It's been a while

... but these things happen. There's not been a huge amount to report because the world of film distribution is the slowest moving world I have ever come across.

We have a few companies who have expressed an interest in releasing 1234. Some just want to do a theatrical, some just DVD and some want to do both. This is good, but it takes an age to get any answers out of them. I suppose they have to be careful as they can only afford to buy a few films a year so need to make sure they're happy with what they get, but it's still amazing that it can take weeks just to get the simplest of email replies. One foreign distributor, who actually requested a screener, still hadn't watched it six months later. I can't help feeling that the inevitable online releasing of films in the future will give distributors a much needed kick up the arse. If I can include money for promotion in my budget and then just release the film online I can get it out there right away. I've got a lot of respect for some distributors (and luckily that includes the ones interested in us), the ones who take real care with promotion and placement, but it does seem to be a business that's still operating as if it's 1960.

Hopefully we'll have something to report soon, if only because it would help stem all the 'when's your film coming out then?' emails we get. The fact we get loads from people we don't know only underlines what we've always known, that there's an audience for this film. There's a lot of people out there who love the world of indie music and would be interested in seeing it on film. Obviously I hope they like the film, but at the very least they're interested in it, more so I think than any distributors we've spoken to realise. And, as a distributor, what better way to be proved wrong than to find your film more successful than you thought.

In the meantime other things are being lined up. Carson Films ltd, the company Simon and I set up, are busy putting together our slate of projects. We've got 4 features and one documentary on our slate, the first of which, albion, all about a group of archaeologists running a summer camp to build an Iron Age roundhouse (hence the photo) is just being lined up to send in to the UKFC for development funding. I think it's going to be great (but then I would, wouldn't I), possibly the most dramatic thing we've ever done, but still funny and touching. I've been working on the story with Eithne Farry, who is the books ed at Marie Claire but is of course best known as the person who made all of Lyndsey's outfits in 1234. As soon as she's finished her new book she can start work on all Iron Age costumes that the archaeologists are going to wear.

And at the exact opposite end of the spectrum, we just shot a video for the new Tender Trap single, which I'll try and put up here soon (if I can remember how you do that). They had no money so we shot the whole thing on a still camera running at 3 shots a second, then blended all the shots together. It looks very odd, but in a good way I think. Total budget? One lunch for editor.

Yes, ANOTHER screening

We had the cast and crew screening on Tuesday which was great fun, though slightly odd as right after the film finished we had to run over the road and watch the Chelsea / Liverpool game, which was so painful I couldn't bring myself to watch much of. But that aside it was great to see everyone again. It seems really odd that it was exactly one year after we started, in one way it felt longer, but in another way it only seems like last month.

And now we're getting ready for another screening. We're showing in Sheffield as part of the Sensoria festival on Monday 27th at 6pm, after which, oh joy, Simon and I have to do a Q & A. Watching the film with an audience is a uniquely painful experience (it just becomes a list of little things I'd do differently) but that's nothing compared to the horror at having to stand on stage and talk about it. Last week there was an interview I did running on Shorts TV, and having seen that I now know what the Q & A will look like as well as sound like, and I don't like. But there's no getting out of it, so I may as well just get drunk and do it.

Meanwhile everything has pretty much been signed for our middle east release, and we're still waiting on news for the UK. We'll get there in the end, but my god it takes a long time. I never really believed people when they said making the film was only half the job, but now I do. In the meantime Simon and I are both signing up for new projects, but I'm not going to mention those until the ink has dried on the contracts as otherwise it's bad ju-ju and it will all fall apart.

So if you're near Sheffield a week on Monday, come on down to the screening, but probably best to leave before the Q & A starts, it'll just be two drunk men rambling on and no one wants to see that.

Finally

after all this time, we have a CAST AND CREW screening. It's going to be on the 14th April at 6.15pm at the Soho hotel. It's taken for ever to arrange because quite simply we had no money left and screening rooms are expensive, but now it's finally going to happen. It'll be great to see everybody again, but the best thing about it happening on that date is that the 14th April is the day we started filming, so it will be exactly a year.

Now if one of the distributors could just hurry up and buy the film that would make everything just dandy, but it seems getting a quick decision from a distributor in this economic climate is a near impossibility, so we'll have to just sit and wait. We've got quite good at that.

Another screening

1234 screened this afternoon as part of the London popfest, and it was a slightly less painful experience than the LFF screening. It was less painful in that this wasn't the first time I'd had to watch it with an audience, but painful none the less as all I did was look at every shot and think why didn't I do this or that (apart from the balcony scene which I'm happy with). This doesn't mean I'm not happy with what's on screen, I still am, but there's this weird feeling that a film is never finished and what's on screen is just a work in progress, and that if you just gave me some more time and money there's a few tweaks I'd like to make. I know that's never going to happen, and in fact i hope it never does as it would drive me insane.

Meanwhile we've got another screening, and it's up north this time. We've been asked to screen at the Sensoria festival in Sheffield, which is a festival of music and film, 24th - 30th April, and we happily said yes, so book your tickets now. Or whenever they go on sale.

Then this evening we went to the Buffalo bar for more London Popfest, including the always lovely Betty and the werewolves (though I was late and missed almost their entire set), the fantastic Zipper (I think) from Spain (I think again), and finally an amazing set from Rob and Amelia's (pictured in earlier days) new version of Tender Trap, who were amazing in a Motown / Phil Spector / stand up drumming type way. I wasn't sure what they'd be like as it's many years since I've seen them, but it was without doubt one of the best gigs I've seen by them in any of their many guises. If only they'd done this a year ago we could have had them in 1234, and all the better it would have been for it.

I guess I'll have to add an indie club scene to my new script. God knows how, but I'm sure we can find a way.

Yes I know it's been ages

But that's because there hasn't been a lot to report. Our sales agent explained that a film either sells right away (a rarity) or it takes ages, and guess which basket we're in. There are a number of companies interested in UK distribution for 1234, but we're just going to have to sit by while their cogs slowly turn and a deal is signed.

In the meantime, though, we're again applying to festivals, and even better, have an upcoming screening of 1234. We're showing at part of the excellent London Popfest. Here's their press release:

As part of our four day London Popfest (Thursday 26th February to Sunday 1st March) we have an afternoon of indiepop related film programming lined up at The Roxy Bar & Screen in Borough. The screening is free and open to all, not just to London Popfest season ticket holders. We're very excited to have only the second ever showing of "Slamptumentary", a documentary on the Newcastle-based DIY and Riot Grrrl label Slampt, and, as our main feature, the hotly-tipped British indie feature film "1234" fresh from its success at last year's London Film Festival and featuring, in Comet Gain and Betty & The Werewolves, two of the bands playing the popfest.

It's the afternoon of Friday 27th of feb. The Roxy is just down the road from London bridge tube station so if you're about, come on down. With any luck we'll get a few more things like this sorted out for screenings round the UK (not too many or no one will buy the film, but just enough to show their is an audience for this kind of indie malarky). More info from http://londonpopfest.com/ . We're very pleased to be showing as popfest is exactly the kind of thing we made 1234 for.

Finally have to have a quick mention for Shrag, who I've been to see twice now, and who are absolutely fantastic. I went to see the always excellent Betty and the Werewolves and Shrag were on the same bill and I loved them, so if they're playing near you go and see them.

Indie ROCK

Tonight I went to a fortuna pop night at the Lexington near Kings cross. I've never been there before, but I'll certainly go again. What an excellent gig venue it is, good sound, good views, great bands. If I'd found it before I'd have certainly used it in the film. And it's rather timely to be thinking about venues, as I got a text from Ben the location manager today to tell me that Manbucca, where we shot the majority of the gig scenes in the film, burnt down last night. Thankfully everyone got out in time, and it's a real shame to see it happen but I can't pretend I'm all that surprised. The electrics in there were shot, lights used to flick on and off, and the gaffer, the wonderful Mr Paul Murphy, insisted we get a generator in for the shoot. I'm sure they'll rebuild it and it'll be excellent again, just with better wiring this time.

Anyway, I went to the Fortuna Pop night to finally see My Sad Captains, the band whose song Great Expectations finishes the film. It's the first time I've ever seen them live and they were great, and when they played Great Expectations it was one of those weird moments when all I could imagine was the final shot of the film. I can't believe I've not managed to see them before, but am very glad I have now, and I'll certainly try and see them again, they're great. It was a proper indie night, as not only were they there, Sean (el presidente from Fortuna Pop) was there along with John Jervis from the marvellous Where it's at is where you are label (who asked me to DJ at one of his sunday afternoon sessions)along with Rob and Amy from Heavenly and Eithne and Mike from the film.

And just when I thought the night couldn't get any better the headline band, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, came on and were just brilliant. They're from New York and were fantastic. they sound a bit shoe gazey on their myspace page, but were a bit rockier live, and I loved them. Absolutely have to get them on the soundtrack for the next film.

Which may well be called Tender Buttons and be about working in a restaurant. I'm ten pages away from finishing the first draft and it looks about the right size to do for a next film. A Girl and a Gun would be lovely to do, but I still worry it's a bit large, and maybe it would be a good thing to do third. But we'll see, right now I'm broke and will quite happily direct porn if it means I can pay the rent.

Meanwhile, saw Damon Wise from Empire (along with Jeremy Drysdale and Nev Pierce from Total Film) for beer yesterday, and Damon said he'd put 1234 down in his Guardian guide list of top films to see in 2009, which was very nice of him. Can't wait for a UK theatrical release, it'll be like the pain of the LFF screening only times a million. Brilliant. Belgium here I come.

I could have had a baby in that time

The other day my old company found themselves in a bit of a fix, two shoots that needed to be done, only one spare P/D and no budget, so being Christmas I decided to help them out and do one of the jobs for them for old times sake. This meant going back to my old office.

I only had to pop in, the shoot was only going to take two hours, but it was a very odd experience. I'd forgotten how quiet the office was, quite a few people I knew had left and the seating plan had radically changed. A lot of people came up and asked after the film and it was lovely to see them all again after all these years. Except that I suddenly realised I only left at the end of February, a mere nine months ago. In that time we did pre-production, a four week shoot, a two month edit and a film festival, and as a result it feels as if I left my old job about two years ago. With it's incredible ability to slow down time it would seem filmmaking could be the nearest we can get to eternal life, apart from the fact the stress will probably kill you by the time you're sixty (although that's 110 in normal years).

But aside from wittering on about rubbish, we still have the question of the extra shot in the film. The shot itself works, everyone likes it, but it gives us two extra problems. Firstly we have to scan the new shot off the negative and onto High Def, cut it in and then colour grade it (one company) then we have to re-do the audio edit as the film now runs longer (another company). The good news is that it appears that both companies can find some space for us to do this before Christmas, now all that needs to be done is negotiate cost. With any luck they'll do it as an equity investment, if not it may be time to start selling off any christmas presents.

And then the film will be finished. I think I've said that before. OK, finished apart from going in and doing a 5.1 stereo sound mix that we'll need for the north American and European markets. And the DVD extras. And some other stuff I've forgotten. I think making a film must be like having children, they just never, ever stop taking money off you.