Artwork, interviews, and a major Showcase

Karl continues to beaver away on the artwork. The poster is complete and signed off, as is an A4 promotional card to take to Cannes (or anywhere else). The artwork is really strong and vibrant. It will feed everything we do (including this web site if the producer can stomach the costs).

Also in the pipeline is artwork for the CD and for a flyer.

The press screening becomes a bit of a cast and crew reunion. It’s good to see some friendly faces among the journos. Guy and John are interviewed by BBC Radio Bristol before they intro the film, pledging their support for Bristol and their desire to continue to make films in the city. As usual at these things, the media scuttle off almost immediately after the screening, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

Guy and John are then interviewed by Vicky Frost, top reviewer and journo of all things show bizzy. She can’t shut them up and the interview goes on for 40 minutes. Probably over kill, but the lads are so enthusiastic they can’t help themselves.

Composer Nick has brought down Charlie, Supertoys’ new manager. Just before the screening John showed them a final cut of the pop vid. All are beside themselves with excitement. On absolutely no dosh, John has pulled off a blinder. Even Nick looks fab in it. (watch the vid)

With a manager on board, hopefully Supertoys will soon be signed. The producer would be thrilled. At the moment Fluidity is paying for and marketing the CD (and selling it it’s true). But this is all something a record co should be doing. We want to concentrate on movies.

Winstone rings to let us know that Chapter House Cardiff wants the film straight after Watershed. The release is now (almost) officially international. What? They’ve got their own Parliament!

The next day John is interviewed by Robin Askew, the chief film bloke on Venue (Bristol’s Time Out). It’s an important interview because he’s a well respected journalist whose opinions count. It becomes apparent that he likes the film, but is worried about the script. He won’t say any more, leaving Guy nervous.

A mood that is blasted away two days later with the news that Showcase cinemas really like the film and want to screen it. What is even more significant is that they like it so much they want it for their other Showcases for freshers week. This means that in theory we now have national distribution at a major multiplex. Even better, many of their sites are very student oriented – our perfect partner. It’s the best news we’ve had for months.

Plans for the premiere continue – an invite list of the good the bad and the ‘please can we have your money for the next one’ is put together with 2008. The invites arrive leaving the producer to spend a happy morning stuffing (envelopes) with his mind in neutral – a fairly typical day some might say.

The first poster arrives for proofing. It’s truly a thing of wonder. Sounds stupid, but it really brings home the reality of what is happening – our film is going to be seen by paying members of the public – it’s what we’ve worked for for the past five years and in less than a month it’s going to happen. Watershed is even showing our trailer. Wow.

Because Winstone is only handling our UK theatrical, the producer and John decide that they must take the good fight to Piss-Up-By-The-Sea aka the Cannes Film Fest. The matter is decided when the producer discovers that the tickets from Bristol to Nice are only £17.50 each way. This is cheaper than going to London. His mood improves even more when his girlfriend reveals that she has a fab pad for them to stay in situated in the hills above Cannes.

We must be on a roll. Dry Blackthorn come on board the premiere with an offer of 12 cases of wine. The premiere is costing us a fortune, so any help is snatched at by the team. Sadly Supertoys won’t be able to play, but Sophie is up for it. We manage to get her song played on BBC Radio Bristol (who are fast becoming our new best friends) when Guy goes in for an interview with Susan Osman.

Our key is to get as much media interest as possible – it seems to be going well with coverage in all the local press as well as on student websites and other news sites. We hope they’ll come and cover the actual premiere to. RSVPs are slow to come in, despite a begging letter going with invites. Guy and Zoe decide to send out a load more. Local stars Tony Robinson and Paul McGann can’t make it. But Bristol’s Lord Mayor and his missus – My Lady Mayoress to you guv’nor – have said yes.

The Bristol 2008 guys don’t seem to be getting much of a response either – we’re amazed at people’s lack of interest, afterall we are scheduling a world premiere down here of a film shot in the city. Hmmmmmm.

With posters, A4 promo sheets, flyers, CDs, VHS Pals and NTSCs in hand, the producer and John head for Nice. Also with them is a new laptop on which they can show the trailer and music vid. They are over the Go weight limit, something to do with the huge bag of clothes the director has with him, but they take pity on the local film makers and turn a blind eye.

The pad in the hills is a gorgeous as reports had suggested. And when Guy and John step into Cannes from the deck of a large speed boat, the only sadness was the lack of anyone they knew to pipe them ashore.

Cannes proves as frantic as ever. It’s not helped by the lack of passes, despite the producer’s promises that he sent off the forms in time. ℮150 later sees that little hiccup sorted and the selling begins.

For the first time Guy and John actually have a film to sell rather than just turning up for the blag. This excitement gives them an initial impetus. But once you’ve stomped up and down La Croisette four or five times, impetus changes quickly to impatience.

Still they manage a meeting or two and the trailer and music video definitely hold people’s attention. In fact it instantly catapults them above many of the usual Cannes liggers. The set up is usually the same – the approach, the wary look from the distributor, a flash of the very smart A4 promos, a bit of interest, the setting up of the laptop, the distributor still sceptical, the playing of the trailer, a rising of interest, hey these guys might actually have something, showing of the music vid, wow, they really do and finally the unfurling of the poster. Eventually they are asked to sit down for a chat.

And so it goes on. For many we are just too small, too niche, we don’t have any stars, we’re too British etc etc. But some bite and tapes and cards and leaflets and flyers and promo sheets are left.

The first day finishes with a party on a large gin palace. The producer and John were chatting up Great British Films when they casually mentioned their party. No second invitation was needed and the lads quickly found themselves back in their familiar Cannes habitat – fat boat, free champagne. But hell, this was still work and there was plenty of networking to be done.

Day two followed a similar pattern. Guy and John had a meeting with, of all people, the lady who runs lottery funded South West Screen. Caroline Norbury is based in, yup, Bristol. But we never see her, so it was perfect to grab her there. Some of our local companies had a stand, so it was good to see some friendly faces.

Talking of friendly faces, Tom Harper (Posh) and his girlfriend Sophie joined us in Cannes. Liam was supposed to come to but had to blow it out at the last minute as he got the part of a dog in some cartoon. Seems he might be becoming type cast the producer noted dryly.

Tom and Soph are on excellent form and enjoy the sights. Tom’s dad rings his old chum Nigel Dempster to say Tom is in Cannes and before long the four are being photographed by a Daily Mail snapper for a piece the following day. The perfect piece of PR.

Guy and John have a very good meeting with new Australian sales outfit Arclight. This is followed by an honest chat with Gary Phillips @ Moviehouse. Gary was with J&M until setting up on his own. Both seem to like the package Fluidity Films has to offer.

More drinks of fat boats follow that night, with the producer spotting a number of key contacts. He’s rather pathetically delighted when they actually remember who he is and deign to stop for a chat.

So buoyed up by this is the producer that he decides an extra day is required. John returns to Blighty leaving the producer to carry the posters. Meetings with some key players follow, including Vine International and LA-based Artist View, who seem very interested. Vine actually watch the first 10 minutes of the film while waiting for their next meeting. There is hope.

The lads and their partners come down early on 28 May for press interviews. They have lunch at 65 Elton and finally things have gone full circle. This is where it all began almost two years ago. It’s a strange moment as we see how far we have gone.

Sadly Naomie can’t make it as she is shooting a Peter Kosminsky BBC film. Since LiH she’s been the lead in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and in White Teeth. That girl is going places.

The press arrives to chat to the lads – for most it’s their first taste of what we guess is what they all hanker for. They do well, managing to chat to BBC Bristol, Star FM, Burst FM, the Bristol papers and Student 123, the web site. While that is going on John and Guy go to Watershed to check out the film.

The projectionist thinks they’re being painful film-makers, until he discovers the film is running at completely the wrong speed. It’s desperately slow and Robin sounds like he’s on drugs. A panic ensues as the projectionist doesn’t really know how to up the speed. John gains an extra few grey hairs until it is sorted by some clever twirling of a screwdriver. (Yet another) panic over.

The premiere is one of the highlights of the past two years. If not the highlight. The reaction to the film is awesome. Guy and John make short speeches (well John does – Guy rabbits), before the film then sit rigid with fear. With My Lord and My Lady Mayoress in the audience, along with a number of other well-to-do oldies, Guy hears every single swear word.

They needn’t have worried. The film goes down a storm. Guy apologises to the Lord Mayor about the language – he replies ‘I bloody loved it’. He’s even thrilled they jumped off the Suspension Bridge.

People are coming up throughout the night to congratulate Guy and John. It feels like a wedding and the two of them hardly have more than two minutes to spare each person. The night screams past in a blur of alcohol and bonhomie. Sadly Soph gets stage fright and so is unable to perform her set, but there will be other times.

The producer and John struggle to wipe the smiles off their faces for the entire night. A select few are invited to a VVIP Party at Square Bar, a trendy hang out beneath the lads’ hotel and the party continues into the wee hours. And lots of people now know why they’re called that.