Do
Elephants
Pray?
Director's Weekly Post Production Blog WEEK 78 Saturday May 02nd...
Charlotte Fung from Molinare e-mailed me mid week to say that Andrew Dearnley is away again and that she has taken over in the mean time. She said that Katy would be working on it on the 1st of May. I e-mailed back asking for another review next week. She hasn’t replied yet. I will chase up again on Tuesday as Monday is a bank holiday.
The same day I shot another second unit day on the Norman Foster documentary with Marina. It was just a simple interview that took barely an hour all told. It was nice to see her again as I haven’t seen her since before Christmas.
Yesterday Roger and I met Rachel Baker from Fuji for lunch. We wanted to talk stock about The Power but also about the inter-negative for DEP’s film out process – the last thing to do on the film before delivery.
I discovered during the meeting that Fuji is not going to Cannes thanks to the threat of Swine Flu. Apparently also many American companies will not be sending people for the same reason. Maybe Cannes this year will be the quietest one ever. Unfortunately I have committed to being there the whole time though!
Today I was sitting at a bus stop when across the road I saw Jose Ruiz. I hadn’t seen him since October last year. He told me he had finished his course and had moved to London. As well as gaffer-ing he has also been DoP-ing shorts and such like. He looked well. He asked the same question everyone ALWAYS asks “When will the film be finished?”
My only reply was “I’m not a soothsayer”.
This week mainly has been about investment. For once I seem to have found some. In addition to a long term commitment finally turning up this week, I also got a further commitment from one of our more solid investors extending his investment yet again (the third time).
Then today I got an e-mail from an old associate, Mike Tims, pledging another £200. I haven’t seen the guy for ages. He said in his e-mail that he had seen me from a balcony last week walking up Broadwick street. He went on “I’ve never seen any of your films but always admired your tenacity.” Later he googled me and found the Elephants website which prompted the e-mail.
I guess most people think that £100 or £200 is too small a level of investment to be significant. It’s not! We’ve accepted levels as low as £50 so far but in fact we’d accept £10 – that’s how desperately we need the money!
Anyway, on Monday Jonnie comes and we will do some more admin. Hopefully soon we will be able to clear some of the most overdue accounts.
WEEK 79 Saturday May 09th...
On Monday I saw Jonnie who was over to do some scenes for a horror film he is acting in. We did some admin and wrote out a couple of small cheques to creditors. We calculated what we would be able to do with the new investment once it arrives which prompted Jonnie to say “Maybe we’ve turned a corner”. In any event, if the investment continues to come (and the DCMS money arrives soon as it should do) we certainly will turn that corner.
Now I will see Mike Tims in Cannes about his generous offer.
Charlotte Fung from Molinare called me on Tuesday. She confirmed that Katy had been working last week but the amount of time she was able to dedicate was reduced due to some urgent things “coming in”. In any event Katy has gone through the film up to reel 5 now. It should only take her one more session before we can do another review. I agreed to talk with Charlotte again this coming Monday.
Yesterday, though, I decided to call Caroline Richards as well as Neil and Roger so that I have a team in place to do another de-spotting review while I am away. Caroline will be the first port of call. Roger and Neil helping out is they can. I hope thus that when I get back from Cannes we will be able to do the titles and the mastering of the film.
Just like the final grading review (just before Xmas), I will have to miss the final de-spotting review. It’s unfortunate but I can’t delay the process any longer than it has been delayed already. It is strange to think, though, that I have not been able to watch contiguous picture for the film since we locked the edit, some 354 days ago now!
Some days while we were grading, I only got to see and work on a sequence of a few shots at a time due to all the interruptions and time lost so I shouldn’t complain now.
I contacted Pete Stevenson this morning to ask if we can see a rough cut of the documentary mid June also. I am waiting for confirmation of that.
In Cannes it will be two years since we started this project. Two years since I finished reading Jonnie’s script in front of the Grand Hotel. I had hoped that this year I would be able to show a completed film to sales agents and distributors but that is not the case and there is no point showing an uncompleted film again. It will have to be done in London once the film is finished.
Having finished “Julie”, I am now consuming quick reads one after another! My next blog will be from La Croisette.
WEEK 80 Saturday May 16th...
I’m in Cannes at the Villa I usually stay in owned by a jovial Liverpudlian fellow. I will soon have to rush out to a meeting. This weekend is choc-a-bloc. I am even doing early morning meetings, which is quite unusual for me!
At the start of the festival I worked mainly for Bluebell Films, my little dvd distribution company, whilst arranging meetings later in the festival about DEP and future projects (mainly “The Power” and the next film I hope to make with Jonnie – playfully entitled “Abra-Ca-Debra”). Also today many producers I am working with arrive necessitating that I shift focus back on to film-making.
One really, really strange and sad thing this year is that Jonnie is not here. The real reason is money - or lack of it. Partly I am afraid that is due to the poverty inducing decision to make DEP. Apart from a lot of time it has also cost us effectively a lot of money! I find that especially sad as the film began here two years ago when Jonnie gave me the script. A year ago also we had just locked the cut of the film having had a wonderful experience shooting the film only 6 months before. Also last year, Jonnie and I, on the bus into town, brainstormed our next project (ACD).
Jonnie absence means that I have to shoulder all the workload here regarding DEP. What I have to do specifically is access interest in the film from the Sales Agents we have been talking to since last Cannes, suggest some attractive business proposals and get those willing and able to see the film once it is completed. I have had a few meetings to that affect already with more to come.
John Last and the Ginger Beacon are also here for the whole festival from DEP and yesterday I saw Yoram who was looking for the parties as usual. Again he asked me “What are you working on now?” Again I had to tell him that I am still working on DEP. Like Grace, he has moved on and is here with another film - one where he appears naked playing the part of Adam - which is interesting casting!
Instead of going to late night parties I am going to see films at night – mainly those in competition - this years crop is the best for years. I have done many Cannes barely seeing a film but slowly I have returned to what I love – cinema rather than festivities. I don’t give a shit about the big parties anymore apart from maybe evening ones that can be good networking opportunities. Such top film-makers like Haneke, Resnais, Loach, Tarantino, Almodovar, Ang Lee, Jane Campion and of course Lars Von Trier have films here.
The two films I really want to see here are the Von Trier and the Haneke. In my opinion, along with Angelopolous, that trinity is the bravest, most progressive and interesting film-makers alive at the moment.
Two days ago I saw Andrea Arnold’s film “Fish Tank”. I thought was great which surprised me as I didn’t like Red Road at all. I saw her outside the Petit Majestic the next evening and told her how much I liked the film. In any other year it would have a chance for the Palme D’Or but this year I think not. Strangely, people are already talking about a film called “The Prophet” as a contender. Personally I am sceptical that two French films will win Cannes back to back though.
Yesterday I met Mike Tims and signed the contract for the £200. I hadn’t seen him in ages and it was lovely to catch up. During the meeting I got a text from someone else pledging another £100. Every little bit helps. Nice.
This morning I got a text from Caroline telling me that Molinare have just said the de-spotting is finished. I texted the news to Jonnie. He texted back to say he would believe it when I told him. How wise! We have had enough false dawns.
This coming Sunday and Tuesday I have important meetings regarding The Power. The one on Tuesday is with EM media. We are awaiting their board meeting. If they approve the film's application we will soon be green lit for a shoot this summer. Apparently the board meeting will happen this month but no-one has told us when.
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