Knocked up a quick mask for a friend who was off to a fancy dress party. Kinda like it – not bad for an hours work anyway.  Think I need to stop using the same mask moulds now though, or at least  make some new ones……

This is more or less finished now.  Quite like the orange gel on the screen, I’ve also got a green light behind the camera too.  I’ve also detected an ‘exposure lock’ button on my camera which has dealt with it going dark whenever I focus on it straight on.  Kinda wish I’d known about it before I filmed the first bit of the video really! ;op  Slightly more pronounced here though.

The set for Spinning the Compass continues it’s quest for total domination of my front room.  Getting up to 30 meters of cable in this now and I think I might need to order more!

Looks like there’s a ‘To My Mother and Father’ site up now which has various bits and pieces about the film.  I’m also slightly embarrassed to find I was filmed at the Q&A we did at the BFI.  So embarrassed in fact that I’ve posted it below.

Getting you up in front of a bunch of people and sticking a microphone in your hand is a sure fire way to rob you of the ability to speak and empty your head of all ideas.  Last time it happened I was at a Lee Hurst gig……!

Q&A @ BFI – Part 1 from Ne’er do Well Films on Vimeo.

Q&A @ BFI – Part 2 from Ne’er do Well Films on Vimeo.

I always had a feeling that one day I’d end up using my flat in one of my projects.  The thing is, with an obsession such as mine, everything else is secondary.  Don’t have a workshop?  No problem, the kitchen will do – I can eat out of tins.

Need a studio?  No worries, use the front room.  Need to fit a cable in there?  No worries, just knock a hole through the wall.

OK I haven’t done that yet, but I can imagine it happening some day.

The art/life balance takes another swing in the ‘wrong’ direction today at any rate as my window begins to turn into a gigeresque, steampunk inspired hell machine.

This is basically a giant shadow puppet screen which will be used in the Spinning the Compass video I’m doing.    Most of the furniture will be similarly covered in machinery or removed when finished.  Here it is lit with a few gels.

This has been designed so that it can make use of the existing wall plugs from my curtains to hold it in place and be removed without causing any damage to the existing paintwork.  I am fighting an urge to paint the wall rust coloured though………

Continuing to work on this.  Here’s another piece.    The use of casts of the ‘To My Mother and Father’ masks is intended to tie the set to the character that will inhabit it which also includes a cast of the same piece.

This is all going to go in my front room so the idea is that each of these pieces is designed to cover furniture  that’s already in the room!  Here’s the previous piece in place.  The whole alcove will be covered with a screen with a light behind it so that shadow puppets can be used in front of it.

The edges will be covered with a frame in a similar style.  Think I’ll keep it like this once we’re done with the vid ;0)

Quite like that one.

Done a logo for Spinning the Compass.

Started working on the set for Spinning the Compass.  More pics soon.

I’ve put together a quick test vid of my steampunk mask.  This is going to be used in the Spinning the Compass music video I’m working on.

As the idea is that this is either an electro shock skull cap or maybe from an electric chair, I decided to add arcs of electricity shooting from the thing.