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All Hail The Sales Agent

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I’m well up for the recent tide turn that has led to many, many screenwriters turning to DIY filmmaking. No longer content to sit on the sidelines or get it stuck to them, screenwriters have risen up to be counted by the bucketload, even me. And good on them… Well, maybe not all of them. Like all good things in the yin and yang of filmmaking [and indeed life n’ stuff], there are inevitably some bad things too. And I’m not even talking about those nutters who can’t tell the basics of a… Read More »All Hail The Sales Agent

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Guest Post: Sarah Kalnay-Watson on Short Filmmaking

I met Sarah and Charles at an Adrian Mead course in Edinburgh about two years ago and have been following “Song for the Dead’s” progress via Charles, who’s been messaging me on Facebook. It’s proved such a journey, I thought they had to share it with all Bang2writers too – it’s a real triumph of hope over experience, something I can relate to only too well after the issues we had in making Slash back in October. Enjoy…_____________________________________________________________________________I’ve always been told that being a film producer is a labour of love: there is not much thanks in it, which is… Read More »Guest Post: Sarah Kalnay-Watson on Short Filmmaking

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Last Call: Slash Fund

Just a short note today – and a begging one at that, soz! We’re off this weekend to film *those* pick ups for the daylight scenes we missed out on when filming Slash on Halloween. Thanks to everyone who donated to the original shoot and towards these pick ups, it really IS appreciated. You guys totally rock. If you haven’t donated and want to or have a spare fiver or tenner – tall order I know with Xmas on our doorstep – please consider clicking on the “Donate” button on the right hand side of this blog or going to… Read More »Last Call: Slash Fund

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Can You Help Us Out?

So, the majority of Slash is in the can and very good it looks, too. If you missed the photos of the shoot on Halloween recently, then you can see them here. If you have been reading the updates however, then you know the ghosts of Hallows Eve conspired against us on a massive scale, meaning we lost the light for the two daytime scenes. This was particularly maddening, because the scenes are very short – but we can’t really do without them, since they are in the set up of the story. This didn’t stop us having a go… Read More »Can You Help Us Out?

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SLASH Shoot

Whoa. Think I may have died somewhere in the last 36 hours and no one has bothered to inform my body as I type this, Zombie-like. Had hoped for a 2am or 3am end to the shoot this morning – we actually left the site at 7am. Basically, the Halloween SPIRITS FROM SATAN cobbled us, again and again: I’ve never known such a plethora of bad luck in such a short space of time: 1) A broken generator culminating in a mad dash back to my house on the off-chance one of our neighbours had one – WHICH HE DID.… Read More »SLASH Shoot

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SLASH – Cast & Crew Call

Very exciting stuff going on here at Bang2write Towers – Schuman and I have FINALLY set a date for filming our five minute horror spoof, SLASH. We had hoped to film the end of Aug, but we’re now the end of Sept, so all things considered we’re not too far behind schedule… I CAN’T WAIT. This will be my second stint as a producer ever and I’ve got high hopes, think we have a strong script and Schuman has some fab ideas as ever for the look of the film. If you want to be involved too – please take… Read More »SLASH – Cast & Crew Call

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C-C-Check ‘Em Out

It’s filmmaking-tastic in the Blogosphere right now, probably accounting for the slowdown in posts here and elsewhere… But c’mon: let’s not just talk about it, LET’S DO IT. First off, check out the lovely Lara’s entry for the Virgin Media Shorts contest, Hostile. It’s all about those people who walk the line between creative genius and madness – so, writers then! : ) You can watch it here. Secondly, the marvellous (and prolific) Phill Barron’s new film, Just For The Record, has a trailer out. All about how NOT to produce a feature film for £50K, Just For The Record… Read More »C-C-Check ‘Em Out

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Looking for Eric (No Spoilers), Slash & Other Stuff

Just passing through… Mega busy this week reading and trying to get a rewrite AND a treatment done, so here goes: NO SPOILERS. As my Twitter legion and Facebookers already know, I went to see Ken Loach’s latest LOOKING FOR ERIC on a free showing yesterday. It’s written by the mighty Paul Laverty, Loach’s long time screenwriter partner and yet again they’ve produced a thought-provoking drama, with plenty of laughs and pathos. “Ken Loach” and the word “depressing” often feature heavily in reviews, but I can tell you there’s nothing remotely depressing about Looking For Eric, even though it’s actually… Read More »Looking for Eric (No Spoilers), Slash & Other Stuff

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Slash Fund: The Hunt Down The Back Of The Sofa Campaign!

With our last film safely (arf) in the bag, Schu and I are throwing all our efforts at our new venture, a seven minute horror/comedy short called Slash. Slash follows the fates of mismatched couple Tom and Kimberley and their disastrous weekend camping trip in the woods (yeah, yeah, you *think* you know how it goes….!) On this basis then, please consider donating to our “Slash Fund”. I know there are lots of short films around, all begging for your cash, so here are my top 4 reasons for donating to SLASH: 1) You’ll be keeping Schuman off the streets.… Read More »Slash Fund: The Hunt Down The Back Of The Sofa Campaign!

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SAFE – The Finished Film!

SAFE premiered on Facebook yesterday to the Safe Films group and other Facebookers, but if you’re not my Facebook friend (why not? Mmmmm?), you won’t have seen it yet… Obviously we had various constraints to deal with having zero money to make it and our actors were real troopers since it was FREEZING, plus the pathways and streets were actual ice rinks. Many thanks to them, my lovely boy Alf who plays Julie’s son and The Hub for being our lighting manager/moral support/fixer of random things/caterer! For photos of the shoot back in February, check out here. So without further… Read More »SAFE – The Finished Film!

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My Writing Story, Pt 2: Beyond

So, as I said in the last post: I was done with writing, I was moving to Exeter, I was gonna be a teacher. Ha ha. I applied – too late as it turns out – for a PGCE that August, so I could start at uni the moment I got to Exeter in September. It didn’t work out; they were full, though they said I could start September after. Brilliant: I had a whole year to fill. Being a single Mum though meant I had plenty to occupy my time; I had to find my kid a school, for… Read More »My Writing Story, Pt 2: Beyond

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SAFE Trailer

I’ve been maxxed out with scriptwriting and script reading in recent weeks and my director Schuman has been up to his eyes in it, but I’m proud to announce the official trailer for our DIY short SAFE is finally here. Won’t be long now before the final edit is done and Schu and I can draw up a list of all the film fests we’d like to try for. Enjoy! Don’t forget SAFE Films members on Facebook get regular updates about our progress and see stuff like the trailer first! Just click on the pic of the bloody hand on… Read More »SAFE Trailer

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