Copper screening at NZ Deaf Short Film Festival

‘Copper’ is screening in the New Zealand Deaf Short Film Festival 2015.

Support this awesome festival featuring brilliant work by Deaf filmmakers – $10 entry, at Ngā Taonga (The Film Archive). 4th – 6th September. Copper is screening multiple times across the weekend. Director Jack O’Donnell is taking part in a Q&A session on the Friday night screening (4th September). Check out nzdsff.co.nz for the programme and booking info.

Jack was recently interviewed by Arts Access Aotearoa about his recent trip to the CINEDEAF Film Festival in Rome with Copper. Read the article here.

WFTV mentoring scheme

Last night I attended an information session on the Women in Film and Television Mentoring Scheme. The program runs February to July, and is a support and mentoring program for women to advance in the film industry.

From the WFTV website…

Our Mentoring Scheme is designed for women who have more than 5 years experience working in TV, film or digital production. We welcome anyone working in editorial, craft or business roles in any genre.

Over six months, selected participants receive six hours of mentoring contact with an experienced industry figure, combined with an intensive programme of seminars, training workshops and networking opportunities.

One of the take aways from the event was even if you aren’t eligible to apply for the program yet, you should still complete the application form. There are people who have answered the questions on the form and solidified their career plans. I know I’m about to message the women filmmakers that I know and get us to all do it.

If you’d like to apply for the program, you have until midnight Sunday.

Savage Lines

https://instagram.com/p/6FzVG4OacD/

This week I was the 2nd AC on ‘Savage Lines’, a short film from new directors Lucy Moloney and Spencer Bambrough, Exec Produced by Jeffrey Michael Productions and Produced by Danya Martinez-Douglass.

https://instagram.com/p/5ZMEh-Gpfm/

The ‘Candidate’ searches for a way to materialise his vision, as he nears the threshold of reality.

The Candidate #savagelines
The Candidate
Production Design by Jeffrey Michael Design
Production Design by Jeffrey Michael Design

The shoot took place in East London and Devon.

The Producers are running a crowdfunding campaign to cover costs from equipment hire and for post production. Check it out on Kickstarter.

 

Day Four of Cannes

2015-05-21 10.43.28 Day Four of Festival de Cannes – Page Officielle – Spent a relaxing morning in Nice doing some work and exploring. Headed to Cannes for the afternoon.

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I had found out the day before that one of the films I worked on last year, ‘Love At First Swipe’, was in the short film corner. I hadn’t seen it before, so I walked around the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes then spent an hour watching short films in the short film corner. Now I’m promoting two films in the short film corner! (‘Dead Letter’ and ‘Love At First Swipe’).

2015-05-21 15.59.31 I finally bought data for the Pavilion, so I could tweet and instagram and contact people. It seems you have to, because otherwise the phones don’t work (for me, anyway).

Drinks and networking at the SFC Happy Hour. Had dinner at a place called Steak and Shake with Andrew, Kira, Serafina, and Ayman.2015-05-21 17.38.21

We headed to Le Petit Majestic for a drink. We had been told this was the go-to place where all the Brits hang out, but we went far too early. Also, what do you think it means when the waitress gives you wine in a plastic cup (everyone else got glass, and there were wine glasses there), gives the bill immediately and returns to collect it before you’re finished, and doesn’t ask if you want another drink?  Don’t know why, but she didn’t want us there perhaps?

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We finished the day watching ‘Apollo 13’ on a big screen on the beach.

It finished after the last train, so we quickly caught an Uber back to Nice.

Day Three of Cannes

2015-05-20 09.58.30Day Three of Festival de Cannes – Page Officielle — the stress of dressing for the red carpet and packing a bag with spare shoes and minimal extras led to missioning to Cannes to collect the ticket for ‘Youth’. Managed to miss the 10am deadline but eventually found where to collect tickets and got it (yay!).

Petit Dejeuner nearby, then headed to the NZ Film Commission lunch for Sales Agents, Distributors, and Kiwi Producers. Left early to mission to the red carpet (*dahling!*) — to find that the red carpet screenings in the afternoon aren’t *so* formal. I didn’t need to change to heels! And took no selfies. There were people in jeans (and still some in black tie). Got to chatting to a Canadian screenwriter while awaiting the screening.

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The film was beautiful and played well to the Cannes audience.

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Headed to the American Pavilion with Andrew and Kira . Then attended the Flickerama reception at the UK Film Pavilion. Good times! Headed to the Majestic with friends before heading back to Nice on the last train to grab a late pizza and SLEEP!2015-05-20 17.57.27 


Phone keeps dying and no internet, so sorry there aren’t many photos yet. Brilliant networking and meeting people, and getting distribution and production interest in a feature film project we’re pitching. Now onto day four!

Day One of Cannes

Amazing first day at Festival de Cannes – Page Officielle . Made it to Nice, then got to Cannes to collect accreditation about 5pm. Phone died many times during the day so very few photos. Found the UK Film Pavilion to volunteer at the WFTV Reception (masses of awesome networking). Then headed out to dinner, and nearly made it to the Vanity Fair Polish Party — except had been up since 5am, so instead caught the last train back to Nice. Now to sleep before getting up to volunteer at La Plage Royale on the Croisette.

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Day Two of Cannes

Day Two of Festival de Cannes – Page Officielle : volunteered with Show Me the F£&%ing money, a web site that interviews movers and shakers about film financing. Had a lovely day shooting at La Plage Royale. Kira, Andrew, and I went to the NZFC Offices. Had a meeting at the Canadian Pavilion, went through the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes. Then headed home as we were shattered. Now onto day three — where I have a lunch with the NZ Film Commission and will be attending a red carpet screening of ‘Youth‘ !

2015-05-19 09.17.06 2015-05-19 09.17.15 2015-05-19 09.17.32 2015-05-19 09.17.49 2015-05-19 09.20.56 2015-05-19 11.20.30 2015-05-19 13.28.24 2015-05-19 14.13.09

Action On The Side: inspiration

Action On The Side Weekend Filmmaking
Action On The Side Weekend Filmmaking

Action On The Side has expanded to include regular inspiration, tips, tricks, and reminders for writers and filmmakers.

Follow the posts on Facebook and on Twitter.

The next Action On The Side project is July 2015.

Sign up at Action On The Side

Upcoming Script Development meetings

Do you have a script? Do you have a story idea?
Want to meet with other scriptwriters and filmmakers to work on it?

We’ve started a regular script development meeting, and anyone can join us.

Any script.
Any idea.
Feature or short.
Bring scripts and ideas. All are welcome.

  • 7pm on Thursday 21 May. The Barley Mow
    127 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3AU
  • 7pm on Friday 05 June. Curzon Victoria
    58 Victoria Street, Westminster, London SW1E 6QW

Getting Ready for Cannes

Next week, the Festival de Cannes (Cannes Film Festival and Sales Market) kicks off.

I’m heading to the Festival with two of my co-Producers, Andrew Montague and Kira Fitzpatrick of This Big Productions. We’ll be there Monday 18th to Friday 22nd.

New Business Cards
Ready for Cannes with my new Business Cards

If you’re at the event, check out Dead Letter in the Short Film Corner, and look me up.

If you’re not at the event, follow me on twitter and instagram for live updates.

NZ things I can’t get in London

This blog post was sitting in my drafts folder for years. I decided to post it retrospectively, with a few amendments.

  • Proper Marmite: the Marmite in the UK is brown, rather than black. It just doesn’t taste as good (to me)

sanitarium-marmite-yeast-spread

  • Rice crackers: hmmm … with dip
    • edit: you can get these in some supermarkets
  • Sweet Chilli Philly
1eaa0b99cc96a23cde8da4b2405481ac-the-heroes-sweet-chilli
Sweet Chilli Philly: a soft cheese covered with sweet thai chilli sauce
  • Tim Tams: these were available at the Kiwi/Aussie/SAFA/Canadian store – Penguins are an alternative, but they don’t work for the Tim Tam Slam.
  • Lamingtons: although I did find a cafe in Shoreditch that had them
  • A proper really good flat white: being from Wellington, I’m a snob about my coffee. Sacred cafes do the best in London.
    • edit: there are some good flat whites now…
  • Reduced Cream: mixed with soup mixtures (Onion) for amazing dips

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  • Sugarfree V: although you can get regular V in some dairies / stores, if you don’t want the massive sugar hit, you can’t get sugarfree.
  • Grain Waves
  • Spirulina smoothies: seriously, getting a 1L smoothie with spirulina in it … I haven’t found that in London. You can get other green smoothies, but not with spirulina.

800-smoothie-300dpi-spiru-web

  • Pineapple Lumps
  • Chocolate fish: give that man a chocolate fish!

sweet-kiwi-delights

The moral of the story: bring me these things!

lollies