A shot on the Screen Northants

Hey Mediadreamzers

As I mentioned in my last post I didn’t know when my next opportunity was gonna be and I was SO right. This was a last minute opportunity that I heard about, applied to help out and was taken on, as a 3rd AD. This was my third time being a 3rd and it was nice to taken on the role again.

So the day, well Sunday, was an early call time of 8am to travel to Northampton to work with Screen Northants on a production titled veto’d trailer to promote parts of Northampton. Made it to the location and met the main crew, spoke to Becky the production manager and person who allowed me to get involved in the production. I then met Lucas, the 1st AD who I liaised with during the whole day and then met the runners who I was taking care of and assigning jobs to. Then things started to get ready for the background extras and actors to arrive, and there were a lot of extras; the more the merrier as part of the street needed to be filled with a lot of people. After the rehearsals with the main actors, getting release forms filled in and guiding the 2nd AD, filming started (well after showing the extras what the sequence of events that were going to be filmed) then everything started. The weather held up for filming outside and it was a blessing, there is nothing worse than the weather being cold and damp when outside filming.

Lucas instructed everyone on what was going to happen and I with the help of Zach looked after the extras and cued them for the timings for when they would need to go on set and where they needed to be with the filming. There were several takes captured by the director and camera crew and time just flew by when ‘That’s a wrap’ and it was all hands to the pump for clearing the street as Screen Northants were given the street till 2.30pm getting the camera, extras, tables and other equipment so the people of Northampton could walk freely through. It was a great day it went by really fast and extras were happy to have been involved and were asking when and where the footage will go when it had been edited together; at a guess Facebook, Twitter and/ or Screen Northants page.

Hopefully, there will opportunities to work with Screen Northants again on any upcoming media related work and more as a 3rd AD. Until next time

Nunquam Deditioneum

Ladies and Gentleman, day in the Capital, and a talk-show host

Hey Mediadreamzers

One thing I have never done before, and that is go into London on a Sunday. Granted its not breaking world headline news but it makes the weekend a whole lot more interesting and I guess it gets one through to Monday smiling about the day.

The morning was pretty slow before heading in to meet one of my friends for a catch up and just hanging out, but mainly for something really cool planned for the evening. Surprisingly London was not only busy for a Sunday but also bloody hot. Oh my we actually had what we call Summer, so everyone hopefully up and down the UK made the most of it.

Afternoon was going to Madam Tussaud’s, and I admit it was the first time I have been there; tried going years ago and I remember the queue stretching for three streets. It was a a lot cooler in M.T than outside. I admit it was nice to be papped with ‘celebrities’, seeing Star Wars and a bunch of other things housed inside. Following that it was a quick look round Baker Street Sherlock Holmes Museum before getting the tube all the way out to Waterloo and yes Abba song, of course. You may ask/ wonder why we were heading all the way out to Waterloo for 6pm, and the answer to that question L’s and G’s is to go to the ITV Studios; to be in the audience for one of the shows filmed there.

Here is the clue for the show it is on BBC One on Friday nights at about 10.35pm. And the seats we had in the audience were brilliant, you know when you go out and you find there is always someone in front of you who is taller than you and you can’t see well luckily that didn’t happen.
Before filming kicked off we were all entertained my a stand up comedian and by the time he had to come off the set my face was hurting from laughing. And then of course the host arrived, await for it, Graham Norton.

Following his entrance were Jeff Goldblum who many know him from Jurassic Park, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Independence Day and of course the follow up Independence Day two. Which Jeff discussed with fellow co-actor and another guest on the couch Liam Hemsworth. Yes the guy from the Hunger Games trilogy and completing the line up for the first part of the show was Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson talking about his upcoming movie ‘Central Intelligence’.

The first part of each of the actors talking about there upcoming films, fun and funny banter and stories, Dwayne creating an app alarm clock system, looking at photos of what each of the actors looked like at certain stages in their lives, looking at clips for the films and laughing at various points.

My phone got its 15 seconds of fame, well rather 20 minutes but whose counting, well I wasn’t much.

Another guest on the show was who is representing the UK at the Rio Olympics. Go team GB. Finally we were all granted a performance from Tom Odell performing his latest song ‘Magnetised’, and it was an awesome song.

The show wrapped and it went like clock-work, afterwards James and I got access to the Green Room one of the places where guests, celebs and Graham Norton head to for drinks and food. But before that we both got pictures taken with Jeff Goldblum and I must say he is a very friendly very approachable person. Just a shame that the person taking the photo made it blurry, I guess I should have thought to use my actual camera. At least I got a picture with a legend.

 

 

I even got to say hi to Liam after the show. Though before leaving James and I needed to sign release form as we had appeared on camera and of course ITV/ Graham Norton show did not want to get sued by us, not that I would but there are people out there that do.

 

After filming it was a visit, like VIP visit to the Green Room, but before that I had the honour of meeting Jeff and getting a photo with him was the highlight to end the day (just a shame the guy taking the photo on my phone made it really blurry; note to self I should have used my normal camera). Headed into the Green Room, spoke to a few people and Graham came in and spoke to a few people. It got a bit hot at one point so my friend and I headed outside where some of the people who work for ITV and on the show were chatting. I had a blast today and I owe my friend a big thank you for such an awesome Sunday, normally I am pretty boring on that day so it was nice to shake it up a bit.

 

Made it back home just after midnight and prepped myself for getting up to go on a defibrillator training course as part of what I already know. Hopefully, I will still be awake later that morning given the fact I went to bed at 1am and got up at 5am.

 

 

More opportunities in the next couple of weeks so I am hoping the weather holds up for these.

 

Nunquam Deditioneum

Indie- to the New Year

Hi fellow Mediadreamzers

What a fun New Year I have had; I worked both New Years Eve and Day, first time ever to work the Day part but I was doing something that I love, so no complaining from me. One thing I have done is set myself a series of goals/ challenges for the year ahead. I say goals/ challenges and not Resolutions because I find, if anyone else does too that people say this a lot and then by February/ March they break them. Plus I find goals/ challenges has more weight as a word, I digress.

Before I share these the afternoon was filled with fun and excitement as a writer that I worked with a TV Pilot called ‘Jobseekers’ has opened up a film studio in Derby called of course ‘Indie Studios’. This is a studio where creative individuals can hire out space for their numerous projects and productions and a chance for people in this industry to network and for old friends to catch up. The studio is 20×20 metre offering 24/7 hire, free internet access, motion capture, soundproof room, green-screen, crash mats, dressing room, stunt scaffolding, restroom and showers, free parking, onsite support and more… So if anyone is interested then hunt them down on the net or FB.

2016 I am hoping to be a promising year both media and personally. I have decided to get back into the groove of Zumba and try my hand at fencing, not the painting kind but the one with epee, sabers and all that jazz. To try to get onto the property ladder in say a year to 18 months (granted I can’t achieve this this year but I can focus on this). Visit the Capital more, take a holiday abroad as I haven’t left the UK’s sunny shores in, wait for it, 11 years. Crazy as it may sound but my reason was because I did not think or feel like a deserved a holiday as I did not achieve much in the past and now I have so time to take a break.

Media wise its work-shadowing with Assistant producers, Editors and going out into the field more with camera crew, learning the art of Script-reading, doing more work as an extra and becoming an extra in the next Bond film whether this will happen this year or next I can’t say but again another one to focus on. Going to more networking events and expanding my media circle of contacts.

These are just some of the things I have planned for 2016 and later down the line. How many chapters will I write and memories will I create, who knows. Before I sign off on this post; belated Happy New Year to you all and I wish you the best for the year to come.

Nunquam Deditioneum

Festive Film Fever Round Two

Hey Mediadreamzers

What a crazy few days, work, gift wrapping and heading off to all sorts of Christmas parties and events. My latest was a Christmas dinner outing with people I know who work in different fields of Media; ranging from SFX (Basically blowing stuff up) to Production Managers who work on Game of Thrones. I’m jealous these guys have sat on the iron throne, I guess one can dream to work or be a part of G.O.T or something on those lines in the future.

One of the challenges I had was driving down the motorway in the lashing rain in a dress as long as the Effiel Tower and the battling to change my shoes into sky- scrappers when I arrived. It was both a catch-up and a laugh, and at one point the conversation shifted to talking about Cosplay and talking about events and films based on it whole phenomena effect on people. One of the guys at the dinner decided to look more into Cosplay and after searching Google images found what he was looking for and he came across one picture that according to him and everyone else at the table looked like me. After that it was compare each photo to me and at the end of it 27 photos out of a possible 100+ seemed to look like me. Funny old world.

Next Christmas gathering is soon to be happening but as I wait, I’m making my Media goals for next year, building food bank boxes at work and decanting my Christmas alcohol. Merry times, v.merry times.

Nunquam deditioneum

Memories make and mould

Hey again Mediadreamzers

I know its been an age or two since my last post, I have been having so much fun working with the media company I am with, in between my freelance work, (and looking at property to rent in the area) that I now have time to sit and take a deep relaxing sigh. I thought for a change I would sit and reminisce over the memories I have collected over the years thinking about the people I have worked with, and the productions I have been apart of.

One in particular came to mind, I forewarn you now this is one which, to date, I rank as the worst experience of my life. Lets just say if I organised an Oscars night the award for the worst memory would go to this one. For this post I will change the names slightly-Last year I worked on a production with a ‘company’ called McHipney productions and although I was with the for two weeks, it was the LONGEST two weeks of my life. The man in charge was called Puke, and I personally believe that he suffers from what I call the ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Jack-ass syndrome; he would be nice when first meeting you and then when you got to know him he would turn into a right control freak and nothing you did was ever good enough. I initially got involved as a production assistant and was offered the role of third AD, a small step, but a step in the right direction for moving forward. I was then offered the role of 2nd and I did not want to take on a role I had no knowledge or experience in. That’s the equivalent of getting a taxi driver to fly a plane= NO EXPERIENCE. After promises that I later discovered were empty (getting help, guidance the whole bag of tricks) I foolishly accepted the role and from my very first day I was in hell. With Puke I couldn’t do anything right, when I asked for help I got insulted, belittled and had to contend with his swearing, he even had the nerve to tell me that he had fired 9 people from the production and he turned round and said to me ‘I hope your not going to be the next person I fire, are you’. Yeah, that’s one sure way of inspiring someone and not trying to intimidate them. The plus side of working on the production from hell with McHipney was meeting and working with some really talented individuals, and working with people I had worked with before. Lets just say that he could make an entire convent of nuns to drink, drugs and crime with his attitude towards people, personally he needs a crash course in people skills rather than insulting everyone to the point of being blacklisted. One point to note in the present if this guy is such a wonderful actor/ director whey has he never appeared in anything made by the BBC, ITV, SKY or is any big feature films. Answer because he is and always will be a failure.

The crunch for me came the Friday of the second week where I had serious had had enough of being treated like dirt, sworn at, called stupid in not so many words and made to think each time I went into the office ‘What I am gonna get my chest twisted over about today’. That and my time with them had come to an end. Everything went pear-shaped when Puke’s partner reduced one of the people involved to tears, and then bitched about her behind her back and then started  trashing the work we had both put in on everything that needed to be done. The final straw for me was being made to feel like I was making mistakes when I was going under the guidance of Checca. Leaving the office that afternoon I thought long and hard and thought for my own sanity I need to pull out because if I didn’t I would either turn to drugs or drink in order to survive, and believe me folks it was the best decision I ever made. The reason I am writing about an experience that happened a long time ago is because of my last media job I got to catch up with a friend of mine who filled me in on the weeks filming took place and how promises he made and broke with paying crew, letting certain people leave at times they needed to go due to other important commitments and just general bullshitting from a man who dared call himself a producer and actor two things he is not. I filed these stories away with ones I had heard from 6 other people who worked on the production and how they were treated.  He is certainly a pre-Madonna (Oscar nomination there folks).   From what I gather everyone has come away with ‘unforgettable memories’ of their time of this project and I think we will all have agreed in our own way to never work with a twat.

This walk down memory lane certainly made me stronger and taught me to never let anyone like walk all over you. I have more positive memories that will make this dark blimp disintegrate in the fires of hell. I guess this moral of the post is you may have bad experiences in life, learn from them, never let anyone take you for a fool and make sure you get something in writing to cover your ass.

Looking forward to writing my next post very soon, who knows what it will be about

Nunquam Deditioneum

A Facebook post from a window view

Hi guys

This is a post following one I mentioned last year in October; I went to a stand up comedy show at pinewood studios and my friend Terry Bamber has now put his masterpiece onto DVD. To see the cover and the post, please copy and paste link or if possible click on it.

Also so if your interested message me and I can get one order for you.

still loving the dream of my media job and work.

 

 

All ‘Adrift in Soho’

Hi Mediadreamzers

I can now sit and share with you what I have been up to for the past three weeks, which involved traveling back and forth a lot. Why you may ask, and the answer is from working on a film not as a runner but as a 3rd Camera Assistant. It felt strange not being a runner as that is what my role has been on most shoots so it was nice to be working on a film with more responsibilities. The film ‘Adrift in Soho’ is a novel by Colin Wilson and the plot focuses on Five individuals from different backgrounds are brought together by chance to take one last look at a world that is about to collapse in front of their eyes.

During my first week it was a case of getting to know the crew and familiarising myself with the equipment, how to fill in camera reports for each days collected shots. Most of the filming ended late at night but I never noticed how fast time went until I looked at my watch.

The second week was something an interesting week; I was crew and I was asked at one point about an extra when we were filming in a bar for nearly 12 hours, so I was taken away by the costume department and dressed in 1950s clothes and was given a beret and a drink of flat ‘alcohol’. It felt strange that when I was not needed on set I was working and I sort of felt like I was out of my comfort zone, but was great fun.

The third and final week was pretty much the same thing going to a lot more locations and filming everything within a 12-13 hour days. Granted it was exhausting and I ended getting back to my accommodation near to 10-11pm it was so worth it. I did notice when I was helping out each day I was greeted by hugs and kisses from the camera team, the sparks and from the director too. I was just said when everything ended each week so quickly, I just hope that I get to work with everyone again the future. I am looking forward to the next film I am working on in Derby. I have also found a way of adding film credits to media productions I have worked on onto my IMDB page and it worked.

I think before I do anything else will be to catch up on some sleep before I start my next project.

Nunquam Deditioneum

Buzzing from Birmingham BBC

Hi Mediadreamzers

I have just got back having had to put up with a 45mins delay on getting back, despite that the amount of travel I do these days I should invest in a Bradshaw book going on the trains back and forth. My latest venture was to Birmingham, to the Mailbox for a course titled ‘Get Your Next Job in TV Drama’, I must say thank you to my friend William Gallagher for passing on the course details and letting me know about it. Once inside the Mailbox I was greeted by a large number in the entrance, some I struck up a conversation with before heading into the delegated area for the course introduction and the numerous courses.

Once at the venue, tea and coffee was on tap and individuals began talking to people, I got chatting to had recently come back from Milan, was a producer of daytime TV, mainly cooking programmes and was looking to get into Drama. Everyone took seats and were greeted by a panel of well distinguished individuals who have worked in the industry for many years. The host of the panel was Marvarine Cole who is now a presenter on QVC but was previously a presenter on BBC, ITV and SKY NEWS, who operated a Q&A to the individuals who either work for independent companies and BBC, and mentioning how Drama is really making its presence known in Birmingham. When the hour’s panel had finished we all separated to attend our chosen workshops, for me the first was ‘Moving on from a Runner’, this was delivered by a guy called Andy, who now works as a 1st AD, previously a 2nd, 3rd and runner. The beginning of the session was Andy presenting his background in media and why he chose to go down the route of media, and all of us saying what career we are working towards. Andy even shared stories of individuals making mistakes and that ending their media careers, something that many of us made notes on the dangers and factors to be aware of.

 

During the lunch break I and those who attend were networking as much as we all could before the next selection of workshops started. I came prepared with a so many business cards that I was handing them out like sweets, and many remarked on the design I ‘d gone for- Paul Smith stripes. Soon it was time to attend the next selection of workshops and I opted for Script Supervisor, where a lady called Lisa who shared her experiences and how she got her break in TV, and how from there on she has worked on a multitude of productions ranging from ‘Death in Paradise’, ‘Midsomer Murders’ (a programme I love watching on repeat), ‘Hustle’ to ‘Minder’ ‘Father Brown’ and many more. We were shown a series of examples and templates of the documents a Script Supervisor uses when preparing for a TV series, and I must say it is A LOT of paperwork. One topic that Lisa made us all aware of was continuity where the script matches what is on presented on the screen from start to finish. To emphasis this we were all shown a series of clips from films where there mistakes; I have never stared at a TV screen so hard in my life in order to see and discover flaws, something I will be doing in the future. Soon that session ended and it was time for another break and more chatting before going onto the third and final class- Networking face to face and online and addressing the fears and myths; one exercise involved the room being split into two and one side saying why networking is bad and why is is good and answering simple questions, studying pictures and just giving our overall opinions on networking as a whole. From the set up of the room this was a masterclass that practically everyone wanted to attend and get as much insight into the best methods, approaches and results gained at the end.

 

The final part of the day was a closing Q&A session titled ‘Making great Drama in the Midlands’, delivered by Jamie Glazebrook who is the Executive Producer on the second series of ‘Peaky Blinders’. The questions were asked by the Marvarine who opened the event it felt appropriate that she should close it, with a combination of clips from the series and a preview of the next episode. It was then time for us to let our hair down and have drinks and continue to network, something I did for a short time as I had to dash to catch my train. I came away with a lot of useful advice, tips and information which I will be acting in the next couple of days. I was glad to have had a chance to speak to the guest panel of media representatives all except Will who had to leave during the lunch break because of a media meeting.

 

My next event all being well will be the 5th November and I am looking forward to the fact I will be catching up with a media friend/ contact I have known for 4 years. That combined with media activities in between.

 

Nunquam Deditioneum

And the BAFTA goes to…. oh, I get so nervous at these things

Hi Fellow Mediadreamz readers

I have had the best weekend of my life to date, so far, and of course the title of my latest posting speaks volumes so loud I think life on another planet would hear it. Saturday marked the day where the cast and crew of ‘Jobseekers’ took a trip to the capital, to a really cool place, address 195 Piccadilly Circus. A group of us; Lee Dilley, Hayley Dilley, Paul Farrell, Sophie Elizabeth Black, Ciall Kennett, Tina Harris, Jason Parrish, Jade Hunter and a few other people got in a minibus and headed to the venue. And from the pictures at the beginning you can see what happened, and our pit stop and the really cool picture I took of Sophie’s Krespy Kreme doughnut.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst traveling down we all played a game similar to catchphrase say what you see and at times it was really hard, but it got us all laughing and in the mood for the event. Sooner than expected we were passing Brent Cross and heading round roundabouts and down routes that looked very familiar; we even headed down a really swanky street that got us all laughing and joking to the point where we were saying ‘this street is so posh, it has its own tress’, and from there we were finding new features to add to the sentence. And of course, it would not be London without going past London Zoo and down a few of the famous streets (ironically I  said I wonder whether we would be going down or past Savile Row, and of course we did and we saw a lot of people in London wearing really cool hats some of us counted 6 people).

 

 

 

 

 

We got out and eventually we were outside the BAFTA House, and it surprised me a little, in that it reminded me of the Tardis; small on the outside and enormous inside. Whilst we waited outside other cast and crew for Jobseekers arrived, as did some of the cast and crew for the other production that was being showcased called ‘The Wolds’. The doors opened and once inside we took pictures of the BAFTA  head mounted on the walls, and then entered the theatre where the screening was to take place. I notice in the theatre that on some of the backs of the chairs are bestowed to famous actors and well known individuals/ companies. ‘Jobseekers’ was shown first, after Lee did a great introduction before it was shown on the great big screen, and it got all the laughs in all the right places and there was a lot of laughing from ‘The Wolds’  cast and crew. Before ‘The Wolds’ was shown Gary, Sean and another individual gave a few words about the programme and how it was made, the ideas and the cast too. The way I interpreted the layout was a cross between Benny Hill and Little Britain, one sketch made me laugh; a woman goes to knock on someones front door and it is answered by a goth with a tropical snake around the person neck, making the woman who had knocked on the door scream and pass out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the screening, we all wondered round drinking and networking with people, one of the guys who helped out on ‘The Wolds’ production, mention that he has appeared in ‘The Mummy’ and various other films like ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’. I gave him one of my business cards and made it my mission on Sunday to find him and add him as a contact (I later learned that he knows a good friend of mine Terry B). Before leaving there was an queue so long it could have been to Congo line, people waiting to have their picture taken against the enormous BAFTA statues and here is the fun that we all had, and soon it was time to leave as BAFTA was closing up, so we headed up to Hanover Street to one of the pubs where the majority of the party had a drink and chilled out. One thing I remember seeing was a Blush bus for hen parties or any party people would want to host, that along with a limo and hummer, never dull in London. We left at 10pm, stopped to stretch out legs at about 11.30am and made it back to Derby at 1am, I was gonna take a selfie of me being exhausted, but had not energy. All I could do in the build up to going to the capital was to get my Facebook friends and followers to see if they could guess as to where I and the rest of the group were going.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a brilliant night and although I only got 4 hours sleep it was so worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journey to the centre of ‘The Journeyman’

What a Valentine’s Day, despite the constant downpour of rain and weather befitting that in a natural disaster film. This didn’t stop me from going to Derby to help out on a local film of a friend of mine. The scenes that were being captured was that in a boxing ring/ gym scene. I was surprised by the fact that I got there without any delays on the roads, and after meeting everyone else we took the equipment in and set everything up. One thing that was very important to do; make the T & C’s for everyone. Once everything was set up we were greeted by Andy Potter from BBC Radio Derby who spoke to Lloyd and some of the other actors featuring in the film. I did get a chance to speak to Andy who gave me his contact details and offering me the chance to go to Radio Derby to work shadow, which I am looking into accepting the offer to do.

One thing I was responsible for was using the clapper board, and marking the shots for each scene, and then the best words were shouted ‘Action!’. Luckily the sound wasn’t affected by the rain hammering the roof of the gym, though the rain would have been better to use as imitation sweat rather than a spray bottle. Eventually the scenes were shot and was time to go, as far as I am aware there will be feature film dates in the next two months and hopefully I can get involved in with that too.

So it was nice to do something productive to do something different on Valentines Day, though one thing that I am trying to figure out is the Valentine Day card I received. I have no idea who so there is some mystery that is surrounding me at the moment, that and waiting for film dates for another production I am hoping to get involved in the final week of February. So these are my upcoming journeys and I look forward to completing them, though I look forward to going to BBC Radio Derby soon too.