Monday 31 May 2010

The Sun ruins my Sky Plus planned evening

After working 8.30 til 1.30 yesterday shooting the festival I dragged my arse into the day job this morning to sell mobile phones. With a huge target for a small store to be achieved by the end of play Saturday in order for me to get my bonus for the month it seems almost a certain impossibility. But, am I really that concerned? Probably not. As soon as the regional manager arrives back from his holiday the first issue he has to contend with is my resignation from my post as branch manager. Three days a week as a sales consultant will pay my bills and then I can spend my time writing and filmmaking. Hopefully.

So, as the day dragged by. And the people dribbled in one by one. I sat. Looking. At the window. Bored. Beyond belief. I contemplated running out into the traffic in order to relieve my boredom, but decided that reading the paper would pass the time. With the choice between The Sun or The Telegraph I decided that easy reading and boobs would be the best way forward. The usual drivel spilt from the red top and I found myself even more bored than when I started. So, to the sport. As I fingered through the back pages I found myself becoming privy to the result of the Formula One and the England vs Japan game. Balls. I had Sky plussed them and planned to watch them later. So, do I watch them? The racing sounded like fun, but when you know who wins and why it tends to take the drama out of it for me. What about the football? I love football. I could watch it all day and night. But, The Sun’s sports writers do not sound very enthused with the performance and winning via two own goals does not sound like a great game of football. But, I watched anyway. And it was rubbish.

Shooting the Newport County Music Festival

Getting up this morning was a bitch. After spending almost the entirety of Saturday led on the settee in the recovery position praying I wouldn’t turn my guts inside out and vomit. Again. I dragged my backside out of bed for a production meeting and to shoot some pre event interviews for the Newport County Music Festival documentary. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to being in front of the camera, but I had a job to do as writer and presenter. On arriving at Spytty Park looking for two large marquees we were greeted by a fairly big tent and the attempted erection of a slightly smaller gazebo. Disappointed with the scale of the event we hid from the persistent rain and endless grey sky in the stands and shot an interview with the DJ tent headliners, DJ Denzo and MC Wotsee.

We met at 8.30 Sunday morning, well they did. I arrived at 9 after attempting to source a wheelchair for some tracking shots, but settled on an old office chair I discovered in my garage. We arrived at the event to find that although we had been promised our own room to set up base it had not been organised. We were eventually given the key to a portacabin to keep our gear. The weather was looking good and everything seemed to be ready to go, but the schedule had changed in the DJ tent, bands tent and Newport City Radio acoustic lounge in Bar Amber. Our schedules also had to change, but thankfully there were no major clashes and our five cameramen would be able to get the lot.

The event started slowly as people trickled in and so we caught up with some of the bands and got some interviews. We shot some decent content with the bands talking not only about themselves, but also the Newport music scene, local talent and the closure of the famous TJs. We shot what we could, but dragged out feet a little until the crowds began to gather as the afternoon went on. The sun was blazing and as the crowds gathered we went out and got some words from the people enjoying the sun. We then got our key shot. We sat Matt on the office chair and as I pulled, Nathan pushed and we got a great tracking shot all the way down the running track and passed the crowds as they soaked up the sun. why rent a dolly for 600 quid a week when you have an office chair?

Later in the day the music got better and the artists with the bigger followings drew crowds into the tents. Dirty Goods performed a faultless acoustic set live on Newport City Radio from Bar Amber and the crowd who had squeezed in gather them fantastic support. The DJ tent filled with people throwing shapes, although it felt one throw away look at the wrong roider could’ve sparked a mass riot, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves anyway. The bands tent was filled with the card carrying members of the Newport rock and indy scene all supporting local talent. We shot some great stuff of the key bands, got some good stuff wandering through the crowds and even got some idiotic Newport County fans warning Cardiff fans not to come to Newport. Marvellous. Despite the council’s attempts to quieten the festival after supposed complaints of noise pollution, the event motored on.

All in all I think it was a decent day and decent crowd. Some of the bands were ok, some not too good, but others were top notch. The Dirty Goods absolutely rocked the main tent at the end of the night until the event ran over and it was shut down. Despite the organisational difficulties thrust upon us by the event promoters we got some great footage in the can and I’m confident we can make a good little film about the event. If nothing else the several job offers we received from local bands and artists were worth the long day and at 1.30 am we finally made it home.

Friday 28 May 2010

Branch Manager of mobile phone retailer commits mass murder and then turns the gun on himself!

That could very well be the headline in the South Wales Echo 2moro if I dont get out of this shop. I can feel it sucking the life out of me. Ive got better things to do with my day than sell mobile phones to every arse and idiot in Cardiff. I could be developing my 6 part comedy drama TV serial. I could be doing pre production work for the Newport County Music Festival documentary Im writing and presenting on Sunday. Or i could just be sat at home in my under pants watching cricket. Anything would be more productive than being here.

Im trying to get my article on identity in the media industry finished for flickeringmyth.com, but cannot muster the drive to do so. Watching the clock tick by I am occasionally checking facebook, and more precisely my new group 'I'm sorry, but you've Lost me?' The idea was to set it up and see if I can gather the thoughts and frustrations of as many Lost fans as possible after watching the final episode and knowing less about the island than i did before I watched it. Everything will be explained. My arse! Once I've gathered a load of rants on my group page Im going to turn my had to writing an article on Lost and how many story strands have not come to fruition, disappeared without explanation or have made absolutely no sense.

Anyway, got to go. I'm trying to formulate a good enough excuse to get out of here early. Is it immoral to claim a grandparent who is already deceased is having medical difficulties and needs my assistance?

Thursday 27 May 2010

Welcome

Dear boys and girls,

Welcome along to my new filmmaker blog. My name is D.J. Haza and I am a 26 year old aspiring filmmaker from Newport, South Wales. I have a degree in Film and Video from the International Film School, Wales and I am currently studying for my Masters degree in Screenwriting for Film and TV. I have just started a production company, Scratched Print Productions, with three other filmmakers and we are trying to source some work to make names for ourselves. That's me. Enough of the boring stuff.

It's 8.30 PM. I've not long made it home and flung myself onto my settee after watching The Prince of Persia. Typical Bruckheimer/Disney. Entertaining and worth a watch, but not amazing. The best way to describe it is Pirates of Caribbean in the desert. Nice bit of action, a comical side and a not too complicated story. Overall it's worth a watch, but the ending could've been better. ***PLOT SPOILER*** Once the dagger took them back to the point where Dastan found it I thought it could've had a big ending, but it kind of fizzled out. Dastan could've challenged his uncle, there could've been a huge sword fight and Dastan dies at the hand of his uncle.... but, not before he's shown his brothers how to turn back time. They hit the button on the dagger, Dastan comes back to life and the brothers stop their uncle. It seemed a little too easy at the end. The brothers needed little convincing, their uncle went for Dastan without much provocation and one swipe of a dagger by Tus and their uncle was dead. That was it. After the feast of the action we had seen from the start it seemed a little anti-climactic.

I'm now stretched out on the settee watching series 1, episode 2 of The Wire. I've been advised that it is the best TV show ever made and I'm eager to get it all watched and decide for myself. But, it's gonna take a while. But, so far - loving it. The directing is pants, but the characters seem brilliant. complex and flawed individuals. Gonna bang in two eps before bed. I have to drag my backside up for work in the morning unfortunately. The idiots of Cardiff need answers to their idiotic mobile phone related questions. And Im the man with the answers - apparently. I cant bare it any longer. Just over a week and I jack in my management duties and work part time just to cover my bills. I have four months to start making some media industry cash before Im on my arse and eating beans from the tin. Fingers crossed.