Diary

"I don't feel sick anymore"... Clare arrives

Location Holborn to Soho | Mood Various | Date 4th Sep 2008
- Diary entry from Stupid's new production manager Clare Hardwick, covering the four days transition from promising career at prestigious film law specialists to working for a pittance on Age of Stupid -

"Family before the film"... Lizzie leaves

Location Heathrow airport | Mood Adrenalised (packing 10 mins before leaving) and worried (what did I forget) | Date 31st Aug 2008
After six years of putting my work first I am heading home to spend time with my family.  I've been putting the trip off for about a year, waiting until we finish the film, constantly pushing back my plans and promises to other people. In our initial funding plan from December 2004 we stated that going by conservative estimates the film would premiere in June 2007, so while we're only about 18 months over schedule - not bad for a project that has snowballed in size - I feel desperate to go back to New Zealand.

From volunteer to movie star

Location Spectrecom Studios | Mood High on green paint | Date 1st Dec 2007
I can't ever imagine anyone writing a sufficient job description for a Production Assistant. In the 9 months I've been with Spanner Films, I've been a volunteer, an office manager, an accounts assistant, a cook, a courier, a cocktail waitress, a make up artist, but today was officially the strangest working day (to date) of my time at Spanner.

Kamikaze PR strategy

Location Dilapidated grandeur of Grosvenor Hotel in Sheffield | Mood Sick with nerves | Date 14th Nov 2007
We've brought Crude to the Sheffield Documentary Festival for a "work-in-progress" screening. Seemed like a good idea six weeks ago: thinking we'd kickstart the Crude hype machine as well as getting feedback from other filmmakers. But lots of people who know about such things are saying we're mad to show such an unfinished film in such a dragon's den.

May as well scream

Location At a Cabon Detox Show in a church in Oxford | Mood Inspired | Date 14th Nov 2007
Franny's old pal George Marshall has been investigating the psychology of climate change denial for a few years, so we came to Oxford to pick his brains on the character of our old man in the future. We've been thinking perhaps he should be a do-gooder now: someone who recycles fastidiously but then flies five times a year on holiday.  

Most powerful people ever?

Location Train home from George's place in Wales | Mood Inspired | Date 14th Nov 2007
George Monbiot came up with our new favourite thought on climate change today, during the many-times-postponed interview for the film. To paraphrase: you think you're powerless and anything you do is irrelevant? The opposite is true - we are the generation who will decide the future of our species. Every single thing each one of us does or doesn't do is crucial to whether we survive or not. Making us the most powerful individuals ever. He was also absolutely crystal clear on the Love Miles flying question:

Any animators out there?

Location Soho Cafe | Mood Enthusiastic | Date 14th Nov 2007
My current role in life is meeting animators and attempting to persuade them to work on our film. There's plenty of them and they all love the sound of the project, think it's very worthwhile, would love to get their work onto the big screen and creatively it's very exciting but then as soon as I mention our meager survival wages, they start mumbling about how they're booked on a slimfast / catfood / plastic crap commercial and will have to get back to me.  

A new (old) character emerges

Location Franny's house | Mood Tired but hopeful | Date 14th Nov 2007
After a day to recover from the Curzon screening we re-grouped and looked through the feedback forms. One clear problem was the tone of the drama scenes with the kids in the future. Even though what the kids were saying and feeling - hatred and anger at our generation - was entirely understandable, it didn't a great movie make.

Animation is easy

Location SF office | Mood Very very excited | Date 20th Sep 2007
Met new Animation Director, Martyn, this afternoon, to talk through some of the visual ideas. Thought it'd be at least a week before he could show us anything but he emailed through his first style tests at midnight. And they're brilliant. So cinematic. We are all very excited and can suddenly imagine how the whole future element is going to look. Maybe this animation lark won't be as hard as everyone has been making out...   - THIS IS A LIZZIE DIARY -  

Casting future kid actors

Location Soho of course | Mood Bemused | Date 20th Sep 2007
Why would anyone want to be an actor? Franny and I kept repeating this question after our first ever casting session. It's insane. You have to pretend to be some strange character, everyone is looking at you while you do it, and then they judge you on things totally out of your control (eg. hair too curly for animators). Just like a job interview - but for your looks, voice & personality. Awful! We're trying to cast two actors to play the main parts in our futuristic scenario - one girl (Eve) and one boy (Aidan).