Shaping up nicely!

Well, looks like it's shaping up to be a busy year! Starting with a reading of Ghoster in the Attic Studio, rehearsal on the 5th of January, Reading on the 6th. Organised in large part by Camille Donegan, so many thanks to her. It should be interesting and extremely helpful. I'm planning a rewrite, but I'm a little stuck with what direction to go in and I think this reading will help a great deal. I'm looking forward to it.

Straight after that I have the exhibition of course, on the 26th, followed by 2 workshops with students the following two Wednesdays, they should be fun. The exhibition will run for a month there after. 

Right after that I have the Slán agus Beannacht shoot, I hope, still no dates set yet, hopefully will get them nailed down soon. It still needs to be cast and some locations found, but I'm optimistic! More news there soon.

After that we have ADAM! Hopefully! Script is shaping up nicely and I think with the right cast it could be something special. Here's hoping we can shoot it soon after S&B. I'd like to edit them both together and get them out at the same time. I don't know how possible that is yet, well, it's possible, wether I get to do it is another thing.

Thomas and I spoke yesterday about getting back on Night, so we're going to try and hit that after Christmas and get a draft organised that we can start letting people read. And then aim to shoot winter '09. I think we can do it, but you never know how things are going to go. It's shaping up to be a busy year anyway, here's hoping at least half of all that happens... and maybe a few surprises too!!!

In the meantime I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome my new iMac into the world. The Stork delivered her yesterday...

And I have to say - I'm a very proud father!!!

Emily's Song TV Broadcast

Last minute again, but Emily's Song is on RTE 2 tonight at 11:45pm! So if you're at home and stuck for something to watch, tune in and enjoy! 

'tis the season!

At last... Episode 8!

Sorry for the delay! I got a bit lazy... I mean busy! Of course I mean busy! I've taken a break from the interviews for a bit, probably till after Christmas, until I figure out the phone recording thing!?!

This one is some ramblings on my experience making two very different short films, so some of you first timers may find it interesting and hopefully useful.

I am running a comp with this one too, where you can win a copy of both films aswell as copy of Story by Robert McKee! I'm flippin deadly, free, independent podcast giving away prizes... did you ever hear the like! You have to listen to all three parts mind, then answer a question and email it to podcast@palestoneproductions.com. udderwize we kill ze girl... not really.

That's all for now. Find the Podcast above. Enjoy.

Kill your babies

Busy day today, even in my weakened state! Had a meeting this morning in the Droichead Art Centre about my up coming exhibition, it looks like I'm going to be doing two workshops with pupils from local schools too, which is cool. 

I have to structure a day of activity taking in photography and filmmaking. I've never done a workshop before but I think I should be fine and it should be fun. I plan to take the class and shoot for a hour or so, make a documentary of sorts, mainly try to show them the process of making a film, but try to give them something they can be proud of. 

During the shooting I'll have people taking photos, pretty much of whatever they want, but try to teach them to push the angles and look for things out of the ordinary. 

In the afternoon then I'll give them a tutorial on photoshop with the images they have taken and a tutorial on editing with the footage we shoot. Hopefully we'll get through it in one piece! Probably not, but so long as it's fun and someone learns something!

I've also been writing today, did another draft of S&B. I think it's tighter. I took out a scene I really liked, it was hard to do it. I had a dream actually of how to make the script work a bit better and it included taking this scene out, I struggled with it for a couple of days and today it finally went - but it seems to have worked it makes the whole thing work and flow better, kill your babies as they say! 

We'll see though, I'm in no mental state to be making coherent decisions at the moment! Still foggy with this cold. Doctor says it should shift in a day of two, hope so, mucus was never my strong point!

More At Stake

Things move ever onward, to the grave... bit morbid! I have a flu, so feeling slightly under the weather and aching a bit. Waves of coldness, hotness and some shaking!

But otherwise life is good. Rewriting is going well on S&B. I decided I needed to have more at stake for the lead character, not just the loss of his job and way of life, but his life itself. It still needs work. It's moving in the right direction, but still needs a push. It's interesting how when writing you can be so locked into one idea and everything seems to work based on that, and then you change it and everything changes, it becomes something different. It's a fluid thing.

Still no dates set. Still no money and no one cast. But that's OK, we'll get there.

No movement on Night I'm sorry to say. As I mentioned before we had hoped to have the new draft finished by Christmas and in the hands of potential participants, but it's looking like that's not going to happen. We just can get it together. There's so much else to do. But we'll see, Never say never.

I have just recorded the next Podcast, so hopefully that will be up in the next day or two. Again, it'll be in three parts. It's just me talking, about Emily's Song and Bill, For Short... as if you hadn't heard enough about them! I must get of me arse and make another film! Well I'm a getting, believe me, I'm a gettin! (Flu, remember!)

I attended a screening of both those films on Monday night in Toast, Rathmines, Dublin, with the Crewger crowd, which was good. Nice to meet the fine folk who've been posting my podcast on there site. They have a great thing going and a good vision for independent filmmaking in Ireland. They have and are creating what will be an invaluable resource for young, old and new filmmakers and a given them a stage to show their work. It's gonna be big.

I've also recently been hang out with South African filmmaker Mark Lebenon, writer of Dead Easy and writer/director of Slam Bang. A great guy with a passion for film, always nice to meet one of those! I think I've been getting him in trouble with his wife though! We get carried away talking about movies and drinking and the hours tick by oh so fast!!! Sorry Mrs. Lebenon! :)

Well, the shakes have returned, so me thinks it's time to have 2 Lemsip, 4 Night Nurse and 9 Uni Flu and sit by the fire whimpering for a while. 

Be talkin to yous!

Exhibition Confirmed

I'm happy to say that the dates and venue for my exhibition have been confirmed.

"Old Shoes & Broken Walls"

A series of work by photographer and filmmaker

Frank Kelly

20 pieces of photography

A short film - Bill, For Short

January 23rd - 2009 @ 8pm 

Droichead Art Centre

Stockwell Street, Drogheda 

Wine reception. 

This exhibition has been made possible 

by the support of

Drogheda Borough Council 

and 

Create Louth.

(Opening Night is invite only.)

Moving Forward

Slán agus Beannacht moves forward. 

I'm sure the impending holidays will slow it down some, but not to worry, perhaps I can give some actors the present of a part come Christmas Day!?! Who knows!

A casting call has been sent out, with quite a few responses in a very short space of time, which is promising. Dates yet to be set for shooting, effecting auditions and rehearsals of course . But I'm hopeful for February/March time. If so I'm hoping to have a cast together in the next 10 -12 weeks and be rehearsing right away! Will this be possible? I have no idea! But I'll give it a lash! 

In the meantime I have some re-writes to be getting on with, just to get the script the best it can be. I'll continue casting. Storyboards will keep me busy too for the next while. I have to sort out locations, most should be fine, it's mostly exterior, but there are a couple of logistically complicated interiors.  I also have to work out the schedule. And although I'm asking everyone to work for free, because there is no money, and probably wont be, I would still like to find some from somewhere, for whatever unforeseen complication might arise. Where? I have no idea!

From the limited experience I have I'm sure nothing will go according to plan and it'll be a whole lot more stressful, complicated and expensive than I ever imagined... but that's filmmaking for you, and I'm just excited to be doing something again. 

For now, Slán agus Beannacht is in the lap of the Film Gods! I hope they like it and treat it well!