Set the Rigging....

Well just time I think in my busy schedule to get you up to date with what's happening.............

1) Studios agreed - London, down at 3 Mills Studios it looks like - same place Danny Boyle Shot 28 Days & Sunshine.

2) 2 perf 35mm supplied by Panavision it seems plus a coupla 3 perfs for the 'stunt sequences' and those are under wraps.

3) Set build designs under way.....a really gruesome, wet, slimy, abandoned roadside diner.

4) Finance proceeding with good contacts and negotiations well under way with a final budget approaching £300k.........a far cry from the £50k I first conceived possible....maybe on my DV cam but not now!

5) All cast in place.........deal memos being put together.....Jamie Foreman and Wil Johnson headlining.

6) Discussions ongoing for theatrical distribution.....with major sales/distrib entity. Coming to a cinema near you now more than likely!

7) Storyboards being compiled from a very comprehensive shotlist but we won't be slaves.....adaptability is our maxim. Great design work from my buddy, Steve Simmons!

8) Website due to go 'live!' by March 14th 2009 so keep an eye open for it!

9) Now confirmed participation from the Vfx guys behind Hellboy and BM: The Dark Knight, the sound people on Captain Correlli's Mandolin, the post prod guys on Hunger, music score from the composers of Rise of the Footsoldiers, and model makers from The Descent.

10) Also stunt prep for some amazing road, and fire work being completed by a team whose credits include Saving Private Ryan, and Casino Royale.

So there is a bit of information to keep you excited for what HARD SHOULDER is going to deliver. How did we achieve all this you might ask, on only £120k cash budget? The answer is we didn't. Without the support and passion of many talented individuals we would never have got this far let alone be on the verge of something so exciting....and so sizable.

Remember one thing as you go about preparing your own projects................there is nothing more valuable than a..................GREAT SCRIPT!

Keep truckin everyone.

Nick

This Ain't No Park 'n' Ride..............

Here's the gig - "Hard Shoulder" is now only 12 weeks, give or take, away from production. Watch this space. The new website to promote the film goes live on March 14th 2009 at http://www.hardshoulderthemovie.com/

It's going to be one helluva film!

Nick

Project Developments..........

The finance plan has been put into effect and two significant private investors have come onboard to kick start the funding.

Also we have had confirmed interest from Jamie Foreman who has read the script and is looking to discuss the project with us.

Sales agent discussions are also under way.

Exec Production interest has been received from Matador Films as we push to compile the package for production.

Cast News..........

In the last few days we have made significant progress.........

Attachment from James Fisher (Hooligans, Zombie Diaries), and Lucy Drive (Banged Up Abroad), and Frances Speedie.

Confirmed interest to attach from Wil Johnson (Clocking Off, Waking the Dead)

Interest from Jill Greenacre (Brittas Empire), Angela Dixon (A Snake's Tail), and Jon Campling (Penetration Angst).

Request to read from Eddie Marsan (MI3, V for Vendetta, Hancock, Miami Vice)

So Far So Good.........

I'm chuffed right now - really chuffed. The script for Hard Shoulder has been, to date at least, well received by my regular army of readers and the few cast members who have been shortlisted for roles already. No audition process on this one, just careful selection based upon the producer's knowledge, and close scrutiny of showreels.

The script is holding up really well. A few tweaks to the timeline is all that has been ordered so far, and in the main the narrative remains tight and focused. If anything it is the subtext that is proving tough to comprehend in all its complexity, for it is very multi-layered, and in places ambiguous. I don't necessarily think that a problem - in a 'David Lynch' kind of way it is complimentary. Oh to create something as memorable as Lost Highway.

Work continues to secure finance, find locations and suitable studios, as well as entice the two 'big boys' who will anchor the production for us. It is all a matter of chance but all in all we're ship shape and raring to set sail. Had some interesting advice today from a well respected sound recordist and am looking into securing his considerable talent for the duration of the shoot, as consultant if necessary, but in the sound 'hot seat' if possible.

Nick

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.........

Well that aspect of writing never really appealed to me. Come to think of it I don't know many writers who enjoy the process either. But whatever way you cut it, rewrite is one of those necessary stages that we must all go through to ensure our prized creations really bite! And as far as "Hard Shoulder" is concerned, boy does this one kick arse! I'm like a kid in a sweet shop at the moment, all hyped up like I've been chewing on sugar all day every day for the past week. I'm excited by this story. I think it has all the ingredients for an absolute guaranteed success. It won't find its way into cinemas I doubt, not with a £50k budget behind it (though stranger things have happened) but I'm confident audiences for DVD will rent and talk about it long into the night. It you get the deeper meaning, if my job has been done well, you'll find layer upon layer of other stuff to go searching for. Motifs, subtexts, subliminal elements that neither strike you nor, even at second viewing, necessarily mean anything to you. Until that is you think about the movie as a whole. Then the penny will drop.

I'm busy packaging this baby up as we speak - unusually. I wouldn't ordinarily go out to seek market interest with a 1st draft, but this primer is good - even for me it's a blinding first draft. And I already have finance interest lined up and this interest should hold together because the stroy is a good one. All the right beats in all the right places, A story, B story, bad ass characters, a hero who arcs (though in an unexpected way which is the twist), a little stuff for the girls, a little for the guys, action, violence, oppressive scenes, light relief. It has it all. And I'm as pleased as the proverbial moggy who got the cream.

Which brings me to my debt of thanks. some people have followed the Vicki King "21 Days to a Script" which is one hell of a book. Personally, and especially this time around, my thanks go to Blake Snyder and his "Save The Cat" which left me with a huge dose of structural enthusiasm to try something different to the Vogler, Field, McKee, and Seger structures that I normally follow.
What I have, in 28 days, is a non-linear psychological thriller, that ticks all the boxes. So not only have I stepped out of the genre comfort zone of horror (although a close cousin), I have also tried a new method of writing. And blow me if in a month I haven't manage to pull something special out of the bag.

If all goes well, and progress continues at the same healthy rate we'll have this story financed and under way before you can blink. And added to that is the self belief that I can get Ray Winstone to read it, if not commit himself to playing a substantial role. A film starring the might Win? Now that would be an awesome achievement.

So watch this space.....................................

Nick