The Swordsman looks fantastic. He’s big and wooden and wonderful. At the moment he lacks for a hat and lower arms, but then so did that doctor in The Thing just before he died. (Eh?) He has no inner cogs or detailing yet either, but the heart button is in place.
Nick and Mike both seem to be having a good time building it. They were working on ball joints when we arrived. Ian was very pleased with how his design had been translated into three dimensions. Coming soon: pictures and maybe even some video footage.
I forgot to mention, when the UKFC (UK Football Club… or Film Council) turned me down for script development funding, they gave me a “free ticket” for a professional report from Script Connection, which came through a few weeks ago. Obviously there was a lot of constructive criticism, but overall whoever analysed it seemed to rather like it. They complimented the dialogue, which I was extremely chuffed about since in the past I have been atrocious at writing speech, though I did put a particular effort into this area in the latest draft. Even if it brings me no closer to getting it made, it was a nice bit of feedback to get.

The Model Unit are about half way through making the Swordsman. Ian and I are going down there to see it on Monday.
Last weekend I was in Malvern so I got together with Ian and AJ, who’s choreographing the sword work, and we had a little chat about how the puppet will be controlled.

Soon I’ll be living off beans and rice again. But at least I will have a Wooden Swordsman before long; the Model Unit should begin work on it any day now. Yay! That was the plan mentioned a few entries back, by the way – pay the pros to do it properly. Not quite as cunning as a fox what used to be Professor of Cunning at Oxford, but has moved on and is now Chairman of the International Committee for Cunning, but better than doing nothing.
To see the teaser trailer for the New York movie, See Saw, visit www.hamptonsmovie.com