Spanner Films - New Orleans

We apologise for the break in diary service

franny — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:21:23 +0000

Hello anyone who might be reading this.

Sorry I haven't had a moment to get the diary entries from August to December up here.

An(other) absolutely life-changing experience

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:12:06 +0000

9 months after Katrina hit

A Top 10 life moment

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:07:30 +0000

Met Friend's Sister in the park at a jazz gig tonight, when in Rome. We explained all our worries - could Al handle the potential fame? What if he loses his job? His sanity? Is he too fragile for the film?

Possibly my strongest ever doc character

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:59:21 +0000

Filming Al on the flattened site of his old house.

Photograph: Chris Graythen

Still no character, still no nearer

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:44:13 +0000

Strapped into my bondage gear all day

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:21:44 +0000

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?

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:15:59 +0000

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

sylvia — Tue, 15 May 2007 17:36:42 +0000

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.