Taking the Credit


I'm not given to on the spot decisions. My head usually spends too much time dithering over things my heart just knows are right. Finally I'll inhale deeply and take the plunge, just like I do at a swimming pool. Today's different. For once head and heart were as one immediately and now I'm a film producer :o

Cinema's always been a major part of my life. In fact, I can confidently say that without it, I wouldn't be here at all. Dad and mum met completely by chance in the 1950s when the film broke at their local picture house in Birmingham. The lights went up and they started chatting. Dad escorted mum home at the end of the film, they started going out and well, I'm sure you can guess the rest...

I saw my first film aged 4: Zulu at the ABC in Selly Oak. A surprising choice for parents to make perhaps, but I was transfixed. I had a box of Paynes Poppets and they went untouched for the entire film. Mum reckons it was the soldiers' uniforms - bright red, my favourite colour - which held my attention, but I can also remember how large Michael Caine's head looked in close up and the sound of the Zulu warriors as they approached Rorke's Drift for the big battle. From then on Saturday's trip to the cinema was pretty much a weekly family ritual.

Ever since I met NAH, cinema going's also been one of our favourite things to do together. We go for the total immersion experience: adverts and trailers are the warm-up act to get us in the mood and we always stay and watch the credits at the end. My GNO friends giggle at how important these things are to me, but we're still there as the credits roll. NAH's the technical brains for our local film club now and we even contemplated buying our own independent cinema a while ago. I also visit any filming going on locally whenever I can, so I expect film watching's going to continue as a life-long activity for both of us.

All that came to mind this morning as I watched Breakfast News, where 3 young men were explaining their ideas for a film of a Jules Verne story they're planning to make together. People full of hopes at the start of their careers and a novel way of raising the million pounds they need to make those dreams a reality: from people like me willing to pay a small sum for their name to appear on the film's credits at the end.

Today's also the anniversary of when I had my blogging Open Garden idea a year ago. I can remember how excited I was and how much I feared that nobody would visit, let alone donate some money, no matter how good the cause. Then you confounded me totally and helped raise a wonderful sum (£1085 and counting!) I hadn't even dared dream of. So, with that in mind and a lifetime of cinema in my heart, I signed up without hesitation today.

After that story it's a bit of a no brainer isn't it? Especially as they're blogging about their experiences too. I'm looking forward to seeing both my name and Veg Plotting in the end credits :)

Comments

  1. Hermes1 July 2009 at 06:11

    In Westbury we have a group that hires projectors once a month and puts on great film shows.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Victoria Summerley1 July 2009 at 08:31

    Does that mean you have to smoke big cigars now?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Monica the Garden Faerie1 July 2009 at 12:33

    "My head usually spends too much time dithering over things my heart just knows are right." I know exactly what you mean! That is a great way to get donations and we'll look forward to a screen capture of your credit... only then we'd all know your real name!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. VP1 July 2009 at 22:33

    Hermes - there's a lot of that happening in Wiltshire. Bearing in mind there's just 3 cinemas in the entire county (unless the one in Trowbridge has opened by now), it's not surprising.

    Victoria - I don't think they're an option until the Oscars ceremony. Hey - if it did nominated for best film, there could be thousands of producers attending! I'd better start polishing my Cubby Broccoli impression straight away ;)

    Monica - there should be one for Veg Plotting too :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dave2 July 2009 at 12:43

    Hey if your interested in film work you could always sign up to one of the agencies, it's a good laugh (and you get paid) as long as you don't mind sitting around for hours on end! Let me know and I can send details on :o)

    ReplyDelete
  6. VP3 July 2009 at 22:59

    Hi Dave - that sounds most tempting :)

    My email address is at the bottom of the right hand sidebar if you'd like to get in touch - I don't think I can via your profile?

    ReplyDelete

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