Dom's Diary

Spiral 44 - The Old Railway

2011-05-10T11:25:00.000Z

Spiral Uncovered 26

2011-04-11T18:42:00.000Z

Quantum Kafe - Vlog 5

2011-03-20T23:17:00.000Z

Spiral 28 - The Chequers Inn

2011-01-03T11:14:00.000Z

Spiral Promo 2010

2010-08-11T14:20:00.000Z

Fanz and Fantoms!

2008-06-12T18:33:00.000Z

If there’s a lesson to be learned from editing a documentary, its that whatever structure you have in place, throw it out!

As I’m finalising the edit on FANZ (my flick about DOCTOR WHO fans), I’ve realised that I’ve so much good footage that I’m in a constant battle to swap, exchange, bin or replace footage to make the final cut. It’s almost there now and with a running time of an hour, I think I’ve put together quite a comprehensive overview of DOCTOR WHO fandom.

I’ve some brilliant interviewee’s including J Jeremy Bentham (Doctor Who Historian), David J Howe (Telos Publishing), Lawrence Miles (Faction Paradox), Justin Richards (Writer), Stephen James Walker (Writer), Toby Hadoke (Comedian), Alistair Lock (Actor), Nick Scovell (Dalek Stage Plays), Steve O’Brien (Cult TV Writer), Paul Wilson and Seb Brook (Doctor Who Online), Stuart Robinson (Writer), Anthony Weiner (Doctor Who Appreciation Society), Neil Oseman and Rob Tizzard (Filmmakers), Gareth Preston (Westlake Films), Dan Harris (Sci-Fi Sea Cruise) and The Who Shop (Retailers) plus guest appearances from Nicholas Briggs (Voice of the Daleks) and Louise Jameson (Leela).
I know it’s a bit overdue but I hope people will enjoy it so watch this space!

We’ve a couple of paranormal investigations coming up in the next couple of weeks. We have the Viaduct Tavern in London and Carew Manor in Surrey. With Carew, I’ve wanted to get in there for years and we will be the first paranormal team to explore this Grade 1 Listed building…it’s allegedly very active of course, we shall see!

Spirit comes out to play

2007-10-20T18:30:00.000Z

We were invited by those top folk at Dark Encounters Paranormal Group and The Spiritual Connextion Awards to film a Charity Ghost Hunt at Southsea Castle in Portsmouth on Friday 19th October. With Special Guests Richard Felix, the mighty Phil Whyman (both former Most Haunted dudes) and Mark Webb joining the investigation, it was a really great evening with us finally meeting face to face our mates Lee and Chrissy from WightGhost (they are also the presenters of the rather superb Pulse Radio). A big shout out also to Norie and the team at Dark Encounters for organising it all and hope to be doing some more work with them in the not too distant future.

Whilst we’re on the subject of the paranormal, I want to let you know about our experiences on Saturday 13th October in Oxford. I was invited by a lovely lady called Karen to film a joint investigation with herself, David Vee (he of TV’s Haunted Homes), the guys from Extreme Paranormal and us. We were supposed to do a Victorian House but we ended up at Abingdon Town Football Club that they had arranged and what an excellent location this turned out to be.
Things started slowly as we didn’t arrive at the location until 10.30pm and had to wait for the punters to leave. But then it kicked off, we had Karen (a psychic) allegedly having two possessions during the night but it was the communication circle around a small table in the meeting room upstairs that changed my outlook overnight…Alan led the circle and we had very loud and definite taps on the table to almost all questions asked.
This was done in two sessions, as spirit did not seem to want me to film the first time so I sat in on it (we had a Dictaphone though). Now, taps would have been good enough but when the table elevated many times on command, I could hardly believe what I was seeing and I’m the kind of person who try’s to exhaust every rational explanation before declaring it ‘unknown’. I’ve always questioned this sort of table tipping in the past but it seems I’ve been proven wrong, I, of course was constantly checking under the table to make sure everyone’s feet were away from the legs of the table. The table was also quite heavy and misplay would have been very difficult.
Luckily on the second session, I managed to get plenty of video footage of this phenomena and is very compelling footage of spirit activity...oh, and the trigger objects (3 coins) had moved in the room whilst all this was going on.

Now how about a full-blown apparition and have done with it?

Portobello, Nylon and Conventions

2007-09-14T18:29:00.000Z

Been a bit full on lately. When I mean full on, I don’t mean some big dude sitting heavily on my person but creatively. We’ve just announced a big Sci-Fi project that’s just going into pre-production and is going to be quite an ambitious production. Considering the talent we have onboard, I think we can pull it off.

On 19th August, we attended a screening at Westbourne Studios of RETURN TO RAVENSWOOD. This was part of THE PORTOBELLO FILM FESTIVAL and was a very welcoming experience. It was the first film of the day and as we settled back in the screening room, I was quite taken aback when one of the organisers asked me to introduce the flick…so there I was, spouting some nonsense which vaguely resembled gratitude to the cast and crew who helped make the film before rushing back to my seat and wishing I had something better prepared…this from a guy who made the movie with unscripted, improvised dialogue! Afterwards, someone from the audience wished we’d done a Q&A…maybe next time my friend!

I accompanied my mate Tom Golding to his first ever-autograph session at THE LONDON FILM AND COMIC CON at Earls Court, London (Tom was in the last episode of DOCTOR WHO Series Three). I was also seeing Alistair Lock who was signing CD’s of the re-imagined (and very good) audio plays of BLAKES’ SEVEN…although Alistair is an old hand at this sort of thing now. Tom however, was quite bemused by the whole thing although he really did enjoy himself. It was interesting watching people humbly and politely (and sometimes with a fit of nerves) going up to his table and getting an autographed photo or an image taken with him. It was a fun day and even I was chuffed as Gary Kurtz passed me and threw a smile, the man who produced the original STAR WARS trilogy - It’s the guys behind the cameras who make the magic, not just the actors!

Oh, shameless promotion time. As part of comedy sketch group THE NYLON EFFECT, we have another gig on Wednesday 19th September at The Albany, Great Portland Street, London (opposite the tube station). The show starts 8.00pm so please come along if you can.Finally, Season six of Larry David’s CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM has begun in the States and I’m now wondering how long it will be until we get the series over here in the UK (or better still, the DVD box set)…I’m waiting patiently, it’s the funniest thing on TV at the moment. Fact (well, that and Saxondale!).

News, Screenings and Gigs

2007-07-28T18:23:00.000Z

The latest SPIRAL Paranormal Episode is now online at: http://www.mevproductions.co.uk/spiral.html
With reports of strange noises, unseen footsteps and objects moving by themselves, Spiral has been called in to investigate a spirit in suburbia!
The video can be either downloaded or viewed online. There’s also extra footage and full report. The episode is available at a screen resolution of 720 x 576 for download only. If you are watching online, the standard resolution (320 x 288) applies.
Upcoming investigations include THE OLD RECTORY in Cheam and with Phil Whyman’s DEAD HAUNTED NIGHTS team; PETERBOROUGH MUSEUM and PRESTON MANOR in Brighton.

Our comedy short films SHELF LIFE (2003) and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MARK FIELDING (2006) are currently being broadcast on TV on Propeller (UK SKY channel 195) as part of the next 5-week schedule.In a side note regarding SHELF LIFE, a feature film script based loosely on this short film was written in 2005 between Matt Wolf and myself and is being pitched in LA with potential producers. Matt is my creative partner in this (currently in LA and was last seen in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3) and has linked up with various parties and I will post news of any developments with this project as it happens…if indeed it does!

As part of comedy sketch group THE NYLON EFFECT, we have a gig this week on Thursday 2nd August at The Battersea Barge, Nine Elms Lane, London SW8. We'll be part of a talent-style night called Cheese n Crackers. The show starts 8.30 and it's £8 (£6 conc) to get in: http://www.millionthmuse.com/london_cabaret/cheese-n-crackers.html

Finally, our feature RETURN TO RAVENSWOOD is playing at this year’s PORTOBELLO FILM FESTIVAL in London on Sunday 19th August at 2.00pm. The film is being screened at Westbourne Studios (the first film of the day which they have given a 15 certificate for!!!). If you’re around, you would be most welcome to join us for the screening and drinks.

The venue is free entry.

Together as One

2007-06-18T18:21:00.000Z

Things are gearing up for a joint investigation between Spiral and UK5 Paranormal on 30th June. This has been developed over the last month between Ray Jordan of UK5 and myself and should prove very interesting as we visit an old jail in Wiltshire. This is the start of an ongoing project of joint investigations and will keep you kids posted on developments.

Also coming up this Month is another screening of our short spoof REVERSING THE POLARITY – MEMOIRS OF TIME AND SPACE. Our original TIMEQUAKE retrospective movie is being screened at the APOLLOCON Convention in Texas on 22-24th June 2007.

Spiral Investigates

2007-05-07T18:18:00.000Z

Blimey, we were brave weren’t we? Brave? You? Sod off…well, we did our first paranormal investigation on 20th April with our new team SPIRAL (Surrey Paranormal Investigation and Research). Joining myself was my co-founder Alexis along with Hannah, Byron and Lisa.

Well, as a result of that first investigation, we have launched the Spiral website at: http://www.spiralparanormal.co.uk

At the website, we present full-length video episodes detailing paranormal investigations, which can be either downloaded or streamed online. You can also access reports, images, archive video files and leave messages in our forum. In our first online episode, we visit The Studio House in Surrey.
Numerous reports of an unseen presence in this business property bring the team to explore the location as well as providing a taster of things to come. So please view our first video episode with Alexis, Hannah, Byron, Lisa and Marq, bumbling about in the dark.

Finally, talking of paranormal occurrences and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m sure that all technical aspects of RETURN TO RAVENSWOOD were being influenced by the Dark Side of the Force which we have been calling ‘The Curse of Ravenswood’. Well, it’s now all over and we have the final cut of the movie that will be sent forthwith to cast and crew and some upcoming Festival deadlines. For a flick that should have been completed a year ago, I am now just glad it’s done and dusted…hooray!!!

An Evening with Da Vader!

2007-04-12T18:17:00.000Z

Had the pleasure of attending a small private talk last night with the man who was Darth Vader, Dave Prowse. As he lives locally, he kindly gave a fascinating insight into his career and life. Looking back at his time in the industry, he talked of his days on the Hammer Horrors, his involvement in some pretty forgettable flicks (his words), the Green Cross Code years, unashamed name dropping and working with the likes of Kubrick, Donner, Lucas and escaping the advances of Frankie Howard!
Interestingly, not much time was given to his most iconic role as the Dark Lord of the Sith but it was still fascinating to learn that he never saw the scripts for EMPIRE or JEDI but only the pages he was doing on his particular shooting days!

On a radically different note, we are gearing up next week for our first paranormal investigation, which should prove very interesting. We did a baseline test recently and have a great team onboard including an experienced medium. I’ve always been interested in paranormal matters (though I don’t take things with face value) and this seems a natural extension of that interest which is shared by my colleague Alexis. As I said earlier, this is our first investigation so no doubt we’ll cock up somewhere as we learn the procedure of ghost hunting. I’m sure that any potential spirit person will be laughing away at us saying ‘Look at these knob sucks, they haven’t a bloody clue what there doing!’ Joking aside, this is going to be a serious investigation and we’re using the location as a test to see how we all bond as a team (it’s all made up of people who know each other well). A full report will be made in a couple of weeks.

This also relates to a potential TV pilot we are shooting soon called ANCIENT ISLE, a documentary that focuses on the myths, legends, history and folklore of the British Isle’s. The pilot is being shot at the Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire and we’ll fill you in as this project progresses.

Now I need to sit down and digest the final episode of LIFE ON MARS - role on ASHES TO ASHES!

Rural Ramblings

2007-04-06T18:13:00.000Z

Here I am sitting at the stage door of my theatre that’s recently been graced by the mighty Henry (The Fonz) Winkler, Bobby Davro and Rik Mayall, bringing you tit-bits on various happenings in our universe that will be of no interest to anyone bar the four people remotely interested in the stuff we do. Hopefully that will change if we bribe enough folk. I have a mint copy of X MEN # 101 and a Mars Bar up for grabs for starters!

Update first, we’re in the final post-production days for RETURN TO RAVENSWOOD, my first full-length comedy feature. But hang on I hear you cry from behind your keyboard (not likely I’m sure), didn’t you have the premiere last October at your Film Festival?
Well, yes we did. Sort of.
So the question is, why is it still in post-production? OK, the screening we had was not the final cut. I always knew that after the screening, I was going to chop and change a few minor scenes and make it tighter.
Also, because of some unavoidable technical issues that would have put the malfunctioning hyper drive on the Millennium Falcon in EMPIRE to shame (OK, it was a computer crash so please do not mention ‘back-up!’), we had to effectively reconstruct the whole movie, which luckily wasn’t too much of a nightmare but cost valuable time in festival deadlines. Also, the final audio mix had to be done so it at least sounded like a damn movie and this is now complete (by the exceptionally talented Baz and Dunc at Boxwing, who also engineered our folk soundtrack).

So in the next couple of weeks, I can get the DVD out to cast and crew so they can stop yelling ‘ Where the fuck is this film we did for you, slacker?’ and obviously, send off to the Festival circuit.
If your remotely interested in this movie, your more than welcome to come and join the RAVENSWOOD MySpace page if you feel that you could do with another friend www.myspace/returntoravenswood and there’s more info at the website www.returntoravenswood.co.uk.

Finally, I can’t sign off without mentioning that Series 3 of DOCTOR WHO (not Season 29 as some fans would like to call it…get over it guys!) began again on 30th March and is gearing up to be another terrific season. It’s all there in the mix - New companion Martha Jones, Shakespeare, Daleks in NYC, the Doctor chillin’ out as a human (written by the very talented Paul Cornell), the return of Capt. Jack, the mysterious Mr Saxon thread and an actor mate of mine in the last episode.
On a side note, I had a friend in one of last years episodes who deliberately kept me in the dark about his appearance so I could yell ‘What the fuck?’ when he popped up on screen. Nice one sir. And yes, I did yell that too!It’s worth mentioning (actually it’s not at all) that my documentary on fans of DOCTOR WHO, appropriately titled FANZ is in the edit stage and should also be hitting the Festival circuit later this year. I may be looking at a Who Convention to premiere it if someone can accommodate us. Remember I have that X MEN comic and Mars Bar on offer!

Ravenswood Premiere

2006-10-05T18:10:00.000Z

On Sunday 1st October, we had our premiere screening of Return to Ravenswood. The film opened the 2006 Sutton Film Festival and thought it would be a good opportunity for cast / crew and audience to view a cut of the film before finalising the production. I also wanted to seek feedback from the audience to iron out any problems with story, pacing etc. The film went down very well and the performances were given very positive feedback. Although budget filmmaking is all about having to compromise, Ravenswood is pretty much the movie I wanted to make.

This is a testament to the contribution from the incredible cast and crew during the production and notable mention must go to David Wells, Heather Tracy and Karla Mikenna for their invaluable support. So I’ve a little bit of tweaking to do on the edit and finish off the making of featurette Rural Encounters and the film is complete and ready for the festival circuit…then I’m going to have a lie down.

The End is near...again!

2006-09-01T18:07:00.000Z

Busy putting the last touches to the movie before it receives its first screening at this year’s Sutton Film Festival on 1st October 2006. Its been over two years since the initial conception and its been a rather enjoyable but painstaking ride. You never know how the movie feels and paces until all the pieces are fitted together. Interestingly, I was recently interviewing filmmaker Neil Oseman for the FANZ documentary and we chatted about his low budget fantasy film Soul Searcher.

Four years in the making and by all accounts, a very tough shoot indeed but his determination at seeing his goal achieved paid off in the end with the film receiving DVD distribution. A though Return to Ravenswood was a relatively trouble free shoot (mainly), the problems with logistics, schedules etc. are a constant battle and I think on any movie, is all part of the filmmaking process. Whereas Neil had battling demons and CGI pits of Hell and we had heathen hippies and sheep, it’s all the same game plan in getting your film finished and ‘out there’…how far out there of course, only time will tell.

Return to the Stones

2006-07-15T15:42:00.000Z

The Sun is out, the sky is blue, the birds are tweeting and my regular pilgrimage to the Avebury Stone Circle Monument in Wiltshire has once again loomed its magical and mystical head.

This world heritage site deep in the Marlborough Downs has always been a powerful draw for me. I first came here back in 1988 and ever since then, I make it a point to visit as often as I can. As well as the stone circle, the Avebury landscape is littered with prehistoric structures like the West Kennett Long Barrow, The Sanctuary, Windmill Hill, The Ridgeway ancient trackway - and of course the mighty Silbury Hill, the largest manmade prehistoric structure in the world that stands proudly overlooking the surrounding landscape.

I come here to dowse and meditate. Nothing compares (well, apart from the obvious) to being at peace sitting in one of the burial chambers of the West Kennett Barrow or hugging the Entrance Stones of the great circle. I always imagine that the ancients would have done the same thing 3,500 years ago when the Monument was in use and it’s nice that the old traditions are still kept alive today.

I met up with an old friend, Moon (who appears in the Ravenswood film) and we spent a good couple of hours dowsing where the St.Michael and Mary ley-line intersect. The St.Michael line stretches up from St.Michael’s Mount in Cornwall up to Hopton Church in Norfolk whereas the St.Mary female line weaves in and out of the male like a serpent but passes through the same points (Hurlers, Abbey and Tor at Glastonbury and Royston Cave to name but a few). These two powerful leys connect at The Obelisk at the centre of circle although only a stone marker shows where this mighty central sarsen would have been.

We ended the day with some drinks in the Red Lion pub and a time to reflect - this was broken short though by my phone ringing and a rather exited Mike Butter saying that PolarityDub Productions are now very keen to produce the Paranormal TV show we are lined up to present.
Now I am rather exited about this as well so when I arrived home, I played with some crystals to keep the positive momentum strong - well, until my cat jumped up on my face!

Blessed Be,
Dom

Summer Solstice in Milton Meadow

2006-06-22T15:14:00.000Z

Well, I’m still recovering from the celebratory celebrations of the past twelve hours - and what acelebration it was! Once again, the druid fluid flowed freely like water of the River Raven and good times were had by all.

Everyone turned up who said they would; Amber Chakra, Dan Rockery (all the way from the US), Mike Butter and members of the ‘Herefordshire Hedonistic Druid Society’. Unfortunately, my lovely neighbour Gwen Goodie and her brigade stood united at the edge of the field wielding banners and singing ‘Oh come all ye faithful’ very loudly (trying in fact, to drown out a great set from ‘Chakra’s Children’). Some revellers decided to throw abuse back, unfortunately this only elevated the situation so we just ignored them.

Sunrise was at 4.18am and was a glorious sight (apart from some slight drizzle). Everyone cheered, chanted, danced and embraced the rising of the SunGod and it was truly a magical experience.

Unfortunately, my head is still throbbing so I’m going to have to lay down, take some herbal remedies and sleep off a hangover the size of Reading!

Blessed be,
Dom

Heathens vs. Heritage...again!

2006-06-11T22:07:00.000Z

I’ve just been made aware of some interesting news. My immediate neighbour and fiercest critic Gwen Goodie, (her land backs onto mine), has started her own blog: http://friendsofravenswood.blogspot.com/

Now I’d like to try and explain our relationship. Gwen and her husband George head the action group ‘The Friends of Ravenswood’ and have been greatly opposed to the work I do here (most notably the Ravenswood UFO return last Summer that was the subject of the film). They blame me for the influx of new age worshippers, neo-pagans, travellers, conspiracy theorists and ufologists that have arrived in the village since I bought Milton Meadow a couple of years ago.

Now I want to point out here that Ravenswood has always been a mystical place, long before I moved here. This modern pilgrimage really started with the first ‘Ravenswood Fayre’ back in 1969 when thousands of ‘hippies’ gathered in Milton Meadow to listen to the sounds of Treefall & Clarkwell, The Boxwing Band and Spirit of the Solstice. Since then, the village has become a haven for what Gwen and her supporters would call ‘the counter culture’. I have tried so hard to talk to her about this but she finds it difficult to communicate with me and at times, I have found her seeking comfort from the local Vicar in the Church.
I shall be monitoring her blog closely!

Other news. In July I have been invited along with Amber Chakra, Mike Butter and Oscar Steinman to attend the ‘UFO51 Convention’ in Glastonbury to talk about the Ravenswood UFO event. I’m quite excited about this and a full report will appear after the event.
Also, some interesting developments from PolarityDub Productions with regards to the dowsing tour TV show but I’ll fill you in later about this…I don’t want to jinx it.
All this media attention on the back of (so far) an unreleased film…now I know how Chantelle feels!

Blessed be,
Dom

Solstice Scribblings

2006-06-09T17:50:00.000Z

First of all, I have to thank my good friend and fellow Paranormal Investigator (he doesn’t like that term btw) Mike Butter for convincing me that setting up a blog would be a positive and rewarding experience. So much has happened since my appearance in the recent documentary ‘Return to Ravenswood’ (www.returntoravenswood.co.uk) that maybe a blog is a good idea to share my experiences and talk about what the immediate future holds.

I have to point out though that the film (apart from Festival screenings) has yet to secure a release date but the producers have told me they deliberately kept some of the films budget aside to bribe potential distributors with! We shall see…

So what’s been happening in the world of Clay? Well, I secured an agent last week (Madeline James, nice lady but convinced a bit mad…she keeps two ferrets in her office!) and already there’s been interest from publishers about me writing a book called ‘Dowsing the World with Dominic Clay’. As you may or may not know (most proberly the latter), a couple of years ago before I moved to Ravenswood, I travelled the globe in search of the planet’s major ley-lines. I discovered a powerful ley that starts in San Diego and passes up into Los Angeles and through the ‘Hollywood’ sign. What’s interesting about this is that the ley passes right through the two ‘L’s’ of the sign…two ‘L’s’ as in ‘Ley-Line’…fancy that! Video footage from this trip actually appears in the Ravenswood film.

I’ve had interest from a TV Company called PolarityDub Productions who’ve provisionally asked me if I’d be interested in retracing my steps from the journey for a new documentary, I said yes (like I’m going to say ‘no’) as last time I never finished my field studies in Barbados…nice to get that done of course!

Also getting ready for this year’s Summer Solstice at Milton Meadow on 21st June. This year, I’ve organised a little festival to coincide with the rising of the Sun and confirmed to play so far are Swallow and the Wiccamen, Charka’s Children and the reformed Divinity Light Quartet (with original vocalist Konrad Barrett)…If I can just secure Julian Cope to headline then that would make the day complete, well that and it doesn’t rain.

Note to self though, no repeat of last year’s excess where I had a little too much of the druid fluid and woke up to find my dowsing rods stuck in the rear end of a prize Aberdeen Angus!

Blessed be,
Dom

Music, Vox and Reels

2006-04-23T18:49:00.000Z

Something I had been looking forward to for a while now had been the recording of the soundtrack for the film. Well, this finally materialised on Saturday 22nd April with the studio recording of Heather Tracy’s (Gwen Goodie) original folk songs that have quite literally blown me away. Working alongside engineers Baz and Duncan of Boxwing, the studio sessions comprised of Heather on vocals and arrangements, Oliver Bruce on guitar, Sarah Lee Allen on vocals and flute and Peter O’Shea on vocals and guitar.

It was fascinating to watch how the songs built up through rehearsal, multi tracking and communication with the RAVENSWOOD REEL the first to be recorded. This song, an upbeat jig is to play out over the end credits and is designed to be the total opposite to the mysterious ending narration by Rupert Booth. Opening the film is ANIMA, a predominantly acapella composition with lots of mystery and reverb. Also recorded was WICKED and traditional folk songs TREAMOUNE (Sixteenth Century) and ROSEBUD. Baz and Duncan are now doing the final mix down. So all that’s left now is locking down the picture and handing over to Baz and Duncan again for the final sound mix.

It’s a year since we started shooting now and I the project is finally drawing to a close…although I have just entered production on a documentary about DOCTOR WHO fans so it starts all over again!

Working the Edit!

2006-01-02T18:47:00.000Z

Happy New Year!
Yes, I know it's gone a bit quiet lately but that's because I am shut away in the edit suite, piecing together the movie from a vast output of footage. As well as this, we are going into the studio with the cool guys from Boxwing to record the soundtrack with some excellent folk songs provided by Heather Tracy (Gwen Goodie), Emma-Lo Fox and incidentals by Ritchie Taylor (who is also designing the titles).

I'm not going to say too much at the moment as a full report will be given when we have the workable edit in place...Blessed be.

The End is Near

2005-09-13T18:46:00.000Z

After a break of five weeks, we are now shooting the final block of the movie. This pause in filming was always planned and was put in place to cater for people’s vacations and for Amber Chakra actor Karla Mikenna to complete a theatre job in the West End (which she produced and performed in…and was very good too). So what else has been happening? Well, the first teaser trailer is now online and MEV regular Matt Wolf (he must be sick of working with me by now!) is going to provide his vocals for the role of the Narrator.

Before the break, we had been shooting a lot including the big scenes of UFO Reception Day and footage of the Summer Solstice at the Avebury Stone Circle Monument in Wiltshire. More recently, we had a very good days production on Sunday 4th September at the wonderful location of Treadwell’s Bookshop in London’s Covent Garden. The shop was the stand in for Amber Chakra’s scenes and Christina and her staff at the shop were fantastic and very welcoming so this is a big shout-out to them…cheers guys!

As well as Karla playing Amber, we had Sarah Fletcher playing Poppy and Susy Saker playing Jasmine (as well assisting on the production side). Heather Tracy as Gwen Goodie also made an appearance for just one shot, so to tie in with a canvassing scene shot earlier in June. At this stage, I have begun creating an assembly edit to see if the whole thing threads together. Although the script and scene outlines detail the order of the film; this is improv of course, so we have created scenes, changed structure and introduced / deleted characters so a massive puzzle is lining up in front of me on the edit suite to piece together as a coherent narrative – but more on the edit to come!

Heathens vs Heritage Part 1

2005-06-07T18:43:00.000Z

A lot has been happening on the production front the last couple of weeks. We introduced Miles and Laura Cavendish into the picture, admirably played by Mark Trinick and Eve Webster. We returned to the location used as the Goodie resident (not that you would notice it’s the same house) and the ruins of Nonsuch Manor in Cheam. This was built by Henry VIII as a compliment to the nearby Nonsuch Palace (which no longer exists) and was perfect for what we needed.

There was a very small technical issue with the equipment but this was fixed quickly by the expert skills of the tech crew, David Wells, Barry Heath and Nicola Zentilin. We also held an extra casting on 24th May for additional roles and this proved very successful, we now have a squad of villagers and new age hippies. On the 5th June, this extra cast was introduced in our biggest shoot yet – the village meeting scene! The original location had fell through so I had a week beforehand to find a new venue. After a lot of searching for a village hall (you try finding one that’s not booked on a Sunday!) I eventually settled on New Wimbledon Theatre in South London. I adapted the script slightly to accommodate this and changed the on-screen location from a village hall to a function room in a neighbouring town.

This scene introduced nearly the entire cast to each other and a lot of them commenced their first day’s shooting. On set included actors Heather Tracy and Adrian Palmer (George and Gwen Goodie), Richard Aloi (Oscar Steinman), Robert Hamilton (Edward Franklin-Hall), Sarah Lee-Allen (Swallow), Giuliano Zampi (Gerald Burke), Nicki Walsh (Joan Harris), Richard and Gill Stoker (Morris and Mary Blake), Mark Bennett (Rev. John Magister), Mark Trinick and Eve Webster (Miles and Laura Cavendish), Rachel Watkins (Audrey Philpott), Tony Kemp (Reginald), Kathleen McNamara (Elizabeth Goodie), Carys Lewis (Beverly Trughill), Anna Fiertag (Molly Churchill), Rob Dawson (Journalist), Ian Wakelin (Journalist) and David Ilett (Journalist). There was also brilliant hippie brigade consisting of Alice Fernbank (playing her digeredoo!), Sarah Morrison, Etta Bell, Alexa Brown, Emma Dennis, Peter Friel and Jenny-Ann Topham (I can’t wait to see these characters do their stuff in upcoming shoots) – oh, and there was me doing my first proper scene as Dominic Clay (damn ego, having to be in it as well!).

As well as the cast, the crew were exceptional on this day and I’m very honoured to have these people onboard. This was a two-camera set up so DOP David Wells overlooked Nicola Zentilin on camera A, Barry Heath on camera B with Mark Bennett moonlighting from his acting duties to take over on the boom (under Barry’s supervision) and Mary Newman providing her artistic skills.. The reason I wanted to give a shout out to everyone is because (as mentioned before) this was our toughest shoot yet, two cameras in a limited and very hot space – but everyone performed incredibly well with some great banter going on between ‘The Friends of Ravenswood’ and ‘The Ravenswood UFO Reception Committee’.

The final shots of the meeting descending into spiritual warfare were brilliant with the hippies launching into a new age musical chant which was counteracted by the villagers vocal rendering of ‘Jerusalem’ - Priceless!

And so it begins

2005-05-16T18:40:00.000Z

On Saturday 7th April, filming commenced on the main unit of ‘Return to Ravenswood’. Our location was Nork Park in Surrey with the small crew consisting of Elizabeth Newman playing Rhiannon, Director of Photography David Wells, Mark Bennett and myself. We kept the unit small so David and myself could slowly feel our way into the film without the pressure of a larger set-up. I have worked with David before and he is an exceptional talent, taking his time to get the best shot possible. Liz was brilliant as the solitary Priestess Rhiannon, giving a lovely paced performance to a character that has no time for the rest of the world.

On the Sunday, we started shooting scenes with the Goodie family. The preparation from actors Heather Tracy and Adrian Palmer (Gwen and George Goodie) was exceptional and their performances raised the template for the film. Heather and Adrian have worked with me before on Dawnrazor (2001) and Shelf Life (2003) and it’s always a pleasure to watch them do their stuff.

Also joining the cast was Kathleen McNamara playing the Goodie’s daughter Elizabeth (who gave a wonderful performance) and Mark Bennett (Rev John Magister), who had a brief cameo with the Goodie’s for a rendition of the hymn ‘Abide with me’- oh, what enchanting vocals! Joining David and myself on the crew front was sound engineer Barry Heath. Barry is very experienced in this field with over thirty years of experience and I am honoured to have two experts in their respective areas working on this production.

On each set, I am having a behind the scenes camera to capture the making of the film for the EPK (Electronic Press Kit). Mark Bennett (away from his duties as Ravenswood’s vicar) is doing a great job on this and his material is being edited down for the online video diaries. I’m very pleased with the first weekends shoot and if this is an indication of what is to come, then this is one Director who is very excited indeed.

Los Angeles and Beyond!

2005-04-17T18:37:00.001Z

A trip to Los Angeles in mid-April was an opportunity not to be wasted. It was here that Karla Mikenna (Amber Chakra) and myself (as Dominic Clay) filmed inserts of Dom’s dowsing tour of the world. These sequences will be used as home video footage that’s inserted into the main feature of ‘Return to Ravenswood’. We are also using this material to make a teaser short film called ‘World Video Dowsing Tour with Dominic Clay’, this will be included on the two-disc DVD of ‘Return to Ravenswood’.

Karla doubled up playing another character called Monica Jameson, a waitress from New York who accompanies Dom on his US travels. MEV regular George Murphy is living in Vancouver for a year so I had to take advantage of his trip to LA, having him essaying the mysterious ‘Man with no Name’. Mark Bennett (Rev John Magister) also played another part as the decidedly odd Mr Moffatt.

For a short film, I think we proberly covered more locations than ever before. We encompassed London, Surrey and Kent in the UK, Bremen and Minden in Germany and Los Angeles (including Hollywood), Santa Monica, Malibu Beach, Las Vegas and the Nevada Desert in the United States...now let's check my overdraft!

Beginnings

2005-03-25T18:36:00.000Z

I'm now finalising casting and attended a very productive meeting on Wednesday with a bunch of damn cool actors who work in London's West End.

With the now absence of original actor playing Oscar Steinman (got a big UK tour which is fab!), I formally offered the role to the excellent Richard Aloi. It's all starting to get nicely and it's a case of sitting down and working out the schedule and boring stuff like that...oh well.

So here I am two months before shooting, organising last cast details, working out locations, having headaches with scheduling, saving pennies (or is that cents?) for a trip to Los Angeles and locking down the final draft of the script...and I can't wait!