Project 1 - Everyday Joe

Before I begin on the history of this project, I have a little music for you. A theme, that even before Everyday Joe was to become a film in any sense, was always the theme for Everyday Joe.



Everyday Joe takes me back to my time at Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College.

If I remember correctly, it specifically takes me back to the summer after Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College. To fill the time between College and University I decided to start working on a comic based on what I knew. Me!

Anyway, looking back at these comics, the writing was pretty basic, as was the character design but I always thought there was something there, it was worth something more than a random little comic where I wrote about finishing college and moaning about life.

So I wrote a feature!

The feature was better, became more fictionalised but still incorporated my musings on life. Originally it took the shape of a portmanteau film in which Joe and his friends got together for a film fest with each new dvd being a complete short film which loosely tied in to one of the main characters story arcs.

I developed this a little more in subsequent drafts, and then, like all great projects, I shelved it.

Time moved on, I completed an Animation degree, then time continued to move on...and on...and on!

Then a short film competition came about with Screen West Midlands and I had built up a whole load more stuff to moan about. So I took the characters and basic plot, whittled it down to a 20 minute script and submitted my entry.

Eventually I received my inspirational feedback from Screen West Midlands -

"[Everyday Joe] was visually, stylistically and narratively a mess"

I'm happy to say that I was not defeated by this positive response. I continued to work on the short trying to get it made on my own, but with little interest in and around the Stoke area, I did what we all do with our greatest ideas. I shelved it.

But it stayed with me.


I knew it was awesome. I knew other like minded folk would also think it was awesome, just like the people from the film competition. In short I wouldn't let it lie.

However I now find myself in Worthing via Brighton. There are no Stoke accents down here (apart from my own and Brothers Chris and Tim) and the heart of the film was it's Stoke setting.

I did consider making it as a Brighton film, but no. It's Stoke or nothing.

So I shelved it.


Then I had a crazy idea based on a short I made at University. We had a project based around sound for which I decided to create a old timey radio serial entitled Crime City.




So my amazing idea? I will animate a 20 minute film.


I finalised the script and started designs for characters. I then secured my cast. To get the proper Stoke feeling meant getting proper Stoke voices. So I hopped on a train and called on my good friends Mat Kelly and Dave Johnson. Roping in my non-Stoke girlfriend Charlotte Cameron-Webb, we began our first recording of Everyday Joe.


Now this went reasonably well. Sound quality was the best I could hope for with the equipment I was using but I was confident we we're heading in the right direction.

We had arranged to meet a second night...but alas the fates we're against me and the second recording never happened.

I spent the next few monthe working on the soundtrack and storyboarding. Along the way I did get sidetracked. Working on another ESting, a music video for Flogging Molly, helping out with Brother Chris on an awesome feature script, and also with the making of Jenny Ringo 2.

I also started to get ideas for other films I wanted to work on (such as Project 2 in Project 30) so I decided to wise up. I was never going to get a full 20 animated film off the ground with all these distractions, especially with a Xbox staring me down each day.

So I "temporarily" shelved the animation, but wanted, if only for the cast members, to finish the soundtrack, creating a Radio Play. As we only had the one night recording, with a few re-records when back in Worthing, there were a few issues with the sound quality. Also as it came from an animation script, there were a lot of visual gags that I had to sacrifice, as they simply wouldn't translate.

But enough from me. Without further ado, I present completed Project Number 1 from Project 30. I hope you enjoy, Everyday Joe!

What the hell have you been doing?

Hi,

So yeah, what the hell have I been doing?

I'll give you an updated

Mass Effect 2 - not much. Should really at least get this finished by my birthday.

Project 3: Bonkers adventure film set in Victorian England.

I have completed exactly none of this. I've thought about it but haven't sat done to actually write anything. Which isn't entirely true as I did have some thing written earlier.

Anyway, at this early stage this is the one that looks likely to be my downfall. Which means...


Project 2: Complete my first, "professional" short film.

I do feel the need to clarify, that by "professional" I don't mean I'm being paid to make this film. I just mean that I'm not going up to Knypersley Lake with a camcorder and "mucking about with mates"

This is coming along, slowly, but I'm getting there. I did get stuck looking for a doll. Thinking I needed a load, then I realised I'm making a film. Therefore I don't need fifty dolls, I need one, and a shit load of creative ways to shoot around this.

Oops, spoilers. There's a doll in it.

Anyway, trying to get effects stuff sorted to get the to test stage. Very long winded this process, especially when you're having to bui....

I'm saying too much. In short lots to do, but we're getting there.

So that leaves us with...


Project 1: Complete the "Radio Play" Everyday Joe.

This requires it's own post...

...and I'll leave that to you to decide what that means.


So everything's coming along. I've got loads of time left, it's not like it August?

Right?

HOLY CRAP IT'S AUGUST NEXT WEEK!!!!

I'm getting there...

Just wanted to do a quick update whilst the system is down at work.


1. Everyday Joe - I managed to get things sorted editing the voice work only to come back to mix it properly and find that there are a number of holes. Back to re-editing, trying to mix as I go. It is nearly there, but I do keep falling out of favour with it. I never realised how moany it is. However, hopefully, with a proper mix and a few songs here and there it should be a pretty enjoyable listen.

2. After rewriting the script, and then getting stuck looking at dolls (it is related, I'm not mental) I seem to be finally making some progress. The next stage I'm working on is to get the shot list sorted. This may seem too early, seeing as though I have no cast or crew, but it's the best way to get a layout of locations and which scenes need to be animated! (spoiler).

3. I have done nothing for the bonkers adventure film set in Victorian England.


Regarding Mass Effect 2, I'm still plugging away but nothing too great to announce on that front. I'm not sure it's an improvement on the first game. Seems a hell of a lot more linear. "Recruit crew mate, get mission from crew mate, they become loyal...and repeat"

I'm still enjoying it, just trying to find time to squeeze it in.

Along with all the above, I've now been tasked to look after MovieBar whilst Brother Chris looks after his son, Nephew Eric. (Obviously Brother Chris won't refer to him as Nephew Eric as that would be ridiculous)
For now, that's my update.

Next time, I may be able to provide a few more details.

Cheers!!

Going out on my own...

... although I actually think I'll have help from someone? Anyone? Maybe for a hour or so?

"What are you talking about?" you'll now be asking your good selves. I shall explain.

After helping out on two Jenny Ringo films with Brother Chris (and many other awesome folk) I decided to take a look at how my own list of projects had progressed.

I had a couple of treatments, a few half ideas, even more complete ideas, an unedited recorded voice over track, with bonus half finished storyboard and to finish off a handful of old scripts collecting dust.

So I decided I need to actually get some of this stuff completed. Now I need a deadline, otherwise I'm not going to get anything finished. Well I know, I have a birthday at the end of November, and after then it's Christmas and nothing ever gets done until the following January. This will be my target.

By my birthday I will complete every half finished project on my PC to start afresh in the new year...

Wait a minute, that is ridiculous. If I didn't have to waste the best part of each day at work, then maybe this task would be completed. Unfortunately I do no live in this idyllic Shangri La world. I must work. Phooey!

Ok, so I'll finish as much as I can. Let's just pick a handful of projects and I'll get those completed.

*atmospheric lightning strike* (and it;s cool as it's the Empire State Building)

I declare that by my birthday in late November, marking my 30 years upon this here Earth, I will have completed the following:

1. Complete the "Radio Play" Everyday Joe.

2. Complete my first, "professional" short film.

3. Complete the super secret script for a bonkers adventure film set in Victorian England.


If I do not fully complete the above I at least hope to:

1a. Complete the "Radio Play" Everyday Joe. (It's nearly finsihed now so I'm cheating a bit)

2a. Complete the filming for my first, "professional" short film.

3a. Complete the treatment for a bonkers adventure film set in Victorian England.



If I do not pass the above checkpoints then I will give up, I guess.

Ok, so I'd better get started. I'll try to give a little more back story to the above choices as I go. I can't honestly say I will, and I'm bound to get grumpy along the way.

I'll try to update.

As for now, I'm going to play Mass Effect 2.

There are rumblings in the distance...

So I've calmed down a lot...sort of.

I was going to bring this back after an interesting visit to see Cabin in the Woods - (This film is amazing. So much fun) - talky kids in front, girl with box of baked cakes to the side and and older couple behind with classic phrases such as "Oh I don't like this" and "For goodness sake!"

But I kept my mouth shut not wanting to bring back the moaning blog once again.

However I'm slowly building momentum on a new short project that I hope to chronicle here.

No details as of yet as I'm still working things out but hopefully I'll have a few tidbits soon.

So it seems there may be a few ghostly games after all!

No More Ghostly Games...

So I haven't blogged in a while so this must be a real doozy.

However it is not. I have done a lot of things, attended MovieBars, been to comedy nights, theatre shows and film screenings. I've had fun times and bad times. I've posted about a lot of them here.

However I find that ever since the introduction of the blogspot stats viewer, I've become a little disheartened on my readership. I wish it was up there with the best of them. I wish people would stop me in the street and say "You're right, Congo is actually really good" but alas they do not. Instead I fill these pages with mindless rants and raves, only for horny teenagers to get sidetracked as they look up pictures of Babydoll from Suckerpunch.

So I'm not saying this is my last post. More likely I'll be back on tomorrow with a rant about the endless circle of script notes I get (I seriously think it's time to submit draft 1 again).

I think I will shut the power off for a time though. But rather than let it die here, I'll give it closing statement to send it off into the world.

Thank you to those who have stuck by me, especially as I probably know you in person, and will have probably performed a lot of this information live, in the past.

But the time has come.

No more ghostly games, trick or treat.

For now at least.

Harrison Ford plays Uncharted 3...

I've just seen this video where Harrison Ford plays Uncharted 3 in a passing of the adventurer torch. I'm supposed to be rendering a video for the Halloween Moviebar but wanted to share the video with you.
Enjoy! There may be slight spoilers within, just a bit of gameplay stuff, nothing too revealing.




I can't tell if this is awesome or embarrassing, but I like the idea of Harrison Ford playing games. Especially Uncharted. It's taken from the Japanese Uncharted site and I guess is marketed as Indiana Jones passing the torch. Not sure it really works this way, but it's nice to here him discuss a game he has absolutely nothing to do with.

Next time I want to see Adam West playing Batman Arkham City. That would be truly awesome!