Sunday 10 February 2013

Q. Why Was This Pirate Frustrated?

A. Because he 'AAARRRRR'... Nah, it just doesn't work, does it?

For one weekend in February a few of the film school students banded together to shoot scenes for Jo Wakefield's final major project, 'Call Me Baby', a short comic tale about a woman who loses her job and makes ends meet by operating an adult-themed chat line - only to be called up by her sexually frustrated boyfriend!

Thanks then to first and second choice actors, Craig Samson and Tim Marshal for dropping out and leaving me as the only bloke in the whole of the North East capable of filling their shoes - and I was already pulling duties as propmaker/set dresser!

'Call Me Baby' is one of those deceptively simple projects plagued by every conceivable hurdle, from extreme weather to ill-health, location conflicts and cast and crew schedule clashes... A lesser filmmaker might have given up by now and tackled Shakespear or something, but not Jo, she'll be shooting and editing to the last minute, I suspect - just like me!

Here's a couple of pics of the props I made for Jo... These are the more 'family friendly' one's I'd say!

In order to avoid using copyrighted images in Jo's film, we replaced her living room pictures with hand-drawn portraits and freshly pressed flowers.

Jo needed a few 'relationship advice' books, alongside some 'adult' and 'gossip' magazines.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday 4 February 2013

We Final Year Students Can Be a Blinkered Bunch!

Good news, I've been offered two more acting jobs. Bad news, it all clashes terribly with MY final year project!

It's a horrible situation to have to turn somebody down who has bent over backwards to help you on your project when they ask for a little in return. It's logical though; all of our efforts would be in vain if I did a sub-standard acting job and made a sub-standard film myself.

This time next year - who knows?!! Heck, this time next year I may be able to take on some of those PAID jobs I keep seeing on the extras newsletters!

I did try and get a little cameo in my own film too, although that could well hit the cutting room floor... MY last take was perfect, I'm sure, I mean, I backed that wheelchair through those doors like a seasoned pro, but I fear that the lead actors were not on the mark of my choosing and a different cut may have to be chosen.

Fame, you are a cruel mistress!

That said, I do have a couple more catwalk modeling jobs on the horizion: an assassin and...

ANOTHER COWBOY!!!

Yee-haw!