Days are being strung together back-to-back, I have no idea where the first quarter of this year went. Writing has been steady and my creative ideas continue to stew. It’s putting them into action that’s going to challenge in the months ahead.
Here we go– ramping up a whole new decade. Creatively, I usually like to make plans and have things mapped out so I can work towards them. A goal without a deadline is just a dream, after all. As it stands right now, creative projects only fill the first couple of months. The rest of the year is still up for grabs. I kind of like that. I’ve got a few offers on the table and some discussions to have with colleagues to see where the year will take us. If one idea goes to plan, hopefully I can announce some big news soon– but I can’t say much just yet.
Short film That Year They Were Bridesmaids suffered the usual Silly Season hold-up, where crew scatter for what feels like forever before returning to normal lives. Even then, other projects are lined up and people get incredibly busy. We still have some 8mm shots to pick up before the editing can be finished. I’m still hopeful for a February 2010 completion, but it might edge March.
Fellow FTI graduate Robin (who has been my First Assistant Director on two shorts now) has joined me in a web-based project Reel Thinker. We launched it December 1 2009 and will persist with it into the new year to see where it goes. We both love to discuss and crituique film, so a joint like this made sense. It’s a project outside of Quarter To Four, which makes for an interesting change.
Speaking of Quarter To Four, the new website launched showcasing some of the short films we’ve produced. There’s also a facebook page – have you become a fan of ‘Quarter To Four’ yet? Look out for behind-the-scenes images and video clips of That Year They Were Bridesmaids soon!
Here’s a sneaky-peek at me discussing the frame with Danny Clark (Director of Photography) on location.
“Coming soon to DVD…” sounds like one of those promo ads you see on the telly. It’s time to get ready for another productive year ahead as 2009 trots to a close and 2010 gets started. To finish this year off I am finally completing the DVD transfers of my short films LIVING WITH BENJAMIN, HER PARTY and HAIR DYE.
They will all be on DVD by December 9.
2010 will see the completion of my new short film THAT YEAR THEY WERE BRIDESMAIDS and (hopefully) a bunch of festival screenings. HER PARTY is also looking forward to some festival exposure while LIVING WITH BENJAMIN enjoyed some great horror screenings last Winter.
With completed films playing on screens and the others finalised on DVD it’ll be time once again to look forward to new projects. And baby, I’ve got a doozie in store for 2010. I cannot wait to get started!!
I popped my internet cherry back in the late nineties by designing and maintaining a tiny website about my favorite film, The Exorcist. Today that site has progressed into the unofficial home for Exorcist fans online, gathering tons of traffic and providing in-depth discussion about the film daily. When I’m not shooting, editing, being Daddy or Caring Husband… I’m usually tinkering with captainhowdy.com. I recently gave it a much-needed overhaul, take a look:
I ‘ummmm‘ and ‘arrrr‘d through my little speech introducing my short film Living With Benjamin to a moderately seated Cinema 1 at Luna Cinemas on Oxford Street in Leederville. Happy to have the introduction over with I promptly took my seat and found comfort in the fact that, no matter how this went, it was cold and raining outside and I would be enjoying a warm coffee in the elements soon enough.
The audience was there to see the UK horror-thriller picture Mum & Dad (2008) and my local short film was playing as a bonus beforehand.
The lights dimmed, the curtains closed in (they had to mask the majority of the windscreen as the short is 4:3, if you can believe that) and away we went. Living With Benjamin was on the big screen.
While sitting in the darkness watching Benjamin stir his coffee and wash his mug, three hings became very apparent to me during those seven nervous minutes:
And so the credits rolled and the audience applauded. Just like that, it was over. The transfer looked fantastic on the big screen and the sound was magic. I’ve never heard it sound or look so good. Taking it from my PC monitor and TV screens up onto the cinema screen was definitely a wonderful experience and one I will always remember. Best of all I got to enjoy it with my wife Kerry (thanks to ‘awesome’ Uncle Danny for watching the kids!!), Benjamin himself Clint West, and industry colleges including sound designer and co-editor Warren Money, Gemma Gittins and Sara Horvat.
I look forward to seeing more of our projects on the big screen in the near future.
I’m compiling the special features and menu for the Living with Benjamin DVD, which will be available soon.
Watch Living With Benjamin online now