May, 2007

Possibly my strongest ever doc character

Location Four poster bed again | Mood Hyperventilating | Date 13 June 2006
Filming Al on the flattened site of his old house. Photograph:  Chris Graythen   

Still no character, still no nearer

Location Four poster bed again | Mood Worried | Date 10 June 2006

Strapped into my bondage gear all day

Location Cafe outside 'Whole Foods' supermarket (good cos organic or bad cos supermarket?) | Mood Disturbed | Date 7 June 2006
This has rapidly turned into the Spanner Films sell out tour. When we're not driving to the local health food store (too hot to walk, oh the irony, turn up the AC), we're drinking Starbucks (the only place open in the devastated areas) iced coffee out of plastic glasses (with two-thirds of the population gone, it's easier for restaurants to pay for disposables than to find someone to wash dishes. Oh the irony pt 2).

Anyone know an interesting person working for an oil company?

Location Cushion-bed on floor. Some honeymooners have booked our flash room, drats. Why can't they sleep on the floor? | Mood Drunk on music | Date 6 June 2006
A thousand people work for Big Oil in New Orleans. All we gotta do is find the interesting one, right? We've got a few leads - and the phone book - but it all seems a little hit and miss. How do real filmmakers do this? Can't really speed the process up, either - a lot of waiting around for call backs - so we're trying to adapt to the not-knowing grey zone. Writing diary, struggling to get through chapter two of The Prize, press-ups, logging tapes and, frankly, sleeping.

Welcome to New Orleans

Location Four poster bed in Gone With The Wind-style guest house | Mood Eyes popping out of head | Date 3 June 2006
Slipped immediately into American-style consumption the moment we touched down in New Orleans. Had to have a car - how can we get anywhere without one? Immediately put on the AC - far too hot without it. Bucket-sized drinks - makes perfect sense, as same price as non-obesity-inducing ones.

Answer to the not eating question

Location Amidst piles of unpacked camera equipment at home | Mood Beginning to get excited. Just remembered I always wanted to go to New Orleans (for the music, but still). | Date 2 June 2006
Lizzie had a late night brainwave, which was executed by 8.30 this morning (the pace is speeding up - something I'd have said was impossible even two weeks ago). Went round her friend Fenella's house - former lawyer, one of the Crude funders - and raided her wardrobe of corporate-but-funky outfits. Took only 20 mins to get a couple of shirts and a jacket each and come away new people. Also had a very brief tour of their newly eco'd house, which never fails to encourage.

Way out of my depth

Location Sofa at home | Mood Deep black | Date 1 June 2006
After personal appearance advice from my BBC Presenter Friend, who (apparently) effortlessly always looks the part, (I say apparently cos I now know she spends two hours on her hair every morning! Yikes!), I spent all day trying to get an outfit together for our Big Oil interview in New Orleans on Monday. Degraded myself in big chains in Oxford Street. Utterly hateful experience. Came away with nothing. Wish I'd never been born.

Who said ordinary people can't change the world?

Location 6pm. In bed with confused cats (too early) | Mood Thrilled | Date 29 May 2006
Official Day Off today. After a panicky start in the morning - what to do? - hooked up with old pal/new celebrity Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, who's in town to launch his new kids' junk-food book. Helen and Dave McLibel came along too.

A day at the races

Location Kitchen table at home | Mood Despondent | Date 28 May 2006
"Ear protectors" for sale at Santa Pod racestrip - and the anti-wind campaingers say the windfarm proposed next door will be too noisy

Morrissey saves the day

Location Literally hopping around office | Mood Major adrenalin rush coursing through veins | Date 22 May 2006
Been spending spare moments in buses and showers trying to think of a song for the opening Big Bang animation sequence. Starting at the beginning of the world, speeding through geological time, the formation then discovery of oil, cut to the artist recording the song, there s/he is in concert, then global satellite link up, then downloaded off internet etc etc. The point being to show all the positive stuff we've done with oil.