Back to the Future

It’s been a rapid month. Work has been busy. But when I wasn’t shooting, I was decorating a loft conversion and moving in. It’s pretty much all there and looks good. Happy.

As I planned to go to Beijing in September this year, a coincidence that I need to sign some family papers in Hong Kong. And as I didn’t have enough money in Feb/Mar while in Hong Kong to go across the waters to visit my friend in Taiwan, I do this time. So on the 9th next week, I fly to Hong Kong. Then after a few days go to Beijing for 3 weeks. Then back to Hong Kong before flying to Taiwan for a week and back to Hong Kong for 2 weeks. I come back to London on thee 28th Oct. It’s been more than 10 years since I was away in another county/ies for longer than a month. I come back and in less than a week start operating on a feature- I originally was to shoot. That’s until 3- 29th Nov. On the 30th I go to Lodz to Cameraimage (Cinematography Festival) and to Warsaw and Krakow. Come back mid December. Have a short to start prepping then to shoot probably beginning of 2009.

And even though it’s only been half a year since I was in Hong Kong, I miss it already and am ready to not be in England. It will seem like yesterday as I have never been to Hong Kong twice in one year. But it’s Beijing that is likely to be the experience. Not sure what I will do for 3 whole weeks but I’m sure there will be lots to do. If not exploring the city or chatting with new people, I will be hanging out at the coffee shop, parks, bars or just shooting the doc. I never really saw much of the city last time. I never went to a bar, or that street where there’s a food market, I never went to Houhai or Beihai Park or, or, or… So much… I stayed 10 days before and it didn’t seem enough. And as I am looking to live there for months at a time in the future, 3 weeks getting to know it a little better is short. But it’s a good time.

Taiwan is somewhere I’ve wanted to go for a while. It’ll be great to see my friend who I’ve known for 10 years though better in the last 3.

I can do the trip on the budget I laid out. It’s workable.

It’s just that everyday has been a shoot or 10/12 hours of decorating or spring cleaning this entire month. Had some downtime going out but not a lot. Even up to now till I fly. So it all seems a bit sudden. The loft is just done and haven’t much time to really enjoy it! I even have to manage to get a visa for China on the day I am flying to Hong Kong as that was the earliest appointment.

The shoots this month have been varied. 2 low budget music videos for 2 Asian artists, an outdoor music gig for Natalia, a short film on the Red One camera and another section of the feature, Tidal Barrrier. Also the test shoot for Horace, the feature in November.

I leave you with a video clip from the short film. I am up on a Cherry Picker operating a pan and tilt shot as the two kids cycle onwards towards the dishes…




- J