This surreal little missive was shoved through our door yesterday. 
Disturbing in a way that I can’t quite figure…
Month: January 2009
A Couple Of Treats
I’ve been busier than you think.
First up, I’m pleased to reveal the Making Of Code Grey, a little something I’ve called Cut The Blue Wire.
While we were shooting Code Grey, we were lucky enough to have the talented, handsome and charismatic Simon Aitken with us, shooting behind the scenes footage.
He was foolish enough to let me have said footage, from which I’ve cut together this promo.
GASP at how hunky Clive looks in a bulletproof vest!
GOGGLE at Flemming’s inspired lighting setups!
WINCE at Rob’s pitiful attempt at directorship!
DECIDE to go and watch something more interesting on YouTube instead.
No, wait, come back, dammit!
Secondly, I’ve begun updating Satan’s Schoolgirls again, following some honest to goodness unsolicited enthusiasm. I’ve closed out Part One, and I’ll try to get back into the flow of putting up a new episode every Sunday.
The Laptop Activist
So far this week, I have written to my local MP to urge him to vote against a sneaky government move to stop members of parliament from having to declare their expenses, helped with a fund-raising effort for a campaign to abolish the death penalty in the US, and signed an Amnesty International petition calling for accountability for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
All worthy causes, all of which came directly to my inbox, and none of which took more than 10 minutes to do.
This is one of the joys of the internet for me. It is easier than ever to involve yourself in protests, sign petitions and annoy your local elected representatives without leaving the comfort of your sofa. I take great pleasure in annoying Rob Wilson, MP for Reading East, by the way. It gives me a great sense of involvement and mischief.
Facebook is full of campaigns that very quickly accrue memberships in the millions. Ok, a lot of them are quite frivolous (I’m guilty of joining a few of those myself) but the point is that you can make your voice heard on any issue that you feel strongly about with very little effort. This can be desperately important. Amnesty’s Urgent Action Network uses email alerts to very quickly garner responses to rapidly developing human rights crises, and let’s face it, the government seems to be happy with the idea of online petitioning.
Mobilising vast numbers of people quickly and easily is always going to be the best way of raising awareness of your cause, and the push towards social networking here at the start of the 21st century has really helped that along. In our way, we’re all armchair activists now.
With that in mind then, a bit of a confession.
Really, this post has been all about highlighting some of my favourite causes of the moment in a fashion that may just inspire you to click on some of the links, and maybe, just maybe, start contributing. Go ahead. Grab yerself a cuppa and have a nose. Do something good in your tea break.
Vagaries of the spoken language vol.
In no particular order, and as they come to me:
My dad does not ask if I’ve watched a particular TV show or listened to a particular album. He asks if I’ve “got involved” with them.
Despite the fact that I have called myself Rob for forever, most of my work collegues call me Roberto. This has happened at more than one place. The only difference was at the lab I left this summer, where for some unknown reason I became Robski. Go figure.
When newspaper columnists use the phrase “Here’s a tip”, you can guarantee the advice that follows will be 50% more condescending and irritating than usual.
Bragging rights
A couple of things that I have been involved in at a professional level have been promoted in the press recently. I figured I’d do my little bit to promote them too.
Firstly, there was a piece in the Observer yesterday on The Crimson Wing, Disney’s first natural history film in over 40 years. The article focuses very strongly on the environmental message of the film, which is great as the edit I’ve seen treats the issue of the pollution of Lake Natron in a way that’s almost too subtle for my mind. It’s an amazing piece of work, shot over almost two years, and deserves your patronage.
Next, an article last week on the Guardian focussed on the latest installation from The Wilson Sisters. This must have been a blast to make, as Jane and Louise were given full access to the Kubrick Archive in their search for material pertaining to Aryan Papers, the film he never made despite months of intensive research. I’ve worked with the Wilsons for years, and find everything they do to be atmospheric and deeply involving. I’m a bit of a fan, so to able to work with them, and to find that they are charming, down to earth and funny is a huge bonus. This looks like it’s going to be a good one. Get your asses to the BFI this February.
Finally, check out Science and Islam tonight on BBC Four (or later through the iPlayer) as I worked on the second episode. A smart and thought-provoking series that’s well worth checking out.
There. I’m done showing off now…
Code Grey
At last, it’s done. More to come, including the making of, but for now just enjoy this. Also on the short film page, but I figured a straight up post might get more attention.
The 2008 Straight 8. Best crew ever, best idea ever, best actors ever, best film ever. Everyone involved in this nugget of cinematic history is a genius of the highest order, as well as being wildly sexy and drop dead glamourous.
A black and white film about colour. Nuff said.
Thoughts on The Year Of Change
I thought I’d wait until we were safely past the random celebration of a random date in an outdated calendar (hope you all enjoyed the leap second) before posting my musings on what I have been calling The Year Of Change. I’m not even going to mention the state of the global finances, the regime change in Washington, or the re-evaluation of Andrew Sachs’ career into the role of a sweet old thing with a saucy grand- daughter.
No, just on a very personal level it’s been a wild ride. The company I worked for no longer exists, and I am busy on a fairly high profile long term project. I put up a proper website, with a promise of a lot more writing (yes, I know blogging is displacement activity, why do you think I gave the site that particular title?) Clare changed jobs. So did several of my close friends. One mate saw his company bought put by a private investment firm. Two people very close to me went through painful seperations and moved back in with their parents. Two friends announced marriage plans. Two others got married secretly. Three others, one of whom I would not have expected, announced upcoming parenthood. Oh, and Mum and Dads’ cat was run over.
Seriously turbulent times. Five years of change crammed into one tumultuous twelvemonth. I guess surviving upheaval makes you stronger, but I really hope that this year we get slightly more solid foundations. Otherwise, how can we rebuild what has been lost, or build on what we have gained?
The image of the year for me is one that was used during the blackest part of WW2, and began popping up on tshirts and posters this year. I offer it in lieu of any decent advice.
I remember a conversation I had with my mate Kevin back at the turn of the century, where we considered what we were, the state of the industry and our chances for the future. We considered the matter thoughtfully, over more than a several pints of IPA. And we came to the conclusion that, like the Chinese curse, we would be living in interesting times.
I hate it when we’re right sometimes.
To all of you, oh Readership, I wish you a dull and uninteresting 09.
A Waste Of Time?
I spent a pleasant, calm Sunday finishing off Code Grey, the short Super 8 film I directed earlier in the year. Audio, titles and the all-important final shot that didn’t make the original cut are all in place, and there are DVDs in my bag, ready to go off to 8mm festivals in Cambridge and Hungary.
I’m well ahead of the curve according to some people. A survey quoted in the BECTU journal “Stage, Sound and Screen” from the UK Film Council has stated that well over half of the low-to-no budget films listed as being in production in this country never get completed, and of those that do, an even smaller percentage get any kind of distribution deal, let alone make any money back. With this in mind, the idea of working for deferred payment becomes something of a sick joke. If the film you’re working on is never likely to make any money, then neither are you.
The issue of health and safety also gets a mention. Or rather, the lack of it on set does. Low-to-no works because the film-makers use a stripped down crew, often comprised of enthusiastic amateurs or students, and shoot in a hurry. There will be no dedicated health and safety officer on set, and often no-one with any idea of what to do if there was an accident.
The conclusion reached by the BECTU scribes was that this kind of film-making is a dangerous and expensive waste of time, which exploits the crew and serves no decent artistic purpose.
Which is fair comment in a lot of cases. Sturgeon’s Law applies more accurately to films than anything else.
To relate this argument back to my own experience, there was a crew of nine on Code Grey, and no proper safety officer. But we were in a controlled area. I did a safety talk before we started, and I made damned sure my crew was working safely at all times. No-one got paid, but that was expressly set out at the start. Everyone was fed and watered, and the biggest chunk of the budget was parking for the DOPs estate car.
There is an absolutely valid point to be made about this part of the market having it’s risks, but then the film business was and remains a home to hustlers, crooks and idiots. If a kid that wants to make movies can gain experience through being on low-to-no sets, then that should be encouraged, even if the lesson learned from that experience is that you swear never work on a set like that again.
This sector of the market isn’t going away, and it’s frequently the first step on the ladder for a lot of talented film-makers. The desire to get out there and make something regardless of the technical limitations should me applauded. It’s how acclaimed directors like Shane Meadows and Robert Rodriguez got their start. If this one’s rubbish, so what. Try again. Next time, do better. Learn from your mistakes, but above all, learn.
Code Grey is my third film shot on super 8, and it’s infinitely better than my first. See, I’m taking my own advice.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 