My journey into publishing

Another elephant, but a bit lighter.

2009-06-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, I think, perhaps the last render was a bit too dark for most folk so I have changed the light settings and now you can see the elephant.

Yesterday, were began to have a read through of 'Monty's Quest' and to have some publicity photographs done for a feature spread in the Newry Democrat.

Today we had a day long seminar that started off with Yanky Fachler. A really good speaker talking about 'Chutzpah. You can find out more about him at: http://www.yankyfachler.com/

I managed to have a good conversation with him, discussing my novels and films. He was kind enough to give me a copy of his book 'Chutzpah' and I have spent this evening reading through some of its pages. So good stories about how various people have done crazy things to get noticed and helped launch their careers. It reminded me of a story about Kenny Everitt who before becoming well-known, used to ensure that his name was called over the intercom just as the managing director came out of the lift. Kenny would then run over to take a phoney call. After a period of time the managing director wondered who this Kenny Everitt was and asked to meet him. This launched Kenny's career.

Yanky Fachler encourages everyone to use their Chutzpah to help get things moving in what ever aspect of their lives they hope to move forward or achieve.

Second Elephant test.

2009-06-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

Another test with secondary animation and an eye blink or two. I set the light so that it was more overhead to give more contrast as you might expect in Kenya. But I think the image now looks too dark, so I'll rework the piece again.

Screen Testing Elephants for 'Monty's Quest'

2009-06-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

While the live-action part of the film is being set-up, I started to look at how we might be able to do some of the 3D work using Carrara Pro and Blender 3D. The above six second clip uses an elephant model from Daz 3D and animated in Carrara Pro 7. There is still much to do but at least you can see the process has begun.

We will be having the first script read through on Thursday.

Four weeks next Wednesday

2009-06-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Things are finally slowing down at the college, but I have managed to talk to quite a few people about the film project and the enthusiasm is growing. We have a co-producer on bought. Eimear Burke has just finished her degree in Film & Video Production and is going to spend the summer helping me produce 'Monty's Quest'. We are planning to have the first read through next Thursday. Meanwhile, Eimear is preparing a budget and I will begin to storyboard over the weekend.

Though we are not going to have a budget we will still need to get some kind of sponsorship for the Employer's Liability Insurance, unless we can come under the banned of another company for the duration of the shoot.

Effectively, we could be looking for 12 sponsors who could donate £100 to the film project. If anyone is interested contact me on http://www.kingsnorthfilms.com

I'll up date you on our progress.

Monty's Quest

2009-05-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

It has been quite an eventful week as the students gather together all their coursework for the past year and preparation is made for the long haul of marking in the next week or so.

However, during this brief lull between external examiner's visits and the marking ahead, I took the opportunity to see if a script was brewing. To my delight, two weekends ago an idea popped into my head and I soon had an outline sketched out in my notebook. A week last Tuesday I opened Final Draft, the industry standard script writing software and began the first fifteen pages of the script. Each night, there after, I managed to add another fifteen pages, with a break on Sunday and the final act was completed by Monday night.

Quite a few news items during the week inspired various scenes, including an Australian doctor who had been forced to use a hand drill to release the pressure of a thirteen year old boy's brain after he had had a fall. Being some distance from a fully equipped hospital, the doctor was in touch with a neurosurgeon who talked him through the procedure over the phone.

Another story was that of North Korea testing a nuclear weapon underground, that caused an earthquake and a storm with the international community. Threats of war have since ensued and who knows where it will all lead.

The global economic situation also found its way into the script, as did some philosophy, religion, science and a lot of funny situations with aircraft engines, rampaging elephants and colourful hairdos.

The final script came out at 76 pages, not quite the full-length feature film one might expect but a similar length to 'Fiddler's Walk', my first film and the length of a TV movie. The intention is to have a film that can be comfortably made during the summer, so the live-action can be recorded and then all the special effects can be added next academic year as part of the coursework for 3D modeling and animation, digital post-production and image manipulation. This would allow the Higher National Diploma students to get a live project to work on and achieve a finished feature film by this time next year.

My current students are quite excited by the whole prospect, having nearly completed their National Diploma in Media Production and wanting something else to get their teeth into before going on to University next September.

I'll keep you informed of our progress.

Coming to terms with death

2009-05-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks has been dreadful. The end of a long fight was drawing to a close and the valiant warrior was braving in out but the inevitable was close at hand. Two parents, two sister and his aunt stood over him, held his hand and prayed with him. Even to the end he held his faith and with every ounce of energy he could muster, he commanded his right hand to bless himself.

It was about eight a.m. when the call came through. Such simple words, he passed away in his sleep at 4 a.m. The female voice trembled. I sensed tears were in her eyes. My own lips quivered and weakly I heard my voice reply, thank you, I'll pass the message on. Not long afterwards, I held my wife in my arms. Conciliation. Then own sons we had to tell. Each of us had to attempt to face our own worlds, but they no longer seemed familiar. They no longer held their imagined importance.

I heard my eldest had fought back his own tears and quickly gathered together his composure while at college. At work we reviewed the hospice video and the discussion was of the dying. Later, I had promised to attend a student film festival, to support my students for next year but the films were of death and the struggle to come to terms with the loss of loved ones and friends. I left early, not wanting to face anyone and made my way to the wake.

I felt dread, guilt and sorrow. I had missed an opportunity to visit the hospital the night before only by a matter of minutes. Preparation for an external verifier and last minute marking. Now, twenty-four hours later I was finding myself driving to this young man's house. A car came towards me and as I pulled up to let it pass, noticed the driver and he did me. Two windows were wound down and our parish priest asked for directions. He followed me and together we entered the house, we queued and then after the priest spoke to the father my turn came.

Words at these times seem pointless, no matter what you might say they seem so shallow. Yet the gentle hug and hand on his shoulder for support seemed to pass on the message so much more affectively than any words. A prayer and goodbye to the young man yet what will remain are the memories of his humour after Armagh played at Croke Park in Dublin last year. They lost and the rain felt so much that our journey home lasted seven hours, but the passage seemed short due to the wit and commentary of our friend, now asleep and at peace after his battle.

His name is the Scottish variation of John, God's blessed but in Irish it means God's Gracious Gift. In Hebrew it means God is forgiving. To all these meanings he was to those who knew him, and now he has gone to rest. In memory of a valiant fighter whose faith saw him through a mighty struggle and was supported to the end by a devoted family, his parents, sisters and aunt. It has been a privilege to have known him and tomorrow we say our final farewell.

God bless you, Ian, God's Gracious Gift.

Silent Whispers - a short drama

2009-04-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

This is 'Silent Whispers', shot last november and finished editing in February.

Hope you enjoy?

Escaping Eleven

2009-04-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have just logged in to follow 'Cloud Ten Pictures' and discovered that I am the eleventh person to become a follower. The only problem is that as I am 57,500 words into writing 'Hidden' and have been researching Biblical numbers, I discovered that '11' is the number of disorder, it is neither 10 (Divine order - lucky for Cloud Ten) or 12 (Govermental Perfection). According to E.W.Bullinger in 'Number in Scripture' (1967) eleven 'is the number which marks disorder, disorganisation, imperfection, and disintegration' (p.251).

So why should this bother me as I sit typing this note in a rather disorganised room at the back of number '11'. Yes, our house number for the past thirteen years has been number 11. Previous to this house we lived at 11 Hazelwood Avenue. In the past I have lived at 11 The Square, 11 Ensbury Park Road, 11 Boundry Road, 11 Castle Ashby Road and also 21, 83 and well... mostly eleven.

Our next door neighbour also lives at number 11. Two streets just so happen to have the same number next door. This causes the postman and various delivery agents enormous problems as our house is the only one NOT in the street that shares it's name. There is a '10' and a '12'. Perhaps the builder in his wisdom realised that number 11 was such a disorganised place that is was better to have this house, the only detached house in (or rather out) of this street. '10' -devine order; & '12' perfection of government. No need for eleven.

The prospect of a new feature film.

2009-04-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

The Summer Holiday's a looming in faster than most can realise. We are at Good Friday and it is nearly mid-April. When we return to college on 20th April there will only be six weeks of student contact time. Though the pressure will be only to wrap everything up academically for the students, it is also an exciting time for planning something new and adventurous.

For me this time of year usually has my creative juices going to birth a new movie. Over the last couple of weeks I have been introduced to various people from South Africa and the USA, and to a story that spans Europe. Having read the author's novel and opened discussions regarding filmmaking practice, there is an exciting buzz beginning in preparing a much bigger production.

My research has had me visiting the French Film Commission for funding opportunities and with other possibilities in Poland, Czech Republic and Austria. I have been reviewing business plans in preparation of updating them. We will be looking for European production companies and various other international companies to help co-produce the project. There are also potential revenues from the novel and from computer games.

And that is not all. 'Hidden' is now 50,000 words complete and I hope to have the writing finished by June so that I can have the novel edited over the Summer ready for publication in September. My mind is also considering which of my other scripts I should next novelise?

So, yes, we see all around us the problems with the 'recession', especially with the 'emergency budget' in the Republic of Ireland putting more financial pressure on individuals, which will more than likely force more shops out of business, causing the public to travel north to do all their grocery shopping in all the border towns, such as Newry, which in turn forces the local populace to seek other alternative shopping venues for basic essentials.

BUT our spirits are high (no not the alcohol, that's cheap) and the creative juices are on full blast. We are carving out a future and realising our dreams.

Surviving April Fools

2009-04-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was yesterday. 1st April and the students were having fun but I wasn't. You see, I had spent the evening grading papers and had filled in my spreadsheet for the grades. Then in class I was finishing off a few grades and had to transfer between several rooms and several computers due to a guest lecturer needing to use my room. There came a point when I realised that the talk was over and had to remove my USB pen from an eMac. When the pen was inserted into a Windows PC the grade file would not open. I then had to spent the rest of the class collecting up the marked papers to re-insert the students grades. Though I had backed-up the initial files, it seemed that it was over a month ago.

One class ended and another began. The students sheepishly came in. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Well, you see George, Paul isn't in today."

"Why's that?"

"Well, he had taken out the gear and had had an accident with the lens adapter. It's broken and he was too frightened to come in to class today!"

My expression must had been quite a picture. All of a sudden they all smiles and shouted out April Fool.

"Well," I said. "You know it's been one of those days today."

"Why," they grinned.

"I lost all of your grade."

"Yeah, like that's an April Fool?"

"No, it's not, their all gone."

Every face in the classroom went white. Then I found a more recent back-up but still had to fill in all the grade from the papers I marked the night before. So nothing has been lost except for a few April Fools.

Can't believe it's Friday, again!

2009-01-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

It has come around again and so quickly. Here we are and it is Friday again. The middle of January 2009. That means we have been back to college for two weeks. Two weeks! And so much has happened and yet everything has been so positive, well at least, from my perspective. And yes, I have kept up with remaining positive, which has made me feel relax and I have been able to build up the enthusiasm to take on all the classes I have had to deliver, plus I have written some more for my new novel, seen an article published on Associated Content and has some promotion in the college's eZine. Oh, and I also produced a short 5 second animation in Blender 3D and Poser for one of the student projects.

Additionally, James, one of the second year National Diploma students showed me the edited version of 'Silent Whispers'. Powerful material and very emotive. Even the Senior Lecturer was nearly in tears. We now have some great material to market the courses at the college.

Today, I also managed to get most of my First DIploma students to hand in their second task of lip synchronising a series of JPG files created in Photoshop and then cutting them to an audio track they had recorded in Final Cut Pro. Some a lot of progress has been made. Therefore, if should be time for me to sit back and relax. Finally. Have a good weekend.

Becoming a Course Co-ordinator

2009-01-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

Well, finally I got to have the meeting where I was assigned to be the new course co-ordinator for the HND in Interactive Media. Initially, I was not sure what to expect but I had a few ideas of what I thought I should do with this new charge. I even got to meet most of the team involved and to my joy each one of them was 'singing from the same hymn sheet'. Each member of the team wanted to develop the course in a way that gave them each more time to work with the students in greater blocks of time that were connected.

I have been assigned to work with the students all day Monday. This will give me the opportunity to develop some projects for the students so they can gain more industrial experience. Last November I got a project set up with the second year National Diploma students where, in one day a five minute drama and a eleven minute documentary were shot at the same time. Several weeks of planning by the students went into this and the pay off was that the group worked as a team, surprising themselves of how efficient they worked together.

Having spoken with my colleagues who teach on the HND they seemed pleased about the direction the course is going to take and I am looking forward to working with them. What I feel has happened is that my positive attitude going into 2009 is already beginning to pay off. When I have some finished video I will up load it here. But for the time being, what a great day it has been.

Expectations of 2008

2008-12-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

It has nearly finished. A year that started out so well and then just... well.. you know.. nose dived. Yet 2008 was a good years. As it started, I was half way through writing my first novel, halfway through a Postgraduate Diploma in Further & Higher Education. Contemplating starting a PhD in Media Studies, jigging around with a new feature film script idea and trying to get a load of marking done for my BTEC National Diploma in Media Production students. Once the last two weeks of the first semester were over, around the third week in January, the second year students were preparing to produce a series of short dramas to go into their film festival which was set for June 13th. Prior to the Christmas break the students had managed to raise around £750. By the time the festival came the students managed to raise £1500 toward a local charity based in Newry.

By Easter I had managed to complete the novel and shortly afterwards all the PGDip work was over. I found myself then writing up the new feature film, editing it after a successful group read through and began to break the script down and prepare a budget. Unfortunately, it was discovered too expensive to shoot and though the ball was rolling it had to be hastily halted, and once again a feature project came to a halt. However, all was not lost and I managed to edit a documentary I had short the previous October and as the Summer started things were shaping up. With the documentary completed, a trip to France to visit my sister, I returned to Ireland to begin preparing my novel for publication. A lot of work went on during the summer break, with the novel being edited and proof read by mid September a proof copy of the novel had come back from Lightning Source. We were gearing up to promote the novel for the Christmas season. The distribution network was amazing but we still have to get the one out there that the book exists. So that's where this blog comes in.

On the publisher's website are the first two chapters of the novel at: http://www.gullionmedia.com/html/fall_chapter_one.html

The story is about an angel tempted to fall for a young woman and their offspring becomes a hideous Nephilim. In writing the novel I had the chance to explore a lot of themes about religion both for and against. It was interesting building up various argument to challenge the characters. By October I had begun to write a second novel. Initially I was going to write a sequel to 'The Fall' but I had a second feature film script I wanted to novelise and so I began to write 'Hidden'. I'll talk more about that book another time.

It seems many people were caught short by the events that began to build up momentum after 8th August 2008. Not only was it my sister's birthday but it was also the beginning of the Olympics in China. This event was almost over shadowed by the invasion of Georgia but Russian forces, who were taking back two provinces that Georgia had in turn invaded a short time before. It seemed as though everything was going to go down hill from there on.

Suddenly, many airlines were going bust, then several holiday companies went belly up and there was a bit of panic as my wife was in Turkey at the time. Soon after the banks started having problems, then came the elections, bailouts for the banks, who did not pass on the favour and big names such as GM, Woolworths, MFI, Adams, Zavvi's and Olum Miles among many others and more still to come. Toyota might also be in a spot of both.

To finally, add the icing to the cake after what was effectively a quick Christmas, the year is ending with nearly 400 people losing their lives in the Gaza strip as Israel launches an attack on the province in retaliation to rockets being fired at them from Hamas. Who knows where this is going to lead to.

So on that so bright a note, let's wish 2008 a farewell and hope that 2009 is not as gloomy as has been indicated. Who knows there could be some amazing surprises in store. All I know is that one has to remain positive.