I find myself reluctant to write about 2020 – I suppose it’s the year we’d like to put behind us, the year that kind of never was. In any case, here's a summary of my creative progress. Captain's log... Star-Date 012021.
Acting
I began 2020 keen to build on recent momentum. I’d
landed a run of acting gigs and confidence was high. To try to capitalise I
made a list of over 100 top casting directors…the gatekeepers of the best film
and TV auditions…and emailed them my introduction:
“You're a
well-known and talented casting director - I'm an unknown and talented
actor…How d’ye do?”
Replies were scant. However, I’m a true believer in dogged
determination. Maybe I’ll write to them again this year. If it leads to a
single audition that leads to a big break...well...it was all worth it. And what’s
the alternative? Do nothing?
In February my agent retired. This was now my third
consecutive agent that has retired on me. I’ve never had an agent I’ve
been truly happy with. Do they exist?
More emails followed… a list of over 100 U.K. agents to ask about
representation. Few responses– all negative.
Due to the pressures of the pandemic, agents were not looking
to take on new clients. I admit I feel better about being agent-less and out of
work, when…well…all actors are out of work. Shame on me!
Filmmaking
As lock-down closed in I had the perfect project to keep me
busy – supervising the post-production on my latest short film: ANGEL FALLS. Once
the edit was finished (Picture-lock) it went to the sound recordist
to finalise the mix. Meanwhile I worked with a composer on an original
score and a VFX artist creating visual wizardry.
A great many emails and versions later and we finally finished. It was so satisfying to steward the project from script pages to a product to be proud to showcase. Feedback has been massively positive – overwhelmingly so. I was urged to enter the film into as many festivals as possible – to try to win some acclaim and make new connections.
We raised over £1000 with a crowdfunding page and video and to date I’ve entered it into 85 festivals. Being my second short film (with a £500 budget) I had zero expectations…but to my amazement, as I write this, we’ve been accepted by 16 festivals, and won 5 awards!!!
In the year ahead I’ll
look forward to hearing back from further festivals, hopefully winning more
prizes and (someday) seeing the film exhibited on a big screen! It’s been a
wonderful discovery – the joy of sharing a film with more and more people…continuing
to enjoy the positive feedback through time.
Emboldened by my success with the film, I reached out to the
producers of an ongoing project that I had an acting role in. (A comedy TV pilot about
an Improv class). The original director had dropped out and I volunteered
myself…and got the job!!!
This was to be my biggest project to date…10 actors and as
many crew, for at least a 3 day shoot. We scouted an ideal location and I
assembled my dream team crew including collaborators from past projects and
newcomers with top industry experience.
The pre-production road has been bumpy so far to say the
least. We’ve had to reschedule the shoot multiple times around Covid, recast
various actors, re-work the script, juggle the budget. Despite the challenges
I’ve enjoyed the process and learnt at every stage. When
restrictions finally lift, I trust we’ll be well prepared to make
something to be proud of.
Bits and Pieces
Confined by lockdown, I’ve turned my mind to a number of
smaller projects…keeping up my filmmaking, acting and creative skills:
- In the Summer I made a series of short videos around the character that I’ll be playing in the Improv class project: MC ARDIL. You can see them here on his tiktok account if you like.
- I made a few comedy videos with my girlfriend and tried to develop some sketch comedy scripts with various collaborative partners. Here’s one you can check out 'The Duchess'.
- I did an overhaul of my social media and created an Instagram account that tries to showcase my creativity and portfolio. Take a look here.
- I co-hosted another screenplay competition and found a new batch of exciting writers and scripts to work on and consider making.
- I worked closely with a writer from last year’s competition to develop his script into a longer piece, with a view to filming it as a TV pilot. Also with an artist to create some concept art/costume design and an experienced DoP to draft a shot list.
- I developed a documentary idea into a treatment deck/pitch, carrying out research including over 10 interviews and am now ready to approach production companies with a view to commissioning.
- I’ve joined a collective of performers that offer interactive online parties. Over Christmas this extended into a series of Corporate Parties– playing a ‘Complimentary Drink’…for more info on that check out my friend (and co-drink) Iona’s blogpost.
- I've completed a few little editing projects including, most recently, a trailer for one of these online parties (coming up this Saturday) and a music video for my friend's amazing song.
- I’ve kept up my Artist’s Way practice and continued to work through Julia Cameron’s other books.
Looking ahead I'm going to focus on learning about screenwriting and developing my own ideas...my 'slate'...working up to writing my own script to shoot. Here's hoping we can make the IMPROV project soon and that my short film picks up a few more awards. And that I get a new agent and some exciting acting opportunities! Watch out 2021!
