The Short Film Collection...

(Simon Weir and Mark Harvey in "Late Nights")

I won't lie to you, there is a LOT going on with Creative Talent Connections right now. Not only are we putting the finishing touches to Bloodline, recording several new episodes of our podcast, finishing up post-production on Claire's comedy short film "Chaos and Curlers" while Scott lays down work on his spoof cop short film "Macduff!" but we're also continuing to organise our networking events, lining up top quality guests for talks and expanding the nights in order to improve on what we can offer to the television and film community in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

However, with that in mind, a few months ago an idea came to me one morning. An idea for a short film. I've done a few short films in my short career, a few of them are below, and I genuinely thought I was finished with them. However, with Claire's film nearly finished and the fun we had doing the last two 48 hour film projects, this little idea of mine grew, and after several drafts, I'm happy to move it into pre-production and try to shoot it in Spring and get it into festivals.

So, what is the film? It's called "One Year Later" and it starts with David meeting Katy at a speed dating night. Even though they say very little to one another, there's a spark and they smile. One year later (get it?) and David is preparing to pop the big question, nervous as hell, as Katy is THE one for him, smart, funny, slightly geeky and gorgeous. Thankfully David has his wise-cracking, trouble making older brother Steven to help him along, to support him and offer advice. The problem is that Steven is dead and may or may not be a ghost than only David can see.

That's the premise. It's a short film, probably clocking in at 10-15 minutes - ideally 10. We'll shoot it over a weekend with the crew that worked with me on Bloodline and Cameron Stone (our 2nd 48 hour film entry) and as usual I'll fill the majority of roles with my regulars, however I'd like to find 3 new people to play Steven, David and Katy.

Now... here's where things get tricky. Up until Bloodline all of my projects were on a volunteering basis - apart from Night is Day the feature film, all the cast and crew have an agreement with the producers that when the film is sold they'll get a percentage of that - it's a completely separate entity and out of my hands as the film is in the hands of US distributors. Bloodline was different because we managed to crowd fund the money we needed to pay everybody's travelling expenses. Which, we did, and that was brilliant.

With that in mind I want to raise around £3000 for One Year Later, again, via crowd-funding and paying what I can with my own money (I'm a self-employed filmmaker who makes a living from corporate videos, so I'm not exactly rolling in it!). This way not only can I pay expenses but I'll be able to pay people for their time and skills. Everybody gets paid! The cinematographer, the sound guy, the composer, the visual effects animator, the actors, the lot!

In all likelihood the plan is to get one or two relatively well known actors (i.e. Karen Gillan and Billy Boyd) to play Katy and Steven, launch a crowd-funding page, make a pitch video, offer perks (set visits, signed scripts, postcards, a cameo in the film, invite to the wrap party, official screening etc) raise the money, shoot the film, edit it and then put it into as many festivals as possible - Raindance, Edinburgh, Cardiff International Film Festival - get the film seen by as many people as we can - raise the profile of the cast and crew - get further support to make more films, documentaries, networking nights, TV shows, etc.

That's the plan anyway. And it all starts at getting those one or two well known actors to take a part in the film, then the ball starts rolling. That means finding the right actors to play the characters and convincing their agents that they want to let their client give up a day or two to participate in a Scottish short film. Joy.

So why do I want to go through this, make another short film? Well to be honest it's a story I want to tell. It sort of echoes my relationship with my older brother (except he is alive and well!) and I think it's a story about relationships with siblings and your partner, and how to handle the balance of the two. Plus I love making projects like this, I get to work with the crew I love working with, telling a story, and I'll properly experience the film festival fun - entering it into competitions, meeting new people, seeing other films that are being produced, and hopefully all cast and crew will benefit from it.

And I wonder why my girlfriend tells me I can't switch off.

RIGHT! So there we go, that's what's happening with One Year Later. The ball is rolling. The hunt for the well known actors begins!

In the meantime, below are some short films I've already made through the years, starting with the most recent. Enjoy!