Danny Lacey Film Blog

The Blog Has Moved Home

2011-04-01T18:43:00.000+01:00

PLEASE NOTE:

The blog has now moved location.

http://www.dannylaceyfilm.co.uk

Look forward to seeing you over there.

Danny

The New Look Blog Is Coming, New Look, New Location

2011-03-30T18:56:00.000+01:00

The time has come to expand the blog, to modernise The Filmmaker's Journey experience.

This Friday, 1st April the new blog will go live. It will be packed with LOTS of extra sections, a new snazzy looking site that will be informative, inspirational and easy to navigate.

The mission statement of the blog will be the same - it's an open account of my filmmaking projects.

It goes live Friday at midday. The web address will be http://www.dannylaceyfilm.co.uk

Please do spread the word and hope to see you on the other side.

Danny

Cool New Widget From Love Like Hers Composer, Niklas Aman

2011-03-09T20:30:00.000Z

Niklas Aman / Composer

Things are slowly returning to some kind of normality after what has been the craziest January and February on record (for me anyway). Moving house, Jury Service, major corporate video projects and so on.

Time to get back to the business of making films and sharing the experience.

Niklas Aman, the composer on my short film Love Like Hers has a cool new widget from his website that does a fantastic job of showcasing his music and I wanted to share it with you.

This is a great way of getting your work 'out-there' via embedding. Something I'll be looking into more in the coming months for my film projects.

Anyway, Niklas is one of the most talented musicians/composers I've come across and I'm such a big admirer of his work and I just wanted to share some of his work with you. In the hope that you feel inspired to contact him and use his work on your future projects.

Check out Niklas' website here

Keep your eye on the blog, lots of interesting film updates on the horizon, including - the live show will be returning soon (new look, new format), a NEW online experience for new film makers, news on the Love Like Hers premiere screening and release date and so much more!

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny
Follow me on Twitter here

A Great Example Of Why Doing The Odd Favour Won't Kill You

2011-02-11T11:18:00.001Z


Frank Ryan in Angel of the Night (stills by julian Holtom)

In this day of arguments and disagreements over the whole 'working for free' in the film business, it was a real pleasure to receive an email from an actor who appeared in my first short film Angel Of The Night. He didn't get paid.

But he was very happy to work for one day to help a new film maker. He, and everyone else, were well looked after and certainly weren't taken advantage of.

Anyway, the email speaks for itself.

"Hi Danny,

Long time no see. Congrats on the new film hope it really works out well, it has great potential!

Angel of the Night seems like so long ago now, but I really enjoyed it, very well edited by the way. I must say the still shot Julian took has worked out so well, I have been inundated with work mainly from that one shot. Last year I did lead roles in Twelve shorts, one for the Leeds film Festival and one for The Royal Armouries, Two Commercials, The lead in a feature film Called “Vacation Hunter” which is now in post production and due for release later this year, and just finished filming a main support role in another feature. Also have been asked to audition for another feature next month with Jay Giannone from The Departed, Three Kings, Gone baby Gone and Entourage.

So all in all I thought I’d get in touch and say a deserved thank you.

Best wishes,
Frank Ryan"

You can see Angel of the Night, shot in 2009 with no budget HERE on my YouTube channel. Along with LOTS of other behind the scenes videos.

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny
http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm

Welcome To My World Of The Love Like Hers Edit

2011-01-29T15:13:00.000Z

The moving picture aspect of the Love Like Hers edit is 95% done. Yet, there's still plenty to be done.

The above video is a little insight into the Love Like Hers edit timeline. It'll give you some idea of the process the film is going through right now.

You can also view this on my YouTube channel here http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

We're another step closer to having our first test screening with a small group of random people. It'll be their notes and feedback that will aid the next batch of tweaks to the edit. A very important process if I am to get the absolute best from this short film.


Love Like Hers Rushes

Mark Talbot-Butler (editor) has done all that he can on the film, due to work commitments and jetting off to LA for several months. This has left me with the task of fine tuning the film. Fortunately, I do have experience in editing which is proving incredible valuable right now.

Putting the finishing touches to the edit on Love Like Hers is like re-writing the screenplay. I've literally moved scenes around, dubbed dialogue over other scenes, experimented with inter cutting previously unused footage and so on. It's amazing just how much the edit can reshape your film.

It's the finer edit points that will help with the flow of the film; when to cut between takes, slightly overlaying the dialogue/video cuts to help with the flow etc. Getting the timing right for when to 'cut' is so important, it's like an orchestra. The individual instruments represent the clips on the timeline, they all have to play at the right time in order to deliver a beautiful sound.

So right now It feels like I'm conductor, getting all the clips on the timeline to work together to deliver a compelling piece of film.

Keep your eyes on the blog, plenty more updates to come as post-production picks up serious pace on Love Like Hers. The next major phase will be sound design - can't wait to tell you more about that.

NOTE: The screengrab software I used for the above video was Screenflow. Cost me $99 but was worth it and will come in very handy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Danny
http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm
http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

Why I'll Be Opting To Film Digitally On Future Film Projects

2011-01-18T17:35:00.002Z


S16mm film Ready to send to labs

Shooting my FIRST major short film project on Super 16mm film really was like being thrown in at the deep-end, in a storm and without a life jacket.

But I'm glad I did it - and not for the reasons you might think.

Aesthetically speaking I couldn't yet tell you if it was worth the pain shooting on S16mm. The high resolution rushes are currently sat on a HDCamSR tape or two. All I've seen are the low quality offline rushes that were TK'd (transferred from film to digital format) on to DVCam. This isn't going to give me any clue as to the picture quality of the final film. Rather frustrating.

The major lesson learnt is, you don't have much control over your film in post-production when working from a small budget. What I mean by this is, if you run out of cash too soon - if you've shot on film - you could be left with footage that is on a format you can't use without it costing you an absolute fortune to transfer in to an accessible digital format. That's film for you.

S16mm Film

If you shoot digitally (i.e. RED, Canon 5D etc) you have MUCH more control over your footage. It can sit on a high powered PC or Mac and be edited using various professional software set-ups. The key is, you're in control of your film and less reliant on others.

And let's be honest, the difference in picture quality between film and digital is fast approaching minimal proportions.

The mistake I made was requesting a TK of the high res rushes on to HDCamSR tapes, instead of having the lab TK onto a hard drive. Having the high resolution footage on a hard drive would have made things so much easier and more accessible.

At the moment I'm left with having to find a post-production house willing to do me a deal on transferring my HDCamSR tapes, matching up with the EDL of the offline edit, grading and delivering on a hard drive. Easier said than done.

Having said all that, shooting on film is quite an experience and one I won't be forgetting in a hurry. It's a nice discipline, as a film maker, to experience.

This experience however has lead me to stay away from celluloid on any future short film projects. I'm not saying I'll never shoot on film again, what I am saying is I'll only shoot film when the budget available is much (MUCH) bigger.

Arri SR3 Camera on Love Like Hers

The whole experience has made me a much wiser film maker that's for sure.

Having said all that, there are many advantages of shooting on film - IF YOU HAVE THE BUDGET! And make sure you leave plenty for post-production.

UPDATE: I must stress that iLabs, who did the telecine on this film, were utterly amazing. They did me an INCREDIBLE deal, with Fuji, on supplying the film and then TK'ing. They've been incredibly supportive, for which I am very grateful. I made some mistakes that led to the complicated post-production process I'm having to go through right now, nothing to do with anyone else.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to join my mailing list for the odd exclusive update (maximum of two emails a month).

Danny
http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm
http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm
http://www.facebook.com/lovelikehers

Giving Love Like Hers The Facebook Touch

2011-01-13T16:59:00.000Z

I get quite a few requests for more information on my first major short film project, Love Like Hers. I looked at the many options available online, including setting up a bespoke and dedicated website for the film - too much work and expense. So, I opted for a Page dedicated to Love Like Hers on Facebook.

I didn't want the bog standard fan page on Facebook, they're a little bland. I wanted to customise the pages, tabs etc., and add my own graphics. After a little research, I discovered a way in which I could play with the look of the LLH fan page. To do this, I'd have to get down and dirty with HTML coding and the Facebook language of FBML (which isn't actually that hard to master).

The FBML tabs allow you to add graphics, images, html code, embed video etc. In other words, really spruce up the look of the page.

Here's a cool website that I found that has a much better explanation of how to work with FBML in Facebook (includes video tutorials). Just click on the link here.

So, if you are making a film and you have a fan page - it's worth spending a moment or two to add more images and graphics. Be creative.

That leads me nicely on to the launch of the Love Like Hers Facebook page. Now online and packed with information about the film. Behind the scenes video and pictures, regular updates, events, cast and crew details and so much more. Please do visit the page and click on 'Like' - we would love to get over 300 fans in the very near future.

Click here for the Love Like Hers Facebook Page

It's all part of the Social Media machine - ignore it at your peril.

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny

Closer To The Final Edit On Love Like Hers

2011-01-11T17:43:00.000Z


Make-up van used on Love Like Hers

There's a very good chance, being the optimist, that the edit on Love Like Hers will be completed within the next two weeks. It's taken slightly longer than I'd hoped, but finally, we're close.

This means, it's time for me to reignite my role as producer on this film, to get the project finished, and there's a stack of jobs to be done.

MUSIC
Once Mark (editor) has sent me the final edit, a dialogue only version will be sent to Niklas Aman (composer) in Sweden. Niklas is the incredibly talented composer who will be adding an incredible soundtrack to this film. I can't stress just how excited I am at hearing the music Niklas is producing for Love Like Hers.

Niklas will then send over all the music and other tech elements to the dubbing mixer.

EFFECTS / ONLINE EDIT
We're editing off of DVCam footage at the moment (offline). I need to find a production house willing to help us get, using the EDL, the film into an online form. I've also got a full resolution copy of all the shot footage on HDCamSR (with timecode). All we need to do is marry up the EDL and online video.

There are several effects sequences in the film. I'll need to send the appropriate high res footage over to Russ Wharton who will be looking after the CGI work. He'll check the quality of the HDCamSR footage, hopefully this will be good enough for the work he needs to carry out. However, if it's not, I'll need to get back to the labs and see if they could convert the shots into DPX files.

ADR / SOUND MIX
There maybe some little extra bits of dialogue I need to slot into the film, I'll have a better idea of what's needed once the latest edit comes back. If this is the case, I'll be arranging dates and times for a recording session with the actors. Mike Aiton is our award winning Dubbing Mixer. It feels like centuries ago that I was chatting to Mike, in pre-production, about the sound on Love Like Hers. We're now getting closer to mixing the sound. Mike will be bringing all the different sound elements together in a nice tight mix and adding his magic touch (i.e. dialogue, Foley, music, effects etc).

GRADING / MASTERING
Where are we going to have the film graded and mastered? That's a very good question, and one I'm hoping to have an answer for in the near future. I desperately need a production house (probably in London) to take pity on me and want to help out. This is where my blagging producer skills will be tested to the limit.

I'm hopeful that we can get a professional grade on the film. It would be great to have a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) copy of the film, but more realistically, it'll be a very high res version supplied on hard drive.

It's back to hitting the phones and email. If you know of a facilities house that would be willing to help - please do email me here.

Don't forget to join the mailing list for the odd important update (no more than two in one month).

Thanks for stopping by!

Danny
www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm
www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm

What's The Big Plan For 2011?

2011-01-05T02:45:00.000Z

Directing Susie Amy on set of Love Like Hers

I thought I'd opt for a more relaxed year of activity, taking it easy in the hope that my career will be launched in a more casual manner. Whatever!

It's making my eyes water just thinking about it. Here's a few projects that I'm working on in 2011 - it's a heavy workload.

LOVE LIKE HERS
Now in post-production, I'm working with Mark Talbot-Butler (editor) to tighten up the edit and get us ready to take the film into sound and grading. The plan is to have the film finished by the end of February. Then, there will be a special premiere screening event to be held at The Pictureville Cinema in Bradford, West Yorkshire (limited tickets available if you fancy coming along, just £10 each - email me to reserve a seat).

The film will then be sent to five film festivals. No more. This film was meant to be a learning experience, a steep one at that. It was never my intention to go crazy in the film festival market. One step at a time.

Once it has run its course on the small festival circuit, a DVD and Blu-Ray version of the film will be made available for purchase.

SHADOW
The project that I keep referring to as 'top-secret'. All I can say, is, it's a sci-fi project that I'm very excited about. I'll be directing a small crew in Feb/Mar as we shoot a teaser-clip on the latest RED camera. This teaser-clip will be shown for the first time during the premiere screening of Love Like Hers. Then, I'll be revealing everything about this project on the blog.

P.I.
A serious attempt at winning an Oscar, or at least getting very close! P.I. will be my next, and final, short film before attempting to take on a feature film project. We're aiming very high with this film.

I've made a very good start on developing the story and I'm hoping to start the first draft of the screenplay very soon. Again, I'll be working with Danny Stack (scriptwriting genius) to help knock this script into Oscar winning condition.

The film is a thriller, set in post-war 1940s. But it's NOT a war movie! Keep your eye on the blog for plenty of updates on this one.

UNTITLED MODERN MUSICAL
This will be my first attempt at a feature film. I've already got the idea for the story, the plan is to work on development and pre-production during 2011, and shoot the film in 2012. An essential element to the success of this project is to attach a big name actor as early as possible. It's an incredibly ambitious film project, with a very clear target audience.

Just some of the projects I'll be working on this year - where to start!?

Please, if you have a spare second or two, sign up to the mailing list (over on the right). We got just short of 70 on the list so far and would be great to take that over 100. I promise NOT to bombard you with emails, usually just one per month. You'll receive exclusive news and more often than not, be the first to hear about exciting stuff to do with film projects. Please, please do sign up!

Thanks for your support and for stopping by.

Danny
http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm
http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm

The Film Maker's Journey - A Look Back At 2010, An Incredible Year

2010-12-24T16:38:00.000Z

Merry Christmas!

Time to take stock and look back at what has been an incredible year. Some very big steps have been taken in advancing my fledgling film career. I wanted to share some of the highlights with you and thank you for your support! And to pre-warn you that 2011 is going to be even bigger!

Here's a look back at the highlights of the last 12 months, month-by-month.

JANUARY 2010

Angel of the Night, my short, no budget, horror film was broadcast on Zone Horror TV. It made it into the final 10 of their national Horror CUT competition. A very cool moment indeed and not bad for something I shot on no budget and mainly as a learning exercise.

I shot Angel of the Night at the end of 2009 out of desperation to just get behind the camera and make a short film. It worked a treat. The film has continued to get very positive feedback from those that see it.

It was also the month that i started my Live film maker's show. The first of its kind in the world for an indie film maker. The hour long show is an open and honest account of my journey as a new film maker. The show is usually broadcast every other Tuesday evening UK time. The viewing figures continued to grow as the months progressed. My Livestream channel currently has over 250,000 viewer minutes.

The fund raising efforts began for what was going to be my first major short film, Love Like Hers. We need to raise £10,000 to help shoot the film. A mammoth task.

Niklas Aman, an incredibly talented composer from Sweden was one of the first people to join the Love Like Hers team, my first major short film project to be shot later in the year. Niklas very kindly agreed to compose the music for the film, which was fantastic news as we were going to get a soundtrack written specifically for the film. This meant I wasn't going to have to buy off the shelf production music - which I was very pleased with.

FEBRUARY 2010

Developing the script for Love Like Hers was one of the main highlights of this month. I had the story, the concept, but it needed a lot of work doing to it. I needed to work with a scriptwriting professional to help shape it up. So the search began.

Visiting Cannes in May was also on the cards in this month. This would have been my first time. Although i was a Little concerned about the expense of the trip and whether I could afford it. Tuxes don't come cheap you know!

The Live Livestream show was going from strength to strength. I even hosted a live 1 hour fund raising show to help raise funds for Love Like Hers. It was hugely successful as we raised over $600 in just one hour. Again, I was breaking new ground as far as crowd funding goes. A lot of film makers have been inspired by this method of raising money.

MARCH 2010

There was a lot of PR and marketing activity in this month to help raise the profile of Love Like Hers and help increase contributions to help us raise the £10,000 needed to shoot the film in August.

I decided it was time to give Love Like Hers a teaser poster. A shop window you could say. Working with Serena McCutcheon a local model, photographer Julian Holtom and designer Dan Anscombe, we came up with what would be our 'teaser trailer'. This poster had a dramatic effect on the profile of the project - in a very positive way.

I'd also decided to expand on the one hour live fund raising show idea from the last month. I now plan on hosting a 24 hour live fund raising show. Crazy I know... read on.

APRIL 2010

The Love Like Hers team was ever expanding. I'd found an experienced Script Editor to help shape the LLH script, in the form of Danny Stack. Danny is a former script analyst for Pathe, Working Title, Miramax and the UK Film Council. Leoni Kibbey joined the team as Casting Director, a move that was to prove VERY important to the casting process of this film project.

I visited friends in the Isle of Man during the Easter Holiday to help concentrate on writing the 2nd draft of the Love Like Hers screenplay. The plan was then to hand it over to Danny Stack for him to help beat it into shape.

The marketing machine for Love Like Hers was also moving forwards in this month. I was working on an original song for the soundtrack with Niklas Aman. I co-wrote the lyrics for what became Here Tomorrow (the Love Like Hers song). Anna Goldsmith, also in the Isle of Man, added her incredible vocals to the track. More on this in the coming months.

MAY 2010

On Thursday evening, 20th, at 9pm UK time in this month, the clock started on the live 24 hour fund raising show. That's right, hosting a live film makers show on my Livestream channel for a whole 24 hours. It was an incredible event and one of the highlights of my year. The show was packed with guest videos, features, live chat and lots of support from people all around the globe. We ended up raising over £1,000 for Love Like Hers. An incredible achievement, and again, another first for an indie film maker. Something I can be very proud of.

Rachel Devenport joined the Love Like Hers team and helped generate some very effective PR for our fund raising campaign.

There was lots of writing going on. An intense amount of writing to get the Love Like Hers screenplay finished. Danny Stack had added his magic, the script was really taking shape.

JUNE 2010

There was another visit to the Isle of Man planned in this month. This time to shoot the music video for Here Tomorrow, the Love Like Hers song. I was shooting the film with Dave Armstrong, a very good friend of mine. We ended up filming it on the Canon 5D. We filmed in some incredible locations and were very pleased with the final video. The idea was to now release the music video and mp3 of the song for download to help raise funds for the film.

Chris Jones, Oscar short listed film maker, joined the team as Executive Producer.

We were still debating over what format to shoot Love Like Hers on. The real viable options on the table were Canon 5D, RED, S16mm or 35mm.

I was invited to a media college in Doncaster to share some of my experiences with a bunch of keen students. The invite came from the course leader who had been following my progress on this blog.

JULY 2010

Here Tomorrow, the Love Like Hers song and music video were finally released for download. It was just £2.50 for the video (in full HD), or £1.50 for the mp3 version of the song. This proved a very popular method of raising funds.

The pressure is now well and truly on, the camera rolls on Love Like Hers next month, August, and there is still lots of work to be done in pre-production. Including finishing the script.

I received the most incredible, generous and unbelievable news in this month. A private contribution of £5,000 towards our film. I couldn't believe it - it took several days for it to sink in. The contribution came from someone who had been following my blog for over a year. They wanted to remain anonymous. I still hope that one day they'll let me write a blog entry on their kindness.

Our current fundraising total stood at £8.5k of £10k needed. We were nearly there.

Pre-production was proving to be very difficult and time consuming. My role as writer, producer, director was really starting to take its toll. There was still so much work to be done and little time to do it with the August shoot date looming. I had to make a very tough decision. I had to push the filming date back to September.

We were now shooting the film on Super 16mm film. We were offered lots of stock from Kodak but were really struggling to get that killer deal with a lab for telecine. In the end we had to go with Fuji and iLab in London who offered us an incredible deal.

AUGUST 2010

I was over the moon when Mark Talbot-Butler, editor on hit Brit film Exam, joined the team and offered to edit Love Like Hers. He fell in love with the script and really wanted to get involved.

The new filming date of September 14th was confirmed. A three day shoot was planned. A lot of work was still to be done in pre-prod but I was confident it would all get done. Finding the locations was becoming a real headache. There were six locations needed, including a road in the middle of nowhere, a hospital care room and a diner.

A friend of mine in the Netherlands drew up some conceptual art for the film which look amazing. The full Love Like Hers crew was confirmed, with over 30!

Leoni Kibbey had been working incredibly hard to cast the film. We had some brilliant news when Margeret Clunie agreed to play the leading role in the film and Susie Amy signed up to play her Mother.

And, more great news for our fund raising efforts, an incredible contribution of £1,000 from a viewer of my live Livestream show. This and several smaller contributions took us over the £10k needed!!

SEPTEMBER 2010

The month for Principal Photography on the biggest challenge of my film making career so far.

We were panicking at one stage because the actor we were after to play one of the roles in the film hadn't gotten back to us, shooting day looming. But finally, his agent got back to us and confirmed that Vincent Regan would be happy to play the role, big sigh of relief, and what an incredible name to have attached to the film.

Very possibly one of the craziest ideas of mine was to attend the Isle of Man film festival the week before we're filming Love Like Hers. The event was fantastic, but there was so much work to be done and I had to hit the phones and email hard during my time over there. And believe me there were many last minute problems that needed fixing. One of the major scenes in the film was to be filmed in a moving car, yet we had no low loader at this point. I did finally manage to get in touch with someone and we had our low loader. It was a tense few days I can tell you.

On Tuesday 14th, 15th and 16th the camera rolled on Love Like Hers, and what an experience, one of which I will never forget.

The film was now in the can, time to send the footage to the labs for TKing.

OCTOBER 2010

Love Like Hers is now officially in post-production. The TK'd footage came back from the lab. I have an offline DVCam version and full res HDCamSR. I decided to edit my own very rough reference cut of the film, just for my own peace of mind, before sending the tapes to my editor in London.

It was time to take a break from Love Like Hers and start work on my next project, another short film, this time called P.I.

NOVEMBER 2010

Love Like Hers is now with my editor. It'll be some time before the film is complete as my editor is working on a feature film at the moment. Hope to have a first edit by the end of the year.

In the meantime, I can start thinking about what the future holds for Love Like Hers. I'm sending it to 5 film festivals only, I've decided to show the film for the first time at a special premiere screening event in West Yorkshire. Once it's done the rounds at the 5 film festivals it will be released for sale on DVD/Blu-Ray and digital download.
It was also the month that I revealed plans for a new venture in 2011 called The Film Maker's Journey PART 1. This will be an online event that I'm sure will be of interest to new film maker's like myself. More news to come on this in the new year.

DECEMBER 2010

And so here we are. I've just heard back from my editor that the first proper edit of Love Like Hers, along with 'epic' temp sound will be available for me to see within the next week. I cannot wait to see it!

I'm very busy working on P.I. my next short film, and a serious attempt at winning an Oscar. I've also had an incredibly busy month with my video production business.

NEXT TIME ON THE BLOG...
In the next blog post I'll sharing some of the projects that I'll be working on in 2011.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out my YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

Danny

Branding Love Like Hers And Preparing For Its Release

2010-12-10T17:52:00.000Z

Time to place the graphic designer and marketing hat on my head. As it stands we're still a few months away from unleashing my first short film project, Love Like Hers out into the World. Yet, the film doesn't have any real presence as far as branding is concerned.

Love Like Hers doesn't have any marketing tools at this moment in time. I'm talking about a film poster, using that killer stills image from the film. An image that will be used on most forms of marketing and packaging. Then there's the font and logo, in this case the title of the film. A logline. And so on.

Here's my plan to combat the lack of marketing and branding tools for Love Like Hers.

First, I'm going to gather the best stills from the film, along with other images that are connected to the story, and other elements that could be an insight into the World in which this film is set. Then, I'll tackle the font for the title of the film. I'll then get to work on a rough, outline design for the poster. This will involve me working on several ideas for the 'look' of the poster. The next process will be to short list the best designs and ask for feedback, field research you might say.

The most popular design 'look' will then be tweaked until 100% satisfied. This will become the basis and point of reference of the Love Like Hers marketing tool kit. It's the elements, and design layout that will be used in other promotional literature and indeed on the DVD/Blu-Ray cover.

A new Love Like Hers website will be launched soon, featuring the new branding.

Love Like Hers will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2011, packed with extra behind the scenes features.

UPDATE: I'll be bringing you more news on The Film Maker's Journey PART 1 soon. A new and innovative online portal for new film makers. It takes sharing the film making journey to a whole new level. Keep your eye on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out my YouTube Channel for LOTS of film making videos.

Danny
http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm

The Film Maker's Journey Part 1 - Online In Early 2011

2010-11-30T17:29:00.001Z

I'm currently working on a video documentary aimed at new film maker's (like myself). The documentary will be made in various sections, covering the different phases of making a short film, from developing the script to post-production. All based on my experiences so far over the last few years.

There will be LOTS of behind the scenes videos and interviews with cast and crew on Love Like Hers, my first major short film project (currently in post-production). I'll also be lining up interviews with seasoned film making professionals. I can promise you that this documentary will be PACKED with videos that will help educate, inspire and motivate new and ambitious film maker's.

The documentary will also dig deep into the technical aspect of shooting a film, crowd funding, using social media to promote your projects and so much more.

'The Film Maker's Journey (Part 1)' coming early 2011

I haven't quite decided what the fee will be for this online experience as yet, but I reckon we're looking at something in the region of £50 for unlimited access - it will be worth every penny.

I'm also hoping to bring back the regular live show via my Livestream Channel. Just working on a few ideas to freshen up the format of the show. There will be a live show before Christmas and then in the New Year a whole new look live show.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out the many cool film making videos on my You Tube channel.

Danny
On Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm

Premiere Screening Of Love Like Hers And Festivals

2010-11-13T11:00:00.000Z

Still in post-production on Love Like Hers. My editor, Mark Talbot-Butler, is editing LLH in the middle of a major feature film project which means it's going to take a little time to get my little short film finished. I'm hoping the edit will be done in December so that we can start looking at sound design and having the film finished for very early 2011.

A special, invite only, Love Like Hers screening event will take place in West Yorkshire. Right now I'm looking for possible venues. Rest assured it'll be somewhere very nice indeed. This screening will be attended by cast and crew plus their partners, my family and friends and special VIP guests. I'm also allocating 20 spaces for anyone else interested in attending the event. Ticket prices will be just £10 and will be sold on a first come first served basis. Any money made from the screening will be pumped back into production costs on Love Like Hers.

Once the special screening is over, the film will then be entered into 5 film festivals. I've decided to keep this number low for several reasons. One of those reasons is cost, it's an expensive process entering film festivals. Also, I didn't make this film to just throw around the festival circuit, it's a crucial learning exercise, part of the bigger picture. Another valid reason is, I want to make this DVD/Blu-Ray of the film available to purchase as soon as possible. It would be great to generate a little revenue to help cover the extra expenses shooting the film incurred. Any extra will go towards making my next short film. There will be several versions of the DVD and Blu-Ray available. Will tell you more in the new year.

In the meantime, if you would like to attend the special premiere screening of Love Like Hers in early 2011, then please email me now and I'll pencil you in for one of the limited 20 spaces. Email me here

Thanks for stopping by and please don't forget to join the mailing list (over on the right of the page there). You WILL NOT be swamped with emails. I like to keep it to about one per month and I'll make it interesting.

Danny
Check out my YouTube channel for LOTS of behind the scenes type videos http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

One Of The Unique Ways We Raised Funds To Film Love Like Hers

2010-11-05T15:32:00.002Z

a still from Here Tomorrow music video (Isle of Man)

It really was a miracle that so many people from around the world wanted to help me make my first major short film, Love Like Hers. So many generous contributions and so many of you taking advantage of some of the creative perks we were offering - a little way of giving something back.

Now, I don't want to go into the whole crowd funding thing again in this blog. I just wanted to share with you one of the ways in which we raised the £10k needed to make the film. I thought, quite a unique idea, I'd never seen anyone do this before.

I came up with the idea of taking a song that was made for the film and shooting a music video for it. The song was 'Here Tomorrow', composed my Niklas Aman, both Niklas and myself wrote the lyrics and Anna Goldsmith added her stunning vocals. The idea then was to make the video and song available for download.

So, I jumped on the ferry and headed over to the lovely Isle of Man where a very good friend of mine let me use his camera kit and his cinematography skills (Dave Armstrong - check out his film projects here). We shot the video over two days. It was a great experience playing the role of producer, director, editor and grader on this music video.

The music video was made available for download as soon as it was finished. The price for the music video download (in HD) was just £2.50 and the song was £1.50. There were over 70 music videos downloaded in total helping us raise over £200 towards the film. Which was great. Not only that, but the music video is proving to be a very useful promotional tool for the film.

Some time has now passed since the crowd funding, and I've finally decided to release the music video and song for everyone to see. We're so very proud of what we achieved in such a short amount of time. I hope you like what you see and hear.

To see the music video in HD please CLICK ON THIS LINK to be taken to my YouTube page.

OTHER NEWS: The Live show is back THIS Tuesday. The Filmmaker's Journey continues with Episode 22. I'll talking more about my next film project, P.I. and about a TOP SECRET sci-fi project that will make you go Hmmmm.. Tune in Tuesday 9th November 2010 at 9pm UK time via my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for stopping buy and don't forget to check out the new section on the blog, up near the top, called DEAR DIARY. Lots of updates in their and secret stuff.

Danny.
http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm
http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm

Independent Film Makers - Can We Make Money From Our Trade?

2010-10-30T14:11:00.000+01:00

I found myself making notes the other day on ways in which a revenue stream could be opened up from Love Like Hers and other future film projects. I came up with some interesting business ideas and thoughts. Do you know what? It can be done. Maybe not on a Hollywood multi-million dollar scale, but maybe on a more covering costs and a little more to go towards future projects.

I'll say it again before I go on - film making is a business, businesses need to make money. Yes, I love film, my career will be making films, it's my passion. But the ONLY way I'll be able to make films, is if they make money. I'm fortunate enough to be running my own video production business which pays the bills - but what if my films could help financially too?

Love Like Hers is now well into post-production. It'll be sent to a handful of film festivals once we've had a private premiere screening. After that, the film will be sold on DVD and Blu-Ray. We've already sold LOTS of pre-order DVDs for Love Like Hers, which is amazing! The idea now is to turn Love Like Hers into an incredibly attractive product. This will not only include the film on DVD/Blu-Ray. But also packed with LOTS of behind the scenes video, production documents AND a workshop type feature that will share the experiences of pre-production, production and post-production on the film.

The general plan, and my initial thoughts, are to release a few different versions of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray. There will be just the film with some basic behind the scenes extras for, let's say £10. Then a DVD/Blu-Ray PACKED with behind the scenes videos and a ton of extra pre-prod, prod and post-prod videos etc, I'm looking at approx. £35 for that version (trust me - it will be worth every penny). Then an online feature, details to be confirmed.

Now, Love Like Hers will never make LOTS of money. Infact, ANY money raised will help to cover any extra costs that the film will generate (i.e. film festival costs etc). Any extra cash the film might make will go into making the next short film project, 'P.I.'

Just some thoughts I wanted to share with you. If you are a new film maker, serious about the business of making films - start to think about attractive ways in which you could make a few pounds from your film. Of course, the quality of your product has to be exceptional! Never lose sight of that!!

In other news: The live show is coming back very soon. I'll be sharing more of my film making experiences and at the same time helping you guys network with other film makers from around the world. Do check out my Livestream channel is you've not seen it before. You'll see LOTS of previous shows that have been recorded and are available to watch again. Go to http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thank you so very much for stopping by, hope you're finding my journey interesting. Any questions, please do not hesitate to email me dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

Danny
http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

What's Next For Love Like Hers?

2010-10-21T19:36:00.001+01:00

I keep getting asked, what's your plans for Love Like Hers?

The film is now with my editor and it could be in post production for quite some time yet with plenty of work to be done. It has always been my plan to enter Love Like Hers into a handful of film festivals around the world. I don't want to go crazy to start with, I'll carefully hand pick 10 to 20 festivals to start with and see what kind of response the film gets. If the response is favourable, then the film will be sent to a few more festivals.

As I've just mentioned, I don't want to go crazy and enter too many festivals - simply because it's way too expensive and time consuming at this moment in my career.

Before all that, there will be a special premiere screening of the film for family, friends, cast, crew and special guests later this year or early next year. I intend on putting on quite an event. Watch this space for more.

Lots of exciting blog updates to come on post-production on Love Like Hers.

In the meantime I'm now well into the development of my next short film, 'P.I.', and my serious attempt at winning an Oscar, nuts!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out the YouTube page for LOTS of behind the scenes video, all to do with filmmaking - http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm.

Danny

Entering The Next Phase Of My Five Year Plan, Short Film #2 - The Oscar Contender

2010-10-07T17:07:00.000+01:00

With Love Like Hers now in the can and on the way to my editor for what will be a lengthy time in post-production, my mind wonders ever so slightly to concentrate on prepping for the next major short film project, 'P.I.'

It's a bold, ambitious, dreamy and totally crazy statement, but I'll say it anyway - I'm going to try and win an Oscar with my next short film. There.

Taking everything I've learnt over the last few years, my experience on shooting Love Like Hers and all the great contacts I've made, I'm now working hard on the screenplay and pre-production schedule on 'P.I.' This film, I believe, is going to be something very special. Feature length in it's energy, scale and aspirations, this short film is a thriller through-and-through and is set in the 1940s.

First step is to write a screenplay worthy of an Oscar. The story is well into development at the moment and I'm getting closer to putting pen to paper for the first draft. The plan is to write the first few drafts of the screenplay and then work closely with TWO professional and talented writers on the next batch of drafts. I'm in the process of trying to attract two names to the writing team. The screenplay is going to take at least 12 months to finish. The script has to be out of this world!

In the meantime the idea is to attract some big name actors to the project, hoping that this will have a positive effect on attracting investors. Although I'm not quite sure of what the budget will be for this film, it'll be somewhat more than Love Like Hers. I reckon we're looking at between £20-£30k.

One thing is for sure, I WILL NOT be producing the film myself. My mind is now fixed on finding a brilliant and enthusiastic producer to help bring my world of 'P.I.' to life. I hope to spend the next few weeks finding a producer willing to join the team and get this film into gear.

Initial thoughts are principal photography will be later in 2011, shooting on either 35mm or digitally on the RED camera, with film being the preference. The location for shooting will be the Isle of Man, I love the island, and it has some amazing locations and a fantastic film set-up.

Things are really starting to hot up, and I'm incredibly excited about what the next 12 months hold. I have what I believe is a controlled confidence of succeeding in bringing this project together, without losing touch with the harsh realities of a project of this scale. I'll be fighting harder than ever before to get this short film made.

Thanks for stopping by, you might want to sign up to the mailing list (over on the right) to keep up to date with everything that is about to happen!

Also, don't forget to check out my YouTube page for LOTS of behind the scenes stuff, including behind the scenes video from our time shooting Love Like Hers http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

Danny

Love Like Hers Moves Into Post-Production With Lots Of Work Ahead

2010-10-05T16:40:00.004+01:00

Vincent Regan in Love Like Hers

As every moment of pre-production, production and post-production passes on Love Like Hers I can feel myself growing as a film maker. And I can see myself becoming quite an awkward perfectionist in the coming years as my career develops, or maybe it's just part of the ageing process? Never quite satisfied unless I get 'that' shot I want for my film, I'll be trusting and acting upon those instincts as the projects come. After all, I plan on reaching the top in this industry and I won't be getting there anytime soon if every thing's just 'okay'.

I was concerned (here comes the perfectionist) that we didn't get all the coverage needed for the edit on Love Like Hers. Only having three days to shoot to blame. So, I decided that I was going to put together my own very rough cut of the film. Just to put my own mind at rest. I was starting to worry here!

My own rough edit of the film is done. And let's make no mistake about it, this version is incredibly rough and very far away from what I want for this film. Having said that, It makes me feel a little better about having to drop so many shots and being beaten by the rain on day one of shooting. Yes, I'm going to miss the bits we didn't shoot, but I do believe that when my editor gets his hands on this and adds his bit of magic, we'll end up with a very nice little film.

There are a few stand out moments even in this rough edit that I'm very happy with, and I just know they're going to work incredibly well emotionally in the final edit.

The next job is for me to send all of the offline DVCam tapes to editor Mark Talbot-Butler in London and then sit and wait to hear his thoughts for the edit. He's an experienced and incredibly talented editor and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with the seventy odd minutes of footage we got.

Thanks for stopping by. Plenty more updates to come as we move through post on Love Like Hers and develop my NEXT short film, my Oscar contender 'P.I.' We're heading in the right direction that's for sure!

Danny

The Harsh Realities Of Shooting Your First Major Short Film

2010-10-01T13:08:00.001+01:00

Margaret Clunie as Ella

Over 30 crew, 5 actors, 6 locations, make-up vehicle, mobile production office, trailer for the actors, low loader, shooting on S16mm film - make no mistake, this was a short film project that was more like the scale of a feature length film. Not bad for my first major short film project.

There were of course some serious lessons learnt during the filming of Love Like Hers. We had to make some major compromises during production. Here's the main lesson:

SHOOTING SCHEDULE:
I knew going into this film that three days was incredibly ambitious to get all the coverage needed. This was a major problem. There was no way I could afford to push for a four or ideally a five day shoot. The budget was extremely tight. Love Like Hers was absolutely a five day shoot, minimum. The dreadful weather conditions on day one for our exterior location put us way behind schedule. We were on the back foot from there.

Despite the crew working flat out, the camera set-ups take much longer than I first thought, this meant we had to drop many camera set-ups that would have really helped get the coverage I originally wanted for my film. Just one of many compromises we had to make.

Therefore, looking back I should have done extra preparation in anticipation of dropping shots etc.

We also ended up approx. £1.5k over budget due to unforeseen expenses.

Let's not lose sight of what this film was supposed to be - a learning experience, albeit a big one. Part one of a focused and ambitious five year plan - of course there were going to be mistakes.

Love Like Hers is now going through post-production. I'm in the process of cutting a rough edit, for my own peace of mind. Then I'll be sending all the offline footage over to my editor in London for the main editing process. Generally, and despite everything that we were up against, I'm quite pleased with what we got.

WHAT'S THE NEXT PROJECT THEN?
Next on the agenda is my short thriller 'P.I.' and a serious attempt at winning an Oscar. I've already started working on developing the idea and hope to have a first draft of the screenplay in the next few months. It's a period piece set in the 30s/40s. Keep your eye on the blog for more...

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny.

We Did It, We Actually Did, Love Like Hers Is Now In The Can - What An Experience!

2010-09-20T19:14:00.001+01:00

It's really hard to put all my thoughts into a single blog post right now. So many emotions, so much I want to share but I'm unable to organise my brain - It might take me some time.

I'll start by saying WOW! I can't believe that just happened. A film that I wrote, produced AND directed has been filmed, and is now ready for a marathon post-production.

Three fourteen hour days, a crew of OVER thirty, six locations, eleven pages of screenplay, five actors - incredible. It really was like working on the set of a feature length film in its scale. We had a huge make-up van, a huge production office, the actors had a room each in a trailer, we were working with a low loader that's used on many a blockbuster movie, shooting on an incredible Arri SR3 camera using Super 16mm film and then the rest.

There were ups and downs on the shoot. The weather knocked us three hours behind on day one which meant we had to drop lots of shots from our garden location - not ideal but needed to keep us on track. There were moments when I just wanted the ground to open and for me to fall in. These were the few times where I didn't think things were going as I'd planned or hoped for. Having to drop shots and various camera set-ups because of time restrictions was a little depressing at times. Worrying that I wasn't going to get the coverage needed for the scene, and giving us extra options for the edit. Not the fault of the crew, more of my naive plans to shoot so much in just three days.

However, the ups far outweighed the downs. It was like walking on air at times. I was making a film, directing an incredible team and I felt confident. It was an incredibly steep learning curve, picking things up on-the-fly as the shoot progressed.

Many lessons were learnt that's for sure. Things that I could have done in pre-production to help in production. You can never spend too much time preparing.

I want to say the biggest THANK YOU to all the crew that were on this film, the amount of hours and effort these guys put in was incredible. It was a real pleasure working with every single one of them!! And the cast, blimey, talk about an incredibly talented group of actors. Leoni Kibbey did a great job of casting on this film.

Anyway, I'm going to share more thoughts, experiences and behind the scenes bits n bobs on the next live Internet TV show which will be on Tuesday 21st September at 9pm UK time via my Livestream Channel which is here http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Some pics from the shoot....
(behind the scenes pics taken by Christy DeHaven)

Thanks for stopping by

Danny

1 Day To Go, 1 Day Of Pre-Production Left, Time For A Quick Update

2010-09-13T01:34:00.000+01:00

It's 01:22 UK time as I write this and I'm still working. Staying up late to await the arrival of Dave Armstrong and Christy DeHaven who will be helping out on Love Like Hers.

I'm pretty sure, aside from a few little things, that we're good to go on filming Love Like Hers. I've done as much as I physically can. I'm now no longer working through the to-do list, I now find myself trying to find something to do. I'm hoping this is a good sign.

The budget has kind of spiralled out of control. We're £1.5k over budget at the moment. It's amazing where those extra costs come from - travel expenses for cast and crew, hotel costs, props etc.

Producing this film has been quite an experience. I'm glad I took on the role of producer as it has been an eye opener. However, I will not be producing my next film that's for sure. I'll be leaving that to the professionals. The first thing I'll be doing is finding a producer willing to work with me on the next film.

For any new film maker's reading this who are planning on making a credible short/feature film, trust me when I say... WORK WITH AN EXPERIENCED PRODUCER!

Right, busy day ahead tomorrow. Final day of pre-production and still a few things to sort/confirm. The crew will be collecting the kit from ProVision later in the day. I'll be collecting actors from the airport, train station and so much more. Will also need to spend some time with my DP and camera operator to go through the shot list and screenplay again.

Can't go anywhere though until the 9x 400ft rolls of S16mm film have been delivered, they'll hopefully arrive first thing.

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny

3 Days To Go Before Filming Begins On Love Like Hers

2010-09-11T10:29:00.000+01:00

Hi - Danny's girlfriend here at the helm of the latest blog entry once again.

What a difference a day makes! At the start of Friday our director/producer/script writer Danny was tearing his hair out with a massive list of jobs that needed to be done before filming on Tuesday.

On that list:
- Sourcing a Low Loader
- Hotels and accommodation
- Catering
- Sourcing Butterflies
- Car for the car scene
- Flowers for the garden scene
- Props and transportation of the props
- Answering and sending countless emails
Thankfully, yesterday was a highly productive day for Danny and most items have been crossed off that to do list!

It's funny how you expect that you can now do most things on the Internet... hotels 'I'll get them off the net' the Car for the car scene 'I'll look on Auto Trader online' yet some how the vast amount of information online becomes a hindrance and suddenly there's just too much information and you're getting nowhere!

So, on to the phones we went, making calls and speaking to actual people; doing it the old fashioned way! Making endless calls to hoteliers going back and forth with quotes and dates, some folk were helpful and others not. We even spoke to a guy in the Caribbean (which made our stay on the Isle of Man seam somewhat less appealing)!!

I dread to see the mobile bill when we get home, the extra charges to use your mobile here will no doubt hit Danny where it hurts, his pocket!!

But, now with just 3 days to go, Danny's stress levels are now at 30% and that 30% is just down to apprehension and excitement ahead of shooting on Tuesday.

A massive thank you to Bickers who have confirmed the booking for a Low Loader, a massive weight has been lifted off Danny's shoulders now that has been sorted. Roomzzz Leeds have been brilliant in housing cast for the length of the shoot. Even the weather is looking better for next week too... with 2 out of the 3 days forecast for sunshine.

So with this great news and things moving in the right direction, we'll take this opportunity to take an afternoon off and enjoy the spoils of the Isle of Man, see some sights and relax for the afternoon ahead of what will be one hell of a BUSY week!

Have a good weekend!

Love Like Hers Pre-Production Headaches And Increasing Stress Levels

2010-09-10T12:21:00.001+01:00

Hi, Danny’s girlfriend here. Just thought I’d update you on what Danny is up to on the lead up to Tuesday’s shoot for Love Like Hers.

We’re currently both staying in the Isle of Man for the Film Festival that started last night and whilst he’s here, he’s doing what I thought was difficult for most men... Multi-Tasking! With just 4 days to go, Danny is currently tapping away on his keyboard, making phone calls and mainly pulling out his hair (hence me writing this blog entry!).

You can almost see the steam pouring out of his ears as he tackles some last minute preparations for the film, some of which have landed at his feet unexpectedly. He’s still on the prowl for a Low Loader, Hotel rooms, Props and a Car to use in the film amongst other things. As you can imagine these are quite big things that still need to be ticked off the to-do list. Just by observing, I’ve learnt that some things are just a waiting game, putting calls and emails in and waiting for a response can take a whole day and that’s time that Danny doesn’t seem to have.

However, things are slowly getting sorted and arranged. The order for the S16mm stock has now been processed and the delivery is booked to arrive on Monday. I can see just how excited he is about working on S16, but until the other things pop into place, he can’t get too giddy as his mind is on other things.

Having said that the insurance for the shoot has also been confirmed today and the full kit list for the shoot is being finalised at this very moment. Also, just confirmed, we now have the props for the garden scene courtesy of New Coley Nurseries at Denholme (West Yorkshire). Additional plants and shrubs will be picked up on Monday ready to take to the garden scene in Alwoodley that should add the extra colour that Danny needs to bring that scene alive.

We’re still on the hunt for some butterflies though!! Danny needs to source real life butterflies for several scenes in Love Like Hers... where would one find these? Will Danny need to go out with his net himself or go capturing caterpillars!!?

That is the next hurdle for this afternoon along with finding the right car to use in the film and confirming the use of the all important Low Loader.
Keep popping back to see how Danny is getting on – and to see if he has any hair left!

Danny's Girlfriend - Jacqui

Love Like Hers, The Cast Have Landed

2010-09-07T18:42:00.000+01:00

I've hardly got time to breath at the moment. I'm caught up in a whirlwind of things that need sorting before principal photography next week. I WILL NOT work without an enthusiastic producer on board for future projects that's for sure. I'm wearing so many hats right now.

Anyway, great news - WE HAVE OUR CAST!

I'm delighted (understatement) at the calibre of actors that this film has attracted, with huge thanks to my fabulous Casting Director Leoni Kibbey.

Yesterday I got the news that we finally got the actor we'd been after for a while to play the role of Father. Now, I am delighted to give you the cast, for Love Like Hers!

VINCENT REGAN
(Brian/Father)

Where to start. An incredible actor who has an amazing CV. Vincent has appeared in blockbuster movies like 300, Clash Of The Titans, Troy, Joan Of Arc and the rest. As well as appearing on some of the most popular TV shows in the UK, like London's Burning, A Touch Of Frost, Murphy's Law, Empire, Wild At Heart, Mistresses and many more.

I'm really looking forward to seeing him bring this character to life on screen.

SUSIE AMY
(Mum)

A familiar face on TV, Susie has appeared in some of the most popular shows on UK telly. Including Coronation Street, Doctors, The Royal, Hotel Babylon and Footballers Wives. Susie also appeared in the 2009 film Lesbian Vampire Killers.

An extremely talented actress who will be appearing in the new ITV show 71 Degrees North to be broadcast in September.

MARGARET CLUNIE
(Ella)

Margaret has just graduated from the Oxford School of Drama Post-Graduate course after first reading English Literature at Newcastle University.

Theatre Credits include; 'Girl' in What Big Eyes You Have (Kerfuffle Productions, Edinburgh Fringe), 'Girl' in This Must Be The Place (Arizona Bay Productions, Edinburgh Fringe), 'Strophe' in Phaedre's Love (OSD), 'Montagu' in Cause Celebre (OSD), 'Helena' in A Midsummer Night's Dream (OSD, Blenheim Palace) and 'Number 10' in Attempts on Her Life (OSD, Hampstead Theatre).

Film Credits include: 'Hope' in Nobody's Business (Freya Films) and 'Girl' in The Uncatchable Killer (BartleArts)

Margaret has been cast in some very exciting projects including Johnny English 2 and is about to play the lead opposite Joe Thomas (Inbetweeners) in the feature film ‘The Toll Bridge’.

TRISTAM SUMMERS
Role: Shaun

Tristam trained at The University of Birmingham and The Central School of Speech and Drama.

His television credits include: ‘John’ in SUBURBAN SHOOTOUT (Feelgood Fiction); ‘Paul Fry’ in THE BILL (Talkback Thames) and ‘Bob’ in MATERIAL GIRL (Carnival Film and TV Ltd./ BBC) .

His theatre credits include; ‘Max’ in COCKEYED (Kfir Yefet); ‘Justin’ in STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT (Good Night Out Presents); ‘Creon’ in Burial at Thebes; ‘Rag & Bone Man’ in THE MONSTER OPERA (Word of Mouth Ltd); ‘Charlie’ in WAITING FOR SUPERMAN; ‘Oberon’ in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (3 Bugs Productions); ‘Charles’ in THE BLUE ROOM (Article 19); ‘Benny Southstreet’ in GUYS & DOLLS (MTS Productions); ‘Juror #11’ in TWELVE ANGRY MEN (MTS Productions) and ‘Fred’ in SAVED (Six and Out).

Film credits include; ‘Dean’ in BROKEN THREAD (Sacred Thread I.O.M Ltd); ‘Shaun’ in LOVE LIKE HERS (Stada Films); ‘Jacques’ in DEAD TIME (Mototake Makishima Films); ‘Oscar’ in BELONG (James Dann Films); ‘Alex’ in THE LAST SUPPER (CSSD); ‘Rich’ in MIXED DOUBLES (CSSD).

MEGAN NICHOLSON
(Young Ella)

So we have our cast and we are now just one week away from filming Love Like Hers. I'll be trying to keep the blog posts coming but as I'm sure you can understand, things are going to be a little crazy over the next week or so. Please do keep an eye on my Twitter page for REGULAR updates during filming - http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm and the official Twitter page for Love Like Hers at http://www.twitter.com/LLHFilm

Now I know this next bit might sound a bit nuts, but I'm away in the Isle of Man from tomorrow to attend the IOM Film Festival. It is my intention to broadcast a live show from an event I'm attending on the Thursday, in the evening. Keep a close eye on the blog and twitter for the exact time. It's going to be a FANTASTIC show I promise!! With some very special guests.

Live show on Thursday 9th September, time to be confirmed via my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for stopping by!

Danny

Another Talented Actor Confirmed For Love Like Hers - This Is Becoming Quite A Cast!

2010-08-27T17:53:00.001+01:00

We're 19 days away from principal photography on Love Like Hers and another actor has been confirmed.

That makes three incredible actors already signed up for roles in this film. Margaret Clunie will play the lead role of Ella, Tristam Summers playing the role of Ella's boyfriend Shaun and now.....

Susie Amy
(Mum)

A familiar face on TV, Susie has appeared in some of the most popular shows on UK telly. Including Coronation Street, Doctors, The Royal, Hotel Babylon and Footballers Wives. Susie also appeared in the 2009 film Lesbian Vampire Killers.

An extremely talented actress who will be appearing in the new ITV show 71 Degrees North to be broadcast in September.

I'm really looking forward to working with Susie and watching her bring this character to life in my film. Many thanks again to my Casting Director Leoni Kibbey who is doing a terrific job.

Don't forget to tune into my Live show on Tuesday evening. It will be episode 20 of the live show, an open and honest account of everything I'm going through as a new filmmaker. It's also a chance for other creative minds and film fans from around the world to network in the chat room. It's a live TV show via my Livestream channel. Tune in on Tuesday 31st August at 9pm UK here http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for stopping by. More updates to come.

Danny

PS - You might also be interested in this site http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

Extremely Talented Actress Cast For The Main Role In Love Like Hers

2010-08-23T18:51:00.004+01:00

The casting process for Love Like Hers is really coming together. Leoni Kibbey, Casting Director, is doing an incredible job of finding a very high calibre of actors for this film.

And today I can finally confirm that we have our leading lady. With my hand on my heart I can honestly say that you should absolutely keep your eyes on this actress. She IS going to be a big name in the very near future. I'm hoping that she'll remember us when she's big in Hollywood - because it is going to happen.

I'm so excited having already confirmed Tristam Summers, another incredibly talented actor.

It's with great pleasure that I can announce the name attached to the character of Ella, in Love Like Hers.

Margaret Clunie
(Ella)

Margaret has just graduated from the Oxford School of Drama Post-Graduate course after first reading English Literature at Newcastle University.

Theatre Credits include; 'Girl' in What Big Eyes You Have (Kerfuffle Productions, Edinburgh Fringe), 'Girl' in This Must Be The Place (Arizona Bay Productions, Edinburgh Fringe), 'Strophe' in Phaedre's Love (OSD), 'Montagu' in Cause Celebre (OSD), 'Helena' in A Midsummer Night's Dream (OSD, Blenheim Palace) and 'Number 10' in Attempts on Her Life (OSD, Hampstead Theatre).

Film Credits include: 'Hope' in Nobody's Business (Freya Films) and 'Girl' in The Uncatchable Killer (BartleArts)

Margaret has been cast in some very exciting projects including Johnny English 2 and is about to play the lead opposite Joe Thomas (Inbetweeners) in the feature film ‘The Toll Bridge’.

Watch this space for more cast announcements over the next few days - very exciting times for Love Like Hers.

Don't forget to check out the Love Like Hers song. Made specifically for the film, Anna Goldsmith 'Here Tomorrow', composed by Niklas Aman and lyrics written by me and Niklas. A music video of 'Here Tomorrow' is available to download for just £2.50 with all proceeds going towards the film. See a clip of the music video here http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm and download the video here http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

Five Year Film Making Plan - Recap

2010-08-21T11:04:00.000+01:00

I keep getting asked, 'what's next after Love Like Hers'? So, I thought I'd recap on my five year plan to establish myself as a respected film maker. The steep learning curve of several big production projects.

The idea was to give myself a focused plan off attack for my film career. Something to work towards. As an entrepreneur I come from a business background. For me it is important to treat film, as a business, as that's exactly what it is - something often overlooked by many new film makers.

Here's how I'm tackling my career for the next five years or so.

'Love Like Hers'
My first major short film production. A budget of £10k that was raised through crowd funding. A 13-minute psychological thriller shot on S16mm. Shooting in September, we hope to have the film finished (including post) by December.

The film will be entered into a handful of festivals around the world.

'Untitled Modern Musical'
A short modern, contemporary musical. The budget for this film will be somewhere in the region of £50k, and will be raised through private investment. We'll be shooting this on 35mm and the film will be approx 20 minutes in duration.

I'll be making a start on the script as soon as we wrap principal photography on Love Like hers. Pre-production will start January 2011 and I hope to be shooting the film later in 2011.

'P.I.'
This will be my Oscar contender. I've done quite a lot of work on the story already, I had the idea several years ago. I really believe that this short film could win an Oscar, or at least get VERY close. The budget will be somewhere in the region of £50k. Again, like the last film this will be shot on 35mm.

This film will be shot in 2012.

'Web Sci-Fi TV Series'
Another idea I had some years ago. An 8-part web exclusive TV series based on a very subtle Sci-Fi idea of mine. Not sure what the budget of this will be just yet. Looking at shooting this on the RED camera. Development of the story and pilot episode will take place in late 2011, early 2012.

'Untitled Feature Film Development'
This will be my first feature film. At the moment I'm looking at an idea that I've called 'Them'. A sci-fi/thriller film steeped in mystery. However, I have several ideas that I'd like to consider for feature film development.

And there it is. projects that should fill the next five years. Of course, no one quite knows what is around the corner. One of the above projects could open some doors that I wasn't expecting and take me on a whole different journey. The above projects are to help establish my film career. Set my stall out as a film maker.

Hope you found this post interesting. Don't forget to join the mailing group (over on the right of this page). I won't bombard you with emails, MAX two a month.

More updates to come. Thanks for stopping by.

Danny

First Of Five Actors For Love Like Hers Revealed

2010-08-16T13:28:00.001+01:00

Things are really hotting up in the casting process. Casting Director Leoni Kibbey is doing a fantastic job in approaching our wish list of actors for the various roles in Love Like Hers.

I'm very pleased to announce the first actor confirmed for Love Like Hers. A very talented actor indeed!

Meet The Love Like Hers Team

2010-08-12T17:00:00.001+01:00

The more I look through this list, the more excited I get about shooting this film. I'm hoping to add more names in the coming weeks, but for now, here's the Love Like Hers team.

Danny Lacey (Writer/Producer/Director)

Oli Lewington (Co-Producer)
Filmmaker.

Chris Jones (Executive Producer)
A popular and well respected name in the indie film community. Oscar short listed filmmaker Chris Jones brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and contacts to the Love Like Hers team.

Bethan Kerys Davies (Production Assistant)
Bethan worked as a radio reporter and newsreader for 5 years and has a Masters Degree in Bi-media journalism. Bethan continues to freelance as a journalist and also works as a communications officer for a community project in Bradford. Bethan is very excited to be given the opportunity to work on such an exciting project.

Danny Stack (Script Editor)
A former script analyst for Pathe, Working Title, Miramax and the UK Film Council, Danny also writes for Eastenders, the biggest show on UK TV. Danny brings a wealth of experience to the development of the Love Like Hers screenplay and will without a doubt help Danny Lacey take this screenplay into a whole new league.

Leoni Kibbey (Casting Director)
Finding the perfect cast for Love Like Hers is top priority. Leoni has LOTS of experience and contacts in the Casting world and is helping bring the right cast to this film. Already, with the help of Leoni, there are some VERY interesting names being suggested for the main roles in this film.

Rachel Devenport (PR Consultant)
Creating the right PR and marketing around this project could open the door to many new opportunities. Rachel will be looking after and advising on the film PR stratergies for Love Like Hers.

Tamsyn O' Connor (1st AD)
More info to come.

David Beaumont (DP)
David has worked on many short and feature length film projects, as well as corporate film, commercials and music video. David has a keen eye for detail, a creative flare for cinematography and stacks of professionalism. David worked with Danny on Angel Of The Night, a short experimental horror/thriller film that Danny wrote and directed in late 2009.

David Armstrong (Camera Operator)
Talented and experienced camera operator. Also an indie filmmaker who has recently finished shooting his first major short film 'Ghostgirl' on the Canon 5D MKII.

Jason Cuddy (Focus Puller)
Jason has worked behind the camera for over 5 years on Features, Commercials and Music Videos. A Scotsman based in London, he both Focus Pulls and Loads on Film and HD, occasionally operating for Television. Jason's work has often taken him to some of the remotest and most interesting corners of the globe.

Tom Salmon (Gaffer)

Johan Maertens, AMPS (Production Sound Mixer)
A dynamic and experienced production sound mixer, Johan has contributed to films and documentaries for a variety of international productions and broadcasting companies across the globe since 1995. Johan has worked on films like the Mutant Chronicles (starring John Malcovich) and In Bruges (starring Ralph Fiennes and Colin Farrel) and brings a wealth of experience and talent to this project. Check out his work here http://www.freelanceavs.co.uk

Phil Killingsworth (Boom Operator)

Laura Lomax (Production Designer)

Melanie Lenihan (Make-Up Designer)
Melanie is a Hair & Makeup Designer from the North of England. Her diverse talents has allowed her to enjoy work in the Theatre, Film, TV and Photographic industries. Her photographic work has graced many a front cover, including OK magazine, Kerrang! and Cosmo Brides. 2010 has been an exciting year so far having worked on the last Harry Potter movie in the prosthetics department. Melanie has also designed on the film 'Peter' this year which is a protrayal of the Yorkshire Ripper, due for release next year.

Amy Wheldrake (Costume)

Saxon Rix, Ash Yates, Jamie Peel, Anthony Beckwith (Runners)

Bertie's Film Catering (Catering)
Responsible for making sure the entire cast and crew are well fed. Bertie's Film Catering will be providing quality home made food and refreshments every day throughout the shoot.

Mark Talbot-Butler (Editor)
Mark brings a wealth of experience to Love Like Hers. He's been editor on BBC TV series Top Gear and more recently as editor on the hit film 'EXAM'.

Mike Aiton (Dubbing Mixer)
Award winning post production and sound design in film, TV and new media. Mike has many years experience working in the industry. Including 5 years working for the BBC. Mike was involved in the pilot episodes for the Cold Feet team (one in Dolby Surround). Mike's impressive resume stretches for miles, and includes mixing some great projects at Clearcut, such as BBC's Horizon, and the award winning Hannibal, the man who hated Rome.

Niklas Aman (Composer)
Music in film is so very important, often overlooked. Niklas has been working on the music for Love Like Hers for some months now and has certainly helped shape the story and characters through music. Niklas is an extremely talented composer and sound designer, having already had his songs featured in Hollywood feature films. Niklas will play an important role during post-production and final sound mix.

More names to come.

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to join the mailing list - over on the right of the page.

Danny

Concept Art Brings Life To Love Like Hers

2010-08-11T09:44:00.001+01:00

A good friend of mine, Reggy Hafkenscheid (The Netherlands) has designed some incredible concept art for Love Like Hers. Reggy made storyboards for my last short film Angel of the Night and is in my opinion one of the best film storyboard and concept artists about. Check out his website here.

Here are the drawings for various scenes from Love Like Hers.

Many thanks to Reggy for some incredible conceptual art.

If you missed the last live filmmaker's internet TV show. You can now watch again via my Livestream Channel here. The show is an open account of my progress as a film maker. Do check it out and please do tune in to the next live show on Tuesday 17th August at 9pm UK time at http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

There's a NEW section to the blog, 'Love Like Hers DEAR DIARY' see the new link at the top of this page. A daily diary report on pre-production on Love Like Hers.

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny

Location Scouting On Love Like Hers - Should Come With A Health Warning

2010-08-09T13:24:00.000+01:00

So here I am, sharing my journey as a filmmaker. Now deep in pre-production on my next film, a short psychological thriller called Love Like Hers.

The first major hurdle I'm having to jump is, believe it or not, finding the locations for my film. I originally tried doing this by myself - which ended up being way to stressful and non-productive. I'm now working with several individuals who are helping advise - less stressful. The production assistant for the film, Bethan Davies, is currently taking on the responsibility for finding appropriate locations and making contacts and arranging recce times etc. This really has lifted the pressure from my shoulders.

We've found one of six locations needed for Love Like Hers. I'm out with Bethan later today to recce a second location at a private hospital. They've shown an interest in us filming at their premises and I'm looking forward to the recce and chatting to the contact over their to talk about shoot logistics etc.

So far I've learnt that you should include funds in your shooting budget to pay for locations. Even if it's just a very small amount. You'll get so much more out of the location and all those involved if you're willing to part with some cash. I've also learnt that MOST people LOVE the idea of a film being shot on their premises, it's the whole showbiz element of the film industry.

I think the big struggle as far as locations go on this film, will be finding the 'road in the middle of nowhere' and getting permission to shoot their. We have a road in mind and I will be looking at this location this week.

Initial thoughts/summary on locations:
1. ALWAYS think about sound. Is your location near a busy road etc?
2. Try to use private properties where possible - easier to get permission. Less red tape.
3. Remember to put a few pounds to one side in the budget to pay for certain locations.
4. Be very open and honest with what the shoot involves - i.e. stunts, duration etc.
5. Try using Google Earth for scouting for exterior locations - it really does work.

Don't forget to check out my YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm) for LOTS of behind the scenes type videos!

Plenty more updates to come, thanks for stopping by.

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: 0113 815 2005

Miracles Do Happen, An Incredible Week In Pre-Production On Love Like Hers

2010-08-04T10:55:00.000+01:00

NEW MEMBER OF THE TEAM
I am delighted to be able to announce the news that Mark Talbot-Butler has joined the Love Like Hers team as Editor. This is an incredible steal for this film as Mark has had many years working in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. I truly believe that Marks involvement as Editor will lift my film into a whole new league.

Mark was editor on the incredibly successful UK film 'Exam' which is still available on DVD and has received incredible reviews. You can hear Mark talking about making the film on the special commentary feature on the DVD. Mark was also editor on BBC show Top Gear.

It's a real boost in credibility for Love Like Hers. Mark loves the screenplay and can't wait to get in on the edit. I must say a huge thank you to Eddie Hamilton (editor of Kick Ass and the new X-Men) for recommending him for the film. Eddie Hamilton too loved the screenplay which was a huge confidence boost.

WE DID IT, WE CROWD FUNDED £10K FOR LOVE LIKE HERS
I'm still having to pinch myself. Only a few weeks ago did we receive an incredible £5,000 contribution to the film. I'm very excited to reveal that we have received another TWO incredible contributions for Love Like Hers.

The first came last night from a new viewer to my weekly live filmmaker's show. She came across my blog by accident after Googling something else. She was so drawn in by my journey that she decided to watch the live show. Seeing what we're trying to achieve and witnessing the ambitions of my journey she decided to donate £1,000 to the project. I'm hoping she'll agree to being mentioned on the blog. All I can say right now is that she is based on the Isle of Man and likes Tasmin Archer's hit single Sleeping Satellite.

I'd barely had time for that news to sink in when I got some more great news this morning. One of my clients (for my video production business) saw my updates on Twitter and decided to contribute the remaining £436 needed to reach our £10k goal.

All this and we still have over a month before the camera rolls!

I've learnt so much through the crowd funding experience and hope to share some more detailed thoughts on the blog in the very near future.

Of course, you can still contribute if you haven't already and want to help out on the film. Check out the fun and creative incentives on our dedicated fund raising page here http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

In the meantime, thank you so very much to EVERYONE who has contributed to this film. I promise to deliver an incredible short film!

More updates to come. Thanks for stopping by.

Danny
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL THE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEOS ON MY YOUTUBE PAGE http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

More Time Needed For Pre-Production, A Brave Decision Had To Be Made

2010-07-28T09:26:00.002+01:00

The cameras were supposed to roll on my next film, Love Like Hers, in a little under two weeks from today. However, I had to make the very difficult decision to push the shooting date back another month. We're just not ready yet, and I want to do as much as physically possible during pre-production.

Scouting for the locations has delayed us somewhat. It's all part of the learning and sharing process. Give yourself plenty of time to scout/recce for locations. There are six locations on this film, we've confirmed one of those locations so far, a garden in Allwoodley in Leeds. Five more to go and there is no way we would have found them in the next week or so AND get everything else that needs sorting done in time.

The main areas that we need to work on are adding the last few crew members to the team (i.e. Location Manager, Script Supervisor/Continuity, Grip etc). The locations, and of course raising the last remaining amount of funds needed to make the film.

The film will now be shot in September, a date yet to be confirmed. We're still shooting this on Super16mm film and we will be working with some incredible actors!!

FOR ANY NEW FOLLOWERS/READERS
Quick refresher for any new readers of the blog. I'm Danny, I'm 34 and I'm on an incredible mission to establish myself as a respected filmmaker over the next 5 years. This will see me writing and directing several short films and developing a handful of feature length films.

The ultimate goal for the next three years is to win, or at least be nominated, for an Oscar in the short action film category. A very ambitious goal, but one that I genuinely believe I, and everyone I work with, can achieve.

My next film is a short psychological thriller called Love Like Hers. We need £10k to make this film, so far we've raised £8.5k through generous crowd funding methods. This is where people from around the world (other filmmakers and film fans) contribute a small amount of their own money to go towards making this film. There are lots of incentives available in return for your contribution on the dedicated Love Like Hers fund raising page, click here.

Everyone who contributes will receive a FULL breakdown of exactly where every penny on this film was spent.

Also, please do check out the various websites that I use to chart my progress:
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm
Love Like Hers website - http://www.lovelikehers.com

Finally... I'm the first indie filmmaker in the world to host a regular weekly live Internet TV show that's an open and honest account of my journey. It's also a great opportunity to network and chat with other filmmakers and creative minds from around the world. The show averages a viewership of over 50 each week.

The next live show will be Tuesday 3rd August 2010 at 9pm UK time via my Livestream Channel (http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm). You can also look back at other episodes on demand on the channel. And please note, the show is completely FREE to watch!

Keep your eye on the blog, lots more updates to come.

Thanks for your support.

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: 0113 815 2005

16 Days Before Cameras Roll On Love Like Hers, And Some Big News!

2010-07-24T12:52:00.000+01:00

They say, 'when it rains, it pours'. They weren't wrong.

It's all happening in the Love Like Hers production office. Everything is really coming together and falling into place for production of my first major short film project. I'd like to start with some incredible news, something that I wasn't expecting in a million years.

FUNDING UPDATE: BIG NEWS!!
A private individual, who has requested anonymity, has been following my progress over the last 12 months (yes, 12 months!) and got in touch with me recently. They wanted to read the screenplay for Love Like Hers, as they were considering contributing a significant amount to the funds if the script was good. My heart began racing at this point. Could this be the answer to my crowd funding budget needs? I immediately sent over the script. I didn't hear anything for a couple of days before....

It happened yesterday. An email, an offer. A real boost for this film project. A contribution of £5,000 towards the funds needed to make Love Like Hers. That's right... £5,000!!!!!! I still can't believe it, having to pinch myself, even as I write this. We're nearly there, this is like a dream come true or something.

As it stands, we've now raised £8,392. That's 84% of the £10k needed to help cover cast and crew costs etc. There's still two weeks left to raise the rest and with one big final push we can reach our crowd funding target.

Please, if you can afford to contribute towards what I'm sure will be an incredible film. Do check out the dedicated fund raising page, packed with lots of creative and fun incentives. The main aim of each of the incentives is to raise as much money as possible to help make this film. This includes paying for cast and crew!

Visit http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

LAB COSTS:
This is turning into a bit of a nightmare at the moment. Having spent the last few months talking to one particular lab and hearing prices etc that were incredibly appealing. It sounded like they were in for supporting this project. Then, I was past around and suddenly the process changed and prices increased dramatically. And I mean dramatically!!

So, I've made contact with another lab, ran them through my background etc. The response was incredible. I'm hoping to do business with this lab and looking forward to revealing their name, and indeed the name of the person I have been talking to who is genuine supporter of new emerging filmmakers, and fully understands the hurdles we have to jump to shoot on film. Watch this space for more!!

FEEDBACK FROM SCREENPLAY:
The screenplay has been sent to various individuals associated with this film, and some that aren't but are working at a very high level in the industry. And without exception, ALL of the feedback has been very good. There was one email in particular that I wanted to share with you.

"Hey Danny, Great script - so gripping. I've been so busy with work and feeling very guilty, thought I better print it out, planning to read it tonight but I had a quick glance at the first page and ended up totally absorbed reading the whole thing to the end! I guess that's exactly what you want with a short - to grab the viewer right away and take them on as big an emotional journey as possible in a very short space of time. You certainly achieved that. I love all the butterfly imagery too - that's going to look great on screen.

Can't wait to see the final film now!" - Emilia Di Girolamo

Emilia is a screenwriter, award winning playwright and poet, a published author and journalist. Working predominantly as a television scriptwriter. Emilia is on the core writing team for Law & Order UK for ITV1.

There's PLENTY more news to come on this film. I'm hoping to update the blog with the announcement of several new members to the team.

Also, potentially some MASSIVE news on one particular individual who is looking at joining the project. If he does, it would be a huge addition to the team and will launch our film into a whole new league. Very exciting.

Thanks for stopping by and for your continued support. It's incredible how fast the indie film community is growing around the world, and just how supportive that community is to others.

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: 0113 815 2005

24 Days To Principal Photography On Love Like Hers, Nervous? You Bet I Am!!

2010-07-16T19:03:00.001+01:00

It's been another productive day in the Love Like Hers production office. I love how saying that makes it sound like there are lots of us sat in an office, all on the phones, emailing etc., trying to get this film made. Reality is, it's just me!!

This film is a VERY steep learning curve for me as a film maker, a writer, a producer, a director. But at the same time a fabulous networking tool. I've said right from the word go, I want to build a talented and enthusiastic team to help on this AND future projects. The amount of new contacts I'm making is staggering. I'm talking to people who have worked on some incredible films (i.e. Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, Stardust, Clash of the Titans and the list goes on).

I'm getting even closer to confirming some very important additions to the Love Like Hers crew. A 1ST AD, a Production Designer, a Focus Puller/Loader, Costume/Wardrobe person, Line Producer and others.

Here's a few updates for you:

CAST:
Leoni Kibbey, Casting Director, has approached the actors on my wish list. I want a very high calibre of actors on this project, I can't make the film on anything less! We got some great news today, one of the actors has said YES to working on this film and is very excited about the project. They liked the screenplay. Can't mention names just yet I'm afraid as we have to now go through the finer details, contracts etc.

FUND RAISING (http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds):
I'm trying, with every ounce of energy and effort left in me to raise the funds to shoot this film. We're £6.5k away from reaching the £10k target. That's some way to go. I'm looking at how I can get some of my own money together to put into the pot. Means I'm going to have to get more work in, work harder to get the money I need for will be an incredible film.

I'm not just asking people to give money with nothing in return. I'm offering all sorts of creative and innovative incentives on the dedicated Love Like Hers fund raising page. Click Here. On there you will also see the huge amount of people who have already contributed to this film.

If you've been following my journey, you'll know that the composer for Love Like Hers made a song specifically for Love Like Hers. Vocals by Anna Goldsmith. I co-wrote the lyrics. A music video was made for the song (that I produced and directed). Now available to download.

Anna Goldsmith 'Here Tomorrow (Love Like Hers)'
mp3 download for just £1.50
HD music video for just £2.50
Click Here to go to download page (it's very simple and straight forward to download)

With your help I can pay for ALL cast and crew on this film. We've got 24 days!

Thanks for stopping by, plenty more filmmaking updates to come.

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 113 815 2005

31 Days To Principal Photography On Love Like Hers

2010-07-09T14:06:00.001+01:00

Now I'm nervous. 31 days to go to get everything ready, before the camera rolls. Okay, VERY nervous.

The screenplay is almost complete. Almost, just a few minor tweaks. I have to say, I'm incredibly happy with the way the story and characters have developed. Danny Stack, the script editor, has been amazing. His help on developing this screenplay has been immense. I am so very grateful to Danny for giving up his time to help me shape this screenplay.

Once complete, the screenplay will be sent to Leoni Kibbey (Casting Director), so she can approach our wish list of actors to star in the film. Believe me when I say we're aiming for a very high calibre of actors.

The script will also be sent to various other people who have shown an interest in getting involved, but have not committed until seeing the finished screenplay, understandably.

NEWS: FUND RAISING UPDATE
At the moment it is looking likely that we'll fall a little short of the £10k target I'd set to make this film. I'm trying everything i possibly can to raise this money through various innovative crowd funding ideas. It's a very hard slog, very hard.

Therefore, I'm working on a kind of Plan B. Looking at areas in which costs can be cut back, or kept to an absolute minimum. That's hard work too. But I'm giving it everything I can. Hitting the phones hard, emailing and tweeting like there's no tomorrow.

I won't give up on Plan A though just yet. Raising the funds through crowd funding. There are LOTS of creative and fun incentives for contributions. My way of giving a little back for contributing.

Please do visit the dedicated Love Like Hers fund raising site to see all the many options available for contributing. Paying is very easy too via Paypal's buy now button. You do not need a Paypal account!

Anna Goldsmith 'Here Tomorrow'
The latest innovative fund raising idea is the official Love Like Hers song release. Here Tomorrow was composed by Niklas Aman specifically for this film. I wrote the lyrics with Niklas and Anna Goldsmith added her incredible vocals.

You can download the audio only version for just £1.50, or the music video in HD (and shot on the Canon 5D MKII) for just £2.50 by visiting the Love Like Hers fund raising page here http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

Why not check out the behind the scenes video we shot of the 'Here Tomorrow' music video. Shot on the Isle of Man. Click here.

Don't forget to tune into the live show on Tuesday. It'll be Episode 15 of the live TV show. An open and honest account of my journey as a film maker. Watch me stress out LIVE! Tune in Tuesday 13th July at 9pm UK on my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Right, more work to be done on pre-prod for this film. Catch up with you soon. Don't forget to join me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm) for all the very latest.

Thanks for your support!

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 113 815 2005

Love Like Hers song, 'Here Tomorrow' by Anna Goldsmith ready for release

2010-07-05T17:59:00.006+01:00

It's yet ANOTHER innovative and unique idea to help raise funds for my film, Love Like hers. I've done the 24 hour live show (raising over £1,000), offered LOTS of fun and creative perks, now comes another unique crowd funding idea.

A song, made specifically for the soundtrack to the film. The idea is to sell the song as a digital download, the proceeds going towards making Love Like Hers. Niklas Aman composed the track, lyrics by Niklas and myself and vocals from Isle of Man singer Anna Goldsmith.

We've gone that extra mile and actually made a professional music video that will be available to download too. Shot on the Isle of Man recently on the Canon 5D MKII.

The audio and music video download will be made available during the next live show, Tuesday 6th July at 10pm UK time.

You'll be able to purchase the audio or music video via the Love Like Hers dedicated fund raising page http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

Anna Goldsmith 'Here Tomorrow'
AUDIO ONLY for £1.50
MUSIC VIDEO for £2.50

I would like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to EVERYONE involved in making this song possible. Everyone involved in making this song have given up their time for FREE!

'Here Tomorrow' credits
MUSIC Niklas Aman
LYRICS Danny Lacey / Niklas Aman
VOCALS Anna Goldsmith (backing vocals from Christy DeHaven)
PRODUCTION Niklas Aman / Dave Armstrong

'Here Tomorrow' video credits
STORY CONCEPT Danny Lacey
PRODUCED and DIRECTED by Danny Lacey
CINEMATOGRAPHY Dave Armstrong
CREW Christy DeHaven / Victoria Berry
STARRING Anna Goldsmith

EPISODE 14 of THE FILMMAKER'S JOURNEY
Please do join me for Episode 14 of the LIVE filmmaker's TV show. Tuesday 6th July (this Tuesday) at 9pm UK. Lots of updates on pre-production on Love Like Hers AND the song/music video goes live at 10pm!!!

Tune into my Livestream Channel and join in the chat with LOTS of other filmmakers and creative minds from around the world.

Tuesday 6th July at 9pm UK http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for stopping by and for your continued support! Things are about to get even more exciting!! Watch this space.

Stills from the music video....

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 113 815 2005

Love Like Hers Update: New Member Joins The Team And Music Video To Help Raise Funds

2010-07-03T13:12:00.004+01:00

Love Like Hers, my next short film, is attracting some very talented and interesting creative minds!! It's very humbling just how invested people are becoming in my film project.

I'm chuffed to announce yet ANOTHER new member to the Love Like Hers team....

Melanie Lenihan

Make Up Designer

It was great to chat to Melanie last week about Love Like Hers. I introduced her to the outline of the film and she was IN!! She loved it and wanted to get involved, which is great news as Mel has a FANTASTIC portfolio. She's worked on Harry Potter.. enough said. Well, OK, I'll tell you more.

Melanie is a Hair & Make Up Designer from the north of England. Her diverse talents has allowed her to enjoy work in the theatre, film, TV and photographic industries. Her photographic work has graced many a front cover, including OK magazine, Kerrang! and Cosmo Brides. 2010 has been an exciting year so far having worked on the last Harry Potter movie in the prosthetics department. Melanie has also designed on the film 'Peter' this year which is a portrayal of the Yorkshire Ripper. due for release next year.

Welcome to the team Mel!!

NEWS: ANNA GOLDSMITH 'HERE TOMORROW' MUSIC VIDEO

I'm in the final stages of editing the music video for the Love Like Hers song, Here Tomorrow. The song will be available to download as an audio mp3 or the full music video in the very near future. All proceeds going towards making this incredible film.

We need £10k to shoot this film, so far we have just over £3k in the pot. WE NEED MORE! And we haven't got long to raise the money. Panic!!

Keep your eye on the blog for details of when the track will be available to download.

If you would like to contribute and help us get this film made, please do visit the dedicated Love Like Hers fund raising page here http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

There will be more updates in my next live show. Please remember, I've moved the show from Friday to Tuesday evenings at 9pm UK time. The next show will be this Tuesday 6th July at 9pm UK. Come join the chat with many other filmmakers from around the world. It's a LIVE TV show, an open account of my journey as a filmmaker.

Thanks for stopping by, and for your continued support.

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: +44(0)113 815 2005

Fund Raising Music Video, 35mm v Canon 5D, Executive Producer News As Pre-Production Jumps Up A Gear

2010-06-18T17:01:00.001+01:00

I've booked my ferry tickets for my visit to the Isle of Man next week. I'm heading over there to team up with a good filmmaker friend of mine to shoot the music video (on the Canon 5D) for the Love Like Hers song, Here Tomorrow. The song is composed by Niklas Aman, lyrics written by me and Niklas and vocals from Anna Goldsmith. The song features in one of the key scenes in the film and will of course be featured on the soundtrack to the film.

This is another innovative attempt to raise more funds for Love Like Hers. We will be 'soft' releasing the song within the next few weeks. As a digital audio download, and also as a music video download via a dedicated website. It is hoped that enough people will download the track and EVERY penny made from sales of the song will go towards the £10k needed to film Love Like Hers.

I'll be doing a few live broadcasts from the Isle of Man to talk about our progress on the music video shoot. Keep your eye on my Twitter page and blog for days and times etc. The shows will be broadcast via my Livestream Channel.

IN OTHER NEWS... LATEST NAME TO JOIN THE LOVE LIKE HERS TEAM.

Chris Jones
Executive Producer

It is with great pleasure that I can announce an exciting addition to the Love Like Hers team. Chris Jones has joined the team as Executive Producer. Chris is the author of the Guerilla Filmmakers Handbook, he's an Oscar short listed filmmaker with three feature films under his belt! Chris is a well known and respected name in the industry and I am delighted to have him on the team. I'm sure his years of experience and wealth of knowledge and contacts will have incredible benefits for Love Like Hers.

To find out more about Chris, check out his blog here and if you are an indie filmmaker wanting to learn more about filmmaking, check out his making a world class short online course here. I've taken the course and have learnt so much from it!!

35MM VS 16MM VS CANON 5D... LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

I'm deep into pre-production on Love Like Hers and have boldly decided to look into shooting on 35mm film. An opportunity has shown its face, so if EVERYTHING falls into place and there are NO major effects on the budget for my film I'll be seriously considering shooting on film.

The problem I have at the moment is, I have all the resources available to me to shoot on Super 16mm film, and SOME of the resources for filming on 35mm. There's some serious negotiations to be had to make 35mm a viable option for this film.

I must stress! I'm not looking at spending a fortune and breaking the £10k budget to shoot film. I will only shoot on film if I can get my hands on everything for nothing, or next to nothing. Again, only if EVERYTHING falls into place.

So, watch this space for more developments.

Thanks for stopping by, and for all the support! It's appreciated!! Please do take time to join the mailing list, you'll see the subscribe section on the right of the page. I promise NOT to send you lots of pointless emails. It will be usually one per month, maybe two.

Danny
e: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
t: +44(0)113 815 2005

An Award Winning Dubbing Mixer Joins The Love Like Hers Team

2010-06-12T12:22:00.001+01:00

If there is one thing I've learnt over the last few years in my self taught film education... SOUND IS VERY IMPORTANT, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT!!

I announced in the last post the addition of a world class Production Sound Mixer to the team, and today I am delighted to be able to announce the addition of a world class Dubbing Mixer to the Love Like Hers team.

This really is testament to the level of production we're aiming for on this low budget short film.

Mike Aiton
Dubbing Mixer

Award winning post production and sound design in film, TV and new media.

Mike has many years experience working in the industry. Including 5 years working for the BBC. Mike was involved in the pilot episodes for the Cold Feet team (one in Dolby Surround). Mike's impressive resume stretches for miles, and includes mixing some great projects at Clearcut, such as BBC's Horizon, and the award winning Hannibal, the man who hated Rome.

It was a delight to chat to Mike over the phone recently to discuss the project and going forward with the sound design of this project. Mike opened my eyes to some very interesting audio technical questions that need looking at.

It is my great pleasure to welcome Mike to the Love Like Hers team!

You can find out more about Mike and his work by visiting his website http://www.mikerophonics.com and please do follow him on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/mikerophonics

NEWS: The blog has had a splash of paint, new curtains and some new furniture. Hope you like the new, fresher layout!!

LIVE SHOW: Just a quick reminder that my Live show has moved to Tuesday evenings, 9pm UK time via my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm The show is an open and honest account of my journey as a filmmaker, I literally share EVERYTHING with the audience!!

Many thanks for visiting the blog and do stay close, LOTS of updates to come!!

Danny

New Members Of The Love Like Hers Team As Pre-Production Gains Momentum

2010-06-08T17:31:00.003+01:00

I'm absolutely over the moon to be able to announce a few more members to the Love Like Hers filmmaking team. I can't stress how grateful I am that experienced, talented professionals are giving up their time to work on this project. Amazing and boy are we going to make one incredible film together!!

Johan Maertens, AMPS
Production Sound Mixer

A dynamic and experienced production sound mixer, Johan has contributed to films and documentaries for a variety of international productions and broadcasting companies across the globe since 1995. Johan has worked on films like the Mutant Chronicles (starring John Malcovich) and In Bruges (starring Ralph Fiennes and Colin Farrel) and brings a wealth of experience and talent to this project. His professional attitude and enthusiasm to help new, up and coming filmmakers is incredible.

Please do visit his website to find out more www.freelanceavs.co.uk

Joining Johan on the team will be Boom Operator Phil Killingsworth.

Dawn Feather
Editor

Dawn is a Yorkshire based editor and not only does she bring a wealth of editing knowledge and experience to this project, she also has an entrepreneurial brain and runs her own post-production company called Yorkshire Edit.

Dawn has edited projects for Boyzone, Marks And Spencer, Bupa, James Caan of TV's Dragon's Den and many more big names. Dawn also works hard on delivering innovative filmmaking and animation to schools through www.inspiredworkshops.co.uk

It is great to have Dawn on the team and I'm looking forward to working with her on post-production for Love Like Hers.

I'm hoping to reveal more new members of the team over the coming week or so.. watch this space.

NEWS: My fortnightly live show has moved day and time. I will now be broadcasting the live show every other Tuesday evening at 9pm UK time. The next show will be on Tuesday 15th June at 9pm UK time via my Livestream channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Keep close to the blog as we're moving into VERY exciting times the closer we get to principal photography on Love Like Hers. Exciting but quite scary at the same time!!

Thanks for stopping by and please do join the mailing list (on the right) for the odd newsletter with exclusive updates and announcements of random live shows!!

Danny

http://www.youtube.com/dannylaceyfilm

Another Busy Week Of Film Development For Love Like Hers

2010-06-06T10:56:00.006+01:00

I'm deep into pre-production on my short film Love Like Hers and the clock is ticking away and there is so much to do. You might say, It's a little bit stressful as the pressure is now on.

I must firstly apologise for the lack of blog updates recently, that will now change and I'll do everything I can to post regularly.

There's a few things I need to mention on this blog posting. I'll start with my visit to a media college last Friday. I was invited in to talk about my film journey so far and to help inspire the students and introduce them to the world of indie film through the eyes of an ambitious and innovative (if not a little crazy) indie filmmaker, me. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I genuinely do believe, from the feedback I got, that the students were inspired. Job done! I just basically took them through my journey so far. From picking up that first film making book, researching on the Internet and being self taught. Then on to filming my first short film on zero budget, Angel of the Night. To the innovative way in which I'm making my next short film, Love Like Hers.

This is another example of how effective Twitter is as a PR and marketing tool. The invitation to do the presentation came from someone who was following my progress via Twitter!

Hi to all the students (pictured) that were in the presentation. A lot of them now on Twitter and making new friends and being inspired to follow their film making dreams. Good luck guys!

In other news...

I'm very pleased to announce the arrival of a new member of the Love Like Hers film making team. Bethan Kerys Davies (pictured) joins the team as Production Assistant. It will be her job to keep me on track as I'm playing the role of producer on this film. Bethan will help on with many aspects of pre-production as well as being on set during principal photography. Please do visit the official Love Like Hers website to find out more http://www.lovelikehers.com

There will be more announcements in the VERY near future as I hope to confirm more new members of what is turning out to be quite a talented team of individuals all coming together to help get this film made.

And finally...

Keep your eye on my Livestream Channel for the odd random live show. I will be switching the camera on from time to time during the screenwriting process. I said from the word go that I was going to share EVERY aspect of my journey. That's what makes what I am doing totally unique and indeed innovative. You'll see me writing my screenplay and also talking about it, sharing problems and chatting to other screenwriters about the process.

I'm also changing the day and time for the fortnightly live show. In an attempt to make the LIVE show available to more people I'm moving it to TUESDAY nights at 9pm UK time.

The NEXT live show, Episode 12 of The Filmamaker's Journey will now be TUESDAY 15TH JUNE at 9pm UK time via my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm.

If you would like to contribute to my next film Love Like Hers and really help us get this film made please do visit the dedicated Love Like Hers fund raising site. We need £10,000 to make this film, we've raised just over £3,000 but we need more. With your help we can get this incredible film made http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

Many thanks for stopping by and for all of your support.

A Look Back At The FIRST Crowd Fund Raising Event Of Its Kind

2010-05-26T09:28:00.005+01:00

Thursday 20th May, 9pm. The start of what was a hugely successful 24 hour non-stop live broadcast to help raise more funds for my next film Love Like Hers. It took one huge monumental effort but I managed to make it all the way through the 24 hours and beyond.

The show had everything, technical problems at the start, a live musical concert, great guest videos, live filmmaker's chat, excitement, me fighting the urge to sleep and even an after show party live on the air where I may have gotten a little tipsy on champagne.

And what a show it was. Our own little piece of crowd funding history. We raised £1,045 in 24 hours with one huge effort in the last few hours of the show.

Another very successful side of the show was the networking and interaction between other indie filmmaker's around the world. Infact, this element of the show was so successful I have decided to introduce a more interactive element to my fortnightly live show.

The next live show, Episode 11 of The Filmmaker's Journey with new interactive elements will be Friday 4th June at 6.30pm UK on my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Also, if you would like to contribute and help me get my next film made, please do visit the dedicated Love Like Hers fund raising page http://www.lovelikehers.com/funds

Thanks for stopping by and for your continued support.

Danny

Hours to go: The 24 Hour Live Filmmaker's Show (TONIGHT AT 9PM UK TIME)

2010-05-20T12:58:00.000+01:00

Preparations are coming along nicely for tonight's unique fund raising show. A FIRST!! There's only been one slight technical problem behind the scenes and that is that Livestream won't let me upload anymore videos at the moment. Apparently there is a limit of 40 uploads in one day onto my Livestream account. This happened at 5pm yesterday. So, I'm hoping it's a 24 hour rule and that I can get back on later to upload the remaining few guest videos... fingers are crossed!

Here are the highlights of the 24 hour show:

9pm - THE LAUNCH!
9.30pm - Live concert from the Isle of Man
10pm - The Filmmaker's Chat Show
1am - Screenwriting / TV Projects
2am - Making of Angel of the Night
3am - Promoting OTHER indie filmmaker's and their projects
4am - Love Like Hers / fund raising
5am - Looking at PR for film and innovative fund raising ideas
6am - Becoming a filmmaker / the journey so far
7am - More on Love Like Hers
8am - Fund raising
9am - Canon 5D Special
10am - The Filmmaker's Chat Room

+ so much more!!! Including some fantastic guest videos from other indie filmmakers.

Please remember that the times you see above are UK time, BST. Google is a great place to start to get an idea of what time the above will be locally.

hope you can tune in tonight for what is going to be a very unique event. Come join the fun!

Ways to get in touch with the show:

email: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
Twitter using the hashtag #livefilm24
Skype user: dannylaceyfilm

Thank you for your support and it would be great to see you guys online later!

Danny 'must get some sleep' Lacey

1 Day To Go: The 24 Hour Live Filmmaker's Show (Thu 20th May 9pm UK)

2010-05-19T11:20:00.000+01:00

I'm taking a short break from preparing tomorrows live show to write a quick live show update.

There's going to be some VERY exciting features in this 24 hour marathon. The PR machine has been rolling with Rachel Devenport promoting the live show to a whole host of influential organisations. The show has received a stack of coverage on various indie film websites which is fabulous (thanks Rachel!).

There is still time to get involved with the show. If you're an indie filmmaker, writer, creative bod get in touch and be featured on the show. All I ask is that you record a short guest video with your support for the live show AND then promote your projects, plug your blog/websites etc. Send the video over as a Quicktime movie (H.264), preferably in 16:9 aspect ratio and under 150mb in size. Please send it via 'You Send It' or something similar. If you have something interesting to share, get in touch!! But be quick!

Why not sponsor one of the hours on the show!! It's FREE and all we ask is in return you write about the show on your blog/website. During your sponsored hour you'll receive plenty of mentions about you and your projects etc. Be quick as spaces are very limited. Email me dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk.

Here are some highlights of what's coming up in the show.

Thu 20th May 9pm: 'THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH'
Here we go. Packed with guest videos and more info on the whole idea of the 24 Hour Live Show.

Thu 20th May 9.30pm: 'LIVE MINI CONCERT FROM THE ISLE OF MAN'
You're going to love this section. We'll be crossing over live to the Isle of Man for a live performance from Truman Falls, the incredibly talented Anna Goldsmith (who will be featured on the soundtrack to my next film Love Like Hers) and Dave Armstrong and rising singing star Christy DeHaven. It's going to be incredible!

Thu 20th May 10pm - Midnight: 'THE FILMMAKERS CHATROOM'
We'll be trying something new in this part of the show. Integrating a LIVE chat with other filmmaker's. Join in the conversation in the chat room, but also, why not contact us via Skype and chat live on the air!

Other features include THE SCREENWRITERS WORKSHOP, TV PROJECTS and so much more.

Keep checking the blog for the full and official programme schedule, I'll hopefully have this online later today.

Thanks for visiting and please, please do spread the word. Tell the world!

Here's the link to my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Danny

3 Days To Go: The 24 Hour Live Fund Raising Show (Thu 20th May 9pm UK)

2010-05-17T18:03:00.007+01:00

Why? Why? Why? A 24 hour live show, are you nuts!

I'm three days away from taking on a, on the surface, crazy and unique project to help raise funds for my next short film AND to raise awareness. I say crazy, but deep down I believe it's a great idea. I will be the FIRST indie filmmaker in the world to attempt this. There's my 'hook'.

PR and marketing is an essential part of being an indie filmmaker. You're a business person, you are the product, you are the shop window, if it's going to work you have to be willing to put yourself out there.

The 24 hour live show is yet another in a long line of innovative ideas I have for experimenting with PR and marketing methods. The idea is to raise £2,000 ($3,000) within 24 hours. There are three main things that I'm trying to 'sell' during the show to help raise the funds, they are:

1. 50x Become a Film Buddy of Love Like Hers for £20/$30
2. 20x Pre-order DVD of Love Like Hers packed with behind the scenes extras £25/£40
3. 10x Become and Associate Producer on Love Like Hers for £55/$80

I'm trying to get together a whole host of guest videos and fun features for the live show and so far I have some VERY exciting things lined up.

Here are some highlights of the 24 hour show:

Thu 9pm The launch of the 24 hour show.
Thu 10pm The LIVE Concert (tbc)
Thu 10.30pm The Live Filmmaker's Chat Show
Fri 12am Writing The Screenplay Workshop
Fri 2am The Making of 'Angel of the Night' my last short film
Fri 7pm Episode 11 of the Filmmaker's Journey
Fri 8pm Episode 11 of the Filmmaker's Journey Part 2 / The Finale

Those are just some of the highlights. There are plenty more features to be announced and lots of guest videos, interesting documentaries and much more!

NEWS: If you would like to record a short guest video for the live show. Talk about what you are doing, your projects and some words of encouragement for the 24 hour live show then please, please do contact me on email asap dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk Guest videos can be filmed using your webcam, consumer camera or whatever you have available. I need them sent over as Quicktime H.264 files under 150mb!

The 24 hour live show starts THIS Thursday at 9pm UK time via my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

More updates to come, thank you for your continued support.

Danny

Back To The Serious Business Of Finishing The Screenplay For Love Like Hers

2010-05-11T17:50:00.001+01:00

After what has been a very hectic few weeks it's back to the serious business of finishing the screenplay for Love Like Hers. My business, the thing that pays the bills, has taken up lots of time recently. I'm right in the middle of launching a new music video service from my business - Stada Media. Last Saturday I shot a music video that marks the launch of our music video services (see picture).

The great thing is, the music video was shot on the Canon 5D, the camera that will be used on my next film. We got some amazing shots on the day and I thoroughly enjoyed playing the roles of producer, director, cinematographer, cameraman and now editor. despite it being a VERY long day taking in five different locations and five different set-ups. Worth all the effort though I have to say.

Back to writing. The Love Like Hers screenplay is currently at draft 2.1 and after a lengthy discussion with Danny Stack, script editor, we have some exciting new developments to work on for the next draft. We needed to find the heart of the story, working on the characters and their journeys. At the moment the screenplay is a little plot heavy. A decision has been made to strip the screenplay back, ridding it of a few characters and scenes to concentrate on a slightly new angle for my original idea and indeed the emotional journey of the characters, especially our protagonist, Ella.

We now have a very strong basis for a compelling and gripping story with some VERY interesting moments.

Another very important reason for wanting to get the third draft of the screenplay finished is the casting process. Working with Casting Director Leoni Kibbey we now have some exciting names to approach for the main parts in this movie. However, we can't do this until we have the next draft of the screenplay. I'm hoping to finish draft 3 within the next few weeks.

NEWS: The next live show is THIS Friday (14th May). This will be Episode 10, that's right - 10!! of The Filmmaker's Journey. I've got another fab show lined up for you, I'll be launching the NEW Love Like Hers website during the show, I'll also be trying something very new during this weeks live show and so much more. Please do tune and and help spread the word. Here's the link to my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Many thanks for your continued support and please do watch this space for more updates.

Danny
http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm
http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

email: dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

Rachel Devenport, Film PR Specialist, Joins The Love Like Hers Team

2010-05-06T10:09:00.001+01:00

PR and marketing is going to play a very big part in the making of my next film, Love Like Hers. It will also play a huge part in my development as a film maker. Being an indie film maker is like running your own business, and any good business needs great PR and marketing.

This is why I'm over the moon to announce the addition of a film PR specialist to the Love Like Hers team. Rachel Devenport will help us raise the profile of our short film, the live show, the blog and other aspects of this incredible film makers journey.

A freelance film PR specialist, Rachel has worked on blockbuster movies to indie film festivals. Rachel has worked for clients that include the BAFTAS, Peter Jackson, Joe Wright and many others.

Rachel went freelance two years ago and she's contributed to indie projects like Raindance, Secret Cinema, Future Shorts and documentary titles whilst continuing on high profile campaigns such as Universal's Green Zone and Disney's Princess and the Frog.

Rachel is currently working on a strategy for introducing my film making journey to a whole new audience. I'll keep you posted on her progress.

Please do check out the guest video she recorded for the last Live show. You'll now notice on the right side of the blog, links to previous episodes of my live show. You'll see Rachel's guest video in Episode 9.

Also, you can follow Rachel on Twitter here.

NEWS: Episode 10 of The Filmmaker's Journey will be Friday 14th May on my Livestream channel. Live at 6.30pm UK. Here's the link http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm. The last episode of the show has received record viewing figures, smashing previous viewer numbers.

Don't forget to join the mailing list, link on the right of this page, to stay up to date with lots of exclusive news on future film projects.

Thanks for visiting and for your support!

Danny

Episode 9: The Filmmaker's Journey (Friday 30th April at 6.30pm BST)

2010-04-30T13:06:00.004+01:00

Episode 9 of the Live show, feels like only two minutes since I was putting together the first ever episode, and the FIRST of its kind for an indie filmmaker.

For first time viewers, The Filmmaker's Journey is a fortnightly show, an open and honest account of my journey as a new filmmaker. You'll hear all about my latest film projects, things I'm learning and experiencing, lots of behind the scenes videos and some AMAZING guest videos from other filmmaker friends. I want to share my experience in the hope that it will inspire and educate others.

On this episode of The Filmmaker's Journey:

Leoni Kibbey, Casting Director for my next film project Love Like Hers, talks about joining the team and some very handy casting tips.
There's the latest on the development of the screenplay for Love Like Hers.
I reveal the name of another NEW member of the Love Like Hers filmmaking team (someone who is going to launch our presence into outer space!)
I'll be talking about my experiences using Twitter and having a blog to promote my projects.
We're counting down the days to ANOTHER first for an indie filmmaker, the 24 hour live fundraising show, I'll be disclosing more about that show later.
Indie GoGo versus doing it on your own for raising funds for your film. Important news.
Check out the amazing behind the scenes video from Ed Dark, writer and director of a short film that was made for the IMAX screen, called Chasing Cotards.
PLUS! Duncan Jones (writer and director of the hit film 'Moon' and forthcoming 'Source Code') says YES to appearing on a future show. Find out more on today's show.

And let's not forget the chat room, please do get involved, chat and network with other indie filmmakers, make friends and build up your contacts list.

Please do tell you family, friends, associates, colleagues, neighbours, their neighbours and anyone you know to come and join in this incredible journey. Help me spread the word and build a fabulous little indie filmmaking community.

Enjoy the show and thanks for your support. Before you leave this page, please do join the mailing list for the odd exclusive email eNewsletter update. You'll see the subscribe button on the right.

Danny

I Must Be Mad, Another Crazy Fund Raising Idea, Or Is It?

2010-04-23T12:02:00.001+01:00

Brace yourselves for another FIRST for an Indie Filmmaker. It's ambitious, it's innovative and I'm sure most of you will think it's bonkers!

A 24 HOUR LIVE! FUND RAISING SHOW

As I'm sure you can make out from the title, this will be a show, broadcast Live for 24 hours via my Livestream Channel. The goal is to raise £2,000 (approx $3k) for my next film Love Like Hers. Yes, it will be ME in the hot seat for the whole 24 hours. I will of course have lots of features on the show, like guest videos from other indie filmmakers, competitions, film project updates and the odd surprise along the way.

The main focus of the show is to raise some extra funds for my next film, Love Like Hers. The current production target is £10k/$15k and so far we have raised just short of $3k. That leaves us $12k to raise within approx 100 days before the cameras roll.

The target for the 24 hour live show is to sell the following Love Like Hers perks:

50x Film Buddies (£20/$30) = £1,000
10x Associate Producer packages (£50/$80) = £500
20x Pre-Order DVDs (£25/$40) = £500

And with a bit of luck, hopefully we will attract even more contributions.

The 24 hour Live show will start on Thursday 20th May 2010 at 9pm BST, and finish on Friday 21st May 2010 at 9pm BST. The show will be broadcast via my Livestream Channel here

It is going to be one hell of a show (a long show at that). Expect the unexpected during the 24 hours.

In the meantime, if you would like to contribute to my next film, Love Like Hers, please become a Film Buddy for just £20/$30 by clicking the Paypal 'Buy Now' button at the top right of this page. We need 420 in total to reach our target. Thanks for your support.

NEWS: I have some VERY exciting news. I recently launched a Twitter campaign to persuade Duncan Jones (writer/director of 'Moon' starring Sam Rockwell and is currently directing his next film 'Source Code' with Jake Gyllenhaal) to record a guest video for my fortnightly Live show. I was utterly amazed and extremely pleased that he made contact!!! He got in touch to say that he would record a video for the show and that we should chat in May. I have his email address and will of course be making contact with him in May. Watch this space for more!

Thanks for visiting and do stay close, I can PROMISE you that this is going to be one hell of a filmmakers journey!

Danny

Love Like Hers, The Filmmaking Team Expands

2010-04-18T12:33:00.000+01:00

I finally got to reveal the names of the TWO new members of the Love Like Hers team. I was unable to do so until they had seen the 2nd draft of the screenplay for Love Like Hers. Fortunately, they liked the screenplay and gave the thumbs and have now signed up for the project. Now try to imagine the smile I have on my face as a result of this great news :)

So, let me introduce you to the new members of the Love Like Hers team:

Danny Stack, Script Editor

Danny is an established writer, he has worked for some of the biggest film companies in the world as script analyst (including Pathe, Working Title and Miramax). He also writes for BBC TV series Eastenders as well as other TV shows. On top of all his writing jobs and other commitments, Danny also looks after an incredibly popular blog on screenwriting. The blog features a massive amount of incredibly interesting and priceless information, hints and tips on becoming a better writer. Please do check out his blog here.

I am very honoured to have Danny on the team as Script Editor, I just know that with his input we're going to end up with a fantastic screenplay for my film.

Leoni Kibbey, Casting Director

Leoni is a very busy Casting Director with an incredible CV. She has worked on short and feature length films with budgets of between £150,000 to £6 million. Leoni has also worked on large commercial, music video, TV and radio projects. To find out more about Leoni's work, check out her IMDB page here.

I am so very pleased Leoni has agreed to offer her services for this film. It is VERY important that we get a very high calibre cast for Love Like Hers. With Leoni on the team, I am more than sure we will achieve this.

The Love Like Hers team is developing at a great pace and I hope to announce more new members in the very near future. I'm hot in pursuit of an Editor, Set Designer, Production Manager, Sound Engineer, PR person and more. If you are interested in any of these positions and getting involved with Love Like Hers, please do email me you details here.

UPDATE: I host a fortnightly show on my Livestream Channel, a kind of extension of my blog you could say. The last show, episode 8 is now available to view again if you missed it last Friday. Go to my Livestream page here to see previous episodes. Hope you can tune in for the next live show which will be on Friday 30th April at 6.30pm GMT UK.

Thanks again for your support and for following my journey, please do take a moment to subscribe to the mailing list (over on the right) for exclusive updates on this and other projects of mine.

Danny
http://www.dannylaceyfilm.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm
http://www.twitter.com/dannylaceyfilm

Raising Funds For My Next Film, Love Like Hers

2010-04-09T17:00:00.001+01:00

The budget required to shoot my next film, Love Like Hers has shot up slightly. Well, actually, quite a lot. I'm now trying to raise $15,000 (£13,000) to make this film. Most of this budget will be spent on crew, actors and facilities. I'm trying to broker deals with various suppliers to help keep the cost of equipment to an absolute minimum. It's important for me that the crew and cast get paid for their time. This film is going to need a crew of between 20 - 25.

I'm introducing a new idea to raise the cash needed. This idea is called the 'Film Buddy'. Become a Film Buddy of Love Like Hers and receive some interesting little perks, and more importantly, help get this incredible film made.

As a Film Buddy of Love Like Hers you would receive:

Regular, EXCLUSIVE project updates via email (including some other film and TV projects I'm working on).
A mention on my blog AND the new Love Like Hers website.
You'll also be featured on my Livestream show.
20% OFF ALL perks via my Indie GoGo page (some great, creative and fun perks on there to help raise funds for Love Like Hers).
You'll be entered into a MAJOR prize draw (for Film Buddies only) to WIN these prizes if we reach our target of 420 Film Buddies: My Canon XL1 camera, Love Like Hers pre-order DVD with extras, Love Like Hers poster, production documents, the shooting draft of the screenplay, a 30 minute chat over Skype about my experiences making this film, an invite as a VIP guest for the première screening of Love Like Hers.. AND $150/£100 !!!!!

If we can get 420 Film Buddies to sign up, we'll raise $12,600 (£8,400) towards making Love Like Hers. Add that to funds raised by Indie GoGo and other fund raising ideas I'm working on and we'll get extremely close to the fund raising target.

INSTRUCTIONS on becoming a Film Buddy of Love Like Hers, and seriously helping to get this film made. Please CLICK HERE to take you to the Paypal website. Then, on the home page simply click 'Send Money' and follow the instructions. The email address you will need to use to send money for Love Like Hers is dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

It's $30 or £20 to become a Film Buddy of Love Like Hers.

And with your help, this incredible film will get made and I'll be able to pay most of the cast and crew involved in the shoot.

If you have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to contact me dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

Thanks for stopping by and PLEASE do sign up to the mailing group for all the very latest. You'll see the box on the right.

Danny
Indie Filmmaker / writer & director
dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

Finished Draft 2 Of Love Like Hers Screenplay, Now Ready To Hand over To Experienced Screenwriter

2010-04-06T16:40:00.000+01:00

I spent the Easter holiday in the Isle of Man (a small Island between the west coast of England and east coast of Ireland - was home to the BeeGees) finishing the second draft of my screenplay for Love Like Hers. I stayed with a very good friend of mine, the uber talented filmmaker/music producer Dave Armstrong (seen in the picture with his partner Christy). I'm extremely please to say that after two solid days of writing, I managed to FINISH the second draft. At times it was a breeze, other times I really had to push myself as I battled against mind-block and other various creative-blocks. But, in the end, I did it.

I'll now just sit on it for a couple of days before going through it one more time. I might make the odd little tweak in places, but generally, it will be ready to send over to a talented and experienced writer for them to tidy it up and improve what I've done. Unfortunately, I can't mention his name just yet, but soon I hope to reveal the identity of the mystery writer for Love Like Hers. Watch this space!

The feedback for Love Like Hers has been sensational! I've now gone through the whole of the story with a few people I know. Their feedback has been very, very good. They get the story, they LOVE the story, they're sure I'm onto a winner with this story. I really can't wait to get behind the camera and shout ACTION on this film. We're getting there, one step at a time.

While I was out there I got to see Dave editing some of the footage to his short film Ghostgirl. A short film that he shot using the Canon 5D. It looks utterly amazing! The picture shows him working on the edit. Dave was also a guest on my last Live show, he answered questions about shooting on the Canon 5D, you should visit my Livestream channel and watch Episode 7 to see Dave talking about the Canon.

Also, Anna Goldsmith, another good friend of mine was working on the vocals for the Love Like Hers song, as composed by Niklas Aman, lyrics written by me and Niklas and vocals by Anna. There's more to come on this little project and I'll reveal all in good time. The picture you see here is Anna in Dave's studio working on the vocals.

If you missed the last episode of my livestream show, an open account of my filmmaking journey, you can watch it again via my Livestream channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm. There was lots of interesting and inspiration stuff in the show. Including a very special guest indie filmmaker and user of the Canon 5D. There's also more on the budget for Love Like Hers and a guest video from AD Lane of the Indywood Project. The next live show will be Friday 16th April at 6.30pm GMT UK. And watch out for a slightly different look for the show!!

Thanks for stopping by, lots more to come.

Danny
Indie Filmmaker / writer & director
dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

Working On The Budget For Love Like Hers

2010-03-25T22:17:00.003Z

I've just finished the first draft of the budget breakdown for Love Like Hers. I'm working on a budget of $8,000 (£7,000) for this film. It may turn out that I need a little more, something that I'm looking VERY closely at. However, I will be doing everything I can to keep those costs down.

So far, the budget stretches to the following departments on Love Like Hers:

CAST £1,500
CREW £1,500
EQUIPMENT HIRE £1,200
PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT £100
WARDROBE & MAKE-UP £150
PRODUCTION DESIGN £200
LOCATION / SET FACILITIES £300
CATERING £500
TRANSPORT £400
INSURANCE £500
MISC £550

Now, of course some of these figures are subject to change. But for now they give me some idea of how any money raised can be divided.

Being quite a resourceful person I'm sure will help me get my hands on the odd freebie. In fact, I'm currently talking to several suppliers in the hope of blagging a few bits of equipment to help release a little pressure on the budget.

The majority of the crew will be working for free, or at a much lower rate than normal. There's already several individuals who have shown an interest in offering their services for FREE. Something that I WILL NOT forget :)

The problem area for me will be the cast. I want a known actress for the main part in the film. My hope is that they will want to get involved for a minimal fee. I'll keep you posted on how I get on.

So far I've raised $2,475 for this film. There have been a lot of interested individuals who will be investing in the coming months and I am very hopeful of reaching the $8k target, and maybe even a little more.

If you would like to contribute to my next film and help get us to that target, please do visit my Indie GoGo page to see all the fun perks that are available in return for your kind contribution.

http://www.indiegogo.com/lovelikehers

NEWS: My next live show, an open and honest account of my journey as a filmmaker, will be on Friday 2nd April at 6.30pm GMT UK via my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm Hope you can tune in.

Thanks for your support!

Danny

Technical Problems With The Last Show.. Now Available To Watch Again

2010-03-20T18:33:00.000Z

Every two weeks on a Friday I host a Live show all about my filmmaking journey. It's also a chance to promote what other Indie Filmmakers are doing.

The show was due to go Live last Friday evening (19th March) at 6.30pm, but due to some serious problems with my Livestream Channel I was unable to broadcast. I tried again the following day. All seemed to be going well before, BAM! More technical problems. It's just not my day!

However, I've tried and tried again and have FINALLY been able to complete the show. It is now available, in 2 parts to view via VOD on my Livestream Channel.

I'm very proud of this episode which features two GREAT guest videos. One from Niklas Aman as he takes you into his studio while he works on music for my next short film, Love Like Hers. You will also hear snippets of two EXCLUSIVE tracks from the film. Two INCREDIBLE songs!!! The other video is from a good friend of mine, Dave Armstrong based on the Isle of Man as he talks us through using the Canon 5D which he used on his short film GhostGirl.

Here's the link you need to watch Episode 6 again. http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

All guest videos are also available to view on my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for your incredible support and there are LOTS of things to come on the live shows in the future, some BIG plans in the making.

The NEXT live show, episode 7, will be Friday 2nd April at 6.30pm GMT UK time. Hope you can join us!

Many thanks

Danny

Episode 6 of my Innovative Live Filmmakers Show. Friday 19th March at 6.30pm GMT UK

2010-03-18T08:27:00.000Z

The Live Show has been growing in popularity at an incredible rate. The last show peaked with between 40 - 45 viewers at any one time. I'm hoping to smash the 50 mark for this weeks show.

Every two weeks on a Friday I give an open and honest account of my journey as a new filmmaker. The show also includes guest videos from friends in the industry. As I move closer to filming my next film project, a short film called Love Like Hers, the show is going to become more and more exciting and inspirational for other like minded Indie Filmmakers as I share the filmmaking process.

On the Live Show this week:

Update on development of my next short film, Love Like Hers. There's an update on the screenplay, a new teaser website and more!
Composer Niklas Aman takes us into his recording studio and talks about making music for Love Like Hers. Including an EXCLUSIVE clip or two from the music he has already composed for my film.
A good friend of mine, Dave Armstrong based in the Isle of Man, has recently shot his short film Ghostgirl on the Canon 5D. He's recorded a video and talks about the technical and aesthetic properties of the camera - a MUST see!
I'm talking about plans for my visit to Cannes 2010 (including the Chris Jones workshop)
The search continues to build a talented filmmaking team for Love Like Hers. Some potentially VERY exciting news on the show this week.
There will be another Featured Indie Filmmaker section. An Indie Filmmaker that I think is doing wonders for the industry. Who will it be this time? It might be you! Tune in to find out!!
And SO MUCH MORE!!

The show is broadcast LIVE via my Livestream channel. If you missed the last show (Fri 5th March) then you can watch again on my Livestream channel with VOD.

The idea is to broadcast a show that others will find inspiring and motivational. It's also an opportunity for other filmmakers to network in the chat room.

Here's the link to my Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Would be amazing if you could tune in on Friday!

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny

Love Like Hers Teaser Poster Finally Brings My Film To Life

2010-03-11T21:30:00.003Z

There's a little over 4 months to go before the camera rolls on what is going to be my biggest challenge to date as an Indie Filmmaker. Love Like Hers is going to be a dramatic, beautiful, emotionally charged, tragic love story with elements of adventure and intrigue.

Yet, no actors have been cast, the screenplay is still in development with the second draft underway and I'm still building a crew that can pull off the look that I have in my head for this film. No small task.

Despite all of this, I needed to inject a little life into my film, something that would inspire more interest in the project and encourage more people to get involved. This is the reason I wanted to introduce a teaser poster. An image that would broadcast a feel and mood of the film, and especially for the main character.

How on Earth was I going to get a teaser poster together with no actors? I needed to find a 'face' that fit the look I was after for my film. That face ended up being model Serena McCutcheon. Then, I needed a photographer who could capture a stunning image that I could use for the poster, in steps Julian Holtom. And then, I needed a professional film poster designer who could put everything together for our poster. That's where Dan Anscombe came in.

Dan got in touch and offered his services, for FREE on this project. Dan had heard about my project on the Internet and wanted get involved. This is incredibly kind and just goes to show how this project and my journey is inspiring others to want to get involved. I'm building a team of talented individuals to help me on my journey, and at the end of the day, if I become a successful filmmaker, EVERYONE will do very well for themselves.

So, I sent Dan a brief for the poster along with various pictures of our model, Serena. He then got to work on the design of the Love Like Hers teaser poster. He is designing several versions of the poster, one for print (one sheet), a version to use online and in future publications (i.e. magazine, newspapers etc).

I hope you'll agree that everything has come together really well and Dan, Serena and Julian have contributed to what is a stunning image for my film.

Please do visit Dan's website to see his other design work. Dan is a graphic designer, production artist, concept artist and film poster designer and is a very nice chap! Here's the link to his website http://www.danielanscombe.co.uk

Thanks again to Dan for his contribution and I look forward to working with Dan on future film projects.

OK, scroll down to see TWO versions of the Love Like Hers teaser poster.

NEWS: My next Live Show is scheduled for Friday 19th March at 6.30pm GMT UK time via my Livestream channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm The first show of its kind for an Indie Filmmaker and it's getting BIGGER with every show. If you miss an episode you can now watch again with VOD, again on my Livestream channel.

Many thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Danny

(click on the image to see a bigger version)

Catch The Last Live Show On Demand, Here's The Show From Fri 5th March 2010

2010-03-06T10:41:00.001Z

Watch live streaming video from dannylaceyfilm at livestream.com

Every two weeks, on a Friday, I host a pioneering live show that documents my journey as an Indie Filmmaker. I talk about the things I'm experiencing as a new filmmaker. An open account of future projects, from writing the screenplay and raising funds, to building a creative team and shooting the film.

More and more viewers are tuning into the show each episode and lending their support to what I'm doing as a new filmmaker, which is totally amazing!

The next live show will be Friday 19th March 2010 at 6.30pm GMT UK. And the great news is, if you miss it - you can now watch it on demand!

Above is the last episode of my live show, broadcast live on Friday 5th March.

Many thanks for your support!

Danny.

Next LIVE! Show: Friday 5th March at 6.30pm GMT UK (Episode 5)

2010-03-01T19:03:00.001Z

Counting down the days for the next Live! Show. For those that haven't seen one of my shows yet, it's all about my filmmaking career. An open, honest and humble account of my progress through the industry. I'm hoping that other new indie filmmakers (infact ANY viewer) will find it interesting and inspirational.

I'm an entrepreneurial filmmaker, a filmmaker with a business hat. I will ALWAYS try to look at new ways of doing things, that's just how my brain works. You'll see plenty of examples of this on the show.

On the show this week:

Update on my next short film Love Like Hers. The project is gathering pace, I'll be talking about dates for principal photography, a major PR campaign in March/April to raise funds for the film, the music for the film and more!
Video from the Love Like Hers 'poster campaign' photo shoot with model Serena and photographer Julian.
Attending the Cannes Film Festival Workshop from Chris Jones.
Talking about starting on Draft 2 of the Love Like Hers screenplay.
Another VERY special guest video from a VERY talented writer/filmmaker.
Who will this weeks 'Featured Indie Filmmaker' be (could be you!)
This weeks special guest is writer/filmmaker Danny Stack. Danny has written for Eastenders, Doctors amongst others and has written and directed a short film called Origin. Find out more by visiting Danny's blog http://www.dannystack.blogspot.com
And so much more...

There's also the chance for you to chat with OTHER indie filmmakers in the chat room during the show, come and join in the fun and show your support for an Indie Filmmaker who's working incredibly hard to get his hands on an Oscar within the next three years.

Live, this Friday 5th March at 6.30pm GMT UK. Here's the link http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Hope you can join us!

Danny

Getting To Grips With Cannes And Film Festivals

2010-02-28T18:51:00.000Z

I'm looking into train times, flights and hotel costs for a busy March, April and May of Film Festivals and workshops. All part of the bigger picture for my filmmaking career.

A trip to London to find out more about Cannes, and THEN actually going to Cannes is all part of the Chris Jones Cannes Workshop from team Living Spirit. I'll be heading down to London on Wednesday 17th March for the evening Cannes workshop, and then heading over to Cannes on Tuesday 18th May to spend a day with Chris Jones and other workshop attendees as we're shown round Cannes. Great experience for new indie filmmakers.

It will be a fantastic opportunity to experience Cannes and to network with other indie filmmakers. To find out more about the workshop visit http://www.chrisjonesblog.com

I've also got my hands on a press pass for this years Bradford International Film Festival in March and can't wait to attend most of the film events at the festival and see some classic films on 70mm during their widescreen weekend. Would be great to see you there, if you want to go do get in touch and we'll meet up for a chat!

Stay close to the blog, LOTS of exciting updates to come for my next short film project, Love Like Hers.

NEWS: My next LIVE! Show will be Friday 5th March at 6.30pm GMT UK, another show packed full of information on my filmmaking journey and more guest videos! Hope you can join me http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny

Raising The Profile Of Love Like Hers

2010-02-24T18:14:00.003Z

Time to increase PR and marketing activity for my next short film, Love Like Hers.

On March 3rd, I'll be directing a photo shoot with a model and EXTREMELY talented photographer to deliver a stunning image for the next stage of increasing interest in my short film. I have several images in my head for the look I need for what I'm calling my poster campaign. These images focus on what will be the main character of my film. Even though nobody has been cast for the main role just yet, I thought it would be a great idea to introduce a face, a look to some early marketing.

This image will be used for future graphics to help promote my project and to also front a teaser website for Love Like Hers, more on that in a future blog.

Serena McCutcheon has the look I'm after for this campaign and has kindly agreed to give up some of her time to be the face of this project. Which is great news. You can see some of her headshots on this post.

Julian Holtom, a good friend of mine and the stills photographer on my last short film, will be taking the pictures. You HAVE to take a look at his work http://www.jaholtom.com He's wanting to do more stills work in the film industry so please do pass on his details!

I'll be recording a video blog from the photoshoot and will update you when I've designed the 'poster'.

Other news: Here's a date for your diary. My next LIVE! Show will be Friday 5th March at 6.30pm GMT UK. The show is growing in popularity and the support and interest in what I've been doing is truly amazing!!! Hope you can tune in.

Thanks for stopping by and if you would like to contribute towards my next short film please do visit my Indie GoGo page where you will find LOTS of fun and exciting perks for Love Like Hers

Danny

On The Next LIVE! Show, This Friday (19th Feb) at 6.30pm GMT UK

2010-02-17T20:37:00.000Z

I'm preparing for this weeks LIVE! Indie Filmmakers show on my Livestream channel. Still buzzing from last Friday's fundraising special in which $600 was raised in one-hour for my next film, Love Like Hers - incredible. And I have to say, I'm extremely proud to have broken NEW ground with this show and to be the first Indie Filmmaker to attempt a live crowd fundraising show.

Back to the normal live show this week. An open and honest account of my journey to establish myself as a respected filmmaker.

On the show this week:

I'll be revealing MORE about Love Like Hers, my next short film.
Talking about how much of a challenge fundraising is, but how rewarding it can be.
Building a team for Love Like Hers, I need more members of the team!!
Why I've decided to shoot the film on a Canon 5D
How I'll be raising the profile of my next film with a forthcoming marketing campaign.
Making a start on Draft 2 of the screenplay.
I'll be talking about the Bradford International Film Festival.
And more!

ALSO.... Who will be this weeks 'Featured Indie Filmmaker'?? I'll be talking about someone who is doing wonders in the world of Indie Film. A nice plug on my live show. It might be you??

Please, do tune in if you get the chance and spread the word about this innovative Live show following the progress of a new Indie Filmmaker, and the journey to the Oscars!

Here's where you can see the show http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

THIS FRIDAY, 19TH FEBRUARY AT 6.30PM GMT UK

Hope you can make it.

Thanks for visiting,

Danny.

A Done Deal, Agreement Between Filmmaker And Composer For Love Like Hers

2010-02-15T17:53:00.000Z

Today I reached a milestone in my filmmaking career for sure. The signing of a professional and legally binding agreement between myself and Niklas Aman, composer for my next short film - Love Like Hers. The first I've had to deal with.

Fortunately, Niklas has many years of experience working with similar contracts and so this process was made incredibly stress free. There were just a few sections of the agreement that needed a tiny bit of negotiation but other than that, the contract was spot on.

Basically, the agreement covers the parties involved for the musical compositions for Love Like Hers, compensation in relation to any profit sharing, rights, relationship of parties, additional provisions etc.

I don't want to go into too much detail with regards the contractual arrangement between myself and Niklas, just to say that Niklas has been incredibly generous in what he has offered to do for Love Like Hers.

So, what does this mean for the film?

It means I have a talented composer with many years experience AND a film credit for his music onboard for Love Like Hers. This is going to lift my film into a whole new league. ALL music for the film will be custom made from scratch, which means I don't have to use pre-made production library tracks.

Niklas is currently working on 'sketching' ideas for the music based on a mood board I sent over.

We are currently working on a few EXCITING music based PR ideas. Can't wait to tell you more about this!!

More news to come in my next LIVE! Indie Filmmaker show which will be THIS Friday (19th Feb) at 6.30pm GMT UK. Here's the link http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for visiting, stay close as there's PLENTY more to come.

Danny.

LIVE! Crowd Fundraising Show Update... how did we do?

2010-02-13T11:32:00.002Z

OK, so the target was to raise $1,000 in a 1 hour live show via my Livestream channel. A FIRST for an Indie Filmmaker. The result was that we didn't quite make it. However, I think I proved that this new format of crowd fundraising CAN work as I raised over $600 during the show to go towards my next short film, Love Like Hers. Not bad I'm sure you'll agree in sixty minutes.

Not only did I raise over $600 during the show, it proved to be a great source of inspiration for other indie filmmakers around the world. This is evident from all the amazing feedback I've been receiving since the live show.

The idea behind the show was to introduce new 'perks' and special offers to encourage viewers to contribute towards my next short film. I was utilising skill sets I have in other areas of expertise (i.e. graphic design) and offering creative and fun services in return for a contribution towards the film.

Below is a list of those extra special offers that I promoted during the show. These are different 'perks' to what you will find on my Indie GoGo page. Just to keep things fresh and interesting.

Please note that you can still contribute via any of the perks below. Payment is accepted through my Paypal account. Please send your payment to the following Paypal email address - dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

HERE'S HOW YOU COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT SHORT FILM OF AN INDIE FILMMAKER WITH THE OSCARS FIRMLY IN HIS SIGHTS:

1. TWITTER BACKGROUND DESIGN - $30 / £20
Having the right look is so very important if you are a serious indie filmmaker. Like I mentioned on the last live show; indie film is a business, and a business needs good, clear and effective branding. So, I'm offering to design you a professional Twitter background (including a small thumbnail graphic). If you're interested please email me direct dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

2. SKYPE CHAT (one hour) - $100 / £65
I get so many emails and DM's via Twitter from other new indie filmmakers wanting to know more about my journey, more about how I'm raising funds for my next film, more about the resources for my filmmaking education and so on. So I thought that it would be a great idea to offer this Skype Chat package as a way of killing two birds with one stone. I get to raise a little extra cash for my next film AND answer and inspire other indie filmmakers. We will chat via Skype for 60 minutes about film and I GUARANTEE that you will be inspired after the call!! Please email me if you are interested in this perk as there is VERY limited spaces available dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

3. GUEST PRODUCER - $500 / £320
This really is the BIG DADDY of packages available for my next short film. You'll be involved during EVERY process of making the film.

During pre-production - you'll receive regular updates via email and Skype on our progress. You will be one of the FIRST to receive the final shooting draft of the screenplay. You'll also see budget sheets and other private production documents.

During principal photography - you'll have FULL access to the set/location when we're filming. Access to a private website that will feature stills and videos from the shoot.

During post-production - you'll get regular updates on how we are progressing through the editing and grading process. You'll be invited into the edit room to see us editing the video in person. There's also a very special credit at the end of the film. Your name on it's own as 'Guest Producer'

And so much more. There is only room for one Guest Producer so get in touch NOW to avoid disappointment. Being a Guest Producer really does make you a part of the filmmaking team. Email me dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

Of course there are more perks available through my Indie GoGo page http://www.indiegogo.com/lovelikehers including my personal video pitch recorded at a 95 year old picture house.

Finally, the next live show will be Friday 19th February at 6.30pm GMT UK time at http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm where I will be talking in more detail about my next short film Love Like Hers and my push to win an Oscar within the next three years.

Thank you for stopping by the blog, lots more updates to come!

Danny.

Surely a first for an Indie Filmmaker.. The LIVE fan-fund raising show

2010-02-09T11:40:00.004Z

This Friday, 12th Feb, at 6.30pm (GMT UK) I will be attempting a new, unique and pioneering way to raise funds for my next short film, Love Like Hers. And yes, I am a little nervous!

As this is, as far as I'm aware, a first for an Indie Filmmaker and there is a very good chance I'll end up falling on my arse. Not that I'm going to let that stop me.

This Friday I will be hosting a one-hour fund raising special via my Internet Livestream channel. In that hour I will be attempting to raise $1,000+ to go towards the production of my next short film.

Love Like Hers, my next short film, will be my first real big challenge as a new filmmaker. This short film will be entered into film festivals around the world and will also be self-distributed on DVD and via digital downloads. So it is extremely important that I make a film with a high production value, a film with a beautiful, cinematic tone. Hence the reason I need to get my hands on as much money as possible to get that desired 'look'.

During the 60 minute show I'll be offering you amazing incentives to get behind this film and help a new filmmaker get another step closer to the Oscars! There will be video inserts from some VERY special guests, live contributions and so much more.

Please do spread the word and do tune in this Friday for a pioneering piece of fan-fundraising for Independent Film. If successful, this could pave the way for other like minded filmmakers to do the same and take their projects another few steps up the ladder.

The live show is this Friday, 12th Feb at 6.30pm GMT UK time. Here's the link to my Livestream channel http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Hope you can tune in and support a new Indie Filmmaker on an exciting journey.

Thanks for your support.

Danny

Couple of things...

2010-02-07T16:28:00.000Z

It's been an eventful few weeks to say the least. So much going on right now, so many ideas, projects on the go etc., etc. Here's a quick update on a few filmmaking developments:

Niklas Aman Interview.
If you missed my last LIVE show, you will have missed my Skype interview with the uber talented composer, Niklas Aman. Niklas is the latest addition to the Love Like Hers filmmaking team. He will be composing the music for my short film, and I'm very excited about that.

Click on the following link to hear the interview on my You Tube page http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

Also on there you will see the video interview with my Director of Photography, David Beaumont.

Love Like Hers Screenplay Update.
I have finished the first draft! the next step is for me to now go through and make notes on areas for improvement, and I intend on being brutal to my own work. The screenplay is currently 30 pages long, I need it to be between 15 - 20.

Pioneering Live Show.
I'm sure this will be a first for an Indie Filmmaker. A one-hour show on my Livestream channel to raise $1,000 towards my next short film. It's happening this coming Friday, 12th Feb, at 6.30pm GMT UK time. Please, please do join me and help spread the word. If this works, it could be used by other filmmakers!!

Here's the link http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

RED vs Canon as the format for Love Like Hers
The original plan was to shoot my next short film on the RED camera. However, recent developments has meant me reconsidering, having weighed up all the pro's and cons, my options for the type of camera we will be using. It's looking very likely that I will be going down the Canon 5D/7D kit route. More on this to come.

The coming months are looking incredibly exciting, my journey has attracted a lot of attention recently and a few doors are being unlocked and poised for opening!!

Keep your eye on the blog for an open and honest account of my filmmaking journey.

Thanks for stopping by.

Danny.

On my LIVE show this week...

2010-02-02T19:01:00.000Z

I have a packed Live show lined up for you this week. Episode 3 of the fortnightly show, an open and honest account of my journey as a new filmmaker, will feature the following:

A video interview with David Beaumont, the Director of Photography on my next short film, Love Like Hers. He was also behind the camera on my last short film, Angel of the Night.
I'll have an update on how things are coming along for my next short film. Exciting news about the screenplay and raising $8,000 via Indie GoGo.
There's more on my last short film being aired on TV
Building an award winning, filmmaking team of the future
I'll be talking about ANOTHER filmmaker and their journey (who will it be??)
AND.... an interview with the latest member of the Love Like Hers team, an EXTREMELY talented composer from Sweden.

Hope you can join me this Friday (5th Feb) at 6.30pm GMT UK time.

All you have to do is click on the following link to get to my Livestream page http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for visiting, lots more filmmaking updates to come... I PROMISE!!

Danny.

If you would like to help raise funds for my next film, Love Like Hers, please look at the many perks available from my Indie GoGo page - lots to choose from starting at $15 upwards http://www.indiegogo.com/lovelikehers

Composer and musician added to the Love Like Hers team

2010-01-29T18:28:00.001Z

I've mentioned this in a previous blog post. As I progress through my film making career, I'm building a team of talented individuals that I can take with me on the journey. Professionals that i can trust for future productions, and those that have been kind enough to help me through my early projects.

I'm talking about a team of individuals from the various departments that are essential to making a film (i.e. a DoP, a producer, writers etc). For me, this is an essential part of any film makers process. It's ALL ABOUT THE TEAM!!! Having a talented team working WITH you will raise the quality of your production and take it in to a whole new league.

Announcement:
I'm delighted to announce that another very talented member has been added to 'the team' today. Niklas Aman is a brilliant composer/sound designer based in Sweden. One of his tracks has recently been used in the Jessica Alba and Aaron Eckhart film 'Meet Bill'. Niklas has agreed to compose the music for my next short film, Love Like Hers. I'm sure this will be the start of a great collaboration for the future. We will now begin to talk through the music for Love Like Hers over the coming months. I'm very excited about this news as music is going to play a huge part in the film.

Please do visit Niklas Aman's website to hear some of his work, click here.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who's been in touch and offered their services for my future projects!!!

Watch this space for more updates.

Thanks for visiting

Danny

Does your face fit? I'm looking for a female face for a PR campaign to drum up interest in my next short film.

2010-01-28T12:48:00.001Z

I'm looking for a female (you don't have to be an actress of even a model) to be the face of a little PR campaign I'm working on for my next short film, Love Like Hers. I'm working on a teaser poster for various bits of literature and a website for the short film. I won't be casting for the main role in the short film for a while, I just need a suitable face for the PR campaign right now.

I'm looking for someone in their 20s, attractive but NOT glamorous. Dark hair is a preference but not essential. I've got a very talented photography ready to take the shots. there's NO payment involved, however you will get great exposure! Someone local to Yorkshire, UK would be good as you'll need to travel to a studio for the shoot. I expect the photo shoot to last no more than a couple of hours.

The look I'm after is something similar to the actresses in the picture above.

If you're interested or know of someone who fits the bill then please do contact me via dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

The plan is to arrange the photo shoot during the next few weeks.

Thanks for visiting.

Danny.

Raising funds for the next short film via Indie GoGo

2010-01-23T11:50:00.004Z

I'm hoping to raise $8,000 for my next short film, Love Like Hers. The plan is to raise the majority of these funds through an Indie Film community website called Indie GoGo. The fund raising project is a few weeks old and already we've raised $330 (with one person contributing $200 - amazing!).

Now, the idea of the Indie GoGo project is to offer fun, creative and appealing 'perks' to encourage contributions. Giving a little something back as a way of saying thank you for your contribution and support.

I've just updated the list of 'perks' to include, in my opinion, some really exciting and novel ideas.

So, what do you get for contributing to my next short film? Here's the list:

$15 or more - "THE EMAIL"

I’ll send you a personal email as a thank you. I’ll also tell you something interesting about one of my projects – something that I will not have mentioned on my blog or other websites. Might be something to do with film, or a personal fact or stat. I promise to try and keep them as interesting as possible.

$40 or more - "DVD WITH EXTRAS"
‘Love Like Hers’ on DVD (with behind the scenes extras). You'll receive this a few weeks before general release (signed if requested).

$50 or more - "YOUR FACE IN THE CREDITS"
That’s right, send us a high res JPG picture of you and we will put your face in a gallery of pictures that will roll with the credits at the end of the film.

$80 or more - "ASSOCIATE PRODUCER CREDIT"
Credited as an Associate Producer on the short film. Your name will feature in the end credits. You’ll also be given a special mention on my film blog.

$300 or more - "YOUR NAME IN THE SCREENPLAY"
We’re just throwing this one out there as an option. Only one place available so be quick to avoid disappointment. Your name will appear at some stage in the script, and indeed in the finished film – how exciting is that!!!

$500 or more - "VIP GUEST AT THE PREMIERE SCREENING"
Your invite to the premiere screening of ‘Love Like Hers’ at a classic picture house in West Yorkshire, UK. (You are responsible for your own travel and accommodation). This includes being treated as a VIP guest of mine. You’ll also be credited on the film as a Special Associate Producer and mentioned on my film blog.

$1,000 or more - "PRODUCT PLACEMENT"
Your product will get at least 3 seconds of screen time in a prominent place in the frame!! There are only TWO places available for product placement, so be quick!

$8,000 or more - "THE GAMBLE"
This buys you a 5% share in my earnings from my first success at the box office. Yes, this is a huge gamble as my first film might flop at the cinema. However, what if my first film follows in the footsteps of The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity or Mad Max?? I will be responsible for arranging legal contracts and agreement documentation etc. The only stipulation is this first success at the box office has to happen within the next 7 years.

I'm sure you'll agree, there are some pretty interesting perks on offer. If you want to get involved and contribute to any of the above, then please do visit my project page at Indie GoGo. CLICK HERE to take you to that page. Contributing is safe, Indie GoGo use very safe payment methods for peace of mind.

And even if you haven't got the cash to contribute, a BIG thank you from me for your continued support. I've been getting an incredible amount of good luck messages and offers of help from many areas of the film profession. It is certainly helping me on my way.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I now host my own live show on Livestream. It's a show that takes a look at my journey as a new film maker. An honest, humble and open account of everything I'm doing to make it in this industry and fulfil my ambitions and turn my dreams into reality. The next live show is Friday 5th February at 6.30pm (GMT UK) at http://www.livestream.com/dannylaceyfilm Hope you can join us on the next show.

Thank for visiting.

Danny.
Please do check out some of my other websites by viewing the useful links section on this blog over on the right, and down a little bit.

Angel of the Night proves popular with the judges at Zone Horror TV short film competition

2010-01-19T18:46:00.003Z

Angel of the Night was my debut short film, shot on ZERO budget at the end of last year.

A two minute version of the short film was entered into the Zone Horror TV CUT! 2009 competition. The original deadline for entries was the end of October 2009, then it was extended to November, then December and finally January 4th 2010. If I'm honest, I'd totally forgotten as a result of all the deadline extensions. So I was utterly amazed to find out that my film had made it through to the top 10 short listed films for the major prize - £2,000 and lots of exposure on the satellite TV channel.

I can't explain just how excited I am at this news. It's my first competition entry, my first short film infact, so to be shortlisted out of the many hundreds of entries in to this competition is a proud moment - and a huge step in the right direction for my filmmaking career.

What happens next then? The ten shortlisted films will now be shortened to just three and then the winner will be announced.

You can see Angel of the Night, and all the other shortlisted films by clicking here.

I'll keep you posted on how our film gets on, we're up against other really good short films shot on very little budgets.

If we were to win, and that's a BIG if, the £2,000 prize would go towards my next short film Love Like Hers, which would seriously help us get to our $8,000 dollar target.

Thanks for visiting and please do join our Facebook fan page for Love Like Hers, the link is on the right of this blog.

Danny.
Follow me on Twitter
My You Tube Film Page

Interviews, an essential part of PR and marketing for a new filmmaker

2010-01-13T19:39:00.001Z

I think I'm getting a little better at talking about what I'm doing and where I'm heading when it comes to my film making journey. Still a little wet behind the ears maybe, but certainly sounding a little more like I know what I'm doing.

My journey has stirred up quite a lot of interest recently, whether it be more followers on Twitter, good luck messages or requests for interviews etc., so knowing more about my trade is certainly very helpful. Especially when it comes to being interviewed.

David Allen of Mac20Q got in touch recently and asked if he could interview me for a podcast on his website. I said that would be lovely and so we arranged a date and time, the interview was then recorded via Skype and is now on his website and indeed on iTunes for all to hear.

I've had some great feedback from like minded film makers (some who are also in the early stages of their career), it sounds like the podcast is proving to be quite inspirational to a few - which is great!

Anyway, I really enjoyed the interview with David Allen, very nice chap. We talked about the process I go through for new film ideas, writing, storyboarding, directing, editing, hardware and software used, my next short film project, Love Like Hers and so much more. You can hear it for yourself here:

http://mac20q.com/2010/01/mac20q-podcast-79-danny-lacey-film/

Hope you enjoy the conversation and many thanks for visiting!

Danny

Promotion and development running side by side to raise the profile of my next short film

2010-01-08T10:45:00.001Z

Love Like Hers is going to be my next short film. I'm working on the script right now and at the same time trying to raise $8,000 to help make a film with a more polished, cinematic look.

The facility I'll be using to try and raise this cash is the indie film community website at Indie GoGo. It's a great community of independent film makers and indeed independent creatives where collaboration from the masses is used to raise money for credible projects (like mine). In simple terms, nice people spare a little cash (or a lot in some cases) to help out fellow creatives to get their project off the ground.

My Indie GoGo page is now fully operational, it even has a personal video that I made to make it more personal. The video was filmed at Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds (UK). This would be the perfect place to have the premiere screening, it's a gorgeous 95 year old building steeped in history.

I'm not just expecting folk to give their hard earned cash away for nothing, I'm offering various levels of incentives.

For example:

$10 and a great BIG thank you from me!!!
$40 will get you a copy of the finished DVD with extra behind the scenes stuff and interviews with cast and crew. Signed is requested.
$80 and you will be credited as an associate producer on the film. That means your name in the end credits!
$200 is the promotion pack. The DVD, the A3 poster (again, signed if requested), the first AND final draft of the screenplay, production documents (i.e. call sheets, schedules, budget spreadsheet etc).
$500 and you'll get a very special VIP invite to the premiere night of the film. This will be held at a picture house in the UK. You'll also get a very special mention on the film's credits and on this blog.
$1,500 is the big one, the Blockbuster package. You literally become a part of the production team. You'll get regular emails and Skype calls on how we're getting on. This includes updates of the script development, finances of the project, you'll have access to a private website whereby you can download stills and exclusive clips from principal photography. You really do get to come along for the whole journey - from start to finish. Not forgetting, the DVD, the posters, an invite to the premiere screening and so much more.

You can donate as little as $10, or as much as you like by going to my page on Indie GoGo here http://www.indiegogo.com/lovelikehers

Even though the film is in the early stages of development, I've decided to ramp up the PR and marketing of the project. This includes setting up a Facebook fan page, more updates on the blog, video updates on my YouTube page and even more info via my Twitter page. I'm also in the process of sending out press releases to local newspapers and magazines. And that's just the start!

This means that there are now a few websites where you can keep up to date with what's happening. I'll be doing a lot of cross promoting to help keep all the sites up to date. This blog will still remain the hub of all my film activity.

To recap, here are the websites that are actively promoting my film work:

Thanks again for visiting and if you have ANY questions, please do not think twice about getting in touch dannylacey@stadamedia.co.uk

Thanks

Danny.

Love Like Hers on Indie GoGo

2010-01-01T13:25:00.000Z

Quick update (a more detailed post to come):

I'm hoping to raise $8,000 for my next shot film, Love Like Hers. One method I'm hoping will help with this campaign is Indie GoGo. I've just set up the 'pitch' on Indie Go Go along with lots of VIP perks to encourage people to donate.

I will be adding more details on the blog soon as this campaign will move along in various stages and levels of intense PR and marketing to get it 'out there'.

For now, please do visit the project page and see what you think.

http://www.indiegogo.com/lovelikehers

Thanks for visiting and please do come back soon!

Happy New Year and here's to 2010!

Danny

New title and logline for my next short film

2009-12-23T15:29:00.002Z

The festive break is proving to be productive for developing my next short film project (and my expanding waist line).

I think (and this is of course subject to me changing my mind a thousand times) I have the title AND logline for my next short film, a tragic love story.

TITLE: 'Love Like Hers'
LOG: 'Nothing will come between her and the one she loves, not even the ones she loves'

It's another giant step forward for this latest short film project. The screenplay is still in the early stages of development, just ironing out a few ideas before making a start on the first draft.

I'm also in the process of setting up my IndieGoGo project, in an attempt to raise £5,000 for Love Like Hers. Hope to have that online very soon http://www.indiegogo.com/dannylaceyfilm

Watch this space for more, plenty more to come as my film making career gathers pace!

Merry Christmas and thanks for visiting.

Danny.

Making things happen, film investment proposal 2010

2009-12-19T17:12:00.000Z

I've been working on this document for some weeks now (Investment Proposal 2010 / Draft 1). The plan is to look for a sponsor for the next two years of my film career, and to also raise funds for my next short film project.

I'm hoping to achieve both of these via friends, family, other film makers, businesses, Twitter, Facebook and IndieGoGo.

If you would like to read it, then click HERE or right-click and 'save as' to download the PDF Investment Proposal document (3.5mb approx.)

The IndieGoGo contributions project will be going live very soon, I just need to put together a more detailed plan for my next short film project - and a video pledge for the site. Please do feel free to visit my IndieGoGo page and spread the word - www.indiegogo.com/dannylaceyfilm

Thanks for visiting, keep coming back or subscribe as there's plenty more exciting film making business to come in 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Danny

Film development, family holiday and busy work schedule.

2009-12-15T10:05:00.000Z

It's been ages since my last post, I feel really bad about that (not good). However, I do have several valid excuses - work, work, work and a holiday.

So, I thought, for being so slack and as punishment, I'd record you a video for this particular episode of the blog. I've also uploaded some fun (ish) footage from the family holiday in Las Vegas, now you get to see just how stupid I/we really are.

The videos can be found on my YouTube page here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

2010 looks like being an extremely exciting year for my film career and I can't wait to share it all with you guys.

Thanks for visiting, and do keep coming back, or subscribe to be kept up to date with future events from my filmmaking journey.

Danny.

Excuses, excuses!

2009-11-21T14:24:00.004Z

It's been a while since my last blog post. The honest reason for this lack of blog action is I've been so very busy with work (you know, the thing that is supposed to pay the bills).

I have been doing all I can to squeeze in some film development during the odd quiet time. There are three main things that I'm working on right now, and they are:

1. The screenplay for my next short film project - a romantic love story (coming along nicely thank you).
2. A crazy idea I've had for an 8-part web series (a BIG mystery, suspense, thriller of an idea - working title 'Recall').
3. An 'Investment Proposal' document that I hope will stir some interest in the business community for sponsoring my career development for the next two years. I will be showing you guys this document on the blog when it's done.

Just in case you are new to my blog, and can't be arsed to read old posts (and who can blame you), my next short film project will be shot in spring 2010. I want to shoot this on the RED camera, so will be looking into raising a little cash on the run up to production. More on this soon.

Thanks for visiting, the support I'm getting is unreal - hope I can reach the movie making goals that I've set and make you all proud!

Danny.

Keeping that camera rolling, don't stop me now.

2009-11-11T18:44:00.004Z

Things have been incredibly manic since I made my first short film, Angel of the Night. Business is hectic and I'm developing several future film and TV ideas. It is so very important to keep things moving.

My next project will be another short film, a tragic love story. I'm still developing the story and hope to write a proper first draft within the next week or so. This short film doesn't have a title yet, still working on that, and the logline. Despite close to zero budget, I'm aiming quite high when it comes to the production value of this short film. I'm going to do absolutely everything I can to shoot this on the RED camera. This means I'll be needing a bigger crew! I also want to work with a professional editor who can comfortably work with the RED files etc. I'll keep you posted on how I get on.

I'm also working on what I want to be an 8 part, sci-fi, thriller, mystery, action packed web series. Principal photography planned for the end of 2010. More to come on that one in a week or two.

And finally, I've been working on an investment proposal document that I hope will interest potential investors and sponsors. I'm looking for a business or individual to sponsor my career for a two year duration. I'm just ironing out all the finer details and trying to make this a VERY attractive package for interested parties. I will upload this document onto the blog when it's done - would be great to get some feedback on it.

Thanks for visiting, must now get on with some more film development.

Danny.

Angel of the Night - see the screenplay

2009-11-04T17:57:00.004Z

As this is an honest and open account of my journey as a filmmaker, I thought I'd upload the shooting draft of the screenplay for my short film debut as writer and director.

Click on the link below to see the full screenplay as a PDF document.

Angel of the Night - Screenplay

Also, if you are a new visitor to my blog, firstly welcome and thanks for stopping by, and haven't seen my debut short horror film 'Angel of the Night', please do click on the link below to see it in HD on my YouTube page

'Angel of the Night' - the short film (in HD)

Thanks for visiting.

Danny.

A tragic love story starts to take shape.

2009-11-03T20:46:00.003Z

I've just finished the third page of the first draft for my next short film project - a 'very' tragic love story.

I'm really wanting to tug on the heart strings and drive home an emotionally charged story full of adventure for my next project. All I'll say for now is that this story strikes through the heart of the crumbling relationship between a father and daughter and his hatred for the one she wants to wed.

As well as pushing on with draft one of the screenplay, I'm working on nailing that perfect title. No luck so far! Lots of options but not one of them jumping out at me yet. Must keep trying.

Here's the plan, to roll on with pre-production in January 2010. I'll be looking at trying to get my hands on some spare cash to fund the film. Having said that, this will be a VERY low budget film and I'll yet again be asking for favours and knocking on doors with my cap in hand.

Thanks for visiting.

Danny.

PR steps up a gear with a guest appearance on an Internet broadcast for Indie Film Makers.

2009-10-29T18:17:00.005Z

PR is such an important part of life for any serious Indie Film Maker. I'm a huge believer in doing everything that is possible to build a loyal and interested following for you work.

For me, this is taking shape through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, along with video portals like YouTube, FilmNet.com and others. There seems to be a real momentum building for what I'm doing at the moment, and a definite interest (thanks for your support) for where I'm heading.

Anyway, not wanting to waffle on for too long. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be PR'ing myself as a guest on the increasingly popular Internet broadcast at Film Snobbery Live Friday night (10.30pm EST). I'll be talking to host Nic Baisley about trying to make it as an indie film maker and my journey in particular as I jump the hurdles and dive into the deep end of the film industry.

Please do tune in if you get the chance, it'll be an early morning if you're based in the UK as the broadcast is live at 10.30pm EST. We're about 5 or 6 hours ahead (note to myself: I'll need to check correct GMT before the live show).

Here's the all important link, and don't worry if you miss it, the show is recorded and will be available to watch again shortly after.

http://www.filmsnobbery.com/live

Hope you can tune in and interact with the show via Twitter, the Film Snobbery website or UStream. Maybe you have some questions?? Get in touch.

Thanks for visiting,

Danny.

Making good grounds on development of the second short film project

2009-10-25T18:23:00.003Z

A tragic love story is really starting to take shape on the back of my office door. Scene cards blue-tacked all over the place, believe it or not they are actually in some sort of order.

During the development phase of what will be my second short film, it is clear that I have learnt lots from Angel of the Night, my debut short film. I now have a more structured process for developing my ideas. It really is making things flow much easier. During Angel of the Night there were more than a few moments of stalling because I wasn't sure what to do next to get things done.

I start by deciding what genre to tackle, in this case a tragic love story. Next is the concept, one sentence that sums up my idea (a potential tag line for the film, "It's a story about a ???? who ???"). This is followed by a brief character development phase, this will include an outline for the story arc for the main characters. I'll then work on plot structure, main events of the story, when they happen and what relationship they have with the characters. The final section of this part of the development is the individual scenes. What's needed to take the story forward and to bring all the plot lines and key events together?

Once I have all of the above I find myself in a much better position to be able to take another stride closer to starting draft one of the screenplay. There are still lots of notes and revisions to be made, but it does give me something to work with and beats staring at a blank page.

With my tragic love story I've just finished round one of the four phase development of my idea. The individual scenes have been scribbled on small cards and are stuck on the back of my office door. The next move is for me to go over those scenes later and make changes, add bits, revise bits, improve on certain areas to increase the dramatic tone and emotional feel.

Once I'm at a stage where I have scenes that I think closely resemble the beats of my story, I'll then start to think about dialogue. Now, for this project I want to enlist the help of other writers and individuals, tell them about the scenes and get their reactions. How would they react if this happened to them? What would they say? How would they say it etc.

And that's where I'm at right now.

Exciting stuff, I'm so very hungry for this industry and am so very excited about the future.

Thanks for visiting!

Danny.

ALSO - If you haven't seen it yet. My debut short horror film Angel of the Night is now on my YouTube page in full HD for all to see. Please do have a look if you have three minutes spare. http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

Angel of the Night, my debut short horror film now online.

2009-10-22T11:25:00.002+01:00

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

The first step in my film making career. Plenty more to come.

Thanks for visiting, hope you like it.

Danny.

Short Film Number 2 - A Tragic Love Story / Angel of the Night Update

2009-10-21T18:28:00.007+01:00

The dust has barely settled on my debut short film, Angel of the Night, and already I'm making a start on what will be my second short film.

This is all part of the two year plan, see below, to make ripples within the movie industry in the UK and to establish myself as a 'one-to-watch' film maker.

My second project will be an emotionally charged tragic love story. I'm very clear with what I want to get from this next project, I'm not after writing the most original script in the world. My plan is to make a film based on the classic girl meets boy, they jump a load of hurdles to be together type story. Having said that, I really want to stretch my story telling skills and creative vision for this type of story. Using all the tricks of the trade to deliver a solid story well shot.

I've pretty much got the premise of the story and plot sorted. I find it easier to start by jotting down ideas for scenes that I think will move the story forward, with plenty of random ideas that may come in handy later. I know who the characters in my story will be and I have a really compelling opening sequence that will, I hope, lay a great foundation for the film.

I hope to have the first draft of the screenplay finished within the next two weeks. Shooting in early 2010 over what I predict will be a four-day shoot with a compact crew. My last project was shot on the Z1 in HDV at 1080i, I'd really like, budget permitting, to shoot on a format that is far superior to that for this next project (at 24p!).

ANGEL OF THE NIGHT UPDATE:
You can finally get to see Angel of the Night in all its glory on my YouTube page from MIDDAY today. The link is http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

I have to say, I'm quite nervous about showing this as it was only originally meant to be a learning exercise. A chance for me to get behind the camera, make the mistakes and learn. However, if you've been following the blog you'll know that I want to give an open and honest account of my journey as a film maker, so here it is! Hope you like.

Thanks for visiting, I appreciate your interest!

Danny.

A film makers two-year plan of action

2009-10-16T15:45:00.005+01:00

It was about 18-months ago that I decided I was ready to make a real go of my film making career. To dedicate as much time as I could to writing, directing and making movies. I've learnt so much during those 18-months and have arrived at a stage in which I feel comfortable, and wise enough, to map out the next 24-months of my film making career.

I think it is so very important, and often missing from most new film makers, to have targets, a realistic plan of action, something to aim for.

This is what I've settled on, a plan that I think will push my career forward in the right direction. A plan that will deliver the valuable experience and exposure needed to be taken seriously as a 'one to watch' writer/director in the UK.

The following details my targets, goals and ambitions for the next 24-months, a realistic plan in my opinion, knowing my strengths and weaknesses as well as I do.

THE PLAN 2010:

1) I'll write and direct two short films (up to 5 minutes each), both with high production values. One of those short films will be an action packed thriller, the other an emotional and tragic love story.

2) I want to direct a high production music video for a rock or pop band.

3) I'll be putting the finishing touches to a 20 minute screenplay for a MAJOR short film project that I hope to shoot as director in 2011. It's this short film that I will be entering into major film festivals around the globe, the ultimate target will be to qualify for an Oscars nomination. I'll also have to start the fund raising early in 2010 as I estimate I'll need £15,000 to make this film.

4) In the meantime I'll be developing several TV and Film ideas.

THE PLAN 2011

1) To film my MAJOR short film and qualify it for the Oscars 2012!

2) I want to have at least FIVE solid outlines/treatments for ideas for feature length films.

3) It's during this year that I want to have pitched at least one of my TV ideas to a major TV production company.

4) Making all the right contacts, and trying to be in the right place at the right time, I'd like to direct a music video for a big name singer or band.

...and there it is. A list of things I want to aim for AND achieve over the next two years. I'm going to have to stretch myself even further to reach my goals, but that won't stop me from getting where I want to be.

Here we go then, the journey hots up.

Thanks for visiting.

Danny.

Directors cut of Angel of the Night close to completion

2009-10-10T15:26:00.004+01:00

I've just spent the last few hours working on the directors cut of my short horror film 'Angel of the Night' and it's close to being finished.

All that is left to do is add a little extra foley in places and some colour correction, and then It's premiere time - my living room will be the screening venue. Must try to get my hands on some red carpet.

Once the film has had its premiere, one of a few things will follow. I might need to take it back into the edit and make some minor (or major) alterations from the feedback I get, if it gets a resounding thumbs up I'll be entering it into a few small short film competitions.

I don't want to spend too much longer on the project as the original idea behind this short film was to give me valuable experience of directing a short film. That done and soon time to move onto my next project.

I've put together a plan of what I want to achieve over the next two years, I'll post this plan on the blog over the next week or so.

Thanks again for visiting, keep checking back, still plenty more to happen here!

Danny.

Let's go behind the scenes on my debut as a director

2009-10-04T16:05:00.006+01:00

Angel of the Night, my short horror film, will be going through the final stages of post-production this week for the directors cut. I'm hoping to end up with a fast paced four minute film that delivers the simple story I wrote a few weeks back, along with a nice simple twist at the end.

In the meantime, I've put together some of the footage shot behind the scenes by Andy Langford and uploaded onto my YouTube film page. It's in two five-minute sections. Part one is online to view right now, the second part will be on very soon.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

Also, I'm working on another two short movie ideas that I hope to shoot over the next six months. The first of these will be an x-files-style science fiction thriller and the other an emotional love story with a little added comedy (start the violins).

Keep visiting the blog for more updates.

UPDATE: Both parts of the behind the scenes videos are now active on my YouTube film page.

Thanks for stopping by and please do take a few minutes to visit my YouTube film page.

Danny.

Looking forward making the 'directors cut' of Angel of the Night

2009-09-26T10:28:00.004+01:00

What a few weeks it has been. Most of my time has been taken up by a massive corporate video project, add to that the day-to-day running of a business, shooting a music video AND a documentary and you get some idea of how crazy the last few weeks have been for me.

Then there's of course my short horror film, 'Angel of the Night'. In that few weeks I've written the script and played the part of the producer to be able to get everything together in time for principal photography (which was on Monday 14th September). I then edited together a two minute version of the film to send off to a horror film competition, fingers are crossed for that one.

The next stage is to re-edit and put together a directors cut of the film. This may take me a week or two after the dust has settled on all of the other work I've got on at the moment. Once the directors cut is finished I'll be holding a premier evening for everyone who was involved with the project. I'll also be showing the film to a select number of industry professionals to get some constructive feedback and to decide what to do with it next. It may be worth entering it into some of the smaller film competitions as a way of generating a little more interest for my work.

So, watch this space for more updates. I'll also be editing the behind the scenes video that was shot and uploading to my YouTube page very soon (http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm)

Thanks for stopping by!

Danny.

Angel of the Night Update, post-production

2009-09-19T19:05:00.002+01:00

I'm in the middle of putting together the 'Directors Cut' of my debut short (very short) horror film Angel of the Night. Principle photography for the film wrapped on Monday, a two-minute version of the film then had to be edited together in no time to send to a national short horror competition for Zone Horror. Add to this all the work I've got on at the moment (in my proper job) and you see just how little time I have at the moment.

It'll take me another few weeks to get a final cut of the film together that I can be totally happy with.

I've just finished the teaser clip for the film and please do take a second to watch it - http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylaceyfilm

I hope to edit together some of the behind the scenes footage soon.

Please do come back and thanks for visiting.

Danny.

That's a wrap. Angel of the Night now in post-production.

2009-09-15T22:17:00.014+01:00

WOW!! Yesterday was quite an experience. My first time as writer/director of a short film. Loved every second and can't wait to post more of what happened on the day. However, I'm up against a very tight schedule to get the film edited and ready to enter into a short film competition so must crack on with the editing, it's looking pretty good so far.. considering it was made for £0.00!

In the meantime I've uploaded some behind the scenes stills taken by Julian Holtom of http://www.jaholtom.com.

Thanks for visiting, more online soon!

Danny.
FILM MAKER

It's the big day tomorrow

2009-09-13T12:08:00.003+01:00

So, hours of preparation, blagging and organising over the last three weeks and the big day is almost here. On set tomorrow morning at 9.15, the shooting schedule is going to be so very tight so I'll have to make sure I'm at the very top of my game to keep everything moving in the right direction.

I've done everything I could possibly do for tomorrow. However, I'm sure I'll have forgotten something - the skill is working round any issues that might arise and getting the best out of the resources available.

Will be chatting to David Beaumont the DoP later this afternoon to go through a few finer details for tomorrow. There's also the small task of some fake blood to make later today, got the golden syrup and red food colouring ready for action.

The next post will be later in the week where I hope to upload the behind the scenes video blog and some stills from the shoot.

Thanks again for visiting and do come back soon!

Danny.

3 days and counting...

2009-09-11T17:45:00.003+01:00

I only have time for a very quick posting on the blog. Just not enough hours in the day at the moment. I'm away most of the weekend with my girlfriend, it's her birthday (she could have chosen another weekend to have her birthday on lol).

So, manic this morning sorting last minute issues. My girlfriend has kindly offered her services as make-up lady on Monday (phew). Catering has been sorted and I've just picked up the filming equipment from ProVision in Leeds (thanks again to Danny Howarth, see older post). He's sorted me out with a great lighting kit that I'm more than sure will do the trick. Sill looking at options for the evening shoot. We're in the woods, no electricity! Gunna be shooting in the evening just before the sun goes down so we have a little light to play with (although it wont be much). Trying to get my hands on some powerful torches.

So, hopefully everything is sorted and ready to go. If anything else is needed - well, it's just tough and we'll have to work round it, isn't that what guerilla film making is all about anyway?

I must say a very big thank you for all of your support, the amount of visits the blog is getting, replies to my Tweets and emails is quite remarkable. Thank you!

Keep visiting the site - I'll be filming some behind the scenes footage and uploading some time next week.

Thanks for visiting

Danny.

4 days and counting for principal photography on Angel of the Night

2009-09-10T14:01:00.004+01:00

I now have my cast for 'Angel of the Night'. They are Peter Foster, Frank Ryan and John Guilor and I'm really looking forward to working with them on Monday and watching them really bring my characters and story to life.

I've just been sorting through all the paper work, call sheets, cast & crew contacts list, release forms etc., etc. Hoping I haven't missed anything.

Many thanks to all the actors who showed an interest in this film project - very much appreciated!

The one area that maybe causing me some issues is wardrobe and make-up. The actors are very kindly bringing a selection of clothing to help and I'm hoping to source a make-up artist soon.

Ok, now I'm starting to feel nervous. I'm going through that feeling of wanting EVERYTHING to be perfect for the crew and actors on the day, knowing full well there'll more than likely be the odd blip along the way.

I guess it's the fact that everyone has given their time up for FREE to come and work on MY film. If I was paying them for their efforts I'm sure I'd be feeling slightly different. Anyway..

I must remain grounded and focused on the fact that this is a no budget film. This means we'll just have to do the best we can with what we've got - there's no money to go overboard. Here goes.

Thanks for visiting.

Danny.