BACK ON A FILM SET

I have been happy to be back again on a film set…working again on someone else’s production, instead of my own.   I don’t have to thing about anything except the acting….my favourite way to work…..just do the work and leave the rest of the stuff others.

It has been a very good time so far arriving back in the UK and shooting a new horror film: THE HAUNTING OF MARGAM CASTLE.   It has been a happy set, ( pictured) good people both sides of the camera all working well and in harmony with each other.   The only enemy has been the cold in freezing Margam Castle in Wales ( pictured ). This has been the main location for the film – it’s very strange and rumoured to be actually haunted. In reality it’s a massive Gothic house built in the Victorian age, with several owners moving in and out because  of the ghosts!

THE HAUNTING OF MARGAM CASTLE  been one of the most efficiently run films I have worked on…..tight schedule and tight budget…with no error wiggle room.   This is all under the watchful and caring control of Andrew  Jones -Producer/Director, who also wrote the very good screenplay.  Andrew has been making  horror films for the last few years, all released on DVD and on streaming.  He seems to  have created a formula for success, along with his Associate Producer wife Sharron – both Welsh.   It reminds me of the days of shooting films for Hammer, all those horror films made for its loyal followers.   Horror is popular and is financially a good bet in this difficult business, as we know,  having sold NEW CHILLING TALES – THE ANTHOLOGY to Amazon.

The crew was small…..a favourite way of working for me…you get to know the people and it makes the work much easier, when you have a good interactive relationship with the crew, who are always a constant on the set….. it creates good stable continuity.  This is unlike the actors are not constant and come and go as their parts demand.

I was happy to be working with a couple of actors, with whom I had worked before – Derren Nesbitt and Vernon Dobtcheff, both stalwarts of the British film Industry ( seen here with another cast member  Ashton Spear.)  Vernon and I had done two productions earlier in my career – CARMILLA and George Orwell’s “1984” – and had never had a scene together….this time we succeeded in appearing in the same scene!

CARMILLA

This has been a good year for me work wise and I am delighted –  I actually managed to write my first  book BEING AN ACTOR and get it published courtesy of Amazon,  NEW CHILLING TALES – THE ANTHOLOGY was sold to Amazon and I narrated two books for Audible, plus my own.   I am thankful and grateful, to  to still be able to be active in the business I love.

Till another day friends…with more pictures ( I hope) from Margam Castle!

A beautiful sunrise flying into London