Filming

This is not, unfortunately, to report that my book has been so popular that the film rights have already been snapped up.  Seeing I have not as yet been able to publish my book, it would be a little strange if the film rights were already being bandied about.

Rather, I spent last Saturday helping my good friend Mr Hill film his first directing debut 'Crazed Departure'.  I can now understand why, exactly. they say that film and stage acting are two very different disciplines.

On the stage you have to be able to make a blooper and carry on, smooth it over, blend it in until your audience believes that it was deliberate.  That is not easy but no means, even in a panto, as you have a habit of throwing every body else off the right track as well.

Film on the other hand involves the ability to get up at some God forsaken earlier hour of the morning and instantly be on the top of your game.  It is also the ability to keep your actions and your tone fresh through take after take after take.  The most takes we did on Saturday for one scene was ten and it was making me tired and I was just the assistant whose job it is to note down the scene and take number with the comments from the camera and sound men.  Imagine what it was like on the set of 'The Lord of the Rings' where they did something like seventy one takes per scene.  I'm surprised that none of them collapsed from exhaustion.  It must have been mind numbing after a while and it's no wonder it took about a year to film each one.

It makes me glad that both the actors and the director for 'Crazed Departure' were extremely efficient so we were all done and dusted before the expected time.  I will admit that it was very satisfying to know that we had done the job well and in good time.  I will admit that some of the credit for that goes to the actors as we only had a handful of bloopers but it also goes to a camera team who were on the ball when it came to setting up their equipment.

I also had a couple of cameo roles so watch this space.