One Month On

Today is Day 031 of 12:12. We’re one month in. One twelfth of the way along the merry path.

I just had a beer and everything. All by myself. It’s a lonely job this writing business. But it has to be done. And to be honest, I’m loving it.

For the last few weeks I’ve been slowly developing a range of different ideas, nudging each one forward a little and then moving on to another. I counted up the ideas I’m think have real potential and I got to 15! Looks like I’ll have to be a bit brutal. Or re-brand everthing to 15:15.

By developing a number of ideas simultaneously I’ve inadvertantly discovered a great way of working. I can work on whichever idea interests me at the time, and the moment I get stuck on one idea I just move on to another – a great way to get around the old writers’ block.

The good news for month one is that film number one is already underway. In fact I’m working on the storyboards now. Hopefully we’ll be shooting in the next couple of weeks so I’ll be putting out the word for people who'd like to be involved soon.

I’ve decided to start off with a simple little film which shouldn’t be too hard to make. A good way to test the process. I’m working with DP Rupert (Ananda) Brown and the idea came out of a discussion with him so we’re both really excited to work on it. There’s no dialogue and mostly just hands will be visible. Intriguing… More will be revealed shortly, including a call for hand talent.

All in all, off to a good start. It’s been a very satisfying and productive month. Month two will be all about shooting film one, finalising scripts, getting film two off the ground and gorging myself on movies at the Sydney Film Festival. Onward…

The Actors' Series

There’s nothing like discussing character and story with actors and last week that’s pretty much all I did.

For several days in a row I met with a string of actors at a little café in Surry Hills. It was a incredibly worthwhile exercise. The idea was to meet up, and just have a chat without any specific roles in mind. It was a good way to gauge interest but also the hope is that some of these actors come to mind as I’m developing characters. It makes a real difference to have a specific person in mind as you’re developing a character, being able to  write to their particular qualities and quirks.

We also discussed different ways of working together to make films. From the conventional approach of handing over a finished script to working together with a rough idea and fleshing it out, developing the characters collaboratively and workshopping the dialogue.

The work of UK directors Mike Leigh and Michael Winterbottom was discussed a lot, since their more unconventional approaches often involve improvisation and development of characters and dialogue with actors in lieu of a conventionally written script. If you’re interested in learning more about their work, you can watch some interviews with Mike Leigh here, here and here, and a 60 minute interview with Michael Winterbottom here.

After several days of meetings with a bunch of talented people I’ve come away extremely hyped to get these twelve films underway. There’s nothing like discussing film ideas with actors, there’s always such a passion for character and storytelling and such an overwhelming enthusiasm to get their teeth into something worthwhile.

It’s a good reminder to me to make sure that, whatever we make together, it has to be something we’re all proud to have our names on.

Special thanks to Antonia and Stephanie at Fountainhead Casting for organising the meetings.

Casting is underway

I had a really great meeting recently with Antonia Murphy of Fountainhead Casting. She’s so lovely it’s ridiculous, and she’s really excited about this project. We had a great chat and Antonia has offered to contribute suggestions for actors she thinks could be up for getting involved.

The next step is to start meeting some of these talented people and finding out what kind of roles they’d be interested in taking. I'm hoping that meeting these people may even inspire me in developing specific characters.

Getting strong acting talent is crucial in the success of these twelve films, since we won’t be able to hide behind extravagant costumes, opulent locations and underwater car chases. Antonia’s involvement is a big coup for me as she brings  a huge amount of industry experience and the intuition of a great casting agent.

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12:12 launch drinks

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Thanks to everyone who made it along to the Norfolk last night to help kick off the 12:12 year with a pile of style. I had about twelve beers, but only because it seemed fitting.

It was great to meet some new faces and brilliant to know there are so many people keen to get on board the crazy ship, 12:12.

There was a really good mix of people from all disciplines, from producers to wardrobe stylists to actors to audience members.

The 12:12 card seemed to make a real impression, as you can see.

It's on!

And so it begins. Today is day one of the 12:12 project. The clock has begun to tick, the ‘oh my God what have I done?’s have begun to whisper, and the excitement level is steadily building.

There’s no going back now. The first step has been taken. A year from now who knows where I’ll be. Actually no, I can tell you where we’ll be – the Chauvel Cinema, either standing on the stage or trying to get my deposit back.

Many people have asked me if I’ve written any of the scripts yet. The answer is no. That would be cheating. I’ve got plenty of ideas, and my first job will be to go through them and see if any are worthy of making the twelve.

My rough plan is to spend the first four months writing, the next four shooting and the last four in post-production. Having said that, I’m hoping to make two or three films in those first four months.

Right, well, I’d better get on with it, then.

If you’re free in Sydney tonight, we’ll be at the Norfolk on Cleveland Street from 7pm, wetting this baby’s head. It would be great to see you there.

12:12 website is live, baby

The colourful new 12:12 website is now up and running. Very exciting. It’s been a big job, but it will be an important hub for this project.
If you’re not currently reading this on the website itself, go check it out: www.12shorts12months.com.

The 12:12 site is where you can find out everything you need to know about the project and put your hand up to get involved.

Big thanks to Thanh Lu who contributed some of the artwork including the great type treatment and the illustration of myself. Incredible stuff (not me, my illustration).

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