Making Bovine

NEW WEBSITE AND BLOG

2010-06-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Im very happy to announce my new website is now live!

WWW.WILLIAMMCGREGOR.CO.UK

The site functions as my blog, so rather tragicaly it meens that I shal no longer be using the Making Bovine Blog...

You'l need to go to my new site for all further Bovine news and developments..

See you on the other side.

Tara x

UK Premier at the Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival

2010-06-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that Bovine has been accepted in Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival, the festival takes place in July and will be the National Premiere of the film.

After the months of hard work its fantastic to have our first festival acceptance, hopefully its a sign of more to come.

In addition I'm up for the Best Newcomer Award. So fingers crossed!

A sneaky peek at the final grade..

2010-03-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Its been a good few weeks of tweaking the sound design and colour grade. Making sure we have every loose end tied up, as after all id rather get the film I want than rush to completion. Heres a taste of the final grade, which was done at the Farm in Soho with a 2K scan from Deluxe Digital.

Now we are at the interesting stage in proceedings where we send away our little film to have a run of DVD's made. We are having a sizable batch made so that all the appropriate people receive a copy, in addition to being able to enter as many festivals as possible. So I look forwards to filling in form after form for festival entry, not to mention all the stamp licking.

Heres the DVD cover for your interest..

BOVINE @ THE BERLIN TALENT CAMPUS

2010-02-21T05:34:00.000-08:00

Its been an incredible week at the Berlin Talent Campus, one of the highlights being a day at Das Work Studios working on the cut of the film with editor Katja Dringenberg. Katja was Bovine's assigned expert editor who spent time with us to analyze and improve the edit.

The help Katja gave was incredible, both on suggesting tweaks for the film and general advice and encouragement for myself as a Director.

We also had the fantastic opportunity to present the film at the festival, although presented as a working project, the film went down very well with some great feedback from the audience after the screening.

Interestingly there where a few elements that people responded too that pointed towards some interesting improvements to be made, one being moving some text info from the start of the film to the end. As the audience felt that it was not required in order to understand the story or its context. Its incredible for me to hear this kind of thing as it demonstrates how you rely don't need to spoon feed your audience information during a film.

As Stephen Frears said in his workshop on story telling 'If an artist draws a horse, he doesn't write HORSE underneath it.'

Over all it was an invaluable experience, the film being well received whilst finding improvements to continue the development of the edit. I have no doubt that the BTC has helped Bovine become a better film and me a better filmmaker.

Berlin Film Festival

2010-01-26T03:51:00.001-08:00

Bovine has been invited to feature as part of the Berlin Film Festival, which is a great honour as the Berlinale is widely regarded as the worlds best film festival.

The screening will take place as part of a Berlin Talent Campus Q&A, which means I have to talk to the audience.. gulp.

We are very lucky to have this oportunity, the Berlin Film Festival is a fantastic place to present a film and im very excited about the prospect.

The screening and Q&A takes place on the 18th of February at 2pm. The idea is to look at a project in development, to discuss the process of editing, im hoping we will get some good feedback for potential alterations to the edit. For me its a very good opportunity to test the film in a critic rife environment.

Face of the film

2010-01-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

With the final touches being made to the musical score and the credits being double checked and rechecked we are very close to the completion of Bovine.

With festival deadlines closing fast we thought we had better get moving with the poster and DVD cover design, just so we are prepared for when we finally get the first DVD's burnt and send them on their way to the festival world.

So without further ado heres the new posters for your viewing pleasure:

Two Time Royal Television Society Award winner Aidan Farrell to grade Bovine

2010-01-16T07:12:00.000-08:00

We have taken extra special care to ensure we have been working from a lossless workflow durring post for Bovine (meaning no quality is dropped in moving from each stage of post production) In making sure we get the best result from our 35mm neg we will have had the aid of Deluxe Digital, who will be scanning our film, and the Farm Group in Soho, who will be conforming the scanned material and grading the movie.

For me this stage is essential and one of the deciding factors as to wether a film looks profesional or even reaches the hight of your original vision for the image. It dosnt matter if you have a great image to start with- if its not dealt with properly in post all that hard work counts for nothing.

So we are incredibly grateful to both Deluxe Digitial and the Farm Group.

In addition we have just found out that we will be working with multi award winning colourist Aidan Farrel, heres an excert from the Farms's website:

'Aiden was one of the founders of the Farm. He is one of the top colourists in the world and is much in demand for his distinctive grading style'

Needles to say that working with such a talented and experienced individual is going to make all the difference in creating the distinctive and textured feel i want for the film.

Bovine nears last stage of post

2010-01-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

After roughly 3 months of working in the Bovine edit we are nearing be ready for the being the online conformation.

To get to this point has been a good journey, I love working on films in the edit. As a director I take the view of looking at what you have and making the best from it- which isn't always what your boarded. You have to take an external PoV whilst relating every decision to the abstract idea and core concept driving the film.

Which in the case of Bovine has meant cutting a few scenes, which although they added richness and detail to the world didn't benefit the over all running of the film. Due to this ruthless approach I believe we have a much more absorbing and punchier film, that projects its message and the world I wanted to portray in a more efficient and gripping way.

Along the way I have also done a few test screenings, which although useful have not been as instrumental as i first thought. To be honest it just showed that everyone had a different opinion, its all subjective, and all you can do is trust your own thoughts and judgment.

The edit isnt locked of yet, but very soon we will be heading to Deluxe Digital, who will make a 2K scan of our 35mm print once the edit is locked. This will produce a great image to grade from and a wonderful detailed frame that allows the detail, dirt and flies of the farm to transfer to the audience.

We will then be going to The Farm in Soho to grade the film, The Farm did the grade on my award winning short film 'Who's Afraid of the Water Sprite?', they did such an incredible job on Sprite that I couldn't imagine using anyone else so im happy to be back there knowing we are in good hands.

Once again in the grade we will just be looking to push the detail and aid the contrast, more than anything just colour matching shot for shot as im actually very happy with the inherent look of the image.

Alongside the online conform I will also be working on the sound design and score of Bovine, which I will update you with very soon as we are going through a very interesting process with this.

Thanks for reading,

Will Mc

Into 2010

2009-12-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Its been 3 months since we shot Bovine and I have to say its all shaping up very nicely. We are closing in on locking of the edit, which for me is always a tricky stage as its the point where you have to lay down your pencil and say- OK im happy with this, lets frame it.

Its always hard to know if your finished, there's that continuing urge to keep on drawing.

Once im happy with the cut we will then get a 2K scan of our 35mm print (for free courtesy of Midnight Transfer) and then begin the grade over at the Farm in Soho.

I also have to say a great thanks to sound designer Eilam Hoffman from London Audio lab who has agreed to create the 5.1 Dolby surround sound mix. We are blessed to have Eilam involved and I cant wait to hear what he creates.

Anyway once we have our locked of edit it will be all systems go for completion to be entered into the Cannes Cinefoundation in February, its going to be a tight one but hopefully we can make it.

Iv also just received an invite from the Berlin Film Festival who would like to include Bovine in the Berlinale Talent Campus as a project in progress to be aided and helped by the greats at the Berlin Film Festival. Something that will be a fantastic opportunity and no doubt a very beneficial event for myself and the film.

I will leave you with some 'making of' pics and my best wishes for the new year.

Will McGregor

p.s im now on twitter if you want the latest on Bovine and my other projects twitter.com/WillieMcGregor

WRAPPED, IN POST and a TRAILER...

2009-10-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hi There,

My name is Poppy Solari and I am the Producer for BOVINE

Apologies for not updating sooner but we have been very busy with the post production of BOVINE and also with the promotion of our previous film "Who's afraid of the Watersprite?" which has been doing very well in the festival Circuit including nominations at Warsaw International Film Festival and Molodist Kiev International Film Festival to name a couple.

There is so much to update you on I really don't know where to start.

We ended up shooting on 35mm as KODAK kindly gave us free stock.

We also were very proud to have MOLE VALLEY FARMERS as our official sponsors for the film. MOLE VALLEY FARMERS are the largest UK rural retailer and with their ethos to support the local farming communities it remains one of the few true co-operatives in the supply Industry. For that reason they are the perfect sponsors for the film and we are privileged to have them on board.

We also have sponsorship from DAIRY CREST and FRANCHI LOCKS & TOOLS.

We shot BOVINE between in 6th and 13th of September. The whole shooting period went very smoothly and all the rushes have been processed and we have just finished the assembly edit and also have an OFFICIAL BOVINE TRAILER out.

That is all from me but William Mcgregor will update soon with some insights into the shooting of BOVINE and some Film Stills.

Take Care

Poppy Solari

Producer - BOVINE

One of the latest stills in developing the look for Bovine.

2009-07-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Farmers Weekly, BBC Radio Norfolk and Script Readings

2009-07-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy week at Bovine HQ, with a lot of press interest resonating through the media. I have had a fun week talking to papers and chatting on the radio, from the Eastern Daily Press and Farmers Weekly to BBC Radio Norfolk. (You can listen to my radio Norfolk interview on iplayer- skip to 2hrs 39 mins- ttp://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p003sfws/Breakfast_with_Bumfrey_24_07_2009/)

But beside all the press activities there has also been heavy work a foot, firstly in preparing for the visit to Devon next week when Adam the Director of Photography and I will be working through our entire shot list on the farm. Essentially to ensure I get the flow and rhythm I want from my shot construction and to experiment with composition within the farm environment. This will also mean we will be in a good position to start working out the schedule with our Assistant Director. Our schedule is going to be extra tricky as we have to take into account the workings of the farm and the welfare of the animals. So im keen to get the schedule locked down as soon as possible.

In addition there has also been a lot of work going into the latest draft of the script- partly informed by the casting session last week. After hearing 60 actors run through a scene at least 4 times each you will always be able to pick holes. We are currently undergoing a test reading with the script sent out to 50 hand selected individuals who will be completing a questionnaire designed to find out how they have absorbed the script. Im hoping it will help me to see how the film resonates with people and if it is effecting individuals in the way i intend it to.

A Fresh Perspective

2009-07-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

I had disappeared back home to Norfolk for a bit of a refresh. There's nothing like being isolated from any form of dual carriage way, urban development or even phone signal, like a lonely planet orbiting a star, distant but twinkling.

The point of the journey was to reset and refresh- but as is the case (and i suppose the point) of these excursions, i hit apon a gem that will no doubt help me to realise the potential of Bovine.

Flicking through an old friends photographic sketchbook i stumbled upon some images by a photographer called Hannah Starkey- This is the image as documented by my mobile:

What hit me about this image, and subsequently more of her work on further research, was the emotional vulnerability of the individuals within the frame, isolated by internal framing and separated by metaphorical physical devises, such as reflections and windows.

If the painter Andrew Wyeth is my reference for a rich and honest environment and landscape depiction then the photography of Hannah Starkey is my reference for a stark and poignant portrayal of an emotional content and uncomfortable pause within the mind set of a individual.

I have included some images bellow that continue the themes i have mentioned above, but also they highlight the use of figure positioning within a constructed frame to compose contemplations and conflictions within the passive intrusion offered to us by Starkey in her reconstructed moments of life.

The key for me, which i would like to retain is the atmosphere developed around a character, creating a surrounding emotion conveying their thoughts and emotions, projecting the individuals physical capability to present emotion throughout the frame.

Bovine goes online!

2009-07-08T04:17:00.001-07:00

Now you can find out all you want to know about the Bovine project at the official website www.bovineonline.co.uk

Im hoping that the website will be a great platform to promote Bovine from and will hopefully help atract interest and involvement in our film.

But dont worry, i will still be updating the blog with insights and developments within the project.

Casting Bovine

2009-07-06T02:05:00.001-07:00

We have began casting for the roles in Bovine, it is my aim to get the best cast possible for Bovine. As the right cast will help to forge the film in a realistic and convincing form. The right choice of actor can rely bring a character to life.

We are undergoing an extensive talent search, with help from Jane Frisby a Casting Directors Guild Casting Director- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0295818/ (Yet another addition to the talented Bovine crew) Jane has been helping us approach known film and TV actors, however i am also a fan of new and undiscovered talent, bringing a new edge and perspective to a role. So we will be holding open castings in both Devon and London, we would love to see you there if you fit the criteria for one of the parts!

We will be touring Schools and Theaters from the 13th to the 17th of July, with an open casting in Totnes on the 18th of July.

DEVON CASTING INFO

Needed

Richard – 35-45 year old male actor required to play role of weathered Farmer

James – 12/14 year old actor to play role of famer’s son

Vet – 37-50 year old actor required to play role of the considerate but ‘to the point’ Vet

Location and dates

The Pulse youth centre, Victoria St, Totnes, Tq9 5ef

Saturday 18^th of July, 10am-4pm

Contact

samheasman@msn.com or willrdmc@hotmail.com

No: 07792130416

LONDON CASTING TO FOLLOW IN EARLY AUGUST!

Location visit with the Director of Photography

2009-07-06T01:57:00.001-07:00

This was the first time i had been to the location with Adam (www.adametherington.co.uk), my plan was to work through the film chronologically from scene to scene within the location we are to film. Using the reference images i have already spoke of we looked at piecing together some imagery for each of the scenes. We kept it loose and general- looking to grow embryonically from what felt write apposed to instantly story boarding everything and sticking to it. We chose a few key images from each scene and grabbed some stills to refer to and see how the light reacted down the lens.

This process of 'feeling out' the scenes within the environment will hopefully lead to a more interesting and crafted shot construction with a grounded and honest way of looking at the event and environment. It was all about submersing yourself into a landscape and seeing what came out naturally.

Development Session

2009-06-04T14:58:00.001-07:00

Preparing the ground for inspiration was the aim when Adam, the 'BOVINE' DoP, and I locked ourselves away in a dark room, whilst the rest of the country enjoyed the beautiful sunny wether.

I am a firm believer in development in pre production, establishing your core concept and then refer everything back to this. Justifying everything you do to the central theme of the film. To me this is especially important when developing the look of the film.

As you can see from previous posts, a lot of care and consideration has gone into the aesthetics of the film, from which i have constructed a very precise vision. So Adam and I set about conceptualising, phylosophysing and hypothesising the Bovine film. developing the way we will achieve my vision for the look and feel of the film. Through discussion and reference, to such films as Aaranofsky's 'The Wrestler', McQueens 'Hunger', Mierelles's 'Constant Gardener' and an ample amount of the staple of British Social Realism, Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, with a bit of Dardenne brothers and Tarkovsky mixed in for a fresh perspective.

For me it is important to develop ideas in a personal and relevant way to the concept of the film. So that every ounce of input has a function towards attaining the key theme of the film. (in the case of Bovine this being the relationship between man and beast)

We avoided specific shot ideas, but rather created a construct within which to work, a frame work to be enhanced, the idea being not to form any preconceived ideas of shot choice, enabling ourselves to make an informed and instinctual choice immersed within the world of our film. For me one of the key floors of inexperienced filmmakers is the mistake of sticking with an idea due to a fanciful will to use a technique or shot idea within a film apposed to what rely works for what you are trying to say.

Next week we travel to devon for a visualisation session on location, working through the film, embryonically developing our ideas towards a crafted and motivated shot design.

Musical Healing

2009-05-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Its my view that music is the guiding undercurrent of a film, tugging your emotions gently one way or another as you meander through a films narrative journey.

Due to the atmospheric nature of BOVINE i feel it is vital to develop the tone for the films musical score very early on in the filmmaking process. The relationship between image and sound is symbiotic, by developing the music to a film i am able to add another layer to the horizon of my films visual landscape.

For this reason i have already began working on the sound track for BOVINE, with talented young Norfolk based composer Mark Healing. Even though the music is in an embryonic state i am very encouraged by its progress. Which is fantastic as it enables me to immerse myself within the mood and tone of the film as i continue to develop BOVINE.

We are working towards creating a gentle and rustic composition with an organic degraded quality to match the dirtied texture of the farm environment, whilst retaining a cathartic tone to underscore the emotional wait of the film and the issues it deals with.

Crew

2009-04-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

As a young director, i like to work with young creative talents. In fact i pride myself on finding exciting new talent and young people with the same creative drive as myself. For me the process of developing and learning along side those you work with is an integral part of maturing as a creative individual and enables the galvanisation of a young determined crew with brave new ideas and no negative preconceptions.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - ADAM ETHERINGTON - 23

Adam is one of the UK's top up and coming DoP's with a delicate gracious style and a unique eye for beautiful imagery.
I was lucky enough to meet Adam whilst running on a short film, Adam was the DoP on the shoot and i was blown away by his ability and commitment to his Art. I knew i wanted to work with Adam, so i asked if he would like to shoot my film 'Who's Afraid of the Water Sprite?' (www.thewatersprite.blogspot.com), We quickly developed a great working relationship. This ability to comunicate and understand someones creatively is vital within the Director - DoP collaboration. Knowing that i have a DoP who can create the images i envision fills me with confidence as i know that all i have to do is convey my vision and Adam will know what how to achieve it. - find out more about Adam at:
www.adametherington.co.uk

PRODUCER - NATASHA POPPY SOLARI - 27

I am very excited to have Poppy on board, the importance of a great producer has rely come home to me over my last few productions. The ability to put your faith into a producer and focus entirely on your work creatively is vital. Im a self confessed control freak so its imperative that i have some one who i know i can trust organising my productions. Poppy, who has a history in Law and Professional Photography has only been producing short films and comercials for 2 years but has quicky progressed through a scale of productions, having just completed a £10,000 short production shot at the Millbrook test track where the famous Casino Royal car roll scene was shot. Poppys dedication and ability to ensure the finer details are examined will be one of the many keys to the success of Bovine.

Details of further additions to the Bovine crew will be added as the crew develops, in keeping with my ambition to work with the best young talents in the British film industry

Location, Location, Location

2009-04-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have come to understand how vital location choices are to a film, after all cliches become cliches for a reason. Film is essentially the construction of a believable and interesting world within which you submerse your viewer. Outside of filmic convention, your locations are the key to enabling you to do this.

After scouring the countryside i have found my farm, im lucky enough to have found one farm suitable for all my needs, meaning that i will not have to force any shots or editing techniques to construct the farm in my film. its as it is in the real world, not spread out over many locations as usually occurs in filmmaking. This i believe will help the naturalistic docu drama feel to my film.

The chosen location, situated in the South Hams, Devon, provides a picturesque landscape nestled within the Devonshire hills. However it was vital to me that the chosen location avoided being too quant and idilic, as this would be counter effective to the message of my film. The location i have chosen has some modern elements, with a bungalow farm house and corrugated barns apposed to idilic stone cottages and old barns, synonymous with the stereotypical representation of farms within film.

I have uploaded some images bellow- Photography is very important to me when location scouting as it enables me to look through a lens at my location, so i can try compositions and see how the light behaves. The light, especially within the barn and milking parlor, has proven to be delicately beautiful. With soft defused light cascading from the suspended lamps and defused day light through the barn roof. This perfectly highlights the dirt and grime of the farm offering an incredible tone and contrast gradient for an incredibly rich and textured image. This should look beautiful on film, especially with the fast stock we will be shooting on, as it will enable us to shoot with very low light levels and capture the textured contrast and details of the dirt and grime ingrained upon the surfaces of the farm.

Visual Inspiration

2009-04-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

One of the strongest elements that i wish to convey in the making of Bovine, is the texture and feel of the farm. I want to be able to transport the viewer not only into the world of the characters within the narrative, but for them to be able to see and feel the tactile dirt and rough concrete of the farm environment.

A source of great visual inspiration for me is the artist Andrew Wyeth. To me he demonstrates the purest art of 'looking'. The details of texture and light conveyed within his paintings can only be transcribed by an individual living and experiencing there environment with a higher degree of appreciation and awareness. I hope to be able to recreate the same level of textured aesthetics within 'Bovine', using my own experiences growing up on farms.

Birth of a Concept

2009-04-19T05:03:00.001-07:00

I believe a filmmaker must have an intrinsic link within their own life to the story they are telling. In order to create a vision that is honest, truthful and worth listening too. For me it is the passion forged through proximity with your subject that is the catalyst of great filmmaking.

As a young man who grew up on farms, my father a pig farmer, my grandfather and two uncles farming dairy herds, I have always had an appreciation of a farmers bond or stewardship with the animals he cares for, whether he is raising them for their meat or milk.

The added consideration that these creatures are your lively hood. That you depend on them for your survival, in order to feed your family, adds a degree of respect and appreciation. That I believe many people in today’s consumer world lack.

The current economic climate makes these issues even more prominent within society. Not only as a consumer, but as a provider ensuring the wellbeing of our family.

It is for these reasons that i wish to make 'Bovine' not only as an entertaining and gripping original piece of drama, but as a truthful and honest film that taps into a vein running through society today.