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For the last two months I’ve been living off a tiny, tiny amount of money. I decided to pack in my weekend job at Woolies and live this life. I can’t really complain about not being able to go out as much or buy any DVD’s anymore, as it was my choice. I decided to become a filmmaker.
After leaving college I was on a desperate search to find work in the harsh world that is the Media industry. I wrote off to loads and loads of companies asking for work or even just a short experience placement. Sadly I didn’t hear anything apart from a request for my show reel, which didn’t go anywhere. One of these companies was Creative Gold, a local video production business. While looking on their website, I noticed they were going into production of their first feature film ‘The Jigsaw of Life’. I hoped this would mean they’d need more staff, but they never contacted me.
Then one day while reading through a Shooting People (an online community for filmmakers) newsletter I noticed an advert for unpaid crew on a film…The Jigsaw of Life. I answered the ad and the next day was in the local Café Bonjour discussing the film. I didn’t want to take on too much responsibility and as of yet, I don’t have an area of expertise. So I was taken on as a Production Assistant. Here I am, eighteen years old and I’ve already achieved my dream…kinda.
The film was still very much in the early stages of pre-production so it would be a couple of months before my services would be needed. Around the middle of July I was called up and asked to come and help out with the auditions. This was a great experience in itself. Not only was I sat on the judges panel watching these actors, I was also filming them and read lines for a few scenes. I’m not an actor, I can’t act at all and I had to stand there, maintaining eye contact with these professional actors and having to give them enough to work off. Some of these scenes involved shouting and violence, so I had to also stand there and be shouted at and pushed around while still looking them in the eye. I also spent some time working the reception area, which was cool as I got to really talk to the actors.
Filming began on the 27th August but I was away getting drunk in a muddy field, sleeping in a tent, and watching some great bands at Reading that weekend. So I didn’t join the production until the following weekend. That Saturday my day started at 4am. Up before the sun, to be at the directors house by 5:30am. It was so early as we were filming at a pub and had to be out by opening time at 11am. After meeting a lot of new people and shaking more hands than I ever have in my life, we set off to start filming. My job as PA meant I’m the guy who does the stuff no one else can/wants to do. So the day consisted of me and my fellow PA, Pete, holding the boom (the long stick that holds the microphone), carrying and setting up equipment, and I took the role of an extra in one scene. It was a long shoot as we had a lot of scenes to cover, some of which took some working out including a fight where the bad guy ends up in a river. After filming, it was to the director’s fiancée’s house for a BBQ. My Dad came and picked me up and I got home just before twelve. It was the longest and hardest days work I’ve ever done and I wasn’t even being paid to do it! It sure was fun though and I now know it’s defiantly what I want to do with my life.
Over the next few weekends we filmed at Oxford University (just after Harry Potter was done with it), various fields, houses, and last week at a Polo club. Here we filmed a party scene where I was again an extra, but this time in the main shot standing behind the lead actor. Not too shabby. I even got the girlfriend in the shot too. The actors are all very cool and I’m sure I’ll call some of them up when I get the money together to make my own film. I’ve always seen actors as those annoying performing arts students who sing, shout, and constantly call attention to themselves. But turns out, they’re people too. It such a good atmosphere on set and most of the time we find ourselves sitting around talking about films and all kinds of stuff like you do with your best friends. We spend around twelve or so hours together a day, so we’ve all grown pretty close. Everyone’s there for the right reason. No one’s being paid, we’re all just there to make a film. It’s about the art, not the money. If it does ever make and money then we get a share of the profits, but that’s a long time away from possibly happening.
My job has also been to film behind the scenes footage and take still photos. I’ve filmed about three hours worth of footage and two hundred pictures. Pete (the other PA) was going to edit it all together and make a documentary for the bonus features of the DVD. But he had a fall out with the director (we haven’t been told why) and is no longer involved with the production, leaving me to do the editing. Kick ass. So now when the filming finishes on Wednesday, I’ll still be able to do something constructive.
I now need to get back to working a ‘real’ job which looks set to be my local Blockbuster store. I’ve been living off the bare minimum and have accumulated a £200 debt but it’s all been worth it. If I’d stayed in Woolworths, what would I have to show for it besides a discount card and a bit of spending money? From this film, I’ll have a finished piece that I can keep forever, show people, and be proud of. So many people want to do this kind of work and never will, so I couldn’t have turned down my chance. What better time to chase your dreams than when your young and have no responsibilities? I’ve followed my dreams and this is only the beginning.
So to all you people who would love to get involved with this kind of work, it is possible. It's going on everywhere, all the time. You just have to get yourself out there and find it. I now also have a book of contacts, which I'm sure we'll make it easier to find work in the future.
I’ll keep you posted on the film. We’re obviously hoping for a theatrical release but I think a straight to DVD is more likely. I also hear that if there’s no distribution deal, it’s almost defiantly going on the BBC. I hope for the best as the better it does, the better it is for me and all the others who have worked so hard.
After leaving college I was on a desperate search to find work in the harsh world that is the Media industry. I wrote off to loads and loads of companies asking for work or even just a short experience placement. Sadly I didn’t hear anything apart from a request for my show reel, which didn’t go anywhere. One of these companies was Creative Gold, a local video production business. While looking on their website, I noticed they were going into production of their first feature film ‘The Jigsaw of Life’. I hoped this would mean they’d need more staff, but they never contacted me.
Then one day while reading through a Shooting People (an online community for filmmakers) newsletter I noticed an advert for unpaid crew on a film…The Jigsaw of Life. I answered the ad and the next day was in the local Café Bonjour discussing the film. I didn’t want to take on too much responsibility and as of yet, I don’t have an area of expertise. So I was taken on as a Production Assistant. Here I am, eighteen years old and I’ve already achieved my dream…kinda.
The film was still very much in the early stages of pre-production so it would be a couple of months before my services would be needed. Around the middle of July I was called up and asked to come and help out with the auditions. This was a great experience in itself. Not only was I sat on the judges panel watching these actors, I was also filming them and read lines for a few scenes. I’m not an actor, I can’t act at all and I had to stand there, maintaining eye contact with these professional actors and having to give them enough to work off. Some of these scenes involved shouting and violence, so I had to also stand there and be shouted at and pushed around while still looking them in the eye. I also spent some time working the reception area, which was cool as I got to really talk to the actors.
Filming began on the 27th August but I was away getting drunk in a muddy field, sleeping in a tent, and watching some great bands at Reading that weekend. So I didn’t join the production until the following weekend. That Saturday my day started at 4am. Up before the sun, to be at the directors house by 5:30am. It was so early as we were filming at a pub and had to be out by opening time at 11am. After meeting a lot of new people and shaking more hands than I ever have in my life, we set off to start filming. My job as PA meant I’m the guy who does the stuff no one else can/wants to do. So the day consisted of me and my fellow PA, Pete, holding the boom (the long stick that holds the microphone), carrying and setting up equipment, and I took the role of an extra in one scene. It was a long shoot as we had a lot of scenes to cover, some of which took some working out including a fight where the bad guy ends up in a river. After filming, it was to the director’s fiancée’s house for a BBQ. My Dad came and picked me up and I got home just before twelve. It was the longest and hardest days work I’ve ever done and I wasn’t even being paid to do it! It sure was fun though and I now know it’s defiantly what I want to do with my life.
Over the next few weekends we filmed at Oxford University (just after Harry Potter was done with it), various fields, houses, and last week at a Polo club. Here we filmed a party scene where I was again an extra, but this time in the main shot standing behind the lead actor. Not too shabby. I even got the girlfriend in the shot too. The actors are all very cool and I’m sure I’ll call some of them up when I get the money together to make my own film. I’ve always seen actors as those annoying performing arts students who sing, shout, and constantly call attention to themselves. But turns out, they’re people too. It such a good atmosphere on set and most of the time we find ourselves sitting around talking about films and all kinds of stuff like you do with your best friends. We spend around twelve or so hours together a day, so we’ve all grown pretty close. Everyone’s there for the right reason. No one’s being paid, we’re all just there to make a film. It’s about the art, not the money. If it does ever make and money then we get a share of the profits, but that’s a long time away from possibly happening.
My job has also been to film behind the scenes footage and take still photos. I’ve filmed about three hours worth of footage and two hundred pictures. Pete (the other PA) was going to edit it all together and make a documentary for the bonus features of the DVD. But he had a fall out with the director (we haven’t been told why) and is no longer involved with the production, leaving me to do the editing. Kick ass. So now when the filming finishes on Wednesday, I’ll still be able to do something constructive.
I now need to get back to working a ‘real’ job which looks set to be my local Blockbuster store. I’ve been living off the bare minimum and have accumulated a £200 debt but it’s all been worth it. If I’d stayed in Woolworths, what would I have to show for it besides a discount card and a bit of spending money? From this film, I’ll have a finished piece that I can keep forever, show people, and be proud of. So many people want to do this kind of work and never will, so I couldn’t have turned down my chance. What better time to chase your dreams than when your young and have no responsibilities? I’ve followed my dreams and this is only the beginning.
So to all you people who would love to get involved with this kind of work, it is possible. It's going on everywhere, all the time. You just have to get yourself out there and find it. I now also have a book of contacts, which I'm sure we'll make it easier to find work in the future.
I’ll keep you posted on the film. We’re obviously hoping for a theatrical release but I think a straight to DVD is more likely. I also hear that if there’s no distribution deal, it’s almost defiantly going on the BBC. I hope for the best as the better it does, the better it is for me and all the others who have worked so hard.
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Sadly it's not that simple. Thanks to people claiming so and so stole their ideas, it's hard to submit material. If you want people to read your work, there's two main ways to go about it.
1. Get an agent.
It's not an easy thing to do and you need to be able to prove to these people that you're worth taking a chance with. To do this you’re going to need example scripts. Good scripts in the correct format (best done with Final Draft software) and plenty of them.
2. Get your name out there.
Email/write/phone around and tell people who you are and what you do. If they're interested they'll ask you for material. They may ask you to sign an agreement first in case any legal matters should arise.
The BBC Writers Room is a good site to check out. [URL]http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/[/URL]
Regarding the film (I assume you mean Jigsaw of Life) I have no idea what the current distribution situation is. Hopefully now that it's complete we can really try and get the film sold. Perhaps the director is planning a trip to Cannes in May to sell it. I very much doubt we'll have a theatrical release but a DVD could well be possible.
The other day I sent the documentary on the film to the director who contacted me today saying he liked it and wants to show it at the screening. Fantastic, a film that I shot and edited is going to be played on a full cinema screen for the first time. It's only six minutes and is just a making of but I'm still excited. A few adjustments need to be made (bit of sound levelling etc) and the director wants to put in the audition footage. It's going to be a bit of a bother for me to do so I'm hoping to email him the project to finish it off.
The film I'm writing at the moment hasn't even entered the script process yet and is still just a whole bunch of ideas in my head/notebook. I'm slowly piecing it together into an outline ready to be developed.
Also yesterday was the first time I turned down a project. It was that science film I was interested in working on about a month ago. The director emailed me and I just didn't like the sound of it. The film sounded okay, a bit like that BBC Watch and Learn thing 'Through the Dragon's Eye' but I could hardly understand her. I think she was asking if I had my own camera (not exactly sure why a production assistant requires one). She also wanted to meet me in London and for me to send her a showreel. She went on to say they're filming at a Didcot school which don't have the best reputation in the world. It was all a lot of effort for something I was beginning to doubt I'd enjoy doing. Then I looked at her website which had more pictures of her posing with a camera than of her films, and made my decision. I told her I'm now busy in May and sorry I had to pass.
1. Get an agent.
It's not an easy thing to do and you need to be able to prove to these people that you're worth taking a chance with. To do this you’re going to need example scripts. Good scripts in the correct format (best done with Final Draft software) and plenty of them.
2. Get your name out there.
Email/write/phone around and tell people who you are and what you do. If they're interested they'll ask you for material. They may ask you to sign an agreement first in case any legal matters should arise.
The BBC Writers Room is a good site to check out. [URL]http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/[/URL]
Regarding the film (I assume you mean Jigsaw of Life) I have no idea what the current distribution situation is. Hopefully now that it's complete we can really try and get the film sold. Perhaps the director is planning a trip to Cannes in May to sell it. I very much doubt we'll have a theatrical release but a DVD could well be possible.
The other day I sent the documentary on the film to the director who contacted me today saying he liked it and wants to show it at the screening. Fantastic, a film that I shot and edited is going to be played on a full cinema screen for the first time. It's only six minutes and is just a making of but I'm still excited. A few adjustments need to be made (bit of sound levelling etc) and the director wants to put in the audition footage. It's going to be a bit of a bother for me to do so I'm hoping to email him the project to finish it off.
The film I'm writing at the moment hasn't even entered the script process yet and is still just a whole bunch of ideas in my head/notebook. I'm slowly piecing it together into an outline ready to be developed.
Also yesterday was the first time I turned down a project. It was that science film I was interested in working on about a month ago. The director emailed me and I just didn't like the sound of it. The film sounded okay, a bit like that BBC Watch and Learn thing 'Through the Dragon's Eye' but I could hardly understand her. I think she was asking if I had my own camera (not exactly sure why a production assistant requires one). She also wanted to meet me in London and for me to send her a showreel. She went on to say they're filming at a Didcot school which don't have the best reputation in the world. It was all a lot of effort for something I was beginning to doubt I'd enjoy doing. Then I looked at her website which had more pictures of her posing with a camera than of her films, and made my decision. I told her I'm now busy in May and sorry I had to pass.
I to am young and want to become a script writer, I have a few ideas and wondered how do you tell the bbc a storyline and write it in and will they contact you back. Also when does your movie come out.
Mav wrote:
> As for license free music - I've no idea. We just used whatever songs
> were on our computers and were roughly appropriate.
That opening music's from The Secret of Monkey Island.
> As for license free music - I've no idea. We just used whatever songs
> were on our computers and were roughly appropriate.
That opening music's from The Secret of Monkey Island.
Cheers.
I've come up with four episode ideas to submit. I'm really pimping them out at the moment, I'm pretty sure this'll be my last shot with these guys. One of the key players at the company is Gary Kurtz (producer of American Graffiti, Dark Crystal, and The Empire Strikes Back) so obviously I'm submitting a spoof of the whole Star Wars phenomena.
I'm going to spend a day on each and then send them off on Friday as I can't take any chances.
Heard from another animation company (not one that I've submitted material to). They're not looking for an writers at the moment but will keep my details on file. Hoping I'll get a more positive response from some of the other places.
I've come up with four episode ideas to submit. I'm really pimping them out at the moment, I'm pretty sure this'll be my last shot with these guys. One of the key players at the company is Gary Kurtz (producer of American Graffiti, Dark Crystal, and The Empire Strikes Back) so obviously I'm submitting a spoof of the whole Star Wars phenomena.
I'm going to spend a day on each and then send them off on Friday as I can't take any chances.
Heard from another animation company (not one that I've submitted material to). They're not looking for an writers at the moment but will keep my details on file. Hoping I'll get a more positive response from some of the other places.
Good to see someone going for it. I'm both envious and pleased for you sir. Keep it up!
Keep it up dude, keep it up...
CDouch wrote:
> To add to my earlier post - I've now heard from a third company.
> They've sent me the bible for one of their shows in development and
> have asked for episode ideas while they wait to see if it gets picked
> up by a channel. I'll give them one or two, then I'm asking for pay if
> they want more. I don't want to get screwed by them.
Heard back from them today. They liked my ideas but wasn't really what they're looking for. Now they tell me they want something a little less "safe" and more off the wall. Fantastic, that's the kind of stuff I'd rather write. Just wish they'd mentioned it before. At least they must have liked my writing as they've asked me to try it in the new style instead of just a rejection.
They have meetings scheduled with the Beeb next week about the cartoon, so hopefully know soon if it'll turn into a full TV show. I need to come up with some good stuff before they go as I think it'll give me more chance of being taken on to write some episodes. Especially if they use my material in their meetings.
Talking to Graham earlier (my new friend in animation) about entering the BBC Talent competition with a short animation. We're supposed to meet up this week to brainstorm but can't settle on a time. Just working on it alone then going to combine efforts in the next few weeks sometime.
Also I found my missing notebook last night. Such a relief as there was so much there that isn't written anywhere else. So now I can really get going on developing my film. I plan for it to be my first directed film (even though it's the second script I've worked on) but have no idea when I'll begin production. Thanks to the pretty unique style of it, I'm not limited in time to when I film. As long as I film the main section in a month or so, I could spend the remainder of my life doing the rest as it's separate from the main plot. This is also good in budget terms as I don't need to fund it all at once.
> To add to my earlier post - I've now heard from a third company.
> They've sent me the bible for one of their shows in development and
> have asked for episode ideas while they wait to see if it gets picked
> up by a channel. I'll give them one or two, then I'm asking for pay if
> they want more. I don't want to get screwed by them.
Heard back from them today. They liked my ideas but wasn't really what they're looking for. Now they tell me they want something a little less "safe" and more off the wall. Fantastic, that's the kind of stuff I'd rather write. Just wish they'd mentioned it before. At least they must have liked my writing as they've asked me to try it in the new style instead of just a rejection.
They have meetings scheduled with the Beeb next week about the cartoon, so hopefully know soon if it'll turn into a full TV show. I need to come up with some good stuff before they go as I think it'll give me more chance of being taken on to write some episodes. Especially if they use my material in their meetings.
Talking to Graham earlier (my new friend in animation) about entering the BBC Talent competition with a short animation. We're supposed to meet up this week to brainstorm but can't settle on a time. Just working on it alone then going to combine efforts in the next few weeks sometime.
Also I found my missing notebook last night. Such a relief as there was so much there that isn't written anywhere else. So now I can really get going on developing my film. I plan for it to be my first directed film (even though it's the second script I've worked on) but have no idea when I'll begin production. Thanks to the pretty unique style of it, I'm not limited in time to when I film. As long as I film the main section in a month or so, I could spend the remainder of my life doing the rest as it's separate from the main plot. This is also good in budget terms as I don't need to fund it all at once.
The trailer is now online for the first film I worked on.
[URL]http://www.creativegold.co.uk/Projects/The%20Jigsaw%20of%20Life/The%20Jigsaw%20of%20Life.htm[/URL]
There's some stills etc too.
[URL]http://www.creativegold.co.uk/Projects/The%20Jigsaw%20of%20Life/The%20Jigsaw%20of%20Life.htm[/URL]
There's some stills etc too.
My anger has faded a bit now as I've just had the idea I've needed for my script to give it an original spark.
I have two different note books. One stays in my draw and holds ideas and details for my animation project. The other usually stays in my bag and I use that for writing down any ideas when I'm out and has a lot of stuff on my film in there. I decided it was time to type up the content of my second pad today and really start developing the film.
Only problem is I can't find it anywhere. I've looked in all the places where I would put it and the places it may fall into (space behind draws etc) but it's nowhere.
I really am screwed now. I'm having to type up what I remember but there are lots I could have forgotten.
Dammit.
Only problem is I can't find it anywhere. I've looked in all the places where I would put it and the places it may fall into (space behind draws etc) but it's nowhere.
I really am screwed now. I'm having to type up what I remember but there are lots I could have forgotten.
Dammit.
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