Song For Marion Crew Screening

More than a year after I'd been on the set of SFM, I was finally back in the company of some of the craftsmen, technicians and film akmers who brought this to the big screen. There were some standout performances in this feelgood movie about a grumpy old man who joins the local OAP choir following the death of his wife. I'm sad to say that I was not in the film at all - having only been a lighting stand-in - but four of our students saw their names in the credits: Billy Cessford, Rachel Lee, Sarah Gaunt and Christina Powell - great work guys! Song for Marion opens early next year.

Soaked To The Skin? It's All In The Mind!

This week Laura Degnan from Writer's Block NE asked me to star in her short film about the River Tyne, but not to worry, I wouldn't even have to leave the house!?! The whole shoot took just a couople of hours - almost as long as it took to put my house back to the state it started in! I play a man on an imaginary river boat rowing session in his living room, although this film features a classic James Harris style twist - and a typical John Noble 'stunt'! Well, Writer's Block have painted me green, dunked me in a river, and made me hug a tree in public... Bring it all on I say! Special mention must go to Laura for snatching the camera, from the utterly competent Jay Mussa, and climbing under the furniture to film a couple of 'up the nose' shots! Here's a link to the film on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtVwvQgY8LQ&sns=em The film, 'But A Dream' is a competition entry for the Port of Tyne Reflect Competition. Results will be in soon - watch this space!

Song For Marion Trailer

It's been a long time coming, but Song For Marion is finally finding it's voice and here's a trailer showing all the best bits that didn't include me..!

http://www.handbag.com/celebrity/entertainment/worldwide-exclusive-gemma-arterton-shows-of-her-fun-side-in-song-for-marion-trailer

I'm sure it will be very heartwarming and charming and I look forward to seeing it soon.

it's times like this that I wish I'd brought my cowboy boots...

So here I am, in the international arrivals lounge at L.A.X., waiting for my friend Dan to show. This is my third nine-hour wait at am airport on the trip - and it really was part of the plan too. It's about lunchtime back home, I ser off 9pm on Wednesday. It wont be far off that when we finally pick up the car and get to our hotel - that's a long tome in the same clothes! Fear not, I'd packed a change of smaller in my hand luggage and I've been washing my hair and brushing my teeth with handsoap. Yum. So why the cowboy boots? I wish I could take a picture: I'm rocking the double-denim and sitting back on the seat with my feet up on my case, cowboy boots and a hat would look so good now. So good. I'm attempting to write a script too. I'd settle for even just reading the book at this point but I'm a little too beat to take anything in..! Ive just noticed a bunch of much comfier seats over the way - forgive me, I'm gonna slip on over and get some quality kip in before our adventure really begins. So long.

hooray for...

Hollywood, here I come!! It's currently 5am, I've been 'on the road' now for eight hours already AMD I'm still only at the airport! I'm supposed to be writing a script but I'm too overwhelmed from being rudely awoken an hour ago my hundreds of holidaymakers, who'd have thought it. At an airport? In the summer? It's my own fault, I'd tried to grab a little kip without realising I was in the middle of a thoroughfare!?! Chicago will be my first contact with the good ol' US of A, then not far behind California awaits! Lets see if I get picked up in a coffee shop, as a writer or actor would be fine, thanks! More news when it breaks.

Earth to Earth... Eyes, Nose and Mouth!

Yesterday was the second day of shooting for Laura Degnan's SBTRKT music video competition entry and I suspect it was a day that actor Ben would rather have stayed in bed!

We drowned him in a river, burried him alive and 'gave birth' to him - all after he'd worked all morning in Brighton and driven up for the experience!


I was wearing my 'Health and Safety' hat yesterday, attempting to make Ben's experience as safe and painless as possible - however, Laura was not; "more soil over his eyes", "go deeper into the water... ALL the way under..!" - That's one non-compromising director!

The soil was my 'safe' recipe, made in the kitchen, so it should have been OK in his mouth... apart from the sand I added for texture - ooh, that makes one's teeth really grind!

That's me in the water, doing a reccee for Ben

Dead Again!

I've played dead more times than not this year and today did it three times in an hour! Laura Degnan is shooting a music promo video and I was drafted in as production designer, and not doing too shabby a job either, but, times are hard and finding stiffs just ain't as easy as it used to be! I played - at separate times I might add - each of the three dead bodies on mortuary slabs... Tables to you ad me! The shoot is going well, more news to follow...