Research, it's all about the research

I'm sitting at my desk at the moment researching my next script. It's taken me a year to finally get around to writing something new (I'd wanted to write at least two scripts this year, but only managed one). Having polished off the fifth draft of Socialite - still waiting to hear back from my producer on that - I thought it was finally time to start on something new.
Thanks to a series of BBC documentaries that my good friend Jerry sent me, I've been inspired to do something which could either pay off or work out to be a massive waste of time. I'm writing a spec script, but not only that, it's a remake of an existing and successful franchise. Those who know me well will already know what it is, but since this is viewable by the public, I'm keeping schtum for now.
It's the first time I've had to properly research something, and I'm really enjoying pouring through Wiki and other such sites, attempting to unearth nuggets that I can use. I'm actually really excited about this project... I just hope someone doesn't get there before me.

It's a Small World After All

In the last 12 months I've now had a total of four jobs. Weird considering I stayed in my last company for almost nine years. During this time, I've encountered a few strange coincidences...
Ten weeks ago I left London to join a small company based in Northampton. It wasn't until I was showing one of the other designers some of my magazines that he mentioned "I used to go out with a girl that worked on that!" Turns out I used to work with his ex! "Wow!" I procliamed, "She was in Shaun of the Dead you know!" To which he replied, "Yeah, so was I, I was standing next to her."
That kind of freaked me out. Then...
I started working back in London again this week (long story), and half way through the second day, one of the girls came over and said: "Do you know Paul Spragg?" I nodded, agog, then discovered she was married to a guy I used to work with years ago, and she's friends with half of my London pals.
Later that same day I was on the bus, trying desperately to get to a tube station that was open, when I sailed past High Street Ken, where I worked for nine months recently. Unsurprisingly (I was bound to see someone trying to get home) I spotted a guy from the IT department. Nothing too strange there. Then, about 15 minutes later, while thumbing through one of the city's free papers, I see a picture of the very same IT guy standing with Justin Lee Collins.
Either I'm reading too much into this or the Matrix has a few glitches that need ironing out.

A few bits happening with scripts, but not enough to start swinging things around my head... yet...

No News is...

I'm not sure if anyone still reads this, but if you do, I apologise for not updating sooner (it's been about two months!) A lot's been happening in that time, both personal and professional, all of which has kept me away.
I finally turned in the third draft of the romantic comedy last week and am waiting to hear what my producer thinks. If we want to get it into the schedule of a particular production company then we need to submit it by September. Just hope any changes that need to be made before then are achievable.
It was a tough re-write this time, altering the structure for the second time took its toll on me. You start to wonder if you're losing your way, having thought that you'd already nailed it twice already. Of course, it goes without saying, that with each pass the script is improving. But it's hard to see that when you're going through it all again. Over all I think it's a better script, but these things are subjective.
Some other projects that are getting me excited include Bad Dog, an indie sitcom that I'll be working on with my pal Marcus. If we can get the schedule sorted, we should be filming that in September with a view to maybe lauching it online.
Also my buddy Pete is going to be looking at my horror movie Chiller (to be retitled) in a month or so (if all goes well!) so that will be interesting.
And, of course, September 7th sees the release of Rise of the Footsoldier, produced by my producer Terry and featuring yours truly for about an eighth of a second in the background of the big hooligan scrap. The trailers look great, so I've got high hopes for this one (although my critic pal at Film Review wasn't particularly kind).
More news if there's any to tell!

Back to the Drawing Board

It'd all gone a bit quiet on the romantic comedy. The pace had been gathering nicely through April and May, at the end of which it looked like we might be ready to roll. But for various reasons (which I'm not going to go into indepth on here), the director - and funding which would have accompanied him - just wasn't the right fit for us. Consequently we're back to being a script without a home. Further to that I've had another round of notes on the second draft and it would seem that there's still a bunch of work to do. So this morning I began the third draft and, I guess... we'll see how that goes.
It's frustrating to once again be staring at a blank Final Draft page, but then that's the nature of the business and I really shouldn't complain. I'm under no assumption that I'm actually any good at this. I'm just learning the ropes, and if this thing actually gets made, I'll be one of the lucky few.
I've given myself a couple of weeks (as I start a new 9-6 job at the end of the month) to get this done... maybe there'll be more news after that.

Who's Dated Grant Kempster?

Okay, this is getting ridiculous now. First I wind up on some sleazy naked website (nb not ACTUALLY naked) and now I'm on some kind of 'Who's Dated Who' site! You can vote for my 'Top Romance', rate my relationship with my wife and even add girls I've been out with. Come on!! Why would anyone care?! Probably not the best idea to highlight this to my pals, some of who will most likely be more than happy to fill in some of the blanks on my behalf! Be nice people!!!
I also seem to have found my way onto Rotten Tomatoes for no apparent reason!
In other news. I met up with Chris Dines (director of KillingTime - the film I cut my acting chops on last year) at lunch for a coffee. Looks like the film won't be ready for another year, while his first film Finding Autumn might be hitting festivals this summer.

Something for the Weekend?

It's funny where you some times find yourself. Last weekend I happily agreed to shoot a friend's music video (for his band, Kylie's Bitch) in Nottingham. We'd worked together before (briefly) on the Star Wars fan flick Order of the Sith: Downfall and have stayed good friends since (and we'll work together again soon on a sit-com). But I don't think any of us were prepared for the day's events.
A while ago Marcus had mentioned that he'd managed to assemble a cheerleader troupe for the shoot. The numbers seemed to dwindle with every conversation and by the time the day came, we were down to two girls. But it all worked out for the best.
I'm really not sure you're supposed to have such a good time shooting a video, but that was certainly the case in this instance. As the girls danced around the boys, trying to distract them, it was all we good do to stop from grinning like idiots. The end result won't be online for a few months, but I really can't wait to see it!

Inching Forward

So, the bad news: Our Hollywood actress is off the project. Reason? She's switched agents and her new reps don't want her filming a low-budget British rom/com. The good news is that we may have found our director and the money we need to get the film made. If we follow the current plan then there's a fair chance we could be shooting by the end of the year... but then I'm starting to get the jist of how this business works (and if you've read everything here, you will too), so there's no chickens being counted at this point.
It would appear there's still some work to do on the script, but over all things are looking up. the romantic comedy is now up on the IMDB (although the details are currently only available to IMDBpro users) and my producer Terry will be making noises about it in Cannes over the next week or so.
We're also going to have another crack at getting the veteran British actor on board...

Exit the Sandman

I don't want to make a habit of posting reviews of films on here. That's a job that I've happily left behind me. However after seeing Spider-Man 3 last night (with just three other people in the cinema) I felt compelled to put something on the page.
What a mess! Too many strings and villains turn Raimi's third chapter into a miandering over-long (and often tiresome) film that underplays all of its best moments.
As a kid who LOVED the black suit when it showed up in the late 80s, it was terrible to see the concept shoe-horned into the second act, dismissed in just a few scenes and then over almost before the fun got started. Then there's Venom, Spidey's coolest and most revered villain reduced to a last-minute showdown that rarely lived up to expectation (with the small exception of the line "I like being evil") Moving on to Goblin Jnr, a concept which was conceptualised in Spider-Man 2 beautifully but which is all over the place here. He's evil, then he's not, then he is again, then he's not. The sudden appearance of the Alfred-esque butler suddenly remembering to mention that he happened to know that Spider-Man didn't kill his dad (after two battles and a nice big facial scar) was laughable.
And then there's the Sandman. Nothing against the character in principle, but he serves absolutely no purpose here and could (and should) be excised effortlessly from the film to make a much tighter and more compelling story. I'm sure there's some Spidey fans out there with enough spare time on their hands for such a task, and if such a version does wind up doing the rounds, it will be the only reason I'll have for watching this again.

In other news... I'm meeting our potential director tonight to discuss the script for the romantic comedy. He's fairly low profile, although he's just finished a film with a pair who are often in the limelight, so that could change. Also, we have funding in place, so it could be all systems go...

Get Set...

The band I've been collaborating with for the last few months have finally released some of the artwork onto their MySpace site (above). Spiders Superstars are an eclectic five-piece band fronted by Dav (who I currently sit opposite at work) that pitch themselves somewhere between glam rock, dance music and good old-fashioned rock and roll. Head over to their site to check out some of the tunes. With any luck, once we've got some of the artwork into the public eye (we're talking about a merchandising brand rather than just a few t-shirts... hopefully), we can start publishing the images online.
I've also decided to use my MySpace site (Kempys Corner) as an online portfolio (about bloody time!) which might help in my upcoming job search.
No more news on the romantic comedy yet...

Dreams are Like Snowflakes

We hit the first pot hole in the road to getting the romantic comedy made yesterday when the aforementioned veteran British actor passed on the script. It wasn't a surprise really, it was a bit of a long shot, but it's still a shame. The part he would have played was written for him and ultimately became one of the richest characters in the whole script. Never mind, I guess that's how the business goes.

While this will most likely impact on the funding, it's not slowing down the juggernaut that is my producer who is always incredibly enthusiastic and gung-ho. With any luck we'll get some more actors on board soon, and maybe inch just a little closer to getting this film made.

Meet the Cinema

Just a quick update. Took my eldest son, Jacob, to the cinema for the first time on Saturday (to see the fairly average Meet the Robinsons). Probably sounds silly but it's a moment I've wanted to savour ever since he was born. Cinema is such a large part of my life, I couldn't wait for him to start enjoying it too (just like I couldn't wait for him to start enjoying Transformers - oh how my 80s toy collection is regretting that decision!). He spent a good part of it with his fingers in his ears, but for the most part he loved it. Talk about your bonding father and son moment. That was definately up there! Now I just have to wait for Noah to reach the point where he can sit still for five minutes and he'll be next!
Not much happening with the script. Turned the second draft in last week and my producer seemed to like it. It's gone off to a range of people again now, and so it's a waiting game. Read a really good horror movie script (which I'm going to try and read for) which my producer is involved with. More news on that if there's any to tell.

So This is Fame?

I have a terrible habit of googling myself from time to time. I like to see where my name's being misused and why. At the moment there seems to be a glut of my old DVD reviews being used for selling DVDs from Hostel to Some Kind of Wonderful. There's also the IMDB links... and this. Oh... my... God... My jaw literally hit the floor when I saw this. The above image is screen-capped from a site called Manpaper. As far as I can tell it's a male celeb site that seems to list general information, including nude scenes. So, the question begs... just what in God's name am I doing on there?! They've essentially cribbed info (and images) from the IMDB.

I guess, since I've already begun 'selling' myself through the IMDB, this kind of thing is inevitable. But really, how have I (with one credit for a Star Wars fan film) opened myself up for lines like: Review Grant Kempster's Nude Scenes from his Filmography by choosing 'Nude Scenes' as the Comment Type. ??? It's absolute insanity!

Backlog

So if anyone's interested, here's the last few months worth of blogs from the MySpace site. You'll want to start at the bottom and work your way back up. Happy reading!

As for the picture above? This is my first glorious moment on screen as I appear (for all of two frames) in the background of the trailer for the upcoming British gangster movie Rise of the Footsoldier. If only I ever got to the gym, I could have made it to the bloody front!

07 Mar 2007
All Aboard!
Well not all...Had a call from my producer yesterday which started with the words "Guess who wants to do our film!" Yes, the formerly mentioned Hollywood actress has said she'd like to take the lead female role in our rom/com! Bloody brilliant!! The next step is to get the second draft finished (which I'm desperately trying to do on my train journeys to and from work) and get that off to another 'name' who we're hoping to get on board. The latest actor we'll be trying to get is a 65-year-old 'veteran' of the British film industry. Seriously, if we can get this guy then we're rolling. The minute I heard we were thinking of sending him the next draft it entirely changed the character he would be playing (for the better). Really shows how having someone in mind for a part can enrich a character. Whether he decides to take the part or not, the character will be all the better for it. And, if you watch the Rise of the Footsoldier trailer (under history) you can see me for about two frames running with the other soccer thugs. It's fleeting, but fun.

21 Feb 2007
Key Notes
Been meaning to update for a while but haven't really had much to say. Then today I got home to find some notes on the romantic comedy from a script reader. It's always hard to see the flaws in your work, but the longer I do this the easier it is to understand how the business works and that what comes out of your head is rarely the finished article. As hard as it will be to change things I was certain were good, it's great to get feedback from a professional. I've been waiting almost 15 years for that!
On top of that, just got off the phone to my producer who told me that a reasonably well-known Hollywood actress (blonde, 31, appeared in one of the biggest movie franchises of the 90s) is interested in the idea and is reading the script at the weekend, which is phenominal news. If we can get a 'name' on board at this stage, then it's going to make the process of getting it made all the more easy. Now all I have to do is knock out a second draft that hits more of the right beats.

11 Feb 2007
Man vs Machine (Man Wins)

I did it. Don't ask me how, but I managed to fix my computer. Anyone who knows me will know my computer expertise extends to finding the right button to push to make something happen. I've never been able to handle anything to do with c:> or internal fiddling, code, settings... you get the point. Yet, with a little help (MASSIVE thanks to Steve for sussing out the problem and Jerry for pointing me in the right direction for a replacement part) I managed to prize open the dead carcas of my PC, unscrew and unplug practically everything to get the offending item out, then put a new one in. The only casualty seems to be my mouse port, but since it's a USB mouse I can live with that. Tack change: Went to see Blood Diamond last night. Easily one of the most affecting and brilliant films I have ever seen. Absolutely awful depictions of African life, played off in a semi-action movie way that never belied its weighty message. Frankly I don't ever want to buy another diamond again. My wife left the cinema in tears. I struggle to understand how people can live in a country (you know who you are...) where things like that happen, shrugging it off to "TIA" (This is Africa). I urge anyone reading this to watch it, it's an incredible film.

09 Feb 2007
Ewan Me
There's not really much to report, just thought I'd jot down some stuff in my lunch-break. Had a call from my producer the other day, asking me to insert a new scene into our rom/com (which is cool - I think it will work nicely). He's adamant that this will get made this year, God knows my bank balance wants to believe that!!Highlight of my day: Just walked past Ewan McGregor and Charlie Borman. I absolutely loved Long Way Round and Ewan's one of my acting hero/icons. Made me grin like an idiot!Picked up another project. I'm working with a fellow dissolusioned colleague who runs a couple of rock/pop/alternative/metal/dance bands. He was after some iconic illustrations of the band members of the more comic of the two, and he's been pleased with what I've done so far which is great. When it eventually lands on the net I'll post something. Until then it's a bit hush hush 'till we sort out copyright etc.

02 Feb 2007
You BAFTA laugh
Went out for drinks last night with my pal Pete and met a couple of really interesting guys. The first was a Star Wars loving (I mean, really, with a PASSION!) astro physasist - he put together the cross-section book of Episode II - called Curtis who was a really lovely, sweet guy. The second was a producer who's been out of the game for a good while but is starting to get back into it again. Pete and I met him at BAFTA for a few drinks and the conversation was just phenominal. It's not often you get to speak to someone who's acted on stage with Alec Guinness, worked closely with Ridley Scott (and was, in part, responsible for turning him towards sci-fi) and has more stories of behind the Hollywood scenes than ten autobiographies put together. When you put someone like that in a room with Pete (who has an encylocpedic cinematic memory) you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride as the train of thought constantly changes direction with barely a hope of coming back to its original station.

28 Jan 2007
Technology Hates Me!
So Saturday my PC finally gave up the ghost. It's been complaining for months (via a rather dodgy electrical burning smell that I have managed to ignore), running out of memory if you have more than one web page open at once and the like. Then, finally, I went to use it on Saturday and the bloody thing wouldn't boot up, it wouldn't even start. Tried to get a new fuse for the plug but nowhere seems to do 10A fuses. Managed to rig up my laptop to receive emails, so at least that's sorted, but I face the possibility that I've lost everything that I haven't backed up (last backup was probably three months ago).Then...Set my alarm on my mobile last night, only to wake 15 mins late this morning to find that the memory was out and it had reset the clock and lost the wallpaper. What the fuck is going on?! Seriously, technology hates me!!!In addition...I finally have man flu. Managed to dodge it this Christmas (for a change), but finally have it in full flow (literally). Feel like utter shit. Hoorah!

25 Jan 2007
Nothing Much Happening... still
I've actually got a few spare minutes this morning and I'll be damned if I'm going to start work early. The workload here seems to be relentless of late and it's really getting to me. I sit across from an Italian guy who runs a rock band (or two) and years for the more creative life that such a career would give him. In that way we're very similar. He recently brought a few projects to me that we'll probably work on together, and hopefully, some day, we'll both be out of here doing what we 'want' to do. Had a really shite day yesterday. Got in from seeing Rocky Balboa (which was GREAT!) at around midnight then spent two hours readying some submission material for a job at a prestigious film magazine. I applied online but was also going to drop in some stuff by hand the next day. I got to bed at 2am and got up for work at just after 5am. Half way through what was a horribly busy day, I get a message asking me if I still wanted to apply given that the salary is £5 lower than what I was looking for. I was SO pissed off, I'd wasted huge amounts of time (and sleep) on something. And they said 'competetive salary'! My arse!Okay, the clocks ticking... back to work.

23 Jan 2007
Almost there... (stay on target)
Well, true to form I've managed to leave it far too long between blog entries, and annoyingly there's actually been a fair amount that's happened. I feel a back-log of blogging coming on. Although, I'm sure anyone I told to keep an eye on this will have long since given up on me. So, talking to myself again as usual.

EXTRAS!

A couple of weeks ago I got a text from my producer, Terry. We met when I included his production in a feature I started in the magazine I was editing at the time, and since I effectively 'helped' get the production some publicity, he promised me a cameo in the film when it finally went into production. It's filming now. So, a couple of weeks ago I finally got a text out of the blue, telling me where to be and when... in two days time. It was a miracle that I managed to get the time off work (since I have next to no leave), but I did and on the Wednesday I found myself in Bow, London at 7.30am (in the pouring rain). Nobody knew where I should go and it wasn't until an hour later that someone with a clipboard showed up and pointed me in the right direction. The movie is based on the life of an infamous football hooligan who turned into Britain's most dangerous man and the scene we were shooting was a hooligan riot scene which happened in Manchester in 1982. Seven West Ham supporters (including the main character) arrive under an underpass and are confronted by around 20 Man U supporters. About to leg it, they find another 20 behind them. A bundle ensues which results in a car blowing up (which was GREAT!). Then, the West Ham (or at least a faction of them, called the ICF) cavalry turns up (that was us) and we run in and chase them off before the police turn up. The realities of film-making meant that, having been there since 7.30 in the morning, we didn't make it in front of the camera until about 2.30pm. So a morning and lunch time was spent on a cold bus with the 20 or so other extras (some of which were original members of the ICF gang - including the man who's life inspired this story). Great bunch of lads, even if you wouldn't want to meet them on a dark night. Highlights included half of them absconding to the off-licence (for which they were later reprimanded) and the craft services van turning up. The actual filming was FANTASTIC! The waiting around dissapearred in a blur of shouting and running which left me with practically no voice and very sore legs the next day. We saw some of the scenes on playback and they looked incredible (especially the crane shot). Can't wait to see the final edit.

ROM/COM

Last night I spoke to Terry (producer) and he mentioned that he was going to send our romantic comedy (which I finished a few weeks ago) to a production company that he's close to, to see if they're interested in making it. It's the closest I've got to finally entering the career that I've been waiting for most of my life. But this is showbiz folks and you have to take this stuff with a pinch of salt.

TRANSFORMATION

Who needs cloning! I've been slowly turning my eldest son into me, via an assortment of Marvel Playskool toys including Captain America and Wolverine. Now, I've managed to get him into Transformers. None of this new CGI crap, but the original cartoons and in particular the movie. Now his favourite song is Dare, with The Touch and the theme tune by Lion in close succession. I'll need to do something to stop the poor kid from turning into a complete geek (like his Dad), but for now it's great stuff.

ACT II

Finally got my headshots back and they look pretty good (an agent friend commented that they were 'exceptional') so I shall need to start tarting myself around as soon as possible to try and get some work. God knows I need the money! I've written a part in my rom/com for me, whether I get to play it remains to be seen. Right, that's it, lunch break over... more sometime soon.

04 Jan 2007
Okay, here we go.
Since nobody's actually going to read this, whatever I write is somewhat redundant. Still, since I have a MySpace page I might as well bloody use it. A friend of mine has a blog and uses it primarily to provide blanket coverage of what he's up to, thereby negating the need to write long emails that he doesn't have time for, to his friends. It's a bit lazy, granted, but I find it a useful (and funny) way to keep up-to-date with his antics (and there are always more than a few good ones). So what does one write to his friends? No idea. I'm sitting at work, trying to avoid actually working, looking forward to the upcoming year with a little trepidation (does this thing have a SpellCheck?!) and a fair bit of excitement.At the end of last year I scored my first acting role in writer/director Christian Dine's new short (I say short, actual running time yet to be decided, it could be a close thing) KillingTime. It was a bit of a baptism of fire - I played a paedophile who rapes his 38-year-old daughter after she travels back in time to kill him before she was born - but was nevertheless an amazing experience which totally gave me the acting bug.Those who know me well know that I've always wanted to be an actor, but never had the time or opportunity to explore it. That's something I want to change in 2007. My wife arranged for some time with a photographer over the Christmas break and so I should have some head-shots by the end of January... the sky's the limit right? Well, I'm guessing it's not as easy as all of that. Still, it's quite exciting.On top of that my writing's going quite well. I'm about to submit a two-part TV drama to a TV producer who has kindly offered to read it and give me notes. I'm also done writing a romantic comedy for a producer which at least has a better shot than anything else I've ever written of getting made (or at least getting me a much-needed pay-cheque). Stress-wise we're moving this year (probably) which is going to be the strain in the first part of the year. With any luck some of the good stuff will offset that (see pay-cheque!) but we'll see. 2006 was frankly the worst year of our lives due to one reason or another, 2007 just HAS to be better right? I guess I need to make sure it is.

"Welcome to your new home"

I've been posting blogs over on MySpace for a couple of months, while three friends of mine have used BlogSpot to do the same. So, being the proverbial sheep that I am (and because I'll be damned if BlogSpot isn't prettier) I decided it was time to up sticks and set up camp on this side of the data-stream. I imagine I'll be sticking a back-log of the blogs to date from MySpace on here, just for continuity's sake. But for now, this is the beginning.

So why "Untitled"? The easy answer is because I spent longer trying to think of a title for this page than I did setting it up. Other contributing elements include the scriptwriting connotations (my most recent script was "Untitled" until reasonably recently) and the fact that I didn't want to go for something which came across as too banal (see my MySpace site /kempys_corner). So there you go.

I'll have more to say later on, I'm sure. But for now, this is me.