It’s been a long time coming but today I finally got round to conducting a bit of an overhaul of our facebook page to bring it inline with this website. We are aiming to get our fan count up so please join our facebook page!
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While I am at it you can also follow us on Twitter here.
I am delighted to announce that Gabriela Montaraz has rejoined the cast of Booked Out to play the role of Treacle. For those of you following this diary you will last have heard that Gabriela was originally lined up to play Treacle but there was a schedule clash when we decided to reschedule the film from September to February.
Gabriela will be playing Treacle in Booked Out
Last weekend I received a message from Gabriela to let me know that she was now available to appear in the film and would love to portray the role of Treacle within the film. It feels to me like this was meant to happen. We had been planning to have auditions for Treacle a lot earlier than now but had held off and now we have got the actress that I really wanted!
As well as that the reason that Gabriela is now available for the shoot is that she has landed a role in the next series of Dr Who which is due on screens in Easter. She is currently filming for Dr Who and we wish her all the best with that fantastic opportunity!
Gabriela was excellent in the rehearsals we had before I decided to postpone the shoot and I think in my head she was always my Treacle and even thought we seen some great actresses audition for the part of Treacle last week I think I always had Gabriela in mind so none of them matched my expectations.
I can’t wait. It feels like everything is coming together nicely and we are putting a cast together with the right amount of chemistry!
Day 2 of 4 of the revs shoot and unfortunately my last day on the shoot as I have to work tomorrow.
Today was all indoor work and a fairly short day for a film set (8AM to 2PM) which I believe was due to the restrictions of working with child actors. There was a great breakfast this morning. I think it was the fastest I have ever see a group of people move when there was mention of sausages, bacon and eggs on the go!
Luke Brady… a bit of a legend!
There was a couple of shots to pick up from the day before in what was the living room. I got a few nice stills in there and Nathaniel got to swear and through a beer can! He did nearly take Thabo’s ear off with his first throw which was quite amusing. Watching a film crew try to remain silent as a beer can whizzes past the directors head. At least it was nowhere near the camera. That boy has quite a through on him though.
Camera Crew showing off their 35mm Lens adapter
After those scenes my involvement was a bit limited as the rest of the day the scenes were based in the young boys bedroom which was pretty small so only the absolutely necessary crew were able to squeeze into the room. I did get a few stills though when they were breaking from filming.
Thabo seemed happy enough with the poster of the scooter line up still from yesterday and it came out looking really well. The rest of the day I spent with Sam talking about Booked Out in between his production duties.
Me and Sam… slightly out of focus!So that was that… two days of filming over for me while the rest of the cast and crew have another two to go. I had a great time and really enjoyed the experience. It has left me more motivated than ever to make my film. I have a voice in the back of my head that is telling me that it can be what I imagine in my dreams and better still!
Sam has been producing the Short film revs and today was the first of four days of shooting the film. I was invited along to take some stills.
Revs is the work of writer/director Thabo Mhlatswa and follows the lives on a council estate in London where the fight for appreciation and acceptance within the children that live there is played out on the football pitch… with scooters! I like to think of it as watching Ken Loach take on Quadrophenia. Just thought of that now so not sure if that will fit with Thabo’s vision!
Thankfully for us we just so happened to be filming outside during what felt like the coldest day of the year. Making it to the Marquis of Wellington pub (location and green room!) for 7AM felt like a bit of mission in the freezing weather. Everyone was in great spirits though and after spending time with everybody today I have to say that I was really impressed by the dedication and energy of the cast and crew who all came along to make the film as brilliant as it’s script and vision deserved it to be.
So first up was the outdoor shooting. We unloaded the scooters from the van and it wasn’t long before we had to keep Sam away from them. Just as well we don’t have any scooters in Booked Out or Sam will probably want to take up scootball professionally!
Sam on his scooter
We shot a single scene outside which took about 3 hours by the time we got all the coverage required. There was a few runny noses and red cheeks by the end of it as the cold took hold. I have to say thanks to the script supervisor Laura for lending me a pair of gloves, adorned with some nice pink bows which really suited me… thankfully there is no pictures of that. It helps to be the stills photographer after all!
Crew filming outdoorsThere was about 8 child actors and all of them done really well and didn’t complain once. They did get to go on the scooters and play some scootball though. I was impressed by how efficient the crew were in getting the shots they wanted within a relatively short timescales. Thabo worked his magic with all of the actors and finally we were done and off to the heat of the pub for some indoor shots!
I wonder if I can trademark the term Scootball…?
I then learned the most important aspect of film making. Waiting around while someone else is really busy. While the camera is being set up and Thabo is preparing the actors there isn’t really anything necessarily to do. I felt it was pretty interesting watching all this action but I got the understanding that when you get a chance to rest on a film set then you take it so when it is your turn to be flat out then you can be all action.
The indoor scenes were shot in the upstairs of the pub and I really liked the atmosphere that the guys had manage to bring to the screen through the set design, camera/lens selection, etc. It was great to watch everyone work up close as I got to be in the room to snap some stills between takes.
DadThen it was my turn to take centre stage as I had to shoot a still shot of the group of boys so that we could get a poster made up of the group to use as a prop within a scene being shot tomorrow. Thabo wanted a picture of the group on the scooters where they are all full of attitude and gusto. I think I did an ok job… judge for yourself below!
You wouldn’t mess with these guys!After the poster still was taken the children got to go home and it was left to the main two actors to run another couple of scenes before we called it a night.
I had a great time, met a lot of really nice people and as I walked home I felt like making my film right there and then. Imagining myself making the decisions and watching Booked Out come to life. I know that Booked Out is going to be a really special film and I hope to make the feelings I have for the characters and the story come across on screen.
Myself and Sam have been spending the last couple of evenings auditioning for the roles of Jacob and Treacle. Hopefully we will be able to update you with the outcome of these auditions in the near future. Firstly I would like to thank Luke Brady for kindly letting us use his casting studio for conducting the auditions. You really are a star.
It was great to conduct the auditions for me. It feels like we are doing a lot of talking about the film with investors and potential crew members but there is nothing more exciting than exploring my ideas and thoughts on the film than with actors who are bringing their own special portrayals to the table.
The thing that I felt was really good with these auditions and is maybe some useful advice to actors going to auditions is that each actor made definite decisions to what they believed the character to be. This may sound simple but for me it is easier to judge and then alter a performance if the actor commits to making a specific choice about what they believe the character is going through. If I don’t like it then I will ask them to change it and they can then try and modify their approach to be in the range that I am looking for.
What was really special was that there was a couple of performances that brought something to the characters that I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of myself and would have steered the actor away from but when I seen it play out in front of me it became clear that it worked.
So all of you actors out there, be brave and make some strong choices about the character in your next audition!
I am pleased to report that we have managed to secure half of our shooting budget that we require to get Booked Out filmed. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported or invested in our film. We all really appreciate your help and can’t thank you enough.
I am delighted to announce that we have secured my favourite Lindy Hop Dancer Richard Pucci to play the role of Richard (the Lindy Hop king pin) in Booked Out. Richard is probably the reason that there is Lindy Hop dancing in the film. When I first went to one of Simon’s Lindy Hop classes I really enjoyed the classes but it was watching Richard dance that really got me hooked.
He seemed to make it look effortless but extremely cool at the same time. His dancing cries out with energy to me and before I know it I have been standing staring at him dancing for about 10 minutes.
I am really looking forward to shooting the Lindy Hop scenes. Because the film is being shot on a micro-budget then I feel that shooting the Lindy Hop scene will provide an opportunity to have a really impressive and interesting set piece within the film. If you haven’t been to a Lindy Hop night I would recommend that you go along. Almost everyone (except me… whoops!) gets dressed up in 1940s style clothing and dances to some beautiful swing style music. A must try for anyone who enjoys dancing!
There is a lot of activity going on in Booked Out world at the moment in order to secure finance to shoot the film as well as casting for the remaining roles on the film but it is too early to really provide any good information on these areas until things have settled a bit so I thought I would keep you amused by providing you with my top 5 films of 2009.
Starting with…
This was a beautiful little film that I seen at the start of the year and it had a lovely feel to it and Michelle Williams gave a brilliant performance in a role that required humility and subtlety. I think in some ways that you would have to be in the right mood to really enjoy this type of film and it isn’t for everyone but when I seen it I had a deep sense of connection with the way the story was told and the drama unfolding for the characters.
I have blogged about Adventureland previously and looking back over all of the films I watched this is definitely my favourite comedy of the year. I really liked the whole atmosphere that was set up for the story to play out within. I left the cinema with a smile on my face so for me it had done its job.
I really liked Clint’s performance in Gran Torino. I wasn’t really expecting much when I went to see the film but his performance was both effortless and dead on where it needed to be. Not sure how he managed to do that but I could have sat and watched his character for hours on end. If you analysed this film then there would be different parts that weren’t visually stunning or amazing dialogue but overall I just came away thinking that I wanted to see more of this character and their relationships.
I really loved this film. It is far and away the best British film that I watched this year. I really loved the performance by Jim Sturgess. I am a huge fan of his and think that he provided a really personal portrayal of his character and got him spot on. The story was gripping throughout and I really got caught up in the action that was unfurling in front of me.
Before I start I should admit that I am a huge fan of Almodovar’s films full stop and every time I see one I just can’t stop thinking about it. For me he is a truly unique voice in cinema today and I love the cinematic creations that he brings into the world. There is something funny and tragic about this film that just grips hold of you and doesn’t let you go. When I think about it I can’t quite describe it as well as I want to. It probably comes down to the deep and unique characters that he creates. Just wonderful, go and see it now! (well.. get it on DVD!).
In order to work out what films I watched I first got a list from IMDB on what films were released in 2009, worked out which ones I had seen and then picked my top 5. For completeness here is the list of films I watched this year!
