FUNDRAISING

We would like to give a big THANK YOU to River of Light [ www.riveroflight.tv ] for their support of the film by covering our communications equipment costs! We are now counting the days to the shoot ...starting on AUG 31... and any donations are entirely appreciated!

CAST REHEARSALS

...are going so well that last Sunday our director Laura decided to rehearse with Ed & Jasmine at the garden of the wonderful local pub, The Stag's Head, whilst enjoying the very generous sunshine & delights of the BBQ on offer - both suitably provided gratis and very much appreciated by our pale & starving team. Interestingly, some way into the rehearsal we realised that our producing team Adam & Tree were two tables away, also enjoying the free entertainment provided by the kind management of the pub. Who ever said there is no such a thing as a free lunch?

Pub rehearsals aside, Laura has been sending the cast on various method challenges, such as on dates and East End partying "in character". If the results of these exercises could be measured in painfulness of hangovers, we'd definitely be scoring many points. More seriously, though, it seems that things are coming together in terms of relationships in the story, and also in achieving the generally chaotic state of mind that is also sometimes called 'creativity'.

LOCATIONS UPDATE

We've secured The Stag's Head pub on 55 Orsman Road with the kind help of Matt who runs the newly refurbished venue. The Stag's Head is the best pub in Dalston at the moment. With a fantastic enclosed private beer garden, pool tables, fine ales, free Sunday BBQ's and a stage/sound system for bands to perform. We haven't been this excited about a pub since the George and Dragon opened in Shoreditch!

CREW UPDATE

Sophie Jacobs is our newly appointed Production Designer. She is a St Martin's Set Design graduate and has already been enthusing about some interesting ash trays...to be continued...

We would also like to welcome our terrific Makeup & Hair Designer My Alehammar back from Tunisia, where she has been up to no good for the past month or so. She says it was a horror film shoot...Essential trivia: My's name is inspired by the My of Moomins. My will be designing with Pippa Woods who is currently also working on the Clash of the Titans remake! We are thrilled to have these two makeup heavyweights onboard our East End adventure!

For our sound engineers we have on board Myles Hayden who we would like to thank for providing his sound kit! Also on board as sound engineer is Takatsuna Mukai, an exceptionally multi talented individual who is also is a musician, an actor and a music producer. Thanks to Taka for providing his flat as our greenroom!

We've found our lighting person in the shaped of a man called Gavin Brabant who also making a cameo appearance in a K-HOLE scene!

We are also looking for a bunch of those vital people called Runners. If you would like to get involved, or know someone who would - send us an email! lvestdiyng AT gmail.com !!!

CASTING UPDATE

Just in time - we have found our missing link - Teddy! The identity of this fine actor is a closely guarded secret, and you'll have to watch the film to find out. Shhhhh. We can only say that the casting of this character entailed, among other things, an evening trip to the legendary Vauxhall spot RVT and watching the larger-than-life spectacle that is the Texas Chainsaw Masscara, as performed by the fabulous Jonny Woo , Feral, Scottee...and of course, Jeanette. You can view the video clip that accompanied that Texas Chainsaw Massacara here.
The evening included generous portions of fake blood, a broken stiletto heel, a cold bath, several gin and tonics and other alcoholic beverages, a distinctly "method" approach to acting, and a cab back to the safety of Hackney.

Tree, with her Casting Director's hat on, has also found us a charming Homeless Person, a small army of Strippers, two sexy Bouncers, many Skinny Guys, a Three-legged Dog and it's two-legged Owner, a convincingly Trashed Girl and a Club Owner...who has promised to grow a distinctively shaped mustache just for the occasion. We think our collection of characters is slowly starting to look like a representative snap-shot of Shoreditch. Thank you, Tree, and all the wonderful people lending their appearances to us! You know who you are...

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Last Saturday we had a fantastically productive day in terms of taking a tour of potential locations. We were able to check out and secure pubs, clubs, toilets, houses, warehouses, and strip bars. The owners and managers were more than helpful, and we were very happy with how receptive everyone concerned was to working with us. Pictures say more than words, so here are some pictures which will appearing in various scenes throughout LIVE EAST, DIE YOUNG ...

LONG TIME NO BLOG

Its been awhile since we threw some fresh meat up on this blog, mostly because we've been so busy getting things done, that we have not had the time to write about them. Hold tight ...

CAST

Again, we are happy to report that our continued quest for acting talent has allowed us to meet some great people, and we feel flattered at the response we have received regarding auditions for various parts. Thank you everyone. Thank you also to our Casting Department, who has been working very hard managing all these auditions ... it is a LOT of work. We are please to announce that we have found not just suitable, but excellent performers for the following respective parts. Because we haven't done a proper round-up of our cast to date, we shall do so now

LEO

Ed Cooper Clarke

Ed played an East End artist in Laura Hypponen’s recent short film Shoreditch Sonata and has also recently filmed One More Drink, a winning entry for the Filmaka competition judged by great filmmakers from Colin Firth to John Madden and Neil La Bute. Other screen work includes commercials and corporates for Eurostar and Dominos and a music video for Jamelia.

Ed is about to graduate from Drama Centre where roles have included Platonov in Chekhov’s Platonov and Eugene Onegin in Eugene Onegin – both performed in Moscow. Last summer, he played the lead in an award-winning production of The Rivals in the Henley fringe festival.

ALICJA

Jasmine Polak

Jasmine is a freshman at Krakow's National Acting Academy, previously working with a theatre group ran by the well known polish theatre actor Juliusz Chrzastowski. Jasmine has also performed in many plays, the most successful of which was 'Musees hautes' musees bas' by Jeam Michel Ribes, for which she has received two acting awards. She's also appeared in a few short independent films and took part in many recital competitions. Not just busy with acting, Jasmine has also cut her teeth in the music industry, as a pianist and singer, and is about to perform her first live gigs back in Poland, where she's originally from.

EMMA

Zoë Grisedale

Zoë is a young Actress from London with a background in modeling, also a writer, and even drummer in the live act 'You Me Bum Bum Train.' We shall leave it to a quote to best speak for Zoë from here on in: "Zoë is an explosive young talent, and a pleasure to watch onscreen. The camera simply adores her. She has genuine range already, and would be equally comfortable playing the girl next-door, hipster sophisticate or total goofball with equal aplomb. Zoë is unafraid to tackle a character head-on, she immersed herself in the emotional as well as physical make-up of Kate. Her preparation cannot be faulted, he arrived for the read-through knowing the script inside out and with a potent combination of theories, ideas and questions about her character. With enough energy resources to topple the national grid, Zoë is a bigscreen star in waiting, with true cinematic presence." D W. Hall 2008. Director , The Initiation. Check out her MySpace here.

MAX

James Jeanette Main

James is a gender illusionist, better known as 'Jeanette', the door girl for the infamous Boombox club night, and those who have been turned away by him for not trying hard enough will remember him well! James served as a muse to the designers Giles Deacon and Gareth Pugh, worked as a stylist for Dazed & Confused and i-D magazines and occasionally moonlighted as a hairdresser to Grace Jones. He has also been currently cast in a film about the life of legendary 60's femme fatale and Warhol Superstar, Nico. Check out his MySpace here.

CREW

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Bronwen Parker-Rhodes

Bronwen graduated with a BA (1st Class Hons) from Slade School of Fine Art, University College London in 2006. Since then she has made two series of three minute wonders for Channel 4, had screenings at the Curzon Soho, ICA, BFI, a solo show at the URA! GalleryIstanbul, and in 2006 her short film ‘Lark’ won the FourDocs award for best short documentary at Sheffield DocFest. Check out her website here.

1st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Richard Brade

Richard is a versatile filmmaker whose television credits include Lyon Television’s MUMS ON STRIKE (2005), and Endemol UK’s THE MATCH (2005). He also has worked in the costume department on Joe Wright’s ATONEMENT (Working Title, 2006), where his duties included maintaining continuity and preparing actors such as Keira Knightley for each shoot. Richard is the founder & managing director of River of Light, a media production company. As well as executive producing River of Light’s projects, he has been responsible for the visual mixing of live events in London’s Heaven nightclub, where his work was seen weekly by an estimated 1,600 off-their-heads clubbers. He currently works at London superclub Fabric. Richard graduated with a BA in Film and Television Production (2006) from one of the UK’s leading film schools, The University of Teesside. Following his graduation he received a full scholarship to attend the MSc in Management with Film Business degree at London’s Film Business Academy.

LOCATIONS

The Production Team has also been busy: securing, confirming and scouting locations, and we are excited to be able to include several Shoreditch and Dalston familiar to many: The George and Dragon, The Russian Bar, The toilets and Bar Music Hall, and the downstairs light-up disco dancefloor at Shoreditch Electricity Showrooms. We have been very fortunate to have the interest and co-operation of the management of these fine camera-friendly venues in our film project.

Our Director Laura has taken up temporary residence at a canalside warehouse, which will serve as Max's flat. The warehouse in the vicinity of Gainsborough Studios, where the late Mr Hitchcock used to film his masterpieces. The Studios, of course, are today serving as lodgings for (the now possibly unemployed) City bankers and other well-to-do folk...and there's also a lovely Thai restaurant and a gym. The man with the van who helped Laura move went so far as as to say that the warehouse flat resembles a drug den. We don't know what he could possibly have meant by that. As a rebut to such concepts, it has come to our attention that there is an early care facility downstairs at the warehouse ... 'early care' means 'children'. We will be adding a disclaimer to the beginning of the film to note that no children were harmed during the production. Some great side streets, alleyways and murky corners around here, though ... while scouting for these the temptation has been to escape the soaring temperatures by a refreshing jump into the canal with the floating logs of junkie poo. Maybe not quite yet, though.

* * *

We are now a month away from production, and things are looking good. Its has been astounding to all of us how many enthusiastic people have come on board, and committed to working with us. The wonders never cease, except in the case of the poo in the canal, which is standard.