movies

Screen Flicker & Gaming

/ jonesxxx / Leave a comment

Last week was stressful. The week before that, I’d hoped to get some filming scheduled – but I didn’t – so last week became the “right, let’s definitely get something in the diary” week. That was the plan, but as ever, the spectre of technology raised its ugly head.

Several scenes involve Zoom calls, and I had a grim realisation: people are supposed to be looking at screens in those scenes, so I probably need something actually on the screen. Realism and all that! Imagine a scene with four people having a conversation over Zoom. How exactly do I shoot that? Ideally, I’d have a film crew at each location, with two cameras per actor – one on their face and one on the screen.

HELLO! This is a micro-budget film. Worse still, there are five of these screen-heavy scenes. Five! Then, just as I was absorbing that, I remembered something else: filming screens is a technical nightmare. Flickering, refresh rates and other stuff to ruin my day. I spoke to the camera guys who explained things like shutter angle, frames per second and mains electricity frequencies. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, I remembered the computer game sequence and realised there’d be similar issues with this.

By Wednesday, my brain was ready to explode. Originally, I’d planned to shoot the office scenes first “to break the back of it”, as they say. That idea was abandoned swiftly in favour of shooting some outdoor scenes. I reasoned that if I could at least get those scheduled, the actors can prepare while I work out the screen-based technical issues. Even that turned out to be more difficult than expected, but by Friday, I’d managed to send out some scheduling emails for three scenes.

To my relief, after sending out a couple of those, I calmed down a bit, and it dawned on me that maybe some of the scenes weren’t going to be quite as challenging as I’d feared.

We’re not out of the woods yet, but I can see a way ahead. This Monday, I’m off to the main office location to run some tests with screens and cameras. If that goes well, I’ll feel more confident locking in the office scenes. I’ve also spoken to some gamers, including a guy on Fiverr, and I’m hoping the game sequences can be handled without too much hassle after all. Fingers crossed!

Watch this space.

Script Lock and Scheduling

/ jonesxxx / Leave a comment

It was a hectic week last week, but it feels like I achieved very little. I brought in an “agent” up in Essex who’s been doing some location scouting and managed to get some shots of our truck, so the truck sequences are shaping up quite nicely.

Angela did some more work on wardrobe, and I tidied up the script, finally getting a locked version out to the actors on Friday so they can start learning their lines. However, I’ve come to realise something about actors that hadn’t occurred to me before. They don’t just learn all their lines in one go. They actually need to know when each scene is being shot so they can focus on learning the relevant bits. Bleeding obvious really. Because of that, setting some shooting dates has become the top priority.

This is proving trickier than I expected. First, I need to compile the availability for actors, crew and locations. I’d already started pulling this together into a spreadsheet, but with 18 actors, at least five crew and around six extras, figuring out which scenes can shoot on which dates is a somewhat daunting task. Then I remembered we’ve got scenes involving Zoom calls or video sequences, and somehow these need to be sorted before the main filming. There are loads of dependencies and, to be honest, it’s a bit daunting.

So, in 2025, what do we do when something feels daunting? We hand it over to AI, of course. With ChatGPT’s help, I’ve written some code that should be able to work out the first available date when the necessary actors, crew and location are all free for specific scenes. It’s also becoming clear that most of the complicated video stuff is all happening on one shoot day, so I’m going to start with the easier bits.

I’m still collecting availability info and there’s plenty of other stuff to think about – like props – but I’m hoping that this week we can lock in some shoot dates, which should help focus everyone’s attention.

Fixing the Script & Hunting for Clothes

/ jonesxxx / Leave a comment

This week’s main focus was on updating the script. There were a few plot wrinkles that needed ironing out, and I think I’ve managed to sort them. I sent the updated version to a few people for feedback – the general response has been positive, which is a relief. I’m still waiting for one reviewer’s comments, but overall it looks like we’re nearly there.

On the truck front, I’ve been chasing the owner for photos but haven’t had any luck with that yet. I really want to see what we’re working with so I can tweak the script if necessary. Plus, I’m keen to start experimenting with some CGI ideas that might include footage of the truck, so visuals would definitely help.

I also had a meeting with the manager of the cafe we’re hoping to use as a location. He said he’s hopeful he can let us hire it over the Brighton Pride weekend. That’s not until August, but it would be good because we’d have a couple of full days to film rather than only being able to shoot after 6pm when the cafe closes.

Angela and I visited Gladrags to rummage through their costume collection. They’ve got loads of stuff – a lot of period style and some edging into fancy dress territory, but also some great historic props. I hunted through a bunch of Brighton charity shops too, and there’s a decent chance we can source some outfits there, though it would have been much more efficient if I’d thought to get the actors’ sizes first. Lesson learnt – so much to think about!  

So, no massive wins this week, but I feel that getting the script almost ready to lock is solid progress. Once that’s finalised, the actors can start learning their lines. Next step – scheduling rehearsals.

We have the truck

/ jonesxxx / Leave a comment

We’re still in preproduction for “Automatic”, and last week was all about keeping the wheels turning – literally and figuratively. The to-do list included meeting with the actors, finding a truck and tracking down a handful of filming locations. Almost all of that got done.

Most importantly: WE HAVE THE TRUCK!

I already had an informal agreement with a friend of a friend a few weeks ago – it had sounded promising, but nothing was firmed up. Last week, I spoke with the chap who manages the trucks, and we’ve got an agreement. The truck’s up near Stansted Airport and, even better, I’ve got confirmation from the female driver who’ll stand in for Myra, our trucker character.

I’d assumed filming at a petrol station would be a bit of a headache, but after a bit of digging online and a few exploratory phone calls, I got lucky. The owner of a place near Brighton gave us the green light, so I’m heading there this week to check it out in person.

Then there was the cafe. I spent the first part of last week walking around Hove looking for something that worked, but nothing looked quite right. Then on Thursday, I met up with my regular sketching group and realised that the cafe where we always meet is perfect. It was right under my nose all the time!

I needed a clean, tidy flat for Esther for my final location. I’d had one offer, but the place didn’t feel right; it had the wrong vibe. The view from the window felt too cheerful and bright. What we really need is a feeling of more existential gloom. But on Sunday evening, as luck would have it, a friend suggested a walk to Shoreham. We wandered, chatted, ate ice cream, then took the excellent 700 bus back to Hove. Just I was approaching my flat, I met a friend who happens to have the perfect location. She instantly offered to lend it to us for filming. So that’s it. We have all the locations. I’m not saying exactly where yet – I don’t want to jinx anything.

For the actor meetings, I’d grouped them by relationships to help explore dynamics. One session was with the two directors, another with the grandparents. Poor Konrad’s had three separate meetings: one for his relationship with his mother, one for his colleagues and one for his girlfriend.

The meetings were incredible. I hadn’t realised how much background work actors do. They create whole personal histories for their characters, explaining their personalities, life choices and their relationships within the film. It’s been a real eye-opener and led to some great conversations about the script.

It turns out that a few sections of the script need tweaking. It’s already evolved a lot over the past year, so I’m holding off on more changes until the practical stuff, logistics, locations, etc., is nailed down. For now, I’m making notes and saving them for one final rewrite. That’ll be coming soon; after that, we’ll lock the script.

We also touched on costume ideas during the actor meetings, and next week Angela (our casting associate) and I are heading to Gladrags to see what we can find to hire.

Coming next: I’ve got to finalise the truck and cafe bookings, do some double-checking, and tie up a few administrative loose ends. Then it’s on to the final rewrite and sorting the filming schedule.

It’s all starting to fee very real.

Locations / Relationships

/ jonesxxx / Leave a comment

Filmmaking is a strange occupation. When I was writing the script, some weeks I’d write only a few paragraphs, yet I felt like I’d made real progress. Other times, I’d write pages and feel stuck. Now I’m in pre-production and it’s much the same. Last week I felt busy, but did I actually move forward? It’s hard to say.

I’ve been meeting with actors to talk through their characters and how they connect with each other. Some meetings are one-to-one, others are in small groups, especially when the relationships matter to the story. For example, the IT Director and Finance Manager have worked together for a while so have a longstanding friendship. But the new CEO? No one’s quite sure where he fits in yet. He’s a dark horse, so that’s still a bit of a mystery.

I’ve also been out and about location hunting. While wandering around Moulsecoomb, I found a great public space that screams plain, structured conformity, which may be perfect for the tone I want to set. I’ll go back at night to see how it feels in the dark. I also tracked down some good office spaces, a fantastic corporate café, and what seemed like an almost perfect flat. But the cafe isn’t available until later in the year, and the flat, great in some ways, has a huge window looking over a beautiful harbour with expensive sailing boats. Not exactly soul-crushing monotony. GREEN SCREEN? Yes, yes, yes! I’m exploring this as a solution.

I have also engaged someone to help with social media. Julie Russell has a background in clinical microbiology and now runs a tattoo studio in Muswell Hill, so is ideally placed to shape my scattered thoughts into something presentable to the general public. (NOTE: she’s barely started yet!!)

So, writing all this out, I actually feel a bit better. It seems I did get more done last week than I thought.

This week’s to-do list: Agree the flat, confirm the truck, secure the café, and find a petrol station.

That agenda should keep me busy for the week.

Location Scouting

/ jonesxxx / Leave a comment

Thanks a million to Mark Tournoff for doing a fantastic job of getting the main office for the film Automatic. The bulk of the film will be shot here. However there are other locations we’re still looking for. None of them should be too difficult. Mainly flats & houses but the closer we can come to the original “vision” (ooh Get me!) the better.

In short, I need a house with an old kitchen, an untidy living room, a garden and a conservatory. I need an ordinary flat, the duller the better, ideally in a block. I need a fancy board room and a corporate office. Oh yes, and an artist’s studio…..in Brighton this should not be a problem! Ah but here’s the rub, I want a petrol station shop or somewhere that will pass for one and I need a corporate style cafe.

I’m mainly looking in Brighton but anywhere close would be of interest. If you would like to see your home or office on the silver screen then please get in touch. A full list of the locations we’re scouting for is listed below.

Grandparents House

A suburban house / bungalow

An untidy living room. It can be a bit grubby but doesn’t have to be.

.

.

An artist`s studio / work room

A room used as an artist studio / work room. Ideally it would have paint and art everywhere and an old arm chair but we can organise that. A table with art stuff would be good.

.

.

A conservatory

A tatty conservatory with plants and gardening equipment. Nice to have trays of apples, watering cans etc.




.

.

..

A garden

A large or long garden with a flower border. Nice to have an old child’s swing and/or a shed. Anything that suggests this has been a family home for a long time but the kids have grown and gone.

An old fashioned kitchen

An old fashioned kitchen. Doesn’t have to be traditional, just the sort of kitchen that your grandparents have. It would be nice to have lots of clutter.

The Office

A board room / meeting room

A corporate looking meeting room with leather swivel chairs. The more expensive looking the better.

A corporate looking office

A modern private office. It doesn’t have to be as pleasant as this picture but ideally would have a desk / chair etc.

.

A cafe

A cafe which looks like it might be in a large corporate office. A counter holding biscuits and cake and staff selling coffee.

.

The Streets

A petrol station

Forecourt with pumps AND inside the shop. Or maybe a small shop which could pass as the inside of a petrol station shop.

Flats

An ordinary flat / apartment.

It would be great if it were in a block. Nice to have a big TV.