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Producer's
Pre Production Diary

Today we learn that we don’t need to find Julie a place to stay in London as she is staying with a friend which saves us a few hundred pounds. Paul tries to listen to some tracks by Slashed Seat Affair, the band that played on Thursday night, but is constantly interrupted by calls, one of which is to say that the actor playing the part of Jode may have to pull out as he has been offered a leading role in a West End Musical and it will clash with the proposed shoot dates which will be a weekend and two evenings. This is the latest knock-on effect from our continual scheduling problems. It all stems from the Tai Chi class scene. I am insistent that Barry my instructor, who has graciously allowed us to film the class, is there to play the minor role of the Tai Chi Class Instructor (there is a logic to that !) but on the date we had originally proposed he will be flying to Belgrade to take part in the world Kickboxing Championships. Our plan was to shoot all the London scenes first then go to France but now, on version five of the schedule, we are having to split the London scenes and shoot the Office scenes last. As we can only get the office at weekends (the perils of shooting everything on location) it either means two very long days or two weekends with five days off in between. Neither is particularly acceptable and neither will enable us to use Steve in the role of Jode if he accepts the West End job.

We contemplate the need to recast and watch a number of showreels we have been given in the past few weeks, one of which is from someone prepared to invest £5,000, a much needed amount of money, if we cast him. We pull up a box of biscuits each and settle down dreaming of how best to spend the money and watch the showreel. After about thirty seconds we have doubts, after a minute we are faced with a terrible dilemma and after two minutes realise that he is so bad he would struggle to get a bit-part in an American daytime soap. He might be offering us a large sum of money but it is not worth it.

The rest of the day is spent getting photos and contact details from the expanded crew. We have a simple remit, if they work a day get them on the site.

Cast members. 0 gained. 1* lost.
*potentially

Day 29 Sunday 16th September 2007

Technically today is a day off. Stéphanie and I spend it with niece & nephew and have lunch with my brother's in-laws who generously offer some investments. Great news on two fronts, firstly we need the money and secondly I can put the train fare through as a company expense, albeit in about a year's time when the company can afford to pay me back. I am running around the garden chasing my nephew when I get a text from Paul saying he has found a super 16mm camera owned by the person who was the DoP on the film 'Seven Seconds to Heaven' where I first met Steve Stills. It is a small world. Roger and Matt, the new clapper/loader, are going to Reading tomorrow for camera tests and in the space of just over a week we have gone from shooting on HDV to super 16mm. I leave my brother's in-laws with a chocolate cup cake and two investment cheques in hand. A good day all round !

I stroll into work ready for another all night session of pressing buttons, talking nonsense and being generally bored and glory in the knowledge that this is the last time I will have to do this, at least for the next six weeks.

So, preproduction is now over for me, we have arranged that Paul and I have a week off to prepare our other roles, namely as Actor and Director. We will take up the reigns of production again once the shoot has wrapped and so hand over control to Williams and his production team of Sarah, Julia and Rhys leaving me seven days to prepare for a lead role in a film that I would normally want a month to ready myself for. I sit back, work on the script and watch what used to be my apartment slowly fill up with equipment. Still, at least I already know the script and don't have to learn the lines.

Crew members. 0 gained. 0 lost.