 A great little short I wrote and produced last year, Spare Change, has just been uploaded to Virgin Media Shorts. Have a look and give it a vote!
http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/5323/spare-change#.Ueg7i23Ek_g
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As you know in May and June, I ran a competition to find some KICKING concept art for Cancer Hair, my ambitious little short. It has been an interesting process all facilitated via Talent House. Talent House crowdsources great artists for you – if you offer a prize. My prize was paltry in comparison to some of the big boys but I wanted to go global and get people interested in helping Cancer Hair become a reality. Cancer Hair is about a young, self-conscious women in remission from cancer, who goes on a date with a likely-lad who is seemingly after a one night stand. We had over 20 submissions over the course of the competition and I am delighted to so we have three winners. Two that we chose and one "peoples choice" - we have decided, the public have chosen. So who has won? Our two winners were:-  David Vidal – David’s work can be seen HERE What we liked about this image was that it captures some of what the film is about. A young couple on a first date get off to a bad start, partly because she is self conscious that she has lost her hair while undergoing chemo and partly because he says some things he shouldn’t. Although our couple don’t kiss in the script, this image provides a hopeful what if moment that our audience can follow. David, as well as being an illustrator and fine artist, is also a music producer and can be found at https://www.facebook.com/jakoboofficial Well Done David. And thanks, we love your art.  Diane Gibson – Diane’s work can be seen HERE What we liked about this image is that it really convays the emotions that the characters are going through. Again, the scene doesn’t necessary appear in the script but we love the rawness of it. This young woman is trying to get her life back after cancer has devastated it. She is going to be scared of what comes next. Will she be rejected? Will he like her? Will she want to run away? Diane is a mother and a grandmother and has her hands full. As well as being kept busy by the family, she is also a talented artist, drawing out the emotion from the situation and laying it bare for all to see. Diane’s portfolio can be found at http://www.talenthouse.com/shamrockedlady Thanks Diane, we love this piece. The Peoples Choice winner was:-  Diego Valdez – Diego’s work can be found HERE
What we liked about Diego’s illustration was that it showed a haunting portrayal of a woman without hair staring proudly at the viewer. It was a very powerful and arresting image and we can certainly see why this won the people’s choice. There is even a touch of angelic wings coming our the back of his image which gives the piece an ethereal feel. Diego is a formal fashion model who is now an artist, author and illustrator. He has a number of projects on the go and more can be found out about Diego at his website http://www.diegovaldez.com/ . We also recommend you follow him on twitter at @realdiegovaldez Thanks Diego and Well Done!  I've just spent five very pleasant days at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Many interesting and insightful things have come out of this but one of the ones I have taken very much to heart is the fact that everyone - from Oscar winning producer down is in the same boat.
What do I mean by that? There are very few people who manage to have a sustainable and financially rewarding career in film. It is a lifestyle job. But you know what, that's OK. It doesn't matter that you cannot support yourself 100% with writing or producing or industry "stuff". If you can find a way of doing what you love at the same time of doing something you have to to pay the bills then that's OK. It's the game everyone in town plays. There are probably about 1000 people max that are able to sustain themselves to any reasonable degree within the industry. So temping at a bar, or as in my case doing interim communications contracts is OK. Whatever you need to do to make your lifestyle work for you is what you do. Interestingly at almost every session I attended a question was asked which was along the lines of "how are you managing to live?". The implication being that there is a secret way of doing things that some of us aren't being told. There is no secret. This shit is hard. Pay the rent with what you can and try to sustain the energy, and money, for being a filmmaker on the side. When you are in filmy company, like I was this weekend, then just play the "I'm a filmmaker|" routine like everyone else and STFU about your day job. Similarly, where possible in your day job STFU about your film life, nothing breeds annoyance like an individual with a life outside work. Two worlds, never the two shall meet, as long as one of them pays then you can keep them in balance. |
AuthorGail Hackston is a filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. Her blog is about getting things made in the UK Film Industry. Archives
November 2014
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