SOUTHBANK UNSEEN March 18, 2011
On the film side of things there’s a project that I’m extremely excited about which is called, “SOUTHBANK UNSEEN“. It’s going to be a collection of short films from the perspective on different people along the Southbank and in tandem it’ll be getting scientific advise from top neuroscientist Geraint Rees. As most of you know one of the jobs I do is that of Film Festival Distribution and it’s a job I thoroughly enjoy. I scout out different festivals all over the world and submit my client’s films into festivals whilst building up dialogues with the programmers and coordinators. I’ve been specifically asked to be involved with this project in that capacity, but I’m also taking on the role of Publicist. What captured my interest about this project is the amazing amounts of how interactive it can be. The approaches to getting it to an audience are limitless because of the variety of the films.
Collectively SOUTHBANK UNSEEN can be marketed as an entire project meaning that they could be entered in to festivals worldwide. There are a higher concentrate of experimental festivals that are art-led and explore installation territory abroad which means we’ll have an ever increasing audience across the board. There are genre specific festivals that call out for documentaries such as DOXA Documentary Film Festival (Canada), One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival (Prague), Sundance Film Festival (USA), Edinburgh International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival (USA), London International Documentary Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest, the list goes on. All of these are established festivals with opportunities for further distribution that can add more interest to the project and propel it further. This is my job.
SOUTHBANK UNSEEN TEAM
SOUTHBANK UNSEEN brings together an amazing team, who are all working for the love:
Deva Palmier an award winning filmmaker, directing.
Fionn Groegor an excellent production manager, producing.
Jes Benstock an award winning filmmaker, co-producing.
Prof. Geraint Rees a world renowned neuroscientist, our scientific adviser.
Karoline Moser an outstanding editor and head of Editing at the Met Film School, editing.
Julian Stewart Lindsay an outstanding composer, who has worked with the best, composing.
Alastair Sirkett a top sound editor, designing the sound.
Marianne Agertoft a top costume designer, taking care of the costumes.
Katie McCullough who is amazing at publicising projects and clued up on international festivals, is publicist.
Nick Ward who has worked on numerous London Consortium TV shoots will be working in the crew.
London Consortium TV are offering to crew the shoot with students and provide the second camera and sound equipment.
The project has so many fantastic people attached and I’m excited for the outcome. Unfortunately (as most people are encountering right now) we had our funding application rejected. With so many brilliantly qualified people involved and everyone passionate about the idea, we were disheartened. But we’ve decided to go ahead and make the films regardless, just on a lot smaller budget than planned. We’re asking for a very small sum of money to be raised via IndieGoGo to cover catering, travel expenses, insurance .etc. The details that people forget are vital to any film shoot. We’ve been lucky enough to get equipment and editing facilities given to us free of charge, now it’s just tying up the loose ends so the project can run as smoothly as we’d like.
For those new to IndieGoGo it’s a donation site that’s international. Similar to WeFund that Box Of Tricks used for Word:Play4, but with this site the total doesn’t have to be reached for the donations to reach the project. There are particular donation amounts which will provide you with either credits, DVDs, private screenings and other quirks. This really is a project that I am excited about, because we’re making it because we want to. We’ve already secured our premiere to be at the BFI as part of the Mayor’s Thames Festival and to have the film screened on the exterior wall of the Southbank Centre and on top of that are in talks for other innovative ways to screen around the Southbank. We’re all invested and more importantly we have an audience already. I can’t divulge the finer details as yet, but when I can it’ll be electric! Please spare what you can, be it £5 up to whatever. Be a part of the collaborative process and help the arts at the same time. It’ll make us happy, you feel good and an audience appreciative of being able to see the finished product. Please share with those that might be able to help.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE AT INDIEGOGO
Simone March 16, 2011
I’ve been working away on another project with talented illustrator, Natka The Great which is ongoing (you’ll see why in a moment). We’ve stumbled upon this engaging project which is akin to the writing game, ‘Consequences‘. I started the ball rolling with writing a short piece of flash fiction which in turn Natka added the next part of the story with visuals. Then she would draw the next segment and I would write the next piece of story…. And so on. We give each other no guidance or heads up about what we want to include, we literally just naturally take the story on a mini adventure each time and so far the results are exciting.
What’s more, it keeps up creatively stimulated. They’re quick flashes of something that are part of a bigger project. The one thing we’ve decided to do is a) keep doing one piece of text and accompanying illustration a month and b) keep it in line with one character. So what we’re doing is giving the viewer/reader one person to follow.
And that is Simone.
We previewed the first two month’s worth of work at Interrobang earlier this month and we got great feedback. It was quite breathtaking seeing them blown up bigger and hung with the text, I was really proud of what we’ve achieved so far. The idea is that we’ll keep returning to Interrobang as the collection progresses so regulars can follow the story. Also we’ll be aiming to hang them as an exhibition once the collection is complete at the end of the year.
Click here for the first two installments…
Blackshaw New Writing Night March 15, 2011
This is the rescheduled date for my short piece that’s receiving a rehearsed reading. The piece is called, ‘That’s What Christmas Means To Me‘ and is going to be read by Raymond Coker and Carole Street, they’ll be directed by Nadia Papachronopoulou.
Blackshaw Social Club are proud to present our third monthly New Writing Night! Head to the Horse, grab a gin (other beverages are available), colonise a comfy sofa and…
…watch! – another outstanding selection of rehearsed play readings, poetry and comedy.
…take part! – help the writers, actors and directors get the feedback they need. Jot down your thoughts, chat to our roving reporters, tweet at us, or chat to the artists in the bar afterwards.
…don’t worry that it’s a school night! – we run a tight ship; if you like, you can be on your way home around 9pm.
This month’s line-up:
Poetry by Prudence Chamberlain
‘So Lonesome I Could Cry’ by Gareth Brown
Extract from ‘Princess’ by Melody Parker
‘That’s What Christmas Means To Me’ by Katie McCullough
Entry: £4.00
Come down and have a gin. I’ll be there. With gin. And throughout the night the audience is encouraged to give feedback to the pieces so it’s a real experience.
SELLOUT! March 14, 2011
And breathe. It’s been a hectic last couple of weeks with rehearsals and performances and SELLOUTS and MORE sellouts. Five sellouts each five nights it was performed. Forgive me if I feel inwardly proud and outwardly smug! (Obviously I have no control over making it a sellout, but those of you who I pestered to come helped do that, so thanks.) It’s been a fantastic experience from start to finish. Adam and Hannah who run Box Of Tricks are dedicated to promoting and nurturing new writing and it’s a fantastic showcase not only for the playwrights commissioned, but the actors involved (many doubled up parts).
What I found humbling about this experience is the genuine responses from the audience. I knew a few people who were going who were friends and family, but there were a whole load of other people. That no one knew. What I refer to as ‘proper punters‘. Those who had chanced seeing the production, someone who had read or heard about it. And they were extremely vocal about how much they enjoyed it. It’s extremely bizarre to be in a position where you can hear people talk about your work with such adoration, that it’s like being five over again and overhearing what Father Christmas is getting you for Christmas.
Some exciting things have come out of my time being a part of the Box Of Tricks group, some of which is still unfurling. But what I can give you right now this very second are some photographs of the show, beautifully shot by Ludovic Des Cognets.
(And I’ll present them in running order)
King of the Castle, Becky Prestwich
With Mum bollocksed upstairs, and his sister refusing to play, Callum decides it’s time to seize power and take Daddy’s throne.
Broken Windows, Daniel Smith
For Bobby B, grafitti’s not just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle choice. But can politics and spray paint ever mix?
The Collectors, Jaki McCarrick
As Ireland faces financial freefall, Virgil has a novel way to recoup his losses. Two ordinary people learn how extraordinary they really are.
The Turn, Siân Owen
The funfair has come to town! But it’s not all fun and games. A dark comedy about fairground attractions, as four people try to break the cycle.
David, Daniel Kanaber
“It’s amazing how much life fits into so little time”. A portrait of one summer and its impact on a lifetime.
Let Them Eat Cake!, Katie McCullough
Couples picnic in the park, but the course of true love never did run smooth. Sometimes what you want is simply not on the menu.
Reviews
“With Word:Play, Box of Tricks is giving six playwrights the chance to experiment with new work in a safe space, but the benefits of this type of bite-sized theatre extend to the audience too… What we get with such an evening of work is a reminder that great plays don’t just emerge fully formed on the stage at the National Theatre or the Royal Court… For a fascinating glance into the world of playwriting, bite-sized theatre is well worth finding the time for.”
Jo Caird, What’s On Stage Blog
“Becky Prestwich kicks us off with King of the Castle… a well-written and heartbreaking piece of theatre… The Collectors by Jaki McCarrick [is] a moving, shocking and powerful piece… Siân Owen’s offering, The Turn, is a charming piece of writing… This piece shines with originality… David, written by Daniel Kanaber[:] witty writing means this tragic monologue is light and humorous… Katie McCullough ends the evening with her Let Them Eat Cake… With delightfully funny and inspired performances from Worthing and Dowd it is a memorable way to end a memorable evening.
“The design by Stephanie Williams, and direction, from Box of Tricks’s Artistic Directors, Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder and Adam Quayle, were simple and perfectly suited to each play… This is exactly the type of showcasing of work that should be done more often.”
A Younger Theatre
So yes. My play contained a food fight. Specifically with custard. Knowing the viscosity of custard to that of, say yoghurt, is something that I wouldn’t necessarily consider crucial knowledge when attempting to be a playwright. But for this project it was at the forefront of my mind. I’m a person who works quickly, but who also loves having a challenge. I respond well to having restrictions set in place for projects and I don’t mean in a negative way. Having the buzzword revolution to work with made for an interesting project. And seeing the responses from all the other playwrights made it such an eclectic mix, but also not a predictable one which I think is great.
So now I’m in mourning for all the fun and intrigue of Word:Play4. But I’ve made lots of new friends and had a fantastic experience and a hearty wine/cupcake shout out goes to Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder who was the director of ‘Let Them Eat Cake!‘. My thanks go to all those involved including the following actors:
Hasan Dixon (King Of The Castle & The Turn)
Ciaran Dowd (The Collectors & Let Them Eat Cake!)
Natasha James (The Turn)
Clive Moore (Broken Windows & The Turn)
Emily Nagle (The Collectors & Let Them Eat Cake!)
Simeon Perlin (Broken Windows & The Turn)
James Rigby (David)
Matt Sutton (Broken Windows & Let Them Eat Cake!)
Charlotte Worthing (King Of The Castle & Let Them Eat Cake!)
