An adventure through the film world by this award winning director and all round fool.
Monday 3 October 2011
Tuesday 20 September 2011
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: Screening on Facebook's FlickLaunch
My award winning first feature has launch on Facebook's FlickLaunch and is screening now. To watch the film just follow the link below.
The film is a psychological horror set in a big old spooky house in the country. The house we used for our location is Compton House in Sherbourne, Dorset. It is over a thousand years old and is even mentioned in the Doomsday book. It has the most amazing history and is quite an eerie place to say the least. As we were to find out later on the House has quite a reputation locally for being an actual haunted house. I'm not entirely sure we would've filmed there if I'd know any of this before hand.
As soon as you walk into the house you can feel the weight of that thousand year history and as our lead actor noted "A thousand year old house is bound to collect a few ghosts" and true to the stories strange unexplained things would go bump in the night with a regularity that I still can't explain many years later. Within a few days of entering the House all of us to a man were spooked senseless by the long dark corridors, the windows rattling in the night, the chilling atmosphere and the relentless noises echoing around.
We lived in the house for 40 days and nights and I can honestly say I've never experienced anything quite like it. Everywhere you go in the house you feel that you are being watched. In fact it got so oppressive during the shoot that we took to traveling through the house in pairs as it was just too damn scary to be on your own, especially up in the attics where most of the filming took place. It's quite a sight to see a crew made up of big burly cynical film making types from London who didn't believe in that sort of stuff escorting each other to the toilet because they're too scared to be alone.
To say we slummed it would be an understatement. We filmed in the middle of winter and the House had no heating or running water, the rooms were cold and damp and the air was musty. We slept on camp beds in a large hall like room that we dubbed The Shining Room because it felt like it was right out of the Overlook Hotel. As you can imagine this lead to an interesting shooting environment.
As the shoot wore on the House became more and more oppressive and the crew became more agitated with some even leaving before the end and refusing to step foot into the House ever again. I truly believe by the end we were all relieved to just get out of there alive.
Hope it scares you as much as it did us making it.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Through-The-Looking-Glass/193530697384276?sk=app_182968595075010
Saturday 17 September 2011
NIGHTVISION: reaches its crowdfunding target.
16/09/2011
Hi Workshoppers
If I'm honest it's been bloody hard work crowdfunding. I stupidly thought it'd be a case of putting the project out there and that this new fangled Internet-thingy would do the rest. Boy was I wrong. If everyone involved in Nightvision put as much time into real jobs as we did this then we'd probably all be rich by now and not having to do this anyway. I'm surprised that Twitter and FB haven't banned me yet for spamming.
Still for all that the last 24 hours have been exhilarating and nail biting. It came down to the last hour and I felt a little like one of those bomb disposal types frantically trying to work out whether to cut the blue wire or the red wire. Thankfully I cut the Blue (thank you Mr. Ricketts).
If you had asked me 2 days ago if we'd make the target I'd have laughed in your face with the dry throaty cackle of a man who already knew that the sun was up and that the 500 mile trek across the parched desert was just to go through the motions of pretending to survive. But now that cackle has turned into the smooth purr of a man who knows different.
Personally there were two turning points for me. The first was when Director Kevin Smith re-tweeted about our project, finally it felt like we were getting through and secondly when I saw a gang of friends posting about the project on Facebook. This is when I knew things were swinging our way.
The last 5 hours were incredible as everyone rallied around and with the best Dunkirk spirit got the job done. I really am amazed how my friends (and a little Hollywood star power) have pulled out all the stops and pushed the project harder than they really had any reason to. For this I will always be immensely grateful to them (besides the fact that they're a bloody good lot).
So the moral of the story is, if you're going to crowdfund a project make sure you have good friends who are willing to go that extra mile when it counts.
Nightvision is on it's way...soon.
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Keith Allen Joins NIGHTVISION
The great Keith Allen of Comic Strip fame joins the cast of horror NIGHTVISION. I am extremely excited to welcome Keith onboard. I can't go into the details of how he's involved just yet but sure enough it will be very cool and unlike anything he has ever done before.
For more info and to get one of the last few tickets to this ground breaking project visit:
http://invested.in/Pages/Projects/ShowProjectDetails.aspx?pid=1384
This project is really shaping up to be something very unique indeed.
Monday 12 September 2011
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS - Official FaceBook page
The more people at the party the more terrifying.
Here are a few things reviews have said about Through the Looking Glass
“A terrifying horror, an atmospheric shocker” – Festival Director SBFF 2007, winner of Best Horror.
“Griffith is a hell of a director. Eerie and unpredictable, very atmospheric and creepy.” - The Horror Zine
“ A solid 5” - Horrorphilia.com
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Through-The-Looking-Glass/193530697384276?sk=wall
Sunday 11 September 2011
Ray Quinn joins cast of Nightvision
X-Factor star Ray Quinn is to play PHD genius Warren in Nightvision. I glad to welcome Ray onboard and can't wait to get running around the dark and spooky tunnels.
Here's the press release:
Here's the press release:
Press Release: Ray Quinn announced as lead character for new Facebook drama NightVision
Ray Quinn, star of Xfactor and Dancing on Ice has signed up to play the lead in Night Vision – an original interactive horror produced exclusively for Facebook.
The first production of it’s kind; Night Vision is a terrifying drama, which plays out through one of the key character’s Facebook profile page. Viewers, invited as ‘friends’, watch as a living nightmare unfolds.
The action takes place in the murky tunnels under Imperial College where a group of students find themselves alone, with no clue what’s happening to them and only night vision cameras to find their way out of the pitch black. They quickly realise that they are not alone and survival becomes their only aim.
“Night Vision is a completely unique project that will thrill and scare viewers in equal measure. Ray is perfect to play our lead character and make Night Vision a horror to remember”
Kevin Moss, producer of Night Vision
“I’m thrilled to be part of Night Vision - a new entertainment format that will excite Facebook users and Horror fans alike. Get ready to be SCARED”.
Ray Quinn
Night Vision will premier on Facebook towards the end of 2011.
The production budget has been raised through crowd funding efforts. To find out more about the project and lend your support
http://invested.in/Pages/Projects/ShowProjectDetails.aspx?pid=1384
About NightVision
NightVision is made by an experienced team of digital experts, with an online history spanning 17yrs. They have won digital arts awards at the Media Festival, shortlisted at MIPTV, Cannes and Power to the Pixel in London. Kevin Moss is the producer and Craig Griffith the Director of NightVision.
Further Information
Please contact Kevin Moss at Kev@playthisnext.com Monday 5 September 2011
How to make friends in Nightvision.
Hi Workshoppers
So its been a day slaving away over a hot computer linking up all the little social networking threads and trying to tie them together. Boy my brain is about to pop but at least everything is updated (I think?). Wouldn't it be nice if I could work out what I need to link everything together so I could just type it all into one box and send. That would be lovely. I'm sure there are apps out there that do it but being I'm a computer Luddite I'd be buggered if I know what they are.
Also been negociating the tricky world of Actor agents in an attempt to get the most for the little budget we have on Nightvision but we're getting there and things are starting to look good cast wise (if all goes to plan).
Also been organising another shoot day for this Wednesday on the Roadmovie The Long Road. So as a little treat here's a photo of our reluctant journeyman.
Cheers
So its been a day slaving away over a hot computer linking up all the little social networking threads and trying to tie them together. Boy my brain is about to pop but at least everything is updated (I think?). Wouldn't it be nice if I could work out what I need to link everything together so I could just type it all into one box and send. That would be lovely. I'm sure there are apps out there that do it but being I'm a computer Luddite I'd be buggered if I know what they are.
Also been negociating the tricky world of Actor agents in an attempt to get the most for the little budget we have on Nightvision but we're getting there and things are starting to look good cast wise (if all goes to plan).
Also been organising another shoot day for this Wednesday on the Roadmovie The Long Road. So as a little treat here's a photo of our reluctant journeyman.
Cheers
WorkshopCraig: Hi Workshoppers My first feature Through the Looki...
WorkshopCraig: Hi Workshoppers
My first feature Through the Looki...: Hi Workshoppers My first feature Through the Looking Glass will soon be available to watch here: http://www.flicklaunch.com/ Very exciti...
My first feature Through the Looki...: Hi Workshoppers My first feature Through the Looking Glass will soon be available to watch here: http://www.flicklaunch.com/ Very exciti...
Hi Workshoppers
My first feature Through the Looking Glass will soon be available to watch here:
http://www.flicklaunch.com/
Very exciting.
Craig
My first feature Through the Looking Glass will soon be available to watch here:
http://www.flicklaunch.com/
Very exciting.
Craig
Sunday 7 August 2011
NIGHTVISION
Hi Everyone
I am working on a on-line horror project called Nightvision that I will be directing the live action parts for. Working with my friend Kev at PlayThisNext we're aiming to produce a thrilling new way of telling stories in a way that's never been done before using social networks and videos but we need your help. We have put the project on a crowd-funder website to raise the money that we need to make the first story in a slate of several stories we're planning on telling in this new way. If you can invest not matter how much it would be a massive help to us and will make a huge difference to this project moving forward. The way it works is the more investors we have the more the project will get noticed and therefore attract further investors.
The project is attracting all sorts of interest and we are talking to some very cool actors to be in it. If its a success Nightvision will be a very cool cutting edge thing to be a part of and could possibly become a very big thing. In return for your investment you get an exclusive 'investors gift' and a ticket to the event and the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped make the project a success. Details can be found at this link:http://invested.in/P1384/
Now I know it's a lot to ask at this time of financial woes so don't worry if you can't help but if you can then that would be brilliant and there'll be a beer in it for you at the first night after show party/red carpet thingy. Just come and ask me.
Also for those of you on Facebook and Twitter we have a FB page here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.
Finally anything that you can do to spread the word we be greatly appreciated. The more who come to the party the scarier it gets.
Big Love
Craig
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