Jamie Sims

​I started pre-production on a one minute film today. Milkshake Courage (2013) is a short film about a boy finding the courage to ask out a girl he likes. 

I’m making the short as an entry into a contest that Ideas’ Tap are running with Mother London. The brief asked for a short one minute film loosely based upon the word ‘Risk’. At first a story based on risk, to me, meant a story with danger in action packed sense. A Bomb disposal, stopping a mugger. My thoughts were full of guns and heros un till i thought about what personal risks i’ve taken with my life. What did i find dangerous, scary and a huge risk. It almost all comes down to… girls. Asking out a girl you like is terrifying. “What if they say no?” “What if they say no and then your trousers fall down and the entire world laughs at you?” This was my biggest risk… Maybe I haven’t lived properly… I tried to write a script that featured the feeling of taking a risk and asking that girl you like out. Sweet. Cute. And obviously the most dangerous risk of them all. 

After I wrote the script and quickly rounded up a crew: 

• Nina Kastner - Producer
• Richard Dimery - DOP 
• James Wright - Sound Recordist & Design 
• Matthew Cresswell - Edit & Colour Grade
• Ollie Reynolds - Production Design 
  
  

Nina quickly tracked down a few diners and made a few calls, moments later and we’re recceing and confirming our location: JJ’s American Diner in West Byfleet, Surrey! (which is incredibly close). Then after that she got on to creating a Facebook page and sent out a casting. 

I spent my time breaking up the script into a shot list which i’ll go over tomorrow with Richard and Matthew. We’ll discuss the shots so Richard can start work on a lighting plan while Matthew can give an editors’ perspective and can get a sense of how the film will fit together. 

The film is only one minute long but it’s broke up into 20+ set ups of which we only have six hours to shoot it. So this is gonna be very tight. 

Today was a success - Location, casting , crew, shot list, facebook page. Now we just have to stay on this track and we’ll be ready in no time. I’ll try and keep as up to date as possible. 

​

​I started pre-production on a one minute film today. Milkshake Courage (2013) is a short film about a boy finding the courage to ask out a girl he likes. 

I’m making the short as an entry into a contest that Ideas’ Tap are running with Mother London. The brief asked for a short one minute film loosely based upon the word ‘Risk’. At first a story based on risk, to me, meant a story with danger in action packed sense. A Bomb disposal, stopping a mugger. My thoughts were full of guns and heros un till i thought about what personal risks i’ve taken with my life. What did i find dangerous, scary and a huge risk. It almost all comes down to… girls. Asking out a girl you like is terrifying. “What if they say no?” “What if they say no and then your trousers fall down and the entire world laughs at you?” This was my biggest risk… Maybe I haven’t lived properly… I tried to write a script that featured the feeling of taking a risk and asking that girl you like out. Sweet. Cute. And obviously the most dangerous risk of them all. 

After I wrote the script and quickly rounded up a crew: 

• Nina Kastner - Producer
• Richard Dimery - DOP 
• James Wright - Sound Recordist & Design 
• Matthew Cresswell - Edit & Colour Grade
• Ollie Reynolds - Production Design 
  
  

Nina quickly tracked down a few diners and made a few calls, moments later and we’re recceing and confirming our location: JJ’s American Diner in West Byfleet, Surrey! (which is incredibly close). Then after that she got on to creating a Facebook page and sent out a casting. 

I spent my time breaking up the script into a shot list which i’ll go over tomorrow with Richard and Matthew. We’ll discuss the shots so Richard can start work on a lighting plan while Matthew can give an editors’ perspective and can get a sense of how the film will fit together. 

The film is only one minute long but it’s broke up into 20+ set ups of which we only have six hours to shoot it. So this is gonna be very tight. 

Today was a success - Location, casting , crew, shot list, facebook page. Now we just have to stay on this track and we’ll be ready in no time. I’ll try and keep as up to date as possible. 

​

​Safe to say I won’t be sleeping tonight. HOWL will be shown along with the 12 graduation films of the UCA: Farnham Class of 2013. Finally going to watch it with an audience. After tomorrow we’ll begin our film festival strategy. 

If you’d like to see HOWL then drop me an E-mail. ​

​Safe to say I won’t be sleeping tonight. HOWL will be shown along with the 12 graduation films of the UCA: Farnham Class of 2013. Finally going to watch it with an audience. After tomorrow we’ll begin our film festival strategy. 

If you’d like to see HOWL then drop me an E-mail. ​

Shot a music video this weekend with Duncan Trevithick (cinematographer/editor), Ollie Reynolds and Emily Britton (production designers) and Charlotte Hemsley (advising- producer and life saver)
I’m a big fan of music videos having a narrative and so treated this as a short film orchestrated to a song. It was certainly a challenge cramming the shoot into two days on a shoe-string budget. Also having transformed my bedroom into a mad scientists’ ‘cardboard’ laboratory I’m sure I’ll be cleaning it up for weeks to come.
The shoot allowed me to work with my best friend Timmy Buckler, who constantly amazes me and also raising talent Lucy Chappell.

I’m not sure if I can say who the music video was for yet but it’ll be finished soon and I can share it here.

howlshortfilm:

We met up with our concept artist, Liam Moran again, to design concept #2! This time, we made an accompanying video!

(Source: howlshortfilm)

‘Set against the backdrop of a sleepy Nottinghamshire village in 1972, Howl tells the story of primary school teacher Karen Crawshaw unravelling the mystery of a man that lingers at the school gates watching new pupil Eleanor Stagg. 

After a chilling encounter between the young girl and the man, Karen must do all she can to protect the child, whilst at the same time coming to terms with the real threat being in the school itself, and learning through bonding with Ellie that the man may be something else entirely.

The film hopes to regenerate interest in the horror/monster genre through combining metaphorical parallels between a common evil within society (child abusers/paedophilia) and a traditional creature of nightmares. Using this, the film explores both adult and child fears.’

The following roles are being cast:

Ellie Stagg (7): A young Dakota Fanning. Protagonist of the film. She has long, mousy brown hair. Wears an eye patch over her right eye. Ellie walks with a limp. She carries a soft toy teddy bear with her.

Karen Crawshaw (30): Brave, bold, caring, she takes her work home. Rebecca Hall type (actress in Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974). She takes care of Ellie, a little like Miss Honey in ‘Matilda’. She is protective over Ellie. She is a third year primary school teacher. She is attractive and wears smart clothing.

Paul Bolton (48): A good teacher, mistakenly trusted (picture a more grounded Jim Cunningham from Donnie Darko…) Unknown antagonist of the film. A slender man, clean-shaven with greying hair. He wears a silvery suit. Paul Bolton results to being the actual pedophile of the film.

Man/Big George: Picture Johnny Harris (Snow White and the Huntsman) or Jack Earle Haley (2010 remake of Nightmare on Elm Street). A mix between human and a unique type of beast. In human form, known as ‘Man’ in the script or known as ‘George’ to Ellie. When in the form of man: He has a wiry beard, tied in places. Is generally unkempt. He wears a long, tatty leather coat. He often stands by the school gates and watches the children, especially Ellie. Although he seems mysterious and pedophilic, he actually protects Ellie.

 As well as children to make up Karen’s class including speaking roles. 

Expenses and a copy of the film will be provided. We are hoping to enter this film into festivals after completion.  Please email resumes and photographs  to: ninakastner92@gmail.com, or send to: Nina Kastner, 20 Guildford Road, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 9QB. Showreels are very welcome.
Deadline for submissions: 3^rd December 2012.

Thank you for your consideration,

Kind Regards,

Nina Kastner (Producer)

Here’s a Teaser trailer for my film ‘Toothbrush”. 

It’s taken a year to make and i’m very happy to have finished it. 

I’ll write a making of blog soon.