Spectrecom Blog Entries - Jonny

Film Studio News: Objective Productions – Derren Brown “Science of Attraction”

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:54:43 GMT

Confession: I am a sucker for good old fashion magic tricks, and I know I’m not alone on this. When I discovered that one of Britain’s most talented magicians was coming into Waterloo Film Studios to do a bit of filming. It was difficult to hide one’s excitement. The shoot was over two days, on the first day there was no sign of the magician – disappointing.

However, on the second day at 12:52pm exactly, Derren Brown sent a tweet saying ‘Filming links today for 'Science of Attraction', a follow up to Science of Scams but this one will be on the telly box at some point.’ When I saw that tweet, I struggled to concentrate on my work for the rest of the day. I found myself taking unnecessary trips via our green screen Studio 4 – where Objective Productions were filming, all just so I could get a glimpse of the master at work. Embarrassing.

Film Studio News: Spectrecom's OXFAM Image Published in British Medical Journal

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:50:25 GMT

Last week, Spectrecom made full use of our green screen studios, when we created an image for Oxfam to help highlight the dangers of childbirth in the developing world

Our recreation of Charles Ebbets’ iconic photo of New York construction workers taking lunch on a girder high above the city, was published around the world to highlight the fact that 1000 women still die everyday in pregnancy and childbirth in poor countries due to basic lack of healthcare.

The photo was shot here against green screen at Spectrecom’s Waterloo Film Studios, by Jonny Franklin; and has just been featured in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ)

FILM STUDIOS NEWS: CONTENT IS KING & MCDONALDS

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:20:19 GMT

This week, Waterloo Film Studios was pleased to host Content is King, a well-established and experienced communications company. They were also very low key and hands-on when it came to their work. With any other production using props and a cast exceeding 15 people, one might expect, make-up and wardrobe department, agents, stylists, a team of runners, 1st AD’s, 2nd AD’s, etc.

But on the day, one van did two drop-offs, first load was the props and the second was the camera equipment. Armed with a core team of about six people, this well-oiled machine of a production worked a treat. No hassles, no delays and to top it all off, the set they designed looked amazing. Very simple but extremely effective.

Waterloo Film Studios was pleased to host such an exemplary production and the next time someone tells you that strengths is in numbers, just refer them to this blog entry.

Film Studios News – “The Wanted” at Waterloo Film Studios

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:05:23 GMT

Waterloo Film Studios were proud hosts last week of chart-topping band, The Wanted.

Contrary to the popular stereotype regarding manufactured boy bands, these guys can actually sing. During this session it quickly became apparent just how talented the boys are. As they effortlessly delivered their soothing serenades and jaw-droppingly high notes, you could have easily mistaken them for veteran performers. All this goes to prove that they did not get to where they are just because of their good looks.

The last time we had a boy band (Jedward) in the studio, there was a queue of devoted fans awaiting their chance to get a picture or an autograph with the Irish twins, so I was really surprised to see no paparazzi or overzealous fans hunting The Wanted guys down. The reason for this, I was told, is because the shoot is part of a secret project to take place towards the end of the year. I’ve been sworn to secrecy, so I’m afraid that’s all I’m allowed to divulge.

The month of September has seen some really famous faces at Waterloo Film Studios. More about that later.

Birth of a Monster

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:05:09 GMT

Ben and I were writing a script for a short film over 2008, entitled "Little Horror". The story regards a zombified baby named Trevor, and started off as a bit of fun, with us originally intending it to be a feature film. But as time has gone on, we've found that funding for feature films seems be a hard thing to come across, so we've decided to make a short, just to get the ball rolling. I have been designing and developing Trevor for several months now and it's progressing well.

The first step in creating Trevor was to buy a doll - this was used as a basis for me to start sculpting on an oil based clay.

The clay is applied to a doll and roughed-out to establish the general shape. Gradually, the clay is worked by hand, and after a very, very, very long time sculpting Trevor starts to come to life.

As the clay sculpture nears completion I have started to use small tools and brushes to sculpt the realistic details. As I have only been able to sculpt an hour here and there in my spare time, the entire sculpting process has taken a few months to complete, once I have finished the sculpture I will then have to go onto make moulds of the sculpture.

I'd say we are about 2-3 months away from filming, so we'll be location finding and casting very soon. More to follow...

jonny@spectrecom.co.uk