Monthly Archive: October 2014

The Missing started tonight on BBC 1 and as expected it shows all the signs of being compulsive viewing.  The brilliant James Nesbitt plays the part of the distraught father perfectly and the scene is now set for a compelling story to unfold.   The story is set around the disappearance of a child, Nesbitt’s son, whilst the family are on holiday in France.    My hair isn’t that long now as I had it chopped off for my latest BBC drama set in the late 1940’s which has just finished filming and due on T.V. in the Spring.

Here is a short film I made for Halloween last year.  I made it with my friend Toby  from school and I thought you might find it funny.  Here is the link from my vimeo.  Have a great Halloween everybody.

I just bought a book called Endgame, The Calling, by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton.  It is about a group of teenagers who have been chosen.  They are placed in different parts of the world and they have to enter the game to save the world.

‘Twelve ancient cultures were chosen millennia ago to represent humanity in Endgame, a global game that will decide the fate of humankind. Endgame has always been a possibility, but never a reality…until now. Twelve meteorites have just struck Earth, each meteorite containing a message for a Player who has been trained for this moment. At stake for the Players: saving their bloodline, as well as the fate of the world. And only one can win.’

The other very interesting point is that there is prize money of $500,000 hidden somewhere in the world and whoever can solve the puzzles in the book will get the key to find the money!!

Keeping up with the horror theme, here is another short film, I made myself, called. SPLIT PERSONALITY   I like making short films and I hope you like this one.

I have  cameo role in this production and I had the opportunity to act with James Nesbitt and it was great to watch him working.  I remember watching Bloody Sunday with my mum and I wasn’t sure if it was a film or a documentary because it was so realistic.  James Nesbitt has the skill to make you feel you are there in the room for real. It was like a masterclass.

Here is an edited piece from Venessa Thorpe from The Observer newspaper and you can see the full interview here:-

Interview with James Nesbitt

For a television audience to be prepared to journey into a parent’s bleakest nightmare, they need to feel in safe, serious hands. On 28 October, the actor James Nesbitt will attempt to take viewers to a very dark place with the launch of the BBC1 drama series The Missing, an eight-part thriller that tells the story of the disappearance of a young child on a family holiday.

The Missing can be defended as a properly considered, human tale. “We are becoming inured to the horror in a lot of these shows, so whether it will be too much for viewers is an interesting question. I believe if these stories are told truthfully, then audiences are prepared to go there. But not if they are told explicatively,” he said.

Although the BBC drama is not based directly on recent events, the plot of The Missing echoes real-life cases such as that of Madeleine McCann. “Whatever the BBC and the writers say, there are going to be parallels there in cases we have all heard about. It takes you right back there. And it does make you want to hug your own children to you,” said Nesbitt.

As the drama unfolds, jumping between dual time frames, the fragility of family happiness becomes a strong theme. “It is not a conscious plan, but behind all these dramas the notion that we should not be taking things for granted is out there I am sure,” said Nesbitt, adding that good drama, while a commercial entertainment, still has the ability to show viewers the best and the worst human qualities.

It was the last day of filming for me on the new BBC drama which will be screened in the Spring.  We all had a great time and I made a behind the scenes short film which I will put on here once the programme has been on  t.v.

We all got on brilliantly and had fun.  I hope everybody does keep in touch.

Cameron, Finn, me and Aran

I am going to Monaco for the Monaco Film Festival and this is why…

Lady Luck is about a young boy’s attempts to win back his mother’s love. The film is inspired by a short story by DH Lawrence – ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’.

Last week I went to BBC Maida Vale to record a drama.  It seemed like a comedy and I wasn’t sure what it was about so I googled it.  The Decameron is a collection of 100 tales by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio written between 1350 and 1353

Writers such as Shakespeare and Chaucer are said to have borrowed from it. The tale begins with 7 women and 3 men who move to a country villa to escape the Black Death in Florence. The group stays there for fourteen days and on ten of those days they each tell one tale on a set theme. Each day a different person is King or Queen and they decide what the theme will be. One character Dioneo, who usually tells the tenth tale each day, has the right to tell a tale on any topic he wishes, due to his wit.

The tales are about love, death and tragedy and sometimes in a comic manner.  They paint a vivid picture of the times.

Ten Day Decameron will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014   Adapted from Boccaccio by Robin Brooks and Directed by Jonquil Panting.

Win a trip to TASMANIA with Neil Gaiman @neilhimself

Bookend is a not-for-profit education initiative that seeks to inspire students and their communities with the positive environmental careers they can build making the world a better place.

Look at the website here:-  http://www.sixteenlegs.com/

Bookend is funded through the donation of time, energy and resources by private individuals concerned about building a positive and co-operative environmental future for our students and community. We started this work voluntarily as we feel privileged in our careers, and we wish to pass this inspiration and opportunity to the next generation. This dedication is supported and guided through our Patrons, including best selling international author Neil Gaiman, national economic commentator Saul Eslake, wilderness photography expert Liz Dombrovskis, and international award-winning documentary maker Cathy Henkel. Our Founding patron was best selling international author Bryce Courtenay.

In previous years, Bookend has taken students on interactive and actual experiences from the World Heritage Wilderness of south-west Tasmania to Lord Howe Island, Antarctica, Papua New Guinea and Thailand. These adventures have covered volcanos, wilderness survival, coastal management, threatened species and more. Our 2014 range of projects fall under the banner of SIXTEEN LEGS.

Bookend is seeking support for the SIXTEEN LEGS project. Your help will allow us to complete filming and editing of the documentary, it will support student scholarships and research on the topics covered in the documentary, and it will help us expand and tour the SIXTEEN LEGS exhibition to other locations. In return, you’ll get great SIXTEEN LEGS products, and an opportunity to experience what Tasmania has to offer with NEIL GAIMAN!