Hello all! I hope that the length in between posts shows just how busy I have been, rather than hints at laziness. Building work is trucking along in Bulgaria, as my previous post suggests, and I have now shot a second feature film, 'Speed Date', which was filmed in February. We are close to getting it finished now, so check back in soon for details. My other projects all seem to be moving along, but as I am impatient, never quick enough for me. Caitlin and I have had some serious interest in Resistance and also I have been offered another script, plus developing my next project too, so busy times.
The UK film industry is in a sorry state too. There is very little government funding left now, after the severe cuts recently and although this is not a right, until we treat filmmaking like a business and pay people what they are worth, we will always be second class citizens. Many UK filmmakers now seek overseas projects, not because they seek riches, but they just want to work, be respected for what they do and have a fair chance of their work finding an audience. Is it too much to ask? Until we, in this country, treat the film industry as that, 'an industry', we will always struggle to do what we do so well. Slumdog Millionaire almost went straight to DVD, which in my own opinion, would have been a waste, as I watched it at a packed cinema and witnessed how it moved people. The well documented 'Kings Speech' almost never made it at all, which would be an outrage and thankfully, it got there and made it's mark. How many films of this ilk have ended up on a shelf though, that's the worrying question. How many great scripts, for whatever reason, will never get made, will never actually find the support and backing they need to make it onto a screen and wow audiences. On that sombre note, i'm going to go and concentrate a bit harder on getting my next film made. Ciao! x