We didn’t even know GRID had been nominated for the Midland Movie Awards, but it was a thrill to hear that not only was the film up for BEST ACTRESS to accompany the wonderful Charlie Clarke’s amazing perfrmance as Angie Wordsworth, but that she ultimately took the award home and WON!
So many congratulations to Charlie, who is a wonderful, magical and inspiring actress and I’m so very glad that she has been recognised for the role she brought to life more than I ever could have dreamed!
This week has been quite a frantic one! I’ve always said a writer/filmmaker’s head is like busy rush hour traffic, with cars, lorries and vans all screeching past one another, horns beeping, city sounds thumping around and almost complete chaos, but the traffic regulations help bring some sense of order!
With filmmaking/writing, It’s the same thing. You have ideas racing about, some going faster than others, all jostling to be heard and seen, while the background sounds of life can be heard, sometimes also thumping as they need attention too.
You can imagine that this week, what with still directing/producing a feature film, and finding time to sleep, as well as look after half the cast who are ‘crashing’ at my house on all floors and levels has been quite an adventure! So while it has been hectic as well to try and cram in some writing, especially on a script that needs to be at least 20 pages in length, it’s been bloody amazing to start it too! Suppose it’s a bloody good job I enjoy it all then!
Despite not being able to get a full first draft complete for the next session, I spent a lot more time the week after (and once another week of filming had completed), to get a first draft complete! I got to about 16 pages in the end, but I was happy. The first draft of any script is what I call “preachy”, because my brain races along with lots of ideas, lots of dialogue, lots of actions and themes you are desperate to not forget to write down on page (or celtx!). I find this happens alot to me, like that rush hour traffic analogy, ideas screaming to be heard as they drive fast quickly, so you have to listen out and hope you hear what they say before they disappear off into the distance. Which is why I refer to a first draft as preachy, because all this dialogue, all this exposition is there, lots of fluff, that you can begin to wittle down in future drafts.
But I put it all into a first draft because I’m terrified I’ll lose it. So typos reign supreme, because my brain is working faster than my typing fingers, and characters have different names, while scenarios sometimes don’t work as well as they hopefully will in future revisions.
Feedback wise from my tutor is his identification that my writing is very novel based at times, and I agree. My past experience of writing a script is from the provision that I usually end up directing them myself, and I keep a lot in there siimply so I don’ forget it on the shoot (remember that crazy flowing traffic!). And with this being a spec script I do look forward to trying to minimise the descriptive nature so that it plays less like the novel, and more a shot by shot rendition. More emphasis on the shots and what is on screen…as well as fixing some of those bleeding’ typos!
In my defence of being quite descriptive, and having read lots of scripts, it is fascinating to see how different writers approach their work. If you look at the likes of Remains of The Day, an Academy Award Winning script, the content and actions are very minimal! It’s frightning actually! And yet, an early draft Doctor Who script by Steven Moffat is so very detailed, and every part that is written eventually ends up on screen! Marvellous comparisons! And one actor once remarked that he loved how detailed my scripts were, because as an actor, he felt confident that I had a vision, and he didn’t have to ask any questions about the character they were playing because all the answers were there on the page in front of him.
In the lesson we looked through the script and the ideas (it is very rough, what I call the preachy stage where you throw everything at the kitchen wall so to speak in terms of dialogue, ideas, settings, themes (because as I’ve mentioned before, my brain runs faster than I type, so I don’t want to forget anything). There were some good suggestions from everyone which I took on board and made a note of. Some were the following;
Scriptwriting is a fickle old thing! But I love every part of it, and this project is so very exciting to me! And I cannot wait to try and tackle the suggestions and ideas given to me….
….oh and this first draft takes place over one day. Just under an hour, to help increase the tension, the ticking down of the clock.
But what about if I spread it over three-four days? As suggested by my tutor. Challenge accepted! I really enjoyed the feedback and it has helped immensely with how I approach the 2nd draft. This is the big change in structure I want to play about with and will be the biggest revision for the 2nd draft. And I’m really looking forward to that and how I can play about with the dynamics more so for the characters and their stories.
See you on the other side of draft 2 and it’s massive restructure!
And here are the shows below for you to listen back to! Thanks so very much again to Jason and WCR radio for wanting to do the show live from our location as well as highlighting the film to those around the West Midlands further!
Enjoy!
PART 1 – http://podcast.canstream.co.uk/wcrfm/index.php?id=18571
PART 2 – http://podcast.canstream.co.uk/wcrfm/index.php?id=18572
Throughout the last week I’ve spent a lot of time reading up on Willem Ardoneus, again as before, trying to get a idea of the man himself, what he was like, his hope’s, ideals, dreams even. I feel I have to take precious time to do this before I fully commit to a first draft of script (not that I haven’t been writing down little nuggets of dialogue and scenarios and getting an overall narrative structure together in my mind), but with this being a real person, I owe it to him, to take time to craft as realistic a portrayal I can through my own words with this project, as well as feeling the need to him justice as a lost seemingly unknown importznt figure in LGBTQ history.
I have been reading through more websites on the subject, while I also purchased a book through Amazon entitled Who’s Who In Gay & Lesbian History (Edts Robert Aldrich & Garry Wotherspoon), which also has a small segment on Willem (scanned below)
I found the above to be quite informative, and helped me almost reconfigure the specifics in my narrative (how he was a painter, where he had been living further, but more on that in the next blog entry with the first OUTLINE), while some complemented the research I had already been gathering (another part of me was fuming I’d spent out dosh on the bloody book, when I could have got the information scanned above from googel books website! Bloody captialism!).
I have also found some more pictures of Willem, which for a writer can be a blessing as well as a curse. This is because, if you have an image of a real person in your head, you are almost bound by that appearance and subsconciously you begin writing around that image (or set of them), instead of employing your own vision, even though the two are wrapped around each other ironically at the same time. It is a weird feeling. But I’m finding I have to be very delicate with my ideas here at the same time thus, becauseby seeing images of the man himself, of Willem, that duty of care shines through, and makes me determined even more to get this story, his story right. And to expose it to as many an audience as I can.
Finally these images also do one other positive thing. Yes, as I mentioned, that do form a grip/set of constraints around your own vision, but at the same time, I’m also seeing different mannerisms and looks for Willem. You almost begin to project what you think he is thinking in each of these pictures; pride, happiness, maybe even determination, all these based on the conditions in each picture, his clothing, his hair styles, his location (is he poor in one picture? Why is happy more so in other pitcures?). And these are equally as important to me, because I can use those questions and my own projections on him to write his story in my short script.
(Pic 1 – Where is he? A sense of poverty? Yet still a hint of pride in difficult circumstances).
Pic 2 – Reflective? A hint of sadness, of looking forward to an uncertain future?
Pic 3 – Among friends. Happier times. Socialising.
Pic 4 – His clothes here are in direct opposition to picture 1. A wedding. A grand social occasion?)
Looking at these photos of him remind me that his life was a sad one, and it wasn’t overall happy. I’m sure he had moments of pure joy (which I will attempt to incorporate into the script as well, to give a balance to proceedings), but I’m forced to think back to a quote by writer Russell T. Davies in this context.
“Drama’s not safe and it’s not pretty and it’s not kind…You’ve got to do big moral choices and show the terrible things people do in terrible situations. Drama is failing if it doesn’t do that”. Russell T. Davies
I completely agree with him. I want this story to be raw, I want people to expect a happy ending. I want them to have to confront basic harsh, uncomfortable truths, and real history. To understand the turbulent circumstances that we eventually find him in, and how we can further relate them to modern societal indifferences/themes that are still in the world. Maybe this can help audiences realise the importance of not only Willem, but also his story and why it needs to be told.
Mostly, I want people to really meet Willem. And perhaps for the first time in their lives too. I hope I can do that most of all.
Jason Forrest is a fantastic supporter of not only us making Sustain but also House of Screaming Death/Checking In and all the other wonderful projects we’ve been working on and before we hit our 6 day shoot schedule, he asked if I’d be ok talking a bit more about the film with him.
So here you go folks. Thanks again Jason!
Last week I began researching the life if Willem Arondeus, and it is fascinating and helping me immensely with an idea for not only my university script, but also something I want to direct later this year! I always love writing a script, and pursuing an idea when in my head the visuals, the angles, the set design and lighting come to life in the old brain!
The mise-en-scene was exciting me throughout writing this script, which personally drives me further with the idea and my writing. As I’ve mentioned before (like with GRID), I have to research as much as I can about an idea/person/event first and foremost and at times it can be a little fristrating because I’m so eager to begin writing immediately, but I have to restrain my excitment so that I can craft a story (especially with such a true story in this case), so that the final script after may drafts is a narrative that functions, as well as pays respect to lives that were real at a particular moment in time.
With this in mind, I have been looking online for articles about Willem, so I can try and discover who he was, what he did, how he lived his life, who were his friends, what important life events happened that I can potentially try and include in my own script to dramatise and create sympathy fo the character more so as well as further his ideals.
One of the first websites I discovered was the US Holocaust Memorial Museum – which while brief, does allow for a reader to get an initial insight into the man himself as well as provide a photograph of him.
Things to consider from the article that I can try and deem worthy of inclusion within the script as well as providing ideas for narrative
1 of 6 children – can this allow him to show remorse for his actions?
Grew up in Amsterdam – allows for the story to unfold out over more locations?
Left home at 17 after coming out to his parents – again, does this impact on him emtoionally? Does he regret this? Does he miss his parents? Would he want to see them one last time, explains his confession?
He began writing and painting – does he talk about this? Did he enjoy it?
1933-39: Willem met Jan , the son of a greengrocer, and they lived together for the next seven years – this is important to use, about how they broke up, the conflict between Willem-between fighting and resisting Nazi’s and for love
They were poor together, Willem a struggling painter but refused to go on welfare – this is important, again, reaffirms his commitment to cause, his ideals but allows me to play with his emotions, how he lost Jan through it, or did he tell Jan to go to protect him?
1940-44: The Germans invaded the Netherlands in May 1940. Soon after the occupation, Willem joined the resistance. His unit’s main task was to falsify identity papers for Dutch Jews. On March 27, 1943, Willem’s unit attacked the Amsterdam registry building and set it on fire in an attempt to destroy records against which false identity papers could be checked. Thousands of files were destroyed – again this needs referenced, it reinforces how brave he is and how committed to his ideals he was – how he is not scared of death in this present situation within the script’s narrative and maybe why he feels this need to confess/tell his story – that he is proud.
Five days later the unit was betrayed and arrested. That July, Willem and 11 others were executed. – Always a countdown in the story to occur within the script, time is running out for instance. This creates tension and hopefully allows an audience to anticpate what will happen next.
Before his execution, Willem asked a friend to testify after the war that “homosexuals are not cowards.” Only in the 1980s did the Dutch government posthumously award Willem a medal – The overall message here, who was Willem, how brave he was, and how important he is.
This website has given me food for thought now and allows me to go forward slightly with Willem, while exploring other facts, but the above allows me to begin to structure a cohesive narrative to employ. And I’m looking very much forward to writing the script even more now!
So, some of you know and some of you may not, but since last September I have been studying for my MA in Film Studies at Wolverhampton University, and I’m enjoying it immensely. To be talking film back in academic settings is something I have missed for a few years now, and the opportunity to get funding for the MA coming up last year helped intensify my encouragement to go for it, like I’d been planning to for a few years now, just not being able to afford it.
Which brings me to this blog entry. This semester, I am taking part in the Scriptwriting module, a course that is very close to my heart already what with my love of writing, so when this was offered I jumped at the chance! So every now and again, on here, if you see MA Scriptwriting as a title, feel free to have a nose, but they are to help form part of an ongoing portfolio I guess you could say, for the coursework, which requires me to show my workings, my techniques as well as reflections on writing a script for submission in May time.
So, we started around two weeks ago, and I must admit, my brain has been a bit empty of late, as I’ve been doing some interviews about GRID, filming SUSTAIN, as well as working on post-production for SCREAMING DEATH – all of which are keeping it focused and mildly chaotic. But I’m always on the look out still for those small stories, the ones that are rarely seen, or even heard of, yet when I see them, they immediately jump out at me and my mind is immediately swarming with mental images of how a scene can play out, who could play a specific role, as well as what the conflicts could be (there’s always more than one, where would the fun be else!?). And this moment kind of happened to me the other day.
I stumbled across this article through a facebook group I’m part of, and when I read it I was taken aback by it. Because not only do the themes of being gay speak to me, but how brave this person was, and yet how scared he must have been at the same time.
Willem Arondeus demonstrates the best of the human spirit in my eyes. He isn’t well known, his story has never been made into a film (why on earth not doesn’t really surprise me, Hollywood is not known for making that many films featuring a gay male lead in a blockbuster that could rival the likes of similar WWII biopics like Schindler’s List), and yet his life was purposeful. He quite possibly saved a few hundreds of people, maybe even more. He was also openly Gay and fought against not only Nazi occupation, but personal prejudice, and in a modern world where the US Government is openly causing segregation against communities of people, I feel this time is perhaps the best context for Willem’s story to be told.
Working Title: WILLEM
It is July 1st 1943. In a confined prison cell, Willem Arondeus, a Dutch resistance fighter, has been convicted of blowing up a building that held records kept by the Nazi’s of Netherland citizens, in an attempt to fight back against the ever growing rise of fascism.
As Willem sits alone in the cell, he is accompanied by a lone Nazi officer, who has been tasked to watch him, to make sure he doesn’t escape. As time seemingly counts down to some unspoken event, Willem decides to confide in this enemy, and reveals not only his homosexuality, but also recalls some of his most treasured moments from his life, as well as recounting the events of the bombing to justify his actions.
As Willem retraces everything about his life that was good, even those stemming from his open homosexuality, the guard suddenly comes over to him and places a kiss on his lips, revealing his own sexual insecurities that can never be realised. As the moment passes, the guard asks if Willem has one last request. He replies by handing the guard a piece of paper addressed to his lawyer, that simply states ‘Homosexuals are not cowards’.
As the guard suddenly pulls away for fear of being caught kissing his prisoner, more guards enter the room, take Willem outside and we hear a firing squad take his life, leaving the young Nazi officer with the message inside the cell still.
After writing the above outline, I am very much more overcome by the possibilities that this short eventual script could achieve, through more dialogue, the idea of time running out, yet all the while Willem (seen right), never waivers, or loses hope. He had accepted his fate and stands defiant, against the Nazis and those who would attempt to oppress his life choices.
I also like the symbolism as well, that Willem is taken outside of his confinement, to defiantly stand in the face of death without ever compromising himself or his belifes under a blue sky perhaps (although we do not see the actual shooting, just hear it), while the closested Nazi officer remains in the cell, forever imprisoned by his sexuality.
Already I want to write and direct this film!
This past weekend, production on SUSTAIN resumed as we all descended on the next major location, The Penn Cricket Club in Wolverhampton, which would double for our local Pub in the film.
Again, an early start was upon us, and after piling up the cars with equipment and persons, we arrived just before 10am, with everyone getting use to the location, and immediately getting ready to set up, ready to start filming by 11am. It was the first time Jay Podmore had met everyone else on the cast too, and so myself and Kaushy took the opportunity to get him and our McKenzie lads into some photos to develop as posters at a later date! Their chemistry was immediately apparent too, and they got really stuck intot he characters. I’m so glad we have those three guys! They’re perfect baddies!
The location on Saturday had a major part to play in the film, as the scenes were all from the opening pages of the script, which are set on New Year’s Eve, as people are celebrating. But before all that, we needed to film the first crucial and very violent scene involving Toby Flank (Joshua Sewell), against Kevin McKenzie (Rich Buck), Roy McKenzie (Matthew Kisnson) and Chad Canton (Jay Podmore). All of these guys were just amazing, and the scenes we got on film are especially chilling as they torment the young Toby and toy with him on a brutal psyhcological scale, that not only foreshadows even more disturbing events later in the script, but demonstrates the innocence of Toby, while highlighting just how evil the three guys are. This of course sets the tone for the remainder of the film, and I cannot wait to see how the scene comes out in the edit. Of course, also appearing in the scene is the fantastic Ernest Vernon, as Carl the landlord (who we met in one of our first minisode trailers last year), and he is just marvellous and it is always a pleasure to have him in a film, and seeing him work!
We also had great fun working with the stunts, which were performed under the watchful eye of Matt, who is also our stunt co-ordinator, and again, they all really gave it 110%, with people bouncing off walls (with protective padding of course!), and really giving the scene some dramatic and effective action beats!
While this initial scene overran by 80 minutes (whoops), we broke for lunch and then immediately began getting ready to film the NYE party scene, but in reverse order, concentrating on the McKenzies’ arrival at the bar, while the party is in full swing. At this point the location was full of extras, and as the director, I was just so thankful for all their efforts here, makignthe place look busy, while LJ, our wonderful production designer had done the place up all festive! Again, myself and DOP Joshua Baggott went through the shot list beforehand and planned how we were going to approach this.
Unfortunately, the delay from the first scene now had a knock on effect, and the scene between the two brothers Toby and Kieran (Brett Dewsbury), has had to be pushed to another future day, as we had to finish off the NYE celebrations and get the dialogue between all the friends inside around the table, drinking. But, I’m glad this happened, because I really wouldn’t want to have rushed the aforementioned scene, because it is a very important moment, that presents an emotional moment in the brothers’ relationship and I want to spend quite a bit of time on it to make it is as great as it can be.
We wrapped up on time, and got people home safely. And then Sunday arrived, and we were treated to a misty morning, which was perfect for us, as we were now focusing on a later scene in the script, a downhearted and grim one, that this weather accompanied in tone and style very well. As this scene played on (and we had a few bloopers along the way too!), we get to reveal a bit more insight into some of our supporting characters including Kara Marshdale (the stunning Laura Evenson), and her previous relationship to the McKenzie brothers (it’s not a nice one, I can assure you!), as well as highlighting conflict between Kieran (you’re still being brill Brett!) and DI Bridge (played by the wonderful Greg Yates). The scene played so very well and I was delighted by the three actors’ performances. All very real.
We then moved onto another later scene between Kieran and his best friend Grant (Tom Loone), and again, the acting between the pair was top notch. It was a pleasure to direct them both, and the scene is bittersweet in tone too, which I really wanted to capture between these two people who have known each other for many years. That was what I really wanted to explore again with SUSTAIN, the ripple effect, that a crime, or any horrific event not only has emotional consequences for the main characters, but even those around them, who they bounce off for support. This is a very important theme for me to eplore within the film (even for our bad guys!), and I hope this scene and many more will show this.
Our final shoot meant we had to relocate to the Fixxon Nightclub in Wolverhampton City Centre itself, for a scene with Kieran at his lowest, and drinking hard. We had extras again, and the shot list was in place, and despite being schedled to finish for 10pm, we were done by 9.15pm. It is amazing what camera angles can acheive, and I’m continually amazed by filmmaking, and all the magic it holds in its grasp, as we made a small number of extras into a crowded nightclub. This scene continues into next weekend’s shoot and I really cant wait to see how they merge.
After dropping everyone home, I was knackered, but received one more surprise from Sam our editor, who had quickly cut some of the nightclub footage together and it looked fantastic and with a temp club score on, worked better than I could ever imagined! What a wonderful way to cap off a fantastic weekend!
I love working with my ever expanding SUSTAIN family!
The saga continues!
Ok, maybe a tad dramatic! But it was still continuing as we decended on our next day of filming (only one day that weekend!), in Cannock at our good friend Tony Brown’s flat, which was doubling for Kara Marshdale’s home.
Again, we picked everyone up, and got to the location at 9.30am, ready to begin asap really, and by 10.15am, we were all ready for our first scene to be shot, which actually forms part of one of our film’s montage sequences (I’m never writing any ever, ever, ever again!), and features Kara walking home one grey misty morning, as the battlelines are being drawn between Kieran Flank and Kevin McKenzie. This was a great outside scene as it meant we got to play around with our new DOLLY TRACK! My Grandad had adjusted and manipulated one that could roll across a track instead of relying on just wheels against a lot of uneven surfaces and as we readied the shot, with some anticpation, to our delight it worked wonderfully! As we went inside, Sam quickly ran the dolly shot through Final Cut and stablised a few parts of it (since we are filming in 4k, and editing in 2k, it allows us a little wiggle room within the frame/composition which is great), and it worked a treat, very atmospheric!
We then moved onto the next scene which required a quick cameo from Greg Yates as DI Bridge, who comes to Kara’s door, and that was pretty much it (a shot inspired by the exorcist no less!). A quick filming spot (part of more montage shots!).
After this, we began to run through all the scenes we needed at Kara’s flat throughout the day, meaning continuity had to be red hot, since scenes we are filming later on in the shoot lead either directly into these scenes here, or take place after it, so photos were taken all through the day to make sure we had good reference points!
One of the fun parts of the shoot, was getting a shot I’ve been wanting for ages, very early into the pre-production process all those months ago actually. I’ve noticed I do this a lot as a director, and that it revolves around my fascination with the number 3, which I think stems from JAWS strangely, as Spielberg once remarked on his desire to always play around with framing a trio of characters in his films (in this instance, Brody, Quint and Hooper on the Orca during the final act). This trinity allowed him to present the action in that film with some wonderful compositions, which have maybe subsconciously stayed with me over the years. It’s also interesting how like Spielberg, I like to present characters in a line up fashion, but at a slight angle, populating the frame almost like a queue of people, and reflecting their importance on proceedings in that moment.
As you may notice then above, while we were filming the first scene only last week, and even through behind the scene shots too, I am still playing around with this notion of three, and in the above, I specifically wanted Kieran at the back, Jayne in the middle and Toby in the foreground, to show, that Jayne watches over Toby, while her other son, Kieran, she does not take as much interest in, and leaves him behind, despite the smiles. It also shows a wedge in the family, and that despite this, the brothers are still close despite it and function around the conflict, and which draws out/emphasises the themes of the narrative even more I hope.
As well as this, is another Spielberg technique I have been actively pursuing in the past and we really managed a good attempt from today’s shoot. In his films (such as Amistad below), a character will approach the camera to be framed in a closeup, even though there are still characters/items of importance evident in the background.
With this idea in mind, I hope you will appreciate the first ever official still released from SUSTAIN, seen below, which not resembles the Spielberg trait above, but also runs with the theme of three furthermore; Kieran Flank (the always excellent Brett), in the foreground, Kara Marshdale (the stunning Laura Evenson), in the background, and then the prop board beautifully designed by LJ, our production designer, which then can be seen as the third part of this line of factors seen in the shot and notes their importance in this moment.
Or you can call it the Justice League shot, as we did too!
But overall, the shoot went fantastic, and our actors were just stunning as always. There were scenes that required a lot of drama, long conversation as well as thoughtful moments and they all pulled it off beautifully. Our crew were equally as fantastic, working exceptionally well to get all these stunning shots you will see in the final film, and we cannot wait to show you more!
See you all again soon!
Go Micky! Always lovely to have you on set!
(Sustain (2017) promotional poster)
A fellow student on my course posted a couple of weeks a go about needing help for a new feature film coming out titled ‘Sustain’ the new film from Midlands Director David Hastings & Producers Troy Dennison and Keiran Bowers (Checking In, Brink, The House of Screaming Death). A Birmingham crew with amazing talent and even more amazing personalities.
On January 14th I was fortunate enough to be picked as Sound Assistant and start my first full day on a real film set. I have been to 3 shoots already lasting 12 hours each. I’ve learnt so much already from these first few days, about sound, about cinematography and editing. Director David is truly an inspirational man with a lot of experience under his belt and his crew have been so welcoming and informative with any questions I have.
(A slightly awkward shot of me with…
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