Squeaker: Whats it about?

Squeaker is a film about a boy who is bullied for supposedly being gay when he actually has always felt he is - and wants to become - a girl. He meets a damaged ex-boxer pigeon fancier with whom he forms an unlikely relationship - both ultimately finding some degree of salvation and redemption.

A sort of transgendered Kes. Please donate here. Thanks folks!

Who wants to help me win a BAFTA?

I want to make another short film. A non time limited competition one this time. One that I can aim at BAFTA and Oscar feeder festivals. Since all of my funding from the last one came from people I knew I'd rather not take the crowd funding route and keep the 15% they take in fees. 

Squeaker is a short film about a boy who is bullied for supposedly being gay when he actually has always felt he is - and wants to become - a girl. He meets an ex-boxer pigeon fancier with whom he forms an unlikely relationship - both ultimately finding some degree of salvation and redemption.

A sort of transgendered Kes. Please donate here.

Still from Around Again 2012

I'd be grateful if you could DM or email me if you would like to pledge an amount towards this. If you want to just sponsor me up front then thats very welcome too. In return you'll get a credit at a level commensurate with your contribution plus as far as practicable invites to screenings, bonus features, perks, my undying affection.

Michael Parle in Fled 2013

You'll also get the warm glow (hopefully) of helping me take the last logical step before a full feature production.

Internalised 2011

Who wants to help? Donate now! Watch previous films here.

September 13 Round Up!

Birmingham Film Studios Open Evening 27th September 2013

I went to the open evening at the new Birmingham Film Studios last night. It was a good night and I was very pleased with the turn out. Some old friends and some new. I had a chat with several people that might lead to new collaborations. I love networking - you just never know unless you "work the  room" and find out who people are and what they aspire to do - what projects you might be able to create together. Its absolutely invaluable in my experience.

The green screen went white for one client!

The new green screen at BFS is fab. They're doing a knockout deal at the moment where they'll include the use of a 4k Red camera for free when you hire the green screen for a day. The cameras come with EF or PL mount so you can use your own Canon lenses but on a RED!

I'm going to be sharing a small office at BFS with James Fair who runs a 72 hour feature filmmaking project called appropriately enough The 72 Project. He is looking for all sorts of people that might want to get involved in helping shoot the latest edition of the project right here in Birmingham. He's already done other projects in Melbourne and Galway.

The 72 Project

 You can join the mailing list at the bottom of the project page if you want to get involved and keep up to date with whats happening.

James teaches film at both Staffordshire University and Filmbase in Dublin. I'm hoping that my own Stickleback Productions and James's Grand Independent will be able to collaborate together in the long term on a range of fiction, documentary and educational projects.

In other news I've been very pleased to learn that the 104 Films' Generator scheme for which I was selected earlier this year is continuing with some additional training and mentoring in Sheffield. Yippee! I had a great time at the Edinburgh Film Festival with my fellow Generation 104'ers so am delighted to be meeting up with them all again.

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Looking for Excellent Short Scripts with a 35-40 Female Lead

I'm looking for a completed short, powerful script with a strong female lead aged 35-40 years old. 10-15 minutes maximum length. Its a low-no budget production so few locations and that means effectively nothing period, horror or Sci-Fi. I'm looking for something that could be submitted to top indie film festivals such as Sundance.

The chosen script will be shot on Pannyhire's new Red Epic-X with high production values. 

Please send a short synopsis, 1 x script and a paragraph about yourself in first instance. Please do not send me back catalogue that has already been rejected by others. Email below.

You can see my previous work on my Vimeo site. Follow me on Twitter here.

Generation 104 @ Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013!

What can I say? Edinburgh International Film Festival was simply brilliant! Big thanks to the fantastic folks at 104 Films who selected me for their Generator scheme and which I'm very pleased to say is ongoing. My fellow Generator scheme participants were a great and multi-talented bunch too.

I'm going to do a full write up soon but was barely back in Brum when I received an invitation to pitch in front of another industry panel at Cofilmic in London so am now preparing for that! In between I also managed to squeeze in hosting a Q and A at the Lighthouse in Wolverhampton last night with the makers and actors from Dalston Heath - a short that should do very well on the festival circuit.

Kate Dickie and me!

Their were plenty of highlights at the festival for me but the best one was meeting the lovely and brilliant actress Kate Dickie (Red Road, Prometheus) on the first day. Kate likes the project I pitched to her earlier so it was great to meet and chat about possibilities.

Fled by Stickleback Productions

FLED by Stickleback Productions from Brendan O'Neill on Vimeo.

The Making of Fled

Here is a short Behind the Scenes video which was shot on Day 1 at the St Paul's Church location in central Birmingham. Thanks to Ed Stone for shooting and editing. Its nice to have a memento of the behind the camera activity.


Behind the Scenes of 'FLED' from Edward stone on Vimeo.

SF4813 Cast and Crew Credits

Brendan O'Neill                       Writer, Producer, Director

Neil Oseman                            Director of Photography

Adam Hale                                Editor

Merlyn Miller Rice                    Associate Producer

Matt Harley                                Associate Producer

Stewart Addison                      Associate Producer

David Tomlin                            Director - 2nd camera unit

Chantal Feliu Gurri                  Assistant Editor

Ella Carmen                             Production Assistant

Colin Smith                               Gaffer

Oliver Rosetti                            DIT/Camera Assistant

Jay Somerville                          Best Boy

Nicola Dale                               Sound Recordist

Dennis Baudin                         VFX Lead

Mary Lapena                             VFX assistant

Paul Woolley                            Runner / Driver

Kerris Charles                         Make Up Artist

Oliver Woolley                          Continuity/Stills Photographer

Sorin Russu                             Stills Photographer

Ian Jones                                  Stills Photographer

Anneliese Cherrington           1st Assistant Director

Rosie Pooley                            Clapper

Matt Katz                                    Post Sound supervisor

Joseph Harper                         Post Sound assistant

Nicola Dale                               Post Sound runner

Ed Stone                                   Production Assistant / Making of video

Dan Hunt                                   2nd Unit Camera Assistant

Matt Harley                                Military uniforms and props

Jack Harley                               Military uniforms and props assistant

Composer                                Hans Hess

Dominic Carver                        Script Editor

Actors

Michael Parle                           Priest

Isla Eleri Ure                            Girl in church

Louise Stokes                          Church cleaner

Ian Brooker                               Officer - GCHQ

Nick Lancaster                         Viking Section Leader - GCHQ

Sean Connolly                         CIA Agent - GCHQ / Voice Over

Laura Edghill                            Viking Section Officer

Roger Harding                         Controller

Greg Hobbs                              SWAT officer

Jack Richardson                     Boyfriend in coffee shop

Shannon Anthony                    Girlfriend in coffee shop

Maura Judge                            Woman in church

Paul Woolley                            Mysterious Agent - GCHQ

Phil Lee                                     Decryption Specialist - GCHQ

Matt Harley                                SWAT team member

Jack Harley                               SWAT team member

Paul Woolley                            SWAT team member

Executive Producer Daniel Martin Eckhart Associate Producers Zoltan and Sally Szarka Keith and Diane Marsden Jonathan Turner Rebecca De Fargues Peter Spencer Paul Woolley Craig Morton Stella Harvey Kevin O'Neill Russell Southam Thank You Roberto Savage Ivan Levene Jennifer Coward Malachi McColl Justin Metti Helen Bang Tom Bradshaw John Wood Margaret Schmueck Neil Evans David Moore Andy Conway Jon Bounds Brian MacEvilly Maura Judges Rob Brown Dr. Stephen Potts Simon Cox Merlyn Rice Matthew Harley Leanne Stoddart Emma McAllister Jim Judges Jody Whittle-Wyeth Lauren Davies Michelle Hands Sarah Farmer Paul Murphy Debra Jane Haywood Drew Roper Ella Carmen Mickey Greaney Special Thanks To Reverent Mary Gilbert Dr. Birgit Kehrer Colin Williamson Dan Burwood Erin Connolly www.pannyhire.co.uk Trinity Studios Birmingham Dennis Cluley Vaisala Ltd Pip Piper Film Birmingham Martin Simms Sindy Campbell www.ChangeKitchen.co.uk www.UKFilmLocation.com Little Big Film Company Shooting People Billy Bannister www.mediadoghire.com Andrew Whiteoak Sam Cousins Paul Barr The Rectory Bar, Birmingham Andy Purvis Stirling Bar and Cafe

The "Spielberg of Hereford" signs up as Director of Photography

Great news! Neil Oseman once described by The Guardian as "the Spielberg of Hereford" signs up as Director of Photography on my Sci-Fi project.

Neil Oseman - "the Spielberg of Hereford"

He joins experienced sound designer Matt Katz of Noisegate Media who is our Post Production sound supervisor.

The crowdfunding campaign has less than a week to go. Please select a perk and donate by following this link.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sf4813/x/8189 

My Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the Sci-Fi film is now live. Please select a perk and donate by following this link.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sf4813/x/8189 

Here We Go Again! - SF4813

I'm now in pre-production to have another go at the London Sci-Fi Society 48hour filmmaking competition over the weekend of 6th and 7th of April 2013. I'll be directing this time and no doubt producing a lot as well but already have the makings of a good team. Guillermo Del Toro is on the jury so I'm going to have to pull a really big rabbit out of the hat to try and win this one. The Facebook group for the project is here if you wish to take part.

Around Again shoot. May 2012.

Fortunately some of the people who helped me with our World War 2 themed film Around Again are keen to have another go. We managed to get tremendous buy-in and Esprit d' Corps on that project -  the second time I have put together 50 strong cast and crews to help make nano budget, high production value films - so I'm hoping for more of the same.

Some of the Around Again crew in the bunker below Ort Cafe in Balsall Heath

I'm very pleased that talented crew like sound man Sirajuddin 'Sam' Cousins, cameraman Richard Twilton, pyrotechnics maestro Matt Harley as well as my good friend and co-writer Dominic Carver have signed up for more 48hr madness.

I'm also hopeful that I can work again with Roger Harding - the scary interrogator in Internalised our 2011 competition entry. Internalised recently made Film of the Day on Brett Gerry's blog.

Michael Parle who won Best Foreign Actor at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival for his performance in Ivan Kavanagh's brilliant Tin Can Man is also hoping to take part. Tin Can Man also won a Dublin Film Critics Circle award at the 2012 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.

I'm also very pleased that Isla Eleri Ure who won Best Actor for her own film Passengers at the 2012 Underwire Festival has also agreed to join the team.

I'm hoping to warm up for the Sci-Fi competition by doing another 48hr competition which takes place at the beginning of March as part of the Stoke Your Fires festival.

Serendipitously I've been asked to be on a Staffordshire University sponsored panel at Stoke Your Fires to talk about film in the region. I was put forward by Tim Beasley who runs a great locations agency called UKFilmLocation.com. I'm very pleased to be invited on to my first film festival panel especially as my friend and mentor Professor Roger Shannon is on the same panel.

Incidentally Roger is presenting the Egyptian film El Shooq (Lust) as part of his Departure Lounge series at the Midlands Arts Centre on 23rd of February. It was selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards and was directed by our mutual friend - the Pharaoh of Film Khaled El Hagar. Please note that this event is invitation only.

Last but not least I'd like to thank all the people who have donated towards my next production.  I couldn't do it without them so will credit their names with pride. If you haven't donated then you still can via this link to my Indiegogo Crowdfunding camapign.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sf4813/x/8189

Thats all for now folks!