You wanna get your grubby filmmaking hands on up £5,000 to make a five minute film, or up to £3,000 to develop a story idea and write a script? Then read on.
First Light has announced the next deadline for its Pilot and What’s the Big Idea? award schemes. The deadline is September 16, and the decisions will be announced on November 11.
You start, as always, ‘by inspiring a group of young people an get hose creative ideas flowing today!’
And once that’s done, all that’s left it to apply.
It’s not often a new film movement is created right under your very nose, but there’s a whole lot of interesting stuff going on in Exeter under the title of The Third Wave Collective.
There is a big screen up in Plymouth at the moment, and we hear it’s going to be showing some top-notch films form South West filmmakers, such as Ashley Wing, with his latest Poppies, alongside such favourites as Small Change and Revenge of the Jazz Hoodies.
Phig Billy gives his low-down on the latest Batman flick, The Dark Knight.
Granted, as a comic book artist myself, I’m a fan of comic books in general and Batman in particular, and if you’re well and truly fed up with the recent spate of superheroic spandex silliness at your multiplex then you may react differently. But to be honest I’d still urge you to give it a chance: this film is so much more engaging and interesting than X-Men or Spiderman. As I say, I like comic books and I’ve enjoyed the season’s previous superhero blockbusters Iron Man (mainly thanks to the Downey) and The Incredible Hulk (ditto Ed Norton), but they don’t come anywhere near The Dark Knight. Those films were perfectly well-crafted translations of their comic book sources: charming, action-packed and exciting. Intellectually undemanding, disposable entertainment. But The Dark Knight is something else.
It’s a complete reinterpretation of the Batman mythos, and (as the title may hint) it’s the darkest and bleakest version of the character I’ve ever seen. It’s also incredibly realistic (as far as these things go) and downright terrifying: it’s as much a crime or horror film as it is a conventional superhero flick. And it’s not really a film for kids: it may have secured a 12A certificate, but it’s very intense and not suitable for youngsters. For the uninitiated, TDK is the sequel to Brit director Christopher Nolan’s 2005 reboot of the Batman franchise “Batman Begins”, and it reteams Nolan with his co-writer David Goyer (demoted from screenplay to plot, thank you God, the dialogue in this one is such an improvement), his star Christian Bale (charismatic and compelling, I’m not 100% sure about the Batman growl he’s developed, but this is a minor niggle) and an impressive supporting cast including Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
Although I loved Begins (going so far as to watch it three times on three consecutive nights), it had its problems, most of which are happily remedied here. The love interest Rachel Dawes (played in Begins by Mrs Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes) is played here by the fabulous Maggie Gyllenhaal and her part is much better written this time round. As I mentioned above, the writing is much better all-round, Christopher Nolan bringing aboard his brother Jonathan, with whom we previously worked on the spectacularly brilliant Memento. Furthermore, TDK reintroduces Batman’s arch-nemesis, previously committed to celluloid so memorably by Jack Nicholson back in 1989, played this time by the late Heath Ledger. I read somewhere that Ledger prepared for his role by locking himself in a hotel room with archive footage of natural disasters and bloody revolutions etc and forced himself to laugh at them. Of course I don’t want to suggest that his immersion in the character led to his suicide, but… I wouldn’t be surprised. The immersion is total! Ledger plays the Joker with utter conviction and is utterly terrifying. As a portrayal of pure evil, it’s up there with the best of them.
I don’t want to say too much. Except, oh yeah, Aaron Eckart is good too. Suffice to say: go see it. Don’t worry about having high expectations, because this film will still exceed them. But possibly leave the kids at home… if they’ll let you get away with it.
When the Screenwriters’ Festival tipped us the wink that the User Generated and User-Owned Feature Film Competition was entering its second round - The Writer’s Brief, we pricked up our ears, put a dumb look on our collective faces and said: ‘What is a User Generated and User-Owned Feature Film Competition?’
And we’re glad we did because it sounds spiffing!
The User Generated and User-Owned Feature Film Competition is a Movie Mogul Fund ‘Micro Movie Lab’ competition, to… err… get a movie made. Round one involved pitching the idea, round two, is writing the idea, followed by directing and producing.
Welsh Filmmaker Ryan Hooper (that’s him at the top of the page) won both the Members Award and the Jury Award with his pitch “Negotiating Life.”: A melancholic life insurance salesman finds his attempts at committing suicide unwittingly thwarted by his disgruntled customers.
In Round 2, budding screenwriters have until July 31 to devise and submit their 500-1200 word story outline, incorporating the title, genre and essence of ‘Negotiating Life’. Subject to members voting throughout August ’08, the top 10 ranking ideas then go before a Jury Panel consisting of industry professionals; Huw Penallt Jones from Capitol Films, Ed Thomas from the Fiction Factory, Mark Sandell from Trinity Filmed Entertainment, Olivier Lauchenauer from Pogo Films and John Shackleton of Movie Mogul Ltd
‘The Writer’s Brief’ main prizes are a Jury Award - £400 screenwriting commission £100 and a share in the film’s profits 1 year’s NPA membership (worth £85) Members Award - £200 1 year’s NPA membership (worth £85) Runner-up £50
Further rounds include an open Director and Producer’s call, to bring the vision to life. The production budget of £100k will be raised by members of the website purchasing affordable units at £4.95 each. All winners and unit holders will share in the film’s profits and own it jointly. The film aims to go into production towards the end of the year, under the supervision of participating Jury members.
Imagine the embarrassment when confronted with Negar Azimi’s curated programme of artists films called ‘She doesn’t think so but she’s dressed for the h-bomb’, and you’re stood there in your A-(bomb) -line dress.
Quick, gerrofff the board walk and get your free entries into Board Shorts. Today is the last day of free entries to the Cornwall Film Festival’s international surf/skate/snowboard film event. And as an added incentive, Mark Kermode will be on the board himself, judging your offerings. (more…)
The end of the school/college term, and other than signing each others clothes and/or bodies, what are the articulate, outgoing 15 to 19 year olds to do? (Don’t all answer at once.)
Lambent Productions is looking for young people for their Lifeproof series - 10 half-hour films about how young people deal with the many problems relating to growing up, especially their relationships with each other.
Each film, they tell us, ‘will focus on one teenager and their closest friends and will involve them using cameras to film their different perspectives’, which in true Channel Four style will cover your ‘love-life and relationship dilemmas. How do you deal with those tricky relationship issues? Love, sex, jealousy, heartbreak, temptation, fancying a friend, keeping/losing your virginity, pressure to conform etc’.
You take the camera, record your story pass it to your friends and get their advice .
All filming is to take place during August, so if you’re interested, or if you’d like to know more, get in touch with Jenni or Lara on 01273 648380 or email jenni@lambentproductions.co.uk
Get the inside track on funding at the Mediabox Roadshow, which is in Exeter tomorrow.
Learn more about the fund, what makes a great application, what the priorities are for the South West, you can also meet the regional mediabox co-ordinator (there is a hush of awe at the prospect). It’s all good stuff and takes place at the Exeter Phoenix from 1pm tomorrow (July 23). Contact sas.bonser@swscreen.co.uk to book a place.
“This film is made for the people of the Blitz, in the hope that their newly built cities will be worthy of their fortitude,” said Jill Craigie about the documentary The Way We Live, which will be shown tomorrow as part of Plymouth Arts Centre’s 60th anniversary celebrations (July 22) at 8.30pm
Falmouth is boldly strutting into the 21st century by getting its first commercial cinema for more than 20 years.
Merlin Cinemas Ltd is gonna spruce up the inside of the old Drill Hall, in Berkeley Vale, leaving the outside pretty much the same (it’s Grade II-listed, doncha know).
The new multiplex will have two main screens, seating 150 people each, and three smaller ones. There’ll also be an on-site cafe and bar - so much more convenient than an off-site cafe and bar.
It’s set to open this winter and will boast the not-very-imaginative and potentially confusing name of The Phoenix.
Still, Merlin owns cinemas in Penzance, St Ives, Redruth, Helston, Torquay, Ilfracombe and Okehampton, and has recently reopened another in Tiverton, so they probably know what they’re doing.
Indeed, Merlin Cinemas currently employs 120 staff and has a turnover of £2.75 million. Who says downloads are killing cinema?! Cuh!
D+Cineastes who haven’t already visited the Bill Douglas Centre at Exeter University will no doubt be inspired to after watching a new box set of the revolutionary director’s work.
Students from Ridgeway School in Plymouth recently won a European competition with their film about global warming.
About 16 pupils of all ages used modelling clay to show how climate change affects the seas around us.
The six-minute flick, called Our Coast, Our Sea, Our Planet, starred an octopus, seahorses, and eco finger-wagger Al Gore as some plankton (times really must be hard).
Ridgeway’s efforts triumphed over 53 schools from eight countries in the European Community’s EUR-OCEANS film compo.
The team’s movie was first judged the best in Britain and the eight finalists were then invited to the European Commission in Brussels for the award ceremony.
The school was presented with its prize of educational resources worth 5,000 euros by European Commissioner Joe Borg at the ceremony in Belgium.
That’s about a tenner in ‘real money’, isn’t it? Still, we guess you’re grateful for anything when you know the world is going to hell in a handbasket.
Posted by Thin White Duke
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You know you’re getting old when archive footage starts looking contemporary - and when policemen start looking dandy. So it’s refreshing to hear Plymouth Arts Centre is offering you a sofa and a biscuit to watch rare archive footage of Plymouth and the surrounding area.
There are around 70 clips to choose from, of between five and 15 minutes long, and include inaugural flights from Roborough Airport, the post-war rebuilding of the city, and the construction of the Tamar Bridge.
But there aint no thing as a free viewing of old films, ‘your reactions to this footage will be recorded and used as part of Root Index, the new exhibition at Plymouth Arts Centre to celebrate its 60th anniversary’.
Book your turn on the sofa (you’ve got till July 20) through the box office on 01752 206 114.
But if you wanna take a look at a dandy policeman from yesteryear, take a gander at the clip below, which is from the BFI and not the Plymouth Arts Centre event - just to whet your appetite, you understand.
posted by Ctpn
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We can’t help but feel that this film puts us in the realm of a public information broadcast, but Have you seen this man/woman?
This would-be prologue to a Jim Jarmusch-esq crime caper is the newest piece of work that we just happened to stumble upon from Exeter-based Josh Gaunt of Syndrome Pictures.
In his informative YouTube blurb he talks of texture, but we quite like the tune too, which we’ve been humming all day as the D+CFilm crew took turns in the office summer deckchair.
