Thursday 20th July 2023
I’ve been pretty bad at keeping up to date with this production diary these last few weeks, but things have been hectic, to say the least. Outside of the film stuff, I (re-) launched my first novel The Electric at this year’s Edge-Lit in Derby with a new 10th-anniversary paperback, featuring a lovely new Introduction by some guy called Stephen Volk, and a new Afterword by me. Also got to sit on a panel about screenwriting for genre films with Volk, Jeremy Dyson, and others (nice guy, that Dyson chap).
Stephen also did a live reading of his short story version of ‘Baby on Board’ in the Ye Olde Dolphin Inne (the oldest pub in Derby town). It was backed with writers such as Tim Lebbon, Mark Morris, Conrad Williams, and many others.
Then, to keep the wolf from the door, I’ve been doing Unit Moves on the BBC serieses (is that a word?) Father Brown and Sister Boniface. This basically means that once they’re wrapped for the day and are having to move to a new location, I ferry the HGV drivers from one unit base to the next, back and forth until they have brought all the vehicles over. It’s nice because they shoot all over the Cotswolds, so the locations are always beautiful, but it can be very tiring driving back and forth all night. Got in at 3:30 am the other night.
To add to all this, we’re doing some fairly major renovations on our house. So my days are bricklaying and plastering. My life is nothing if not versatile.
Oh yeah, and I’m making a short film!
So now here we are. After a few touch-and-go moments, we are four days away from principal photography. This morning, Danielle and I went to meet a Sergeant at Leamington Police Station about using one of their vehicles in the film. The Sergeant (a cool-looking guy who was younger than me) basically wanted to know that we are going to represent the police in a positive light. Luckily we are. Volk has written a very tender and kind police officer, so looks like we’ll be provided with a car on our second night of shooting, on Monday.
Then we drove over to Princethorpe College to the set of the aforementioned Sister Boniface where we borrowed a police uniform. Thank you to Costume Designer Claire Collins for that! Jack Norris has scheduled the shoot and is sorting the Call Sheets. I picked up some tracks from Leamington College, which my DOP, Tom, is excited to play with, and Danielle has worked miracles in getting local food companies to donate food for all the cast and crew, for both nights of the shoot.
So here we are. The train is on the tracks and there’s no stopping it now. I’m in my usual position in the days before a shoot of feeling both excited and full of dread, but I know that once I’m on set Sunday night, I will be loving it.
See you all on the other side!