Jane as Lady Macbeth
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing”. Quote from Macbeth, which pretty well sums up our modern way of life at the moment.
The wicked Macbeths plot murder..Jane and Richard Stride
The media, social media and live media have pretty much got us all running around, flapping and clucking like barnyard chickens. Personally I have found socially media the most wonderful form of free publicity that was ever invented. The picture below of David Hemmings and me, got a lot of attention!
Jane and David Hemmings 1966
I think we should collectively pull ourselves together and start to appreciate what we have in the civilised Western world, enjoy what we have…in particular the natural world. If you have doubts watch the wonderful David Attenborough and the amazing series Planet Earth.
One little note to those people who want to be in the public arena….take some voice lessons, so that your voice can attract and engage as much as your wardrobe and makeup. There are those with really unappealing voices. It’s easier for men, because their vocal range is so much lower, but some of the women have strident and really unattractive voices. It matters.
Enough sermonising for today. Update on New Chilling Tales…. friend and fellow Brit, Nyk Fry and I have been doing refinements to the film, in preparation to a larger streaming platform than this site. We have also been helped by Greg Green another friend and Director of The Tell-Tale Heart. Maybe I can get some of my investment back…..and then we can make some more ! So for now no more vlogging about the writers,,,,WW Jacobs will have to wait.
Greg Green directs Darren Burrows in THE TELL-TALE HEART
The work needed is proving to be an enjoyable experience and I am learning a lot about the technical demands for film distribution in the digital age, I still love this business and want to keep on acting, wherever and whenever possible, but I am getting increasingly fascinated by the skills needed on the other side of the camera, Editing is currently high on my list of “must learn more”. Nyk is an interesting man, a bit of a renaissance man, currently on tour with Air Supply as their resident videographer. I’m learning quite a bit from him.
Clever Nyk!
Our work on film seemed to simple in my early days and all I did was get the script, study the character, make notes about the character, understand her motivation, learn the lines, rehearse – on my own and then with the other actors, and then get up there and do it. Then ….my comprehension of the technical demands of the camera was understanding “check the gate” (for potential hairs ) and ” ” boom in shot” levelled at the sound crew. The digital age has eliminated many of the demands of film and because of the huge reduction in cost of film making and has thus opened up it for so many more would be filmmakers. However the basics still remain, have a good story, have a great script and tell the story!
The wonderful Nic Roeg on set in early days
I couldn’t agree more, Jane ! So much, TOO MUCH “sound and fury” all around us, and most of it truly signifies absolutely nothing at all. We are so fortunate here in the Treasure Valley of Idaho, we are surrounded by natural beauty every day and every where we cast our eyes. Today the surrounding foothills are white with new snow, making both skiiers and farmers very happy. My garden is thinking about sending up “test shoots” of tulips and crocus. “Not quite yet” say I, it is still a bit early, but the intention is there, just below the surface. Very exciting and beautiful things are going on, if we but focus on those instead of the noise. Best of blessings to you !