir up, good and proper, the hornet's nest that is "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious". As if The Team weren't all having a weird enough time anyway...

And with that in mind, I am thrilled to tell you to pop on over to the 0110 Diaries where Scribe, Alan Mckenna, has been sharpening his perceptions with intangible occurrences.

[*the Royal We being myself and the 0110 Scribes]

0110 - Scribe Diary 5

2009-11-17T09:55:00.004Z

Don't say I don't treat you right...

First off, a quick reminder that you can follow @zerooneonezero on Twitter.

Secondly, today brings yet another "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" Scribe Diary Entry - this time from the lovely, not strange at all, Piers Beckley. It's right HERE.

Ha! I knew there would be one!

0110 - Scribe Diary 4

2009-11-16T11:50:00.002Z

I have been doing a fair bit of background work for "0110" over the weekend, which has been challenging but fun all the same. Hell, I even managed to write something totally unrelated, too. Fancy that, eh? Me actually writing something these days. Ha! Take that, Time!

I'm seriously amused (but only slightly worried) by the amount of odd happenings surrounding the "0110" Team and Project. The diary section of the 0110 Website is just about to be updated with an email from Scribe, Michelle Lipton - have a read of it and you'll see what I mean. You can also leave comments in the diary section now, so feel free to share anything odd that may have happened to YOU since you became involved in "0110"!

I did warn the Team that I thought this could quite possibly become a life changing experience for us all. Even I didn't realise then, just how much.

;0)

Today theThirteenth

2009-11-13T17:13:00.003Z

I've been off over at "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" today, doodling and jotting a few thoughts in the diaries.

All quiet on the western front so far: it is the calm before next week's storm.

0110 - Scribe Diary 3

2009-11-09T10:01:00.000Z

Hope you are well and still in once piece after all those fireworks. Quite a Blitz these days, isn't it? Never mind - we'll have a little lull and then the bang-bangs will start up again as we move into Advent...

Recently, the "0110 Scribes" will no doubt have been scouring the newspapers and internet for strange Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night related incidents in order to add a third, fourth or fifth dimension to their "Twisted Tales & Glorious" ideas; or perhaps they haven't needed to? There have been enough curious, poignant and disconcerting occurrences in our individual worlds without needing to search for more, as Dan Hall discovered and penned for his 0110 Diary entry.

0110 - Scribe Diary 2

2009-11-06T10:01:00.003Z

Hello all. And so a busy week wearily reaches its end for some, but not all.

It's been pretty manic here in Wing 0110 at Tenacious Towers, but good manic all the same. My tune of the week, and one which encompasses the spirit of "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious", is "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: Fortune Plango Vulnera" from Carmina Burana by Orff. One of my favourite pieces of music has always been "O Fortuna" from the same movement, but since it was bastardised by the X Factor, listening to it now feels like a guilty pleasure. It should, however, be said that it still strikes utter panic and terror into my heart as I recall watching "The Omen" for the first time.

And that leads me very nicely to tell you that our second of our Scribe Diaries, penned by Helen Smith, is now online HERE for you to read. Like Laurence Timms and the rest of the 0110 Team, Helen has noted oddities in her life since joining 0110. Maybe these strange things have always been there and our awareness is heightened. But maybe they haven't.

0110 - Scribe Diary 1

2009-11-04T10:24:00.005Z

Our first "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" diary entry from a Scribe is now online. Read how Laurence Timms is doing...

Clicky linky here.

Covert

2009-11-03T22:10:00.002Z

Today, I have been battling against the odds today with technology. Servers - or lack of service - have been a big issue, along with my phone continually re-setting itself and my central heating working as and when it decides. Fairly irritating.

However, the server issues have been momentarily overcome and I am very happy to announce that our "0110:Twisted Tales & Glorious" Script Editor - the first of the Covert Team to be announced - is the very wonderful, Elinor Perry-Smith. There is more about lovely Elinor on the 0110 website, so head on over to read all about it.

Also, the diaries will temporarily be a space for the Scribes to chart parts of their journey. I hope you enjoy their thoughts/sides of the story. Of course if they are rude about me, I shall just delete them. ;0)

Clearing Mists

2009-11-02T22:01:00.001Z

Now Hallowe'en has been and gone, I can wish a brand, spanking, shiny Celtic New Year to you all.

Not an awful lot to tell you other than I spent the best part of the weekend being a pirate, I have one bright scarlet fingernail (I really like the colour so I won't remove the nail varnish just yet), "0110: Twisted Tales and Glorious" is coming together, and it looks as though I'll be filing this year, in my life archive, under "Not Too Bad".

Next it's Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes Night - another one of my favourites of the year. It's all those pretty colours, you see - an aerial equivalent of being given carte blanche in Tiffany's. Yum, indeed.

Well, in case you've missed it, 0110 is now available to follow on Twitter as @zerooneonezero and the news/diaries pages on the main "0110:Twisted Tales & Glorious" website will be updated with bits and pieces of info as we move along.

Bye for now.

Placing Brands

2009-10-29T22:01:00.001Z

This week I have mostly been talking like Lola* and I have no idea why, other than it has been a funner-er way to live my week with a stinky lurgy.

Becoming quite attached to a favourite screen character is nothing new; many people would never dream of missing Doctor Who, Torchwood, BSG, Heroes, Lost, Holby - you name it - just to see what 'Character X' does next - but on Kids' TV, as an adult?

I write stuff, produce and direct stuff, have reels to prove I have voiced characters just like Lola on screen and 'puter games (although not as successful - goddamit!). More to the point I am an adult - yes, I know some would debate this - but surely all of the above should add up to an ability to remain unaffected by a pink-milk swigging girl on kids' TV? But our Lola is far more than that: she is quite the example of examples. I can spot a piece of Charlie and Lola merchandise a mile off; within the first four notes of the opening titles I know it is on, and even the last seven notes of the theme tune still drive me to distraction because I always think of Hill Street Blues; every time I see glitter and gaudy coloured scrap paper I think they'd "be good for stick-er-ing" and so it goes on.

Branded: that's what has happened to me, and the way in which Lola phrases her sentences has become very much part of the brand too, but I am unconvinced as to whether I know if a child or an adult has more brand loyalty. Obviously adults hold the purse strings and make most of the overriding decisions within a household and so therefore could be supposed to dictate brand choice, but given the option of anything and everything in a room, would a child *only* pick up his/her favourite "Dora the Explorer" merchandise? Or would they pick up Dora, only to fancy a bit of "Timmy Time" topped off with a snippet of "Thomas Tank" merch? I suspect they would as a rule of thumb, but all children differ. How about adults though? Stick a bunch of adults in a warehouse of *free* entertainment electronics - Sony on one side, LG in the middle and Beko on the other side - most people would probably gravitate towards the Sony goodies based on brand presence in the marketplace, unless they had previous bad experience or were ardent fans of LG or Beko. Ever heard someone vehemently defend 'their' Football Team, talk about how 'their' TV programme is about to come on (so everyone: shut up or die), how they prefer Nigella's Christmas recipes to Jamie's? Brands, each and every one. We are branded 24/7. So why am I stating the obvious - well, for screen writing and production reasons, of course?

Next time you sit down with a flashing cursor on virgin white 'screen paper' having completed all your background research, just take five minutes to read through your notes on how your project may be branded or at least perceived in the TV marketplace - because you've completed them too, haven't you? No? Well, you may want to start making mental notes to this avail because brands as we know are big business.

No need to spend hours and hours agonising over whether the name will look good on the Point of Sale posters, or whether the font is slightly too Doctor Who - that is what the sales, marketing and design experts are paid to do. Just see your story in a simple graphic, a doodle, a colour, a photo; assess how that graphic/doodle/colour/photo makes you feel and perhaps keep it nearby? Perhaps, if you hit a brick wall just after the midpoint, a quick glance at your initial 'concept brand' is all it would take to get your creative juices flowing again. This may all seem really rather far removed from any form of real writing creativity but over the next month or so, the guidelines on product placement within the UK TV industry (but not BBC) will be changing with a big bang, so it's worth gradually trying to re-tune your mind a little.

Film is no stranger to product placement: take Warner Bros Watchmen (2009) - the main featured brands totalled a fairly average nineteen, all of which were 'vintage' 1980s versions; "The Proposal" (2009) (Bullock/Reynolds) reads like a who's who in luxury designer brand placement, with placement winner, Apple, having an iMac in every computer scene.

"But I'm a writer, not a marketing & PR person!" I hear you shout and, yes, this is true: but you are, however, in business. So you would think your creativity would be curtailed by the fact that XYZ Brand's Product is heavily investing and therefore needs prominence - in fact, it has been suggested that blatant placement turns a lot of viewers off - but it is worth bearing in mind, once the guidelines have been drawn up, you may just have to incorporate certain elements into your work. I may be wrong and talking total rot, but I feel it is sometimes better to be prepared and open to new ideas.

When you are sending out your work, obviously you don't brand anything (unless you've been asked to, of course). Just make these ideas/visuals your own personal branding, one which enables you to focus on the crux of your story and allows you to talk with even more passion and gravitas than you had upon idea conception.

Give it a go. It may just help.

*Charlie and Lola

0110 - Part Six

2009-10-26T13:01:00.002Z

Choosing Writer No. 6 for "0110:Twisted Tales & Glorious" was always going to be really tough - and that's not to say selecting Writers number one through five wasn't hard enough with all the obscene talent out there. Writer No. 6 always had to have an addition strong element attached to them - a duplicity, as it were - and in my ideal world (and weird mind) that 'other element' had to take the form of a performer.

Now, believe me, scheduling five writers and myself to be in the same place at the same time has been tough enough, but when you add filming commitments/performance schedules into the mix, it becomes really good fun.

So, I have been up and down mountains and hit the dusty track many a time over the last few months in my search for the perfect Writer No. 6. Like all the other Team members, I have not just had to assess their writing ability and determine whether this person would gel and work with the other Team members, I have also had to bear in mind their performance suitability for the project. Then, two weeks ago, just when I thought I had totally exhausted all avenues of writer/performers I flicked on the TV and saw a certain actor who, not I had not only worked with, but also knew to be a writer.

The next day we spoke and arranged a time to meet up - although not immediately as he was just about to fly out to Georgia to appear literally alongside Andy Garcia in Renny Harlin's new feature, "Georgia". When he got back we had a fine lunch and a great meeting. We both got very excited about the possibilities ahead for "0110" and so without any further waffle - apologies for too much already - ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am very happy indeed to announce our final writer, our "0110:Twisted Tales & Glorious" Writer No.6 and Performer No. 1 is the marvellously talented, Alan Mckenna.

0110 - Part Five Point Five

2009-10-24T16:00:00.002+01:00

A brief respite from "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" over the weekend - normal service will resume next week...

Indeed there are a few more announcements to be made, and it's not 'just' Writer No. 6...

Until then.

0110 - Part Five

2009-10-23T10:01:00.001+01:00

I wish I had something not so glistening to say about our next "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" Writer, but I haven't. I mean - they all sound too damn perfect, don't they? Well they are. End of. Deal with it.

And so, without further ado, let me introduce you to the utterly delightful - and possibly not so well known to all my usual blog readers - Writer No. 5: Dan Hall.

As soon as I met Dan, we gelled; then, once I read excerpts of his work and saw his visual style in the photography field, I knew he would be the perfect fit for our 0110 jigsaw. He possesses an incredible writing talent as well as an impeccable TV pedigree and, strangely enough, is a jolly nice person to boot.

Welcome, Dan!

0110 - Part Four

2009-10-22T10:01:00.002+01:00

A quiet wackiness entwined itself around the table at our very first 0110 Writing Team meeting - an energy that required, as expected, movement of furniture and quick, sardonic replies.

With that visual in mind, it is time for another announcement - to introduce you to our "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" Writer No. 4: Piers Beckley.

I have read a great deal of Piers' work and can only wonder which part of rocket science and nuclear physics he failed (or perhaps he didn't). A very clever writer who is also possessed by a most congenial nature and a fractal outlook that embodies the spirit of 0110.

Welcome, Piers!

0110 - Part Three

2009-10-21T12:11:00.001+01:00

*Fanfare*

And so to the third of our "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" scribes.

It is my great pleasure to announce that Writer No. 3 is the delectable, deft and dedicated, Michelle Lipton. Quite the drama queen - in a literary sense, please - Michelle will add her own polished distortion of thoughts to 0110, and for that, I am utterly delighted to have her on our skilled team.

Ms Lipton - welcome!

0110 - Part Two

2009-10-20T11:30:00.002+01:00

As I mentioned yesterday, all this week I will be announcing our writers for "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" and so without further ado, I am thrilled to announce Writer No.2 is the adorable and buoyant Helen Smith.

Having been privy to quite a few of Helen's plays, I am very excited she has become part of the Team and will be bringing yet another different style and outlook to the table. Welcome to the madness, Helen!

Broadcasting 0110 - Part One

2009-10-19T13:49:00.004+01:00

Hello you

I've been having a mighty busy few days since I last dropped by to check on you all, but boy has it been good.

First of all, a belated thank you to Conor Dignam (Director, Emap's media group), Lisa Campbell (Editor, Broadcast) and their lovely Marketing & Editorial team at Broadcast who very kindly asked me to join in for a light lunch in order to discuss the contents - past, current and future - of that very shiny trade weekly and website. For those of you who aren't subscribers, you really should be. If you want to know your market - as a writer, director, producer, technical genius - then the pages of this weekly should be regularly digested. In fact, just the access to the online Commissioning Index alone is worth it's weight in megabytes and will soon become a subscriber-only section.

From my point of view it was refreshing to be able to put one's tuppence-worth forward and then listen to the challenges and ideas the Broadcast team have bubbling. At the best of times, both film and TV are challenging industries, but at the moment the bar has been raised with regards to 'challenging', with finance being pulled and budgets being slashed everywhere you go. Trade press, such as Broadcast and Screen International can have an enormous amount of influence on the reporting of stories as they break and so to actually sit back, take the time, and assess how they can best help the industries can only be a good thing. Well done!

And so for the rest of my week: taken up with the final tweaks and preparations for "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious". We had our initial Writing Team meeting and believe me, there was something mighty special going on. The ideas were buzzing and the air was sheer electricity. I am thrilled to be working with so many exceptional people and this is just the beginning of it all.

Every day this week, we will be announcing a new 0110 writer on the main "0110" website and with that in mind, I am totally and utterly pleased to tell you that Writer No 1 is Laurence Timms. Well done, Laurence - it's great to have you on board and to finally be able to work together.

Get on over to the 0110 site every day and see the Team grow!

The Road Was Long

2009-10-12T18:20:00.001+01:00

What a weekend. What a week. What a month - or two.

The documentary footage went down very, very well and I had a totally amazing night at the Awards Ceremony; I'm not sure why, but I was quite weirded out by the whole evening but I guess it was seeing the exact same reactions and emotions I had experienced, rippling around the 300-odd people in the room as they watched the very footage I have now seen and mucked around with so many times. Needless to say, it was a very emotional night for everyone involved after such an intense period working on the whole project. A big shout out & well done to all those on the 'arrangement' side as well as my production side. The event wouldn't have been as successful without incredible communication, hard work and dedication all round.

And so...next on the list.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you will be aware of "0110", and whilst moving towards the latter stages of the recent documentary/interview footage editing, I was also slowly making headway with the early development of "0110: Twisted Tales and Glorious". I am very pleased to say we now have our Writing Team and what a top bunch of talent they are. I am thrilled to be starting work with them very soon, but more on all of them over at the 0110 website. Keep your eyes peeled here and there for a load of info coming your way very soon. In fact, the diaries have just been updated.

There's an awful lot going into the cauldron at the moment but until I've got my fresh newt tails and chameleon claws to add to the mix, you'll just have to hang around to see what the result is.

Well, that's it from me for now. Hope you're all having fun and you've located and freshened up your snuggly jumpers - make sure you don't catch the sniffles and stay cozy.

Almost

2009-10-05T21:16:00.001+01:00

This week finally sees the screening of the documentary/interview footage I have been working on lately. It will be encompassed within an 'as live' broadcast award ceremony and, I must admit, it's all looking and sounding rather lovely.

Much thanks goes out to the wonderful people who let me and my trusty crew into their lives and stories - there is a vast amount of extremely strong footage to be shown that will be sure to produce quite a few lumps in the throat. What these men, women and children have been/are going through makes what I do seem so damn insignificant, but at least on this occasion I could help orchestrate bringing these marvellous stories of bravery and fights against all odds, into the public domain.

For this opportunity - and all the others heading my way soon - I will be eternally grateful.

Now - onwards.

Gratitude

2009-09-22T21:36:00.007+01:00

Hello there.

A little bit quiet on the Tenacious front at the moment. I am nearing finalisation of the 0110 Writing Team but also holed up in an edit suite, having just finished producing and directing some startling documentary footage. More regularly than not of late, life has been taking me to lots of dark places with low oxygen levels, however, the results are always most congenial and by the look of the footage, this past shooting experience is no exception.

Being surrounded by so many courageous and remarkable men, women and children recently and then touched by their truly remarkable stories has been a terribly humbling experience. I've now sat in on the edit for more than 22 hours since yesterday morning - such is the vast amount of gobsmacking and heartrending footage we shot.

The rough edit is very much on it's way now and I can only hope the final cut shows these amazing people for what they are - strong, selfless and without a doubt, heroes.

Just Passing By

2009-09-15T21:55:00.005+01:00

I drooled a little bit into the 0110 diaries. Apologies.

Normal service will hopefully resume here soon, after a little shoot. In the meantime, please don't fight over all the same toys again. Thanks.

Fifty-Seven to Six

2009-09-09T22:49:00.007+01:00

I have caught myself sighing a great deal this week; I have also been screwing up my face into positions a contortionist would be impressed by. This, my dear reader, is what comes of trying to shortlist a writing team of six from fifty-seven high quality applications. It's really tough, I can tell you, and it will still not be until (at least) mid next week until I know what's what.

Knowing a great deal of writers personally has been a blessing and a curse in itself, so I have had to operate on "corporate HR level" like I used to when hiring & firing years ago. It's a really tough, clinical way to do things, but to begin with, emotions have to be locked away; the bare facts & statistics looked at. End of. I really hate writing that: I have been at the mercy of this thinking many a time over the years, but 'tis the way of the world (I wince).

To a degree, I am still 'some bird who people kinda know the name of' pitching to 'The Lovely People Who Decide' on a regular basis, but I am building my facts, statistics and raising the bar by the day. Let's face it, you don't get contracts/commissions purely because you're 'nice': you get them because you have an aptitude, the ability to manage expectations and deliver the goods - and that's what the 0110 Team is about - that and the group dynamic which will become so very, very important. But what about raw talent, I hear you cry? Well, I can safely state there wasn't one CV/resume I was not impressed by. There is so much talent out there it makes me sad I can't use everyone - and that's the utter truth.

So far, this has already been a fascinating journey and one which will continue going from strength to strength. I hope you do/are enjoying the insight - if I can really call it that - although it's probably more along the lines of total waffle most of the time! I could, of course, just stay quiet until it's all done and dusted, as it's sometimes quite difficult to find that balance between saying too little and too much. However, I personally find it quite interesting to follow the process from early days development through to post production, as no two people ever find the journey the same.

Most of the updates concerning "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" will be on the official website diaries from now on, as I have plenty of other things to drone on about here. I will of course update you with the links here when there are juicy bits to read - within reason - as I am quite a shy, retiring person at heart.

Was that a snigger? Hmmmm? Cheeky.

Last Call

2009-09-06T23:21:00.004+01:00

Hello, you talented bunch.

Just a little heads up to tell you that as of close of play tomorrow - that is, 17:30 Monday 7th September 2009 - no more submissions for the "0110" writing team will be accepted.

If you don't know what it's all about and still want to get in touch tomorrow, click here.

Bye for now.

Opportunity Knocks?

2009-09-02T16:05:00.001+01:00

I'll just going to leave this little note for you and then I'm off. Okaythxbye.

-----------

Brave Soldier Films are currently developing the Pilot episode for a very unusual 6 x 60 min TV drama series devised by Lara Greenway, and now seek writers to join the Writing Team. There will be six writers in total and although the Team will work together on the overall theme for the Pilot, series arc and objectives, each scribe will write their own screenplay for the Pilot and then for the episodes, if the series is successfully commissioned.

Each episode of "0110: Twisted Tales & Glorious" - to give it's full title - will be a collection of six tales of varying lengths, all with a similar theme; an up-to-date take on "Tales of the Unexpected" and "Hammer House of Horror", scribes with ideas for unusual tales with a twist or a sting, are just what "0110" is looking for.

As this project is currently collaborative and the Team will meet for regular development meetings, it may be more feasible for writers to live in or vaguely around the Greater London area. However, if you are interested in this project but are based further away, you will need to be happy to travel to London once the Team is finalised.

If you would be interested in becoming part of this very exciting project, please email a brief biog or resume to 0110*at*bravesoldier.co.uk in the first instance. Please do not send any scripts or writing examples at this point as they will be deleted, unread.

For a little more information please take a wander round the 0110 website where all future developments will be announced.

Pause for Thought

2009-08-27T11:48:00.002+01:00

Anyone who follows my ramblings on Twitter or reads my updates on Facebook will know I've just said goodbye to one of my closest friends who also happened to be a close relative. She had very bravely fought breast cancer, but unfortunately, not before it had spread to her bones and major organs.

Apart from being like my big sister, she was always the first on the phone or email asking me to expand on info I had written on my blog or website, one of the first to tell me if she thought my work was good, passable or just downright crap, and was one of the very, very few people in this world who really knew 'me', whose opinions truly challenged and made me question so much.

When she read the title of my blog for the first time she smiled and nodded her head agreeing it was the perfect name: tenacity is something we both knew a lot about. We lived together for a few years, wrote scripts together, laughed together, danced together, cried together, sorted the world out together, got drunk together - and then held the sick bowl for each other. We'd say, 'never again', and then we'd do it all another day.

I will miss her so much I cannot possibly explain.

I understand a lot of people feel the public domain is not the place to discuss or even announce such things in one's life, but by writing these words, I celebrate my darling friend's life, her being and her vision. I have also received so many kind messages from old friends, new friends, colleagues and even people I have never even met before, that I cannot possibly reply to them all individually: thank you all so much - you will never know how much your messages have meant to me over these last few dark weeks.

I am so very proud to have known her, been related to her and shared my life with her but she wouldn't thank me for dwelling too long - in fact she'd kick my ass - so I must now crack on with everything.

As we would both say: onwards!

Dan's Fun Fundraiser & Other Stories

2009-08-12T12:47:00.004+01:00

In one way or another life has been whisking me here, there and everywhere recently, which has been quite fun, to be honest.

I have a quite a few shoots coming up over the next six weeks, so have been religiously tying up loose ends on other projects, getting the shorts out to festivals and beginning to pull together new projects ready to kick some serious ass in the new year. Yes, 2010, it's looking like I love you already. Possibly. Maybe. Well, you know the kind of thing. This week also marks the end of a 5 week Producer training course I have been attending, and as much as I have loved it, I'm rather tired trying to keep on top of everything, but such is the nature of the beast. That is not to say I haven't been out and about schmoozing with the odd glass of alcoholic beverage clutched to my breast. No sireee. I have also been very much daubing the town with a deep hue of scarlet.

In fact there have been rather a lot of fascinating days and nights, which brings me to the title of this post: Dan's Fun Fundraiser. After a totally surreal week last week, which saw me balancing work commitments along with post-chickenpox, post-flu but pre-laryngitis Kid, I ended up literally tripping over Ross Kemp when I least expected it - a colleague from literally a billion years ago - and was then invited to a fund raiser for charity OWAU in Kampala, Uganda, where The Feeling's Dan Gillespie Sell's brother is currently working. This worthy project provides housing for orphans and single parents who are affected by HIV and AIDS and all the money raised on the day (£1,700 I am reliably informed) will go straight to the cause.

Pictured left, is Dan. As you can see he is casually pointing whilst accidentally advertising his random music-fest for me.

It was a marvellous afternoon/evening of merriment, giant twister, a raffle with totally, gobsmackingly amazing prizes (and yay! I won one!), not to mention some perfect music from Dan's mates Anna and Vad, followed by the totally brilliant Wallis Bird. Dan then took to the stage - initially with the equally lovely Sophie Ellis Bextor (pictured right, with Dan)

for their rendition of "It's My Party" - and then carried on and spoilt us rotten with lots of his own music - including my own personal fave, "Sewn", which made me gulp *big* emotion a lot! Dan admitted at one point, he felt a little strange without the rest of the band on stage with him so we all endeavoured to provide him extra noise and backing vocals. It was very sober and tuneful, of course...ahem. A brilliant, brilliant day!

I have also been spending a great deal of time at various art galleries, the BFI and around the South Bank in general recently. I've had quite a bit of research to do with regards to an early-days idea and the galleries and BFI archives have been really wonderful places to nose around - the South Bank itself has provided me with much sustenance, perfect people watching opportunities and inspiration.

Well, as I said, this is my last week on the course, so the end of this week will see me shifting up a gear or so into 'preproduction proper'. I shall of course drop by and babble away when I have the chance, as I do miss our little fireside chats.

Hope all's well in your lives, dears - remember to always wrap up warm, take a brolly and pop your bikini, flip flops & sunnies into your bag - you just never know what the weather will be like when you next go outside.

Onwards - until we natter again. x

VM Shorts 2009 Finalists

2009-08-05T09:10:00.007+01:00

The Shortlist has just been announced! 'Tis unfortunate that neither myself or anyone I know is on it, but all the same, a very well done to those who made it! There are some cracking films on the list and I reckon it will be a tough choice...

Making the Difference (Andrew Oxley & David Williams)

She Farted & Created the World (Scott Coello)

Stalking Ben Chadz (Daniel Castella)

Mixtape (Luke Snellin)

Smooth Line (Declan Taafe)

Hiccup (Derville Quigley)

Three Little Words (Ed Lilly)

Grief (Darren Conway)

The Transaction (Tim Key)

CGI Brows (Andrew Gaynord)

Ceci N'est Pas Une Mouche (Carlos Fraiha)

Gunslingers (Regan Hall)

Ask Daniel Barber

2009-07-31T10:50:00.005+01:00

Virgin Media Shorts are running a Q&A with one of this year's judges, Daniel Barber.

As well as winning numerous prizes for his TV ads, Daniel’s short film "The Tonto Woman" was nominated for an Oscar last year. His first feature film, "Harry Brown", starring Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer, is currently in post-production and is tipped to make a splash when it’s released later in the year.

Feel free to ask Daniel about his career in short-film making, the Virgin Media Shorts competition or indeed anything else.

If you’d like to submit a question to Daniel, please leave your question in the comments section or mail here.

Q&A: VM Shorts '08 Winners

2009-07-01T23:09:00.008+01:00

Ever wonder what happens when you win a competition like Virgin Media Shorts? Well, here are some questions asked and answered...

Q&A with 2008 winners, Phil and Olly:

1.1 Making a film can be equally a challenging and enjoyable. Although this was your first film, excluding the benefits £30k can have on your next production, what other tangible benefits do you feel winning this award offers filmmakers? (question asked by Nicola at 100prints)

I guess other benefits are that you feel encouraged by the fact that people have enjoyed your work, in itself this spurs you on to challenge yourself even further in your next project. The support of the film council is also a great way to work through new ideas, they have so much experience with writing and short film production that the input they can offer to a first time writer is invaluable.

1.2 …and if you were to mentor another filmmaker, what would be the key piece of advice you would provide?

Don’t rush things, enjoy it, and keep questioning yourself, so that you are constantly challenging what you are making and why.

1.3 In your film, a man gets access to a lot of money through something quite special and simple - but as a result ends up in a box. Does recognition for a short film box you into a category - or is it the portal to bigger and better things? (question asked by Josh at Chew TV)

The game is to always move on from what we have already done. All of the projects we do and learning experiences, and each one is different. Our first short was 2:30mins long and silent. Our next film will be 10-15mins and a written dialogue script. These are stepping stones, not pigeon holes.

1.4 Did the money change how you felt about making the film or even the style it was made in? (question asked by Natalie at Chew TV)

You can do a lot more with 30k than with nothing. We really wanted the chance to make a bigger short so we definitely thought about what kind of idea and shooting style would give us the best chance of winning the prize money. The PG rating was the hardest challenge.

1.5 Although you say you hadn’t made a film before Black Hole, what experience(s) helped you create your short? – which experience(s) have proved most useful?

Music videos have been our film school, trying out ideas and techniques, our jobs art directing and editing inform our work massively. We have been on film shoots since we left art school in one guise or another, nothing beats on set experience.

1.6 How long did it take you to make Black Hole? How long do you envisage your new project taking you?

We made The Black Hole from concept to finished film in 2 weeks. 1 day shoot in a friends unused office, a week in the edit, a touch of post production and a few hours in a grade. The next film will take much longer and has been developing since Christmas. Working through ideas, then fleshing them out, picking one to run with, then scripting, re-drafting, casting, location scouting and so on. We are shooting for 3 days with 2 days in rehearsal and a days prep on location then edit, post, grade, print etc. We have had to take 2 months off from earning any money to do it properly. We should be finished by the beginning–middle of September all things going well.

1.7 Do you consider it more worthwhile to make one really complex (in production terms) short film a year, or create 5 -10 simpler films per year when you’re starting out?

It’s good to have practice, but important be considered. Short films are not something we have ever wanted to make lots of. We see these as an exercise in film-making and place more importance on them being of quality than quantity. Music videos are throw away things for someone else, short films are much more personal and hopefully mean something, so we would suggest only making films you really believe in and practise your art in another format.

1.8 You say that you will be ‘picking over it [the script]’ with the UK Film Council and Virgin Media; who specifically have you received support from, what format has that taken and how useful have you found their input?

We have been working with a team from Virgin who have been making sure we are spending their money in the right way, and Rebecca from the UK Film Council who’s advice during the development of our script has been great – offering a wealth of experience to aid us in the process. We have also had friends, family and people in the industry read things through and offer up some often-insightful suggestions.

1.9 Working as a 2 man team seems to have worked really well. Did either Olly or Phil have specific roles e.g. writing, photography, etc whereby their respective skill sets complimented the other’s or do they have similar skills that are enhanced by the other?

We have a pool of experience in the industry which allows us the privilege to know what the other one means when we are taking things through. Both of us have a history in art directing and making, and building things - Phil is a freelance editor and Olly an art director. Our skills definitely compliment each other, allowing us to get involved in every aspect of the production. We both write together and have done for years on other projects, its good to have someone to throw things against and bounce ideas around with, no matter how silly. We collaborate on most things in our productions and with the team around us. Other peoples' skills are very important when it comes to using your own to their fullest.

1.10 Roughly what time and budget, as a percentage, will you put against the various aspects of making your film from concept and pre-production right through to filming, editing and post-production?

3-4 months script development, 2 months pre-production, 1 week rehearsals and 3 day shoot, 2 months for edit, post, sound, delivery.

Time wise that’s: 50% script development, 24% pre-production, 2% shoot, 24% edit, sound, post.

Money wise: 5% pre-production, 75% shoot, 20% post production.

Most of the money will go on the actual shoot itself, next biggest cost is the edit and post production.

Phil and Olly’s new short film, Diamond Dogs, will be out Autumn 2009.

Interview courtesy of Ryan*MacMillan Ltd.

Your Knowledge Required!

2009-06-29T12:21:00.001+01:00

A very quick peek above the parapet from me today, as I have a question to ask - 'tis one I have wondered for a long time, but finding the answer has now become paramount.

A little background to my confusion: when I worked for BBC Scotland one of my favourite times was working with Comedy Development & Production, with my most enjoyable but toughest experience being "Rab C Nesbitt". These many series were obviously written in full dialect having been originally aimed at an entirely indigenous audience demographic.

So my learned friends, in general terms...local dialect in screenplays: good or bad? Win or Fail? Or personal preference?

If you are another writer, director, producer, exec, script reader, script editor, story outliner, scheduler, head of programming, or just plain know the answer, please leave a comment below or tweet me on Twitter. I'll be checking back in later in the day.

Thanks in advance.

Looking Back to Go Forward

2009-06-27T21:17:00.002+01:00

Hello little ones - what's been happening around here, then? I've tried my best to keep peeking in on you all, but it has proven a bit difficult. Anyhow, here I am albeit for a little bit.

I've come over all reflective during the last week (the thought variety, not the mirroring type) whilst trying to tie up loose ends on various things that have been left all untidy in the far corners of Tenacious Towers North Wing. That's where I tend to pop bits and pieces, y'see - the 'to be confirmed / continued / finished / burned / useless exes' - that kind of thing, and every now and again I have to remove the dust sheets, sift through and tidy up. Because I have been fairly busy of late, ["Hark!" I hear you cry. "I had no idea - you should have said..!" ;0P ] I had to sit down and go back to January no less, in order to clear the decks for the next six months. I had so much shredding to do as a result, but it was fun to go through the last half year in draft form. But where, in God's name, has this year gone, I ask you? In a strange way, I don't feel as though I have achieved much at all, but to tell you the truth, I suppose I have now definitely started laying foundations for the way ahead.

The year started on a real high, having had my short, "Perfect", selected for development by Screen East for Digital Shorts. Although we went through the highs and lows together, my Little Miss Perfect insisted on not behaving herself and caused a lot of headaches and heartache, before falling at Becher's Brook and bailing out of the process. Disappointing as it was at the time, it was actually a blessing in disguise, as following fast on the heels of that news was the early development of my 360 degree cross platform programme outline, "Tweet the Dice", and "#twitstunt", the first snippet of filming for the feature documentary side of the same project. Now at a stage where I can start putting the final pieces of the project puzzle together and getting it 'out there', it's been a fascinating research process so far and I'm looking forward to the next step - I am sure we'll chat more about it at another point.

Before I had even finished the final title graphic for "#twitstunt" I had two short films chomping at the bit and went straight into preproduction on "Runner" and "Hostile" with the aim to shoot two shorts in two days. What I essentially wanted to do though, was shoot for four films in two days: a very short cut for Virgin Media Shorts and a looser cut of around five mins for each film. I planned my production days accordingly and we all pushed through the shot lists and schedules like lightning - a totally brilliant couple of days from what had developed into an amazing month in general. With the short versions of both films complete and in competition, and the long assemblies teetering on their edit, I have been enjoying the fun of writing again and two feature treatments have now gone out to find a home this week, one stateside and one closer to home, so I hope something comes of at least one.

On assessing people, places and events over the same period, quite a lot has been and gone too. One best boy buddy upped and left for the heat of Australia, whereas another just upped and left this mortal coil forever, which was really tough. From the sublime to the ridiculous, the untimely departure of my i-Phone made me realise that no-one actually uses their phone for just plain conversation anymore - we all seem to text, IM or email each other - and due to that fact, unless I've been at my 'puter, I have hardly communicated with anyone over the last fortnight. It's very odd. On the up side, I've been on various filmmaking courses and talks to brush up on old skills and learn new ones; attended the excellent "The Story Engine" in Darlington (more on that here); plus I've also gotten to know a ludicrous amount of new folks since January - some of whom have become very special and trustworthy friends already. Then of course, there's The Kid. He turned two a couple of weeks ago and upon being put up to the 'big boys' class at nursery, led a mini revolution up the slide with his girlfriend, causing them to be separated for influencing all the three-year olds to run riot. That's my boy. He also knows which are my films now too - which is very cool. "Hostile" seems to be his favourite at the moment because the bass in the surround mix nearly blows up Tenacious Towers, but I think he actually prefers battering his drum kit along to the music from "Runner". And oh, how I love that...

Even though I promised myself I would, I haven't managed to get to see many shows so far this year, which is really rather rubbish - so that's something I need to start rectifying very soon. However, my summer of music started for real just last night, nose being tickled by Brandon Flowers' feathery jacket in Hyde Park. The Killers really were rather good and the evening was everything I liked an outdoor concert to be.

All this aside, I have to admit, I'm looking forward to a bit of 'me' time in the near future, and so after I complete a little bit of work in Spain very soon, I have decided to give myself a tad of a break in that very place, to refuel before the next wave of production starts in late July, when I will be once again, gearing up to sign cheques and shout 'action'.

So, have I laid my foundations for the right path? No idea, buddy. Only time will tell. I'm just really enjoying the ride.

Catch you soon.

Doing a Runner

2009-06-18T19:26:00.000+01:00

Hello. Only me.

As promised, sweet ones, here's the link to "Runner" - my comedic homage to Seventies drama - also now uploaded to the Virgin Media Shorts competition.

"Hostile" and "Runner" quite frankly are as different as day and night and thus I fear I may be suffering from a split personality disorder when I write/direct. No surprising news there then.

Enjoy, comment and star rate on the Virgin Media site if the whim takes you.

I thank you.

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/films/film/runner/

Hostile - The short Short

2009-06-17T11:38:00.001+01:00

I am pleased to say the short cut of "Hostile" is now up online at Virgin Media Shorts. Click on the link below to view, star rate & leave a comment if you wish.

I have dedicated it to all of you have lived (and worked) on the edge of genius and madness. That's 99.9% of the Tenacious readership dealt with then ;0)

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/films/film/hostile/

"Runner" will be up online as soon as I'm happy with it and I'll update that news here too.

If you enjoy the films and would like to support one (or both), I will be announcing when the official voting is open if we get through to the next round.

I hope you enjoy them.

An Off-Topic Ode

2009-06-11T15:25:00.000+01:00

We've had lots of fun, haven't we, you and I? But now I am torn and beside myself with upset at the realisation it's time to go our separate ways. I'm not sure how I will cope - or indeed if I will.

I don't mean to drag up the past, but in all honesty, you have had me wound round your sexy appeal for too long and only now have I finally plucked up the courage to tell you how much you have let me down at times.

When I have needed you the most, you have appeared cold, aloof, distant and totally switched off. You built me right up into the clouds with promises, hope and faith, then you took a big step backwards and watched me lose my balance. When I turned to you in my hours of need you have stayed at arm's distance and stared blankly at me, or not even bothered to communicate anything at all. You slipped into my life like a hot knife through butter and then before I knew it, you were always there - within grasp of my fingertips - but never wholly committed.

Then there have been the times when you've been my inspiration, my closest friend and my confidante; my cook, my thief and my lover. Remembering those times makes my head whirl with excitement and my heart burst with pride; it makes me smile so wide I feel my mouth may unravel. Wow! We've discovered a whole new way of living, you and I, and it is something I will carry on doing forever - only next time, it will be bigger and better - that I can guarantee. There will always be empty promises in life - I know that - but happiness in however small amounts, is something I feel I must grasp when I can.

But here I sit - lonely, empty and cut off - and now, in my view, since you flounced not-so-balletically across the kitchen floor this morning, and deposited a small shard of glass in my cheek, dearest i-Phone: you are a useless piece of shit.

I shall have to dust off Crackberry until your replacement enters my life. Thanks for the memories. You tw*t.

Hostile Thoughts

2009-06-09T07:03:00.001+01:00

Yesterday saw me conducting a little off-the-cuff market research. "Hostile" is nearing completion and so I wanted to test it's PG/U viability on a minor - enter Subject S, who, you have to understand, is like something out of "Charlie and Lola".

As she watched the film, I gauged her reactions, most of which were accompanied with a screwed up nose. At the end of it, I asked her what she thought in general: "S'good. But it probably smells." she replied.

"How do you know it smells?" I asked her, curious, as this is what I had hoped an adult may feel, let alone a child.

"'Cos there's loads of yuk food lying around, and it's dirty. There probably isn't even proper toilet paper or anything." was Subject S's reply. Very astute, I thought.

"Were you scared at any point?" I probed, wary that the film is quite dark and could appear nightmare-like to a child.

She shook her head. "No. I just thought she was sad. Why is she sleeping there?" she asked casually. I explained why she was there; Subject S said she understood, but looked a little confused.

"I think she sleeps there on her own, doesn't she?" she replied thoughtfully.

"Yes, she does." I smiled. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't think her husband sleeps there as he probably sleeps in the next room - which is nice and tidy." At this point she became interested in other things and started to leave.

"Well, kind of...but why did you think she was sad?" I asked, as Subject S neared the door.

She rolled her eyes skyward and tutted. "Because she knows she'll need to tidy up before bedtime. Look at the state of her room - I wouldn't want that job!" And off she flounced.

I can't wait to hear what she says about "Runner".

Reflective Shadows

2009-06-05T22:28:00.000+01:00

Hello my little pack of voyeurs

The week has been full of real ups and downs - you know the kind of thing? I usually earmark it as post-shoot crash week: it's when I [try to] relax a bit, ease off fifth gear and then suddenly feel a general fight of optimism vs despondency about the future.

I have been holed up in an edit suite for the majority of the week and although we're making headway with the edits of "Hostile" and "Runner", I am an impatient kinda girl and want it all done and finished yesterday. Still, never mind, we're getting there - although the 2 minute 20 second limit and PG/U certification for Virgin Media Shorts has thrown quite a few issues for me to battle with - especially with regard to "Hostile". But one thing is for sure: there really is so much beautiful footage for both films, I will definitely be completing two edits for each.

Then I sit there, staring at the edit screen wondering if these are the films I set out to make? Yes, they are totally - and that's good - but will they appeal to anyone? I have no idea. It's a weird place to be, but I am not making films for any reason except to stretch myself, download some artistic visions to make room for fresh ones, ease my insatiable creative hunger and also, because a few years back, I committed to a 180 degree career change to behind the camera.

Having spent 17 years in front of the camera (yes, I was a mere child...), I also spent my 'fallow periods' working in costume design, art depts, indie production, BBC production contracts, PA-ing to various Producers and assisting various Directors, Exec Assistant in PR, Marketing and HR - as well as the obligatory waitressing and bar work. None of this I regret, as it has given me an in-depth background knowledge of "business", what everyone is 'doing' and more importantly, what they should be doing in any given situation: it also means I do not suffer fools gladly. But does all that make me a good filmmaker? Again, no idea, and that's the honest truth. So far, the noises about the rough edits have been positive but that's no guarantee of anything; on the other hand, if I am just trying to satisfy my artistic integrity, then why am I bothered about success? Well, actually I'm not, but like most people, I have bills and a boring mundanity to upkeep, and would like to up the income levels from what I love doing the most: and that, my learned colleagues, is telling stories - in a literary and visual sense.

So, here I am, a shiny new and updated CV in hand and my eye on the market. I don't have a gob-droppingly amazing showreel or a long list of credits to my name as a writer, director and/or producer, but I do have a small neat package plus vision, drive, commitment and - hopefully - ability. Over the last month or so, my quest has taken me to Spain and back where I have had meetings about a fairly long term contract that may or may not materialize, and on the slightly less hot but just as sunny (kind of) and far more local side, I am looking forward to meetings regarding the development of one of my feature pitches and a drama-documentary for TV. As usual, lots of ifs and buts, however, opportunities all the same.

Hand on heart, I can say I have had the best time so far this year and one way or another, it has already proven to be a real turning point for me. Juggling this, plus my [nearly] two year old boy has been a tough test, but I've come out the other side unscathed. The boy also seems pretty grounded I am glad to say, although he keeps looking for "Hostile" & "Runner" Production Designer, Jess Alexander, under the spare bed, which is a little bit of a worry as I don't recall her hiding there in particular. I'm sure it's all down to the sharing of "In The Night Garden" stickers over the breakfast table.

I really look forward to unearthing the secrets currently clutched closely to the breast of the next six months of 2009.

Ever onwards.

The Story So Far

2009-06-02T11:32:00.004+01:00

A little taster of Mark Spencer's beautiful stills from the shoots last week...as you will see, two very different days. Thanks to all again.

"Runner"

"Runner" - Cast

Alan McKenna - Josh

Mary Healey - Viv

Mari Gordon- Price - Edie

Morgan Deare - Shopkeeper

"Hostile"

"Hostile" - Cast

Annette Ross - Charlotte

Crew - "Runner" & "Hostile"

Director of Photography - Neil Oseman

Camera Assistant - Colin Smith ("Hostile"); Max Welch ("Runner")

Production Designer - Jess Alexander

Design Assistant - Alison Bowman

Props Assistants - Callina Pearson, Molly Lardner

Stills Photographer - Mark Spencer

Make Up, Prosthetics Artist & Wardrobe Continuity - Lucy 'Darkness' King

Spark - Max Welch

Sound Recordist/Boom Op - Sophie Shelton

Production Co-Ordinator - Peter Getkahn

Production Lawyer - Sam Terry

Editor - Neil Douek

Music - Neil Douek

Writer, Director & Producer - Lara Greenway

It's in the Can

2009-05-31T18:27:00.006+01:00

Hello angel,

I like that saying - it's in the can - it conjurs up images of heaving masses of 35mm whizzing as a multitude of camera assistants scuttle around bowing to a Terry Thomas-like Cinematographer. So, in this age of digital tomfoolery, what can we say? It's in the card? It's in the hard-drive? Or my favourite quote from this week's shoots - it's on the MacBook Pro, the external drive and the network: I am taking no chances with these babies.

What a bloody wonderful week I have had: in fact I have so much to say about both of the shoots and films, that I may, quite literally, bore you to death - so just take it from me, we all had an awesome week! I had a very specific 'look' I wanted for each film, and I truly believe the images [now] on screen are a total carbon copy of the visuals in my brain. I said to everyone it was almost quite freaky as it was as if someone was downloading my brain onto the monitor before my very eyes: having seen all the footage again over the weekend, never truer words have I spoken.

My casts were incredible: a bunch of achingly talented seasoned professionals - including Alan Mckenna and Annette Ross playing the leads in "Runner" and "Hostile" respectively, Mary Healey, Mari Gordon-Price and Morgan Deare - who all added a buoyant energy on their side of the lens that just kept me rattling through my shot list like wildfire. My crew were totally fantastic and coped admirably with two vastly different shoots - one being a black comedy and the other being a drama (or in the words of one crew member: a total mindf*ck). The second shoot, "Hostile" was always going to be a sh*t of a design job with so little time and so much to achieve, but Production Designer, Jess Alexander, just cracked on with it all and pitched it perfectly, just like I knew she would. I also always had a suspicion I would work extremely well in this situation with my DoP, Neil Oseman. We have know each other for a long time now and worked on lots of projects from voiceovers to feature stuff - but these occurrences have generally featured me on the 'other' side of the camera or mic and apart from my recent promo, this was new ground for us. However, I was not prepared for the 'unsaid connection' we have forged which allowed us to virtually mind read each other and therefore set up the shots, look and feel of the pieces with very little communal dialogue. It made the shoots very special and happy for all of us and I think that will show in the end product(s).

And so to Post-production tomorrow and back to driving my Editor mad with stories of how his edit suite feels like he's removing my life force with rusty, fetid, blunt instruments of filmic torture :) I hope to have a rough assembly turned round for both films pretty quickly in order to be moving towards picture lock, music composition and the sound mixes fairly swiftly.

I have the beautiful set & location stills winging their way to me as I type - lovingly snapped by Mark Spencer - and so will post a couple when I have a minute or so, but for now, I have the terribly mundane tasks of cheque writing and contractual paperwork. Zzzzz.

I love it really - every single good and bad second of this crazy, crazy business - but the scary thing is, I am already getting twitchy about my next project. Crikey m'am.

Have a good week all.

Are We At Speed Yet?

2009-05-22T21:36:00.001+01:00

Ahem. Hello there. I've been a little bit busy of late but I'm taking five minutes out of my schedule to check you are all okay out here in the big wide web. All heart me, I tell you.

I have no idea where anyone is, what day it is, what you've all been up to or anything beyond my immediate attention radar, as I have been encapsulated within the big, bouncy bubble that is pre-production, with not more than even a nanosecond being trounced by FaceAche, Twitter or Blogosphere.

The Tenacious Towers' east wing became one major trip hazard recently as it's been heaving with props, costumes, kit and paperwork for a good while now, however, I don't actually feel as though I live at TT anymore, having spent so much time at the production base and the set being created for...oh right, yeah...I'm shooting two short films, you see - "Runner" and "Hostile" - in two days, next week.

I am tremendously excited and can't wait to work with the amazing cast and crew who have embraced both projects with so much vigour. I'm delighted to announce Alan Mckenna, Mary Healey, Morgan Deare, Mari Gordon-Price and Annette Ross make up my wonderful cast and amongst the vast array of talent found in the crew are Neil Oseman, DoP, Jess Alexander, Production Designer, not to mention the brave man who has jumped straight in at the deep end, Production Co-ordinator, Peter Getkahn - who has even scheduled my emotional breakdown for later next week, after we've wrapped, of course. Good man.

Well, I need to go now and slowly rock with a shot list in my hand or something. Actually, I really do jest, as I am remarkably calm. Of course, Peter would say it's my calm before my storm. He's probably right.

Catch you on the other side of the tempest that is Production.

The Tweet Promo

2009-05-08T14:25:00.000+01:00

My darlingest bits of binary

You may scoff at self-promotion but I'm afraid I gave Tenacious PR the day off for a pic-nic, so further to The Crises of Codec (same codec lots of issues), you can now view the promo trailer for "Tweet the Dice/#twitstunt" if the urge so takes you.

Take a clickety click here.

The Codec Crises

2009-05-07T19:25:00.000+01:00

Sweetness, if I hear the word codec again this week I may have to stop my very own hand from throttling my very own neck.

I have been locked in a padded cupboard at TechGeeks UnLtd since my last post and only just managed to escape this morning. I came home via the gym as a good workout was required to both keep on top of my training and release a little angst, but, for all my escape plotting, I needn't have worried. It has been a fairly quiet day - mainly thanks to the 'c' word - so I treated myself to a day of writing. Yeah, fancy that! Time to write, eh? Jeez. I'll have time to cook next. There was something really special about focusing back on a script again - it was very exciting and bucked me up out of my post-shoot/edit dip. I hate those dips. You feel all alone after feeling all over the shop. It's a weird place.

So, I did a little re-write of a (very) short I wrote a couple of months ago. It is terribly dark and oppressive and the Production Designer is going to have a field day, but I love it for all it's manky skankiness. The fact I love it is probably just as well, as I fully intend to shoot it very soon, it being one of three possibilities for my Virgin Media Shorts entry.

Everything is pootling along nicely with general work and most aspects of "Project Mute". Lots of chats and meetings are lined up over the next couple of weeks which will all be very fun, but there is also a hell of a lot of paperwork to wade through in relation to both the project and Company things. I was hoping to hold out on going Ltd for a while, as it really isn't something I have much time to deal with at the moment, but it looks as though it'll be unavoidable for much longer. More accounts, VAT, accountancy bills etc. Boring. Yawn. Snooze.

So suffocation by paperwork aside, all in all, it's good. Someday soon, I may even upload the promo/teaser trailer I have been working on. Codec allowing.

On, on and onwards.

List of Seven

2009-05-04T19:44:00.006+01:00

Lord Beckley of Piersville kindly tagged me with this meme, as apparently I haven't done it. I'm sure I did, but that would have been last year and it is now this year...so...

List Seven Songs I'm into Right Now.

Melting Pot (Mari Gordon-Price & Derek Griffiths - Hi Summer) - a pretty un-PC song now, but bloody lovely piece of 70s London for you. Oh, and by the way it's my very own yummy mummy singing (spot the family resemblance!!) with kids TV favourite, Derek Griffiths! So go on, watch it for the warm fuzziness of late seventies schmaltz.
The Unforgettable Fire (U2 - The Unforgettable Fire) - I love, love, love this song almost as much as the drummer, Larry Mullen Jnr. *swoon*. I turn into a thirteen year old when I see him. *swoon*. It's sad. *swoon*. Him and his syncopation are God, and I'm going to see them play in the summer! Yay. It'll be just me, him, the rest of the band and a few other people kicking around Wembley. Perfect.
Kids (MGMT - Oracular Spectacular) - brilliant ear candy album, adore their sound.
Grounds for Divorce (Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid) - will be seeing them play later in the year. V coolios.
Not Fair (Lily Allen - It's Me, Not You) - have never been her biggest fan, but this track and video make me laugh out loud and that has to be a good thing.
King of Rome (Pet Shop Boys - Yes) - the lyrics just blow me away with a depth of emotion quite often hinted at in a lot of songs, but never really musically realised as well.
Use Somebody (Kings of Leon - Only by the Night) - I have loved KoL for a long, long time and am seeing them live this year also. I adore all of the tracks on this album, however, I chose this one based on the video as it never struck me just how much Caleb Followill looks like Stephen Dorff and that, sweetpeas, is a grand thing.

Oh, you know, I could go on and on and on - so many songs, so little time. I am also totally (re)loving Blur and The Killers earlier stuff at the moment as I will be seeing them both live in 2009 too!

Well, doesn't my life sound like a veritable music fest waiting to happen? How extraordinary! How fun! How I really must get back to work, now. It's been great, pop-pickers.

Onwards with a trill, schweeties.

Twelve Steps of Enlightenment

2009-04-30T15:09:00.001+01:00

Hello Crystal Tips.

Here are a dozen things that have become apparent this week:

I could work from anywhere in the world and no-one would know any different.
Going to the gym makes me happy, and keeps me focused for the rest of the day.
Narrow roads, trees, X5s and wing mirrors mix like oil and water.
I just realised how organised, and how pretty good at organising I am.
'No' is not an definitive answer.
I lost a very beautiful friend a month or so ago, and I really miss him & his dreadful sardonic wit more than I thought I would.
I'm not too bad a business person.
Edit suites suck life force out of you and then re-inject it, just when you didn't expect it.
Tapas and Rioja in Spain taste better than at home.
The Pet Shop Boys track, "Vulnerable" (from "Yes") sounds perfect with the word 'insomnia' replacing 'vulnerable', when you can't sleep at 3am. Again.
Airports are both expensive and tedious at the same time. I fear this is somewhat a raw deal.
There is never a dull moment if you walk around with a torch.

Now, I am sure you are all behaving out there, but play nice for the rest of the week, please. I am checking/polishing off the #twitstunt edits tomorrow - uh-huh, there are two versions - and then apparently there is yet another Bank Holiday on Monday. Sweet Jesus, how dull. How schedule-interfering. How bloody...Monday-ish.

Oh, well, whatever you are planning - dancing around a maypole with bells on, that kind of thing - do enjoy and have an 'arf'.

Ever onwards, little ones, ever onwards.

Shooting from the Twit

2009-04-27T12:34:00.004+01:00

Here are a few photos taken by the lovely Ben Ottewell at the #twitstunt section of "Project Mute" filming last week.

There are loads more stills which will be here, there and everywhere soon, but here is a little selection that sums up the evening of the shoot for me. Hopefully these will give you feel of what was, in effect, a night of total and utter virtual insanity.

The Tenacious Training schedule is going very well, although I haven't had two secs to update the blog, it is making me leave my desk/phone/Mac for at least an hour and a half every day which really is a blessing in disguise. I totally need a little time to 'sort my brain/prioritize' and running/the gym etc does that for me. However, the blog update will need to wait as today's - actually, this weeks' - to do list has become immensely long.

And there goes my lunch break - one day I'll learn to eat instead of faff with photos or video clips.

Today is 'madly prepping for edit day' as well as trying to fire out a load of proposals for new work coming in, so, on that note, I am going to love you and leave you, andwill be back before you know it.

Play safe.

Onwards, kiddies. Always onwards.

Shoots, Logs & Turning Cogs

2009-04-25T00:12:00.004+01:00

It certainly has been a nutty week. Busy? Pah! I stare 'Busy' in the face, slap it and shout, "Boo! Betchya can't catch me!". Ahem, maybe not those exact words.

Right from Mega Meeting Monday through Wacky Weirded Wednesday to Forgoodnesssake Friday it's been marvellous, and I am very glad to report an extremely - nay - intensely successful week, all the same.

Wednesday, of course, saw the first day's shoot of many to come, on a small but beautifully formed part of "Project Mute". The day and night went swimmingly and I can quite honestly say I had a blast. The location and it's staff were brilliant, and all the peeps who took part in #twitstunt were fantastic. Realistically, an evening spent with Charles Batho, Dan Rebellato, Elinor, Stevyn Colgan, David Turner was never going to be very dull. Like me, I sincerely hope they enjoyed the whole [if slightly surreal] experience and I do apologise, on behalf of the tipsy or less dextrous Tweeters, to those of you who perhaps accidentally received the odd (actually, very odd) Tweet... ;)

I am going to take this opportunity to say a huge big thank you to my amazing Cameramen, Neil Oseman and Andy Alderslade who gave me the gorgeous footage I asked for plus more; Cameron Price and Sophie Foster for their expert running skills - and also for Sophie's unfazed response when I decided to chuck her in the deep end by asking her to sit in on the experiment filming; Ben Ottewell for clicking away like a mad man, covering every angle possible for stills, and Glen Cobby for rigging, running, jumping, bowing and crawling at my every demand and then taking the responsibility for the all-important footage data! Every one of you guys really rocked my night. Anyone who followed the evening on Twitter will no doubt have had a few good giggles - as the beer flowed it was indeed interesting to see how loose people's fingers, if not tongues, became. T'was certainly a night I will never forget!

So, all the beautiful looking HD footage is now logged, imported and awaits the edit which starts in ernest, along with the voiceover recording and graphics work, next week. I am really looking forward to seeing this baby come together now as it officially marks the beginning of a pretty long term commitment for me. Very exciting indeed.

And then, just to top off the Week That Was, yesterday morning, whilst discussing the virtues of organic cakes and some of the footage shot on Wednesday (yeah, honestly), I had one of those really odd 'meant to happen' conversations. This has now led to the very likely possibility of me Producing and Directing a live broadcast/interactive event within the next month or so, which is a totally excellent prospect.

Rock and roll, man. Effing rocking and rolling.

Onwards.

Sound of Two Cameras Twittering

2009-04-23T01:58:00.003+01:00

*Grins Wide*

What a great night's shoot.

More on it later - after a little sleepy time, methinks.

Footage looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

HD, crew, cast: I loves you, I do.

Night.

(Not drunk. Just very happy.)

Three...two...one...

2009-04-22T13:36:00.002+01:00

***Update, 13:33***

If you want to follow the 'conversation' that will be filmed as part of "Project Mute", then you'll need to be signed up to Twitter and click #twitstunt in some of my tweets - here I am @laragreenway - or, sign into Twitter as normal, and then click here.

We will be running live from 20:30 BST - anything before that will merely be link testing from location.

Ithunkyoo.

Standby: in five...four...

2009-04-21T23:05:00.003+01:00

Well, me hearties, tomorrow day/night is very much the Big Day/Night for yours truly as it is the very first day/night of filming for "Project Mute". As this project is a mixture of short, medium and long term objectives there will be quite a bit of nattering on about it, here, there and everywhere. Well, actually mainly on this very blog. And this blog. And perhaps maybe somewhere else, who knows.

So, the location is locked and signed off, my lovely HD kit is all gleaming and ready to be whisked off tomorrow morning, my legal paperwork is (99.9999%) in place and will be 100% by 10:00hrs, my insurances are valid, my house has turned into a storage facility of crates of gaffer tape, cables, adaptors, multiways, chargers, memory cards, card readers, Macs, First Aid Kits, cheque books (ha!), toolkits, reams of paper (as my lists of lists of lists are becoming ridiculous) and most amusingly, my gorgeous Crew are all ready and *think* they are working with someone sane. More fool them.

I was considering live blogging with my spare hand during the filming tomorrow evening, but I'll need to see how things go in our set up and run through and I may need both hands when I am directing/holding my head in a vice-like grip/rocking, looking at the monitors etc etc etc. This footage is basically being shot as 'live' from 20:30 tomorrow evening, so no margin whatsoever to go back and re-shoot material. Yeah - that's a nice thought: LIVE.

That makes it all sit a bit more casually in my guts.

On that note, I'm off to check a list. Please, don't take the p*ss - it's a healthy obsession of mine. Besides, there is always a list that needs checking somewhere...

Onwards, baby. Ever onwards.