Thursday, 18 June 2009

Kaleidoscope Man - What's Been Happening?

It’s time I updated you with what has been happening with Kaleidoscope Man. To be honest, things have been slow and I have been working hard to stave off the recession which is sweeping through our industry like a dervish, claiming victims in all quarters.

Firstly, I met a fantastic LA based Sales Agent who is one of the best in the business. He is currently guiding Ken and I on how to get potential pre-sales etc.

Secondly, I was invited to send Written in Blood, to a top movie exec at one of the big Hollywood studios. This is a guy that Ken has been working with for years. No news on this yet, but will let you know what developments.

Both of these events, although small, are leaps forward for the production.

In the meantime, although I’m skint and struggling to find work, I feel its the best time to get out and make something. So, I have a fantastic script written by Simon Bovey, called "The Final Reel". It's a very tense supernatural thriller and we are going to make it on a low budget. Not sure for how much yet, but it has to be an amount that I can physically raise myself.


I have the camera (The Varicam Camera I keep on plugging to rent), all the HD editing facilities I could ever ask for, the locations, plenty of good actor friends and I am owed loads of favors - which I now intend to call in!!! So, once I have priced the film up, I will go out and make it - sooner rather than later.

What I am very keen to do is make something that I can get into film festivals and promote myself as a Film Director. This could also lead to getting Kaleidoscope Man up and running. Obviously, it has to be something that is commercial and that we can sell. So production values, acting etc. must be world class. Thankfully the script is brilliant.

Watch this space…

All the best, Simon.

Tuesday, 9 June 2009

Gone Fishing Wins Top Movie Award

Well done to my old pal Chris Jones who's just picked up the Best Film Award at "The Producers Guild of America in LA", for his short film Gone Fishing. This is a film I was 2nd Unit Director on and I am very proud to be associated with.

To read more about it, check out Chris's fantastic blog on: www.chrisjonesblog.com

Monday, 18 May 2009

A New Directing Showreel

For the first time in ages I have been asked to produce a directing showreel because I am up for a big directing job which may happen in the summer. As ever, I can't say to much about it on the blog, but its all looking pretty good. Of course I may not get the job so I'm keeping everything crossed!!

I have added some scenes from my first feature Written in Blood, the Kaleidoscope Man pilot and some shots from Chris Jones's Oscar shortlisted film, Gone Fishing, on which I was 2nd Unit Director. I have also added a taster from my documentary films as I wanted to show that I have worked with some big names on some diverse projects.

I find making a showreel tough as its hard to be objective about ones work.

Anyway, I hope you like it.

Saturday, 9 May 2009

Creating The Opening Sequence For Kaleidoscope Man

Here is a video about how we made the opening sequence.

Wednesday, 6 May 2009

New Artwork Added To Blog

I've added some extra images to the bottom of the blog. Some new Kaleidoscope Man concept art and storyboards that you may find of interest.

Scroll all the way down to the bottom to see them.

Friday, 1 May 2009

Some Early Pre-Viz FX Shots For Kaleidoscope Man

This is a selection of some pre-vized special effects shots from the opening sequence of Kaleidoscope Man. The shots are finished now and some feature briefly in the trailer. But I thought you might like to see this as it shows the level of planning that goes into CGI work just after the shoot and before the real animation begins.

The CGI work was done by Screenburn Animation.

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Written in Blood - On Sale NOW

A lot of people have asked me how they can get a copy of my first feature film, Written in Blood. Up until now, I've only ever sold it at the various Memorabilia shows I've attended around the country. So I'm delighted to be able to sell it today...




Who's in it?


Grant Masters, Sharon Small, Gary Beadle, Francis Magee, Doug Bradley, Patrick Robinson & Ben Shockley.


The story

A century ago a series of horrific murders rocked the city. Now, as the end of the millennium approaches, a copycat killer stalks seven victims, praying on the unwary - repaying a pact with the devil which will plunge the world into chaos.

Martin Harris, a best selling horror fiction writer, stands between the forces of damnation and hope for redemption. A man who suspects that his own dark fantasies have conjured the spirit of ancient evil back to renewed life, and deep below the city he learns to his horror, that death is not the end... Written in Blood is a modern film-noir thriller with the accent of mystery and suspense, Alpha Star Films presents a roller coaster ride into a dark world of paranoia and suspicion, in which the supernatural intrudes into a world spiraling towards the end of the century and into the encroaching darkness.

Duration 96 Minutes


Special Features


1.Commentary by Simon Cox

2. An interview with Simon Cox commissioned by The Horror Channel.

3. Deleted Scenes

4. 2 Short psychological Thrillers by Simon Cox

5. The Original Pilot used to get the funding.

6. Every copy is signed by the Director

7. When you have watched the film, fill in the form inside it, send it back and we'll invite you to be an extra in Kaleidoscope Man (when we finally get the film funded)



Is Written in Blood any good?

Well, its tense and chilling and I think its great, I really do, but, I did receive this email recently from a girl who bought a copy at Memorabilia:


“We have watched written in blood, it was amazing!!!. Fantastic script and wicked shots I was gripped. Cant wait until the new film is out.”



Every copy sold will go towards getting K-Man off the ground.


Please see below the trailer. Click on the BUY NOW button to order a copy. Only £10.70 inc P+P. DVD's will be sent by return. Please note: This is only available in PAL, sadly, not NTSC at present.










Monday, 30 March 2009

Kaleidoscope Man - Epic Locations

A large part of Kaleidoscope Man is set on an Alien planet. In the script this is a hot, volcanic place, with a dramatic sea shore and spectacular vistas stretching as far as the eye can see...


Our four main characters must traverse this bleak and inhospitable landscape where the wreckage of a crashed spaceship sticks out of the ocean like a mountain.


As they head towards the wreckage they are pummeled by meteors that cannon into the ground around them and they are attacked by evil four winged Harvester spaceships.



For such an epic sequence, I have chosen to shoot on the island of Lanzarote, where just over 200 years ago, the Island's largest volcano erupted and covered half of the island in lava. Over the years this has solidified, coating the land in a black and red crust.


To see this with your own eyes is
breathtaking. For me, it was as I would imagine the surface of the moon to look and back in 1996, when I first went there, I knew I would one day return to film there.

A lot of films have been shot there including, One Million Years BC and Enemy Mine.

Tuesday, 3 March 2009

The New Kaleidoscope Man Trailer...

Ok folks, here it is!

The opening is similar to the original with the same music etc. But the ending is very different. It now incorporates the fantastic new shot from Screenburn Animation. Crank up your speakers, sit back and enjoy...

If this doesn't get the film funded, nothing will!

Do let me know your thoughts.



Kaleidoscope Man Trailer in HD from Simon Cox on Vimeo.

A Spectacular New Shot For Kaleidoscope Man

Good old Screenburn Animation have done another shot to put into the opening sequence of the movie. And it’s mind blowing!!!

Ever since I've been making this film, I've been telling everyone what an epic sci-fi ride it was going to be. Well, now, with this new shot there is certainly no mistaking!

I'm cutting a new trailer together which will incorporate the new shot and will include it in the next couple of days. It's REALLY COOL!!!

Many thanks to Dave & Stuart at Screenburn Animation. www.screenburn.co.uk

Here is the pre-vis, just to wet the appetite.


Space Shot Anamatic Version 3 from Simon Cox on Vimeo.

Tuesday, 20 January 2009

Screen West Midlands Unable To Help At Present

Sadly I received the rejection letter yesterday from Screen West Midlands. We’d applied for some financial help for the investor screenings we're having in Feb. It was a long shot asking them for help and without them to date; we certainly wouldn't have the spectacular FX sequences and artwork we now have. But it was worth the try. Sometimes you have to lose the odd battle to win the war and we're in this for the long term.

Keep the faith!

Monday, 12 January 2009

Kaleidoscope Man Business Plans Doing The Rounds

Ken and I have been busy getting the business plan into new potential funding areas.

I am in touch with a local group of Business Angels who I’m hoping may be interested in the tax breaks and the opportunity to be involved with our movie. To register with this group we do have to pay a fee, so I will be doing some serious research into the real feasibility of getting funded before we part with any cash.

From the research I've already done it does seem that Business Angel Networks do require cash up from as well as a percentage of the sum raised.

I’m still busy on the Charles Dickens Documentary. I delivered a rough cut just before Christmas and start on the fine cut with Julian (the Director) on Tuesday. We should have the fine cut by the end of the month.

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

The Force Is Strong With This One...

This weekends Memorabilia show at the NEC in Birmingham was a real blast! Held twice a year, it boasts the largest collection of sci-fi, horror and sports memorabilia in Europe, and they always have a host of celebrities there to sign stuff.

As a Film Maker, I feel its really important to have a presence at these kind of events as the people who attend, love genre films, and will be the ones going to the cinemas to watch Kaleidoscope Man when it comes out.

I premiered the new trailer and everyone seemed to love it! I also sold quite a few copies of my last feature film, Written in Blood, on DVD.

Star Wars and Willow star, Warwick Davies, watched the trailer and gave it an amazing endorsement. Check out this short video to see what fun we had..
K-Man at Memrobilia Nov 2008 from Simon Cox on Vimeo.
Many thanks to Lucia Landino and Chris Jones for their help with this video.

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

I Can't Say Much But...

Ken has returned from the American Film Market with some very positive news about Kaleidoscope Man. Can't go into to much detail just yet but needless to say it should help the funding to come in. The pilot DVD and brochures seem to be doing the trick!

I have been in touch with Screen West Midlands asking for support to help with a large funding event we're running in Birmingham in January for IFA's, Investors and Producers. There is a mountain of work to do before hand so I'm hoping they can help both physically and possibly financially.

This weekend is the Sci-Fi and Horror Memorabilia show at the Birmingham NEC where I will be selling signed copies of my first feature film, Written in Blood. I'll also be showing the Kaleidoscope Man trailer and asking film fans to give me their opinions on camera. This will be going into a nifty little documentary I'm putting together for the funding event in January - a chance to be on the big screen! If any of you would like to come and be in it, its a great (and very geeky event) and it would be fantastic to meet you.

For more info go to: http://www.memorabilia.co.uk

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

L.A. Meetings Going Well

I've just received a message from Ken that the Kaleidoscope Man brochure and trailer DVD's are going down a storm at the American Film Market.

Will keep you posted!

Saturday, 8 November 2008

Two "Making Of" Videos

Here are the two "Making Of Kaleidoscope Man" videos I've done to date, in case you haven't already seen them.
There will be some new 'Making Of' videos very soon.


Storyboarding Kaleidoscope Man from Simon Cox on Vimeo.


Creating The Opening Sequence for Kaleidoscope Man from Simon Cox on Vimeo.

Saturday, 1 November 2008

Kaleidoscope Man Stepping Up a Gear

I'm still busy shooting 2nd Unit on this Charles Dickens Documentary I mentioned in my last entry. I've been shooting on the Panasonic Varicam camera and with the lens we've got this is one heavy beast of a camera and I've found muscles I didn't know I had!! The quality of the images however are truly staggering.

At last there seems to be some movement on the Kaleidoscope Man funding front (no, I don't have the money yet) but today I was contacted by an organization who have offered to help promote our film proposal to their high network individuals. I'll let you know more about this as the news comes in.

The American Film Market takes place this week and Ken (the Producer) is taking the script, trailer & brochure of Kaleidoscope Man over with him. We've been working hard to get all the elements together and he has a large list of contacts to see. More news on this next week.

As I've had a busy few months recently and expect to be editing right up to Christmas, I'm going to try and take some time off in January to really push the business plan and find new investors.

I feel things are picking up again. Here is the trailer in case you haven't seen it.

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

New Draft Coming Along Nicely

Well, after the hell of working in the corporate video world for the last 4 months I am now a free man again. The thing about corporates is that they pay well, but in return they are all consuming. I'm now editing a superb documentary about Charles Dickens directed by an old friend, Julian Richards (Summer Scars & The Last Horror Movie) and a Producer/distributor friend, David Wilkinson. Next week I'll be shooting some 2nd unit shots on my Varicam camera. So if you live in Portsmouth or Rochester and see a film crew it could well be us!

The other good news is that I have made really good headway on the Kaleidoscope Man script re-draft and aim to have it finished by the end of the month. Ken (the K-Man Producer) wants to take it to the American Film Market (AFM) in November in the continued search for funding.

Talking of which, its been pretty quiet here on that front, but we're still forging ahead. Some news soon, I hope...

Monday, 13 October 2008

What I've Been Up To...

A new video! Just a brief update of the productions I've been involved in over the last few months...

Sunday, 5 October 2008

This Could Take a While...

I've started to get feed back from some of the potential Investors who've received the business plan. They all seem impressed with the film and the DVD, and I get the sense that there are people out there who would genuinely like to help.

On the other hand, there is grave concern about the current financial shenanigans kicking off around the globe. A lot of investors are seeing their fortunes disappear and investing in a movie seems to be the last thing on their minds right now.

I'm just finishing this colossus of a corporate video, so from next week I'll be able to get back to seriously marketing the plan. I really can't wait. I know there are people out there who will help us. I just need to find them...