Dark Deeds in a Nantgarw Kitchenette

Yes, I'm back in trailer mode - this time for the Cardiff Players production of Macbeth, which is not only playing at the YMCA Mike Barlow Theatre in Cardiff but at various other locations around South Wales as a promenade production. This is part of the Players participation in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 'Open Stages' scheme, a celebration of Shakespeare and amateur theatre, in which the RSC is working with a hundred amateur companies across the UK, each producing its own Shakespeare or Shakespeare themed production.

Due to other commitments, I was unable to get involved with the actual production in any form. However, I was approached by director Geoff Lake to produce the trailer for the production and agreed to meet up with himself and the actors playing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to video dialogue between the two characters for use in the ad. So I headed out one Sunday morning, fully charged camera packed for action.

And the venue? A kitchenette in an office building in an industrial estate. In Nantgarw. (To be fair, the conference rooms in the building were being used by the company for rehearsal, and the kitchen area proved to be the darkest part of the building for our purposes.) So with large screens blocking out the shelves/sink/microwave etc., I placed two poseable halogen lights at low level and aimed them at the actors to maximise dramatic shadow. 

It was a short shoot - no longer than 40 minutes - in which I managed to capture everything that was required on my handheld Canon 600D at maximum resolution. Then, back to Cardiff to review the material and decide which bits of the 10 minutes worth of dialogue could be edited into a punchy, two-minute trailer.

Unlike with the previous trailers I have produced for the Players, this one had no particular lead when it came to background music. It needed to be dark, foreboding and cinematic; yet I felt a nod to the period of the play was needed. So I created a mash-up of old and new; opening scenes scored to a hymn by 12th Century composer Hildegard von Bingham which melts into one of the more unconventional scores by John Williams, a cut from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The Williams score being darkly dramatic and with string-led spikes gave me a perfect editing template to accompany the photography, which I darkened and muted for effect. The dialogue between the actors needed a slight enhancement to make the surroundings sound more castle-like and less like a domestic office area.

I was more than pleased by the result - I think it is one of my best trailers so far. But it would be nothing without the excellent participation of Rob and Bella, whose acting was a joy to work with.

Here be trailer.

One-Act Wonders

Hmm, word seems to be getting around...

The trailers that I produced for the Cardiff Players last year (four for The Thrill of Love, one for A Christmas Carol) seem to have sparked something, as I was recently contacted by the Glamorgan Drama League to produce an eye-catching video ad for the upcoming One-Act festival in April. This being the annual event that is one of the regional rounds for the National Festival of Community Theatre in Wales, culminating in the Wales One Act Final, and from there to the British Festival of One-Act plays. Last year the Players got through to the Wales One Act final in Newtown with their adaptation of Richard Harris's 'Albert', garnering joint performance awards for Peter Stickler and Chris Johnson, and a well-deserved nod to the startling 70s inspired set that would put Abigail's Party to shame. I may be biased, but it was my favourite out of all of the one act plays last year.

But back to the trailer. I didn't have the luxury of time to dedicate to making this as complex as the The Thrill or Christmas Carol ads, so had to rely on the still rather impressive range of built-in effects that Final Cut Pro has to offer. The choice of accompanying music was suggested by Players chair Amie - the theme music to 'Albert', being Boney M's 70s cheesy disco classic 'Daddy Cool', which I thought was a nice little nod to last year's Glamorgan winners. This suggestion also helped me decide on the typeface and general approach to the trailer, utilising an animated text called 'Boogie' - all thick letters and sparkly effects - for the general info. Six groups are participating this year, and I used a different effect and font for each group and their plays - signifying the variety of productions - incorporating any existing artwork and promotional material from the groups into the video. 

I am rather pleased with the result, given that it was made in such a short space of time. And it has proved a hit with the GDL, which is good given that it is for them after all.

Here it be.

The hair trapped in the gate

I remember going to the Cannon Cinema in George Street, Oxford in my youth... a lot. And occasionally the film projected would be out of focus. One particular time when I went to see the Steve Martin/Daryl Hannah Hollywood-isation of Cyrano de Bergerac, 'Roxanne', the entire film was out of focus. Boy, did I leave the cinema with a headache that day. Not entirely sure if it was the film or the focus that caused that. Could have been both.

That particular cinematic trait has now been largely eradicated with the now almost universal use of digital projection in cinemas. In fact, I would be hard pressed to say when I last saw a film that was actually projected on film, it has been that long.

And to be honest, there is something nice about digital projection - the crisp, pristine images, the sharp focus, the knowledge that now the image cannot be terminated by the film snapping and/or getting trapped in the gate, resulting in film-melt (another artefact that will inevitably be lost on a generation brought up purely digital). And that old chestnut, the hair trapped in the gate, dancing distractingly at the bottom of the frame, wriggling for release.

Saying all of that, I do like experiencing the old films, flaws and all. I guess it is partly nostalgia but it is also the fact that I am experiencing something tangible, real; celluloid being drawn through a projector at 24 frames per second, the scratches and flecks testament to the number of times the print has been in circulation - a bit like the rumble and pops on vinyl records. However, I know that now such old films can be digitally tarted up to remove any trace of dust, scratches and to boost the fades in colour to return them to their original lustre, or at least close to it.

This post was prompted by a short movie I just watched - a mega low-budget independent film called 'Vapours', made in 1965 and centred around two men who meet and connect in a bath house in New York. Yes, it is roughly filmed in contrasty black and white on what looks like 16mm with a muffled soundtrack that betrays the noise of the camera over the dialogue. And do you know what? I loved it. Raw as it was, it was perfect; honest, refreshing, moving and compelling. And it did have a hair trapped in the gate, at least for the opening scenes!

But it didn't matter. It was an artefact I had come to acknowledge and accept, especially given my background in making Super 8 films. (Oh I'd be at that aperture with a brush and everything and still the little buggers would manage to get in there!). But it a fun, albeit pricey hobby that I loved. The moving images I make these days are completely digital purely because of the ease of editing and post-production, and the low cost. But given the chance I would dust off that old Fuji Single 8 camera (which is buried deep somewhere in my lodgings) and see if I can source the stock. I could be making my own version of 'Vapours' then! Though I doubt the Locker Room in Cardiff would allow it...

As an aside, I know that filters can be added to digital imagery to emulate the old flaws of film; it's something I used recently in my trailer for Cardiff Players production of A Christmas Carol. But there is something nice about the real thing, the beautiful softness of the images, the flickers of the photographic grain and the aforementioned flaws; as mentioned above, maybe just nostalgia but for me it goes deeper than that. And it would be a great shame to lose it for good.

2013: Rough Sex, small openings and numerous shades of grey

Of course there was a lot more to 2013 than that but it makes for an attention grabbing post title... and I do like my attention grabbing post titles.

To say 2013 was an eventful year for me is something of a slight understatement - it's true to say that when I look back on the last twelve months, I find myself asking "that was only last year??". But its true; 2013 seemed to be a year of travel - albeit all in the United Kingdom - clocking up Belfast, Liverpool, Brighton, Newtown, Glastonbury, Oxford, London, Bristol, Manchester (for Pride), Edinburgh (for the Fringe) and Derry, where I had the most fantastic Hallowe'en ever. Quite an experience.

Talking of experiences, these took on a broader aspect too - from dining at the Liberal Club in London to being shot at with paintballs in a field near Tenby. The latter was part of my first ever 'stag weekend' for my friend Rhys, which was great fun, even if I was slightly disappointed at the lack of traffic cones being inserted into orifices and emergency visits to A&E. (Does it really count as a stag weekend if this doesn't happen at least once? Mind you, we did get the stag into drag which was an alarming sight. Particularly for the locals.)

A lot went on at the Cardiff Players in 2013 in which I was involved, from Robin Hood in January to A Christmas Carol in December. The majority of this was involved in creating trailers and video backdrops for productions, but also included painting props and flats numerous shades of grey for their production of Amanda Whittington's The Thrill of Love and operating the lighting for the one-act production and fringe festival. And also acting in the latter, in Jon Wheeler's comic sketch 'Captain Carruther's Arse'. Not exactly Tolstoy, but was great fun nonetheless.

It was a good year for new and re-acquantances too. Meeting talented local (and now International!!) artist Chris Langley (plug for his site here) led me to have my first exhibition of photographic works alongside his paintings at The Gate in Cardiff in November. A small opening but an opening nonetheless, ooer missus. And over the pond my friend Michael Swinford opened his acclaimed one-man show 'Rough Sex and Other Bad Words' at IndyFringe, where it proved so popular it has subsequently been booked in Chicago and other places. I created a trailer for the show, which can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpgsxNAnOfg

And of course, big love and thanks to the wonderful Michael Deery who introduced me to his home town of Derry (City of Culture 2013!) and showing me round the vibrant city of Belfast. Michael's involvement volunteering for the City of Culture events and particularly for Captioned Culture Derry has been amazing and inspiring - he is a truly dedicated and energetic individual!

So, 2013... a busy year, yes, that necessitated a quiet Christmas at home - Stu and myself, Zucker (new dog), ChiChi and the cats (good name for a band!) roast duck and prosecco infused trifle.
Most indulgent - but then after a year that had been this eventful, I felt like celebrating it.

So I finished the whole bottle of prosecco.

Happy New Year! Hic.