Let The Voting Commence! November 27, 2009
Filed under: scriptwriter,young writer — katiemccullough @ 1:44 pm
Tags: 48hr film challenge, alex jacob, blaine brothers, branchage, collaboration, emma rozanski, gaelle denis, jersey, London Short Film Festival, michael pearce, new writing, robert morgan, Sean Mackay, short film, voting, winning, writing
Hallo everyone, my you look super nice today…
That's right, I'm after something. As some of you will know I took part in the 48 Hour Film Challenge over in Jersey a few months back. Now the time has come to call in backup and get people voting for the film so we can win jubilation and slap each other on the back (oh, and win some cash as well which is always nice). The setup is teams arrived in the same place on the same day, picked a title and genre from a hat at random… and then had 48hrs in which to write, shoot, edit and finalise a short film. We picked 'crime' and 'Morning Mist'.
So after a little lag of delay all the films created on the Vauxhall 48 Hour Film Challenge have been put up for the mercy of viewers to vote. And this is where you come in, yes you. I'm looking at you, you're looking at me. We've got this eye contact thing nailed.
All the films are over here: (click here and vote for 'Morning Mist')
What a bunch of filmmakers...
And all the films are great but this is where I have to draw the line in this so-called free-loving atmosphere. I want you to vote for my film because I'm proud of it and hey, we made it in 48 hours. This is where you tell me that the others were too, seeing as it's called the 48 Hour Film Challenge, but ignore that. Eyes on me, go click on the ol' 5 stars bit on 'Morning Mist'. And I'm sorry if you've already heard this spiel on Facebook or Twitter. It just means I love you a little bit more than the rest, just a little mind you. People talk.
I will love you all that little bit more than is allowed.
Thank you, love you, I'm afraid I can't do that I'm not allowed anymore.
Kx.
p.s. I forgot to mention you do have to join which only takes a few seconds but once you're on there you can download short films for pittance and what's more you can download them, burn them and keep them all for yourself. You do not have to pay to join. Good? Great.
p.p.s. Plus all the films will be screened as part of the London Short Film Festival (y'know, the projector with teeth?) at the Roxy in London Bridge area. If you're around that time and want to see some films and the people behind it… why not come along. I'll be there, hope that doesn't dissuade you.
Branchage Part Three October 30, 2009
Filed under: scriptwriter,young writer — katiemccullough @ 12:41 am
Tags: 48hr film challenge, anne-marie vercoe, branchage, collaboration, fabrice geradi, gaelle denis, katie mccullough, lydia outhwaite, marina brackenbury, short film, steve hope-wynne, writing
This is the bit where I blog about the film I helped make. We picked CRIME and MORNING MIST and then we made a little film. To be honest the whole process wasn't as hectic as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because we took an overly sensible approach and sat down for a long time to plan what our plot would be but to be critical about it, we were still crafting the story as we were shooting. I think it went through two note-form drafts, seven verbal drafts and ended up with the actors thinking one thing, the director another and the scriptwriter wondering where communication had broken down. But the result is something I'm proud of, extremely proud of. As I've mentioned in a previous post I've skirted around short film and got my hands dirty writing them and promoting them but have never actually made any. And it seems to have opened another door for me. I know they make no money but they're a showcase for all involved and a collaborative effort which can be a springboard for something greater. And it's from my time in Jersey where I've made strong contacts and have several ideas in pipelines and more ideas brewing. But here I am blathering. Rather than talk you through the different photographs I'm going to smother this page with them. So enjoy…
Branchage – Part Two October 20, 2009
Tags: 48hr film challenge, alex jacob, blaine brothers, branchage, camping!, collaboration, gaelle denis, robert morgan
I left you just after I was molested in a tent by a boom. That's a sentence I've always wanted to write.
Chris did not molest me with this.
Soon after that people were beginning to arrive throughout the later day and night and it soon culminated in us all having dinner at a thai restaurant that led straight into the sea. That makes it sound dramatic, I know. Again I've pilfered some photos from Ben's blog but what are photographs for eh? To look at and share the celluloid love. So here be they:
He gone went n'won ten grand last year for 'is film.
Lovelies! (Rebecca Haigh and Sean McKay)
Gaëlle Denis, a candle and my competition car.
Then it was all parties back to the campsite where we chatted, laughed, introduced, re-introduced and made a french lady very angry. We realised this as soon as she started shouting at us in her nightie about "there are people trying to sleep, but as long as you have a good time it's fine isn't it, go to sleep, this is unfair on the other peoples…".
We went to bed.
And then the day arrived when we received the specific information we needed. We were the last team to arrive (late) because parking in Jersey is very much in demand and finding a space on a Thursday morning was proving troublesome. But we managed it and Phil came to the rescue when we were lost walking around trying to find Société Jersiaise building. We found it and then it was the large matter in hand of picking the titles and the genres… again I pilfer Ben's photographs for what happened next.
Team Alex
Alex picked the genre FANTASY and the title DASHES OF YELLOW. The next 48hrs were to prove a severe mission from him but he came out with a beautiful nugget of a film and I mean, c'mon, fantasy is not the easiest of genres to whip something up in 48hrs. He is a good man and his team had a wonderful family feel to it. Both he and Sean drove around Jersey and made use of the Amaize-ing Maze (it's a maze made out of maize) and even got their actresses naked in the sea. Nice one I say boys!
Michael Pearce and Emma Rozanski
These two Lovely people had never met before and picked COMEDY and the title OCCUPIED. Armed with only one actor, a digital stills camera and editing via an iPod these two would make a brilliant funny film and hand it in 3 hours before the deadline.
Team Rob Morgan and Marcus Waterloo (only Marcus featured in photo!)
These two picked WESTERN and the title OVER TAKEN. What they came out with was not necessarily a western as such (although I'd say that they make coy reference to the grainy visuals of a western) but it's a wicked little film that made me laugh from all the wrong places of my belly. I loved it and even though it's a lot strange it's weirdly sincere. And they filmed a section with an iPhone in a sandwich bag in the swimming pool on the campsite.
Team Blaine
Then we had the Blaines who picked WAR and TRUTH IN THE VALLEY. Armed with two actresses, a sound man and themselves (as well as making use of the extra actors who had stepped forward if needs be) they set about making their 6min film. I really like the fluid nature of their film, you're dropped in the middle of a conversation and it leaves something hanging that makes you ponder on what could possibly happen or be said next… and I adore one of their long shots with superb acting by Jessica Forteskew.
And on to our team… Gaëlle Denis, Steve Hope-Wynne, Lydia Outhwaite, Marina Brackenbury and myself. We picked CRIME and our title was MORNING MIST. So in 48hrs we had to write, shoot, edit and finalise a 6min film with this title and genre (as well as making it a road movie… we kinda forgot about that) and make reference to a Jersey cow at some point. The planning commenced…
We brainstorm, thought-shower, abuse words .etc.
48hr Film Challenge September 26, 2009
Tags: 48hr film challenge, blaine brothers, branchage, festival, gaelle denis, jersey, johnnie oddball, laura brocken, short film, tell, vauxhall
I've been asked to be involved with the 48hr Film Challenge over in Jersey at the Branchage Film Festival. I'll run the idea past you just in case you've not come across this before…
*In teams you arrive at 11am to the designated meeting place.
*One member from each team will pick from a hat a genre and a title.
*You go off and write, shoot, edit, finalise and bring your film back 48 hours later.
That's pretty much it to be honest. You hardly sleep, run around like a blue arsed fly, eat shockingly shoddy food stuffs and what's more we're doing it in Jersey. A pretty place. The event itself is sponsored by Vauxhall and all the films will be screened after a drive-in showing of The Wizard of Oz. On a big fuck-off screen. I'm getting quite excited now. I love working in a collaborative nature and my Lovely Boss has put me in touch (and vice versa) with a fantastic director called Gaelle Denis who makes extremely pretty things like this:
… and this…
… And who has also requested that I join her team. So along with one male actor of 35, a female actor of 24, an editor and designer, Gaelle herself and moi we are competing in this crazy task. I managed to talk to Gaelle in between her leaving from one job in Berlin at the airport before she flies back here; she's French and I have a cold, hilarity ensued.
What's more is that the rather nice people at Vauxhall offered to loan a new shiny car for the entire festival to one team. What's more is that I secured it! After many phonecalls, faxes, emails and anything else this brilliant opportunity has thrown my way so far it's done and dusted. I'm not entirely sure what I'm definitely getting but I think it'll look something like this…
The festival looks a cracking piece of marvellous things. I entered one of the Blaines' shorts films into it last year and they both went and had mountains of fun. Whilst out there Chris mentored several filmmakers over in the Branchage Bootcamp and out of that sprung Laura Brocken's film, "Tell" (posted below) which is what I've been pushing into festivals the last couple of months.
The Blaines are no strangers to this filmmaking format. They've competed in the Berlin challenge which resulted in them making a comedy musical spy thriller called, "Anything Goes". Then they flitted to Paris where they made an action horror called, "Pour Un Temps" and their other foray (my personal favourite) was their comedy, "Making Juice" which was here in London. For more info check out Johnnie Oddball's pages.
We're all going to be camping on one site and the idea is that because all the teams have been personally asked we can all help each other out if needs be. To be brutally honest I cannot wait to be freezing my gibbly bits off standing in a field at 3am, I mean it. It's going to be the first time that I've actually been involved with a short film and after learning about it all, writing short films as a degree and promoting others I think it's about time I got my hands dirty in the most intense way ever.
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