Making movies is my passion and Alpha Star Productions is my film company. My first movie, Written in Blood, has sold all over the world. My recent DVD productions, Discover Shakespeare's Stratford and Discover Warwickshire, have been a phenomenal success and I have two feature films in development, The Final Reel (a thriller), and Kaleidoscope Man (an epic sci-fi adventure).
I also make all sorts of films to pay the mortgage, and I simply love what I do...
I was just 14 when I saw the first saw Star Wars (Episode 4 - the best one!!). And within the first 30 seconds after the rolling credits, I just knew my life would never be the same again. At the time we had NEVER seen anything like this, and even now when I watch it, it still sends a shiver down my spine.
As my sci-fi feature film, Kaleidoscope Man, moves ever nearer, I wonder if I could have that same impact on someone as Star Wars did on me. Times certainly have changed and people are used to seeing mind boggling special effects, but with Star Wars it was so much more than that. It was a story that touched the heart and soul. Will Kaleidoscope Man ever near that? Who knows, but I have put around 10 years into it now, and I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I have done everything I can to try!
After attending this weekends Guerilla Film Makers Master-class run by my old buddy, Chris Jones, I committed publicly to entering this years sci-fi short film challenge. The objective is to make a 3 to 5 minute sci-fi film in just 48 hours. You are given a title, some dialogue and a prop on the Saturday morning and you must upload your film by 9am on the following Monday morning.
So that's the entire weekend taken up writing, shooting and editing your movie. The first prize is a development deal with Vertigo Films, so there is a LOT to play for. The event runs on the 14th to 16th April 2012.
This has been an interesting time to have a film out about the life and times of William Shakespeare. The Roland Emmerich film, Anonymous, has sparked a huge debate about the authenticity of Shakespeare's work.
A few years ago I worked with British actor, Sir Derek Jacobi, and asked him about his views on the subject and I was amazed when he told me that he believes that Shakespeare didn't write the plays.
Simon Cox with Sir Dereck Jacobi
So during the filming of Discover Shakespeare's Stratford Upon Avon, I asked Rev Dr Paul Edmondson, Head of Learning and Research at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, what his views were on the subject. He told me that the conspiracy theory was just over a 100 years old and that all of the writers that were suspected to have been involved in the conspiracy, (Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe and Edward De Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford etc) were all very good writers in their day, but they didn't write Shakespeare because their works were different in style and tone. He said that if you study the texts and compare them, they are all very different.
During the making of the film I had a unique insiders view of his life and I was lucky enough to flick through one of the first folios, and to be honest, it was pretty impressive. So if Charles Dickens can be very prolific in a short lifetime, and officially be uneducated, why shouldn't a local man from Stratford Upon Avon be able to write an incredible body of work.
Okay, major apologies for the rather long delay since my last post - It's been a difficult year, mainly work wise and money seems to be a thing of the past. But alas, I have spent a lot of time and energy re-drafting my script for Kaleidoscope Man.
So what news...?
Well firstly, I have been awarded a mentorship with a top British movie Producer. This has been an extremely important learning curve and I am currently working with her on my other feature film project, The Final Reel. The plan is to make this on a budget of around £250K. Simon Bovey, the writer, is currently working on a new draft under her guidance and we expect to have around 2 drafts to do until we start approaching cast and then going for the money.
Secondly, Kaleidoscope Man. This has been a labour of love for many years now and recently I did a complete re-draft of the script. I expect there are a few more drafts to go until the new script is completely ready to shoot, but I am working hard to get it right. My mentor is also guiding me on this.
I have also just launched a rather unusual fund raiding campaign for this called Sci-Fi Shakespeare.com It's a cranky way of raising money, but its been something I've wanted to try for a long time. I have just started running a large media campaign in the USA and Canada, so it will be interesting to see if the citizens of America will get on board with my project.
My new film, "Discover Shakespeare's Stratford Upon Avon" has been given a massive thumbs up from people who have bought copies. I have sold quite a few on Stratford Market, even in this horrendous cold weather.
Great news! My company, Alpha Star Films has just won the Godiva Award for "Best Business Innovation" for my film, Discover Warwickshire.
This is a very prestigious Midlands award which has already attracted a lot of press and radio. The award was presented by Andrew Didlick, Director of Communications at Peugoet, and the above picture features Andrew, my wife Angie and me.
This is all very well timed for my new film, Discover Shakespeare's Stratford Upon Avon, which will be in the shops form the 1st December 2010.
After months of beavering away on the script in between other productions, short films and pop promos, a new draft of Kaleidoscope Man is about to surface. This draft will be significantly different from previous drafts as I have been extremely ruthless with it.
I hope to have the new draft ready by the end of September. We are still looking to shoot in 3D for a very large budget. Will let you know when there is any more news.
I have been asked by my old Film Maker pal, Chris Jones, author of the Guerilla Film Maker's Handbook, to be a guest on his weekly internet chat show TONIGHT (29/4/10). It's a live internet TV show broadcast on-line from 7.30pm.
He is going to grill me live on air about Kaleidoscope Man and the other projects I'm up to. He doesn't pack his punches so it should be interesting...
It's called "The Production Office" and is a really good show. If you are a fan of films and film making, it will definitely be for you. Click HERE on Thursday 7.30pm to check it out.
A big Hollywood Producer has asked to see the script for Kaleidoscope Man - So I've just spent the last 12 hours doing a bit of a polish on it.
Yesterday, I went to a very inspiring talk by BBC Writer/Producer, Tony Jordon, the creator of Life on Mars, Holby Blue and Hustle (as well as a bunch of Eastenders scripts etc. etc). It was such an inspirational talk that I feel so fired up today it really has been the perfect day for a K-Man re-write!
If you ever get a chance to hear him talk, it would be absolutely worth it!
The website is currently down and under construction. Don't panic though, it'll be up in the next few days.
At the moment I'm focusing on my supernatural feature film project, The Final Reel, while Producer Ken Tuohy forges ahead with Kaleidoscope Man. Hopefully, one of these projects will see the light of day before too long. More news very soon...
Here are some of Matt Allsopp's K-Man concept pictures to keep you going..
Okay, so I spent most of December 2009 at various Christmas markets around Warwickshire furiously selling my Discover Warwickshire video and my first feature film, Written in Blood. It was cold, it was often fun, it was often tough, but was it worth it?
Well, in reality I sold around 600 units, so doing the maths, this was around £6000 I walked away with. Not bad for a months work, I guess. But nowhere near what I was hoping to make, which was around 4-5000 units, which would have pretty well got things rolling on my new film, The Final Reel. But alas, this wasn’t to be. Yet…
But it’s not all doom, gloom and despair, for one, Discover Warwickshire, has had some incredible feedback. People really do love it, and I’m not just saying that. The local press have been extremely supportive, including the BBC local news. This coverage has opened a huge amount of doors, and in the next two weeks, I will be getting a load more local press which should help sales immensely.
The internet sales have been pretty good too. Since December, we have sold 52 copies on-line. Up until now, I haven’t really spent that much time pushing the on-line side, so I am fairly happy with this. I hope to bring in a lot more from this over the next few months.
As I mentioned in my last entry, Warwick Castle, are now selling the film for us, as well as the Shakespeare Birthplace Museum (In Stratford upon Avon), seven of the counties leading Tourist Information Centers have it, ten Libraries have it, Stratford Butterfly Farm have it and the Nuneaton and Coventry branches of Waterstones Bookshop have it.
Each of these are actively pushing the film for us,
some of them have the trailer running with the video (including Waterstones, who have a very impressive display with the video running right in the entrance of their store.) We are also talking to some other big shops about stocking the film locally.
So, in the longer term, I think Discover Warwickshire could be fairly lucrative. And I hope it will drip feed cash into the company, taking the pressure of the business each
month and allowing a little more freedom to raise cash for my films. Once the weather warms up (we’re inches deep in snow here), I will continue selling the film at the local markets, not quite as full on as I have done, but maybe 1 or 2 days a week, depending on my production work.
So, still some way to go yet, but loads of very exciting things in the pipeline. As regards, bringing in the big bucks to get Kaleidoscope Man moving, well, I have plans, big plans and will do everything to get it up and running this year.
To quote Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars – Revenge of the Sith:“I may be scarred, but my resolve has never been stronger…”
Here is the sequence BBC Midlands Today did about my fund raising venture:
This went on air on Thursday 14th Dec 2009 at around 5pm and since then I have been amazed at the amount of people who saw this and bought my "Discover Warwickshire" DVD because of it. Sales are increasing as we near Christmas, but I'm fairly sure we will not have raised enough cash to shoot in the early new year as I would have liked.
However, we have had some very encouraging news. Warwick Castle (Central England's leading tourist venue) has agreed to stock the DVD from early January, Compton Verney, a leading Warwickshire Art Gallery, are going to stock it, Nuneaton Library are stocking it, Rugby Art Gallery & Museum are stocking it, and today, I was informed that Waterstones, the Bookshop, will be stocking it. This will be at the Nuneaton branch to start with and then all of the stores in Warwickshire from January 2010, which is fantastic news. In the new year I will continue finding new stockists around the county to help raise the cash I need to get Final Reel made.
I have to keep reminding myself that the film has only been finished for the last three weeks. Since then it has been a whirlwind, selling it at markets and promoting it around the region. From today I have eight more markets to do before Christmas. These are the Solihull, Stratford Upon Avon, Leamington Spa, Nuneaton and Southam markets.
And from January onwards, I will continue selling the film at various markets for two days a week (depending on my freelance work) and put this money into the Final Reel funding pot, until we have raised enough cash to shoot the movie. I'm hoping it won't take to long!
If you are wondering what to buy someone this Christmas, do consider "Discover Warwickshire". It's a lovely 98 minute film, about the home of Shakespeare, some spectacular Castles and it is warm, tender, fascinating, moving, inspiring and hugely entertaining. Not only that, it looks and sounds beautiful and Warwickshire really has never looked better - Please don't worry if you don't live here, you'll certainly want to visit after watching this and anyone you buy it for will be eager to come and see the place. (Please note: the DVD is currently only available in PAL, so right now it won't play in the US or Canada. There will be an NTSC version in the new year - sorry about this).
All of the money raised goes into the pot for getting "Final Reel" up and running and if for any reason you're not happy with it, just let me know and I will provide a full refund. Check out the trailer on the top right hand side of this blog.
It's been two weeks now since I took Discover Warwickshire on the road to sell at Christmas Markets. I have been frozen, drenched, blown over, but have so far managed to sell over 450 copies, and I have had some amazing reactions. People really do seem to like the film. In some cases, people who have brought a copy have come back the following week and bought more and more copies.
I am finding this a very special, almost magical experience. For one, it's a very cosy time of year, but I can't really express just how it feels to have worked so hard on a something and then to sell it to a complete stranger. It's very satisfying.
Of course, selling to the public is not always easy, and I am learning that rejection is par for the course. But most of the people I meet have been very endearing and supportive. In a lot of conversations I've had, I said that I've made Discover Warwickshire to help fund a bigger project, and they have just gone for it, buying it on a whim, saying that they want to support someone who is "having a go". Also, surprisingly, I have also sold quite a few copies of Written in Blood. I hadn't set out to sell this on the markets, I only put it out in case any young people wanted something a little "different".
I still have two more weeks of selling to go and will be at markets in Southam, Leamington Spa, Stratford Upon Avon, Nuneaton and Solihull.
I have sent out a lot of press releases and have started to appear in some of the local newspapers and amazingly I got onto the local news (Midlands Today) who gave me a sensational plug for my endeavours. A lot of people I'm meeting saw the programme and are buying the film just to back me.
After weeks of early mornings and late nights glued to the edit suite, I am delighted to let you know that my new feature length documentary, Discover Warwickshire, is finally finished. And I have to say, I'm over the moon with it.
It's just under 100 minutes long and looks and sounds fabulous and I start selling it at markets around Warwickshire from this Thursday. My first market is at Stratford Upon Avon and my wife and I have been running around getting DVD's replicated, posters done etc. It's been mad, but so exciting!
Do check out the trailer and please consider buying a copy - all the profit we make goes back into our next production.
Well, there's no turning back now as I have just booked up to sell the DVD of my new film, Discover Warwickshire, at none less than 15 Christmas markets around the county. I will be combining this with a massive local press campaign, which hopefully will send people to my market stall or to the website (www.discoverwarwickshire.com). If this works and I can sell plenty of copies - filming of "Final Reel" begins in the new year!
The selling starts on November 26th and to say I am behind with the editing is an understatement!
The film covers 18 towns and villages throughout Warwickshire, and includes other areas of interest, mansion houses and historical venues. Each has had to be shot and fully researched. Then I have interviewed lots of people from Town Centre Managers to Local Artists to Historians. The film is looking wonderful, but to hit the deadlines (and do any freelance work that rolls in), I'm up an 5.30am and working late nights.
As this is a documentary, I am also writing the voice over and recording my own voice as a guide track until I have locked the script. Once this is done, I have a wonderful Voice Over Artist called, Paul Seed, who will perform it for real. He's got a fabulous voice (you can here him on the trailer).
Its a fascinating process building a script around the interviews and material I've shot. And I can't tell you how satisfying I am finding this. I think the people of Warwickshire are in for a real treat!
But enough chit chat - I've got some serious editing to get on with!
Since putting the opening sequence of Kaleidoscope Man on the blog I've been surprised by the amount of hits I've been receiving and the fantastic comments and emails. Thank you all for your ongoing encouragement.
Over the last 6 mouths I have made a delightful little documentary film called "Discover Warwickshire" and it'll be on DVD and Blu Ray in November. I wanted to produce something that I could sell to anyone and everyone, anywhere and at any time. Then, from the sales of this put that money back into one of my films. I'm aiming to shoot Final Reel just after Christmas and my good buddy, Simon Bovey, is currently re-working the script. I know I said I was aiming to do it in October, but with work and the size of Warwickshire, I'm a bit behind schedule. It's coming on though. Do check out the trailer: www.discoverwarwickshire.com and feel free to pre-book a copy - it's only a tenner plus postage!! (Again, it won't be ready until mid November.)
The irony about Discover Warwickshire is that I have thoroughly enjoyed making it. And I have an immense feeling of satisfaction that I am doing something positive towards getting my career moving. When we have sold enough copies to make Final Reel and then sell that, I will funnel all of those sales back into Kaleidoscope Man.
By the way. I think I have one of the UK's greatest actors to do a couple of days on Final Reel. Can't tell you who, but you'll know him.
All the best and THANK YOU for your encouragement.
I've been asked to show the entire SFX sequence we've done so far for Kaleidoscope Man, so here it is!
This is a rough version of how the film will start. Some of it will be changed when we get the funding in place, and we will be re-shooting the actor shots. Steve Moya who is currently wowing us as Vampire Bill Compton in HBO's fantastic series, True Blood, kindly helped us out in this version, delivering a sensational performance one sunday morning back in June 2007.
I will only have this video on the blog for the next two weeks - so please make sure you tell your friends.
Should any of you know someone who might be interested in backing Kaleidoscope Man, please do get in contact: (simon-alphastar@hotmail.co.uk). Many thanks.
I'm in the US at the moment working on a new corporate video. It's a 2 week job which is paying nicely.
The tourist video I mentioned a few weeks back is nearly shot and I should have it ready by the end of October. It is turning out much bigger and better than I expected and I am really enjoying the process of creating something like this from scratch. I may have found another calling here, as the more I delve into local history, the more facinating information I am discovering. Warwickshire really is an amazing place with some real hidden treasures.
I have some interesting plans to sell the final DVD directly to the public which I hope in turn will go towards funding my next movie. Some of these are a bit 'off the wall', but if it works, who knows where it will lead - We'll know for sure by Christmas. I am finding it a tricky balance though between work and family etc.
Still haven't had any news on the offer we made for that actor I mentioned for Kaleidoscope Man. Will let you know what happens here.
I was just 14 when I saw the first saw Star Wars (Episode 4 - the best one!!). And within the first 30 seconds after the rolling credits, I just knew my life would never be the same again. At the time we had NEVER seen anything like this, and even now when I watch it, it still sends a shiver down my spine.
