I’ve been in New York for the last week, getting that holiday I so badly needed. I was there for the wedding of Tom Muschamp and Aimee DeNaro, director and lead actress of Beyond Recognition, which only the hardiest of journal readers will remember as the film I DoPed on in upstate NY way, way back in the summer of 2002. The couple successfully sold the US rights to Beyond last year, and now Aimee’s using her copious charm and experience to push Soul Searcher in the US.

Distribution interest is beginning to warm up, though I’d better not say any more here.

The Comic Expo in Bristol has agreed to screen the SS trailer – see the screening page for more details. I’m trying to tap into the whole fantasy/sci-fi fandom thing. Impact, the action movie magazine who gave us some coverage at Christmas 2003, are planning a big piece on the film. I heard a little whisper that they loved the screener.

I’ve shown the nine page treatment for my next movie, Nightland, to a few people and they got excited. I’m gonna take it to Cannes. I guess I’ll have to start up a website for it before long.

I discovered too late that there was a little piece on Borderlines in The Independent yesterday. You can check it out on their website (for the fee of UKP1). The writer laments that he missed the premiere of Soul Searcher due to being in New York last weekend. Needless to say I’ll be sending him a tape.

I spent over UKP30 on postage today. Many copies of the film going to many places.

Just a quick one. People keep asking me when the DVD will be out. I will not be making DVD copies like I did with The Beacon. I’ll wait to secure a distributor who will handle all the duplications for me, then you can all buy it in the shops, and cast and crew will get their free copies. It’s unlikely that VHS copies will be available; if anyone reeeeeally wants one, speak to me.

My head is now the size of a VW camper van. Here is a record of the Ego Puff Points I acquired this weekend:

Got up on Friday morning and did live phone interview with BBC Hereford & Worcester – 1 Ego Puff Point

Headed to Hereford, picking up The Guardian on the way. The article was massive and extremely positive (“Soul Searcher is a fantasy action movie in the grand style… It looks great and moves beautifully… As a statement of potential, Soul Searcher must be one of the best value movies ever made.”) – 5 points

Arrived in Hereford and did an interview for ITV Central News which goes out tonight at 6pm – 1 point

Introduced the first screening and fielded questions afterwards. It sold out – 1 point

Saturday morning – checked my e-mails and found I already had some distribution interest as a result of the Guardian article – 1 point

Discovered the second screening had sold out – 1 point

Introduced the second screening and again fielded questions. One guy in the audience told me he had hiked across half the country to be there, and had camped out in the leisure centre car park the previous night. After seeing the film he said it had been worth it – 4 points

Met Hollywood film director Stephen Frears (responsible for John Cusack/Jack Black-starrer High Fidelity, My Beautiful Launderette, Dirty Pretty Things, etc.). Stephen had seen the article in The Guardian and said of me in an interview with James for post-festival publicity: “All you can do is admire him. If he’s got this much focus he’ll be alright.” – 5 points

Monday – gave a talk to 150 teenagers at the Borderlines You-TV3 Conference about how to get into film-making. One of the kids who came up to me afterwards told me I was the coolest speaker – 1 point, but lose it immediately for caring that some kid said I was cool

Generally had praise heaped upon the film all weekend from all quarters – 2 points

Got home, checked my e-mails and discovered that Soul Searcher has not been selected for screening at the Cannes Film Festival – lose 3 points

Grand total: 18 Ego Puff Points

So here is the beginning of a whole new wave of work. On my to do list at the moment are: finish first draft of new script so I have something to pitch at Cannes; send screeners of Soul Searcher to a whole bunch of people; make enquiries with publishers about turning this journal into a book; edit electronic press kit; begin work on DVD extras; investigate festivals and distribution opportunities…

The arrival of spring has coincided beautifully with the completion of Soul Searcher, somehow reflecting my mood. I’ve spent the last couple of days cutting and mixing the final trailer, which is now available on this site in place of the old one. You’ll like it.

Yesterday I did an interview for The Western Daily Press, a paper based in Bristol I think, and on Friday morning before I leave for Hereford I have to do a phone interview for BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester.