Hey sorry for the lack of updates regarding Handheld Horror Take 6. We shot last week and all went well thanks to a great cast and crew. We laughed, we cried, we nearly got trampled by a luas.

Now comes post production. I’m considering bringing the star wipe out of retirement.

Sunday morning. 7 am Busaras, for me this normally means a bleary-eyed, caffeine swilling, commuter moment. But not Sunday 3rd Oct 2010, when the fantastic folks, who are Busaras [ big thanks to the fab Lynn Cullen!], have allowed us to shoot in this great space. I’ve always loved this building so it’s a real buzz for me. And when we get dancing, it’s a magical, crazy moment. An iconic Dublin building transformed into a dancefloor, The Fantastic Sox Dancers, twenty five extras and our actor Myles Purcell giving it loads [ Thanks Garbo Productions for getting me such a talented and gung-ho cast!]. We are rocking out and everyone in the queue is getting into it. Robert Hamilton and his mates in the glass control area are giving Travolta a run for his money. This is the moment I’ve had in my head since the go get. And it’s happening! Wild. Class. Donncha O’Dea, uber choreographer, you did me proud!

Hey, rock chick moment finding myself first thing on a Saturday morning with Larry from Soundhire. I getting a portable amp for the shoot. I want to know if it will be loud enough. Not a problem for Larry. He strolls outside, plugs us in and blasts out Me, Baby [ our song for Ray-Thomas McLaughlin Band] .It’s loud. Good and loud. But hey, this is Dublin and the passersby are cool to it. Even Larry’s dog is cool. Rock on.

And in the rock vein, check out the funky alter ego of our director Ferdia who is the legend that is Rocky de Valera!

Quick update from Handheld Horror Take 6. All is going to plan, (if the plan is hurtling off a cliff in a burning jeep).

I’m meeting my producer, Liam Ryan, to discuss how we can obtain Bruckheimer level special effects for the price of a coffee in town. To be fair though coffee is incredibly expensive so we should be able to pull it off.

Not much else to add so here is a video of a baby I know having an existential crisis about being in the state of “baby”. It was shot on the Vivaz so it is somewhat relevant.

That’s right, when in doubt just show a video of an animal or infant doing something cute. In fact we might just jettison our script and film puppies trying to climb a steep stairs.

Our first post… going good so far. We are closing in on the shoot of “9 Pounds, 7 Ounces (and 12 Stone)”. Pre-production could not have gone much better; all locations locked down, props, set design and costumes obtained, VIVAZ mastered… yep we’re good, but we still have to sort out our actors/most of them.

We’re having a lot of fun with the Sony Ericsson VIVAZ, brilliant quality and ease of use. The sound and video quality is crystal clear… our verdict; Great phone, camera and mp4 all in the the one stylish little package.

We don’t want to give away too much about our short comedy, only that we find ourselves still laughing at it and we’ve been working on it for the last few weeks. It’s full of visual gags and generally weird jokes, really fun to work on, bouncing ideas back and forward.

We’ll be keeping you updated on our production as it progresses. We hope you’ll love the final product.

Watch this Space!

Shane and Anthony

Hey all,

Just an update from one of the Darklight short films, Handheld Horror Take 6. (It’s not a serious drama!) We are prepping to shoot on the 4th and 5th, with all the glorious and usual last minute panic that comes with it. Stuff like the Phoenix Park want how much to film there? What do you mean Brad Pitt isn’t keen? My helicopter is going to be how late?

Adding insult to injury, I’ve just given my awesome Vivaz phone to my DP in order for him to get familiar with it prior to the shoot. It’s the equivalent of being shown a bright, beautiful future, only to have it ripped away from view and then being kicked in the crotch for added effect. My old phone is sitting smugly in the corner as if it new, all along, that I was playing above my station.

I’m going to go have a cry and then get working on the shotlist.

Chat to ye soon,
Dave

The 2009 Darklight Programme will be unveiled next week. If you’ve submitted work, you’ll hear from us presently. We’ll preview events over the next few days. Anybody for a game of Pong?

NB: We saw Funny People last night. Not funny. They should have just called the film People.

Thanks to all those who made Saturday’s Darklight/EU Democracy & Dialogue viral filmmaking workshop a massive success – you can view comprehensive footage from the day HERE. While you’re at it, enjoy the first of two viral videos produced by crack filmmaking teams on the day:

A true gentleman. Fact. And one of the highlights of last year’s Darklight bash:

Open Gallery in association with Darklight Festival is looking for new Irish Artists, who
can add to the existing portfolio of the Open Gallery. We are looking for artists that
are willing to open themselves to new ways of seeing the world, free from the strictures
of our particular cultural understanding; through an exploration of the video painting
medium. Further information can be found at www.opengallery.co.uk/darklightcompetition

Open is a London gallery dedicated to the video painting: a new form of video art
pioneered by the Artscape Project. The origins of the Artscape Project can be found in
2001 when the first video paintings were shot by Hilary Lawson, a philosopher and
documentary film maker, in an attempt to escape the limitations of the traditional video
narrative. Subsequently, a collective of artists, including William Raban, Sanchita
Islam, Nina Danino, Tina Keane, and Isabelle Inghilieri, was formed to develop the video
painting medium.

Video paintings are filmed in a single take with a stationary camera. They contain no
edits or subsequent manipulation. Video paintings show the world in real time. The video
painting is non-narrative. There is no dialogue, no sound. In contrast to the film and
video tradition which has been dominated by the provision of meaning and understanding,
the video painting aims to show moving image in a different way and create a new visual
experience.

The competition is open to artists resident in the Republic of Ireland. Artists wishing
to enter should register at www.opengallery.co.uk/darklightcompetition by 18th August and
submit their video painting work by 1st September. Entries should be accompanied by:

-A current C.V. outlining your previous art / film history & education
-A brief statement about your submitted video work
-Up to 5 printed stills from your submitted video work

The short listed artists will have their work exhibited by Open Gallery at Darklight
2009, where a winner will be selected by a panel of judges. Work by the winner will then
be shown by Open at a series of exhibitions in the UK.

More on Open Gallery HERE.