Nature will always find a way

Earlier in the year I submitted both Fragile and Harvest to the Phantasmagoria Film Festival in Swindon, and I managed to catch up with festival director Justin Richards at Dead By Dawn for a quick chat.

Even in a bleary-eyed state in the Filmhouse in Edinburgh, Justin remembered my films and said that at least one was likely to be screened. I received an email a short time ago from Justin confirming that too, and yesterday I had the confirmation that Fragile is to open the festival on Saturday 12th July ahead of British feature Room 36.

I have to say that I was a little surprised that Fragile was chosen over Harvest, but it does reaffirm your faith that every film you make will find its niche somehow. It also reminds that there is seemingly no logic or reason to if and when films are selected. Fragile was the first Spectral production and has only screened once before in the UK, despite a fair few festival submissions. Nature will always find a way I suppose.

I will be heading along to the screening so expect a report soon...

What took you so long?

I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this anyway, but I've been a little lazy updating the blog of late. That's not to say I've been lazy per se, quite the opposite. Over the next week or so I will be posting new entries covering my trip to Rio for the Harvest World Premiere, the shooting of two new Spectral Films projects, and other ramblings of my occasionally fevered mind.

We are still here. We are not going anywhere, except for forwards and sometimes sideways, but always in an upwardly direction.

In the black heart of the country

As almost two weeks have passed, I figure it's time to recap the experience of REEL 4, the latest Spectral Films production.



REEL 4 has been a unique experience for a number of reasons.



First off, this is the first film in the Spectral canon to be lensed on film (albeit small gauge - Super 8). Having last shot on film as a DoP in 2004, it was a good feeling to get that fear back. All too often, there is a tendency among filmmakers to become complacent when you have endless reams of tape at your disposal. Although there is an inherent safety net with shooting on digital which is valuable, it's not an excuse to let planning and prep fall by the wayside. The simple fact of having a finite amount of stock (in this case, 3 minutes 20) makes you think, prepare and work smarter and harder. I guess what I'm trying to say is that filmmakers need that sense of fear, that sense of the unknown. I really do think it shows through in the end result.



The pressure of film stock and getting it right was exacerbated by the fact that REEL 4 was a one take deal. As per the instructions at Straight8.net, the film had to be edited in camera and therefore everything had to be right for the one and only take. One word, people... rehearsals.

Harvest in Brazil!

I've just had confirmation that Harvest has been accepted into its first festival.

Our baby will be taking it's first steps onto the festival circuit at the RIOFAN Festival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil! It's Rio's first foray into holding a genre festival, and the guest of honour is Zé do Caixão himself, Brazilian director José Mojica Marins. Hopefully he'll get to see the film...

More details as I have them but to say I'm pleased is something of an understatement.

In the bleak midwinter...

Apparently, this is supposed to be Spring.

As I look out of the window across Sheffield, I can't help but feel a little trepidation given the current state of the weather. The reason for this unease is that on Sunday we are shooting the next Spectral Films production, most of which is scheduled for exterior shooting in the Peak District.

The British weather is an unpredictable beast at the best of times, but as hopeful as I am that we'll have glorious sunshine and dry conditions, I do have someone in close proximity to the shooting location reporting on a daily basis on the state of the weather over there. If the worst comes to the worst, we'll move the action indoors. Adapt to survive is the rule of the day.

I'm not revealing too much about the project for a reason that will become clear when the film is completed, but what I can say is that I hope it is as disturbing as it was to pre-visualize and storyboard. We're shooting on Super 8 (a first for me) which will lend credence to the illusion of the film's retro leanings. And above all, this film is very, very bleak.

There is no escape. There is no hope. Three and a half minutes of gruelling terror in REEL 4.

A new year for Spectral Films

Well, here we are in 2008.

Things have been a little quiet on the Spectral Films front lately, so I thought I'd do an update and kick off what is going to be a feverish year of activity.

1) HARVEST is now finally finished, a whole load of DVDs have gone off to festivals, so now we're back into the waiting game to see if any of them bite. I'm working with stills photographer Adrian Richardson on a poster for the film which unfortunately wasn't ready for this first batch of screeners, but it will be going out with the next ones. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, the widescreen cinematography by Paul Hayes is just great and with a bit of luck we'll have some festival screenings confirmed soon. It's a peculiar feeling to have finally completed a film we shot way back in August 2006, but there you go.

2) Spectral Films has 4 projects in development for 2008. For two of them we're applying for funding through the regular channels, and the others are going to be funded privately. The first two projects are small and, without going into detail, require minimal post-production. More details on these as they emerge...

The third film is something of a departure for Spectral, as it has more of a comedic edge to the horror. Psychos, curious youngsters and questionable family values will be revealed in MORTIFIED.

The fourth film that we aim to shoot in the Autumn is a return to what was going to be the third chapter of the SF 2006/7 slate, entitled THE HOMECOMING. A dark tale of lost love and dismemberment, this one promises to be the most deranged Spectral short yet.

So all in all, with a bit of luck and perseverence, we'll have three of these in the bag by the time summer comes around and by that time will be deep into prep for the fourth one.

I'm aiming to update this blog on a regular basis as the year progresses so stay tuned for further updates...

Seasons Greetings...