Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Mmm.. Bacon.

Not much to post about currently. I'm just working away on various things: mapping out the storyline for the Lou Birks short; got a meeting about draft 2 of the feature this week with producer-director Mark Jay (Mark just had a sell-out Cineworld screening/Q&A of his film 'Dolphins', which he wrote and directed. Kudos to him!); and, another director wants to option one of my screenplays - fingers crossed for that.

Idle musings meanwhile: I caught up the other week with the Extras Christmas special from my newly-purchased replacement PVR, and noticed in the credits that the make-up and hair was done by the wonderful Lisa Cavalli-Green, who also worked in the same capacity on the short film what I wrote, 'Lent'.

This means, trivia fans, that I am only two degrees of separation from Ricky Gervais. And therefore three degrees of separation from anyone he's ever worked with in Celebrity 'I'm not like this really, or am I?' cameo-stylee. Imagine - me and Samuel L Jackson, we're like that. And David Tennant too. Ooh!

Now, if only there was some way to turn this to my advantage. But, dear reader, I fear there is not.

Scratch

Writing is an odd profession/obsession, isn't it? I met with a director, the fabulous Lou Birks, last week to discuss a project we are developing together. It's a ten minute long dramatic short, which I've done three drafts of, over the last few months. And it's not quite working.


Lou and I discussed the issues we both had with how the short was shaping up. Luckily, we both had come to exactly the same conclusions. We decide not only shall I do a page one rewrite, but also that length might be counting against us. The material fits nicer within 30 minutes, rather than 10. More running time gives it a chance to breathe, the backstory can be delivered at a better pace that doesn't feel like overload, and the tension can really be ratcheted up.


And I leave the meeting really energised and happy. Despite the fact that I've just agreed to three times as much work, and I'm starting from scratch. There really is no business like this, is there?!

Obviously, my New Year's resolution is...

... to not neglect my blog. Bad timing has resulted in intense periods of work (both writing and day job) interspersed with intense periods of Christmas holidays (where I had a much needed break), which have both combined to keep me from these pages. No more, dear reader (singular)... er, if you're still there. Hello!


Exciting developments have occurred in the first week of the year. My short film 'Lent', which has been in the can for some months, but needed a sound problem to be fixed, is finally on it's journey toward the screen. The producer, the wonderful Ricci-Lee Berry, is completing the distribution funding application for Screen South, and preparing the submissions to five international festivals to start with. I'm very excited, and hoping that we get into all of them!! Time will tell.

I've had a meeting in the last week about the feature project, with the director-producer Mark Jay of Full On Pictures. We discussed directions for the second draft. We're still awaiting feedback from the interested parties that were sent the script at the end of last year, but we weren't expecting much yet because of Christmas holidays. The responses that we have got are overwhelmingly positive, which is great, obviously. And Mark and I, having got some distance from the material after an intensive period of development, are still really loving this draft. More details on this anon.

Tonight, I have a meet with another director to discuss a new draft of a short screenplay we're working on, which we're hoping to be filming early this year. Again, I'll keep you posted.

It's great to be busy. Hope you are too. Happy New Year!