Seconds away – round 2 (or carful with that abscess Panda)

The Medal that should have been given to Panda

Jess and I have yet again made the mistake of staying up too late for an early call time. This is the second day we are functioning with about 3 to 4 hours sleep. I am however mighty relieved to discover she is finding it tougher than me – Bloody Youngsters.

The gang of four; Mr F, Hamer Jess and I arrive on set for seven. The news is worse than we had feared.  Molly’s gaff (compounded by Hills and Bonnici) has put us back a whole day. Something we are going to have to make up in the next four days. So everyone is looking at 18 hour days as a minimum. The problem is that folk are fatigued and getting sick. So Mr F rules out pulling everyone in on Sunday.

Paul and Roger rattle through the slates, the actors are fantastic, even more incredibly Penelope appears to have changed her diet and is no longer chewing up stock and as a result has a hairless gate.

In all this good form Valentine and Jess are bonding well. He loves a good action movie and is a fine swords man himself. He regales her with stories and her little eyes light up, they are discussing his friends (her hero’s) and he promises to put her in touch with some of his contacts. This is what I love about this business; The old dead make way for the young dead so beautifully. In a way you feel duty bound to offer up assistance to someone you see as a rising star. There are a few on this crew, Mrs Manson, Molls, Amos and Panda leap out as good prospects. However, Jess appears to be winning over the most Hearts, Mine, Hills, Forstater and Valentine. Yeah all the guys! LMFAO.

Lunch was horrific again. Grumbling about food has hit an all-time high. Make up have only just recovered from earlier in the week when they say they had food poisoning.  Others are in agreement. But we all ate the same thing so it is not possible, even logic is evaporating on this set.

After lunch I learn that Tigger got fired yesterday. This has put Panda under greater pressure; his body has rewarded him by giving him a massive abscess behind his molars. His check looks like a boxer two days after a big fight. He is clearly in agony. This however does not stop the department heads constantly badgering him for assistants of which there are now none. I feel for the kid. I 1is Ad from time to time, it is a loose only situation, if you do your job well no one notices it’s as if the film happened by magic. However, if anything goes wrong, like an earthquake or a tsunami happens a camera jam’s it is only one person’s fault.

The afternoon is relentless Paul Hills fires through the slates fighting to catch up every available second. If we are not filming it is like a personal insult to him. He takes time out to give me 30 second sound bites but they are lacking in authenticity, he is hiding again or I have become too familiar.

Hamer and I take some time out of the studio and do some more work on the main web site www.powerthemovie.co.uk we have to do loads of out bound linking to get the SEO strategy right. Today at four PM we mark the 5,000 unique visitor to the site. Not bad for no budget, two weeks and 14 blogs. (I call my buddy Steve Payne who does this for a living – he’s impressed, apparently Paul Hamer and I are SEO Guru’s that should be offering this stuff for a big fee – hum paid work, I read about that once)

Back in the studio energy levels are high. The whole crew have put their backs into it. Everyone knows the enormity of the situation it is impossible. But no one gives up, in a strange way folk seem really motivated. I guess that the pub tonight, some sleep for a day and then back on it is a target people are looking forward to. A day off. What a prize!!!!!

The gathering (quickening – as Valentine from Highlander fame likes to call it) starts at just gone ten in the Kings Head. It is only a small group when Jess, Hamer and I arrive. Ian Dickinson and Valentine occupy a table, Key’s and her fella are by the Bar and Grace Vallorani is hiding by the door. She doesn’t know if she is allowed to talk with Ian or Valentine (Paul Hills crazy method director). A few phone calls later and our leader is in the fold, just in time to give me a guided tour of his Fuji coat pockets. We have something else in common.

Paul Hills – Method Director – Coat Pocket inventory!!!

1 A collapsible metal shot cup.

2 Magnetic wrist bands to prevent sea sickness

3 High visibility waist coat

4 Plastic bag to keep coat dry if you fall of a boat (see 2)

5 Condoms – buoyancy aid (see 2 and 4)

6 Passport – essential for easy body identification (see 2, 4 and 5)

Just a thought if item one was not on the list would the rest be essential. I can’t help feeling a little jealous of the magnetic wrist bands the only item I don’t have or an equivalent of in my Man Bag. I thought I had out aced him when I talked about playing cards and montblanc pens, however, these he had in his trouser pockets. The only thing I had that he didn’t was and old Rolliflex camera and a military Medal (you never know when you might need to promote/reward someone in the field) but of course he has these items as home. Boy he really is a survivalist, Not joking if the shit ever goes down you want to be on our side… I’m not joking.

Ian Manson Documentry Director – the Power