Sunday 31 October 2010

British Summertime ends, sun fails to rise...

One of my big plans for the Regent Redcar project is to capture some glorious emotive location shots, making the absolute most of the seafront setting.
I have scouted at high andow tide, sunset, full moon, clear sky, stormy seas; all that was left was sunrise.
The sun sets in just the wrong place for a prize-winning shot, so I was intrigued by where it might rise.
All week there have been fantastic sunrises visible from my journey to work, so I thought I'd make best use of the extra hour in bed by getting up an hour early and filming what I could.
I made it just before dawn but the overcast blocked any chance of seeing, let alone filming the sunrise.
I shot what I could - empty streets, British steel flaming off and a fishing boat launching; better than nothing 'till it started to rain.
I took the opportunity to capture a couple of shots of rain splashing outside the Regent but really all I got was wet.

Maybe I'll take another crack next week.

Maybe I don't even need the shot.

Script and storyboard today then, I'll linger longer on location later.

Sunday 24 October 2010

Big Wave Sunday

The local paper yesterday reported that the police had warned the public not to stand too near the promenade wall of Redcar seafront due to extremely high tides.
This seemed like a gift, as one thing I'd like to film for my Regent Redcar Cinema project is a high tide lashing the building...
After waiting over three hours, the tide was at it's highest but it was hardly dangerous - or in any way extraordinary in fact.

I did get some good footage at the
Sand dunes looking back over towards the cinema but the lightweight kit I was using was very unstable in the wind.

If nothing else, I have another bunch of camera set ups in mind for cutaways and mood shots...

Saturday 23 October 2010

What I learned in Bradford...

The 3D In Your Face event in Bradford cemented some of my thoughts and instincts with regard to the Regent Redcar project and beyond...
The currently held industry consensus is that 3D is best and most suited to cinema - TV is not really viable at this point, despite the fact that Sky are pushing it very heavily indeed - there's just not enough quality content to fill the schedules 24 hours a day.
Not only that but people often multitask in front of the TV and that becomes very awkward when you're wearing glasses.
The cinema experience is dedicated; you don't take a laptop in, nor read a paper or chat to a friend - youmfocus on the film, and the more 3D films that are made, the more will be learned about the technique and the better the product will be. Piracy of 3D films is currently unheard of and the multiple, incompatible systems suggest it won't be easy to copy anytime soon; if younwant the best and newest films in 3D, the cinema is THE only place to go - good news if you've recently installed a top end digital projector!
Common opinion of 3D films is that they are worth paying a little extra for, well the Regent charges less for a 3D presentation than any of the multiplexes charge for a student matinee performance!

Thursday 14 October 2010

Original Bliss

Living Bliss Productions grew from a desire to be involved in film making in any way possible. I started as a model and propmaker, leaned towards concept art and design and ended up script writing, shooting and editing films at Cleveland College of Art and Design.
"follow your bliss" said my long time friend and collaborator, Martin Wood, back at a time when I was in the wrong job, at the wrong place.
Well I followed my bliss and it brought me here. I'm off the blocks, making short films. It's a start, it's living bliss.