After the crazy summer of Cannes, post-production and writing work, things have settled down a little for the autumn. HA, WHO AM I KIDDING. Things continue at a relentless and exciting pace.
First up, Future TX is currently enjoying a UK & Ireland theatrical release, via the wise and beautiful people at Odeon cinemas. This is incredible news; we never really anticipated the film as a cinema release, more like streaming fare, so it's a great boost for the production & everyone involved. Here's the exciting trailer, with our dynamic poster as the thumbnail!
Phwoar! Looks good, right? It's GREAT! If you haven't been able to get to an Odeon cinema during half term, then you've probably missed your chance of seeing it on the big screen. But don't worry, I'll let you know when it's next available via streaming or TV.
Just prior to the cinema release, we had the world premiere at the Cinemagic Family Film Festival in Belfast. Our lead star Griff Rhys Jones turned up for the event, and the kids in attendance absolutely loved him and the film. They completely flocked Griff afterwards - the comedy legend reaching a whole new generation of fans!
While all the excitement of the premiere & cinema release of Future TX was going on, me and Tim were actually hard at work directing a new feature film! This was for Reel One, a company who make a lot of romantic comedies & TV movies. They hired us as producers/directors for a film they wanted to make in the Dorset area, where we're based.
Due to our knowledge of crew and locations in the area, we were able to be nimble enough (indeed, we had to be) to get the production up and running, and in the can, all within a 6 week period. Of course, we couldn't do it alone. We took the opportunity to hook up with our good friend Adam Merrifield at White Lantern Films who took over the producer reigns to ensure a smooth and efficient production. Kudos to Adam and his team! Here's the cast & crew all together during a key scene in the movie. We can't say much about the story yet, but it does star Georgia Hirst (from Vikings) and Sean Pogmore (Poldark). EXCITING!
Of course, as ever, I remain busy writing children's TV/animation, which I absolutely love. And the writing process teaches me so much about storytelling and visual grammar, which is directly transferable into directing live-action, so I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to wear both creative hats as required!
So, moving into the winter, we'll be busy with post-production on the Reel One film, writing various episodes of kids TV, and prepping our next family feature film (which has already had some support from Screen Ireland). Bring on 2023!