Spanner Films - Fundraising

Money and website solved in one

sylvia — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:53:41 +0000

Slightly frightening that Crude pal Mark Lynas has dreamt up, researched, written and published a book, 'Six Degrees', all within the Crude timescale. Lizzie and I went to the launch in a cold church hall in Oxford tonight. Mark was doing one of his favourite slide-show talk presentation things - think Al Gore, but way bleaker - which I've now seen plenty of times, but never fails to scare the bejeezus out of me.

Going into the sadness

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:36:23 +0000

Second funding evening tonight. Last time we were asking for 500 quid a punt, this time it was 5000. Which seems an enormous amount of money to me, but didn't seem to cause too many raised eyebrows. We slightly picked the number out of a hat - but then said people could also get a "half loan" – i.e. 2500. Played the trailer tonight. First time we've had Crude up on the big screen. Seemed pretty coherent to me. Everyone loved Fernand. Friendly Funder spoke again and was even better than last time.

"You'll be kissing goodbye to your cash..."

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:28:26 +0000

I've made trailers of other films and they take only a few days. But that's when you're making one from the finished film, I now realise. Whereas we've got 87 hours of footage and not much idea of what we're trying to do. Even watching all that would be more time than we have - 5 days of David The Editor.

20,000 pounds in the kitty

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:17:54 +0000

Human pyramid with the Guy Family, Fernand & Fernand's wife (Nicole)

Photograph: Charlotte Rushton

Minus 9000 pounds in the Crude account

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:39:01 +0000

Well, that was a depressing Xmas and New Year surrounded by reproducing family units.

And it is of course a well-known fact that you can either be a filmmaker or have successful personal relationships. Still, as Helen Steel says, it's not that she feels great for fighting McLibel, it's that she would have felt much worse if she hadn't. I'd hate myself forever if I chose babies or comfort over Crude.

Sold 100th Crude share

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 13:43:14 +0000

John Battsek convincing people to fund Crude McLibel finally made it onto BBC2 a few weeks back - a mere ten years since I started - which ramped up the Spanner Films publicity 10000% and meant we today sold our 100th Crude share, I

17,500 quid in the kitty

sylvia — Mon, 14 May 2007 13:22:50 +0000

I can't remember being really scared about anything for a long, long time. Walking home through the woods aged 17 after watching Silence of the Lambs is still my worst ever. And getting locked up and given tea by the dam construction company on our first night in India was fairly terrifying.