It's all settled. I'm meeting Tim McInnerny for an interview in London on the 10th of April.
After a couple of days trying to get hold of Tim (why are actors so illusive?), I have finally arranged my first star interview! I'm taking my sister alone to take photos (she's an ace photograph and cheap too), and I'm hoping to get some shots at the Globe, where he is rehearsing for the part of Iago in Othello (ready for production in May.) But I won't hold my breath, after a day of playing a villain with the most lines of any Shakespearean play, I'm sure Tim will be pretty desperate to get away from the place...
I must now concentrate on my research and drumming up some business for the finished feature. I'm going to pitch it to one of the weekend supplements, probably the Times or the Observer. It going to be tricky, but with such a big name and such a topical subject, I'm feeling quietly confident about it. I may ask Christina to help me decide the best way to go about selling it, because I don't want to make any mistakes.
I'm now back in Falmouth after a fabulous two weeks work experience in Bristol. I went to a production company situated by the docks (next door to Aardman and the ss Great Britain). Calling The Shots are a micro indie, which means they have a small team of dedicated staff, with a real passion for reaching the voice of the local community. Obviously they aim for the big commissions, but the terrestrial broadcasters don't seem to want to spend much money on the indies. Which is a shame, because the quality of their work, and the issues they specialise in are more interesting than most of the crap you see on TV today.
In my first week I read a pile of scripts and wrote reports for each of them. I enjoyed this immensely, and it was great to see what makes a good script and to look at a script with the production values and budget allowances in mind. I had to consider if the writer was worth working with, if they had the right 'talent' for CTS, and if I thought the script was worth pursuing. At the end of the week I was researching funding and commissioning opportunities in the UK and Europe, which benefited CTS and opened my eyes to the current trends in commissioning.
I also went to the Watershed to help film an interview with Sue Lion, who is the managing Director of the Encounters Short Film Festival. I got her business card and I will be taking part in the festival in November as a volunteer. I won't get paid and accommodation won't be included, but it'll be a grand way of meeting a bunch of actors/producers/commissioners/directors.
In the second week I helped edit a live script, which was being put into production as we were working on it. We made a few alterations and then I was asked to do some archive research and sourcing contacts for the project. In the middle of the week I went to Gloucester with Marina to film part of a documentary with an animator whose been commissioned by Channel 4. As the week drew to a close, I felt a bit sad - I was really enjoying my time there, really felt like I was beginning to fit in.
Steve took me to a Media Networking event in a really posh bar on Park Street - I felt so very out of place. I really don't like this side to the industry - hob-knobbing for the sake of finding a connection. But, Steve introduced me to some lovely people, including a script editor for Channel 4, Abigail Davies. She was very enthusiastic and impressed with the cheap business card I gave her, complaining that she still wouldn't know what to put on her business card! I got her email, and I want to try and get an interview with her at some point for bloc-online.
On my last day, Jeremy and Marina took me out for lunch, and we discussed the placement. They have offered me some copy writing work, and have told me to get in contact with them when I move to Bristol. Lovely people, really honest and down-to-earth. I hope to work with them again some day soon.
