Outside of film, music and languages (which are my life, not my interests), cooking (my own and other people's), wine, travel
Music
Classical: Vaughan-Williams, Mahler, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Richard Strauss.
Contemporary: Yes, Peter Gabriel and early Genesis, Pink Floyd, PFM, ELP, Simon and Garfunkel, Eagles, Robin Trower, Kansas, Santana, Sting
Movies
Spaghetti Westerns, Blade Runner, The Hunger, Bound, Alien series, Terminator series, Se7en, Bone Collector, Dirty Harry series, Faster Pussycat Kill, Kill, Kill!, Vixen, Dusk Till Dawn
Television
Currently showing: 24, That 70s Show, Two Pints of Lager, Stargate, Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks,
Classic British Comedy: Fawlty Towers, Python, Minder, Porridge, Two Ronnies (more Barker than Corbett)
Books
Narnia series esp The Last Battle by C.S.Lewis (which proves kid's books can be as dark as any other), Maia by Richard Adams (not a bunny rabbit in sight), the Foundation and Robot series by Isaac Asimov, most science fiction,
Heroes
Lucky enough to have worked with my biggest hero Peter Gabriel, who proved an English public school boy could be popular (in musical terms), hip, intelligent, compassionate and challenging all at the same time. Others include Robert Rodriguez who demonstrated that great movies don't need great big budgets, Vaughn-Williams for daring to use beautiful melody and old-fashioned harmony when all around were screeching dischord and atonal rhythms, Richard Branson, because he broke all the rules to get where he is today, Dave Gilmour for putting more expression into his playing than most people can manage in speaking, C.S.Lewis and Tolkein for painting pictures with words and Mike Oldfield because there isn't an instrument the bastard can't play. Oh and a recent one... Ed Blum, because he got his movie Scenes of a Sexual Nature made and distributed himself, despite all the wisdom in the film industry saying that you can't do it that way. Good on you, Ed!
Wedding scene (my edit and music) from Obama's Irish Roots which just won us our second award from the Waterford Film Festival on Nov 8th, 2009. Docudrama is also entered in Berlin, Hawaii and TriBeca (NY) Film Festivals in 2010.
Download JUST SAY NO, my 2nd Irish Referendum protest single for FREE, FREE, FREE! at http://www.we7.com/#/track/Just-Say-No!trackId=3356288 or if you agree, you can choose to donate 48p
Conceptual Trailer for feature Carmilla shooting Italy/Hungary 2010 Filmmaker, Musician/Composer and Linguist (in no particular order). Some people have also been kind enough to call me a Raconteur (which I love as it comes from the French, my favourite language). Others have a much shorter word for me, but I hope there are a few more of the former.
I write, direct, score & edit (see Dark Star Productions below), only operating the camera and lights if there is no-one more talented available.
Lillian's Letter from 'Crystal Skulls'
FILMS: The Lost World of the Crystal Skull, a docudrama I DoP'd, line produced and (ghost) directed all the actors in just won a Golden Palm at the Mexico International Film Festival in Baja, Mexico. Above is my favourite scene from the film, with the delightful Cicely Tennant playing the wife of Mitchell Hedges the explorer, abandoned by him in a draughty castle while he went off exploring the world.
The next film I plan to shoot is based on Sheridan Le Fanu's 1871 Gothic novella Carmilla and I will take the director's credit on this as I (co)-write the script and music and will direct and edit this myself. Despite Vic Bateman stealing the idea and making a universally panned comic version of this with a couple of BBC3 comedians, interest in my version has never been higher thanks to the Daily Mirror getting hold of the story that Jennifer Ellison is to play the lesbian vampire love interest in it, see http://www.mirror.co.uk?bcpid=18731164001&bctid=24669433001
Add to My Profile | More Videos
This is the conceptual trailer which I shot to raise the money for Carmilla which has enabled us to attach Jennifer Ellison (Phantom Of The Opera) to play Laura, the vampire's intended victim, in Eastern Europe this autumn when she has finished her successful UK Stadium tour of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds spectacular
Jennifer Ellison talking about Carmilla to GMTV's Lorraine Kelly
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Here is an interview I did in LA for BBC London at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, talking about the difficulties of getting American money for UK films, in which they were kind enough to include a bit of the trailer for Carmilla
Add to My Profile | More Videos
I play piano, guitar, violin, Hammond, synthesisers, flute, design sounds & compose music for film. The music on this page is one of the tracks from my forthcoming 'Son of Lumiere' album on Long Tale Recordings which you will be able to buy through the WOMAD shop. You can also download these tracks for free from Peter Gabriel's innovative We7.com website where I get paid from the advertising.
C I also play keyboards in Fire In The South and our Double A-side single Father/Comfort is available on iTunes, EasyMusic and wippit.com and at Peter Gabriel's free download site above if you would rather listen to an ad instead of paying for the mp3. Here is the video for Father, shot at the Ace Cafe in London and featuring an amazing new way to get stop motion effects from live action, invented by veteran music video director Steve Price
At the other end of the scale, I do solo piano gigs at places like the Cafe de Paris in London, the Cipriani in Venice and the Martinez in Cannes. I recently played there for Quentin Tarrantino and Brangelina and for Johnny Depp, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter in Venice. I mainly play my own music as written for films and TV shows. Here is an example:
Love Theme From Venetian Heat
Add to My Profile | More Videos
I speak French and German fluently, Italian and Spanish tolerably and can order a meal (the important stuff, you see!) in about four other languages. I love to travel which I do a lot ("Thursday's child has far to go") Film festivals like Cannes, Venice and AFM in Santa Monica are a particularly good excuse for travel. Here is a glimpse of what we get up to in Cannes in the bar of the Martinez.
I am also a specialist in music and video technology, writing for magazines like Sound on Sound and High Definition. Been told I am too modest about who I have worked with over the years, so here comes the big name-drop. Stevie Wonder (with whom I toured for 18 months), Vangelis (film scores), Peter Gabriel (during Up, OVO and Rabbit-Proof Fence), Paul McCartney (Spies Like Us), Mike Rutherford, Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Dave Gilmour & Brian May (on the 5.1 Surround Remix of Bohemian Rhapsody).
With Dave Stark of Songlink and producer Martyn Phillips, I organise the Sunday Night Music Session in North London and I am in UK prog-rock band Fire in The South
My band Fire In The South at the Bull & Gate earlier this year
Who I'd like to meet: In next life: Sergio Leone, Ralph Vaughan-Williams (died day I was born), In this life: Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater (met him at LIFF), Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood, Paul Verhoeven, James Cameron (pre-Titanic), Peter Jackson (pre-Kong), Paul Simon, Ennio Morricone (finally just met him in Cannes), Alessandro Alessandroni,
Claudia Cardinale, Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Monica Bellucci, Veronica Zemanova, Kate Bush
Its FINALLY here...Our brand new acoustic EP is available to download NOW. Only from www.10reasonstolive.com. Heres a little taster for you...once u have downloaded dont forget to let us know which song is your favourite xxx
I hope your special day was super special and filled with all you loved. It's been ages since we said Hi, :) I hope you are well.Have a wonderful weekend and all the best for all you most love & desire to create, may it always be perfect for you. xoxox Marina
Hi long time no speak hope ur OK...we are sorry if we have neglected you but we have been really busy in the studio working on our FREE EP.....so firstly un need to make sure u have registered on the mailing list to enable to download it......secondly we are gonna be the normal cheeky guys u know and love and wondered if u could pop on over to our page and leave us a lovely comment when u have some spare time...Thirdly please take a look at our Brit Bus video and leave a comment....and last of all we want to thank you for your support and we hope to be out on the road very soon and hope to see u there. 10 reasons to live x
Hello Paul It’s been a while since we have been in contact and I hope everything is fine for you. Have you survived Christmas ? I am pretty exited as I have just now released my first solo double album “An Ocean Of Dreams”. It would be a real honor and pleasure for me if you could give it a listen and if you have some time leave me a comment with your thoughts about my baby. I say thanks in advance and wish you all the best for 2009 Mindmovie
Just stopping by to make sure you know about our Halloween party in the cavern Liverpool on October 31st. If your not close enough to make it, then Move!! If you are , have you got your tickets yet?
The magical and mysterious MySpace calendar has informed me that at some point in the coming week - IT WILL BE YOUR BIRTHDAY! Clearly, this makes you a virgo, and therefore automatically a member of the planet's most elite cadre of awesomeness.
Now, according to Chapter 4, subsection 7 of the "being on my friends list" code, no birthday shall pass without rampant partying in the streets, fireworks, balloons and much general debauchery, preferably, but not necessarily, including a dancing rhinocerous, palm trees and eighties music.
I heard a vicious rumor that SOMEONE has a birthday coming up, and I couldn't think of a single reason to wait for the PARTY to START!
So, I'm popping in to say, "congratulations" on yet another brilliant journey completely ‘round the sun! Which, btw, is a whopping 585 million miles!
In celebration of your monumental accomplishment, I have concocted another insane Techno molestation of a modern classic … “The Birthday Song” … just for YOU!
Enjoy YOUR day!
Brète
PS: My BRAND NEW Music Video "Wasp Flight" is up on MySpace. Poor little Wendy Wasp gets chased down by a pair of horndogs lookin' for love: Yellow Chopper Wasp and Jet Green Wasp. Little do they know, someone else wants all three of them for dinner. Who's coming out on top? You're in for a psychotic treat, so drop by and shout OUT!
