Goole Premiere

The Goole premiere of our Goole Straught 8 films. Terrific to see so many people turn out for one heck of a celebration.

 Sam Burrows, Hannah Griffin and Harvey Griffin

Director, Hannah Turner

 Producer David Bunting and Supervising Director Madeliene Thorne

 David Bunting, crew supervisor Adam Kirk and Madeliene Thorne

"Going Up" stars, Francesca Jackson and Mathew Oldreive

London Premiere

It was a one amazing premiere in London. Young directors Hannah Turner and Harvey Griffin joined Nicola Dixon and myself for the Straight 8 premiere at Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival. The mix and quality of films was breathtaking. Ahead of todays Goole premire, here's some pictures for the big day!

Hannah and Harvey waiting to see their films for the first time with an audience!

 Nicola Dixon, who's bold vision inspired all of our journeys.

 The technical challenge of producing any straight 8 film is immense. One brainy filmmaker wowed us all with his 3D super 8 film technique.

 Harvey's Dad, Harvey, David, Hannah and Hannah's mum.

The walk of fame. The Straight 8 directors on stage at the ICA.

We did it!! We got 2 films through to London!!

Great news from Straight8 that we have got 2 films in the London Screenings!! Woo hoo!!

Roll out the red carpet!!

And the films are . . .

Going Up - Director Harvey Griffin

Man From the Moon - Director Hannah Turner

Comisserations to the Remember to Smile team - we will be screening your film in Goole (more details on that soon)

The London Screenings will take place on 25 +26 July at the ICA, The Mall, London! Hannah and Harvey will be attending to represent each film.
Straight8 Festival organiser Will Cummock said


‘Straight 8 is a tough challenge for any filmmaker, so it's fantastic to see young people taking it on so successfully. 2011 has been one of our most competitive years to date so the standard of selected films is particularly high.’

More info on the other films on the Straight8 website http://www.straight8.net/

Have a sneaky peak at the ICA http://www.ica.org.uk/

Goole Straight8 was made possible by a grant from Screen Yorkshire and UK film Council through the Regional Investment Fund for England. Jay Arnold, Head of Cultural Sector Development at Screen Yorkshire says '


Screen Yorkshire is delighted to congratulate Hannah and Harvey on their success and very proud to have been able to support Goole Straight8. To get through to this stage in an international filmmaking competition is a fantastic achievement and testament to the team at Junction who work incredibly hard to ensure that young people in Goole have access to such life shaping opportunities.'

Straight 8 teaser trailer

Well all 3 films have been developed and are now with the rather awesome 115 entries at straight 8 2011!

You can catch the first fleeting (about 2 seconds) from our films in fast paced teaser trailer from Straight 8 2011, which shows the huge diversity of films produced this year. Of course the first time any of us will see the completed films will be at the premiere - all very exciting. Stay tuned for news from Goole Straight 8.
One date already confirmed is our screening at Junction in Goole, on Saturday 9th July.


straight 8 2011 trailer from straight eight on Vimeo.

Filmming Remember to Smile

Well yesterday we filmed our final Straight 8 entry, "Remember to Smile", Written by Laura Arnott and directed by Laura Arnott and Katy Burns. Film and Theatre director Darren Bolton supervised the shoot, along with crew supervisor Adam Kirk with myself producing. Sophie Backhouse played our lead role, and with the range of emotions she sensitively portrayed it was hard to remember that this was her first acting role.Maisy-Rae Millward and Evie Peta Backhouse played the central character at different ages of her life with other performances from Tiger Watkins-Bailey, Maidie Deighton and Jessica Barker, with our Executive Producer and Youth and Community Arts coordinator, Nicola Dixon taking a guest role.

The films now go to the Straight 8 competition organisers for developing and judging, so the first time we will get to see the film is at the premiere on July 9th!

Here's a few photos from the shoot:

 Samuel Burrows on camera. Behind him, crew supervisor, Adam Kirk offers guidance during one of the tricky handheld shots in the film.

80s children. Maidie Deighton and Tiger Watkins-Bailey dressed in 80s gear by wardrobe supervisor Emma Renhard and assistant Kimberley Scott.

Directing supervisor Dannen Bolton discussing a scene with Laura and Katy.

Filmming Going Up

Behind the scenes stills from our second film, "Going Up", written by Harvey Griffin and Sam Pratt, Directed by Harvey Griffin. Filming these in one day is not easy and our young crew did themselves, and us, proud working in demanding circumstances on a very long day. Especially for our two lead actors, Mathew Oldreive and Francesca Jackson, who heroically contented with the smells of festering cream and a crammed crew in a lift.... for five hours... it was quite an achievement! Of course we had a lot of fun in the process too. Here's a snapshot. We'll post fresh pictures with words from the director soon.

From lef to right: Francesca Jackson, Mathew Oldreive, Shaun Schwegler (with reflector) and director, Harvey Griffin.

Harvey Griffin cheking a shot, with camera opperator Sam Burrows with Directing Supervisor, Madeliene Frost.

Crew supervisor, Adam Kirk checks a shot.

Trapped in the lift - Madeliene Frost talks through a scene (seperated by a wall of glass!) with Mathew and Francesca.

All in a days work!

Mathew Oldreive and Francesca Jackson in the lift.

On location with "Man from the Moon"

More pictures from the making of "Man in the Moon", and a few words from the Hannah Turner, the films young writer/director.Hannah Turner (Writer,Director) 

On set: Alec Clark, (Man in the Moon) Hannah Turner, Director; Madeliene Frost. Supervising Director and Sam Green, Crew

Producer David Bunting talking through a scene with the Man from the Moon, Alac Clark.

Shaun Schwegler filming on Super 8, with Adam Kirk, Crew supervisor, filming digital video assist.

David Bunting, Producer talks through a shot with Shaun on camera. Director Hannah Turner is in the red jumper.

The day of the filming was great! It was a long, cold day that tested the best of us but it was all worth it to see all of the ideas come together to make one brilliant film. The cast and crew were all excellent and co-operative and easy to work with. I found the process very interesting and I have learnt a lot from the entire film course.

Man in the Moon in the can!

On Saturday we filmed our first short film, Hannah Turner's "Man in the Moon". All the live action is now in the can, with just one animation shot and final credits ready to film.

Shooting Man in the Moon on film, it felt only fitting that the production stills were also captured on film as well, so we will post most of the location stills in a few days, once we have them developed.

In the meantime, here's  a few pictures of last last week's progress.

On Thursday we welcomed director Madeline Frost from the Lawance Baltley Theatre in Huddesfield, who worked with our cast.

Emma Renhard and a couple of her students from Yorkshire coast college helped provide the films Victorian and romantic and magical themes with beautiful costumes. Here Josh Robert Darby and Jessica Perryman, pose for a Victian photograph as the Young Man in the Moon and his wife.

As well as playing the love interest, Jessica Perryman also helped with the films magical animation scenes, something as a professional animator, I had a lot of fun guiding. 

There's still plenty to do on "Man from the Moon", but today we started work on "Remember to Smile", which we film in a couple of weeks. Professional actor, Paula Henstock travelled over to Harrogate to provide the voice track for the films central character.

Paula, who is busy rehersing with Madeliene for a writing festival at Lawence Batley Theatre later this month, gave a beautifully tender reading of the films dialogue track. After a long and cold location shoot yesterday, recording dialogue in the comfort of my own home with coffee to hand felt a real treat!

Prodcution Week

Well we've had an amazing and frantic Production week. - On Saturday, we shoot our first film, "The Man in The Moon". Can't wait! Here's some of the highlights of our week in pictures.

Tuesday - Cinematography with Adam Kirk.

Tuesday afternoon - Auditions and screen tests!

Wednesday - Shaun calling the actors from Tuesdays auditions to tell them the good news.

Rece - Finding locations for the films (the one day it rained!) Harry and Sam are testing our our Super 8 Cameras.


Thursday - Rehearsals with Director Darren Bolton.

 Thursday Lunchtime - a video conference with the crew from ITV's This Morning! Thank to Joe Eibin  production coordinator (right) for making this possible and the rest of the team who kindly gave some of their time to talk with our filmmakers and answer their questions. Jo was one of our production apprentices in Goole Silent Movie, and a terrific role model for our current young filmmakers.

Friday - music auditions with Dave Bainbridge and costume fittings with Emma Renhard.

Our 3 winning films

Well, today was the start of production week, and the day we voted in our winning films. After much nail biting, 3 clear winners emerged...
Hannah's enchanting, "Man in the Moon", Harvey's romantic comedy "Going up" and Laura's  "Remember to smile".


We now are now casting for our leading parts - Tuesday 22 Feb – 1pm – 2.30pm at Junction. Of note we have a wonderful part for a female leading role - 60+ and a leading man, 50+. We also need a male and female 20 or 30 somethings for a romantic comedy.

This is your chance to star in a short film possibly destined for international film festivals and the red carpet! We have some truly AMAZING parts and need AMAZING people to play them. Our last film "The Lost Princess" is being preserved at Yorkshire Screen Achieve, and  is one of their most popular films.

Details of the parts below along with details of the films, written by our young filmmakers today.


Man From the Moon
Set in modern times, this story is about the man from the moon and his search for his long lost wife. After many moons living life as the moon he decides to come down to Earth to try and find the woman who he fell in love with and married many years ago. Little does he know things have changed since his last visit and he no longer fits in. As he desperately attempts to find the woman who stole his heart he meets many challenges, only to find out that his wife is now dead and his house derelict.  Will he ever be reunited with his dearly loved wife?

Character Descriptions
The Man from the moon:

The man in the moon is old and frail. He appears about 70-80 and it shows in the way he acts and walks. In the past he depended on his wife greatly and is a shy, quiet man with little confidence whilst living on earth. His clothes are from a different era; they are elegant and show he had a bit of money. The man has short, grey, un-kept hair. He does not appear scruffy and is well presented but he is not too formal. He walks slowly with a slight hunch. When he was the moon he was very grand and proud of his life and himself. He prefers to observe and watch life and say little.

The Man from the Moon’s Wife:

The woman has a slightly rounded, friendly face. She looks kind and gentle and wears simple clothing that reflects her personality. The clothes are also from a different era. She is a dominant character and has plenty of confidence.

The man on the moon’s wife has a very friendly personality, this is shown in her face and in her clothing, she is a caring person that had died, although she has died, her spirit is the form in which the man in the moon sees at the end of the film. Her spirit is old but you can still see that when she was younger she was very beautiful.

The people who beat up the Man from the moon:

They are a gang of intimidating looking teenagers. They all wear hoodies and are very non-decrepit. They keep their heads down most of the time.

"Remember to Smile"
Synopsis

A woman wants people to remember her after she dies. She asks a passer-by (the camera) to listen to her as she recalls parts of her life that she thinks people would remember her by. She goes through moments in her life that she thinks are important, however she misses the most vital thing that she carries on doing throughout her life; she smiles.

Character biography:

Jean, female.

·         Mid 50s, shorter than shoulder length hair, big curls, 20s-style clothes, distinguished, Barefoot, smiley

·         13-19,

·         7-10, Messy longer hair, pigtails. Dads shirt, mums makeup, barefoot, smiley

Seem like a close family in her childhood, no relationship with the other person (camera), they have just met. The world is different now but she seems to live in her past rather than in the present time. Family seem to be dead and talking to random-no friends? Well educated-speaks French. Athletic and enjoys tap dancing. Not-so-meaningful-incidents that left a lasting impression: childhood, parents. She is an optimist, extrovert. Proud of their life, ashamed they might not be remembered.

"Going Up"

A film about opposites colliding.  This lift journey could spark James and Sue's love or leave them enemy’s for life.

Character name: James “Jimmy” Robertson.

Description: Jimmy is a lanky man, looking around 19-22 in age. He is roughly 6”2 with scruffy brown hair, and a mild 5 o’clock shadow. He is quite dirty, although he has a pale complexion. One prominent feature would be his large bushy eyebrows, which rest above his dull grey eyes.

He has a nervous disposition; he is socially stunted and has little people skills. One this particular day, he is especially anxious, for he is going for a job interview. He has a stutter, although it only comes up in embarrassing situations.

Character name: Sue Pennyworth.

She is an important and successful business woman. She is the manager and if anyone gets a foot out of line they will be fired by her. She is 32 and has worked in the same job for 10 years so she has a lot of experience in business. She has blue glimmering eyes. She also has long blond hair and looks good in a suit.

Thanks to Paul Arrowsmith, who did an incredible job in heloping our team develop their concepts into three strong scripts.

If you think you fit any of these parts - I hope to see you in Goole tommorow for screen tests!

FILM AUDITIONS

We enter production next week during half term with workshops every day Monday to Friday! We are now looking to expand our team. This is your opportunity to be in a real film and work with a professionals!

  Cast and crew from Goole Silent Movie

We are looking for:   

Actors

Actors of all ages for 3 short films.  We will provide actors with costume and scripts nearer the time, will involve filming on following dates Sat 5 March, Sat 12 March and Sat 19 March.  Rehearsal date Thursday 24 Feb, Costume fittings Friday 25 Feb.  Shooting schedules available by 24 Feb.  Actors will be required to go on location, but all transport to and from locations will be provided.  Actors of all ages will be required. 

Musicians

Musicians – wide variety from digeridoo to classic piano and electric guitar to create original soundtrack for the films.  May involve going to recording studio or helping with composition.  Open to young people and adults

Open actors auditions – Tuesday 22 Feb – 1pm – 2.30pm at Junction. Just come along!! 

Open musicians auditions Friday 25 Feb – 11am at Junction.  Just come along!!

Fimmakers

We are looking to expand our team of filmmakers. Our camera operators, directors, assistant directors and other crew will work with real film cameras, supported by professional team of filmakers.

Workshops all during half-term, Monday - Friday, 10am-3.30pm.

Jonny, loading a film cartrdige for filming on Goole Silent Movie

 

To book a place on the course call the box office on 01405 763652, or for more information please contact nicola dixon on 01405 763652, or email

nicola.gtc@btconnect.com
www.junctiongoole.co.uk

Script workshop with Paul Arrowsmith

It was great to have Paul back last Monday working with our group of filmmakers.

Some great short film ideas came out of this workshop, and our group are now hard at work developing scripts for a STORY PITCH on Monday 21st Feb, when we will VOTE our winning films in, which will then go into production, during February half term.

I asked Paul to share with us some of what he taught on Monday. Here are his notes:

One of the important things I discussed with the young film makers at the screenwriting workshop in Goole was the importance of developing characters. Whether we see someone for only a few minutes on screen, as is the case in a short film, or whether we see someone for the duration of a feature film, the importance of writing visually interesting characters is paramount to a good film.

Another factor that I stressed was the importance of structure, how are the characters, genre and plot introduced and what question is asked of the viewer. Every film, whether a short of a feature needs to pose a “what if” question, what is commonly known as the “inciting incident.” The event that sets the film in motion, to help understand this concept we watched numerous short film and introductions to feature length films to grasp the various ways in which film makers reveal a threat/ question/ dilemma/ riddle or mystery which they then go on to resolve.

We also looked at the nature of conflict and how this is used to propel the story forward and to reveal interesting aspects of a characters personality or quest that they are on. Without conflict there is no drama, and at the heart of every good film there is conflict. How you reveal conflict and how you resolve conflict form the basis of any films plot and the challenge was given to them that in order for their script to be selected as one of the three that will be made, how they use conflict to create drama and tension will be a key factor in how successful they are as film makers.

Film class with Adam Kirk

We were treated to a terrific class on the film with editor Adam Kirk on Monday. Our team used cameras under the supervision of Adam to experiment learn the building blocks of film composition and shots – making a terrific scene in the process. I’ve sat in on many a spellbinding class on film, but none that taught these principles in a more fun or hands on way that Adams class. We are looking forward to welcoming Adam back during our pre-production week!

See the video below to see the film the young people made!

We still need to build our film crew and it’s not too late to join – so if you are interested, join us in Goole next Monday.

Story masterclass with Paul Arrowsmith

Goole Straight 8 Kicked off with a story master-class with screenwriter Paul Arrowsmith this Saturday.

Our group studied the foundations of screenwriting, explored characterisation through role play and acting, analysed some terrific films including The Astronomers Sun and How to Cope with Death and before writing and pitching their own preemie for a short film. Some great short film ideas came out of this masterclass and Paul will be returning on Monday 7^th February to help turn some of these into scripts.

We are still looking for young people to join our team of filmmakers, and are holding workshops on Monday evenings, 7-9pm.

This Monday, 31^st Jan, Editor Adam Kirk will be joining me as we look at how you tell stories with pictures. We’ll be working with cameras and learning the building blocks of film and the types of shots used, from wide shots to close ups, pans, tilts, zooms etc . I’ll be talking showing examples of how I plan these shots as a storyboard artist, and Adam will be showing how he uses these shots as an editor. 



Join the Super 8 Challenge

If you have every thought you would like to make a film - a real film - this is for you.

We are NOW seeking young people aged 13 – 18 who are budding actors, film-makers, writers, animators, researchers, technicians, musicians and costume designers to make the film. Over the next 2 months, four films are planned to be shot using Super8 film cameras, supervised by professional filmmakers from across Yorkshire and beyond.  The challenge - to submit to one of the toughest and most exciting film festivals in the world - Straight 8, and be considered for screenings in London and Cannes!

The first films I ever made were with a Super 8 camera. Learning to use film gives young people the chance to use the technology that founded the film industry. The flickering projector takes us right back to the magic and dream of cinema. The particular challenge - and the skill in this competition, comes from creating and editing a film in camera. We have no second changes. No take twos. No chance to ‘fix it in edit!’ Our young filmmakers are going to be taught skills and the techniques not normally taught outside film school. We have an incredibly talented team of people from the four corners of the film industry from writers and directors to actors, editors, composers and costume designers, who will all be sharing their knowledge with these young people. What we are doing is totally unique. We are creating a mini film school for budding filmmakers. It’s going to be incredibly exciting and will push our young people to realise their creative potential.

To book a place on the course call the box office on 01405 763652, or for more information please contact nicola dixon on 01405 763652, or email nicola.gtc@btconnect.com
www.junctiongoole.co.uk

Free masterclass from award winning screenwriter Paul Arrowsmith THIS SATURDAY!

Young people are invited to a free masterclass from award winning screenwriter Paul Arrowsmith on Saturday 29 January 13.00 – 17.30 at Junction, Goole.   In addition to this sessions are being held at Junction on a Monday evening and during the Feburary Half Term.  To join up to the full project costs £15 and includes all sessions. 

Paul has script edited four feature films and countless short films which between them have won over 20 awards at film festivals worldwide. He has taught Screenwriting at the Northern Film School and is passionate about making films and in TV drama worked with leading company Tiger Aspect. He currently has several feature length screenplays in development with different production companies, including two with BAFTA nominated producers. His romantic comedy ‘Falling for Frank,’ is due to go into production this June/July. 

Interested in learining more about the project? Every wondered how to write a film script? Join Paul and find out!

Project information

Are you a budding filmmaker?
Aged between 12 and 18?
Looking for a new challenge?
GOOLE STRAIGHT 8!

Junction, Goole are presenting an exciting opportunity for budding young filmmakers aged 12 to 18 to learn and develop new skills. through workshops and discussions, led by david bunting from award-winning film company ‘duchy parade’. participants will learn a wide range of filmmaking techniques, and will plan, organise and shoot a short film on a super 8 camera, which will then be submitted to STRAIGHT 8 - a unique and challenging filmmaking competition.

See your movie on the big screen
selected films from the international straight 8 competition are screened in cannes and london. And Junction will be organising a special straight 8 screening in goole.


workshop sessions will take place on monday evenings:
7pm-9pm
this will be followed by a full week of filming from 21st - 25th february


To book a place on the course call the box office on 01405 763652, or for more information please contact nicola dixon on 01405 763652, or email nicola.gtc@btconnect.com
www.junctiongoole.co.uk