filming gobs of ink floating around a tank of goo

….is what I’ve been doing for three days now and, well I know you’re expecting me to have a rant and a moan but actually it’s quite lovely to watch and try and solve. Beats decorating sets for a change though I don’t get to sit around as much as usual. Strange really, instead of spending more time on my fat arse (which reminds me, I must change that photo of me on the home page of FIB….people actually think I look like that and have started sending me brochures advertising holidays on remote islands in the South Pacific) as I get older, I seem to be more ‘hands-on’ these days and I think that’s entirely down to the lack of money that used to flow a touch more freely, allowing me to surround myself with types more than willing to do the dirty work for me. Funny thing is, I actually enjoy it.

Filming has always been the most boring bit for me because our work at that point, has really been done. All sets built and dressed, graphics finalised and printed, locations locked and shoot crew ready to roll. This is, of course, the world of commercials rather than TV and film where the momentum of the project grabs you at one end of the job and spits you out the other after a mad roller coaster ride that is the fun and games of movie making.

So, instead of finding myself lingering around the craft services or studiously attending to my accounts, I now delight in the knowledge that I’m losing weight and keeping the tone so long as I don’t do my back in…..for that I call on one of my staff; usually someone half my age and more than willing to help an old git when he needs them. Well, needless to say it hasn’t all been a bed of roses as far as shooting ink is concerned and this is something I thought I ought to point out to the producer when I saw her scowling behind the monitors early this morning….” never work with children, animals or ink.” I playfully reminded her. Not sure it helped but the day only got better and by 8 this evening, she was her happy self again.

Tomorrow being day three of our ink-athon, will see how we fair with ‘the probe’. A camera device that will find us following ink around in more tanks, with more goo. All this is for the title sequence of a mega-film of a series of films that I am sworn to secrecy on but feel that I will spill the beans anyway because I want and need the mileage when I finally get on the phone in LA…..am I a movie slut or what? Hope so.