I just spoke to Mike. He’s done. He’s coming over tomorrow with the remaining FX and now I can sleep at night.

You’ll notice these entries have got pretty short lately. Almost as if all I can think about is finishing some kind of film or other. These are the facts: last night I did the final sound mix; this morning I took the covers to the printers; this afternoon I started the grading; don’t talk to me about 3D FX. On a more trivial note, I spotted a spelling mistake in the credits roll, so that’s got to be re-rendered. It’s a nice, slow, small text, multiple column credit scroll. Like a proper film. Which is what it is. For several months it’s been a collection of somewhat dodgy shots. Now it’s a movie. With 42 FX shots missing. And by the end of Wednesday next week, it has to be mastered. Or we’re all screwed. I’m off to check in the mirror for grey hairs.

Having nothing else to do, I’ve started putting sound effects on the as yet non-existent 3D shots. I’ve also put the end titles on, which are kind of epic. All I have left to do is a little compositing on the 3D shots when they come in, then the final sound mix and grading. Easy, huh?

Lots of hanging out in cafes today, punctuated by getting that photocopier insert, filming pigeons and being on TV. The pigeons are to composite over some obviously frozen stills to add a bit of movement. Netbank have accepted my application, so the on-line ordering system will soon be up and running.

Went to Rural Media to re-record the office atmos, since the original one had been plagued by key jangling noises. I’d also planned to reshoot a photocopier insert to solve a problem highlighted at the test screening, but due to a lack of tripod, this and some pigeons shots had to be postponed. Right, now everyone watch Midlands Today on Wednesday (or possibly Thursday), because me and John are going to be on it.

Three weeks until the premiere. Two weeks until the film has to be finished, effectively, giving a couple of days to render the grading, a day for mastering and a couple of days to get the dupes done. At last, there are some finished 3D FX shots. Not very many, it has to be said, but when they’re this good, you don’t care. This is a guy who knows what he’s doing.

I’ve just read the Evening News article which was alleged to be extremely critical of my refusal to alter The Beaconin light of September 11th. Have you noticed how no-one ever used the phrase “in light of” until September 11th? Anyway, the article is a hell of a lot tamer than I was led to believe by someone who shall remain nameless (Dave). Quite funny though. “I WON’T CUT PLANE FILM”. Headline writing really is rocket science, isn’t it? I suppose I ought to address two points in the article, however, just for accuracy’s sake. Firstly, the plane in The Beacon has not been hijacked. It’s a tiny little prop that the bad guys have nicked from some Hollywood superstar’s private airfield. It’s interesting that the article describes the plane as “packed with terrorists” – given that it was a four seater plane which was somehow capable of carrying five people across the Atlantic. Secondly, the “concerns” which I apparently refused to cut the film in spite of, (see September 26th entry) amounts to Simon Ball e-mailing me a while back, tentatively (and, naturally, camply) asking if it was going to make any difference to the film. When I told him no, he e-mailed back saying he was glad I wasn’t going to bend (bet he doesn’t say that to many blokes). I got the rest of the music yesterday, and oh, how it rocks. Finally it feels like a real film, Gepetto.

You heard it here first. February 2nd. 10am. Odeon Cinema, Commercial Road, Hereford. Get High.

Man, the press are totally hounding me. It’s not just the Malvern Gazette who’re after my erupting news geyser, now the Sunday Mercury (that’s what I said) are after a story. But did you see the full page spread in the Gazette? Either we’re great, or the rest of Malvern’s shit. Hmm, I know which one I’d put money on. This afternoon G and I recorded some car sound effects on Bartestree playing field – and got bollocked by some woman who knew G after driving onto the field itself. Luckily she didn’t see him pull the handbrake turn. There is finally an official trailer now – set it to download, go have a bath, watch Gone With The Wind, then come back and watch it. And go mmmmmmmm, action trailer.

Today I have been mostly replacing plastic gun sounds with metal ones of an equivalent relevance. Whilst doing this, Alan dropped by the first two tracks of the score. Anticipation was high as I placed it in the CD player, James “jeep driver” Clarke and Chris “sound guy” Mayall poised to listen also. And it was fecking brilliant. Yay! Sadly, cast and crew, we’re going to have to reshoot the entire film to bring it up to the standard of the music. Happy New Year.