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We apologise for the break in diary service

Franny Armstrong
Location
India
Mood
Deeply traumatised by events in Nigeria
Date
10.01.07

Hello anyone who might be reading this. Sorry I haven't had a moment to get the diary entries from August to December up here.

June 26: Five years ago today

Franny Armstrong
Location
Edit room in the office, 11.45pm
Mood
Frazzled satisfaction
Date
26.06.07

It's exactly five years to the day - possibly to the hour - that we thought of the idea for the film, so strikes me as a delightfully auspicious moment to go public about our little project.

June 11: 500 million people on the case?

Franny Armstrong
Location
1.10am, hire car on the M1, Lizzie driving
Mood
Despair
Date
11.06.07

The last ever day filming Crude didn't start too well for poor Lizzie as the hire car she picked up yesterday developed a flat tyre and she spent half the night organising tow trucks. Then had to get up at 5.30am to pick me and new soundman Ben up to drive to Bedford for the result of Piers's three-year battle to get planning permission for his latest windfarm.

June 6: A coherent script emerges

Franny Armstrong
Location
Kitchen table at the office
Mood
Perky
Date
06.06.07

After three very long days and nights bashing together all the ideas into a coherent script, we stocked up on pastries and got everyone into the same room for a read-through. Mark was very convincing as the geeky teenage know-it-all but Emily wasn't so keen on her slightly wimpy teenage girl (maybe should swop those roles over. can't have the girl being feeble).

May 27: Spices then gold now oil next water

Franny Armstrong
Location
In a tent in a field in Hay
Mood
Christmas morning before the parents wake up
Date
27.05.07

Rain, Cameras, Action.... Photograph: Charlotte Rushton  

No option but to keep going

Franny Armstrong
Location
D the E's house, babysitting his very cute twins who are supposed to be in bed
Mood
Amused
Date
25.05.07

Just finished two weeks script writing with David and Emily . Nearly killed me. Brain imploded. Far too many great ideas and no system for marshalling them.

Never making another film

Franny Armstrong
Location
Sofa
Mood
Lonely, but for the right reasons
Date
15.05.07

McLibel is on at a festival in Tel Aviv soon, so I did an interview for some Israeli radio station or something today. Made my best effort to be interesting in case The Boy happens to hear it.

Very much from the Spanner mould

Franny Armstrong
Location
Lord Stanley pub, near the office
Mood
Slightly more hopeful
Date
11.05.07

Suddenly remembered Emily James as I was washing up for the first time in three weeks this morning. She's an indie filmmaker very much from the Spanner mould. Her film "The Luckiest Nut In the World " famously used animated singing peanuts to discuss trade liberalisation.

"Scriptwriting for Beginners"

Franny Armstrong
Location
Park in Red Lion Square
Mood
Inspired
Date
28.04.07

Am totally stuck on the animation script, so decided to try to do something - anything - positive and cleaned up three years of cat shit from my roof. Then started clearing the overgrown ivy with the thought of planting some veg up there. But as soon as the ivy went I could see a bloody great big crack in the wall.