Kiss of the BBFCman

The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification, the venerable body which decides which certificate to put on your film or trailer. We sent them our trailer last week, for them to have a look at our venerable body, the one belonging to Angela Pleasence, the lovely actress who plays Sacha's first date in the film.

The kiss between Angela and Sacha is much harder to watch than it was to film. We're hoping that the BBFC examiner will be so shocked by it that he'll award us a "15" certificate.

Usually, films seek a low certificate, in the hope of garnering a bigger audience. But we actively want to discourage people from seeing our movie, so we're hoping for a "15". A "PG" would make the film seem tame, something for children. There's nothing in our movie which would shock a child; but The Gigolos is not about how it looks, it's about how it seems. It's about what goes on behind closed doors, just out of reach.

We're hoping that the sight of a short, frail, lonely and slightly-stooping Sacha Tarter kissing Angela Pleasence will have the desired effect. And, if it doesn't, then we'll put on a deep voice, grow a fluffy moustache and lie that we're "15" anyway, just so long as no one asks to see our I.D.

103

is the magic number.
103 bums on seats at the Riverside last night.
We knew 70 tickets were sold in advance. Still, nerves jangled as we waited & watched. Would we make it to three figures? It was slow at first, painfully slow. The 90s were very nervous. Felt like we were facing Warne and McGrath at MCG, playing and missing. But then a sudden rush with five minutes to go. 100 up. Releasing a film is not for the faint-hearted. Fortunately, the Riverside has an excellent bar.
Great screening, great audience. They laughed in all the right places. They really got the film. Sacha, Richard and Trevor did a great Q&A. Big round of applause at the end, with an extra one for the trumpeter Jon Scott, who composed and played the CHINATOWN-style trumpet theme in the film & was watching the film for the first time. (Fortunately, he liked how we used his music.)
Can't beat the feeling of it all working. Big audience, film lovers, enjoying the film, really appreciating that director and stars turned up to support it. More of the same please! Back to convincing more people that it'll work for them too.

Down by the Riverside

29 days till release.
Next stop the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, for the last preview screening for THE GIGOLOS before we release. Plus, it's our first commercial screening - anywhere. The first time we make real money from the film. At least, that's what we're hoping. We're entering uncharted waters down by the Thames.
Riverside Studios is a top venue, steeped in film & TV history. THE SEVENTH VEIL was shot there in 1946 - one of the biggest commercial successes in UK cinema history, filling out cinemas continuously for 10 years! Filling out the Riverside for one night would suit us. TV classics such as HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR, DIXON OF DOCK GREEN and Z-CARS were made there. It was home to the first five series of DR WHO in the 60s, and more recently Chris Evans' TFI FRIDAY. Not a bad CV for a building in Hammersmith.
Making about 1% of the impact of those shows would be good.

The 39 Steps

We release the film in 39 days. That's 39 steps to... something or other. It's not entirely clear what will happen in 39 days, but then it's not clear in the movie what happens at "The 39 Steps". The 39 Steps is a code, or metaphor, for something indescribably sinister which is seeking to destroy us.Just like the release of THE GIGOLOS.

Genesis of The Gigolos

My first entry on a blog about the release of THE GIGOLOS, the film wot I wrote with two other people (Sacha & Trevor) and directed (with myself).We started making the movie in 2004, before my son was born. He's now nearly 3, and he can say "shit" - although only when prompted by his older siblings. But that's still a lot of development: from a single cell to an expletive in the time it took three grown men to write an entire movie, more wo/men to produce it, cast it, design it, dress it, cut it, print it, sell it, fuck it.

Now it's 2007. THE GIGOLOS will be released in UK cinemas in 40 days. I'm going to write about our efforts to promote it, market it, release it, and try to make enough money back to shoot another movie before my son learns to say "motherfucker".