Christmas lights in London and the sheer mayhem of Black Friday

Black Friday may not be a good day to travel into London.

Yes, we went in, we had booked to go to a film award screening, so we decided to take a camera and shoot the Christmas lights. We never looked at a diary and figure, 'that will be London's busiest day!'

What is an award screening? This is what film makers call award season. That is not the same period as the press call award season; the press will be referring to the film awards post christmas. That is because they will be talking about the actual ceremonies, the winners and losers.

We are lucky enough to have worked in the industry as movie makers and distributors long enough to be officially called veterans, that means free cinema attendance and other luxuries. We are also voting members of BAFTA and European Awards. That means pre Christmas the distributors and film makers are fighting for ours and others votes. They need the laurel on their film. To that end the private screening rooms in London are awash with screenings and gatherings, wine, mince pies and the directors and talent running panels after the film and discussing the making.

There is often a wave of opinion that is constant, the film we watched had a pretty consistent chatter that it was not really good. There can be strange trends with films being favoured that do not deserve it. That might be conscious or sub conscious political voting to ensure survival, employment longevity or people will vote for their own films and their friends. Hopefully the overall membership is so large and widespread that the 'old guard' does not win the election they thought they would. The institutions may not have the control they used to. However, huge numbers may consciously or subconsciously support those they need to stay relevant.
I am not suggesting it happens anywhere, but only using this scenario of how a possible example could work, but I am sure does not happen... Supporting institutions where your films are funded or distributed might be something you would choose to do. If that ever happened, and I am not suggesting it does, it might or could extend to the big guys with huge memberships, like say BBC Films or other huge players. If their staff and those with deals needed them to be relevant to ensure their continued employment or their deals to be repeated, then it might be wise to support their other funded films. If such an outrageous idea, as example only, was extrapolated to then extend into 'bodies' who where maybe people who fund any organisations need to vote to justify their decisions.
I hear Danny Kaye singing the King's New Clothes, as they are altogether in the altogether. I am sure that might have happened in Danny Kaye's time, but not now. Or will political voting always exist. My example is one of of the many possibilities that I am sure does not play out in real life, but could if humans were so self natured. A theme many films have been built on, like Wag The Dog.

Advertising and popularity will always gather public attention and votes when the public can vote, this can be seen in magazine lead awards. Television plugging of their brands to viewers. So how does the independent ever win? Good question. How does the unexpected win an election and how angry might the others be if that happened, should we ever see such an upset happen? In politics such annoying mishaps will cause those with real power to change boundaries to the system they previously loved and fought wars over, or demand recounts.

There is an interesting change in the world, and that is all based on information and access. Well, at least in any country with better than the UK's 4% end users having fast broadband (which is most of the rest of the world, Korean 60%, Japan 70%).
The trend where the public are allowed such freedom, is one of the public voting against what they are supposed to. Or, to explain it another way, they vote for what they want and not what they are told to do.
I was at a meeting recently when a movie distributor on a panel was bemoaning the fact that a film in release can now be killed on first night. he explained that a surge of tweets can sway public opinion before the film has had a chance. That the film is destroyed. An audience member gave a very eloquent reply which I wish I had recorded or noted, but it was to the end that public opinion was real, and rather than ignore it or moan about it, why did they just not make better films instead or trying to wrap their poor product in huge amounts of persuasive advertising. The audience applauded. Once again the system (chosen panel of experts) had been beaten (by the public).

So it is nice when we get a film to trend, and on that Black Friday day, I just shot the Christmas lights in Carnaby Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street and LIberty's windows. Actual clicks are real, and it is nice. If only one could know how viral works. I guess when social media hits become more needed, then there will be farms or outsourced fingers with accounts to give force views for those who can afford it. ... or does that happen? I am not likely to spend money on a two minute Christmas film so these numbers are right.....  but as any lawyer will tell you, it is not about what is right, it is about what you can prove.

Strange world ....

Film is here if you won't be travelling to see the lights in London. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x53luk4 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x53luk4

Why is the press so poor, is it that they cannot get past their opinions. Are they just web series makers, or just competing with web series?

Listening to the news shows, how much they contradict themselves, how much they are opinion lead, are they any better than an end of term web series?

News is disappointing, not because their is bad news, it is because news editors feel they have the ability to preach. I think the public have got wise to this, have stopped trusting even old standards like the BBC and Radio 4 as well as politicians. It reminds me of the film NETWORK, when Peter Finch goes to the window and shouts, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Now it is important to state here that that is actually what he says. He is more often as not quoted as saying 'I'm mad as hell', not 'I am as mad as hell'. Is this important? Yes, because I think that the public have gone to the voting booths and screamed that they are not going to take it anymore, and voted. They have voted Brexit and Trump.

The press are still delivering opinions. Let's lay this out. Forget your opinions but just take on board the facts. The morning after Trump was elected the markets in the UK dropped by 1.4%, then clawed back to .75% loss within an hour. Radio 4 took on board an expert who explained that and gave those figures just before the news. The news then started with the headline, and this is the BBC radio 4, that the markets had dropped by nearly 2%. It is not just a contradiction, but an insult to the expert they employed before the opinion led headline. It is as wrong as mis quoting Peter Finch, and it is why the public have voted.

You may be able to lead a horse to water, but apparently you cannot make it drink. I am now going to quote Radio 4 news again as headlining that the Croydon Tram was doing nearly four times the speed limit at the bend. The facts are that is has been released that it was doing 43 miles per hour on the blend which has a 12 mile an hour speed limit and the BBC's own Radio 5 lead with the headline that the tram was doing three and half times the speed limit.

So, is Radio 4 currently being edited by an opinionated red top journalist who wants to guide the public? It is just a question, because the real news is that the rail the tram was on had a speed limit of 80km per hour or 49 mph coming out of the tunnel just before the bend, and that is within the legal and accepted speed limit. Given the trams full laden weight I have heard it explained that it would take 120 meters to stop.

Using BBC maths, which has no bearing on what would happen in reality, that would require tests, for the tram to slow down to 12 miles per hour, a reduction of four fold, or one quarter, we might suggest it could take 90 meters of the 120 meters suggested it would take to stop. So the real question is why is the 12 mph speed limit sign not 90 meters back from the bend because on hitting the sign is may be too late to be able to slow. So what is the real news? 

Is the real news just great adjectives and headlines to grab the viewer, stirring opinions to have people talk about it? It the news has turned in to Jeremy Kyle type magazine programming, then society has lost it's rudder, and that is an important observation. I was honoured to be at a lecture, or think tank as I like to call it with the head of OfCom's Sharon White in the chair, recently. The audience were all heads of broadcasting. A serious meeting where all agreed that news coverage had hit an all time low pre Brexit with claims of house prices escalating, world war 4 and the like, and news editors just taking unchecked fact and expanding on them. All agreed how disgraceful it was yet no one is doing anything about it.

Most of my movies have been politically driven. Freight is about sex trafficking, but it is more about the fact that UK politicians threw quotes about how bad Britain was to get elected then did nothing about it. Devil's Gate was about incest within the family and the absence of any child protection. Even The Scarlet Tunic was about the attitude towards Catholics in 1802 but the executive producers totally removed that story line from the movie and I think damaged what was a wonderful film. So, the simple web series Shades Of Bad is full of political parallels, and hey .... lets be an editor when we can. But it is drama not news and one hopes for a distinction.

I thought I would share something I have just read which I can take no credit for, and I encourage you to read the whole article. It is perhaps one of the most sensible things I have read in the whole Brexit and Trump era. That may mean that no one wants to read it, and the press will totally ignore it, which is why I decided to give it the Peter Finch treatment and shout about it.

The full link is below and a click on this line, and you may leave me now because I am just going to quote from it, but I will try to do it without opinion.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reflections-trump-presidency-one-week-after-election-ray-dalio?trk=eml-b2_content_ecosystem_digest-hero-22-null&midToken=AQHosgkCW7d0xg&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=1qvUiAgvbffDw1

I do suggest you read the article which is from people who invest your pensions and investments. Just taking a headline in a complex and well balanced piece, it includes....

.....Our very preliminary assessment is that on the economic front, the developments are broadly positive—the straws in the wind suggest that many of the people under consideration have a sufficient understanding of how the economic machine works to run reasonable calculations on the implications of their shifts so that they probably won’t recklessly and stupidly drive the economy into a ditch. 

New Fraud detected for house buyers

Buying a HOUSE, then beware

Our friends at Capricorn Financial would like to make you aware of a new form of online fraud that could target anyone purchasing a property. It's called 'misdirection fraud' and it is costing homebuyers £2.8 million in financial crime each year - a figure that's potentially set to grow.

In a nutshell, hackers will monitor emails between all parties in the mortgage process (client, solicitor and broker). When the hacker identifies a financial transaction is about to take place, they email the homebuyer, under the guise of either a solicitor, mortgage broker or financial institution and ask them to make their deposit into an alternative account - the fraudster's account. The unsuspecting buyer follows the instructions and the criminal collects the proceeds.

Capricorn Financial want to protect you from criminal activity by raising awareness of this growing issue. Solicitor firms are starting to make their clients aware of this risk and we'd encourage anyone in the process of buying a property to confirm bank details with their solicitor before making any transactions, especially where bank details are changed close to the completion date or details are received via email.


Anything like this we would like to just tip you the nod about.







There are also many scams included in booking holidays, when the holiday maker finds they don't have the holiday they thought, which is why we always, when we can, direct you to the holiday makers main web site. They are the ones offering the deal in any case, so all you need to know is there and you have the safety of having booked direct.

P&O Main site, click here

Fred Olsen Site, click here

Saga Site, click here

Also, by booking with the company itself, you will be dealing direct with the company if something goes wrong. Use the link on our site and we score for the referral, so there is no need for a third party to handle your money.

Continuous Content allows Compilations that gives your audience new layers on the content

Compilations work

Behind the scenes are one thing, and you have to do it, but they, with the product give you more product.
I spent many years attached to ITV as a creative head of department and advised on many shows, being attached to Emmerdale for 26 years and famously now meeting Status Quo on Coronation Street (whom I had not seen since the 1970's when I was a radio DJ). During this time much of my work found it's way into ITV 2 compilation specials, like best Emmerdale Weddings etc... you can make a compilation of anything if you have bulk content.

We have ended up in cruise travelling, but it doesn't matter which market you choose. The point of this blog is that after making a number of movies, then 61 episodes (so far) of the on line drama Shades Of Bad, we have in the last year posted 100 travel films on Daily Motion and have an active OPERA TV APP.

The art is to film now for the current and also add bits for the future unknown compilations. Coverage I hear you shout. Yes I agree, and links and turns to cameras. One day you will need them.

Then there is the art of on-line ANNOTATIONS. Now if you don't know what these are, these are boxes you add after UPLOAD and they are a feature of Daily Motion and YouTube to add a click here now box, to go to another film. So compilation, addresses the viewer to watch the multiple content.

As an example, I offer this last effort. 

It contains
MADEIRA, LA PALMA, TENERIFE, GRAN CANARIA, LANZAROTE, LISBON, the annotations send you to an episode of Shades and individual travel films. The Viewer can choose like wading through a multi choice environment.

Now filming car boot sales is easier and more likely to get you a TV gig, and is easier, but it is the style and the lightweight crew that is the secret, and the shots in between shots that you need.

Shades Of Bad is not over but as a small company it all has to wait it's moment, and with the Canary Islands off the work bench (well almost) we have started - at last - to reload the Fiji content.
The Bula Quo movie content, interviews and vast behind camera material that we never knew what we might want it for. Now, we are levelling it into a web series and attaching it to the travel channel as we seriously think about re-writing the sequel Namaste Quo. Rick is at a stage where he will choose what he does and he wants to do more film work, so the sequel looks more likely than a new album. But hey, the film was what brought the last album.

When we wrote that a few years ago Caroline did not feature again but an Indian girl. Francis Rossi immediately insisted that Laura Aikman came back as Caroline. She was at the time shooting Amar, Akbar & Tony with Karen Divid now in Cold Feet, who agreed to play the Asian girl in the show. We will see how much of those plans come together, but, it is about to go onto the work bench. Watch out for the first Bula Quo web episode....

How we store and coordinate the channel data

How much data is 2 films a week? Three? How to prepare and save money...

With Gamers and YouTubers smashing the art of web series entertainment, those of us with film ambitions of any kind look to the future and ask what will work? What does it take to have continuous output? Will I need to upload to the new Facebook video platform everything I have ever done? Where is it? How much data is that?

Established web contributors and real series makers have thousands of fans and videos. Content is king and they are at the top because, by accident or design they have succeeded. What you do not see, as it is not Factor where the failures are televised....  is the queue of people that stretches round the block and back who failed; those with a dream and a huge exaggerated idea of their own ability and talent. But even those who fail are interesting. Being persistent is what counts. The continued content. Push push push and push harder. The ones in the middle are forgettable, the ones who just made three or four films.

It is the singer-songwriter, the content producer that rises to the top. The one who builds an audience, who listens and adapts. Content has been disposable in the first YouTube generation, maybe Game content is disposable as it dates. However, the second generation of content providers are making content that will last. Content that is not just stored at Google and may be required on new and yet to be launched platforms.

Continuous content is what makes a series and a channel. Learning your audience and growing with them. So to run continuous shows requires more than just a dream to sing or act or pick up a camera. It requires data and planning.

It will take time. I spoke with a guy who has a very successful travel channel with thousands of videos and 140k followers. He is 8 years in and just turning the corner. 
From Shades Of Bad we developed www.DorisVisits.com and we have just hit 100 films in just under a year as well as our drama series.

The Grey Pound

The secret is to find something you can do or provide to an audience that needs to and wants to consume it. Doris Shades Of Bad was a drama series made by mature or senior women, testing the on-line market to the grey pound market. The grey pound market was responsible to over 50% of all purchases last year so it has a positive, but few use the web as their off spring do, so it has a negative.

What can you make that they want, and it certainly is not a drama series. They sit in front of a box for those. But like all markets that are not served by the tele box in the corner, whether how to wear a haji or put make up on dark skin, there are audiences out there who want content. Your job as a film maker is to make films... for an audience!

Content and volume

If you are going to make content you will need to work out how much and when and how and where to store it. Doris is stored in coloured plastic boxes!!! See here. Enough of those fancy expensive drives!

Two web shows a week is content, content that will be re-visited in compilations, in re-edits, in reference material. Material stored at HD takes space. Since starting Shades Of Bad in June 2015 and adding the saved media not yet used from two of our previous feature films which will enter the new on-line TV channel in some form, we have 60Tb. For those of you who think size does not matter, think again. Sixty terabytes! We did move to thunderbolt drives when we bought the Red One cameras and through the Epic and Dragon era to edit on Apple, but they have since lost the drive for that technology. We have started to look for other ways to save data. We have now followed the method our composer used slide in and out pluggable hard drives that just go into a dock. This has to be the tidiest way to save data

CHEAPEST HARD DRIVES

We now use hard drives that seem to be inside the other fancy equipment that increases their price, 
http://amzn.to/2eAJSUS

These blank hard drives are solid and reliable and the cheapest way to save data. 6Tb is currently about £200 / $200

To ignore how you are going to service and store your web content is daft, because no matter how hard you plan it will change if your series works and expands. Need for data will continually grow with your success so it is best to plan and plan for hard drives that will live through any change in computer by a simple lead to the docking station.

Drive that can be filed away in cases.


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DOCKING STATIONS

We connect the hard drives as required with a docking station such as this
http://amzn.to/2eFnXe0

But we may get more fancy as our demands are growing. Even the back up files we move away from our computer to a separate drive or the computer gets clogged !

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Data can then be re-visited, re treated as trends and markets change. Episodes edited, tighten, recoloured and made into compilations. 70% of all time will be at the edit, at the computer, marketing and servicing it. keep everything and keep it filed. The stuff I threw away years ago, I wish I still had.

Take a look at our series Doris Visits, aimed at the senior market with cross over. The latest film from Madeira. Click here in Daily Motion.
Or for Madeira Tropical Gardens look below in You Tube. You will need that product to ever serve new platforms.

The cameras used to shoot a web series

Shooting Shades Of Bad - the Kit

Shades Of Bad was a departure into the web for us. Maybe we won't turn back!

We shoot a number of things from movies to web content, but we have just sold our Epic Dragon cameras and now are concentrating on web content. Our main web series are ‘Doris Visits’ the travel shows, and ‘Doris Shades Of Bad’ the drama series. For both web series we wanted to keep the quality at 2k, which is the quality of most current televisions bought and sold. That is certainly as good as most TV shows if not much better than daily soaps and lower level TV which are often shot at 720 lines and they are interlaced. If  I have lost you there I apologize, but most shows are now HD which the retailers are currently calling 2k.

The camera had to be small and I did not need fancy add-ons like slow motion. I just needed a camera that is used widely on the professional market and the cameramen that came in would be able to use. So, I asked them and Black Magic came out tops. I have seen recent blogs where the BMPCC goes up against some newer cameras and it wins hands down.

The kitchen that Shades Of Bad was all going to be shot in is small by filming standards and none of the walls fly away or have traps. I mean none of the walls are force and can be removed. What you see is the space we had. The BMPCC was ideal and there were few other coices. Stills guys compremise, but we never needed it to take stills, we just needed a dedicated movie camera.

It can shoot 2k raw but that means huge files and is over kill and would certainly be well beyond our Apple based edit suit, so we shoot at 1080 uncompressed. The edit still struggles when the shows get to 30 minutes, but we manage as most of the travel shows on line are around five minutes. The episodes of Shades were always going to be around three minutes.

All stop... it changed. As film makers our ambition was bigger and before long we were testing outside night shoots, filming in the woods and then going abroad. Just because we could and web series did not normally go to that expense. For us it was all a test, and adventure. It has generated a new series, the travel show Doris Visits which in 6 months has produced 100 films, over 80 of which are loaded. Now we have groups of actors and financiers coming to us to ask about the next step; shooting a movie this way.

If you are looking for a camera to shoot movies, take a look at some of our films on Doris Visits. This camera does not shoot stills. It is a movie camera. I will address more of our kit in later blogs.

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Ep61 goes live while Doris is away filming on board ship and in Canaries

Ep61 goes live while Doris is away filming on board ship and in Canaries

Away shooting more Doris Visits, but we release the very final episode of Season 3... and yes, it is on board ship as Manuel chases Doris with an eye on Romance. Remember the series started when her husband left her for the next door neighbour and her best friend ... not that that should destroy a friendship LOL...

Now, Doris has gone through quite a lot, but the man she was sent to meet in Barcelona seems to have taken an eye to her.

So, the series takes a break. You may ask whether it is the last ever episode, but no. We think there is life in the show yet, but we have plans for something a little different.... stay watching Doris Visits.

The latest shows on the travel front are the ones on the Costa Del Sol. Here is the one on Mijas.

The rest are easy to find, take a look on www.DorisVisits.com

Wobble TV - do you see the bouncing rubbish bins in Cold Feet

Wobble TV - the stabiliser button

For those of you who have no idea what a stabiliser is, or why the dustbins jump, let me explain. For those who do, I will be brief, skip this paragraph. If you film with a shoulder mounted camera, and the picture wobbles, you can hit a magic button and it might 'mend' it. It is basic maths and technicals. The picture / computer looks for a dominant mid picture icon, a dot, a cross member or upright lamp post. It says, right, that stays where it is - now ! As the picture was moving, but is now nailed by that point, the top will go up and down and the bottom will go up and down. The computer says, give me the best size you can and you might lose a inch from the top and bottom and then no wobble is seen.... magic. Simple really when you think about it. BUT >.... BUT, there are different perspectives. Like different levels of distance from the lens as in 3D and whilst the focal length of the face is anchored the very slight distance swing on the back wall moves.

So, as not to confuse you, you keep the object you want stable, the rest of the picture can be leaping around like a jack in a box. MOST PEOPLE never notice. It drives me mad ... it will you now I have told you want to look for. The worst example I have seen recently was the BBC film starring Julie Walters, Brooklyn. In the house in New York the whole picture I am guessing as shot hand held, I have no idea why as a drama it should have been stable. The executives had the insight to agree in post production and hit the stabiliser button. The wall paper is dancing an Irish jig in the back ground. How such a long list of executives did not have the experience to order the use of a tripod for intense drama I do not know but hey ..... the fact they used the stabiliser proves the shots needed to be steady.

So, Cold Feet .... two weeks ago as they walked through the park they we constant, but the stabiliser had been used on such an extreme shot that the rubbish bins in the park looked like they had been charged with explosives. They were jogging more than Julie's wall paper. It was an example of a very poor decision to save money (again) on a steady cam and use any gadget they can be sold from steering wheels with cameras in the middle to cameras on wheelchairs.

So, when you see the back ground move or phase, that is what has happened. The shot was wobbling, the main object is now fairly stable, but the other stuff is now in a musical.

What this also does is reduce overall quality, because 10 maybe 20% or 30% of the picture is lost. If you lose 30% of the top bottom and sides that is a square of the number as a loss.

100 x 100 = 10,000 pixels

70% left

70 x 70 = 4,900 pixels (half the quality (arguably)

So, as Sky Sports are now transmitting the first 4k football this year, and Broadcasters still shoot 2k at best and lose frame size with reframing and stabilising, what are they delivering? Less than you can get on YouTube...

So, there is a debate starter, like quoting that Netflix, Amazon and Sky all spend more on new drama now than the BBC. Sky! Form their little building in Isleworth, make more than the BBC who own as much in bricks as London transport. ... actually that is an exaggeration, but point made. Something is wrong at the top when multi execs stabilise pictures only after they see them, and bins dance on mainstream TV.

Just saying.... we used to be better than that.

Discovering Lost Actors, at both ends of the age range.

Actors, they All need a break

An actor is nothing without a part to play. Whilst it can be shouted 'there is no excuse', because with a camera in your phone and the internet as your outlet everyone can create.... they don't. OK, to craft a film may take study, but that is there to be learnt too.

I am often noted as saying I find a complete difference between US and UK actors. UK actors claim to have trained then do little more in the way of daily routine. US actors do classes and train non stop, like sports people they work the job. Australians are a fantastically different mix.
When on a huge US series recently I asked the US exec why there were so many Australians playing leads in action and driven US series. The answer was, that they are fit the part well in manner and body shape. UK males tend to be metro, US male actors are image protective, Australian actors can be built like farmers and have a 'don't care get in there approach'. You believe them in rugged roles.

It is interesting, but as young actors look for a break, and discover themselves, at the other end of the age scale, there are so many older actors also looking to re-invent themselves. Actresses who left to have children, actors who left to do more regular jobs so they could support a family. They, when released from the ties that took them away from the art form they would have loved to follow, are available to come back. Whether through local theatre, festivals, or internet publicity like CastingCall Pro, they can come back.

As a director the choice is huge, but, you often go with those you know. Great directors like James Cameron (whom I worked with) uses the same actors, so does Clint Eastwood etc... and Spielberg too. I had two actors, lost to the industry, that I deliberately revived when I stepped in to direct some episodes of Shades Of Bad. They now have active show reels again.

The first was Oliver Degnan who I used, well maybe 30 years ago! He was a child actor in the film The Usual Children, re-issued so many times, first as Millennium Madness then as Mystical Christmas. It was the first lead role for actress Laura Aikman, who 30 years on is still playing leads.
In Usual Children, Oliver played an off the wall off kid. In Shades Of Bad I needed youth who was unpredictable, a gamer and computer boff who could help Doris understand the potential in the future given technology. Who had an edge of violence.

The second actor was Nick Simons who I have seen on stage so many times, working with the above mention kids so many times. But after a financial London career, he is now available to the art again. He stepped into working with a camera like he had been doing it for years. And he had never worked with a camera, or to a camera before. He listened and was a dream.

The result, my favourite episode of Shades Of Bad of all time is The Sinister Jeweller, episode 59. Shot in a few hours at Nick's house it intercuts with exteriors shot in Barcelona (episodes before and after), and Oliver back at Doris's house planning to kill her best friend Wilma.

Take a look. These guys should have agents, maybe I will make that my next mission....
..... SSP

Russia - surprisingly easy to film in

In St Petersburg, no visa

It seems odd that Russia has reached a point where they realise the value of the western world and accept it in St Petersburg by allowing entry without a visa provided you are on a registered tour. The stupid thing is, the tour can be, 'on your own'. On your own means the coach takes you somewhere and says goodbye, you then are free to walk or go anywhere.

I am not sure I recall seeing a policeman. I saw a huge number of the pick-pockets we were warned about, and although they were extremely obvious I have been pick-pocketed twice, both in Romania so I can't suggest I am immune. More police in Russia would be nice, protecting the tourist.

Being an action film director by trade you hope you see these things coming, but it is not always the case and sometimes they happen so fast. In Romania it was different, a girl waits by a less busy cash point and as you turn away she literally grabs your personal area offering you sex. By the time you have refused your money and wallet is gone, you turn to try and redeem it and the girl vanishes. It is a well rehearsed routine that could get them into being members of the inner magic circle, but they would have to work small clubs for little wages and they make more from tourists. In Russia it is normally a younger man or woman offering your a leaflet for a tour. They engage you to sell you a tour and the older partners works you from behind. In the Church of the Spilled Blood the crowds are so crushed together and standing on awe of the place there is no need for a foil, you are just a target.

So, warning aside, carry little, no wallet, no handbag, and hold the camera. Cameras are targets in St Petersburg. You then get the freedom of the city.

We use a real simple camera set up. A Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera that shoots at 2k, with an active Metabones on the front to a Canon 17mm to 40mm USM lens. A radio mic receiver plugs straight into the camera, Doris wears the mic and send unit. Rarely do I listen to the sound so I do not even wear headphones. The wave form of the sound can be seen to move, the background noise is what it is, and normally battery failure on the mic shows up as high level constant noise. So, as a film team we are invisible, however I am not sure that it would have made any difference, not even in St Petersburg.

Church of the Spilled Blood

It is amazing how the Christian church still has such a hold over Russia. It could be an interesting debate as to how wars are really won or lost and whether the benefit is rebels and dollars flowing as directed by the victor. The church is an incredible sight and major tourist trap. It claims to be closed on Mondays, as do many things in St Petersburg, but, it was open on Monday. You have to look at the crowds and ask why would you ever close it.

St Petersburg on your own

The on your own tour rents you an audio pen for a few dollars. I can't imagine why you would not hire one as it tells you so much and without it you are just walking around. There is far too much to see in one day, and many of the things are perhaps not too amazing, but take a look at the tour that sets you free without a visa.

On Line TV gathers speed

Doris Visits have gone with Opera TV via Daily Motion, with IBC approaching there are announcements all over. But on line TV is coming, has been coming, will come.

Doris Visits launched on Opera just a few weeks ago and now has 73 films in the platform and is growing. The key is good regular content. Here is our link so you can see how the platform works for us.  

http://apps.tvstore.opera.com/video_application/?bg=jpg&target_user=dorisvisits&app_id=171799#fix

Launch of Certification Program for OTT apps and
connected-TV devices

                      

New program targeting tens of millions of Opera TV-powered devices will solve key challenges faced by OTT content providers and device manufacturers

Opera TV has today launched the Opera TV Certification Program to bring over-the-top (OTT) services to multiple ecosystems of platforms and devices. The program by Opera TV, the world's largest HTML5-powered TV ecosystem, is a first-of-its-kind program designed to solve one of the biggest challenges facing OTT application developers and OEMs.

Currently, OTT app developers lack a unified approach to develop, test, verify and certify their HTML5 apps across connected TV devices spanning multiple vendors and industries, due to each having different flavors of video streaming and HTML5 capabilities. And, with RnRMarketResearch projecting that the OTT app market will increase more than 17 percent to $62 billion by 2020, the need to address this issue is urgent.

As the world's largest HTML5 TV ecosystem, shipped on more than 40 million devices each year, Opera TV looks to lead the way in addressing this market. To harmonize the two ends, the program is aligned with Opera TV’s latest HTML5 SDK, and consists of two key parts:

• Application certification provides tools and documentation for app developers, and certifies that the app is compatible with Opera-powered devices. This streamlines development efforts and reduces the time-to-market from months to weeks.
• Device certification provides device manufacturers and operators with a test suite to ensure their devices, embedded with Opera TV’s latest SDK, comply with device specifications. This significantly shortens the time to bring numerous top-tier complex applications to the device.

“With OTT quickly becoming an important viewing choice for consumers, there’s no reason for the app development and launch process to be so cumbersome—there should be a clear path that everyone can understand, trust and follow,” said Aneesh Rajaram, CEO at Opera TV. “OTT video app developers should be able to build once and deploy HTML5-based applications that are compatible with all Opera TV devices. This increased efficiency and cost savings mark a significant step forward for the industry. We look forward to helping content providers, developers, OEMs and operators reach new levels of success.”

The Opera TV ecosystem spans more than 40 million new connected TV devices shipped every year, making it the world’s largest unified platform for connected TV devices. The Opera TV Certification Program unites HTML5-based devices into one coherent ecosystem that is market-ready at the silicon level. It provides app developers with unprecedented access to specifications and documentation for connected TV platforms, simple-to-use developer tools such as emulators and code snippets, and access to a global support team of experts in Europe, North America and Asia. Unlike individual OEM or operator platforms, the Opera TV platform evolves quickly to keep pace with market requirements, supporting the complex needs of demanding OTT services.

Through the program, certified apps can be distributed through Opera TV partners, which include consumer electronic device manufacturers as well as the fast-growing pay-TV and free-to-air operators. Unlike other programs, this is a multi-silicon, multi-device, multi-industry approach, all aimed at reaching viewers in their living rooms on any device. Opera TV can also help with the distribution and publishing of certified apps and work closely with app developers and content owners to ensure maximum reach for their content.

The Opera TV Store, an OTT experience for consumers, brings more than 1,000 apps to major OEM brands and pay-TV operators. Existing partners with apps launched through the Opera TV Store have the easiest path to certification and are already jumping on board. In addition, Opera TV is expanding its relationship with other premium content partners, who have complex or custom requirements, to ensure they are perfectly aligned and can capitalize on all the benefits of the new certification program. For a full list of certified applications, please contact the Opera TV team. For more information on the Opera TV Certification Program or to start the process, please visit http://www.operasoftware.com/campaign/certification-program.

About Opera TV

Opera TV is the market leader in enabling the TV industry’s transition to OTT. The Opera TV portfolio powers a rich UI and OTT experiences on tens of millions of new Smart TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc Players and chipsets deployed each year by more than 60 customers. The Opera TV ecosystem spans the Opera TV Store app platform, with over 1000 entertaining apps tailor-made for TV, the Opera Devices SDK for creating and rendering HTML5-based user interfaces including optional modules to enable HbbTV, the Opera Media Streaming Module, to manage the rapidly changing global OTT streaming requirements, and the Opera TV browser for browsing the full web. Opera TV offers solutions for OEMs, pay-TV operators, broadcasters and content publishers. Visit www.opera.com/tv to learn more.

Doris Visits launched on Opera just a few weeks ago and now has 73 films in the platform and is growing. The key is good regular content.

London - critics number 1 restaurant, Restaurant Story

London - critics number 1 restaurant, Restaurant Story

Many critics say this is London's premiere restaurant, so we went to see what the fuss was about. 'Story' only seats 40 covers, you need a reservation, it will cost the national debt of a small town, but, boy is it a great night.

Many thanks to my daughter, Laura Aikman and Matt Kennard who took me to the restaurant as a much belated special birthday present as when the birthday occured I was first away filming on an HBO series, then recovering from an incident on a film set. 

I glad she waited the two years so I could truly enjoy it. Perfect timing, fantastic treat.

Jean (Doris) also loved it, what a fantastic night out. We certainly had no intention of filming it, but as the first snack arrives you are compelled to reach for anything that will act as a camera, and then as the snacks continue and the smoke from the liquid nitrogen wafts over the razor clams you switch to video mode.

This is the result of an unexpected Doris Visits London film, and sorry it is not shot as well as they normally are. But, you may not get to the restaurant in the near future so please - enjoy. Click the text for the Daily Motion version of the film. The YouTube version below.

Click here for the Doris Visits web blog.

The day before we went on a Canal trip from Little Venice to Camden Lock Market, so it was a great birthday. This film was shot a lot better. If you have not done the water bus on the London Regents Canal, then take a look by clicking this text or YouTube version below.

Aaron Sorkin Master Class

Aaron Sorkin Master Class

My son Luke has bought me an Aaron Sorkin master class for my birthday, which is fantastic as Sorkin is my favourite writer. What if I could have written West Wing or A Few Good Men, wow....  Luke knows that I am a firm believer in 'every day is a school day' and 'you never stop learning'.

Maybe he just thought I shouldn't retire yet and I should fire up another screenplay. It certainly has got me fired up. That and talking to an old friend of mine who appears to have been subject to some serious wrong doings. My old English teacher always predicted I would be a writer; one for whom jumping through windows has afforded that luxury!

I have actually taken the Master Class from my in-box where so many things rest until deleted and registered, built the profile and started. It is amazing how instant focus can be. I love his introduction, 'intent and obstacles'. Just three words, and something I always preach but not like that. Not so direct, not so focussed and strong. Three words!

I a few nights ago with Jean and started a recorded BBC drama that was on the planner and within 5 minutes I had left the room, shouting, 'don't pause it, I am sure I can catch up!' I did not get back into the room until the end and it had just got to where I had predicted it was going. If it were a movie script you would argue the whole episode should have all been in the first ten pages.

In Sorkin's first class he stresses that without 'intent and obstacles' he falls into his old college habits of just writing snappy dialogue that goes no where.

Snappy dialogue that goes no where might sum up our film industry. If you remove all the quasi British films that are made in our studios, like Harry Potter and see how the films fared whose whole being is 'funded' and 'supported', maybe it is just snappy dialogue going no where other than keeping a lot of people in jobs, who, don't really 'make' films. It was sad to see Metrodome go bust and follow so many British Film institutions who try to work with real film makers.
What if, 'industry', the word that so often follows 'film' kicking and screaming, was what it had to be?
What if the Lottery was removed?

I am not suggesting the rebate incentive goes as that is there for all. That is farer. That encourages the US studios here and has been much of my income for many years.

Over the weekend I discussed an argument that it was piracy killing film, and found myself suggesting an argument parallel to that of the music industry. I am not suggesting piracy is not a bad thing, but suggesting we are not tackling it in a way that can ever work. The music industry faced this piracy long before film, it still faces it, but it dealt with it by finding answers.
What if, instead of supporting just a chosen section of the film industry with crutches, the Lottery was made to find answers that turned film back into an industry. Would that not be a much better use of money?
For the sake of suggestions let me suggest it builds sales systems that makes all small British films so cheap and easy to buy, pirates are out of a job. That is what music did. Music hurt for a while and then it worked with the new figures.
or, what if we also only release files (at any stage) with adverts embedded into the file so income was generated. If commercial companies placing adverts funded films rather than the Lottery, would it be different? Would that be industry not the very British Benefit system?

There could be answers that build an industry but in the 40 years I have watched my industry it prizes middle management like the NHS rather than film makers. The idea of supporting film making with layers of managers and judges that consider and preach to the film makers has been well tried now and failed. It means people make films to please the charitable, not the public. To please the management not the retailer.
Maybe it is time for a serious discussion about this, or to remove the word 'industry' and replace it with 'charity' or 'benifit'.

Let us face it, film comes under the DCMS. Media and sport ... and Sport is where 'drugs' and the 'unfair playing field' is considered a crime. Yet in film, we continually build 'unfair playing fields' by giving some the 'drug' of 'Lottery money'. Is it time to re-think this?

Just saying. It is worth discussing.....

Have a great week....

ssp

Tallinn in Estonia, what an undiscovered gem. Doris Visits Tallinn on the P&O Arcadia Cruise J607.

Tallinn in Estonia, what an undiscovered gem. Doris Visits Tallinn on the P&O Arcadia Cruise J607. Click here for a tour of the Arcadia.

Doris Visits is the spin off show from the dark humorous web TV show SHADES OF BAD where actress Jean Heard was twice voted Best Actress in the USA for this UK web soap.

The spin off series DORIS VISITS has gone everywhere from the Red Sea to the Caribbean and now fully covers a Baltic Cruise with films at each cruise stop.


Click any of the text below for the film on Tallinn.

Tallinn was an unexpected pleasure. Not that Jean expected it to be nice, but that it rocked and blew the other stops off the chance of a number one.

Yes, Tallinn is both beautiful and friendly. 


The walk from the ship is probably under a mile and easy, and as you get near there is an old city map and the couch spires are a clue. Once through the castle walls you are in an old walled city that is full of new buildings. It is said that Tallinn has one foot in the past and one foot in the present but that is the charm of this port which was a major trading stop between the 13th and 16th century making it one of the Hasidic League.

Tallinn used to have the tallest building in the world. That must have been a long time ago because the tower on St Olav's is not that tall, but the narrow winding stone stairs are for 'two way traffic' and some might find them too narrow for single climbing. Only the fit should attempt this because the view is replicated across town.

There is also a tour of the underground tunnels, those that are not closed off because of the protected bats and 9 inch giant spiders in the other parts which must not be disturbed. The tunnels are cold and blankets are supplied and advised. the walk through the tunnels is about an hour so plan the time in order to find your way back to the ship.

Though the town is small, it is best to get a handle on landmarks early if you are not on an organised tour that always guarantees to get you back or make the ship wait.

One of our friends in the entertainment department on board tried the Honeydew beer and warned us off, so we stayed coffee and cake at the Toompea castle viewing spot. Click any of the text above from the Tallinn picture to here to be taken to the Tallinn film.

The Doris Visits will help to orientate you before you go and give you just a little taste of what is a very special place. With six ships in port you can tell it is popular. If only they gave us more votes in the European Song Contest, that would be perfect ... you are only reminded of that because of the Abba Museum in Stockholm. You did see our film on that didn't you? If not click here.

Mistresses to British Royalty, definitely SHADES OF BAD

Mistresses to British Royalty, or Royal Mistresses just happens to be the one woman show of actress Jean Heard who plays Doris Shades in Shades of Bad. Now, she walks us round London and reveals the haunts of Royal trysts. How did we get there from Shades Of Bad?

The drama web series Shades Of Bad has won Jean Best Actress twice and is now well into season 3.

There is now a well established travel show spin off. Doris, as Jean, or Jean as Doris has reviewed cruise ships, been to many of the Caribbean stops and has videos on ski resorts. Click here for the list.

Obviously there is a travel show film on the Fjords in Norway on the list, but unlike the other travel films which are purpose shot, that is a collection of film out-takes and views from when they were shooting the Norwegian episodes of Shades Of Bad the web series which are now going out weekly. Click here for the first Norwegian show.

However, it is odd that a London based travel show ignores the jewel of London. Add the train of thought that Jean Heard has a series of five one woman shows called Royal Mistresses, it was obvious that the team should trek into London and see just where these little elicit meetings took place. Her show is booked via Jennie Storr, her agent at the famous The Speaker's Agency.

There are some fantastic surprises in the films like being allowed to film in the famous Rules Restaurant for the Lillie Langtry film and finding the table where she sat with Edward VII.

Discovering that there was a tunnel from the Drury Lane Theatre to the pub opposite for Charles II to see Nell Gwynn.

The fantastic statue of Queen Alexandra who had to share Edward VII with many mistresses, including Alice Keppel who was the great grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles! In Edwardian high society, affairs and mistresses were more acceptable than divorce!  We visit Clarence house, once home to King William 1V, previously the Duke of Clarence who had a 20 year affair, and 10 children with Dorothy Jordan.

On top of that there is a film on Buckingham Palace and the area.

If you are not all Royalled out by then Doris, Jean, went up to Edinburgh for the Queen's 90th birthday and does a full tour of the Royal Yacht Britannia.  One of three films in Edinburgh, Doris also found a take of Lillie Langtry while in Scotland, That appears in the Lillie Langtry film.

Derek Redmond could be a great actor and a star in yet another area.

New black actor could be mega star - Derek Redmond in Shades Of Bad

There is nothing more exciting than discovering talent !

Stuart St Paul met Derek Redmond on the 'after dinner speaker's circuit ', where they have both often been on the same bill. The two have became friends.

When Stuart suggested that Jean was looking for an actor to play a complex part and they both thought he would be perfect, Derek was interested.
The rest is now history. Three of his ten or so episodes are now live.

Above is his third episode when Doris arrives in Stavanger, Norway. The series has definitely stepped up a gear. If you want to start at Derek's first episode read on, it is at the bottom, then use the annotated links if they appear to jump to 'next episode'.

Derek is an Olympian, won the Men's 4x400 metres event at the 1991 IAAF World Championships in Tokyo, Japan and 400m with team mates Roger Black, Kriss Akabusi and John Regis. St Paul had already worked with Akabusi on the TV show 'Do You Want A Smack'. So there was even more common ground. It is funny how this really is a small business and the players have long and inter tangled roots.

Explaining the part was not easy because Redmond appears as a bad guy, the kind who would kill anyone, but, he is there to save Doris from someone even worse. To say more would give too much away, but Derek, playing Drek, sends Doris Shades to Norway to collect a package and waits for her at home with the annoying Wilma.
(Click this para for Derek's first episode.)

These international sports stars have charisma, they have something special which is why they make such great presenters and panel show guests.

They already live the life of strange hours, world travel, TV cameras, panel shows and being under the press microscope at every move.

However, as celebrities, guests and keynote speakers they are plied with more bucks than actors are thrown, so it was the friendship that swung the deal and the fact that as it was a web series  his contribution could be shot around his very busy calendar.

Even then he often arrived late from another engagement, had to leave for an engagement, and while there Sky Sports were sending a satellite unit to the set to have him go live into the news. Shades Of Bad was a perfect fit as all the players have other engagements, but it did make scheduling a little bit of a challenge.

Stuart confirms that these were the first episodes that actress Jean Heard directed, purely as she was not in the UK in the story and as such was without a job while they were to film, and Buster Blackledge had gone off onto a movie.

Jean's Norwegian sections had been shot ages ago, long before Derek was cast, which to some extent sadly locked the flexibility of the script.

However it has all been made to work and series three ends with him able to come back for another season should he want to, however, the reality is that season 4 will no doubt start shooting around the time the Rio Olympics are on and Derek will be busy as a commentator or expert on a TV network somewhere round the world.

Research, here are a number of films you can click on to see what is going on

Click here for the 2016 trailer with Derek in, long before the episodes were cut, but it is a good taster.

Let us tweet and share Derek's first appearance and see where it takes him.

Click here for the full Shades Of Bad playlist. Derek starts in Episode 43, if you want to jump in somewhere, episode 40 is not a bad place to start.

Since Norway, Jean has started a Travel Show spin off, DORIS VISITS, click here for the whole playlist. 
But click here for the cuts of Norway cobbled into a travel show episode, whilst not in the normal Doris Visits style gives a little of what was going on. All this was shot before Derek was cast.

Finally, please subscribe to the Shades Of Bad YouTube channel. Derek is in the show for around ten episodes... we have not counted them!