The curse of the mobile phone!

Ordinarily I write blogs about making films.

However, just recently I’ve been moved to write how I feel about the growing use of phones and other electronic devices during cinema screenings of movies.

However, i don't think it stops there.

When i look online I see people tweeting and talking about TV shows as they are aired.

Whilst i get the shared experience idea of reality and competition-based shows I fail to understand why someone would do this during drama shows.

Why does it wind me up so much?

The reason is two-fold.

Firstly, its just bloody distracting.

Take the cinema. Its dark, and quiet and the whole experience is all about watching a movie.

Not talking or texting or checking Facebook or Twitter or Perez Hilton’s latest gossip.

Smartphone screens are much bigger than they used to be and are really bright.

Cinemas just lately have become like Bon Jovi concerts with lights being waved around all over the auditorium. Its REALLY distracting when you’re trying to watch a film.

But the reason i get so mad about it, is that as a filmmaker I work really hard to tell a story visually. i pour over every moment to make sure it looks as good as it can and communicates the story and characters as well as i can. I also load the design with clues about the plot and information about the characters. i know many other directors do the same.

Should we now just not bother because we know people are too busy with their heads down looking at their phone?

As a movie-lover myself, I cannot fathom why people cant turn their phone off for 90+ minutes.

After all, it costs £8 or more to watch a movie. Surely you’re wasting that money?

Has phone addiction become a reality?

Or are people not so bothered about the movie experience?

Does this problem actually begin at home?

Many people watch the television with a laptop or phone in front of them and think nothing of chatting online or browsing whilst watching a TV show.

Maybe this habit migrates to the cinema?

Maybe people nowadays don’t/cant immerse themselves in the movie experience?

For me, this is worrying.

If the film or programme maker has intended to make a complex drama full of twists and turns, how can they hook a viewer that is only half-watching?

Does this mean in the future films/shows have to be packed full of noise and incident to try to wrestle a viewers attention to the screen?

What does this mean for slow-burning drama?

Do people of the future even need these kind of films or television dramas anymore?

If you happen to be reading this blog in the cinema then I suspect you’ve missed my point.

The way back.

A few months ago a good friend and colleague said to me "As bad as it gets, don't let other people put you off what you dreamt of doing".

Those words swam around in my brain for a while, and as time passed I came to think - "Yeah, why am I letting other people screw up my ambitions?"

Thinking about it now, it seems crazy.

There are people in this business I don't agree with, but that doesn't mean I have to work with them, nor stand for their nonsense.

I always prided myself on creating work that I believed in and going about it in the right way.

Right now, if anything, I'm even more determined to do exactly that.

As a result, I've just begun a brand new film project that was brought to me recently, and is tremendously exciting.

It captures everything I believe in as a film, and is another step-up in terms of scope and ambition.

Its exactly the right film to build on after The Man Inside. With many themes and elements that I want to explore as a filmmaker brought even further to the fore.

Whilst I work on this with a great new team, and some trusted old faces, I am also embarking on my first stage play.

I've wanted to do something on the stage for a very long time, and it was the suggestion of actor friends that pushed me further into the idea that it would be something I could really enjoy.

The idea of stripping drama down to its purest form on a stage seems a tremendous challenge and an antidote to the pressures of film.

2012 starts here.

Working with actors

When I started off directing films I was very wary of actors.
I had preconceptions of prima-donnas whose only aim was to undermine my visions with their ego-driven ideas and to change every line that had been scripted.
I was prickly, and distant to actors and huddled with the camera team to avoid all that actory nonsense.
"why can't they just act?" I'd lament?

Many years, and quite a few films later, and I cringe when I think about that attitude.
To any of those actors who worked with me on those early films I apologise.
I realise now it was my own insecurities as a director that informed that kind of silliness.

The reason I can say this now is that I now see first time directors I've met and seen work recently going through the same thing.
It's a vicious circle. The director is unapproachable and distant with their actors and then the actors get insecure and either get angry or try and do their best to keep the film going. (which the director then sees as undermining them).

I was very lucky on my latest film to work with some brilliant and very accomplished actors.
Peter Mullan, in particular, was a daunting prospect. The guy has won BAFTAS, Cannes and much more. But one of the first things he said to me was "I'm here for you". And it was the same for the rest of that cast.
Working with this calibre of actor is the most rewarding experience I have ever had as a filmmaker. It's a collaboration to make the best possible work, and it makes me rue what could have been all those years ago.
If I'd have relaxed and formed those essential actor-director bonds early on then the work would have been both better and more enjoyable.

Of course, you'll always get actors who can be difficult. Usually those with all the same insecurities that come with having years of doors slammed in their face.
You might also come across those actors that got into the business to be famous rather than commit to the work.

But... As a director it's vital you get the casting right. Don't make easy or misinformed choices. The casting process will define both the film and the filming experience.
There's no point in moaning someone isn't right for a part. It's not their fault. It's yours, for not casting properly.
Get the casting right and it makes all the difference. A fact many filmmakers overlook to their cost.

The next step is communication.
Talk to your actors. Form a bond. Don't assume just because they have a script they know everything you want.
Bad communication is another destroyer of relationships in all walks of life, but within the microcosm of a film set it is especially destructive.

I never thought it would happen, but I now have some of my best friendships with actors.
The principle actors of The Man Inside are all great buddies now and will fight alongside me for the integrity of my film.
I guess because I involved them so heavily they all feel like the film is as much theirs as mine. But also that special bond goes a long way. If an actor knows you are making a film with passion and integrity they will walk thru fire for you.

The Man Inside - Truly "script to screen"

This will be my third feature film, and one of a long line of films in general, made over 17 years.

In my filmmaking history, I have managed to get one script completely on screen from its shooting script.

Time or budgetary restrictions often mean compromises of some kind, and its up to the director to think on their feet and make the best of it.

What you will see on screen for The Man Inside is what was on the page.

In fact, I ended up trimming out a few elements in the edit as they were superfluous (a luxury!).

I fought very very hard not to compromise the script I had written. I planned and prepared very hard and very carefully to make sure the story I had written would be fully realised visually.

If anyone, along the way, suggested an "easy option" I aways shrugged it off in favour of striving for the complete story.

So, thats what ive got now.

As we reach the last few weeks of post-production I am excited to see the film becoming polished into something even more wonderful than I could have ever imagined.

Being mostly biographical means that the film is very much an authors piece.

I really will have to live or die by this film, as it not only represents me as a filmmaker but also as a person.

I've been very hands-on in every element of the film. From costume colours to lens sizes and props, through to the edit and to the music. I've made sure every element is an integral part of the storytelling.

Every minute of the final edit is exactly the story I wanted to tell. Every moment of screen time is carefully thought out and structured to have the maximum impact.

It is truly a labour of love, and one that fills me with pride.

How I fell in love with movies

I'm very lucky to have made movies. It's the thing I love most in the world.

I adore music, but the ability to be transported to other worlds and times and experience every conceivable emotion is unique to movies, and it's why I love them so much.

It started when my Dad took me to see just about every sci-fi or fantasy movie that came out in the late seventies and early eighties. We devoured every movie that came along. We saw some howlers, but I didn't care.

In those days when your local only had one screen, you had to wait a whole month, or more for the next one to come along. It was your only chance to see a film. This was before video arrived.

I happily queued outside the cinema on a Saturday afternoon. Scouring every inch of the photos and posters, they placed in display cases and in the foyer, for signs and clues about the movie I was about to see.

I can bring to mind the exact lobby stills of Superman The Movie that I must have stared at for ages before we were let into the screen.

When I left the cinema it was usually to return a few days later for another viewing and then to the shops to look at magazines or stickers from the movie.

Movies were magic. Events that were anticipated and then excitedly watched in enraptured awe.

Back in those days the only information you had about a movie was what was promoted in tv or in magazines and newspapers. It was carefully controlled so you weren't spoiled.

Hard to believe now, but nobody knew what E.T. Looked like without going to the cinema to see the film!

Then along came VHS and a whole new experience. Different, but just as intense. Video rental!

I bought video magazines to see what was coming out and rented everything I could get my hands on.

As soon as I could get to our local video rental shop (Channel 5) I would go to the new releases and see if there were any cards in the videos (cards meant the films could be rented. No cards meant they were out on rental).

I spent many hours in the video shop reading every video case. My eyes drifting to the 18 certificate movies with saucy covers.

I rented so many movies. Jumping off of one film with a specific actor and then renting all his movies, and then directors and so on...

This was the time I fell in love with horror. Especially Italian horror. I used to sit up at midnight when my folks went to bed and scare myself stupid in the dark with headphones on. I used to be a pretty intense and jumpy teen with good reason.

It feels good to remember what a tactile experience and exciting time it was back then.

Now movies can be accessed at the touch of a button, and that's very cool, but something about the anticipation, having to wait for movies, the disappointment of a cinema movie being sold out or a video being out on rental, all added to my excitement.

Back then information was sparse. I never knew if a film was good until I watched it, which meant I watched a lot of movies I probably wouldn't now.

Yes, it seems inconvenient now, but that journey back home with that rental case was excruciatingly long, and yet brilliant fun. I studied that cassette label. The certificate and running time all tantalising me.

Each time I queued at the cinema, and was turned away by a "full house" sign, it was heartbreaking and yet it made me even more excited. I would wish whole days away as I anticipated the next visit to the cinema.

Movies,and the experience of watching movies, is still a thrill and I guess I had no choice to try and have a go at making them. Perhaps to try and catch a piece of that magic for myself.

2011, review of the year.

I think I will look back on 2011 as a turning point.
On the one hand I got to make my passion project The Man Inside and work with some amazing actors, but on the other side I had to experience some of the most unpleasant aspects of the film business that I've ever encountered.

I'm 43 now, and not really disposed to accepting certain types of behaviour.
When you're younger you allow things to happen because of ambition, but when you get older your tolerance levels decrease.

That said, I'm also not about to give up my dream because of other people and their unpleasant working practices and attitudes.

To this end, I find, as I contemplate 2012, that I will have a new film to present and a new career path that I'm very excited about.

In some ways making the film and the troubles I've had in the industry in 2011 have helped shaped my plans for the future, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will reflect on that in the future as a big positive.

2012 will be all-change.

The last 12 months have been really tough with a continuing health problem, and I must pray that I can stay in good health in the new year, as I will need all my energy for all the things I have planned.

I'll talk about the new things I've got planned in the new year, but for now I feel ready to tackle 2012 with a cautious smile.

One thing is for certain. I won't be tolerating anything less than ethical behaviour from anyone I work with. What's the point otherwise?

The Man Inside - Featured on 35mm (Courtesy of SKY MOVIES)