Nearly there..

Alice here again. So the Uncommon Shorts Film 2 is nearly complete, with just a few post production processes to be carried out. This is a really exciting time in the production of a film becuase it is where you get to see all your hard work pay off, and something completely new that you have had a hand in creating materialise. I can't wait to see the finished product!

''It's the final countdown''

With all the filming done, and the editing under way, we were all pretty excited to see the rough edit today, and I think we speak for everyone when we say that we were all quite impressed by it, and it was definitely just what we expected it would be.

We managed to catch a few minutes with Maria, the queen of little star, to ask her about the filming and editing done on the film, for which she used the programme ''final cut pro''
She told us that it took her about two days to edit the whole film together, which she told us is ''not too bad'' for a film. She said that the things that took her the longest were the street scene, which ''took time'' and the you tube clips, which she said she had trouble with, as the programmes she was trying were failing, so it took her a whole one and a half days to use her ''lateral thinking'' and come up with the idea of setting up the camera in her office and filming it that way.
When we asked her if she thought, compared to the other films she has edited, whether this was easy or hard, and she told us, ''it was quite easy, because of all the preparation we did, and all the time we took planning the segments and all the emotional development.
She said to us that ''the filming in the street wad diccicult because of the horrendous street bustle and distractions, however, the two actors pulled it off. But it does need quite a lot of lifting and needs more layers, music and colour balancing, for this we will use the apple programme ''color.'' Also, we need to edit about one minute of the film editing out, as it's too long.''
She also said that this is a completely new genre of film for her to make, as she has never done a ''rom-com'' before. She also told us that ''the creative process was enjoyable and so was watching it blossom from the first day when we were just coming up with words to now , when we have a film with a structure and storyline.

So that's all for now guys, we only have a few more bits of editing to do now, credits and titles, and hopefully we will have more updates for you soon.
Zoe T. Carter and Rebekah Nightingale :)

watching the film!!

Hey guys, its Jayne and Saima here :) 

We asked Maria how the editing and the whole experience was. She found it quite easy, as we had already choreographed scenes and worked out the dialogue. The film had already been structured, which made editing much easier to put together. Maria`s hardest part of the filming was filming outside. This was because there were background noises such as aeroplanes which drowned out the dialogue.However, the patience of everyone helped, as well as the different takes, such as closeups and wide shots.There were hardly any difficulties during editing due to the shot list and the clapper board. The most difficult part for Maria was working out where to put the youtube video parts into the film. 

The acting was vey good, making it much easier with the editing. However, at the moment the film still needs a lot of work, especially with the background music and sound. The film had been well planned, and everyone worked well together. The best part of this project, for Maria, was when the group wrote reviews and did roleplay. She found it very humourous and it was very well written, on the whole better than filming. Maria is making another film with a different group of young people next year, which will be shown at the Cornerhouse along with our film in the spring.    Today, we watched the rough cut of the film we made, about an obsessed gamer searching for true love. It was worth all the hard work , time and effort spent  working on this amazing project!!

The film is going to be shown at the BBC, due to  Dave Mee, who starred in the film, having a good relationship with them, which is very exciting.We are also hoping to enter it it into several film festivals. Although at certain points during the project we were hoping that we were still in bed, like most of our friends during half term, all the work was worth it!! 

Peace,

Jayne and Saima

WOW! The Finished Edit

Hey guys! It's Farhana and Aqsa here. We came back to watch the finished edit of the film, our thoughts on the film were that:
Farhana: The film was the way we had expected it to be. It was pretty good.
Aqsa: I thought it was good and its self explanatory so the viewers will not be confused on what is happening.

We had interviewed Maria (the editor/director) :
Was it hard to edit?
I thought it was quite easy as the film crew had done a roleplay of what the film could possibly look like and the time spent planning the shotlist really it made it alot easier. So yeah, im very happy

Has the film turned out the way you wanted it?
Yes, I do think that we were really lucky with the actors you had played the characters, down to everyone being prepared and comfortable with eachother and with the equipment.

How will you cope cutting out the film by a minute or so?
Its going to be hard because i don't want to cut out anything, definitely not the scene where David and Marian had met on the street. But i am going to have to cut out a minute as its nearly 12 minutes and that's without the credits!

What sort of music are you going to use for the background?
At the moment it's quite silent, so we will be putting music created by a guy who made it a few months ago, but it will have to be quite faint. The music in the background will give it more depth and would add a layer to it, this will give it more atmosphere.

Do you think the viewers will understand what the film is about?
I think that people will understand it, the people i have shown it to already, found it funny. It's quite subtle and mature in that respect. The film was well planned and we won't have to go back to film anything again.

When will the film be fully edited and ready to watch?
It will be finished within a week and then be shown to the BBC, which will be quite exciting! We will have a day when it will be shown to The CornerHouse along with 2 other films and invite councilors. It will also be put on Youtube and the MYVP website.

Are there any suggestions of a name for the film?
Yes, we have already got one! (haha) 'Dave, David and Marian.' The three names of the characters involved in the film.

There's one more film to make and then I'll be on a break! =)

That's it. The film will soon be finished, all you guys will be able to watch it!! :)
Byee 4 Noww :P xxx

Edit part 3

Edit part 2

On your marks, get set, EDIT!

Last week the production crew came down to Cornerhouse to learn some editing skills using Final Cut Express. We intended to have a crack at editing the footage that had been filmed during the shoot but unfortunately (as always in edit land) we had some HD compatibility issues. So instead the group were given footage from Vacant no. 21 to test their edit skills with.

Each edit is quite different so let's see your comments. :)

The Editors

Hello everyone, it's Erin here to tell you about yesterday's news. So far the young film makers have created a storyline and characters, wrote up and performed dialogue, sat through casting, handled film equipment with care and now it's time for what probably is the most important part of the film making process. Editing! Maria form Littlestar Media's catchphrase is "Always think of the edit". I've been around a year, long enough to hear it enough, least I can say I've learnt something. Drumming things into people's heads really does work.

The material given for the practise edit was all the original footage recorded for 'Vacant No. 21'. Something I'm quite familiar with, and I was looking forward to seeing three different takes on the film. I decided to observe Rebekah's, Zoe's and Jayne's attempt, and input a little constructive critique, but only a little, because these girls seemed to know what they were doing. I asked the girls some questions while they edited away.

Erin: Do you think editing is easy?

Zoe: Quite easy.

Rebekah: I thought it was going to be quite hard, I don't like computers, but it has turned out easy.

E: I noticed the doll clip keeps reoccurring, is it meant to represent something?

R: The doll represents one of the character's victims.

Z: People can interpret it in their own way.

E: If you were given the choice to edit between 'Running Fast' (another MYVP film) and 'Vacant No. 21' which would you choose and why?

Jayne: I've seen Running Fast, but not its original material, but Vacant N0.21 seems to have a lot more to play with visually, a lot more scope.

R: This is harder (Vacant No.21) to edit than ours (film

this group is making), as ours has a clearer storyline.

During the editing session everyone learned how to add transitions and sound to there mini films. You can usually tell when a transition has been used from when a scene has faded out and another fades in. They are used to indicate a lapse in time, e.g 28 days later (not the actual film). Marisa from Cornerhouse explains that if there are not used in a selective and considered way and thrown in whenever, they can confuse the audience.

Rebekah was interested to know how editing was done before computers made mistakes easier. Marisa enlightened us that the case was to cut the films up and tape them together, and that they were fed through film reels during viewings. So you can imagine how many more expensive mistakes were made during editing compared to today's technical magic that lets us retrieve our second ago slip on the keyboard.

After a few hours of playing around and making stories to be proud of, it came round to showcasing the mini films to each other. It was interesting to find out why the three groups had chosen the shots they used for their own take on 'Vacant No.21', and why most of them had an obsessive want for the use of the creepy doll.

Maria came to a conclusive lecture on how editing something can give the film maker endless possibilities for the outcome of the film. A true expression of creativity.

Erin :)

Fun, filming, and free food!

Hey guys, Zoe here again, but this time I've got Farhana, Rebekah and Jayne helping me out. As I type, the rest of the crew are outside, filming the crucial scene where our two characters meet.
Today, so far, we have filmed a few scenes for the beginning of our film, one of which was an important character development scene where we are introduced to our main character, we show him in his environment, using establishing shots and other character defining features.
Hey it's Farhana here and I'm going to tell yous about something that I found embarrassing that happened yesterday, "Maria sent us (Me and Jayne) on a mission to find the actress Faye Janelle who is playing the host of GAMER CRAZEE. It was pretty embarrassing as we had to go around the nearby streets with a sign that had her name on it which we had to hold up so she knew we were looking for her. Also, we have experienced continuity, operating the boom for sound, and using the reflector to monitor the light, I had to control the boom which was very tiring as I had to keep holding it up whilst Maria retook the shots."
We have two days left in which to film and edit the different scenes and we all feel that this has s far been a very rewarding and challenging project. We have had the opportunity to make new friends, and gain valuable experience in the art of film making. This is Jayne, btw :)
Zoe here again,and I just caught up with Rebekah who didn't want to write anything as she isn't too good with computers and thinks she is in a very privileged position to be part of an actual film crew, and thinks she has to speak very formally for the blogs.
I'll leave you with that for now, hopefully we will have some more updates for you later, when we have finished all the filming. Then it's time for the editing tomorrow, which I am truly looking forward to!

Zoe, Jayne, Farhana and Rebekah :)

For all you crazee gamers out there..

Hey guys, well, with the bloggers not here, it's time for us, the film crew to take over the blog. Taking you through the events of today is Zoe, Jessica, Josh, Aqsa and Rebekah.

So, here on the second day of filming, we are just beginning to film the very first scenes of our film. Whilst creative juices flow down here, just two floors up, the rest of the film crew, Jayne, Farhana and Saima are shooting the establishing of our film.

With not much else to do, conversation soon turned to the project in hand. It seems everyone is really enthusiastic about actually making a film, and everyone seems to be getting maximum enjoyment out of it so far. It seems Aqsa is slightly obsessed with getting involved in the sound and audio side of the film after having a chance to operate the boom yesterday. Rebekah claims to have enjoyed doing the set building and just generally getting to see what goes on behind the scenes of a film, and I think I speak for everyone when I say she's not alone with her opinions. Make-up artist Jessica says that she has really enjoyed assisting with coming up with a storyline for our film and getting involved in other things as well as her makeup. Josh has just generally enjoyed making the film and seeing behind the scenes parts. And as for me, Zoe, I've just loved every minute of it, and I'm really enjoying getting a feel for how the film is made, and I must say, the people I've met are pretty damn cool too.

Also, everyone seems to have enjoyed creating the set, and alot of thought and effort was put into how to arrange his room and what props we had to buy. We had to buy props that really reflected our main character and we had to give him alot of geeky props, figurines, comics, DVD's and we all thoroughly enjoyed messing up his room. The transformation between before and after are actually quite spectacular.

Our actors finally got a chance to meet each other today and Fay seems to think that Daniel is great for the role of our male character and she says that the contrast between the two characters at the end is really good. I spoke to her about the filming we did yesterday and she said she really enjoyed filming the reviews and thought that the technical language added an extra something to the scenes. She told me that it was a fresh challenge and good experience to get, not just for her, but also for the young people involved in the project. Overall, about the project, she said that she was surprised about the quickness of it all, and how fast we got through things and she liked to see how everyone got involved in everything, giving us all a chance to get some experience. Finally I spoke to her about the scenes she filmed with Dave yesterday and she said that all the technical language he used was invaluable and brought something extra to the film.
So, with a hard day ahead of us, it's time for us to sign off here and get on with some proper work.
Zoe :)

Time To Get Our Hands Dirty

Today was the first day of filming for the crew, and they clocked up about fifty minuets of footage. Which I hope they realise will mean a lot of editing, but anyway the more the better! I also got the chance to grab a few minuets with the actress Faye Jenelle, who plays the beautiful game reviewer, with no actual interest in games what so ever.

Faye has done film, adverts and television work such as Coronation Street and Emerdale, and has been acting professionally since the age of fourteen; with her first experience doing Heartbeat. I asked Faye what had been her favourite acting experience, in return she couldn't decide, she explained "Different jobs are fun for different reasons". Another thing I was interested to know was what Faye thought of the character she was playing. "There are two strong elements to the character, she is interesting in the sense she has got two very distinct persona's in the character. She seems quite loud, but in reality she is quite reserved." Asking what Faye she thought about being part of the young people's project she enthused "It's fun to be involved with young people and give advice on the industry."

Another actor today was Dave, but that isn't his real profession. Dave's job today was to play "The game dork." I asked Dave how he felt about his experience. "You can see the difference between people who have had training and those who don't, it's challenging. It was lucky for me, improvising. But retakes were difficult, it was hard to remember what I said in the last take. So it will be harder for the production team with the edit. It was a shark attack moment." Dave thought the film crew were "Very professional, enthusiastic and it was good to see them sharing roles and responsibilities." Another key question that I've already asked most of the young people on was are there are enough opportunities like the film project out there. Dave's view was "Interesting question, because film is an increasing accessible media, people are no longer bound to a TV channel or production company, anyone can have a broadcasting channel on the Internet." He also pointed out that like it is important to have literacy skills, in the future editing skills will be in demand. And mentioning a bit about the blog, Dave also mentioned that thanks to the Internet, paid journalism might not exist in twenty years time. An interesting thought, but that isn't really good news for me, considering I would like to have a career in journalism. Hmmm, better start thinking up plan B, just encase.

One treat from today was seeing the geeky gamer's living quarters. It was like the production crew had gone to town and painted it red! The set was really impressive, no wonder why everybody said it was one of their most favourite parts of the project so far. I did a quick fire round of who loves what about the experience so far and what they think of the project.

Rebekah: The technology is daunting, the set is kitsch and I like being in control behind the camera.

Josh: It's good to be involved, you don't go into detail but you touch on all areas. I like the creative process of the production process and working with the actors.

Farhana: Filming is well worth waking up for and I liked the shopping we did for the set.

Saima: I like working with the actors and creating the set.

Jayne: I liked doing the continuity.

Zoe: I like the people.

Aqsa: My favourite part was decorating the room.

My favourite part of today was seeing the set, the way the spaced is considered in terms of design helps contribute to the reality of the obsessive, geeky gamer character. I was definitely impressed.

This film is going to look so good! Can't wait.... Erin

Changing rooms

Hey, It's Alice again. Over the past week the team have took part in lots of different aspects of film making, from script writing, to casting, to camera operation, to editing, and also had the responsibility of dressing the set of a large part of the film - exciting stuff! On the Uncommon Shorts last film, I took part in decorating a part of the set, turning what was a toddler's room into the room of a teenage 'emo kid'. It's amazing to see a location completely transformed, so I was really excited to see the space the group has chosen for their film once they had turned it into the gamer's flat, by furnishing and decorating it with gaming related props, and giving a general look of messiness.

It's hard to imagine that this room was once an empty, disused space, and the team have successfully managed to not only make this space look lived in, but lived in by a specific character. Immediately upon viewing the set, an audience gets a picture of the main character of this film and his interests. Well done guys, it looks top!

Two can play that game..

Hi, Alice here again. Yesterday I caught up with the team's progress of putting their ideas together for the film. They have come up with a story about an obbsesive gamer who develops a crush on a beautiful games reviewer, who unbeknown to him, has no interest whatsoever in the gaming world. Though a slightly saddening tale, the synopsis allows for alot of humour, and the team really hit the nail on the head on the comedy front. With inspiration from gaming mags and the infinately helpful internet, the team wrote up draft scripts for two scenes - one, where the gamer is watching the woman review a game from his flat, and another, where where the gamer meets the beautiful games reviewer, ultimately ending in disaster.
Each member of the group seemed to have a really strong hold on the development of both characters - the introvert, yet at times over-enthusiatic, slightly creepy gaming nut with a lose grasp of reality but a much stronger grasp of virtual reality, and the efortlessly glam games reviewer who addresses her audience in a casual, yet flirtatious manner.
The scripts were also delivered really well, and had the whole room cracking up, so if being behind the camera doesn't end up suiting any team members, watch this space for your future comedy stars!

You've Made A Right Scene!

Hi again from Erin, and today task included more technical aspects for the film crew, such as learning how to set up the camera and sound recording equipment.

The crew were split into two groups, one group would do the technical and informative side of film equipment, while the others would creatively string together the shot list. By the way a shot list isn't a violent piece paper of names for some sort of assassin, it's basically what you would seen from the camera's point of view. Somehow I feel I've just personified the camera, but now I'm just waffling on.

Julian from Littlestar Media pointed out that the camera wasn't something to be afraid of, but still needed to be treated carefully. Translation for don't brake it! I know from past experience that once you learnt how shots are considered, you no longer have the ability to just enjoy watching films, but your always justifying why scene are shot the way they appear. The wonders of booms and small microphones proved to be a treat, especially if you like ears dropping. Not that there's any involved in this project.

After a quick performance of what the shot list included so far from Zoe, it was time for the groups to swap. For the next hour it was none stop. I pretty much stuck with the group consisting of Asqa, Farhana, Jessica and Rebekah for the whole day. The shot list workshop came with a bit of role play and Asqa did a pretty good job of conveying how an obsessive geeky gamer might behave. And pretty much by the end of today's session we had a strong shot sequence.

Anyway despite today's extra hour (did you all remember to put your clocks back an hour) I'm feeling pretty sleepy, so night for now, Erin.

"Let's Play Maiden Dragons!"

Hi, it's Erin again and today was a bit like stand up comedy (great script writing guys)! In no way was today's session a messing about one, it was full steam ahead. Today the young film makers had to create their main two characters, a geeky gamer and a glamorous game review, who is not all she seems.

The film crew had to conjure up two scenes, one where the gamer discovers his obsession with this beautiful woman, and one where he ends up meeting her. Not only did they had to set the scene, describe how the characters looked and behaved, but write the dialogue too. To achieve this they had to imagine how these characters live their lives. With some handy gaming publications and the internet they mastered the lexis of the gaming world, and wrote some solid scenes.

I give applauds to the entire film crew for performing the dialogue, and believe me some of it was so ridiculous that it was really convincing. Believe me, this is one film you don't want to miss!

Can't wait for tomorrow, Erin

Back Again And About Time Too!

Hi film followers, it's Erin again and I'm here to tell you all the juicy details of our new film crew. So far I'm only scraping the surface of this female dominated film crew (poor Josh, none of us girlies are going to understand his guy problems LOL). Though me and my new fellow blogger Alyx managed to grab a few minuets with some members of the film crew members, for quick question fire round!

First of all I'll start off with Jayne, an experienced Livewire member. She certainly might be writing the scripts of future, as she has cemented plans to study creative writing, so watch this space. Jayne commented "I want to make a film to be proud of, it would be a great achievement." Sat by Jayne was the glamorous Jessica, future make up artist to the film stars of tomorrow. Not only does she have an expert eye for eyeliner application, but is uncovering a flair for creating characters.

The next interviewees were Zoe and Rebkah, who both go to the same school, where they found out about the Uncommon Shorts project. Zoe commented that it was "A cool opportunity", and Rebekah said it was a "Bizarre" one. I guess these points illustrate how great and rare these volunteering opportunities.

Sisters Farhana and Saima were interested in something new and were intrigued by the film opportunity. And I bet there glad they took it, as I think creative story telling runs in the family. Farhana's idea of obsession stood out and is in the process of development.

Unfortunately nothing from Asqa and Josh, but I promise to catch them next time with my fishing net.

But as you can see from the pictures today's session was a very productive one.

Well till next time, stay safe!

Erin :D

Oh yeah and before I forget, don't you forget to check out some of our first hand footage of the set for film 2. Just click on the link below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hwayoungjung/sets/72157621854780057/

The Newbie :)

Hiya, Alyx here :)
its my first time ever writing a blog , so sorry if it sounds kinda .. stupid.
but this is just a little quick blog to introduce myself.
so here goes.. Im Alyx-Nicole Kilmartin, I'm fourteen and I'm the latest blogger to join (:
Over the next few weeks I'll be keep you posted with the exciting action happening throughout the Uncommon Shorts film 2 progress. Expect to see exclusive interviews, pictures and videos!
Spread the word about this people, Followers are good.

until next time, Alyx (:

Uncommon Shorts Film 2 Project Begins!

Hey, it's Alice here, a new addition to the Uncommon Shorts team of bloggers. Having taken part in the first Uncommon Short film and a previous MYVP film project - Vacant No 21, part of the Spring Trinity, I know just how exciting and fun these projects can be.
That is why when I arrived at the first workshop of Uncommon Shorts's second film on Sunday, I was not the least bit surprised to find the team engagaed in a number of bizzare activities, from the baffling untangling of a human knot, to a 'stay on the island whilst sea levels rise' game (abit like Lost but alot shorter and with an evironmental message), to what I can only describe as wink murder with vampires..
Needless to say, the team building part of the workshop was interesting and engaging, and really got the team working together - after all, how could you not become friends with someone you survived life on a desert island or a vampire invasion with?
And if the first half of the workshop tired anyone out (I know it did me) we got abit of a rest whilst we watched - for free! - a film in the Cornerhouse's cinema. Well, maybe a 'rest' isn't quite the right word, as we watched The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Judging by the title alone, you can tell this isn't going to be exactly easy watching. Packed to the brim with mind-boggling special effects, head-aching twists and turns, and a narrative constructed to stretch your imagination to breaking point, you could say this isn't one for the 'faint-minded'. However, during the postcast review after the film, the group's general agreement seemed to be a thumbs up for Terry Giliam's latest feat.

All in all, a very productive and exciting day, so keep checking back for more updates on Uncommon Shorts, Film 2!

It's here again.......uncommon shorts film 2

You've read the blog for film one, do you what to have a go for film 2 ?
So are you a budding writer or film critic? a blogger or a Photo-journalist in waiting?
Then the ‘Uncommon Shorts’ project has fantastic opportunities for you to show off your journalistic, creative writing skills, photography and blogging skills. You will have "access all areas" passes so that you can follow the film production, interview the crew, the writers and the stars of our new film project.

You need to be available some evenings 3rd week in October and during the filming week 26th October to 1st November.

How do you apply?
If you are interested, contact Lance at lance@myvp.org.uk or call him on 0161 236 3334 for more details. Make sure your application gets to us by Friday 9th October at 5pm!
For the film reporter/blogger opportunity ring or email for chat or for further details.

Almost there...

Colette here. Today brought me back to Littlestar studios, where I found the MYVP team busy at work polishing off the film's edit. And this time, there was a more relaxed atmosphere: with filming over and most of the post-production groundwork underway, it was now that attention could be paid to finer details such as the credits and film title. There was also the list of thanks to be attended to, as so much of the work undertaken during the film's production could only have been carried out with the help of those associated with the project in a diverse number of ways, such as Ibrahim the shopkeeper, or the owners of house no.22.

The final cut of this summer's MYVP project will emerge in the weeks to come, but in the meantime I caught up with the young people over lunch, to discuss what they had learnt from the experience as it was winding to a close. Claire and Conor have both learnt to use Final Cut express, and everybody appreciated playing their part in the project's evolution from an idea to screen.
Evidently, place a bunch of young film enthusiasts together with good food and some time to kill, and it's not long before the main focus of the conversation turns inevitably to films we've seen recently, and directors whose styles we admire. Because, ultimately, if you want to make movies, you have to love movies. It has been clear throughout where the passions of the group lie, and now I can't wait to see the finished project.

A retrospective overview: 1

Hi, it's Colette here. Now that MYVP's latest project is reaching the final tweaks in its development, I'm here to take a look back at the workshop's early stages to see how it all started.

So, today, let's rewind to the first two days:

21st July:
In their first group meeting, each young person had been told to write a short film review and bring it with them to present to the group and start a discussion. Their varied reviews quickly got the conversation flowing, and eased initial nervousness as they met their teammates for the first time. They were encouraged to consider key ideas and question aspects of the films they had reviewed - why had the director chosen to do that? What were they trying to do by including that scene in the film?
To help illustrate these concepts, and apply them in a practical situation, the group were then shown several short films including 'Dog Years' and John Smith's 'OM'.
For the following day they were set two tasks: to review a film, television programme or advert, and to prepare some film ideas for developing the environmental theme of the film they would be working on.
22nd July:
After discussing concepts for their film short, key ideas were reworked until the young people established a clear narrative.
They then spoke to Matt from MYVP's Green Machine project, and learnt a great deal about the current environmental situation, including the upcoming summit in Copenhagen. From this they branched into a discussion on the different ways people could re-use and save water. Deciding that they wanted to reference to the Copenhagen summit in their short, a radio broadcast was written into the film's narrative. Together with Maria, the group worked on a basic shot list and in no time at all they were on to drawing out the film's storyboard.
Another film the group watched for reference was the experimental film 'Love in The White City', which got them thinking about film in different ways.
Finally, the young people were set the task of researching the Copenhagen summit, as well as issues surrounding climate change, so to obtain factual evidence for their radio broadcast. As well as learning about film, they were learning about current affairs and getting more involved in the mechanics and real-life issues behind MYVP's film project.

Stay connected for more information on the development of the project in the days to come.

Creative Differnces Perhaps?

Hey it's Erin again and today I decided to drop in on the film crew during the editing process at Littlestar Media Productions. First I was greeted with a sticky note informing me to use another buzzer. It was very DIY.

While Maria phoned around for someone to fix the buzzer, the film crew were set the task to create the shop sequence to put into the actual film. But before that Maria explained to us how they should edit, and the answer is that it should look as how you would naturally see something. Her example also included a pretend situation where Claire and me would be poking each other, then I would get a pitch fork and she would get a shotgun. A rather peculiar way of explaining it, but it worked and we could see what she meant. Though I couldn't imagine the escalating poking situation.

Every 20 minuets someone new took to the editing controls. Rather than group discussion it was more like a debate. Everyone literally had a different point view. In a way it was good because it became a group effort. Conner the perfectionist said that he felt with like "a big boy" using the Mac with 2 screens. And Steve was warned not to "reinvent the wheel" by Maria.

I should of took a picture of the endless sea of empty Diet Coke cans that are still probably sitting on the table. So I leave you with a charming picture of Conner and Jack.

Bye for now... Erin :)

Colette: Editing training session at Cornerhouse

Yesterday I spent the day in a darkened room - more specifically the Livewire Studio at Cornerhouse. It was editing training time with Marisa, and Jack, Connor and Claire got the chance to play with some state-of-the-art Final Cut Express editing software for the day.

In preparation for the editing of their own film project, they were practising on footage from one of last year's MYVP projects, a film called Vacant 21, to test out some editing techniques and produce a recut of the short at the end of the session - I even got a chance to edit my own version while I was there.

The atmosphere was industrious, and at the end of the day, the final recuts were all different in style and pace, showing how, with a little alteration in the editing process, it was possible to convey different moods and themes using the same footage. They'll now be able to apply these skills to the cut of MYVP's current project, and see the transformation of their own weeks of hard work into a composite final piece.

A chat with Conor

Definitely the joker of the group and when he’s not reducing people to tears with his “unusual humour” he’s acting a little moody for some reason. It must be because he's playing the role of the “Emo” teenager in this film. Moving away the hair which is covering his right eye and blinking frequently at the annoyance of wearing mascara, Conor chats to me about his role in the film and his already growing acting career.

Conor: It was my mum who told me about the job…she works at the Cornerhouse so found out about it and let me know…but I’m also on their mailing list so I find out about loads of cool projects.

Max: Cool…have you done any acting before this?

Conor: Well I’ve been doing drama since I was 8 years old with a dram group.

Max: Great…tell me more

Conor: Well we do 2 plays a year, summer and winter and I’ve acted in things like Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz.

Max: So I take it you’ve never played an Emo before then?

Conor: Haha no I’ve not…this is completely different to anything I’ve done before, I was a guy on horse in one of the plays…so yeah this is a new experience.

Max: Are there many similarities between yourself and the character you play in the film?

Conor: hmm well I do like some of the Emo music but I’m kind of new to the whole Emo culture so I can’t really say too much about it….but according to a Facebook test I’m a scene kid not an Emo

Max: haha ah right…so who did you look to for inspiration for the role?

Conor: I liked the Emo character in the film Little Miss Sunshine and from him I got an idea about how Emo’s act.

Max: Okay…do you want to continue acting?

Conor: Well I’d like to study English at university and then definitely do something in the arts…either a film director, musician or writer…acting is fun but I would like to work behind the camera too.

Max: Some good choices :)…what would you say you've gained from this experience?

Conor: Hmm I would say organisation skills, preparation and teamwork.

Max: Cool…do you have any more projects lined up for the future?

Conor: I’m working on a short film of my own at the moment which is going okay…but I’d love to carry on doing opportunities like this and carry on gaining more experience.

Max: Thanks Conor :)

Conor: Thanks. :)

An Uncommon Short chat with Justine Adams.

Hey it's Max here…the busy filming schedules meant that the interview was annoyingly short but here’s a small glimpse at the lovely Justine Adams.

With a resume that reads like a list of the most popular British television dramas Justine, who has been acting for 18 years has played a sophisticated nurse in Shameless, a police officer in Coronation Street and has been seen in Heartbeat and Emmerdale to name but a few. Her part in this film is completely different to her previous roles but she assures me that she’s nothing like the stressed out mother of a young “Emo” seen in the film…and I agree as she smiles comfortably, I don’t see any signs of stress at all.

Justine: I’m not nearly as stressed out in reality as I am in the film :) we've just finished some filming in a corner shop which went really smoothly…even though I do play a stressed out character I’m still able to add some humour, which is nice.

Max: So how did you hear about the job Justine?

Justine: Well my agent in Manchester told me about the casting a week or so before we started filming…and here I am.

I hear her name being called from downstairs and know I’m running out of question time.

Max: Great…I look forward to seeing you in the film once it’s all finished, can we expect to see you in anything else?

Justine: Thank you :) I’ve had great fun working with everyone…and yes you can see me in a new BBC drama series called “Paradox” with Tamzin Outhwaite.

Max: Wow sounds good…I’ll have to watch it…thanks for the interview Justine.

Justine: Thank you :)

That's A Wrap!

Hey it's Erin again to tell you about the final day of filming. Have our film crew ever heard of the saying never work with animals or children. Well today they broke that myth. Claire (film crew member) brought her adorable but very loud dog called Bell. And Julian (Littlestar Media Productions) brought his daughter Ruby to play the daughter in the film. And I think they did a good job.... after some directing, the main ingredient in any film. And if your wondering about the photo there's no explanation it was just there. Lets just say that it was a photo opportunity.

Least Ruby now has something to start her CV with. And she's a Disney Generation rebel, she would rather choose science over High School Musical any day!

Bell the dog was bit more of a diva, she definitely got herself heard with her loud barks. It was a different matter getting her to appear in the camera shots. She was one cute dog though! Very cute indeed.

The boom stick was the mystery of the day. My suspicions are that it was not in the house at all. Yet we all searched high and low for it.

I give my applauds to our professional actress Justine who was truly professional. It was so positive to have someone who took interest in what we were doing. And well done to Jack who sat patiently under the table doing sound. Truthfully I wish filming hadn't finished just because it's so fun!

Anyway I say everyone involved so far should give themselves a pat on the back. We're not finished yet though, watch this space.

Bye for now, Erin :)

Colette here with news from today's filming: Village Stores, Levenshulme

“I didn’t expect all this.” Says Ibrahim , owner of Village Stores in Levenshulme.
The MYVP team has taken over the shop floor for the morning, and for some time now Maria, Jack and Claire have been kept busy moving boxes of free-range eggs and organic lemons around in preparation for the day’s shoot.

Village Stores perfectly embodies the eco-friendly movement towards local, organic and fair-trade produce. In addition to fruit, vegetables, groceries and washing-up powders and detergents that do minimal damage to the environment, Ibrahim also sells a great variety of flowering and fruit-bearing plants.
In the window, a certificate from Manchester city council declares that substantial efforts have been made to stock and sell organic and fair-trade produce.

The difficulty for today’s filming arises in making the shop look uneconomical and wasteful, to contrast with its later transformation. Props brought in by the MYVP team include value-sized bottles of bleach, and a lot of lightbulbs.
In reality, Village Stores is as eco-friendly as you can imagine. Plants of every colour and variety have been relocated to the pavement for the duration of the shoot, temporarily creating a virgin forest in Levenshulme.

As the morning progresses, new faces arrive. I recognise Justine Adams from her actor’s profile that was passed around the Littlestar studio on Tuesday. She auditioned in Manchester for her role in the short, and as she waits while the serious business of readying cameras and checking the white balance goes on within Village Stores, I quiz her about the proceedings.
“I’m a bit in the dark about it,” she confesses amiably. We start to chat, when Jack emerges from the shop, looking somewhat confused.
“Excuse me, could you tell us how to work the till?” he asks Ibrahim. More serious business is attended to, before filming is eventually under way.

The till crisis over, I get talking to Ibrahim and discover that he has “a dream”. He recently renovated the basement of his shop, complete with an entrance accessible from the outside. He describes to me how he’d like to use it for something ‘arty-farty’ – an art café, or a printing press for a budding comic artist. He’s appreciative of the alternative cultural scene. I learn that he was something of a regular at the Cambridge music festivals and folk gatherings at Stonehenge.

While filming is going on, Ibrahim does his best to maintain business as usual. He waters and tends to his plants, vulnerable in the unexpected heat, and recommends a trailing begonia to a customer as the hustle and bustle of on-set activity goes on around him.
“They’re just filming,” he reassures his customers, as he potters back and forth to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

At the end of the morning, as the MYVP team packs up to move to the shoot’s next locale, Ibrahim is free to return to his post behind the till. It is now, around midday, that the shop’s regulars begin to flood the store. They’re all intrigued by the presence of cameras, and as they chat amongst themselves I realise that this place is something of a hub for local residents. And it’s something that I hope will have been captured on camera.

Back soon, cheerio

We Have Our Own Professional Set Designers And Make Up Artists!

A big hello from Erin here with another newsflash on today's filming, and two subjects went under a rather convincing transformation. One was a bedroom, which went from tidy sleeping quarters of a four year old into a messy dump of teenage angst!

The fantastic transformation was mostly down to Alice (film crew member)and Sasha (from MYVP). Looking at the photos it is the perfect portrayal of the teenage boy habitat. Rather revolting and dirty! The other cocoon to butterfly effect was performed by Conner (film crew member) on his acting debute.

The make up situation was quite hilarious as Maria (Littlestar Media Productions), Maximilian (fellow blogger), Sasha and myself tried toapply an emo/ new romantic style to Conner's face. I hope our efforts were sucessful as it was Maria who took the reigns and drew a heart shaped beauty spot below his smudged mascara and eyeliner.

Anyway after Conner had finished his very exhausting scene pretending to be asleep I interviewed him about his experience. Rather annoyingly I'm having problems uploading my interviews AGAIN! >:(

Today I have another day of film reporting so til then farewell, Erin :)

What's New Pussycat?

Hey it's Erin again! Today was a full house and it literally was! I got my first viewing of the borrowed house in Levenshulme, and it was far more glamorous than the set where Vacant No.21 was made. As well as Jack, Steve and Conner I met two other film crew members. There was Claire, who gets to bring her dog on set tomorrow. Not for fun and cuteness, but for some serious acting! Then there is my old chum Alice who I worked with on Vacant No.21.

Gladly I got the chance to grab some time to interview Steve, Conner and Alice. Annoyingly I've started this blog quite a bit late in the evening nearing the small hours of the morning. And the videos are taking way too long and tugging at my patience! Therefore I promise to come straight home after filming and dedicate my time to uploading them and other new videos.

Vinnie and Richard were today's actors. Vinnie played a water swigging, plastic bottle waster and Richard conveyed the image of a corporate thug. Not my description by the way.

Thankfully we weren't disrupted by anyone, so thumbs up there. People kept there curiosity at a comfortable distance. We couldn't stop the fame seeking cat though! I think it's the most friendly cat I've ever met. This cat's antics were far more better than my role in the establishing shot of the house.

Never in a million years did I think I would be working on films. When the firsts ideas and concepts are being created out of talented individuals it is intriguing. Then when your on location actually filming it's so exciting to know it's going to be a finished piece shown to other people! I really can't wait to see the final cut!

Anyway it won't be long before I'm back with another scoop, bye for now,
Erin :)

news from Littlestar HQ

Hey, Colette here, writing up today's news.

Since coming under the spotlights of Hollywood in films such as The Day After Tomorrow and An Inconvenient Truth, climate change has been hot on the radar of filmmakers, documentary journalists and news broadcasters alike. It’s an issue that has caused a state of near-constant red alert in social and political circles, and it’s just as important that young people today get their voices heard in what concerns the vital future of a living planet.

Today I caught up with the ringleaders of MYVP’s new creative project in the realm of short film, to take a sneak peek at what they were doing to promote the power of sharp young minds in today’s society.

I’m at Littlestar, a studio located deep in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and over on two black couches, three heads are conferring busily. Meet Connor, Jack, and Steve. They’re running over props, storyboarding, and the tricky prospect of cajoling a shop owner into letting his floor space be overrun by cameras during one part of the film’s shoot, due to start later this week.

It’s still early days for MYVP’s latest film project, which has been running since the 21st July, but already ideas for the film’s direction have been bandied back and forth across the table. In order to focus on such a broad topic, the decision has been to draw the focus on the project's environmental theme in microcosm.
I’m told that the original intention was to keep the short impersonal, but eventually a central character was introduced as a figure that people can identify with. Cue a nameless mother-of-three, brought to life by Justine Adams, who has previously worked on the likes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
“We wanted to give it a suburban theme”, Jack tells me, “focusing on just a normal household day.”
The storyboards scattered across the table show a montage of this normal household day, though on closer inspection, it’s one filled with subtle hints and messages about how easy it is to stop wasting resources such as heat, electricity and water.
The short’s protagonist is a recognisable one: a stressed out stay-at-home mother, struggling to connect with her eldest son who has reached the brink of teenagerhood, and two youngsters who won’t get out from under her feet. Isolated from an absentee husband who disappears each morning on the daily grind, she is a forgetful and distracted individual, and pays little attention to the chores she carries out around the house. As a result, she’s wasteful, and completely unaware of the potential damage she’s doing to the world around her. The film will describe an alternative way of going about her daily routine, and highlight just how simple it is to make such changes on a day-to-day basis.

Filming will take place in Levenshulme, and I’ll be back with news from the set in just a few days’ time.

The 411

Today I had my first interaction with the film crew. The group was slightly smaller than I expected, but this point proves that you need a diary free of appointments. Commitment is key! I've come in on the beginning of the third week, so I'm a bit lost amongst the talk on what's happening next when I'm not sure what the film is even going to be about.

Luckily I the had the group (Steve, Josh and Conner) to get me up to speed. The message of the film conveys one of global warming and how it will catch up with us if we don't sit up, pay attention and change our ways. Even if it is the little tiny touches like walking to the local shop rather than taking the gas guzzling car.

The atmosphere was relaxed, but productive. In previous weeks the film crew have undergone various workshops such as learning how to work with the technical equipment, storyboarding and script writing development. Other exciting tasks carried out by the budding film makers include location scouting and cast calling.

Today I listened to script ideas and camera shots being bounced across the coffee table. I couldn't help myself getting involved too! Even a hint of a possible love story was discussed with witty humour and jokes following. Well you work hard, you play hard! Ha ha!

I'm excited with what is happening as it is all real! And I can't wait for tomorrow!

So till next time watch this space!

Erin :)

Let me introduce myself...

Hello fellow bloggers, readers and to any film buffs too! My name is Erin and I'm gladly here to tell you about all the tales, or rather facts going on at Uncommon Shorts.

Like film directors who have their signature genre, my specialty is certainly not horror, but covering the collaboration between the professionals at Littlestar Media Productions and aspiring film makers from Manchester Youth Volunteering Project (MYVP).

This project is not kids messing around with expensive film equipment, they're actually making real films from first concepts and ideas all the way to the final cut! I should know I had the chance to make Vacant No.21, part of MYVP Spring Trinity (go to YouTube now and watch it) with help from Littlestar Media Productions. Oh yeah mistake on my behalf, the participants aren't kids there young people between the ages of 13 and 19. Seriously they're all very mature.

So I'll stop with the long waffle and come back in the very near future with some solid evidence (interviews, pictures and videos) of films being brewed up by the film crew!

Now all you have to do is spread the word! Thankyou and come again!
Bye for now, Erin :)

Meet another blogger :)

The Uncommon Shorts meeting last week was great and now the wheels of creativity are very much in motion.


Allow me to introduce myself....I'm Maximilian, one of the new bloggers for Uncommon Shorts and I'm quietly confident I can keep you entertained. Throughout the next few weeks I'll be keeping you all up to date with what's going on in the world of Uncommon Shorts. You can expect to see interviews, photos, videos and more...so don't be a stranger to the blog....follow us and tell all your friends.


Click us, Read us, like us, love us :)


Bye for now.....

Meet your blogger

Dear diary...

So, the first workshop run by Uncommon Shorts is well under way, and it’s time for an introduction. My name’s Colette, and over the next few weeks I’m going to be keeping up with the activities of some keen young filmmakers honing their creative skills in Manchester.
They’ll be focusing the lens on hot topics and changes in the world today, working together on projects as fresh as the issues they confront. The first film workshop of the season has an environmental flavour, and soon I’ll be finding out how it’s all coming together, and what projects such as this one can do to help spread awareness of key issues today.
Watch this space for exclusive behind-the-scenes news, interviews, photos, and updates in the wider world of cinema!

and so it begins.......

Getting into uncommon shorts!

Welcome to "uncommon shorts!" a series of workshops to produce three films created by young people in Manchester aged 13 -19 .

This film workshops will be happening over the next year through a project lead by MYVP (Manchester Youth Volunteering Project) with its partners Littlestar Media and Cornerhouse, and is supported through First Light Movies & National Lottery.

The first of the three films has an environmental theme and is support through MYVP's Green Machine project and vinvolved.

Over the next few weeks this blog will be updated with information, news views interviews photos and video showing the making of the first film so watch this space !

If you are interested becoming a blog writer/journalist/photographer (and are 13-19) for the first film with exclusive behind the scenes interviews then email sasha@myvp.org.uk.

If you fancy taking part in films two or three then again email Sasha and she will add you to the contacts list.