Killed by plastic pollution: unknown animal washes up on Cornwall beach

Point Break 2013 Precision Love Bombs Dropped!

I have been a fan of the 1991 Katherine Bigelow film Point Break right from the start and recent  news broke that it was getting the remake treatment...
We've all seen how (un)successful that can be; step forward The Wicker Man, The Fog, King Kong... but inevitability is a wonderful thing - why fight it?

If I could have worked on any film ever, it would have been Point Break. So why not the sequel?

I did a little online research and found the names and addresses of the writer, producers and executive producers and today I sent them all a good luck message.
This is truly from the heart. They're going to do it anyway, maybe I can inspire that extra something present in the original. Maybe... I can get a role in the film - afterall, I read that parts of it will be filmed in Europe..!

UPDATE: June 2016
Oh dear. That is all.

It's All Go..!

Somehow, it's been three years since my last post, and in that time, I've been studying a different qualification, a pgce, specialising in production design and art department techniques. This doesn't mean I haven't been working in, on and around films, I've just done far less of it - and introduced theatre props into my resume.

As I reread my last post of 2013, I see that I was optimistic that I'd finish the director's cut of Championship Hunt as my next venture... Well that's still the case, although I think it'll be a drastic reworking of the material and I'll need to learn and master some new tricks on Adobe After Effects to do justice to the work everyone put into it.

Living Bliss Productions has become more about design and creation of props and set pieces over the past couple of years, making such things as a baby grand piano for a musical production in York, a three spouted teapot for Alice in Wonderland at the Customs House Theatre in South Shields and a purple and blue glitter headdress for a panto dame in Basingstoke.

I have two more projects currently underway; a dog statue with a moving head and a reproduction prop for an exhibition set to travel the country if all goes to plan.

I will post some development pictures as these projects progress, in the meantime you can see my online portfolio at:


https://m.facebook.com/johnnobleportfolio/photos/?tab=albums&mt_nav=1&ref=page_internal

Graduation Day

My four-years at 'film school' came to an end at the start of the month when I attended my graduation ceremony at Teesside University.

I was awarded a 'Distinction' in my studies, which evolved from FdA Television and Film Production to FdA Creative Film and Moving Image Production in 2011.

As I reflect on my time, I see how I could have dug a lot deeper into every aspect of the course; I see gaps in my knowledge as I attempt to apply my new skills but I also see how far I have traveled and would definitely recommend the course to anyone wishing to move out of their bedroom or garage and into a film studio and beyond!

Mum, Dad and Me!

I can't thank enough my parents, Pat and Tony, for supporting me through my studies and everybody else who has acted, filmed, created, edited, scored and slogged away on a 'Living Bliss Productions' film - Thank you all!

Living Bliss Productions will continue to push forwards, the next film to be completed will be the 'Director's Cut' of my final year film: 'Championship Hunt' - stay tuned!

Phase III is well underway

It's just that 'Phase III' is sprawling and MASSIVE!

These are the race car/driver scenes and include John Foster as both an adult and a child, a 'real' race car, a cardboard 'pretend' racecar, gravestones, dismembered foxes and stately homes - oh my!

Here's a look at some of the props I've been working on for 'Phase III'; you can find more on the Facebook page... https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.229478947192668.1073741826.162966950510535&type=3

See that big cardboard box and the little drawing of a racecar? That's how it all starts...

A few hours later and everythign is cut out, reshaped and stuck down, ready for a paint job

Here's Laura McClurg helping me paint

Here's the mostly finished car... There's a few more details to go on, such as a steering wheel and wheel centres

I've also repainted a model car to match the Team Nova race suit and helmet design

The finished model used waterslide transfers to add detail

I also made a 'fox waste' bin, to imply the casual manner with which foxes are dispatched in the future

 

 

At this point I'd like to thank Crathorne Hall, Yarm and Gisborough Hall, Guisborough for allowing me to film on location in their grounds - unfortunately I have neither the camera, nor the adequate weather to do the scene justice, so that will have to wait!

 

 

http://www.crathorne.org/#/crathorne-hall-hotel/4551019945

 

 

http://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/hotels/crathorne-hall/

 

 

and

 

http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/gisborough-hall-hotel/?gclid=CLDkvdmtvLYCFRDKtAodvDgAtQ

Phase II Complete!

Phase II - 'the Lord P scenes' - are finished, and what a shoot it was..!

Luke McGibney, an east-midlands based actor and film maker, travelled up last Monday, and leapt straight into filming what are probably the most important scenes in the film.

I was lucky to work with most of the same crew as on the Grand Hotel shoot, so there was a ready-made working relationship between the camera crew and the set builders, which saved an awful lot of time.

We welcomed James Morris to the set and props department; he, like other undergraduates, gave up his spare time between taught-sessions at college, to help me design and make props and to lift and carry heavy pieces of set dressing from one college building to another.

Another stroke of luck was the availability of Stuart Hanrahan, who plays Billy Hawksmoor. A proposed 'remote' scene was reimagined to take place in Lord P's office, and both actors did a fine job.

A last-minute change of venue on the Wednesday cost us half an hour at the start of the night but ultimately saved us an hour or more overall, as the shoot ran over but we didn't need to break down and reset the set between shoots.

Jay Hayes stepped in as Luke's body-double again, to allow us to film over-the-shoulder shots after Luke had headed home.


All in, it was another fantastic shoot, everyone dug in hard to make every scene and every take  look and sound the best it possibly could, and the onus really is on me to make the most of their work in the edit.

I was nervous this time last week; I had begun to edit but could only go so far without Luke's half of the scene. Now I have all the ingredients, I can make up around 80% of the final film... Time for 'Phase III' - John Foster's countryside training scenes..!

Luke and the 'fox Buster'

From left: Luke, Chris, Rhiannon, Andy and Jay

As the dust settles on the Grand Hotel shoot...

...I'm still picking up the pieces from a fantastic weekend shoot.

The script suffered a few direct hits, as did the cast and crew, but those still on their feet marched valiantly on to victory in this major battle; the war, however, still hangs in the balance.


Friday to Sunday was a blur, as was all of the past week. I had a solid team, who, with a little telepathic ability, made the shoot not just survivable, but also quite a success!

With the benefit of hindsight, a clear mind and sleep, I can think of many ways in which things could have been different; one thing I'd like to do is PAY my cast and crew. There was such a high degree of loyalty and professionalism on set, everyone worked for food, friendship and to be a part of a killer opportunity, and it's back to me to make everyone's efforts worth something in the near future.

I didn't take too many pictures on the day, but here's a couple I did grab:

Stuart Hanrahan, A.K.A. 'Billy Hawksmoor' doubled as my Cheif of Entertainment... Other crew include Rhiannon Jones as Production Runner/Beauty Make-up, Chris Coles as 'Camera 2', Alice Knight as 'Catering/Production Runner' and Peter Suttron as Set Dresser.

 

Fear not, in this picture all of the alcohol bottles are props!

 

 

In a sports-report style, we created a backdrop using logos 'donated' by other North East film makers. Sadly the 'set' wasn't used

James Kent, A.K.A. 'John Foster' stood still for just two photographs. Alarmingly, this was the best one!

Thanks to Laura McClurg for helping me create the race suit.

 

Peter Suttron was my Set Dresser/Prop Master, although he was asked to appear in the film twice, once as a 'Snoozing party-goer' and once as 'Bandaged man'.

Peter hated, Hated, HATED being under the bandages, but stuck with it for a good four or five hours! - Thanks Peter!

For more pictures from the shoot, please visit the Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/ChampionshipHunt