Way back when, I had an idea - a way to kind of "include the crowd" in the making of this film - and it's been a mixed bag to be honest.  What I wanted to do (but I have never really had the time to organise or promote it properly) was to get people to submit videos from stag dos they have been on to include in the opening credits of the film. 

We have had a couple sent in but the rest have been found through research, hard work and super-duper lucky-ass networking on social media.  What this has meant it watching a TON of stag do videos (usually on Youtube) and then getting in touch with the posters...  You boys sure have a lot of fun on those stag nights/ weekends huh???  Common themes are the Prague pub crawl, the mankini a la Borat, paint balling and getting whipped in Coyote Ugly in Magaluf.

It's funny there are so many hen and stag dos in Newcastle that we hardly bat an eyelid when we see them going on - the question is are the public ready for four Geordie lads in a sweary comedy about a stag do?  I guess we'll find out soon enough.  Reels 2 and 3 are locked, reel 1 is still waiting for the VFX shots and reel four just needs the animation tweaking... So close I can smell it (at least I think it's the finish I can smell and not my ass).

What are your stag do stories? Anything you can share?

It seems like all I've been doing for ages is saying, "the film is nearly finished" and it is.  What's been taking so long?  Real life, day jobs, bills, mortgages and general cash (or lack of) problems. Not exactly problems - just reality.  

The good news is our editor, David, finishes his TV job this week and the last couple of effects shots are almost ready for him to place into the film.  It'll then be a case of creating a high-resolution version (of course the fx have already been done in full quality mode) of the film in preparation for the grade.  Then it's about half a day of ADR and voice over recording before the sound edit and mix.

The music is done - and it's amazing - there are SOOO many talent unsigned and unknown bands up here; it's been an adventure and a pleasure discovering them.  I really hope people enjoy the music as much as I do. It's really gratifying to find local musicians who can replace the likes of The Prodigy, Bob Dylan and The Stone Roses!  We are exploring the option of releasing a soundtrack album to accompany the film and it would be great if people could support the local musicians who have helped us out with the film.

I have used the Spotify logo for this blog to signify discovering new music as it's a bit of a running joke in FNA that I don't really seek out new music - that's why I've surprised myself with the enthusiasm that I had for searching for new sounds and then seeing them fit seamlessly where a well known tune had previously appeared to be the perfect fit.

Overall we are a couple of months (maybe even 3) behind schedule, but we should still be done this side of Christmas - as long as we have no other set backs or financial meltdowns.