This is all the online stuff I can find about this Film Dash – I’ll be updating it as and when I get the time and until I can find no more.

If you find anything I’ve missed then please let me know in the comments.  If you’ve mentioned Film Dash online anywhere then thanks very much!

Before the launch

Birmingham Mail

4Talent

From the teams

Team TTV – Pete Ashton’s diary (pt 1, pt 2, pt 3) and Danny Smith’s view

Team Lupo – Stef calls ‘first!’

Dice Productions – post their film and about the filming process on their own blog. Team member Ian Ravenscroft also wrote a piece for 4Talent.

The finished films

• Dice Productions – The Landlord
• Giant Squirrel Productions – Love On The Rocks
• Monkey Liberation Front – Ridiculous
• NarrowEyes – The Ascension
• Pawn Film Productions – Whisky Nightmares
• Stickleback Productions – Black Widow
• Team Fandango – The Bid
• Team Lupo – Xela – ‘Ut Nos Vivicaret’
• Team MMUG – Mobile
• Team TTV – Dunkirk
• Trai This – Nowhere To Go

Post match analysis

D’log (and again), Podnosh, First Light Movies, Catherine Bray (and her judge statement), Tom Lennon

Pics

Louis Hudson

Cthimon

Pete Aston

Alfandango

Dunkirk by Team TTV

On Sunday night, at The Odeon on New Street, I announced the winners of Film Dash: Digital Galore! as part of the ‘Into The Light’ event celebrating the legacy of Sir Michael Balcon.

Rill Marchant, Pete Ashton and Danny Smith’s film featured a small robot lost and lonely in Digbeth. The judges praised its charm, humour, the use of non-conventional filming techniques and the use of the city.

Big congrats to them. Here they are too, looking all happy:

Finally I’d like to thank the judges – Roger Shannon, Matthew Stanton and Catherine Bray – for, as I said on the night, doing the job that I never could have done.

Catherine Bray has been kind enough to publish a judge statement on the 4Talent website giving her thoughts on the entries.

Just a reminder that the winning film will be announced and screened at the Odeon on Sunday 26 October as part of an event called ‘Into the Light – A Celebration of Sir Michael Balcon and the City’s Film Heritage‘

Tickets are free, just contact Roger at www.swishproductions.co.uk.

There are several places where you can see all the films:

• They’re all online and viewable here
• They will be played on a loop on the screens in the Atrium area of Millennium Point over the weekend of Hello Digital
• There will be a special Film Dash screening event.  I should be able to confirm where/when that will be tomorrow.
• I’m also going to produce DVDs with all the films on for all the team members

I’ll do thoughts, round-ups, pics and all that sort of thing in a bit. For now, here are some links (click the titles) to where you can find the films online:

• Dice Productions – The Landlord
• Giant Squirrel Productions – Love On The Rocks
• Monkey Liberation Front – Ridiculous
• NarrowEyes – The Ascension
• Pawn Film Productions – Whisky Nightmares
• Stickleback Productions – Black Widow
• Team Fandango – The Bid
• Team Lupo – Xela – ‘Ut Nos Vivicaret’
• Team MMUG – Mobile
• Team TTV – Dunkirk
• Trai This – Nowhere To Go

Enjoy!

The launch seemed to go well last night with a couple more teams joining in.  There are some photos to come from that as well as some video footage.

In the meantime here are some links to things wot are going on:

• Nicky Getgood, the Doyenne of Digbeth, popped in to check out proceedings and has written a very kind, link-stuffed post
• Pete Ashton has written part one of his Film Dash diary with some fantastic looking test footage. Pete will be twittering too
• Benjamin Stanley has been twittering too
• Team Fandango have a Facebook group
  
• Stef Lewandowski’s one-man team has finished already (maybe a 3-hour challenge next time)

There’ll be much more to come, I expect.  I might do a launch event write-up myself at some point.

Oh, and if anyone has a copy of the Evening Mail from the other day with a mention of Film Dash can you let me know?  Thanks very much.

Yep, so today’s the big day.

Come down to The Theatre at the Custard Factory for about 6pm. The Theatre is in the main complex, to the right of the pool, next to The Kitchen. I’ll put some posters on the door so hopefully you won’t be able to miss it.

Between 6pm and 7pm the following will happen:

• Teams will sign a copy of the terms & conditions
• Teams will be given some location & talent release forms and a copy of the filming permit that covers the city’s public areas
• I’ll say a few (brief, I promise) words

At 7pm the teams will be given the criteria for their films and set loose to get started.

I’ll hang around for at least an hour afterwards to answer any questions, sign up any latecomers and sort anything else that needs sorting.

If any members of your team can’t make it along to the launch then that’s ok. It would be good to meet you all but as long as there’s a representative from each team then that should be fine.

It’s been a surprising amount of fun getting things to this stage and I’m looking forward to meeting you all.

Before we go, there are a few bits of news to tell you about:

• Talent release and location release forms are now available online. You can grab the text of the forms and paste them into a doc if you want them asap. Otherwise I’ll have some for each team at the launch.
• I understand the completed films will be shown on a loop in the atrium at Millennium Point, the main venue for Hello Digital, for the period of the festival.
• I’m going to try and provide every registered entrant with a DVD with all the teams’ films as a memento of Film Dash.
• Tickets for the ‘Into The Light’ event at The Odeon where the Film Dash winner will be announced and screened are free and available now, just contact Roger at www.swishproductions.co.uk
• Many thanks to the folk at 7 Inch Cinema, Big Cat and Supercool for mentioning Film Dash: Digital Galore! on your blogs, you’re all wonderful.

Actually if you’re reading this early on Friday morning then the Supercool people will be hosting Likemind at Saint Caffe, St Paul’s Square, from 8am until 10am-ish. I’m planning to pop in, anyway.

7 Inch Cinema’s next event will concentrate on the work of pioneering animator Wladyslaw Starewicz. That’s on 26 October from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the library theatre, Birmingham Central Library.

So what’s happened since Friday evening?  Well, we’ve only had 4 more teams sign up! It’s fantastic to see all these people getting involved, so may I offer a big hello to the new teams – Dice Productions, Age8+Camera, Sparta and Giant Squirrel. Hello!

In other news:

• I hear Stef Lewandowski is thinking of entering a team and may be looking for some people to work with. Drop an offer in the comments if you want to get involved. Or contact him direct via his Twitter.
• I’m going to see if I can find a screening venue so we can all get together and watch all the films together.  No promises (I have no budget for anything so am relying on good will).
• The magnificent Chris Polding (at Maverick TV) has offered his services in putting all the submitted entries on to a DVD for every entrant to have. I might have to put my hand in my pocket to finance that.  Can anyone help out with some sponsorship maybe?

Also, I’ve been asked about providing release forms.  I’ve got hold of something suitable and will upload them shortly.

Not long to go now.  Got any questions?  Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Actually, there aren’t many developments to tell you about today, although I was pleased to see that Film Dash got a mention from D’Log.  A press release should be going out very shortly too (via the kind people at Big Cat Group), so we might see a few others picking up on the challenge.

So I thought I’d provide a little light reading.  As you probably know, Film Dash is now part of Hello Digital and has gained the ‘Digital Galore!’ tagline.

Have you heard of Michael Balcon?  Chances are you probably haven’t.

That’s exactly why, as part of Hello Digital, efforts are being made to reclaim his legacy for the city and highlight the incredible work that he did.

Put simply, he’s Birmingham’s Film Knight, and his contribution to the British Film Industry, and to Birmingham’s film heritage, is massive.

This Birmingham born movie mogul produced all of Hitchcock’s UK movies, ran a US film studio, and produced all of the Ealing films.  Now, in this new digital age we can pay tribute to a man who was committed to throwing light onto new techniques, new technologies and onto new film makers.  Michael Balcon chaired the Experimental Film Fund too (on which more in a later post).

His work with new techniques, technologies and film makers means that he’s an excellent fit for Film Dash.

By the way, in case the ‘Digital Galore!’ tagline has gone over your head, one of the films Michael Balcon produced was Whiskey Galore!

All the news that’s fit to post:

• Another team has entered the fray!  Trai This have become the 5th team to register.  I know of a couple of other teams looking to get involved soon too.
• Film Dash has got more people talking – Nicky Getgood at Digbeth is Good gave Film Dash a mention, as did Pete Ashton on the Custard Factory blog.  Podnosh gave a little tweet too.
• Meanwhile, the search for some sort of trophy continues.

I’ve had a couple of questions come in too.  Here are the answers:

1. The ‘5 team members’ restriction relates to behind-the-camera folk only.  You’re cast can be as big as you like so if you’re planning an epic then go for it.  Just remember that ‘talent’ can slow you down.
2. I can only guarantee that the winning film will be screened at the Odeon on Sunday 26 October.  If there’s enough demand (and films) then I’d love to screen them all somewhere.  Unfortunately I have neither the budget nor the time to sort anything like that at the moment.  I’m open to offers though…

Over the next few days I’ll be finalising arrangements for the launch on Friday 17th.  I’m also going to be passing on a little info about Michael Balcon, his work and why Film Dash fits in so well with a celebration of his legacy.

A few updates for you today:

• The rules can be seen here.  They might look like they go on a bit but they’re mainly common sense.  They also incorporate the terms of the public filming permit that Matthew Stanton from Film Birmingham has been working (very hard) to secure.  All teams will have to sign a copy of these rules at the launch.
• Details of the Michael Balcon – Into The Light event at the Odeon are up on the Hello Digital site (that’s where the winning film will be announced and screened).  Tickets are free so go forth and reserve em.
• Two more teams have registered!  A big hello to Stickleback Productions (who may well be open to other people joining in) and Team TTV.
• Ed Moore has Twittered to offer his steadicam expertise to anyone who might need it.
• Big thanks to Jon at Birmingham: It’s Not Shit and Ian at 7 Inch Cinema for spreading the good word of Film Dash.

Finally, I’m thinking of trying to obtain a trophy for the winning team.  It’d have to be something a little… different though.  We’ll see.