Adverts and Disappointments

I realise it's been a while since I wrote anything about this film I'm supposed to be making. The truth is I haven't done an awful lot recently.

The last month has been disappointing to be honest. I found out I wasn't going to get the final benefit payment I thought they'd squeeze through for me after I started a job - that could have gone towards the budget. Then the tax man bled me dry in my first pay packet, any extra there would also have been money towards the film. Then to top it off, due to family commitments I missed the entire industry weekend at Bradford Film Festival somewhere I could have made important connections and possibly opened funding doors. I've had to seriously consider whether this is something I should really be pursuing right now.

There are plenty of reasons not to do this: I'm going to be really busy over the next 6 weeks or so using my free half of the week to hold workshops at the theatre school (the 2nd job I was offered back in February). I'm currently on my third cold since December and I wonder if I'm already over doing it with activity. Then there's the money. Not having any isn't so much the problem, the issue is that there's something more important I should be raising it for. I've recently accepted an offer from Edinburgh Napier university to do an MA in Screen Project Development starting this September and in order to do the course I need to save at least 1K myself and then get some funding for a couple more before I even think about putting money into a short film - crazy idea!

Ofcourse it's usual to apply for funding for a masters and no one funds a film entirely out of their own pocket, you never do that as a film maker it's just too much risk but in both cases I need a good wad to put on the table to ensure some kind of 'match funding'.

Then there's the fact that if I start uni in September I'm left with a very tight schedule in which to make the film. You can't just think about raising finance and shooting it either you have to allow for editing and exhibiting the film otherwise what's the point of doing it in the first place...
All in all I'm very close to throwing in the towel right now, it certainly seems the 'sensible' thing to do. I'll let you know what I decide...

You may be wondering why google adverts have suddenly appeared all over my page. It seems like a sell out but as this whole blog is about me raising finance I reckoned it would be daft not to take them up on their offer :) I've no idea how much I get per click, probably a percentage of a penny but if you happen to be reading this...go on give them a click...you'll be helping me out :) thank you x.

BTW my friend with the brain tumour had his operation and it went really well. He's going to have to have some radiotherapy but that was pretty much expected. The main thing is it's definitely only a grade 2 tumour, so prognosis pretty positive and they got out at least 90% of it during the operation. It's nice to have some positive news to end with :)