Opening Shot: Recent Episodes
Opening Shot
Would you like to know how to make your first feature film? So would Tom and Fraser. They’re a Writer/Director and 1st Assistant Director duo on a quest to make their first movie, and they’re going to record their process every step of the way. From developing the concept right through to the release (or not), the boys are going to share stories, experiences and advice that will help and console fellow filmmakers in real time.
The boys storm back onto the scene after a lamented absence with a rip-roaring delve into Tom's latest short, Close. Due to shoot in mid-January, Tom is now firmly in production. Listen to how he managed to convince such illustrious crew members to sign on to the project without a script. Perhaps this could be the development of a new way of working on the way to making his first feature film.
Tom and Fraser warmly welcome Sanne Jehoul, co-Director of Glasgow Short Film Festival. A dream episode for any short filmmakers submitting their work to festivals. Using Pawsea as a case study, the boys ask Sanne everything you have ever wanted to know about short film programming but didn’t have a programmer to ask.
War-weary and battle-hardened, the boys return from their respective day jobs. What have they learned, and how has working as Locations and AD helped their process? How does long term drama work compare to shorter term stuff? Was anything lost from being absent for a few months? And most of all - what is the next move?
The final installment covering Pawsea (or: The Melancholy Ruminations of a Solitary French Bulldog). Fraser and Tom discuss the troublesome post-production that Tom always underestimates. How did it go this time round, what were the peaks and pitfalls, and how do they feel about the process and finished project in retrospect?
Reality bites, and the lockdown had to end someday. As life (apparently) gets back to normal, Tom and Fraser discuss how they feel about getting back to a film set, and what it could mean for the projects that Tom has been working on. We all have to earn a buck, but is working in the industry the best way?
And...relax! Another short film in the can, and Tom and Fraser discuss how everything went with the shoot. What they learned, the pros and cons of shooting with a COVID-reduced crew, and what happens now. And if this whole podcast is about shooting a feature, why bother with a 4 minute film about a bulldog?
There comes a day in every Podcaster's life when you have nothing but kindness and goodwill in your heart. We will let you know when that happens. For now, through gritted teeth, peace and season's greetings to all of our listeners. Thank you so much for listening, and roll on 2021.
Remember those funding opportunities that Tom was taking aim at? Well, he didn’t get any of them. He and Fraser discuss the difficult process of shrugging off those rejections, and moving on to the next project. In this case, that's making the no-budget short film Pawsea. A week before the shoot, they explore what has gone into the film, and what the expectation is.
If last week was the Ghost of Christmas Future, this is the Ghost of Christmas Past. Fraser and Tom interview Jonny Blair, who did the two year Directing course at the NFTS (National Film and Television School) in Beaconsfield . In retrospect, what does he think are the pros and cons of film school?
You’ve made a couple of shorts, you’re working in the industry, maybe you’ve had some funding - why would you ever consider going back to Art or Film School? In this first part, Fraser and Tom talk to their friend and collaborator Alison Piper about her decision to do a year long masters at Glasgow School of Art. What informed this decision and what is she hoping to get out of the year out of the working industry?
Tom and Fraser discuss Tom’s biggest bugbear - there simply not being enough hours in the day to procrastinate as much as he wants to. What’s the most effective time waster? YouTube videos, trawling other filmmakers’ work, giving yourself WAY too much to do? The boys discuss their favourites.
Part Two of our double bill. Fraser and Tom get stuck into Story Outlines, Series Bibles and Treatments. What should be in them, what makes a good one, and when should you be putting them together? And yes, you should listen to Part 1 first.
Every funding deadline wants something different - be it loglines, synopses, outlines, treatments. In their first double bill, Fraser and Tom take you through Tom’s deep dive research into what funders and festivals are looking for in these documents. In the first installment - taglines, loglines and synopses.
Tom and Fraser have made a few shorts and a few commercials and they’ll likely make a few more. But in this episode they discuss why they’re ready to make that big jump to features. Why is Present a good choice for a first feature, why make shorts first, and why do they want to make a feature at all? And why have they left this crucial episode to Episode 5..?
Sometimes deadlines are just what you need to give you the impetus to get started on something. Or maybe you’ve got a script you can dust off and shake up for a particular fund. Tom and Fraser discuss four different funding tracks that Tom is currently exploring, in relation to how deadlines can be a positive influence in moving your projects forward.
Fraser and Tom discuss the difficult process of collaboration - when, how, with whom - with Tom’s co-Writer on TV pilot Strawberry Filter, Rupert Clague. They’ve been writing solidly for two weeks, and learned a whole lot. Also discussed - writing to a deadline and working remotely during lockdown.
As Tom’s old mam always says - don’t put all your eggs in one basket. The boys discuss the importance of juggling multiple projects simultaneously, while introducing you to the different projects that Tom is currently in some stage of developing.
Fraser and Tom introduce themselves, discuss who they are and what they do, and most importantly - what is Opening Shot going to be about. You know the drill - why this, why you, why now. A nice easy one to get you started.