First Day of Shooting...

Well, we've started making CrimeFighters! And what a night.

First of all we were blessed with good weather, lots of extras, the legend that is Sid who runs Reeds Cafe and let us use it as a base until we'd finished (just before 6am), and lots of other good fortune.

Of the 50 or so shots we'd planned to get tonight, we got about half. But it's ok, because we all suspected that starting with the 8-minute denouement scene would be tough, so we're going back next week to finish the scene.

The first shot of the night was of some villains being bundled into the back of a police car, and we didn't expect to get that, so, bonus and thanks to John who turned up in his 1973 classic ambulance that looks like the Ghostbusters car. We shot with the extras until about 1am when they were cold and tired but appreciated!

As the night went on, we must have run behind about an hour and a half as we gradually got up to speed as a unit and after a slight lull where it seemed like we were a bit lost in the endless list of shots, we started to gain momentum and the shots came one after the other. I'm really glad we didn't compromise the quality of the shots we'd planned by rushing or changing anything, but there is a line between getting it perfect and getting it done, and I would always lean towards getting it done well!

Woody Allen was quoted as saying when you're directing, fresh lorryloads of compromise arrive on the set daily. Last night's compromise was only getting half the scene done, really. We were fortunate with everything else. By ticking off shots as we'd planned, we're making the film the way we want to make it. And each shot is beautifully composed, which makes all the extra effort worth it.

We still have a long way to go but we're off and running, and if anyone's reading this, PLEASE come and be extras on the few days we need you, listed on the York Film Extras Facebook group. The shoot will come and go so quickly and we'd really love to be able to rely on the support we've already been shown.

Thank you all.

Twas the day before shooting...

Here's what to do if you've spent the whole year planning a film and are suddenly faced with it being the evening before the big event:

No, not pig out on houmous, but go shopping for the first few days of food for the shoot. Yeah, that won't be stressful at all. Actually, the experience was made less traumatic by the enlisting of a faithful friend and her shopping skills. Credit where credit is due, Miss Batty:

I hate shopping at the best of times but buying food for twenty-ish people could be slightly nightmarish in the wrong hands.

We then headed home where, after a final crew meeting, I retreated to Helen's to do a little Ferris Bueller-esque tribute to Mr. John Hughes, rest his soul, and Helen and I took turns in the hammock while Elwood the cat chased moths.

THAT's what you're supposed to do on the eve of making a feature film.

Oh, and then there's the pink handcuffs. They are related to the film, but you can slot them into the day's adventures any way you like...

Gearing up to shoot a feature film...

...has been made so much more enjoyable this week thanks to the teamwork of not only the cast and crew but also the whole of York, who are providing services, power points or themselves as extras to help us make this film truly awesome.

Paul and I are at the shot list stage now, which means the shoot is close enough to smell. Or that could be me. Shot lists and camera/lighting diagrams are the director's best friend, something that help you plan shots and work out with the camera crew where everything's going to be, but also utterly invaluable when you're on set, tired and anxious and wondering what happens when and in what order.

That's when things like this come in handy:

The more work you do at this stage, the more you'll thank yourself on set. Stick to the plan and nothing can go wrong.

HA! As if. Shot lists are great though, they're a cheat sheet your past self made for your future self. Crib notes. Idiot boards. I read that Edgar Wright was up most nights during shooting Spaced making shot lists for the next day's shoot. Which prompted Simon Pegg to quip; 'Edgar Wright has no life'. I can relate! Although, I'd choose the life of a filmmaker over anything else, anyday.

Making the new Nine Black Alps video...

...was FUN!

The band, some friends, some big lights, a creepy hotel, make-up, corridors and lots of coffee.

A sort of The Shining vibe throughout; should be a pretty great, gothic-looking video, which you can see in the autumn sometime.

Took my mind of CrimeFighters for a day, anyway! Oops...

Another High-density Production Day

This is the last week of pre-production, it really is, and I can't believe it. In the space of a year this has gone from idea for web series to feature film about to shoot.

I'm glad we're shooting it now, too. You can plan and plan and prepare and rehearse to the point where you start craving to shoot the damn thing, if only so you never have to think about that shoot day again! Plus, ya know, planning a film is very important, but I want to start shooting footage now. I'm just glad we're (pretty) organised for what is going to be a lot of work.

So today we rehearsed, blocked, costumed, lit, shot, and er... discussed catering, and drank lots of coffee, and lots of little loose ends were tied up. The best part for me was going to the location we're using for the CrimeFighters hideout, which is an abandoned church that is absolutely awesome and just about the most perfect location for the film, straight from the pages of the script. So exciting.

The other best bit was getting two massive movie lights out into a courtyard to light it and see what it looked like through the funky film lenses, and it looked amazing, all cinematic and noirish and here are some photos:

Tomorrow I'm shooting a music video for Nine Black Alps, always fun, and then a few more days of preproduction including shot lists with Paul, some final details and loose ends to tie up, and then getting ready to shoot! Better get some rest...

The week before production...

...is all about car trips, lights, picking things up, texts, phone calls, emails, texts, dropping things off, panic, resolution, texts, panic, emails, texts, panic and meetings.

That's what this week is all about.

CrimeFighters Mega-Vlog

So this is what we've been up to: