You may recall that a few months back, Gone Fishing DP, Vernon and myself, were guilty of spending a whole Sunday shooting an all girl netball team in semi clad attire. If you didn’t see it, there is a hilarious video of the days shenanigans here. The shoot has now resulted in a super A3, […]

I just took delivery of ten Guerilla Film Makers Handbooks and wouldn’t you know it, the publishers sent me copies of the Movie Blueprint by mistake! Doh! At the very same moment, I also got a mail from a fellow film maker, Jason Clancy, who bought the Movie Blueprint some time ago and has been […]

With the dust settling in the Bahamas, I have now edited the two webisodes together and added a few testimonials from people who really connected with the film. Several people came and spoke to me about how much the film had touched them, people who had recently lost a parent. What they shared with me […]

For the next week or so, I have left behind wintery London, and headed off to The Bahamas International Film Festival in Nassau. You know you are in a different part of the world if, when you get to passport control, there is both live music and a free Bacardi bar to welcome you. I […]

Tomorrow, I am going to be attending Memorabilia at the NEC, running a DVD sales stall with co-film maker buddy Simon Cox. Memorabilia is a sales fair for science fiction, fantasy and horror fans, wa place they can buy rare stuff and get signe photos from attending stars. I have to admit I am a […]

Right now, I am just surviving the busiest two weeks of my entire life. And I use the word ‘surviving’ reservedly. I have just had a really tough day, and I am now bracing myself for an all night session on the job I am completing… All will become clear in the coming days, and […]

Back in London now and reflecting on Dinard. It’s a strange festival, in fact more a kind of film convention mixed into a film festival (Cannes in a microcosm), a place for new and established players in the film business to mix. It’s clearly a very important one if you want to make it in […]

Today, a story idea I have been mulling over for some time was kicked off in an innovative way (at least innovative for the me!) – in a writing group. Over the last few months, lots of opportunities have been coming our way and I needed very much to generate some new screenplays, and this […]

It’s all VERY exciting! Everyone here at Team Living Spirit is simply giddy with anticipation at tonights events. We are officially up for the Kodak Best Cinematography, and the Kodak Audience Award for Best Film. There is still time to see the films and vote, so if you haven’t yet and can do so, try […]

This Sunday there will be a free screening of Gone Fishing, on 35mm, at the Odeon in Covent Garden. I will be there giving a talk about the film and how it was made, so it’s a great chance to see the film (on film) and catch up with friends who were involved in the […]

A few days ago I finally saw Indiana Jones. My expectations were very low as I heard nothing but bad things about it, and so I was pleasantly rewarded with a mediocre blast from the past. Nothing great for sure. I must admit that having a home cinema, albeit a modest one, I have not […]

We are all just recovering from an awesome Documentary Film Makers Masterclass that we hosted this weekend, run by Andrew ‘Zee’ Zinnes, and co-author of The Documentary Film Makers Handbook with Genevieve. We had a packed class of 15 and everyone had a great time, especially on the Sunday afternoon, when ideas are work-shopped. Having […]

It’s Oscars time baby! There are two ways to get into the race for the Oscars (for short films). First you win an Oscars accredited festival (which we are still putting in for, but we can’t risk waiting on a win). Second is to screen commercially in LA, which is actually easier than you would […]

I have just got word that I will be getting the DVD covers for ‘Gone Fishing’ tomorrow. They have been printed by a company that specialises in DVD covers and the like, called Kellmat (link here). Matt, my contact there, did us a great deal with 500 covers for £129 (double sided). If you want […]

I just had a real ‘kid inside’ dream experience at Pinewood studios. I met up with a producer friend who wanted to see Gone Fishing. He collected my at the gatehouse and took me over to theatre 7 on his golf cart – so there I was, zooming by the James Bond 007 stage, on […]

I have been working on compiling the Music Cue Sheet for ‘Gone Fishing’. This is a document that is legally required before the film can be publically screened. It details what music is used in the film, and who owns the various rights. The theory is that whenever the film is played (TV / Theatre […]

Today, the paperwork folders (that I designed and uploaded last week) arrived in record time from Vistaprint, and I have to say they look terrific. I have wanted something like this for many years as I always felt that if you are going to send any kind of paperwork, it makes a big impression if […]

I am completing the DVD package for ‘Gone Fishing’. I already have a DVD mastered, which looks and sounds as good as any DVD I have ever seen (in both Dolby Digital and DTS). In my office I can duplicate DVD’s, four at a time, and I also have a colour robotic DVD face printer, […]

The big PR push for ‘Gone Fishing’ is now starting. We have been to Cannes and now that is over, we are going to focus on première festivals and competitions. One of my observations about short films that come to me (because of The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook I get sent lots of shorts) is […]

The last few weeks have been utterly exhausting. I moved house, made a very dominating corporate video, went to Cannes, helped a friend whose business went bankrupt, ran the Hollywood Masterclass (including having Genevieve and Andrew stay in the new flat, with unopened boxes, along with their little girl Casey Mae!). Add to that the […]

I am now back from Cannes, and I returned to a wonderful email from stunt co-ordinator Jude Poyer. Jude is a very experienced stunt guy, and so we were very lucky to have him involved in ‘Gone Fishing’. His job was to help create the impression of Goliath underneath the water, so he spent a […]

I am now back in the UK and I slept 16 hours last night… and I am still tired. What a Cannes 2008 was! The final day, when we had the screening and the after screening party, was so much fun! The screening was off the 35mm print in the Palais, and it cost about […]