Tag Archives: actress

Anti-Social Media

Posted on by


New research from youth charity reveals youngsters are facing rising abuse online – but also that more and more are becoming trolls themselves


  • A third of young people (aged 14-18) have been trolled online in the last six months, with over a quarter (27%) of young people facing ‘regular’ attacks


  • A third of youngsters (29%) are shattered by these attacks and are ‘losing confidence’, with the majority of these messages about the victim’s appearance (40%) or religion and race (16%)


  • But almost half(47%) of victims keep the attacks secret as they don’t feel they can tell anyone


  • However, one in ten youngsters admit to being trolls themselves, with nearly a quarter (23%) admitting they find it funny, and almost a third (29%) doing it because their friends are too


  • A quarter (25%) want to learn about how to use social media correctly, with 38 per cent wanting to learn about it from the social channels themselves


  • The new Lolz not Trolls campaign is the latest Do Something UK action from youth volunteering charity vInspired. The Lolz not Trolls campaign gives young people the opportunity to make a positive pledge not to troll, as well as to share information on appropriate online behaviour with their peers by following a set of ‘netiquette’ guidelines, with the aim of making social media channels a happier, safer place


  • Celebrities supporting Lolz not Trolls include reality TV star Lauren Goodger, Hollyoaks actress Jazmine Franks, TV presenter Caroline Flack and singer Delilah


YOUNG people are battling a tide of vicious internet troll attacks, with almost a third (32%) falling victim to cruel online comments in the last six months, a shocking new survey from youth volunteer charity vInspired, as part of its Do Something UK initiative, reveals.

Worryingly, more than two thirds (67%) of 14 to 18 year olds received the vile messages from someone they know – shattering the myth that troll attacks are only perpetrated by strangers.

A quarter (26%) of the 2,000 youngsters polled said they face regular attacks and have been trolled ‘many times’ during the last six months.

But the research also revealed that a huge one in ten young people (9%) actually admit to being trolls themselves by sending negative or abusive messages to someone they know, while eight per cent admit to targeting a celebrity online in this way.

Worryingly, there is evidence of a ‘digital disconnect’ about trolling, with one in five (18%) thinking messages sent in cyberspace are less damaging than insults hurled face to face – and with 16 per cent claiming they didn’t think the messages would hurt the recipient and nearly half (49%) believing it’s ok to say things online that you wouldn’t to someone’s face.

However the majority of youngsters (60%) agree sending trolling messages is wrong. In fact, almost a fifth (17%) are adamant trolling is worse than bullying in person.

And over a quarter (28%) think that trolls send messages online due to the anonymity of their actions, with 30 per cent believing trolls are too scared to do it in person.

Shockingly, nearly a quarter (23%) did so as they thought it was funny, with nearly a third (29%) trolling because their friends were doing it too and almost a fifth (18%) because they thought the person ‘deserved’ it.

The comprehensive study shows that Facebook is the most common place for victims to be trolled, with 45 per cent of those who have experienced it having had abusive messages posted on their own walls, while 28 per cent are the subject of slurs posted on someone else’s.

Of those who are trolled, one in five (23%) receive the abusive messages on Twitter, a further one in 14 (7%) are attacked on YouTube and one in 20 (6%) are abused on their own or on another person’s blog.

While the majority of messages (40%) denigrated a victim’s personal appearance such as their weight, 16 per cent focused on the victim’s religion and race. One in ten (8%) were even aimed at getting (boyfriends or girlfriends) friends to break up with the victim.

Almost a quarter (22%) rubbished pictures posted by the victim while one in 20 (5%) posted snaps the victim did not want to share. And in a sinister twist, one in 40 (3%) admit they have been blackmailed by a troll over intimate pictures.

The effect of the electronic messages is devastating, with almost a third (29%) of youngsters receiving them confiding they had ‘lost confidence’ after the attacks.

One in five (19%) felt they could ‘no longer trust those around me’ while 12 per cent admitted that they felt alone.

SO, in order to combat this rising tide of trolling, vInspired has launched a new campaign ‘Lolz not Trolls’, aimed at educating young people on the effects of their attacks and help them to learn how to behave correctly online.

Social media expert Professor Mark Griffiths, who is working with vInspired on the Lolz Not Trolls campaign, said the phenomenon is growing as more youngsters grow up in the digital world.

He defines trolling as: “An act of intentionally provoking and/or antagonising users by posting inflammatory messages in an online environment with the aim of provoking an emotional response from who the message has been sent to.”

But despite the wave of troll attacks engulfing the internet, young people feel there is very little help or guidance for how to tackle trolling.

Half (50%) of those questioned don’t know where to go for more information on trolling, with 38 per cent wanting to learn more about the issue from social network channel themselves, such as Facebook and Twitter.

A quarter (25%) are desperate for a comprehensive guide on how to use social media correctly, with 24 per cent asking for information on how to support victims of trolling and 26 per cent wanting to know where to go for support if they are being trolled.

The Wanted, Pop band


“Through the years we have met a lot of fans, ranging from all ages around the world. It would be horrible to think that these young people are becoming the victims of trolling, or are even trolling themselves. We’d like to encourage people to sign up to the Do Something campaign and pledge their support through the Facebook page.


Show that you can make a difference!”

Delilah, musician


These days if you are a teenager, the chances are that you have been born and brought up with a computer and you will know exactly the impact that things like trolling have on web users. Log onto Facebook  and pledge your support to be more positive online!

Jazmine Franks, Hollyoaks actress currently going through a Trolling storyline


I recently had first-hand experience on Hollyoaks of exactly what trolling entails as my character Esther was pushed to try to commit suicide due to both on and offline bullying – it’s an awful situation for anyone to find themselves in.  Thankfully many instances of trolling aren’t as severe but it’s not an experience anyone should ever have to go through.


In the 21st century, bullying doesn’t just stay in the playground, it follows you home to your computer and it’s getting harder to escape being victimised.

It’s surprising how many young people don’t realise that what they write is sdo hurtful and the impact they have on the recipient. This is why the vInspired’s Lolz not Trolls Do Something campaign is so important – educating young people on how to behave online and empowering them to stand up and be counted against the trolls. This is why I urge you to pledge your support and sign up to take the pledge online at www.facebook.com/DoSomethingUK  to be Lol, not Troll and help make the internet a happier, safer place.

 

So to help youngsters become aware of correct online ‘netiquette’, vInspired, together with Professor Griffiths, have created a downloadable guide on the top ‘dos and don’ts’ for using social media, with all the tips crowd-sourced from youngsters themselves.

This guide is available from the campaign Facebook page where youngsters are also encouraged to sign up and take a ‘pledge’ to ensure they use social media correctly:

·       Look at what I write before I post – recognise how it might make someone feel
·       Own what I write – take responsibility for what I say
·       Live online the way I live offline – treat others how I would want to be treated

vInspired has also created a ‘Trolling under the Bridge’ experience at Waterloo’s IMAX underpass to show people the real effect that negative messages can have on people.

On 22nd February, displays of real life trolling messages will be projected and written on the walls of the underpass and people’s mood and response to these being measured to show the impact these do have.

Professor Mark Griffiths, Director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, said: “The ability to remain anonymous online can lead to people saying what they may not in person over social networking channels. Young people need to understand the consequences that these comments can have, and it’s important to teach them how to use social media correctly, to make the internet a safer and happier place.”

Terry Ryall, CEO at vInspired, said: “We have all heard of cases where youngsters have harmed themselves due to troll attacks – so writing a trolling message isn’t harmless fun, it’s potentially deadly. Our aim isn’t to attack the trolls, but instead to get young people to do something positive and pledge not to be a troll themselves, abiding by the ‘netiquette’ guide we have created.

“Through our campaign ‘Lolz not Trolls’ we are hoping to make a real difference to the way young people behave – and are therefore treated – online. We are encouraging all young people to sign up to our campaign page on Facebook  – www.facebook.com/DoSomethingUK  to take a positive step towards making the internet a more secure and enjoyable experience for everyone.”

 

Tuppence Middleton interview for Black Mirror

Posted on by

You’re in the new series of Black Mirror and you’re in an episode called ‘White Bear’ which is shrouded in secrecy. What can you reveal about it?

It mainly focuses on a young woman who wakes and she doesn’t remember who she is, in a world that she doesn’t recognise anymore. Everyone she meets is either incredibly hostile towards her, or they just film her. My character bumps into her helps her. I’ve been living in this world and I’m very used to it, and I become her guide.

 

Your character is called Jem. What’s her story, what do you know about her?

In the story you know that she’s become hardened by this world and she knows the ins and outs of. She is very independent and initially would rather travel on her own, but she just happens to come by Victoria and is forced to take her under her wing. Her main goal is to stay alive. When we were talking about the character we almost wanted her to come across as a bit like a computer game character, like a bit of a Tank Girl – she’s very tough.

 

Presumably there’s not an awful lot of back story or detail about her. Does that make it difficult to play a role like that? Or does it give you a blank canvas which is quite fun to fill out?

Yeah I liked the fact she was quite mysterious, she doesn’t give away too much. She gives away enough about the world for Victoria to understand but she doesn’t give away too much about herself and I think she’s quite a guarded and lone figure. I think the more mysterious she is to Victoria the better.

 

Lenora Crichlow [who plays Victoria] said the shoot was pretty intense in terms of it being very long days and not quite knowing what was going to be around the next corner. Did you find that as well?

Yes I mean it was kind of tough in a great way. I don’t think I’ve ever run so much in my life. I was doing ADR [voiceover work] for it today and it was, I’d say, 90% doing breaths for running. We were very active and it’s kind of fun doing things like that because I’m not like that at all – I hate even going to the gym, so being an active action girl is quite fun for me. I mean it was tough, it was long days and we were filming mostly outside for two weeks and almost every day it would pour down with rain. We were usually quite cold and wet and running for hours but it was quite fun.

 

Presumably with the plot being what it is, it quite added to the atmosphere it being rainy and dark?

Yes it really helped. I’ve just watched a little bit of it back and there’s that really weird sky when it’s like winter and it’s raining and it’s so cold, it’s almost like a completely white-grey sky. It really looks like the end of the world has come.

 

What was it that attracted you to the part?

A million things. I am a huge fan of Charlie Brooker and I thought the last series of Black Mirror was one of the best things I’d seen on TV for ages. As soon as the audition came up I was like ‘oh god I have to get that.’ I just love Black Mirror, and Carl the director. I was just really confident he could do a good job and he seemed to have a really good vision. And like I said it’s a part totally unlike myself, apart from being tall, which I think is why I mostly get cast as these sort of parts, I’m not at all like that. I’m not this kind of action girl. It was something really different for me.

 

When you’re going up for an audition like that, something that you really want to get, does that make you a lot more nervous, and how do you deal with that?

Yeah it makes you more nervous, but then you turn that into determination. You can’t let it get the better of you. Ultimately when you’ve got something you really want, it’s more about showing how passionate you really are about it and when you get to actually meet the director and meet the producers and stuff and talk about the role and talk about the script then it’s great because you can input your ideas in the initial audition. So you get carried away with how enthusiastic you are about it as opposed to how nervous, and you come back and think ‘I have no idea how that just went’. I’m terrible at judging it, and then you get the call and it’s amazing, so I was really pleased, it’s a brilliant job.

 

In your relatively short career so far you’ve worked with some amazing names – just picking a few David Tenant, James McAvoy, Emma Thompson, Timothy Spall, Danny Boyle, Sean Bean. How have you managed to squeeze that all in into such a short time?

I have no idea, to be honest, because when I first started, there would often be periods where I wasn’t working for a few months. I think the gaps just gradually get smaller and the roles you do become bigger, either in the sense that you’re taking more of the lead role or it’s a small role in a more prominent thing, a kind of step up in terms of who you’re working with. The more people I work with like that the more I learn from them. Emma Thompson, I was working with her for a day or two, but you learn so much even in that short amount of time. It’s great, I mean it’s kind of strange because you think about all those names after you’ve done it but when you’re doing it, they’re just people who are also doing a job. You just have to think like that and, yes, it’s such an amazing learning opportunity and I think I’ve been lucky to work at all since I left drama school because so many people don’t. I am thankful that it’s been with some amazing talent.

 

There’s been a huge variety in your work – you’ve done everything from comedy to horror to more arthouse stuff. Is that an intentional thing to keep moving genres, to stretch yourself like that?

Yes completely. I mean I’ve been sort of lucky with the genres actually but I guess it’s more for me about finding parts that interest me and scripts that interest me. I think I always want to do something different to the thing I’ve just done and I always want to play a part different to one I’ve played before. It’s just about finding variety and I get an instinct very quickly about a script whether I like it or not. Over the four-and-a-half years I’ve been working, although it’s not long, I think you start to build up your own taste. I think it’s just constantly about keeping me on my toes and having a challenge rather than playing something which is second nature to me.

 

Who are the people working in your industry who you most admire?

That’s such a hard question. I was really lucky working with Danny Boyle because he was definitely on the list. There are definitely lots of directors I’d love to work with, I mean in a crazy world I’d love to work with Tarantino. Obviously there’s too many actors to mention that I’d want to work with but I think you really get drawn towards certain directors as well and I say there’s definitely certain directors I’d want to work with. David Fincher I think is great, David Lynch.

 

Most people when they leave drama school maybe do an apprenticeship in theatre but you’ve slightly bypassed that. Do you want to do theatre as well?

Funnily enough I’m starting to rehearse for a play on Monday. It’s just a short run – it’s on throughout March at the Jermyn Street Theatre, a Graham Greene. You spend most of the time at drama school training for theatre and then I just happened to come out and do film and TV because my first job was a film and it paved the way for the rest of my work. I absolutely can’t wait for rehearsals to start for the play. I think it is going to be a really different discipline and a different experience for me. Yes I’d definitely like to do more of it but I think you tend to get more work in one area and maybe that will change in a few years’ time when I’m a bit older. At the moment I’m happy with the way it’s going and I’m looking forward to trying my hand at a play.

 

What ambitions do you have left? What do you really want to do with your career?

I guess primarily it’s always about making work that I like, being in films from scripts that I love and not compromising on that, and just to make it into a career and not working for three years and then I stop working. I want to be working into my eighties. If I live that long!

 

Black Mirror: Whiter Bear is on Channel 4 at 10pm on Monday 18th February. Interview thanks to Channel 4.

Vanessa Bailey & Richard Perryman on Three Days Film | Film interview

Posted on by

When I interviewed Vanessa Bailey and Richard Perryman about their new film, Three Days, we had so much fun and laughed so hard. Vanessa has co-written and is starring in the age gap romance alongside Richard who is fresh out of drama school. Vanessa is beautiful and talented but doesn’t seem to know it, as is Richard. They are both also wonderful company and building quite a following for their film which will start shooting early next year. To find out more, read on….

;

Tell us about your character.

Richard Perryman: ‘I am playing James, a recent graduate, a young guy who does odd jobs. He is flyering for a jazz club and has a care-free lifestyle. He is not really looking for love but just by chance it happens. We were talking about this earlier. It just happens and he is not looking for a long term thing. It just happens to him and he can’t really get away. [laughter]

Vanessa Bailey: [laughing] He can’t really get away! These two characters are not the two people you would expect to see in a relationship. Not just with the age gap, which does sometimes happen, but also with their personalities. She is no a cougar, she is not predatory. She hasn’t been walking around looking for impressionable young leafleters to drag back to her hotel room. He’s not a lad.

;

Richard: It’s not a trophy for him.

;

Vanessa: It is just a sexual connection between them.

;

Richard: Well, not the main one.

;

Vanessa: [laughing] No, not the main one. It is about two real people. It is about finding what that connection would be and how it would work out in real life. They are not caricatures. It is not about romantic cliches. If two people really did connect, how would that work. Can it work?

;

Richard: Can that relationship last or is it just a fling?

;

Vanessa: And we don’t know the answer yet.

;

Richard: I think they are probably both going into it thinking it is just a fling. And not expecting to find that they actually fall in love.

Age gap relationships are popular in film at the moment. Why do you think they are popular and what is your favourite?

Vanessa: I really liked the ITV one, Leaving, although I kinda thought they had stolen our thunder because we had written the script before it came out. What appealed to me about that one, and about Three Days, is most of the other films, the age gape in The Graduate isn’t that big. There is only six-years between them because they are playing up and down. So what I really liked about the ITV one was that they had Helen McCrory who is really gorgeous. They were able to make the audience believe. It was a slightly different story and it was about self-improvement. That one would be my favourite because it was anchored in real life. You can recognise it in real life. Whereas with the other ones, they are lovely stories, but they are not real.

;

Richard: I have only seen The Graduate. I think with that one he has that relationship thrust upon him. It is much darker. She is more of a cougar and she reels him in. This is more of a chance. It is a more filmic story.

;

Vanessa: It is more of a romance. It is not dark in any way. Which is more challenging. There is no gender game. It is more, ‘why has this happened and what should we do with it?’.

;

Why do you think there is still a stigma attached to the older women/younger man thing?

Richard: There has been a rise in those type of films. I think there is a stigma attached but it is becoming less and less. There is still that taboo and it is still fine with older men and younger women.

;

Vanessa: Again, we were talking about that earlier. I think with the older man and younger women, largely they are a physical manifestation of his success and being sexually attractive to women. It is more of a trophy thing. It is interesting because, as you said, the storyline is really popular. We have 1,300 people following us on Twitter. We have no media, no trailer, nothing really about the film, but I think the story has lots of appeal. We have a lot of different people following us. Younger girls, 17 or 18 years old and older men.

;

We had a guy who said when I was in my 20s I had a relationship with a women who was 20 years older than me because it is common. See I am 43.

;

Richard: And I am 22.

;

Vanessa: Oh my god it has gotten bigger! What is that gap?

;

Richard: 21 years.

;

Vanessa: Yes, 21 years. That is quite a big gap.

;

Richard: It’s not that big.

;

Vanessa: Oh, bless you. We can make it work. But I think people are really fascinated by that. I am not going to name names but I had a lot of people say I had this relationship with this women who was 20 years older than me. It is really interesting. It does actually happen but I don’t think film shows that as much as the older guy.

;

Another issue with younger men with older women is the fertility issue….

;

Vanessa: Yes, I think that is true. It doesn’t work quite as well from a family point of view, biologically the other way around. Maybe some women are at the point when they don’t want to have kids.

;

Richard: I think going into that relationship they won’t really think about it and then when they did the pressure would start adding on to it. Like, ‘what do we do?’

;

Vanessa: I was talking to some friends about it and they were like, ‘lucky you’ and then I was thinking, no, because in reality when you are an older women it is hard. You have insecurities.

;

Richard: Yeah, you were saying to me that when we go out people will be like, ‘Your son is waiting for you’ or ‘Is that your mum?’ or something. Which would be really tough.

;

Vanessa: [laughing] There is always a 21-year-old girl around the corner and you are getting older, and you look older, and the point of this, of Three Days, is also when older women are portrayed in films they don’t look their age. They have had all of that plastic surgery and they don’t look their age. I do look my age [she doesn’t] so it is not like, yeah, she is a hot 43 but she looks 33. She is just 43. So there is that whole physical insecurity.

There is also this myth that is spread that men get better looking as they get older but women don’t. It places a lot of pressure on women and it also happens a lot in film. Then when you do get a part it is not a really good part. In this film it is a women in a really good role, which could actually have a lot of significance.

;

Vanessa: And that is the great thing about indie film. You have raised a great point actually and that is the good thing about Three Days. There are not the parts out there that actresses my age necessarily want to play. You get typecast in commercials and then you have to wait until you are 75 to play a dowager in Downton Abbey. There is a massive gap in-between. You are just wandering around wondering what you are going to do. A few of us do have a natural look so you are not going to get the barmaid parts or the cougar parts. So I kind of wanted to come up with a part that a lot of women my age would want to play because it is interesting and it is fun. There is a massive gap for older actresses.

;

How did you come on-board

;

Richard: I didn’t really do anything.

;

Vanessa: That is the joy of Twitter. I am going to write a book. Instead of the Joy of Sex I am going to write The Joy of Twitter, and [to Richard] you are probably too young to even know the book. It was out in the 1970s. [to me] You know the book? [Yes, I know the book] See, women know the book.

;

So, Twitter, we were looking for someone. I was looking at showreels because I love watching showreels. I saw Richard’s headshot and someone tweeted a link to a short film he was in called Emmeline, which was gorgeous. So I stalked him. I asked him to be in a film with me.

;

Richard: I got an email asking me if I wanted to be in the film. We met up for a coffee. Then I wanted to do it. She reeled me in. We were both on the same page in terms of character and what we wanted for the film.

;

Vanessa: What clinched it was that halfway through we were talking about the dialogue and how we wanted it to be really natural, and be very real and he said it should be like ‘Before Sunrise’, which is my favourite film. At that point I was really hoping he wanted to be in the film.

;

So it was the power of Twitter and short film. And the mocha that I bought him that I then drank.

;

Richard: Yeah, I had a latte and she had my mocha.

;

Vanessa: Start as you mean to go on.

Tell us about the process of the film so far.

Vanessa: It has been a long time actually, nearly a year. I wrote it. I wrote a really bad script originally. I sent if to Jon Rennie, our director, and basically what he did was he rewrote it from a cinematic point of view. Jon said he liked the story but this is how he thought the physical journey of the film would go. We have beautiful locations we are filming in. Then he gave it back to me to fill in the dialogue. We knew we had Huw onboard who is just phenomenally good.

;

The film is quite like Notting Hill on acid. Huw Walters (Cinematographer) and Jon and myself all worked on Bubbles [an excellent short film. See it] Our composer had seen Bubbles and asked us if we had a composer. Then I looked at his credits and I was like, wow. He has worked with the BBC, with Tom Jones, with loads of people.

;

Our hair designer, Jason Hall, also asked to come onboard and he had done London Fashion Week. He was also from twitter. He contacted us and asked us if we needed a hair stylist.

;

The producer, Sam Smith-Higgins, was following the film since it started on Facebook and she said she would really like to collaborate and asked if we had a producer. She has an entire production company that she is bringing with her. The Executive Producer, Suzie Boudier, has been a constant source of inspiration.

;

The great thing about this film is that everyone has come on-board because they really want to make this film rather than just a film. It has been a really long process. I am really excited.

;

How did you approach funding.

Vanessa: We will be crowd funding in February. Consolidating everything in March and then we are shooting in April. We are looking at different crowd funding options at the moment.

;

Tell us about you.

;

Richard: I just graduated from E15 from a contemporary theatre course. I set up my own theatre company with a couple of friends called Antler. We took two shows up to Edinburgh.

;

Vanessa: Who have got some amazing reviews. Should I quote some of them? Richard excels in dry humour. That is what it said.

;

Richard: We got some lovely reviews. Since then I have done a short film with the same company. I was lucky to be a part of that. And from that I got this. Which is great and exciting.

;

Vanessa: I am completely different. No training. I am a teacher. A music specialist whatever that means. I came out of it after I had my children and decided I wanted to be an actress. So I did a lot of background work just to get into the scene and I was lucky to break that rule that you never become an actor after being an extra. I managed to get there. I have managed to blag my way to some good jobs so far.

;

You are so self deprecating

Vanessa: Yes I am. But I have no reason to be here. Once I got Spotlight and a DVD I sent it out and Sam [Samantha from Simon & How, out mutual agent] was the first person to give me an audition. I absolutely love it.

;

Do you think the age of the actor is dead and you have to be an actorpreneur and do your own projects.

;

Richard: I have only ever done my own projects. So I think, yes, you can’t really trust anyone else to do anything for you. You have to do it yourself. If you are lucky enough you will be handed lots of jobs. It is the luck of the draw. If not you have to go out and do it yourself. [to Vanessa] Like you are doing.

;

Vanessa: All actors know that it is a really small pool that people fish from. Especially in television. It is hard and it is not going to talent unfortunately. You see people who work regularly who are not good and lots of people who are very talented who don’t get any work. So, yes, I do think you have to be an actorpreneur.

;

Richard: I am very bad at selling myself because I am not on Twitter.

;

I often lose roles to people who are more famous or someone’s girlfriend.

;

Vanessa: Yes, that is frustrating. I can see the other side of that. We all work with people we know because it is better the devil you know.

;

Richard: Then that creates those little cliques who work with the same people and you can’t break into it.

;

That is why I left Scotland. I had to commute from Glasgow to London because there was the group of Scottish actors who always got work and I could not break into the industry.

;

Vanessa: There are a couple of casting directors who fight it. A casting director said to me that he was sick of seeing the same faces in television over and over again.

;

And you do. You see the same faces over and over again. We need pioneers who are bringing new faces in and trying to get people seen.

;

Richard: But we are a little family. [We all have the same agent. Samantha at Simon & How]

;

That’s right.

So is the process to make a short and then a feature film.

;

Vanessa: I would love to. I would love to make a feature. Are you playing footsie with me Richard?

;

Richard: Yes, I am getting into character.

;

Vanessa: Two things with the short film. Firstly, I would like it to get into festivals. But also it is like a calling card. Hopefully people will see this. When we had one of our first meetings with Jon and Huw you could very much see the potential of the film and the ensemble cast. I would love to make a feature film.

;

Richard: It has the potential to be a great British film.

;

Vanessa: I am such a champion of British film so I would love to make it into a feature.

;

What are you shooting on?

;

Vanessa: I’m not sure. I have left that to Jon. Not film. Because it is too expensive. We want to do a few different takes on this film and we don’t want to worry about how expensive it would be. I know Jon was talking about filming on mono. So a combination I think.

;

What’s next?

;

Richard: I just graduated. I am not sure what is next. I am just putting myself out there.

;

Vanessa: You are developing….

;

Richard: Oh yeah, with my company, Antler, we are constantly developing work. Putting things together and trying out new ideas.

;

Vanessa: Everything at the moment is Three Days. Then hopefully after that it will be the festivals. [Vanessa also has a lot of acting work coming up. Including a part in Southcliffe and some short films]

;

Thanks Vanessa and Richard.

;

Director: Jon Rennie @jon_rennie
Writers: Vanessa Bailey, Jon Rennie @vbaileyactor @jon_rennie
Producer: Sam Smith-Higgins http://www.redbeetlefilms.co.uk/ @SamSmith-Higgins
Executive Producer: Suzie Boudier @Superboooo
Cinematographer: Huw Walters http://vimeo.com/user4428776 @huwcamera
Composer: William Goodchild http://www.williamgoodchild.com/ @WGoodchildMusic
PR: FireflyPR http://www.firefly-pr.com/ @FireflyPR

Hair Design: Jason Hall http://www.jasonhallhairdressing.co.uk/ @Jhhair

Professionally Resting Interview: Lifting the Lid on Acting.

Posted on by

The talented actor behind the blog Professionally Resting first caught my eye on Twitter. She is brave, witty and accurate about the downside of the acting industry. As an actor myself I just read her tweets/blog posts and nod. I just had to interview her for Frost, so here it is! I also have a guest post coming from her soon, so look out for that too.

What made you start your blog?

I’d been reading a few other acting blogs online and I soon realised that none really covered what it’s like to be an actual working actor. Many are written by actors who are constantly in work and that was something that I just couldn’t really identify with. Most actors I know spend a great deal of their time resting and I wanted to create something fun and supportive for those of us that regularly find ourselves within the unemployed majority. I also wanted to use it as an excuse to keep busy. There are days when there’s very little work coming in and having a blog to think about really keeps me feeling like I’m at least doing something creative.

Tell us a bit about yourself (without giving too much away)!

It’s always tough answering these questions without sounding like you’re on Blind Date! I’m in my late twenties and have been acting (on and off) since graduating from drama school in 2006. I had a break for a couple of years after getting a bit trapped in a temping job that became permanent. It was a horrible job but it meant I could have a couple of years actually earning money and being able to buy things that had previously been a luxury like food that isn’t on the reduced shelf. However, there’s nothing quite like a miserable job to remind you exactly what it is that you really want to be doing and that was the catalyst to making me find acting work again so that I could finally escape.


What do you think of the acting industry?

It’s very much a love/hate relationship. I regularly complain about it on Twitter and on my blog because it honestly drives me insane. It can feel that it often has more to do with luck than talent and you are completely at the mercy of those in control of the work that is out there. It often feels like many companies and channels operate a closed shop policy and I think many of them are guilty of working with the same very tiny gang of actors time and time again. I read an article recently that said there was a very small pool of talent out there which simply isn’t true. There’s an absolute ocean of clever and gifted people out there but they often get ignored as there are other names and faces that are deemed more popular. Unfortunately viewing figures and ticket sales are placed about creating quality work and while I accept that many of those performers that are used time and time again are very good at what they do, a bit of variety really wouldn’t go amiss!
However, having said that, there are very industries that would pay you a month’s rent to mess around as a time-travelling police officer for the day and that’s why I’m still slogging away at it!

What is the worst casting you have ever seen?

There are so many to choose from! The reason I started tweeting about castings was because people were so shocked at just how insulting and offensive and downright baffling they often were. Ones such as ‘No pay unfortunately but you will get to ride in a white stretch limo with a midget and the band’ and ‘She looks a bit like a trollop but tries to dress a bit classy’ have been incredible finds. However, I think the worst has to be one that I saw recently asking for actors to play characters in a sweatshop and the company (a very well-known TV channel) were only offering expenses. I thought I was past being shocked by castings but this one was offensive on so many levels that I genuinely had to keep re-reading it just to make sure that I was seeing it properly. Sadly I was.

What was the catalyst behind you starting your blog?

As I said, it was because I felt like I couldn’t relate to the other acting blogs out there and I felt that there needed to be a voice that represented normal working actors who often find themselves out of work. However, although I knew that it was something I wanted to do, it took me a while to actually get it started. It only happened when I was coming back on the train after a month performing at the Edinburgh Festival. I’d stupidly forgotten to bring a book and my boyfriend and I were unable to sit together so to keep myself occupied, I just started writing. After nearly 4 hours of solid writing, I realised I had a lot to say on the subject of acting and after a bit of encouragement from my boyfriend who’s also a blogger, the blog was born.

What can be done to improve the kind of roles women get?

It has to start with the writing. There is not a day goes by that I don’t see at least one casting where a woman isn’t required to either be a stripper or a prostitute and although I often make a joke of it on Twitter, it is very worrying too. There is such great writing out there for men but female roles are so often overlooked. So many times I read castings where all the male characters are given weird and wonderful characteristics while the women are just written to look nice. There are some incredible writers out there who are really trying to make sure that there are strong, interesting roles for women but they need support from the major producers for their work to get made and seen. I do think that it’s changing and television and film is starting to listen but it feels like a very slow process that needs to speed up a little!

What is your favourite, and least favourite, thing about the industry?

Let’s start with my least favourite and get the negative stuff out the way. It has to be the lack of good, paid work out there for actors. So many companies expect actors to work for free and although I completely understand how difficult it must be working on a tight budget, it’s tough when you’re faced with it day after day. Acting is something that I stupidly want to do for the rest of my life but it’s hard when people seem to think that by offering you a limp cheese sandwich and £5 to cover your travel expenses, they’re doing you a favour. I’ve done jobs in the past where I’ve essentially been paying to be part of them and that’s when you know that something has gone wrong.

And my favourite thing about the industry? It’s that you just don’t know what’s coming up next. A few months ago I was whinging on Twitter about how there didn’t seem to be any work out there and literally minutes later, my agent was on the phone with an audition for an incredible part in a feature film. I didn’t get the role but I do love how your luck changes from one minute to the next. Although it can be pretty unnerving at times, especially when you’re going through a particularly quiet spell, it’s incredibly exhilarating too. I think it’s a little bit addictive which is why actors put themselves through such torment.

You blog and tweet under a pseudonym, do you believe it would harm your acting career if you didn’t? Can you be critical?

The decision to write under a pseudonym was made so that I could be openly critical about the industry. As an actor you have to be so careful because you never know who you’re going to be working with next and I think that means a lot of actors are worried about speaking out about how infuriating this industry can be. Writing anonymously gives me the freedom to be brutally honest about the problems I face without jeopardising my acting career. Although there are days when I wish I could just tweet under my real name, I’m sure I’d have been in a fair bit of trouble for some of my comments, especially about casting calls and auditions.

What was your favourite ever job?

Despite going on about getting paid, my favourite job was one when I didn’t receive a penny. It was one of the first jobs I did after graduating from drama school and was a devised piece. It was pretty shambolic most of the time and we didn’t even get expenses but it was incredible experience seeing a project from the first meeting where we had some terrible ideas to the final night of performance. We barely sold any tickets (mainly because it was listed incorrectly meaning that most audience members turned up about 5 minutes before it was about to end) but it was great fun and real learning curve for me as a new actor.

and your least?

A summer-long Shakespeare festival. It was fun for about a fortnight but after three months away from home on only £25 a week, I was a state. The plays were performed outdoors and it was a particularly bad summer which meant that we spent a lot of time performing in soaking wet velvet dresses. British audiences are incredibly resilient and would determinedly sit there huddled up in anoraks and shelter under umbrellas while we battled with wind, rain, thunder and lightning. Because I was earning so little money, I was mainly living off value bran flakes and tomato soup so I ended the three months malnourished, exhausted, utterly sick of the sight and sound of Shakespeare and with about £4 in my bank account. That was something they really didn’t warn me about in drama school!

You can read the Professionally Resting Blog here and follow her on Twitter.

Gabriela Hersham | Ones to Watch

Posted on by

Gabriela Hersham is a British born actress who has appeared in a number of independent films
and fashion productions.

Born in North London, Gabriela originally studied at a London business school before deciding to
pursue acting, which has since taken her across the world.

In 2009, after an extensive search, Director Ross Hockrow chose Gabriela to play Shelby, a
troubled young girl struggling with depression in his film A Happy Ending, where she played along
side Lou Martini JR, from the US hit The Sopranos.

In 2010 Gabriela played a large part in the film The Burningmoore Incident, a horror film based
around the renovation of a house interrupted by the slashings of a serial killer. In this film, Gabriela worked closely with Geoff Tate of the cult American heavy metal band Queensryche. In late 2010
Gabriela filmed a number of short fashion films for hot young London based designers Nonoo
Lyons, Corlette London and Mechante of London, filming both in the UK and in New York City.
Working in both independent films and short fashion productions, Gabriela has been able to hone
her acting skills whilst working with prominent directors and costars.

Having formed a strong working relationship with her costar, Johnny Ramey and writer/ director
Ross Hockrow, Gabriela is now in undergoing extensive accent coaching in preparation for the
lead role in American Gypsy (to be filmed in New York City) which tells the story of a disturbed
young woman who puts on different disguises and personas to lure men into compromising
situations before robbing them of their possessions.

Gabriela has three feature films lined up for 2012 in Europe for director Tony Jopia and is also
involved in several other productions which are filming in the US and Middle East.

In addition to having studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York, Gabriela has also been
trained by Susan Batson and Jack Garfein in New York and London.

With her unique looks and strong personality, Gabriela is an important new talent to the film
industry.

Pre-Cannes Networking Event | Social Diary

Posted on by

Frost Magazine proudly sponsored Sheepish PR’s Pre-Cannes Networking Event. Director Howard J Ford, Valeria Bandino, actress, Normski (TV host, DJ), Marc Zammit (actor), Louise Glover (Model of the year and cover model at Playboy), Emma Cony (from Take Me Out), Johny Pach (Sky TV presenter), Robbie Moffat from Palm Tree Entertainment, and Mac Chakaveh, president of the Marbella Film Festival all attended, as did the wonderful Paola Berta.

© S. Dean Photography. Thanks to Paola Berta, Sheepish PR, Beverly Hills UK – Film Society & Events –

109 Scenes, 14 Locations, 17 Actors.

Posted on by

I am finally making a feature film. Since I got my first camera when I was 14 I reckon I am slacking a bit. We have 109 Scenes, 14 Locations and 17 actors so far. It is a mammoth task which started today. We had a brilliant days filming and got quite a few scenes.


Prose & Cons came about when Richard Wright saw me tweet that I wanted to make a film with strong female characters. He handed me a 39 page script that he had written and told me to write the rest. I did. Richard was initially the director of Prose & Cons but we had some artistic differences and he has now left, proving that people can have artistic differences and remain friends afterwards. Richard is now a brilliant comedian making his way around the London circuit.

I am now directing the film with Steve McAleavy. Steve was originally the producer and DOP but his passion made it impossible for him to not direct with me. Steve is still DOP and producer.

Just before I wrote this I worked out the schedule for the film. Sorted out what scenes were filmed, what actors were needed and what props were needed. It is using all of the skills I have acquired during my decade long career.

I also cast the film. Needless to say it is a labour of love and a passion project. I have been turning down work and putting my time and effort into this film and so has Steve. We want to make the best film possible.

We previously did a night shoot in Hayes FM with the lovely Becky Talbot. We have a great cast, the best equipment and, finger’s crossed, it should all go well.

I will keep blogging about the making of the film. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

Misfits Actress Sentenced to Community Service After Racially Abusing Taxi driver.

Posted on by

Misfits Actress Sentenced to Community Service After Racially Abusing Taxi driver.

Lauren Socha, the BAFTA-winning Misfits actress, who plays a young offender has been sentenced to community service in an life-imitating-art twist. Socha, 21, drunkenly racially assaulted an Asian taxi driver.

Miss Socha is second from the right.

Socha plays Kelly Bailey in the hit show. She admitted to hitting Sarkander Iqbal in the face and screaming racial abuse at him in October 2011. She received a four-month suspended jail sentence and has to do 80 hours unpaid work.

Mr Iqbal said that Socha called him a ‘Paki’ and yelled ‘You don’t know who I am’. Mr Iqbal managed to record part of the attack on his mobile phone. In the recording you can hear Socha saying she will get Mr Iqbal’s family ‘lifted’ out of the UK and then launched into a trade of abuse.

Socha has previously said that anyone who calls someone a ‘Chav’ is a racist.

Mr Iqbal said she called him “every name under the sun’ during the attack.

It was terrible. She called me a Paki, a dirty b******, told me to **** off back to my own country and asked what I was doing here because I was Asian.’

Socha was also ordered to pay Mr Iqbal compensation.