C. Hunt dancing with a chicken in his underpants, and apparently we're still all doomed!

So after my second week on set with The Fitzroy I'm tired but so so happy to have been involved with what I know is going to be such an amazing finished film! The time that I've spent on set has been invaluable and I've learnt so much about how films actually get made and all the little things that go on during the shoot that no-one ever really tells you!

Now more than ever this last week that I've spent on the set has shown me that this is what I really want to do with my life and that by hook or by crook I'm going to end up making films regardless of what is thrown at me! It was just the best experience being surrounded by people who are passionate about films, and the project and all of a sudden the stuff that I was doing locked away in my bedroom typing away became really relevant and I wasn't just "crazy Ted at the pub" talking about characters that only existed in my head!

David Gant as the hilarious Mr Thompson rehearsing his catchphrase to camera! 

Dedicated students Kat and Briony working in the art department and on deadlines! 

Me in the corridor set at the end of the day. 

The art department working late to change the set for the last three days of shooting.

The Green Rock River Band playing on set! Amazing music and the guys kept us entertained!

Photo of the cast and crew - just like in Primary School at the back because I'm so tall!

Have a look at some of the pictures of the shoot - it was a seriously amazing experience both professionally and personally. If there are any film/media students reading this get yourself on Kickstarter now and look around at some of the projects that are nearing completion. Like me you'll have no money to be able to give them but get in contact and offer your time - it might even be better than a donation and the experience that you'll gain will be invaluable!

We’re all Doomed!

I have been so, so, so busy lately that I haven’t really had time to be blogging as of late but all I can say is that currently I’ve been having a brilliant time on the set of The Fitzroy – see the pictures below. Although the art department isn’t really my thing, I can barely hold a paintbrush properly, I’ve really started enjoying it and with my niche in heavy lifting I’ve found plenty to do moving stuff around!

Day one heading onto the sub for the first time.

How do you steer a submarine? Here's your answer.

One of the navigation rooms in the sub.

Exterior of the submarine - it would hold 75 guys at a time on there - grim.

At 6ft 6 and 250Lbs navigating the sub was a challenge - apparently heading through the portholes looked a little like: "The Sub was giving birth to me."

Cast and crew watching rushes from the previous day.

Torpedo room/Hotel bathroom.

The guys that I’ve been working with have been great and I’m only hoping that all of the experiences that I have on feature sets are this pleasant. The only issue that I see is that the mornings are very early and the nights are very late but I suppose that you soon get used to them.

Now, with three days “off” before I head back to the set in Acton and do some of the studio stuff I’m back to work writing and trying to produce the two other short films that we’ve got planned for the remained of this year and see where Aftercare and Dark Matter might lead!

Last days on The Fitzroy, for now.

200 tins of beans "for the church" - yes I'm going to hell

More beans - post rusting

Door handles and yet more beans - post rusting.

 Soo the last few days have been a little hectic and I haven’t had much time to do anything except sleep (no excuse I know you can sleep when you’re dead and all that) but here is the final blog of my adventures on my first independent film set.

Mainly it was more of the same, a little driving around London picking things up and some occasional painting of bean tins and 100 meters of foam tubing needed to be painted black for the odds and ends around the submarine set. Boring you might think but it’s amazing to really start seeing the project coming together and seeing a side of filmmaking that I never have before.

50 meters of white foam painted back - there was another 50 after that!

One of the greatest things that I’ve taken from the experience is that there are so many other driven people out there, who also have a huge amount of talent that are going through exactly the same thing as me right now! It’d given me hope that I am doing the right things and that being involved in stuff like this is great as it widens the net of contacts that you have. For example on this set one of the production designers was looking for a stop motion animation script to film. I pitched her my short The Little Sunflower which she loved and we’re now thinking of working on it together!

In other The Fitzroy related news I’m really excited to be being involved with the actual filming on the submarine in the next few weeks (look out for the blog) and I got to write a poem that one of the characters might read aloud during the finished film, check it out here:

An Ode to Life - For Mrs Elis

An Ode to Life

For Mrs Elis From The Fitzroy

What is this life a-float a glimmering sphere?

To turn alone amongst the grey and gloom

it is all it must appear.

That we are slowly drifting towards our doom.

Raise a glass to life itself

before it is you go to bed.

Toast a virtue to your good health

because it may be tomorrow that you are dead.

Now you may take me a bumbling fool:

“This old woman doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

But I won’t find your jibes so cruel.For it won’t be me at the bottom of the sea there laying.

The "Stunt Chicken" prepares.

The set as I left it on day 8.

Beans, beans and more beans

It appears on the set that I've become the resident bean expert. On day one I was asked to go and pick up 100 tins of beans from Asda (at the first I thought that this might have been an April fool) and today I had to paint all of them to look a little rusted. I also had to finish dismantling the rest of the music video set to get some more wood for the chippies to use and save the production a little money.

Onwards with tomorrow!!

Running around - day 2

Today was so sooo tiring - I was driving around all day with a few other members of the team to some of the prop-houses in London trying to find some treasures tucked away that would look great on the set. I ended up sometimes playing with everything in some of the places  that we went rather than actually looking for what we needed. Why on earth one of the owners left me alone with all of the stage weapons and expected me not to pretend to be Errol Flynn the whole time is beyond me, but I'm certain that everyone who goes must do the same (or it might just be me).

Below are some of the gems that we found around London that are destined for the sub at some point in the shoot!

The Running Man

So this week I'm running on the art department on the feature film 'The Fitzroy' an end of the world comedy set on in an alternative 1950's where everything is covered in poisonous gas. The Fitzroy, a leaky submarine beached just off Margate, is the last refuge for a traditional summer holiday!

Yesterday was mainly a lot of heavy lifting and a bit of driving around but all in all was a very satisfying day getting to see the project take shape and be a-part of the production really seeing it come together from the ground up! 

Some treasure from the props department.

Tearing down the set of an old music video to salvage the wood.

There's art scattered all over the place that we're filming.

The set day 1 - Pre Teddy cleaning it up! (Post clean it was just too shiny to get a good picture of)