Stargazey Pie, Babies, Credit Crunch and Holiday Flat!

Things have been quite busy in the Power household - we now have a son! James was born 7 weeks ago; after 10 hours in a birthing pool Amy was transferred by ambulance to the local hospital where she was given every drug available (after doing so well with nothing) - James arrived another 12 hours later. Phew! I thoroughly recommend the experience to anyone... .honestly!! He's absolutely amazing and I'm pleased to say that he passed his hearing test at 2 weeks - maybe he'll take after his Dad and become a sound recordist?! Maybe not eh?

Well done Amy, I'm so proud of you. We made a beautiful little boy!!


On the work front things have been nice and busy but are dropping off towards Christmas as usual. I did a short doco at the local hospital (back there again!) - we explored the hospital experience from young people's perspectives. It was a real eye-opener and I've gained even more respect for the people who work in such a hectic environment. They gave up their time to talk with us and have obviously spent a lot of time considering how to soften the harsh, clinical environment of a hospital to put young people at ease.

Amongst other things I worked on a short film for the BBC's One Show. The film is part of a series looking at traditional and local foods. This particular example was for a dish called Stargazey Pie. I won't ruin the surprise but watch BBC One on Monday 8th and you'll understand the peculiar name. Mmmmm! (transmission times are subject to change).

I've yet to experience the effect of the credit crunch on our industry but I have heard stories of film funding being withdrawn. Its a worrying time. I'm hoping that (as in previous times of recession) people will turn to TV, film and entertainment as staying in becomes the new going out. There are plenty of local projects being discussed for the early new year which can only be a good thing. Fingers crossed.

And finally an advert! We have a small holiday flat available for rent in the town of Marazion in Cornwall. Marazion is famous as the home of St Michael's Mount and is a beautiful place to unwind. Visiting Cornwall off season gives a whole new perspective on this great part of the world. Marazion, Penzance and the Penwith area in particular have a unique rugged charm perfect for daytime coastal walks and cosy evenings in traditional pubs. The town is also home to many water sports and is the perfect place to sit and watch kite boarders and wind surfers.... or have a go yourself!


That's enough promotion for now. We've set some cheap winter rates at £250 per week to make things more affordable in these crazy times: Marazion holiday apartment

All for now,

Luke

Dogbite!

This weekend saw the seventh annual Cornwall Film Festival. The event has grown considerably in a short space of time; the quality of the films were fantastic... as were the contributing professionals...


I attended the festival representing 'Dogbite Film Crew' - we are a complete crew for hire consisting of myself, Morgan Lowndes (DoP and Stedicam owner/operator, pictured on the right), and John Crooks (Gaffer, Camera Op and Jimmy Jib owner/operator, pictured on the left). The response to our display and drop-in workshop was fantastic and I'd like to thank everyone who came to visit us over the weekend.

We've worked together on many projects over the years and perform exceptionally well as a team. We created 'Dogbite' to offer a complete package to producers and directors who have a project in pre-production and are looking for a crew who know their stuff and can produce fantastic results.

email info@dogbitefilmcrew.com

Do you feel like you've just read an advert?!

Luke

Updated CV upload

An updated CV can be found at http://www.lukepower.co.uk/CV.html

An update

OK, so I very quickly fell into the bad habits of the casual blogger; somehow nearly 4 months have passed since my last addition. The idea behind the blog was to add some visual life to what would otherwise be a fairly static website. Whoops. Must try harder!

For the majority of July and August I've worked as recordist on a Cornish feature. The film has been shot on 16mm by the legendary Adrian Warren and features an incredibly strong cast ranging from the completely unknown through to some international icons. I'll reveal more as soon as I'm allowed to. I've had the pleasure (yet again) of working with a fantastic, upbeat and helpful crew so if any of you guys and girls read this - thank you.

Photo credit goes to Frances Speedie

I spent a whirlwind 5 days in Swansea recording sound for a 20 minute drama commissioned by Pembrokeshire Police and destined for the BBC. The world of 'single-person shooting on a Z1' collided with 'full production drama' and somehow met in the middle to cram in nearly 5 pages of script per day (2 pages is the norm). It was a great experience and a real learning (and compromising) curve for all involved; we shot some great stuff and spent time in beautiful surroundings with another superb team. The 2 mile walk uphill from the waterfall carrying the kit on a stretcher is a memory I wont be forgetting for some time to come. All I can say is 'thank you Kevin'!

I'll save some of my other work for the next post.

If you happen to visit this year's Cornwall Film Festival come and say hi, I'll be representing 'Dogbite film crew' in the main Princess Pavilions building with a hands-on display alongside the crew's other 2 members. The festival has become a serious contender in the UK circuit and attracts some great contributors from Cornwall, the UK and abroad with some amazing films, often made for a low budget, proving that Cornwall has what it takes to compete amongst the big boys and girls!


And finally... our first child is due to be born on 7th of October. All my love to Amy; fingers-crossed for the water birth we're both hoping for.

Luke

Recent work

A quick update of what I've been up to as the CV and website haven't been updated.

I'm just finishing the final animation and sound mix on a 10 minute pilot episode of an adult animation - Knight-Time. It features all of your favourite celebrity knights (Connery, Moore, McCartney et al) doing battle with a sinister force. Its a great script and, as you can probably imagine, there is great scope for comedy and a future series; fingers crossed it will be received well when it does the rounds!

I've also recently worked as sound recordist on a 35mm short for Henry Darke called The Lobster Trap. I've worked on 35mm before but it still amazes me how much of a different experience and discipline it is. The camera is like a needy child with 5 or 6 people constantly buzzing around it. I think working in this environment (or 16mm for that matter) is a must for people who have only experienced working with DV.

All for now,

Luke

New addition to kit!

We've been on the lookout for a practical but fun vehicle for a long time; they just don't seem to exist. We'd almost plumped for an estate car when I happened to see a VW camper for sale during my (then) regular bike ride... I really must start that up again. So here she is....

So why am I telling you this? Well, aside from being very excited about the prospect of travelling around Cornwall, the UK and further I can now carry my sound kit, myself and my duvet - and provide low-cost accommodation to a production. Simple yet effective.... and fun!

Test post

Hello there and welcome to my blog, this is the obligatory test post; I thought I'd make it slightly more interesting by adding a picture of a celebrity and me! I wish now, in hindsight, that I hadn't opted for the 'young Jack Nicholson' pose, but never mind.

I was fortunate enough to get a couple of weeks work on the ITV series 'Doc Martin' during July 2007. Aside from getting some great experience on a large drama series I had the opportunity to hang out with Martin Clunes.... OK, I say hang out but maybe the correct term is 'say hi and briefly chat about classic VW's'... either way it was cool!

During my time working on film I have had the chance to work with actors of various stature from bitpart TV stuff through to legendary film icons and, as I'm sure most of you will associate with, I like to think that I am in no way a swooner or celeb-pest. I am, after all, a pro! Martin Clunes has been my only exception so far - I have a very fond memory of myself, my Dad and my two brothers watching and enjoying 'Men Behaving Badly' and I think, as a bonding experience, must have actually meant more than I ever gave it credit. Anyhoo, Mr Clunes, what a thoroughly lovely bloke...