Blog 6 - One step at a time -

I have just got tentative permission also to shoot in yet another instrumental location, the doctor’s waiting room and surgery. I will speak with the doctor tomorrow morning and perhaps go and see it. Also I am holding talks with the actors group The Beehive Theatre in Dingle as we will need some other actors for the minor roles. Added to this I am dealing with AON insurance in Dublin for our quotation, we will have an employers liability of 13,000,000 euro and a public liability of 6,500,000 which will also cover us for the London shoot.

Alan in his brilliant fashion has also added a seven seater van to the pool with a built in generator, the house we are shooting in has a pitiful electrical set up, and a generator will be essential, this van will travel to London ahead of us and will be used to ferry people around during the night shoots. A VW van is being rented as well, a larger than pocket size prop. Added to the above the equipment will also have to be insured, ramping up the premium.

I have engaged the services of a seemingly high end Film Law lawyer, Brian Gormely, this will be expensive but is absolutely necessary for us to be capable of simply qualifying for E&O Insurance, a requisite in the industry as no distributors will touch us without that in place. And the chain of legal release forms from all involved, have to ultimately reside within the company. Brian has been great, an enlightening voice for me along the way, as I have to call on him numerous times. Contracts have been a pain.

Right now as I type this I got the confirmation for the flights last night of the Toronto crew, booked a flight for Alphonse A Lanza the sound mixer coming in from Paris, and I am waiting on hearing of the possibility of more much needed money from London. I haven’t done any editing myself as it was an initial possibility that I might edit the film with Daniel, I am not sure how realistic that would be considering the technical challenge of dealing with the massive Red Camera files, even though we plan on doing an initial HD edit of the footage. I have Octavius’ Black's Wedding yet to edit, Barry Murphy’s wedding also. these I shot as gifts and I promise if either of you are reading this to get round to them ASAP, as well as a gig of a friend of mine named Joe Corre with his band Error Fatale which I shot before Christmas. In other words I have a fuck load of study to do not to mention the process of conceiving the structure of the documentary!!!!!!!!!! Harrayyy!!!

I think the possible main skill one needs to develop as a producer is ones ability to instill confidence and inspire all those around you with the enthusiasm needed to see beyond present circumstances. And to look at little deeper into a matter that might seem a forgone conclusion as actually being possible. That is something that comes with lives myriad experiences and ones own peculiar penchant for romanticism. I am sure there are many types of producers, and I suspect I am most probably atypical, as I am not really a business person, but I can use language, and the power of words to conjure the obvious and/or latent potential for vision in other’s. I feel that most people would love to do something different and interesting given the chance and the right set of circumstances. Life can become overtly predictable and mundane, why not mix it up a little and try your hand in a titillating gamble, especially one that teaches you more about your own character , while also allowing you to see behind the scenes, literally.

I am sure I will have a few gray hairs after this and that might be a small consolation to some of my great friends that are being real men and women, out there raising families as I cavort about the place. I feel privileged to be able to be in the position to do this, and I am going to do my damnedest to pass on what I will experience and learn to you for what it is worth

Daniel and I have had some pretty gritty arguments of late which arise from anxieties I expect. Daniel has had many years of disappointment and certainly no help when it comes to making films, I can’t understand knowing that some people rather close in his circle and involved in the industry have never thrown him a bone. And I expect that his fractious and querulous behavior has something to do with that, but nevertheless Daniel and I have a great laugh together and I know his love for film, and I am committed to stand by him and be the one that helps him climb into his own natural stride. He and I fight furiously, going from a jolly stride to a WHITE HOT tempered bust up, and then back again equally as fast. And personally the fact that people don’t often enough stand by one another and support creative energy in their friends gets on my tits.