A Liar’s Autobiography

Anyone who knows me reasonably well will be aware of my penchant for Python (almost to the point of annoyance sometimes to those who don’t share my sense of humour), so, as you can imagine, I was looking forward to this film enormously. Unfortunately, I am still looking forward to it! Due to technical hitches with both the 3d and 2d versions, the press screening failed to take place at the allotted time, and the press conference went ahead with the majority of journalists present (myself included) not having seen the film. Which could be described as just a little bit silly …..
Director Bill Jones described Graham Chapman’s memorial service as the first time he got drunk, and spoke of the film as a way of celebrating Chapman’s life and achievements. Terry Jones spoke of Graham as a complex individual who didn’t really understand himself and who was looking for who he was. Michael Palin described the film as a homage to Graham, and confirmed that it was as close to a Python reunion as we were ever likely to get. Both spoke of Graham’s sense of stillness, and described him as their leading actor. As the press hadn’t seen the film yet, a lot of the questions from the floor were more generally about the Python oeuvre than specifically about the film in question, which led to some interesting reminiscing such as Terry Jones describing smuggling the tapes of Series I out of the BBC to copy on a Phillips VCR before they were destroyed.
The screening has been rescheduled for 4pm this afternoon, but unfortunately one of my other jobs prevents my attending (plug for The Castle at the Lord Stanley in Camden, opening tonight:) but I can tell you that the film uses audio recordings of Graham’s reading of his book, subtitled The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman, combined with different styles of animation to reflect the different styles of humour, with fourteen different animation studios being involved in the production. Not having seen it yet, I cannot give an informed opinion as to it’s watchability, but with John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones all involved (Terry Jones plays Graham’s mother, apparently), not to mention the late Graham Chapman (as himself) I know I definitely will be giving it a viewing as soon as I get the chance.
And now for something completely different.
A Liar’s Autobiography is showing tonight at 9pm at Leicester Square Empire and on Friday at VUE West End at 3pm as part of the London Film Festival.

Win Dark Shadows Blu-Ray Triple Play DVD

Warner Bros. Pictures is proud to announce the release of Dark Shadows on DVD and Blu-Ray October 15th 2012; along with the Dark Shadows Blog App! And Frost Magazine has teamed up with them to give one of our lucky readers a Dark Shadows Blu-Ray Triple Play.

Just follow Frost on twitter or subscribe to our newsletter for a chance to win. If you tweet then be sure to mention us and say: “I want to win a Dark Shadows Blu-Ray Triple Play with @Frostmag”. Good luck.

 

From the incredible mind of Tim Burton comes the hit film Dark Shadows, based on the classic US television series!  Barnabas Collins has been trapped for two centuries by an evil witch (Eva Green) who just happens to be an ex lover.  Barnabas now has to struggle with the ever changing 1970s and save his family’s business!  With an all star cast that includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jonny Lee Miller and more, Dark Shadows will be sure to whet your appetite for fun.

 


 

Winner will be decided by 30-10-2012. The winner must be located in the United Kingdom.

 

 


TEDxEaling

Ted Talks are now famous, and when they came along to Ealing I went along with my film business partner, Steve McAleavy.

We had a brilliant time and there was some really brilliant talks. TedXEaling was brought to Ealing by Chris Jones, film director and owner of Living Spirit pictures. Below is some of the people who talked at the event. I had a brilliant time and met some amazing people.

 

Sebastien Foucan: Our relationship with fear

Sebastien Foucan is the founder and creator of freerunning. Sebastien is well known for his views on the philosophy behind freerunning and is an ambassador for the discipline in many countries across the globe.

Seema Anand: The Art Of Seduction

The ancient arts of Courtesanery and Seduction were once treated as high philosphy, with divine and academic associations. Dr. Seema Anand explores how these narratives have been lost and in the evolution of their vocabulary, the implications have changed. Working with the range of what ‘story’ can mean to an individual Seema facilitates the learning processes of ‘telling’, ‘listening’, ‘acknowledging’ and ‘rejecting’ the narratives that make up our lives and our social interactions to enhance communication, build links and open dialogue.

Jarred McGinnis: Writing is the Only Magic I Still Believe In

Jarred McGinnis will share his passion for stories and demonstrate the power of words from Speech Act Theory to the genius that is the children’s book ‘That’s Not My Pirate’. Jarred is an American living in London, and the co-founder of the literary variety night, The Special Relationship. His fiction has been commissioned for BBC Radio 4, and appeared in journals in the UK, USA and Ireland. He is wickedtomocktheafflicted.com. In addition to writing fiction, he holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence.

Eve Hazelton: Film Director of Photography

How does light and shadow impact on our understanding of story? As a Director of Photography, it is Eve’s job to visualize a story and use the tools of her craft to translate that into a film. With the stereotype of a DoP’s role to be all about camera’s, Eve explores how other area’s of her job are equally, if not more important. Eve is the Director of Photography and Editor for Realm Pictures, an independent film company based in the UK. Her’s are the eyes which reveal the stories that the team at Realm want to tell.

Linda Potgieter: A purpose driven life

Linda Potgieter has enjoyed a rewarding 22 year career predominantly focused on designing and delivering communications solutions. Director of a locally based training and consulting firm, she has spent the past eight years designing and delivering communication and negotiation training across 14 countries. Linda’s inspirational delivery style is driven by her passion for the human connection within negotiations.

Chris Atkins: Lies and Truth – How to get to the truth of a story by telling lies

Chris’ first doc, Taking Liberties, is about the loss of civil liberties in the UK and is a polemical and entertaining theatrical feature. In June 2007 the film was released theatrically and was one of the highest-grossing documentaries of 2007. Chris was nominated for a BAFTA – The Carl Foreman Award for best writer, director or producer in their first feature film. He has since produced a slew of controversial documentaries for both cinema and TV.

 

Dekay: Urban Poetry

Dekay will perform a rap from her latest album and teach us about storytelling in a different form. Dekay is an unsigned rapper/songwriter/producer from Camden, North West London. With a back catalouge of 3 mixtapes and an album, Dekay has been battling, rhyming and shotting cds in the endz for the last 8 years.

 

Daniel Sloss: It’s just a story

Scotland’s Daniel Sloss is currently one of the fastest rising stars of UK comedy. He started doing stand-up aged 16, has appeared on numerous TV shows including ‘Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow’ plus his own BBC show ‘The Adventures of Daniel’ and tours extensively thoughout the UK as well as internationally.He will be talking about how comedy is a series of short and truthful stories.

 

Will Brooker: Tales of the Dark Knight

After 73 years in popular culture, Batman has become more than a corporate product and commercial property; he also belongs to generations of readers and fans who circulate their own stories around him, and keep his legend alive. Will Brooker is Director of Research in Film and Television at Kingston University, London. He is the author and editor of several books on popular culture and audience, including Batman Unmasked, Using the Force, the BFI Film Classics volume on Star Wars and, most recently, Hunting the Dark Knight: 20th Century Batman.

David Varela: Throw your Story from a Plane

David Varela is a London-based writer and producer. He has written for film, theatre, radio, magazines, ebooks and games, creating some of the world’s most exciting transmedia projects along the way. These include Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life (for Reebok), Xi (for Sony PlayStation) and most recently The Seed, a transmedia story combining four plays, a treasure hunt and online characters, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. He is currently developing an original drama series for Channel 4.

Emily James: Shooting Outlaws without Hurting Anyone

After her first broadcast commission, The Luckiest Nut in the World (C4, 2002), the Guardian asserted “Emily James is a genius”. Following the experimental Don’t Worry, (C4, 2004) and What Would Jesus Drive?, (C4, 2006) Emily’s attention has now shifted to feature documentaries, acting as Executive Producer on the acclaimed The Age of Stupid (2009). Her feature directing debut, Just Do It: A tale of modern day outlaws screened in over 45 independent cinemas across the UK in Summer 2011.

Richard Newman: Inspire and Motivate People with PRO

Working with 17,000 people across 45 countries Richard discovered there is a story-telling method that motivates all of us, called the PRO system. His team have helped clients win business worth over £1.6 billion, working on pitches and presentations to make them stand out from the crowd. Clients include the McLaren Formula 1 Team, KPMG and IBM. Recently he has been working with 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers, to promote their TV shows about body language.

Julian Friedmann: The mystery of storytelling

How we tell stories seems to be a mysterious process that millions around the world want to be able to do, but 99.9% effectively fail. Why is it so hard for storyteller and audience to be one? What we communicate can change the lives of the writer and the audience. However, why stories matter and how to tell them better may not be as mysterious as it seems. Julian Friedmann has worked with writers for over 40 years; he believes understanding that storytelling is more about the audience than the writer will result in better storytelling.

Martin Lee: The Story Of My Shame

The redemptive power of ‘story’ for both businesses and people.

Martin Lee is a director of 26, the business writers’ collective that exists to inspire a greater love of words in business and in life. In his day job, he is a co-founder of Acacia Avenue, a boutique qualitative research consultancy whose purpose is to make business recommendations to its clients as long as they are in the interests of their customers. Before taking to agency life, Martin worked in the book business, culminating in being the Marketing Director at Waterstone’s.

Linda Haysman: The Costume Designer

What story does the clothes you wear tell? Linda Haysman is an experienced Costume Designer and has worked in theatre, film and television. Linda will be exploring story telling through Costume Design and it’s effect on audience perceptions.

 

 

TEDxEaling 2012 Hosts and Entertainers

Chris Jones – Filmmaker, author and TEDxEaling creator

Having made feature films, an Oscar shortlisted short film, written seven books on filmmaking, run the London Screenwriters’ Festival and subsequently trained literally thousands of filmmakers and screenwriters around the world, TEDxEaling themes on ‘Story’ was both a logical AND challenging step for Chris. He will be introducing TEDxEaling and looks forward to sitting in the audience with you.

Walter Lewis: TEDxEaling Master Of Ceremonies

Walter is an established actor, voice artist and corporate trainer.  He has worked in TV, film, and theatre on both sides of the Atlantic, and has been a long-standing member of the The Reduced Shakespeare Company.  Other credits include: “Red Badge of Courage” (Naxos Books), “Never the Sinner” (Manchester Library), “East of Eden” and “Auntie Mame” (BBC Radio), “1408” & “The Dark Knight”. As an American living in the UK he loves the British sunshine…

 

Catherine Arton: Casting Director

Firing your creative synapses. Catherine Arton is a casting director, motivational speaker, director, and story teller of old. Having studied English Literature at University and Acting at LAMDA, Catherine has a true passion for story and story telling. Catherine will use some of her own specially devised techniques and ideas to help the conference attendees to get into the best possible mindset for the TEDx conference.

Vinyl Film Review | Raindance Film Festival 2012

Vinyl was one of my favourite films at the Raindance Film Festival. It is a comedy film about an ageing rocker, Johnny Jones, who goes to the funeral of a member of his former band. Johnny is living in a caravan and trying to have a baby with his wife, A washed up rock star, he misses his former life.

When he sees the rest of the band at the funeral they all end up jamming and they make a record, it’s good but Johnny cannot get anyone to sign the band or play the record in the youth-obsessed world of the music industry. Instead he spins the truth and says that the song has been made by a Welsh teenage band, and will reveal the truth when the record is a hit.

This film by Sara Sugarman is a real gem of a film. It is funny and entertaining. With a stellar cast including Phil Daniels , Keith Allen and Perry Benson, Vinyl is full of punk spirit, a fun, likable film which has been described as ‘School of Rock meets Spinal Tap’ and I couldn’t put it better myself.

Dark Hearts World Premiere | Raindance 2012

At the beginning of the Raindance Film Festival Frost went along to the world premiere of Dark Hearts. I had a good chat with lead actor Kyle Schmid and director Rudolf Buitendach. Rudolf is very friendly and I will be interviewing him shortly.

Dark Hearts is an oxymoron: a modern film which is also an old fashioned film noir. Made on a low budget, Dark Hearts is a technical achievement of the highest order. Rudolf Buitendach’s directorial debut looks beautiful and is very well done. It also has a famous cast including Goran Visnjic (Ridley Scott’s The Counselor, E.R., Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Beginners),  Lucas Till (X-Men, Wolves, Stoker, Paranoia), Sonja Kinski (daughter of Nastassja Kinski), Kyle Schmid (Lead Star of Copper – BBC America) and Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Ed Wood). Rudolf Buitendach is obviously well connected and Dark Hearts has some talented people working on it.
Dark Hearts was nominated for BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM at the 2012 Raindance Film Festival and is in the running for possible BIFA nominations as well. The acting is strong and it is a very enjoyable film. I loved Dark Hearts. Go see it if you can. An impressive debut from director Rudolf Buitendach.

 
Supporting star Rachel Blanchard (Snakes on a Plane, Clueless)
Director Rudolf Buitendach (Cannes-Venice Shorts Alum, Trailer for Bronson)
DP Kees Van Oostrum (2x Emmy-Nominated DP of Gods & Generals, Gettysberg)
Screenwriter Christian Piers Betley (13 Eerie, Stranded)
Executive Producer Jack Bowyer (Private Peaceful, Gallowwalker)
Gabrial McNair of No Doubt (Original Score Composer)
Paul Oakenfold (Original Score Composer)
Richard Strange (Original Score Composer)

 

Colson is an artist struggling to make it in the frenetically paced downtown LA art scene. When his brother Sam lands on his doorstep, Colson finds himself drawn back to the fractured family set-up that he felt lucky to have left behind. Out for a night on the town, the brothers run into sultry singer Fran. They both fall in love but Colson becomes obsessed and a passionate affair ensues.


Prodded by an influential gallery owner to push his work that much further, Colson stumbles across the perfect red and the power of painting in blood. Soon it seems like he’s made a deal with the devil as he immerses himself in an affair with Fran that has deception and betrayal looming in the background.

Sonja Kinski, daughter of Natassja, is stunning as Fran, having inherited not only her mother’s dark beauty but her acting skills and too, and she proves a powerfully magnetic muse. A real bonus is the film’s score which features some of the hippest artists around; tracks are provided by Einstuerzende Neubauten, Shirley Manson from Garbage, Fairuza Balk and Daniel J from Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. A debut feature from South African born director Rudolf Buitendach, this is a stylish odyssey that proves as alluring as LA itself.

Mark Potts Cinema Six Interview | Raindance 2012

The Raindance Film Festival was as brilliant as ever, and we have an exclusive interview with Mark Potts, director of one of the festival’s films, Cinema Six.

1. What made you want to be a filmmaker?
– It was probably a few things. First, The Blair Witch Project. It’s embarrassing to admit, but that got me into it initially. My friends and I took my dad’s Hi-8 camera and made a parody of it. It was a little over 2 hours long. I edited it with VCRs and honestly, I cannot really remember how I set it up. It was two VCRs connected to a television and the camera and somehow it worked. But from there, my high school Spanish teacher encouraged my friends and I to do a public access show, and we did that. Then, I started working at a movie theatre, met Cole, and it just clicked. That theatre was my second home and I loved being there. And the feeling I got being there and immersing myself in films and just escaping life made me fall in love with cinema. I wanted to give someone else that experience, that escape, and some relaxation.

2. Tell us about yourself
I’m currently living in Los Angeles but am from Oklahoma. My partner in crime, Cole Selix, and I met in Enid, Oklahoma while going to school together and working at the movie theatre. We started Singletree Productions in 2006 and have made, literally, 100s of shorts and four features (most can be seen on singletreeproductions.com, even the first three features.) I am married to Hailey Branson-Potts, who works at the Los Angeles Times and she is a million times funnier and smarter than I am but don’t put that in the story because then she’ll be a dick about it.

3. You were co-writer and director of Cinema Six. How did you find directing your own work?
Cole and I have been directing our own stuff for years, so it isn’t too difficult for us now. If anything, while directing, we discover all the things we missed while writing and it creates this odd paradox of feelings where we feel like good directors but bad writers. But a lot of that is because Cole and I are always changing stuff, trying to make it better, trying to make things snappier, funnier, more emotional. And that’s why we asked a lot of the guys who worked on it to come aboard because we trust their opinions and tastes and wanted them to help make us better.

4. Tell us about Cinema Six.
Cinema Six has been around for about nine years. Cole and I first started talking about it while working in the movie theatre back in 2003. Of course, at that time, the script was really just un-connected scenes of us messing with customers and complaining about customers and being jerks to customers. Since that point, Cole and I have moved multiple times, gone to college, gotten married, had kids (Cole has two awesome kids, I have a pug) and have gone through some big changes which all can be seen in the version of the film now. It’s a love letter to the cinema and a commentary on growing up and just doing whatever you have to do to be happy.

5. What was the hardest thing about making the film?
Oddly enough, there wasn’t anything too difficult about making the film. The two biggest things were the budget because we were very limited and finding the perfect movie theatre. We needed a theatre that was older, not that flashy, and still ran film. It’s hard to find film theatres, which makes me sad. For me as an actor, the hardest part was remembering lines. I don’t memorize lines, which is terrible. Brand Rackley and John Merriman, the other two leads, are as professional as you can get and they were always prepared even as far as to tell me my lines. It was embarrassing but also humbling to know I had two friends and actors that cared enough to do that and not give me too much shit for it.

6. Where did you get the funding?
We received our funding from Reilly Smith and some of his family and friends. They chose to believe in all of us and I will forever be in their debt. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t pray to God we make their money back. They deserve it because they took a chance on some young filmmakers who just wanted to talk about growing up and tell vulgar jokes. I can never thank them enough.

7. How did it feeling getting into Raindance?
It was shocking and awesome! I was dumbfounded by the news and still kind of am. I am incredibly upset I couldn’t make it as well. But, we did make a special video Q&A that we hope people stay and watch. It answers a lot of questions. Not really.

8. What advice what you give to others filmmakers?
The best advice I have is to keep making things. Just keep making, even if it’s bad. We made many, many bad things. We still do. But we’re always making something and you learn something from every video and every mistake. Watch movies, read screenplays, make stuff.

9. You co-wrote the script, can you tell us about your writing process.
Cole and I have written scripts together for over six years. Our process is pretty solid now. When we get ideas, we talk about them for a long time. We throw around jokes and scene ideas and if we still love it months later, then we feel like it’s worth writing and trying to make. This process has weeded out many, many ideas and I love doing it. Just talking things through and seeing what sticks. When we’re at a point that we want to write it, we’ve talked about it so much that it really just needs to be put on paper, so I write it all out, then we get to ripping it apart and fixing it.

10. What’s next for you?
I’m hoping to start another feature next year. I have a few ideas and none of them are like Cinema Six, which excites me. They are all funny, but much, much darker.

St Albans’ first ever Film Festival hopes to reel in the next Kubrick

St Albans’ first ever Film Festival hopes to reel in the next Kubrick
St Albans will be hosting its first annual film festival from 8th– 10th March 2013.
The Festival programme will feature talks, workshops, parties and a short-film competition, with thousands of pounds up for grabs. The festival is already attracting interest from around the globe. Filmmakers from as far as Australia, Singapore,
Greece & USA have submitted their work along with entries from around the UK.
The festival is currently OPEN for submissions until the end of December 2012 and Filmmakers of any age
(including children filmmakers) can enter their short film into one or more of six categories:
Main Short Film – Top quality, slick shorts.
Student Film – Made by a student of any age from 5 to 95. We will be splitting this award in 2 and giving a prize
to the best child filmmaker and one to the best over age 16 filmmaker.
Music Video – Any Music Genre accepted.
Documentary – inspiring short docs
Children’s Film U Certificate films for family audiences. Eg: Animations!
Over 18s Films – Something for the grown-ups! Horror, Erotica, War etc..
The city’s Roman heritage has made St Albans a popular location with film-makers, directors and actors. It is
just 20mins by train from London and close to some of the most prestigious film studios in the
world: Pinewood (Superman, James Bond); Elstree (Star Wars, Indiana Jones); and also Leavesden (Harry
Potter). Tom Cruise is currently filming his new movie with Emily Blunt, All You Need is Kill, in the area, and,
as was widely reported, Cruise is so at home in St Albans he recently took his entourage with him when he
popped out for a curry at a local Indian restaurant!
St Albans’ rich film-making history goes way back. Arthur Melbourne-Cooper – the pioneer of moving pictures
– was born in the City, and the much celebrated film director Stanley Kubrick came to settle in the area, where
he created some of his most famous work. Kubrick’s manor was used as a nerve centre for his film
productions. The Shining was finished there, and Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut were started and
completed there.

Interested filmmakers can submit their work via the festival websitewww.stalbansfilmfestival.com and each
entry costs £20. Selected films will be showcased in the festival and the best film in each category will win a
cash prize of £500. There will also be a cash prize for the best performance by an actor or actress in the
festival, sponsored by Top Talent Acting Agency.
Festival Director, Leoni Kibbey, says: “I really want this festival to demonstrate how important St Albans has
been and is, in the UK film industry. It will encourage talented filmmakers in the area to make films and show
them to a live audience and will contribute to the cultural consciousness of this historic city. Both local
residents and visitors alike will get the chance to sample some exciting, original films, and we may even find
our new Kubrick! The Festival will put St Albans on the filmmaking map.”
More information regarding venues and judges will be announced in the coming weeks.
“The best thing that young filmmakers should do is to get hold of a camera and some film and
make a movie of any kind at all.” STANLEY KUBRICK

 



The Hunt | Film Review

Watching a film about a kindergarden teacher who is falsely accused of child abuse may not be seen as the most enjoyable way to spend your time, but this film by Thomas Vinterberg is an absolutely stunning piece of cinema. I was emotionally involved all the way through the film.

Working from a brilliant script – which he co-wrote- Thomas Vinterberg has created a riveting film. They say a lie can get all the way around the world by the time the truth has put its shoes on, and this film proves the point. It is a film of consequence and lies. Mads Mikkelsen – the Bond villain in Casino Royale- shows his full range as an actor, in a performance that deserves an Oscar nomination. In fact, the entire film has “Oscar’ written all over it. This film might signify the start of a wave of Danish films.

Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a kindergarden teacher who is falsely accused of child abuse after rejecting a little girl’s advances. Mass hysteria ensues even though there is no evidence. Lucas losses everything, but will the truth will out?

This film is called The Hunt for two reasons: one, it has hunting in it. The hunting and gun use is shown responsibly (or so my companion, who knows about guns, told me) and two, the witchhunt that ruins an innocent man’s life.

Beautifully shot with a film that has laughs in it despite the subject matter, The Hunt is one of the best foreign film I have ever seen.

Director:

Thomas Vinterberg
Writers:
Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm

Stars:
Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen and Annika Wedderkopp