The Big Pitcher

The Cornwall Film Festival was a resounding success. I managed to catch a talk by British writer Jon Ronson about his book, The Men Who Stare at Goats, now a Hollywood feature film starring George Clooney. I also got the chance to watch the film and partake in a Q&A session with the writer after the screening. Brilliant! Next year I will try and organise a school trip to the festival (and I urge all you Creative & Media teachers to do the same). It's a wonderful opportunity for you and your students to really experience the film industry first-hand.

The best part of the festival for me, was entering and winning The Big Pitcher competition. I had 2 minutes to pitch my film idea to a live audience (very nerve-racking), who then voted on the winners. I received a £100 towards the cost of making my film, which will be screened at next year's festival.

Here's a rough outline of how I pitched my film:

My film is called Chicken and is a coming-of-age tale about a 16 year old lad on the brink of sexual awakening. One morning he wakes up to discover he has lost his voice, and can only make the "bwark" of a chicken.

The film is a lyrical lesson in life, love & loss. A fowl fantasy of a fairtyale, with our hero learning that actions speak louder than words.

After years of being teased for being a chicken (especially with girls), his worst fear is realised - it seems he's actually turning into one.

When all he can utter is a "cluck, cluck,cluck", how's he ever going to score his first lay? Our hero has to impress his girl & learn that a person is better judged by what he does rather than what he says.

So how does our boy finally catch his chick? He's going to have to hatch a plan.

Chicken - think Metamorphosis meets Stand By Me. It's sure to be An Affair to Remember.

I was thrilled to win and I can't wait to start making the film. Just gotta write the thing first! If anyone has any ideas about how I should go about this, then please, get in touch.