'One Last Dance' blog, mood and news by Luke Losey

[llosey]

Hi, I hope you don't me asking. The photos you took last year in Herne Bay are really lovely, and I'd really like to know what camera you used? Did you shoot them on film, or are they just edited to look that way? Thank you so much :)

We played around with them in Photoshop to get that instagrammy type of look : )

[llosey]

Story boards drawn by Michaelia Wu.

[llosey]

Thank you everybody!!!!

Thank you everybody who backed us. However big or small - every single last cent got us to where we are today. All done by you lovely people!

Cheers to you all for supporting the film!

 Wednesday & Thursday last week were two of the most exciting days of my life - we smashed our target beyond expectations. Having already hit our goal with a day to go - you guys just kept coming. Ive had so many goodwill messages in the last four days i don’t know where to start! The fact we exceeded our goal is going to help make an even better film - all we wanted and more. Its not often anybody gets to say that (let alone me : ) but here i am with a “I cant believe my luck grin” that stretches from ear to ear…and really its not luck but your generosity and support!

So now the real work begins. Scheduling, shot listing and storyboarding are all on the agenda as are Tango lessons for our cast and another reccy to Hernebay. So lots to do in the coming weeks as we move into our first round of pre production.

This all means no more big updates till we have pooled together all these various elements into some kind of clarity and brevity and have some solid information for you about the shoot. Its going to a bit quiet - it dosen’t mean we have gone away and forgotten about all of you - far from it, we will just wait till we have something worth showing and saying before the next update.

Thanks again - i’m humbled, overwhelmed and extremely happy to have your confidence and support to move this baby along.

Luke

[llosey]

A montage to inspire our storytelling of coastal textures and lost souls

Mood Photo's by Dave Etheridege Barnes

[llosey]

Love this picture of the ruined pier in Herne Bay - its as if you could walk there from the beach.

Photo by Dave Etheridge Barnes

[llosey]

Fear and loathing with Mr.Barnes on the Kent coast

We first went to reccy the Kent coast in Autumn of last year, the idea was to capture textures that would inspire the film but also to show people what was in my minds eye. Dave Etheridge Barnes accompanied us on this long long weekend of rain, hire cars and cheap hotels. It was a fear and loathing road trip, Dave knew the territory coming from that part of the world and was fascinated by the minutiae the places held. His compositions capture that sense of joy and loneliness these places offer up perfectly. He laughed a lot as i flapped around. 

We have used his photography in every aspect of the campaign, for mood boards and for inspiration. 90 % of the pictures on show here are his - there are many many more - texture has been a huge part this process, texture is an important sensory dimension: it expresses the feel of an object, surface or material. Its tactile qualities, the way it is changed by light, paint or other materials, the composition of juxtaposed fabric and nature.

Thanks for capturing it Dave!

[llosey]

Thanks to Dave Etheridge Barnes for the superb photography dotted throughout the blog.

[llosey]

These mood photographs capture the spirit of how i see the dance scene in my minds eye, like a dream unravelling, points in time merging. Landscapes of the half-remembered,  blurred edges & nervous nostalgia, the meandering associations across time and geography.

[llosey]

Thoughts on music, what artists have in common, dark & light.

I went to Orbitals first gig - i was the lighting man. The soundscapes on show played with far more than dance music, epic orchestral arrangements and poignant electronica, with a real warmth and depth of soul. Orbital was and is different to their peers. Quite capable of being arty and high brow along with dirty and raw. My involvement with Orbital and Paul has been going for over two decades, films music, light shows, projections, kids, life and death. When it came to thinking of who to do the score, Paul was my only choice. He shed a tear to the script and like so many of us brought up in the 80’s - Jonathan Pryce’s Sam Lowry struck a chord with him that stayed. Paul was in without needing convincing.

I cant tell you how much from a directors point of view having these two involved in my film means. Both John and Paul seem vulnerable and dark in equal measure, able to manage the contrast between entertainment and art with dexterity. 

Though primarily associated with electronic music, Orbitals influences have always leant towards to the cinematic, with frequent nods to John Barry and Ennio Morricone. The demo Paul has sent over for the tango scene (sorry you cant hear it just yet…soon) is filled with the harmonies and emotions that have defined his music over the years. Melancholy and uplifting at the same time - how does he do that?

I think Orbital fans, Tangoists and film score lovers will be pleasantly surprised. Paul’s idea of what film a soundtrack should deliver are all about cinematic storytelling - the connection between filmmaking techniques and their function within the narrative of the film…of which music is a hugely emotive part, defining much of what we take away from the experience. Orbital / Paul Hartnoll I believe will give us something beautiful that lives up to expectations and imbues the film another layer of emotion.

[llosey]

One Last Dance is a short film is set in the faded grandeur of an English seaside town that reflects the emotional decline of the old man – the landscapes of the half-remembered, the blurred edges, the nervous nostalgia, the meandering associations across time and geography. Those ephemeral moments when we can choose to be happy with the present by coming to terms with the past.

[llosey]

Textures - such is the stuff from where dreams are woven.

Photos by Dave Etheridge Barnes

[llosey]

Dreams, textures and themes that inspire me from our location scouts and quiet moments.

Mood photography by Dave Etheridge Barnes

[llosey]

Thank you all - the show must go on

The first few days of the campaign have been a whirlwind. The nerves are jangling as the KS campaign hits day 5. After a really good weekend its slowed down a bit now…the devil and angel on my shoulder are both yacking wildly in my ear negative positive. negative positive. negative positive. negative positive etc..…

The truth is we just don’t know how this will conclude, at the moment i think i know about 80% of the backers (really nice to feel supported) with a handful of kind souls who love the project and a mass of people from the Herne bay area who are supporting us, the Herne bay times have really taken to us, we made the front page..this now includes the Whistable paper and the Canterbury one. Its all pretty humbling when strangers get behind your project an it snowballs locally.

Still plenty of work to be done, surprise films to be released and some secret rewards for music fans. Its very nerve racking. Dresden pictures have been working over time to up our Twitter following and spread the good word - i think we gained 170 followers in a day over the end of the weekend. 

Thank you so much for backing the campaign, please do continue to spread the word to all your friends and family across all of social media. With their support, it really can make the difference. 

[llosey]

Triptych mood picture Tango and coastal textures. The day and night of seaside town.

Mood photographs by Dave Etheridge Barnes

[llosey]

Another coastal triptych, its amazing the way all the styles seem to cross over in coastal towns (in the UK). Beautiful deco, the faded grandeur of Georgian terraces and dying 1980's pre fabricated shopfronts. It all adds up to a real mixture. I love it.

Photographs by Dave Etheridge Barnes

[llosey]

"The kickstarter has launched for One last dance" https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1443540759/one-last-dance

[llosey]

Something a little melancholy, beautiful and sad to to begin the kickstarter. The unsteady Waltz by our composer Paul Hartnoll of Orbital.