FWOAN's first festival...

The film festival journey of "For Want Of A Nail" has begun! Our first acceptance has been for the Los Angeles REEL Recovery Film Festival. The organisers described the film as "an honest and touching portrayal of someone living with the effects of OCD."

The festival specialises in showcasing "filmmakers who make honest films about addiction, alcoholism, behavioral disorders, treatment and recovery." 2018 will mark the 10th anniversary of the festival.

You can find more information about the festival at their website HERE.

Flavours of the Month: September 2017...

Seventies New York, difficult second album syndrome, and America's political underbelly - just a few of the things that have been setting the tone of my September 2017...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

#FWOAN - the most difficult shot...

In my previous post I talked about "For Want Of A Nail", the short film that I wrote the screenplay for, and now I'll dig in a little deeper to one particular part of the production: the most difficult shot to capture.

There's an old adage in film making that says 'never work with children or animals', but I think we should also add dominoes to that list, and here's why...

Click "READ MORE" below to continue...

Deadlands 2: Trapped on Blu-Ray review...

The guys over at High-Def Digest have done a review of Gary Ugarek's indie zombie flick Deadlands 2: Trapped - and in the extra features you'll find a familiar something from DeadShed Productions.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2684/deadlands2.html

"I Am Zombie Man" Series (HD, 39 min) — Three short films by British filmmaker Nick Thomson of Deadshed Productions. After a brief introduction by the writer/director, viewers can enjoy the goofy faux-documentary about a very lonely zombie. It's all done for a laugh and a good time, with the third movie in the series being probably the best.

"The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man" is now online!

Saunter over yonder - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45h8eDda-M - and check out the newest DeadShed Productions short film.

Was having some problems with YouTube yesterday which prevented me from uploading it, but I managed to get around the issue (although YouTube really need to fix the problem on their end, especially as people have been experiencing the problem for months now) ... anyway, after all the frustration of yesterday's failed uploads, I'm happy to say it's now online.

I'll blog about the film fully in due course (as I have done with all my other projects).

Pre-score edit of IAZM3 is done...

The other day I finished the edit of IAZM3, and it's now gone off to Brian and Gary to get the music done over the next few weeks. I've already heard one sample for one of the scenes, and it kicks ass already. I'm really looking forward to getting all the music into it and putting it online when it's done.

The film clocks in at 9 minutes and 58 seconds, so I was successful in sticking to my strict 10 minute running time, which was at times a tricky thing to do, but it was also kind of fun to solve the puzzle of how to edit shots down to make them as quick as possible while not losing their point of existing, and how to economise on the number of shots to tell the story of a sequence. It really makes you look closer at your editing, and you sometimes get down to trimming frames off of shots so that they cut when you'd naturally expect them to.

While editing this I would look at the time line and find myself going "8 seconds long? How indulgent!" during certain sequences. Indeed, some parts of the film have a slower pace, while others are as tight as ... something very tight ... and are frame-specific in their pace. So yeah, the puzzle was solved and all extraneous fat was trimmed, so I feel it now really barrels along at a fair old pace - which is a much better place to be with a short. It's better to feel it go by fast and to want more, than to be sat there waiting for the next thing to happen as it drags along.

But such is life and how you learn with each film what's important and what isn't, and how to make each and every new one better than the last.

While I will no doubt continue to refer to it as "IAZM3", indeed it is the third Zombie Man film, the only title on the film itself is what was originally the sub-title (but which is now just the title) - The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man.

This further ties in with what I wanted to do with it - to make it capable of standing alone, but continuing to be a part of the series.

More update sauce...

The IAZM3 editing process continues apace, with about 8 minutes worth pretty tightly edited. I might look to trim it down a smidge during my next session, but all-in-all it's going well. It's actually kind of fun to work strictly to a time limit that you've set yourself (the duration of the film I mean, not the length of time it takes you to make it), as you really look at what you've got and find exactly what you need to tell the story and make it all make sense.

Anyway, here's a couple of screen grabs from one of the recently edited sequences.

IAZM3 editing is underway!

After a few days of uploading, logging, colouring, cropping and selecting stock shots (from my personal library, and from some Public Domain footage from my gathered archives from the excellent Internet Archive website), I finally got down to some serious editing last night.


As is usually the case it's a slow start (just like when writing a script), but I had to drag myself away from the edit as I'd been sat there for a good while - so that's a good sign - the last thing you want to do is be editing when your heart isn't in it.


Anyway, I'm slightly trepidatious about whether I will get it all fitted into my 10 minute time limit - if only YouTube could give you 15 minutes per video - because I really don't want to do more than one edit (what's the point?), and I don't want to split the film into two videos as I want it to flow nicely. That said, I've risen to the challenge before in editing to a strict time limit, so I'll sodding well do it again.

UPDATE: I've been bashing away some more at the edit today, and I've now got the first 3 minutes and 45 seconds nicely bashed into shape. I even cut out some of the opening monologue (34 seconds worth), which wasn't necessary, and just helped to move things along faster at the start. No doubt I'll include these deleted snippets in a sort of 'gag reel/behind the scenes' type cobbled together video, after IAZM3 is online and out there.

I Am Zombie Man 3 - it's finally been shot!

Shot as in filmed, not as in dead. To prove it, I've layered in a few screenshots from the raw, unedited footage.


Indeed, two years behind schedule, but I always said I would eventually get around to it. In a sort of 'perfect storm', Knox and I found a window in which to film the entire thing. That window was the 28th December 2009, wedged right in between the festivities and some rather crummy (for filming) weather - fortunately yesterday had clear blue skies and sun and was above freezing, so for the few outdoor shots we were sorted.

The majority takes place indoors (what with the character being somewhat of a recluse these days, and that he's been forced to retreat inside lest hoardes of consumers flee at the very sight of his decaying visage).


Indeed, this third (and final) in the I Am Zombie Man series will officially go by the title "The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man" - but whenever I refer to it on this blog, I'll simply use the far easier "IAZM3" moniker. The world's most famous zombie (self proclaimed) has fallen on hard times, his much trumpetted fame and fortune has failed him and he's now a crumbling, drug-addled shell of his former self ... but he's still just as sardonic.

Today though it was all about uploading the hour of raw footage (I'm aiming for a 10 minute long short), and I'm pleased with what we got. It was a seriously hectic run & gun shoot; a real case of "GO! GO! GO! GO!" the entire time. A few hours with nobody else in the house, a few hours of mid-December sunlight, and a whole lot of shots to get. However, we got everything we needed, and while a test of my run & gun abilities, the last few years of filming in such a manner (both officially and on private endeavours) have served me well.


Of all my DeadShed shorts, this has definitely been the one that's been the most stressful. Not only has it had a two and a half year gestation time, but it's had the anticipation to go along with such a long absence. The Zombie Man series has its own little mini-cult going on, and those who dig it have been eager for the third entry - most of all Gary Ugarek and Brian Wright - they of Deadlands franchise fame, IAZM pimpage, WNWR Podcasting, and musical talent.

There were a fair number of props to gather, organise, purchase, and even produce - so that was another task for me on top of all the others. In true DeadShed Productions fashion, IAZM3 will be a small group producing it.


Gareth kindly stepped back into the bloody jeans, dirty hoody of old once more, and donned the brand new mask and gloves to boot. Gary and Brian are also going to very kindly help out with their musical talents - and this time they'll be scoring to a moving image for a change (previous collaborations have been about discussing moods, themes, and ideas ahead of me editing or even filming the short itself).

And then there's me - directing, writing, editing, shooting, recording (and voicing) the dialogue (of more than one character) and even getting on screen myself, plus any other little tasks (such as all that prop gathering, purchasing and creating). I don't say this to self-aggrandise, far from it, I say this just to illustrate how these DeadShed shorts get made.


As such, this was indeed the most stressful of the DeadShed Productions shorts to date, so I think I'll make the next one a simpler affair - then again, that was always the intention after IAZM3.

Now begins the editing process, and similar to what I did with Skinner, I'll be sticking exclusively to Sony Vegas. I want to try out a couple of new ideas, and further improve my Vegas skills ... so bear with me, but I do hope to make January the month of IAZM3.

"Skinner" - response to the film...

A long time since I finished the film? Certainly, and I've been meaning to post some of the response I got to it on the blog, but I've kept forgetting to do so - but no more! No more I tell you, for below is some of the response I got to "Skinner" - you can watch it on my YouTube Channel, which you can find a link to in my links section, or indeed via the YouTube widget below that (which always displays my four latest videos).

Or you could go and see it here (in HQ too), if you're in the mood for direct URLs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA0gD60edHI

Anyway, on with the response:

"Nicely done ... Dramatic and well written. Enjoyable little flick here."

"Shot very well, and I LOVE the font & the way you did the credits (that scrawled-on-a-wall look to the font was just plain kick-ass, as well as the movement of the letters)."

"I think he did a great job in this one. I think he was spot-on for the part." (referring to Sean Connell, who acted in the film).

"WOW! This looks fantastic! Nick is really making large leaps forward with his filmmaking ... I think this is the best looking thing he's done yet."

"Cool, nicely shot. I just wish I wasn't eating when I watched it."

"Nice work Nick. That was a damn interesting little film."

"Cool short film guys, very dark and Se7en-esque."

"It was atmospheric, interesting and enjoyable. Good work, man."

"Very entertaining dude, probably not as good as your last, but it was a nice length, gave me an "opening of Texas Chainsaw" vibe from it and I dug it man."

"Well done. The title sequence was quite atmospheric, kinda reminded me of Se7en. I like the noir-ish aspect of the weary detective voice over coupled with the appropriately hard-boiled dialogue when he describes the previous crime scenes. The music was decidedly sinister and creepy. Bravo."

So there you have it, took me a while to get around to making this blog post, but even still - thanks to those who watched the film, dug it, and gave feed back!

Not bad for a film that was conceived on a Monday and then shot at the end of the same week when I was still busy recovering from that hernia operation earlier this year.

...

I should hopefully be shooting the next DeadShed Productions short film sometime soon - so keep your fingers crossed.

"Doing Our Bit" - feedback...

I've been meaning to blog about recent feedback to this film and "Skinner" for a while now, so I'll blog about the response to the latter in due course. For now though, here's some of the responses we got to "Doing Our Bit" - the entry for the 1 Minute To Save The Earth competition.

"Nic’s film, I thought, is very good, straight to the point. So pay attention everyone!"

"Great film.. Some good tips in there. Short and to the point."

"Catchy, simple and memorable. Just what’s needed."

"Like it too. It’s not rocket science - it’s common sense and we can all take heed and do it."

"Love the soundtrack - helps get the message across - that doing our bit isnt boring! Lets cut the crap and just do it…you, me, everybody. Thats what this film says to me. Yes. Bring it on…"

"Simple and effective."

"Little things matter - times 60 million (uk population) they are no longer little - times a billion or more, (population of the west) they become enormous."

"Stand out job, Nick & Co. Looking forward to your next project!"

"Cracking video joe and nick- food for thought for all of us."

...

As for the competition, unfortunately we didn't make it into the short list - which was supposed to be 20 videos (15 chosen by judges, 5 chosen by votes) but inexplicably the short list, when it went up online, was 27 videos. There seems to have been some controversy from some of the entrants over which videos got picked and why, and then even more inexplicably, long after the deadline a further 5 videos were added to the short list making it a short list (that was supposed to be 20 videos) of 32.

Naturally you can only be disheartened when you don't make it, but regardless of the methodology used to pick the videos, as well as the rather strange ignorance of the short list size as set out in the Terms & Conditions, I feel we made a cracking little video with a good, solid, positive and constructive message that set itself apart from many of the videos submitted in its own way (disclaimer - that's not me dissing other people's videos).

"Skinner" is now online!

You can watch my latest short film online here (5:22 in length):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA0gD60edHI

"A forensic detective attends the latest in a long line of grisly, unsolved crime scenes - murders committed by the titular serial killer whose modus operandi remains so varied and vague that those tracking him have been unable to gain any traction on the case. It is here that we see a gruesomely festive tableau set aside for the detective - a tired-eyed, noir-like protagonist - replete with a note left at the scene; the product of a diseased mind that continues to goad those who seek to bring him to justice."


Write-up with screenshots coming soon.

Sex & Ethics (2008)...

This was my first educational DVD, and I was charged with the task of filming and editing the whole thing. At this point it was the biggest filmmaking project I had been involved in, and it was great experience.


The DVD consists of eight films (four topics split into two films each), with added student group discussion (and teacher’s notes too). The DVD is about ethical theories and issues related to sex and relationships.


It was a great opportunity to really come up with arresting visuals – personally, my experience of educational videos (that dates my education, haha) was usually one of boredom, of something rather staid. Obviously I didn’t want to be responsible for filming and editing something that wouldn’t keep the students interested in watching – so I was able to come up with an interesting style.


We not only used a whole wealth of Public Domain stock footage (to use as-is, or re-cut and re-contextualise), but I also got to put together colourful and interesting sequences through various means (layering video, colouring, shooting re-enactments/scenarios in different ways etc).


The project wasn’t the most organised I’d worked on, so that was an education in itself – but it has helped to improve my own organisation, shooting, editing and filmmaking in general – plus, it also acted as a testing run (in a way) for the next educational DVD, which was all about the environment from a theological stand point.

Follow the below link to the official website, where you can also see four video clips:
http://www.ethicsonline.co.uk/

Contempt of Conscience (2008)...

This locally produced documentary about conscientious objectors The Peace Tax Seven had been a few years in the making by the time I joined the project as cameraman and additional editor.


Thanks to my new equipment it was at this point that I was able to move forward again and set myself up officially as a Freelance Filmmaker (prior to this point I had been gaining expenses-only work experience in between my own little side projects).


“Contempt of Conscience” premiered in its finished form at the Milano Film Festival in Italy, 2008. It was also shown at the Reality Uncut film festival in New Delhi, and the Beyond TV film festival in Swansea.

You can view the full film online (in 3 parts) at Ethics Online's YouTube Channel - or via Top Documentary Films.

See the IMDb page for this film here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294663/

Below is a clip from the film - an original cut of the 'bailiff sequence', which I was able to direct, shoot, and edit.

Sabrina and the Engineer (2008)...

Similar to “Sturgeon Moon” the previous year, this was another town-wide performance from the Arts Council. It was great to bring the experience from previous Arts Council projects onto this one and further hone my ‘run & gun, from the hip’ filming skills.

It was also a great opportunity to get some fantastic looking shots – giant water jets shooting into the air, dancers, fireworks, the whole kit and caboodle.

Below is a video about the project, as put together by Silva Productions:



Visit the below links for more information, and lots of pictures of the event.

http://www.severnproject.com/2008/home.html

http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bewdley.html

http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bridgnorth.html

And here are some screenshots from a musical montage of some of the footage I shot during the Bewdley performance.

Great Malvern Christmas Lantern Parade (2007)...

This was my first solo effort for the Arts Council, and it was one that came to me on the very day it was taking place. I got the call in the morning, and was at the location by the early evening, and then filming moments later. The whole day would prove to be a series of valuable lessons in the world of freelance filmmaking.


I was tasked with, at the last minute, shooting and then editing a five minute piece that covered the Lantern Parade and turning on of the Christmas lights in Great Malvern.


In the end the film turned out quite nicely, especially for the amount of chaos involved – the very last minute getting of the job, wrestling with trying to find the location without SatNav, then dealing with constant rain (which made the journey there ten times more stressful, confusing and occasionally dangerous), huge crowds, and a general sense of chaos … but like I said, the final product turned out nicely.

Sturgeon Moon (2007) & The Handless Maiden (2007)...

Acting as second cameraman for Silva Productions, these two films were my introduction to putting together documentaries for Arts Council projects.


“Sturgeon Moon” took place in Bridgnorth – all over the town during the day (in the blistering hot summer of 2007), and culminating in a multi-staged performance on the town’s sports field at night. It was an opportunity to employ those ‘shoot from the hip, as it happens’ skills that I acquired on all those videos I made at university, but it was also a robust experience in terms of patience and especially endurance.


“The Handless Maiden” was a Covent Garden Street Opera production (performed by, and aimed at, people with disabilities) at the Trinity College of Music, London. It was a further lesson in working with complete strangers (there’s a big difference between just being around strange people, and having to film and direct complete strangers). Additionally it was a continued lesson in filmmaking endurance – “Sturgeon Moon” was a 20 hour day, and “The Handless Maiden” was an exhausting 21 hours.


Interestingly, with these sort of projects, you have a sense of nervousness and anticipation leading up to the main performance – you’re obsessively going over the little, and even simple, details (batteries, tapes, camera settings, what’s roughly going to happen etc), but when the actual performance gets going time stops existing except for the time code on your camera’s flip-out screen. Everything comes together during the performance, and especially on outdoor shoots, it becomes a case of ‘run and gun’ filmmaking. Responding to everything happening around you every second and having to get a whole range of quality shots – indeed, it’s quite thrilling.

This first video is a little short piece I put together using my own footage from the performance:


Below are two videos about the "Sturgeon Moon" project, as put together by Silva Productions:

Show & Tell (2007)...

This was another chance to work with the Rural Media Company in Hereford, this time on a government sponsored research project (mediated through Bristol University School of Policy Studies) into rural poverty. It covered the following topics:

Necessities of Life, Isolation and Powerlessness, Accessing Services and Opportunities, Denial of Rights, Aspirations and Opinions.


The project involved solo teams getting video diary footage from those who took part – at this point the footage was handed over to me, acting as footage loader & logger. I was, put simply, responsible for getting all the footage (hours upon hours of it – there were around 50 tapes if memory serves) loaded onto the editing system, while simultaneously logging the content (what’s being said, quality of footage, overall score etc).

For my part of the job at least, it was a good lesson in patience and endurance. It’s really surprising how worn out you can get loading and logging footage, seriously.

Even though I was doing a fairly process-based job, it did allow me to see a hell of a lot of response to the issue of rural poverty from those affected by it - from their mouth, to my ears - every single tape, uncut. It really shows you what some people have to get by on, and how they struggle, and most importantly of all, how it affects them personally.

Via the Guardian link below, you can view a trailer of the project, or alternatively via the Rural Media link where you can watch a fuller version.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/video/2009/jan/07/show-tell-rural-poverty

http://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/index.php?nav_id_sent=3&page_id_sent=35

http://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/video-player/FlvVideo.php?video=636670039Show%20and%20Tell.flv

BBC Local TV (2005-2006)...

This was the first time I worked with the Rural Media Company (based in Herefordshire), and it was for the BBC Local TV Pilot project. I was one of a number of filmmakers brought on to make 90 second short films which would be played as part of each day’s rolling 10 minute (every hour) segment for our county (the project was operating in six counties in the Midlands).


I put together a number of videos for the project – “Coming Home” was a poetic short that I wrote, shot and edited about what it’s like to return home from university to a small town. “The Green Life” was about one local woman’s commitment to living an environmentally friendly lifestyle (with a large and sophisticated solar panel in her garden), while “Caring Kids” was about a local group set up to provide young carers (who care for unwell siblings and/or parents) with the opportunity to let off steam and act like everyday kids.


“Inside Hereford Butter Market” (which was (as well as myself) featured in an internal BBC video report) documented the life and goings on within the city’s indoor market. “Making Japanese Edo Kites” on the other hand showed one primary school class making their own kites.


Watch "Inside Hereford Butter Market" here:


Watch "Coming Home" here:

Planet Sci-Cast (2008)...

A friend of mine (who has been in a few of my short films) asked me for a bit of help with filming a little video for the Planet Sci-Cast competition (make a 90 second short film which demonstrated something fun to do with physics that you could try at home).



I did offer to film it on my camera and edit, but to make sure we stayed within the rules, we just filmed it far more simply (hence the comedy 'back of an envelope' idea ... although seeing other entries we could have gone further on the look with ease).


Anyway - it took a fun idea (to do with friction), and it was a simple demonstration of the principle. There was another video that was inspired by the same 'try this at home' segment on some physics magazine (I forget the name now), which won out over us - but even still, we were nominated in the "best film by an adult team" category, which was nice.