Mission Accomplished!

I was overjoyed when an email popped into my in box from my fellow blogger and very good friend Frenchy Phil asking if I wanted to catch 'Welcome To The Sticks' at the Broadway cinema on Sunday pm, but I confess, when I agreed, I did have ulterior motives. The last time we went to the cinema together was to see Le Donk, the Shane Meadows movie and I came away with the inspiration to make my own film, which fitted quite nicely into making a short film to go on You Tube task. Then an idea began to form, slow but sure at first, until I had the basis of a structure for a 10 minute short film. The subject matter? My friend Frenchy Phil. Phil is an ex actor and has had the most fascinating life that I think truly warrants capturing on film. So today at the Broadway, after plying him with lager and tempting him with a bag of minstrels, I plucked up courage to ask him and he has said yes. Now I just need to get grips with my camcorder and learn how to edit. I wonder if Shane is available for a master class?

Oh What A Circus!

Sunday's are pretty boring affairs usually, aren't they? I mean nothing really happens on a Sunday - right? Except this Sunday. This Sunday was soo different to all other Sundays. Fancy an evening with Shane Meadows? Yes, I did too, so there I was on a Sunday singing David Essex songs with my friend Frenchy Phil, outside the Broadway Media Centre in Nottingham, staring at a bloke, thinking, is it, isn't it and then by the time I finally decided it was actually Shane Meadows, he had gone inside.

Now I have to admit I do get a little giddy when I know I'm going to be in the presence of greatness and not only did I have to contend with Shane, there was also his mate from college days, one Paddy Considine, my favourite actor, who also happens to be in my favourite film, directed by Shane, 'Dead Man Shoes'. To top it all, the ticket price also included an exclusive screening of his new film 'Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee' - it was all too much really!

So there we sat on the front row, where a few late arrivals mistook us for VIP's (well you would, wouldn't you?!) whilst Shane introduced the cast and crew of the film, then sat back and watched the most funniest film I'd seen in a long time - my cheeks ached with laughing so much.

The film was followed by a Q & A session and then I got the chance to be a real groupie and get my boxed set signed and have a couple of photos with the chappies. I was totally calm throughout, behaved appropriately, until I got to the back of the cinema and then had a 'oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!' moment.

So pray tell what does this have to do with my 40 things? Well, Shane Meadows happens to completely inspire me. How he depicts working class life in his films is how I want to write about such things. He described his work as having sat in the same room of the working classes, as apposed to looking through the window, like his peers. A good analogy, but on my part I certainly need to up my game to be anywhere near his brilliance.

He has inspired me to start working on my second novel. Something completely different from the first, a lot more gritty, a lot more 'real'. You never know, this may well be the one that's published...

Creating My Film

There are several hundred reasons, why I haven't got round to my 'making a film to go onto You Tube' task - here is one of them:-

'Washdays' is a short film written by Graham Lester George and has just won the Soho Rushes Festival. Out of all the films we saw in the media week at the Broadway cinema, this was our favourite. So thought provoking that we were still discussing it, after we left the cinema and all the way home.

So you may now understand my hesitation. After all, I strive for perfection, so how can I just make any old film, even if the target audience is just You Tube and no where near Cannes, or even Soho?

If you do get chance to see this film, then please do. My film (whenever I make it) will be miles away from this one (RIP sock puppets).

My Week V My List

Well it's been a funny old week. Further announcements at work made for a very unsettling time, then I found out one of my friends was being made redundant for the second time in six months, so it brought it all in to context and I stopped feeling sorry for myself, well for a while any way!

My list as always has proved my saviour and has dragged me back into feeling motivated and just getting through the week. I loaded my French phrase book onto my ipod, which has brought me moments of laughter; there I am listening to dance music, when the next thing some random guy is telling me how to get to the train station.

Although I managed a smidgen of editing on my novel on Monday pm, before I hit the UK premiere of Coco Avant Chanel, the weather has been way too humid to even consider doing anything when I arrive home, after battling through the rush hour traffic in Nottingham. My novel is nearly there, but I'm just not happy with the last couple of chapters.

I managed to go to a few more events at the Broadway Literature and Media festival in Nottingham. One of which was a BBC Writers Room event. I still don't think I want to work in TV and that writing novels is the avenue I wish to choose. However, writing is writing at the end of the day, so I'm always game to listen to any advice that people wish to dish out, especially when it's free!

Then I had an email from BBC Radio Nottingham and I'm due for another appearance on 22nd July - doing the paper review once more.

Not a bad old week really!