major project twists of fate

Tonight was the latest in a string of coincidences that should contribute greatly to my final year project - a place in the crowd at the Hollywood premiere of Expendables 2! Almost all of the stars were present; Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Statham, Norris... But the real bonus was filming the crowds themselves. In my script, there is call for paparazzi and fans to witness the arrival of the racecar driver. Oh, I also had a drive around a racetrack in the back of a training vehicle. And filmed some rabid crowd scenes at a UFC event and a football game. I have all the flashbacks and cutaways I could need - now I've got to finish the script and lock down my actors. This thing is just making itself!

Grainger Market Expo - Jonny and Lord P make an appearance!

Many thanks go out to a colleague of mine, Mike Myers for organising a special effects exhibition in the Grainger Market, Newcastle this week.

Mike generously offered my the opportunity to promote The Grand Scheme of Things at the event and I whipped up some posters, concept art displays and a couple of small-scale busts of the two main characters: Lord P and Jonny Fox.

Over the course of two days, Mike and his talented CCAD Entertainment Design Crafts students, Sam, Bethany and John Dawson, entertained and informed the public with gruesome displays of SFX makup and sculpting.

Also on show were sets, prop and costume from recently graduated students Daisy Prout, Billy Cessford and Laura McClurg.

Check out these links for more info:

Mike Myers:
http://www.designermaker.org.uk/

Foxhunter TV: The Legacy Begins to Rise...

I can't believe it, I've barely ten months left at film school; ten months to create the mother of all trailers and secure the deal at Cannes 2013!

Foxhunter TV is part of the world of Jonny Fox, and Jonny Fox is a character I've been working on with film maker Martin Wood for over a decade; and this is the year he breaks free!

I'll be enlisting the best of my student contacts to make props and costumes and as many of my acting buddies as I can fit in any one scene.

The idea is to make a trailer, to secure funding for a trailer, to secure funding for a trilogy of films - an earlier version of the story can be found at this link:
http://www.grandschemeofthings.co.uk/#!__episode-1


I've been working on character designs for years but now I'm moving into real life, I'm looking for inspiration everywhere and anywhere - and that includes Helmesley, North Yorkshire - where some of the action takes place.
While passing an outdoor clothing shop, I saw this fantastic display...

There will be plenty of faceless henchmen to take down and all the best movies feature masked bad guys - I'm thinking Equalibrium, Captain America, G.I. Joe to name but a few. Well it cuts down on the need for so many extras and costumes and catering if we use the same five performers a dozen times over!

Plenty more news to follow, keep 'em peeled!

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.dvtownend.com/

And the winner in the entertainment category was...

Some really cool little film about facebook, well done them!

Nothing left to do now but smile sweetly and go home!

Good night!

And the first runner up in the Animation category is...

Jessica Shaw from Cleveland College of Art and Design!!!

Jess was a fellow student last year and is now one of MY students on the Entertainment Design Crafts course - and a very good one at that!

Jessica Shaw: one to watch.



The Entertainment category is up after this short break...

My nerves are tingling!

RTS: York (Student) Awards Tonight!

It's the big one... (following yesterday's 'Big One' - a showing of 'Moving On' at Clive Tonge's Short Horror Film Night at the Arc...)

Back in November 2010 I attended my first RTS Awards; just over a year later and I'm suited and booted up again and ready to rock!

This event has been postponed from last year so the suspence has hit fever-pitch as to whether or not my offering has been shortlisted. I entered the Regent Cinema promotional film into the category of factual, as a first year piece of work - even though I did it in year two for me!

Fingers crossed then; a short listed screening would be nice but a win would be a perfect start to spring.

Watch this space!

'Moving On' at The Arc - Next Monday

It's nearly time, so here's a quick link and a little reminder that Clive Tonge's Big Horror Night is nearly upon us... Come one, come all, for a fun-filled-fright-fest!

http://www.arconline.co.uk/detail.php?id=2817