The Oosik & the Oyster Scenes All Shot...

On 10 February 2014, we had a great time shooting the 1925 Alaskan brothel scenes, a great time full of carousing singers, fake blood, moose heads, fake polar bear rugs, time-travelling Terror Sisters... And more!

Filming is commencing again, yeehaw!

Wow, quite a lot of time has passed since we last posted. Thank you for your patience, Dear Reader. Since last writing there have been new castings, new scenes and new hairdos. 

Having secured a location for our big scene, the next step is to transform a Stockwell pub and music venue into the “Oyster and the Oosik”, a 1920s post-Gold Rush-era Alaskan brothel. More details on our lovely new crew-members coming soon.

Meanwhile, we have been shooting scenes such as the temp agency and Sullivan's weird dreams of terror toddlers.

While Kimmo's editing has been ongoing (which should make final cut – if not a doddle, then at least far easier and less delayed), our regular cast and crew have also been very busy working on extra-curricular projects. Cinematographer Jessica and Kathleen recently had film works screened again at the APT gallery and presented their graphic novel collaboration Winterland at Laydeez do Comics London in the intimidating venue Foyles. Kathleen also presented her illustrated book that was inspired by working on Winterland, Yukon poet Robert Service’s turn-of-the-last-century poem The Cremation of Sam McGee. Here Jessica and Kathleenare immortalised in sketchbook form by artist Helen Blejerman:

http://laydeezdocomics.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/laydeez-do-comics-london-august-2013/

Jessica recently had her first public exhibition of two of her paintings at the Elephant and the Nun festival in August. It was a group exhibition curated by arts organisation Nun Pop. Kathleen and Jessica also screened their short documentary Country Matters at the Wotever Film Festival last Tuesday to a shouty, happy and well-meaning audience.

Update...!

Well, we are now gearing up to film one of the most important and tricky scenes... So stay posted!

In other news, two of the people involved in X-tine's Diary have two short films each being screened next Wednesday (Jess and Kathleen):

TestStrip presents Folklore  |   A.P.T Gallery  |  Wednesday 28 November 2012 at 7pm   

 

TestStrip is a platform for emerging and established artists to show films 'in progress'. Each of the works has been selected from an open submission.

 

The idea behind this initiative is that the A.P.T Gallery space will be available for one night to provide a platform for artists to meet, show work and discuss their artistic practice with the audience.

 

Each piece contains the artist interpretation, and response to the Test Strip 'artistic topic', artists were asked to show their technique, style, and craft through the working theme: Folklore.

 

Folk tales and folklore go to the heart and the root of man’s understanding and experience of the world in a cryptic form that runs close to reality, but delineates and deviates with subtle meaning and purpose, the purpose that lies in the heart of the tale. This process is important in art, like folk tales art does not simply replicate the real, but engages with the real in an expansive and meaningful way, in ways that are charged with deeper meaning and greater significance.

 

Folklore and art are both forms of social dialogue and understanding. In TestStrip’s first show these ideas meet, through artists re-thinking folk tales, film art, and most importantly their world.

 

Folklore  |  Wednesday 28 November 2012 at 7pm

 

Film works by

 

Kathleen Bryson

Jessica Cheeseman

Fabienne Khial

Paul Malone

Stuart McAdam

Seeta Muller

Mar Sho

Victoria Rance

 

TestStrip at A.P.T Gallery  |  Supported by A.P.T Projects a scheme which enables artists to develop their artistic practice and release their potential.

 

A.P.T Gallery

Harold Wharf

6 Creekside

Deptford

Editing "The Witches of Eastwick" Scene

Katharina, Kathleen, Deborah!

Extra Photos

Kathleen has emailed us some photos from her phone from previous shoots. We will use these as a stopgap until we post up some more frequent scenes/stills. Enjoy!

Deni Francis and Emma Byrne as the Terror Sisters
- holding a prop otherwise known as a facsimile of severed husky dog legs. |
I think that sometime we must interview Kimmo as to how he fashioned this particular prop.

Kathleen Bryson as "Sullivan" in the Red Room scene.

Kathleen and Ruki take a break and relax offset.

Emma Thimbleby ("X-tine") watches as Kimmo, Ruki and Jessica discuss a shot set-up.

Stills from Scenes 4 and 64

Liam!

Woo hoo! The lovely Liam Clarke is onboard and playing the tailor Henry Shields.

 

Since graduating from Drama Centre London, Liam’s credits include The Country Wife at The Theatre Royal Haymarket, as Michael in The Tinker’s Wedding at the Union Theatre, John in A Burst of Love at Theatre 503 and Father Patrick in Sinchronicity (BBC3).  He has recently appeared as Demetrius and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream on a tour of Irish Concert Halls with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Captain Plume in The Recruiting Officer in the Farquhar Theatre festival in Derry and acted in and directed the internationally award-winning short film 2 Tonne Hands. Upcoming work includes the feature film X-tine’s Diary and as Henry V for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Park Scene Rushes - ROUGH ASSEMBLY

Kimmo and Jessica filmed Kathleen (Sullivan) and Liam (Henry) during the sudden October warm spell. This is a rough assembly of the rushes. It was quite late in the day and still very hot in South London.

Needle Screening

Our darling cinematographer Jessica Cheeseman's short film Needle (which also features the hand-acting and hair-acting of two X-tine's Diary actors, Kathleen Bryson and Emma Thimbleby, respectively!) is screening this Friday at The Others in Stoke Newington at Exploding Cinema.


Needle is an abstract film about how loss can transform the way someone views everyday life. Here the fabric of the earth has changed, and black holes have become a malleable substance used to attempt to suffocate pain and thwart the flow of blood to vital organs. Time shifts and slows down to the confines of living underwater - where the liquid surface is now so dense that it is possible to pierce it with a cold, sharp needle.

EXPLODING CINEMA

Friday 30 Sept 2011, 8pm

at The Others

6-8 Manor Road, Stoke Newington, London, N16 5SA

Rail & Tube: Stoke Newington, Dalston Junction, Dalston Kingsland,

Finsbury Park / Bus: 106, 243, 149, 67, 73

Conor Gibson as "Jeremy"

Yay! We also are happy to introduce Conor Gibson as postgrad student "Jeremy".

Conor Gibson has extremely limited acting experience on both stage and screen. As well as making minor contributions to the story of X-tine's Diary, he writes cowardly pseudonymous blogs and occasional abortive longform texts. Originally from Belfast, he has lived amongst the English for 9 years, and in London for 5.

.

Deborah Espect

We are very pleased that Deborah will be playing the character "Tina", one of Sullivan's two good female friends.

Deborah Espect is a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Her first novel, My Self, the Enemy, was published in 2005. Since then she has written a number of critically acclaimed plays that have been performed in various theatres in London, including the Old Red Lion, the King’s Head and the Hen & Chickens in Islington, the Soho in Central London and the Tabard in Turnham Green. She has appeared in the horror film Bordello Death Tales, the short film An Empty Chair and the play Monkey Feeds the Robot at the Old Red Lion. A second short film that she has written, Dog Day, will be produced in October 2011. Deborah is currently working on her second novel and a feature film.

Scene 56 - Characters Henry and Sullivan in Singapore

 

Vlog No. 5: Discussion Regarding the Lead Character's Infidelity in X-tine's Diary

Vlog No. 4: "Kathleen Gets Distracted By Her Own Sexy Boots"

The Terror Sisters Are Everywhere...

(photo by Jessica Cheeseman)