Heartsfelled is a storyteller, as old as time and as wise as any story.
This blog captures our adventure whilst filming "The Identity Stealer", an Anglo-Saxon Saga style story told by Heartsfelled with brilliant live action demon slaying and more .....
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This illustrated recipe book will be a production that is guaranteed to make you smile -
If you read my blog from 10th May this year then you'll already know that our historian and costumier Julia Gant is in the throes of preparing a very special recipe book to accompany the Heartsfelled film production. The recipes are being chosen by Heartsfelled himself as being his favourites.
To fill you in a bit further - Heartsfelled is a Storyteller who is timeless and ageless which means he has been around since time began and collects his stories from across all times and places. So the recipes he is choosing are genuine, historical dishes with wonderful stories behind their development and the illustrated book will explain the ingredients, how they are made and so-on.
To give you an idea of just how seriously good the authoress Julia is, only four years ago she catered "The Grand Ball at Villa de Molina" that was in the ground floor of Napoleon's villa on Elba; she's lectured for academic circles and field cooks and the public at large and she's managed kitchens in some very fine historical homes and shared pies with some pretty highly titled gents!
So, what's got me all excited this week? Well, I spent an hour with Heartsfelled himself and he, along with his amanuensis and muse Mnemosyne, was busy writing down anecdotes and tales of how he came to be there when each of the historical dishes was served. I could sit and listen to these two historians, historical food experts and most literary people tell their stories and experiences for hours. So, not only are Heartsfelled's musings and recollections historically fascinating, introducing us to a range of wonderful people from the point of view of their fine dining habits - but Heartsfelled has a glorious sense of humour and his writings are witty and funny too. I had such a happy time listening to previews of the anecdotes that go with the recipes, smiling and laughing even gasping at Heartsfelled's life experiences. I will add that there is some pretty smart research and a whole lot of real-life fun and games by lovely Nigel Gant behind Heartsfelled's musings . . . but don't tell Heartsfelled that I let on!
If you are interested in being told when this book is available (latest release date is August 2020 but it could well be available before that) them leave me a message here and I will be in touch.
If you enjoy this blog entry and would like to read more or want to read about some different aspect of what we do, then why not drop a note in the comments box at the end and let me know what you'd like to read next.
When my good friend, orator and highly well-read gentleman, Nigel Gant, first stepped on set into the Museum of Stories he said, very quietly, "I am standing inside somebody else's imagination, it's humbling to think that!" Actually Nige, it's humbling to be the person whose imagination you so willingly agreed to bring to life ... but let's leave the mutual appreciation there. Throughout the day I noted that between filming sessions, whenever Nigel was sent outside to get some fresh air (it was well over 30 degrees on set on the hottest weekend of the year!) he would doggedly read, re-read, recite and practice the lines word for word.
"Perhaps you don't have to be word perfect if there are phrases that give you trouble?" I suggested.
"Oh no!" he insisted "A lot of trouble and thought has been poured into writing this, I must do it justice and get it right." (I am abashed)
As you know I am a scholar, a PhD and an eternal student of all things human. I love history, psychology, physics, maths ... you know?! So, I would go so far as to suggest that our dear Nigel, without realising it, has understood an important scientific principle of good storytelling. The science of what happens deep inside your brain makes for a fascinating study; When you listen to a story that’s being told, or read, to you the auditory cortex of your brain become activated to receive the sounds and tones and interpret what is being said. Engaging with a story also fires up your left temporal vortex (I fell like I'm writing an episode for Star Treck now!!). Your left temporal vortex is the region in your brain that receives and interprets language. This part of your brain is also capable of identifying overused words or clichés and allowing you to understand the point without becoming bored by repetition or annoyed by the over-use. An innate understanding of this is why the most skilled storytellers are careful about the language they use, employing a host of literary techniques to keep your brain engaged. Sitting in the shade on that hot sunny day I joked about how my frequent use of alliteration was challenging Nigel's skills, but I also admired how he set the paces and poetic rythmns of the story as he told it.
And once your temporal vortex is activated other regions of the brain soon begin to participate in the process too! When you are immersed in the story you begin to feel some kind of emotional engagement with what is being said because the frontal and parietal cortices have been stimulated. Have you ever noticed how descriptions of food will also stir up your sensory cortex so that you feel hungry and can almost smell or taste what the storyteller is describing? Passages that describe movement or action will get a response from a bit of your brain called the central sulcus (yup, I'm pretty sure that's a Dr. Whovian monster!), actually, the central sulcus is another primary sensory motor region of your brain. Indeed, just thinking about running can activate the neurons associated with the act . . . try it, some hypnotherapists and psychologists reckon you can actually lose weight by thinking about exercise but I've never managed that!
Researchers also tell us that this kind of brain activity can continue on for several days. This goes a long way toward explaining why what we perceive as "good stories" stay with us, often in great detail. Additionally, stories also improve our ability to recall any information embedded in them. Scientists and psychologists suggest that people can recall facts up to 22 times more efficiently when those facts were heard as part of a story.
Furthermore, all this brain activity will also bring about changes within other parts of your body. As I'm sure you're aware, if you listen to (or watch) scenes of high action or tension, the stress hormone cortisol is released into your bloodstream. This, in turn, leads to you becoming more deeply entrenched and responsive to the story as it unfolds. Apparently, more stories which are more heavily character-driven, that is where the characters are more prominent than events or plot points, will cause the release of oxytocin into the blood. This is also called the “empathy” hormone because it helps people to bond with other people. Unsurprisingly it's the same hormone that's released into the bloodstream of breastfeeding mothers. Speaking of mothers - there is a lot more I could say on the science of storytelling and its relationship with childhood. If you are interested and would like to read more on this then why not make a comment on this blog so that I know what you'd like me to tell you about.
Nigel diligently studying his lines to get the words and the rhythms exact -
it's so hot he has a wet towel on his head!
". . . so too, so beautiful boy!"
Telling stories by candlelight in the Museum of Stories
One week ago, in the spot where I now stand, was the Museum of Stories.
Here we stood inside Heartsfelled the Storyteller's magical lair. Here is where his collections of stories, portals into stories, and little clues and artefacts belonging to lost or forgotten stories were all to be found. But like many magical and special treats - the Museum of Stories will only stay in one place for a little while. When it's ready it will dissolve away and if you wanted to visit again you'd have to know the secret and how to step through the "long forgotten door".
As I stand here now I see only the grey, empty square building. I look around, here is where I built a hollow cardboard wall to dampen the sound for the film crew. Here is where the woodland corner was built, and over there Heartsfelled's table .... I kick over the traces of dust, bark and sand. I try to recall in my mind's eye the island beach and the little boy's bedroom all ready for bedtime stories to be told. And, feeling quite sad as it turned out, I start to sweep away the last dusty reminders.
The floor and walls echo now as I step around the empty room.
Zak adjusts the "white" and gets ready to do some pretty clever stuff with his camera
Testing the framing and lighting
- it takes skill to get it right.
Heartsfelled gets ready for the next "take".
Zak in his element - look at that smile.
Assistant Director, Tina, making sure the angles are correct.
Is the pen (quill) mightier than the sword?
Blue screen . . . coz Julia's not really transparent!
Getting ready, trying not to melt - it's over 30 degrees in there by now.
Hottest weekend ever!
Checking his Anglo-Saxon pronunciation perhaps.
Clapper Board Girl - the Assistant Director on such a small crew gets to do it all!
He's picked an interesting volume off the shelf there.
The crew, Zak Wylde Productions, are getting the equipment ready;
the staff (that's me and Richard aka Brother Scuttle) are setting out the catering and comfort facilities; the artiste Heartsfelled (Nigel Gant) and his amanuensis (Julia) are preparing to fill the Museum of Stories with myth and magic ...
the next round of filming starts tomorrow and it's going to be fun.
Zak and a random Dalek check out new camera equipment.
Storyboards - the director and cinematographer create these and then either totally ignore them or use them as working guides to the shoot.
Hold your breath folks - at the end of this week (that's next weekend!) the Heartsfelled crew will getting it together in the mystical, magical Museum of Stories somewhere in the heart of deepest Lincolnshire. Zak Wylde Productions will be filming Heartsfelled himself as he recounts the tale Fyrdhwaet, The Identity Stealer. During the week I will try to give you sneak previews of some arts of the Museum and let you know how things are going, after next weekend there will be more teasers and tit-bits available to whet our appetites.
Keep checking in for updates .....
It is quite a thing to be the person that wrote the poetic saga which, years later, becomes realised in film form. There is a big helping of responsibility attached as I see this as an important (not at all irreplaceable but I would go so far as to say significant) step in the development of the very talented young Zak Wylde Holland's career. The director, makeup artists, costumiers, actors, and so-on all heave expectations. I may steer the ship alongside the Director from time-to-time, however, I am not to be lauded as anything more than a willing project assistant with a clear view on how things can be progressed. I am the writer and that is my raison d'etre. I look forward to the production with unbounded enthusiasm but the depth of my pleasure will be felt equally when the special edition book is released and I am holding it in my ink-stained hand!
On the matter of being a writer, I have been creating stories and poems since I was a very small child. I can recall back to when I was four or even younger, when I couldn't get to sleep (which seemed often in the way of my recall) my mother would say to me "Lie down, close your eyes, and tell yourself a story!" So I did. And I have been doing just that ever since. Songwriters and sometimes poets will tell you that if you can remember the words in the morning then it's a good piece, worth developing!
Of course the greater majority of what I have written in my adult, professional years has been textbooks and academic work. That's what happens when you go and get yourself a PhD (mine is Law and Business would you believe!) they expect you to research in-depth, write with great clarity and have a good, strong sense of purpose. Now that I have moved on and can fully indulge my passion for writing fiction I am finding that research habit very enriching.
Being a writer to the core also means that I am entrenched in the new book I am researching and creating as well as keeping a weather eye on my duties towards this wonderful Heartsfelled project. In time my role on this particular Heartsfelled film will melt away and I will sink down deep into the depths of being a writer once again. The fantasy fiction that I created in a previous life, under a different name was well received so, although I have no wish to revive that series or be that person again, I am very much enjoying the escape into my worlds and the people who come to me there. In the meantime, out here in the real world, sets are being built, choreography is being refined and all things are making excellent progress.
It's been a little while since my last post as I have been busy set-building and writing.
Whilst I've been busy doing that, the rest of the crew have been busy filming elsewhere as well as practising their martial arts skills and winning wonderful medals. Well done to all the Aisle O'Var Backsworders, Old Gamesters, and Team TE-MA Combat folks.
Yes, that's Zak Wylde Holland, our Director of Photography in the middle with some of his trophies and medals from this season. His radiant smile even more handsome in the sunshine at the Oyster Fayre.
And despite the bruises, oh yes, they have the bruises "the Kiss of The Ash" it is all done with an admirable spirit of sportsmanship, fair play and gentlemanly conduct. So proud to know them.
But, coming back to my main item for today, as I said I have been set building here in Lincolnshire along with my partner and Ghost from Times Past, Brother Scuttle (aka Richard Buck). As we have been building we've also been writing, Scuttle and I ... you see it wasn't until we stood inside the Museum of Stories that we realised what a mystical, magical place it really is. When you find your way there - and you have to remember to go through the "long forgotten door" with your heart and your mind open to the stories and the magic that lie beyond - when you find your way there you find that you are standing among a myriad of portals. Each portal leads to more than one other place where stories have been born and, if you know how, each story can be visited . . . But that's as much as I can tell you for now. I can sense Heartsfelled the Storyteller putting down the lap dogs and coming to put me in my place (gently of course) if I give away too much.
The film and the accompanying Special Edition Book will tell all, all in good time :)
Today I went into the studio and listened to Nigel Gant, Heartsfelled himself, read the story of The Identity Stealer. I knew it would be good, but I hadn't appreciated just how beautifully captivating he would make it. What a wonderful and gifted storyteller we really do have. I can hardly wait until I can share it with you so that you can sit, spellbound, as we did. This was storytelling at its best. Apart from anything else the lines in Anglo-Saxon were delivered so very beautifully, lyrically and with perfect rhythm and pronunciation. And the switches from enthralling storytelling to verse are done so well that it is all pure pleasure to listen to.
My thanks go out to Carl Frearson at Solo Studios near Spalding too. A talented and gifted producer-editor and, as I discovered, an award-winning filmmaker himself. I am just knocked out by the wonderful people this project brings me into contact with.
Thanks, everybody.
PB (Writer)
Coffee Cup Available from
crowdfunder.cu.uk/heartsfelled
Grab yourself a nice cuppa, sit back and let me tell you about Heartsfelled.
As you may have gathered, if you've read previous blog entries here, the film we are making is based upon an epic, saga style poem called "The Fyrdhwaet Saga". In real practical, down to earth terms, it would not be so interesting for so many people if we had just got somebody to sit and read out the poem on film with, maybe, a few flat illustrations. So, being the writer of the project Patrisha Buck had to find a platform from which the tale told in the poem could be delivered. But - poetry and performance poetry lay at the heart of this project's inception so Patrisha looked for a way to avoid just filming the story as a standard, linear, dramatic narrative . . . and that was when she met Heartsfelled!
Star Carr deer mask
Heartsfelled is the most intriguing fellow. He is ageless and timeless and his soul raison d'etre is to gather, preserve, store and tell stories from across all of time and space. As I've discussed in prior blog entries, stories are fundamental to humankind. Our news, our education, our communications across all levels of encounter are all based on storytelling. Recently our Director, Pete Buzzsaw Holland, was discussing the 11,000-year-old deer masks found at Star Carr in Yorkshire. These are artefacts which represent the long-ago spiritualisation of nature and the telling of stories to encourage ritual and good behaviour among people who were struggling to survive an intense and significant climate change (Sound familiar?) And d'you know what? Yep, Heartsfelled was there 11,000 years ago collecting those stories and storing them away for posterity. Soon it will be time for those particular stories to be brought back into our life's repertoire, but not quite yet.
Faith, religion, moral standards, cultural identity - these are all shared and passed down from generation to generation through stories. But what of Heartsfelled himself, what kind of a character is he? Well, he is a very gentle, very wise person. He has a cheeky sense of humour and masses of charisma.
Heartsfelled and his love
Julia.
When Patrisha first met him he gave her a fold with his stories about the goings on of a particular garden gnome community (pretty racy stuff as it turned out!) and told her three beautiful love stories, two his own and one from an ancestor of his from the days of the Viking raids ... and through sharing these stories Heartsfelled effortlessly let Patrisha know him to beunselfish, altruistic, self-sacrificing, self-denying. considerate, compassionate, kind, decent and noble. He is a person of boundless generosity with a raucous love for laughter! He's also a lover of fine things, silk hats, fine clothes and, oh how he loves food and wine!
Patrisha also heard Heartsfelled read Dickens for the 350 years old Gentlemen's Society in Spalding, and she knew then that he was the one to represent her poem for the film . . . plus it turns out that he has studies Anglo-Saxon language and pronounces it perfectly ... what a bonus!
The Museum of stories
The Museum of Stories is where Heartsfelled resides and it's very interesting. It's hard to find because you have to believe in it and you have to "step through the long forgotten door" which is harder than it
sounds! But, once there, you'll find glorious stream-of-consciousness displays that draw your eye and your imagination from one story to another. The artefacts represent diverse tales taking you from as shipwrecks to African jungle camps, from childhood comforts to creepy forests, through artefacts that tell of Roman, Greek, Egyptian or ancient Antipodean, Asian, Norse or European tales you can linger on one or pass by and just let your thoughts take you wherever they will. If you look hard when you first enter you might even catch a glimpse of one or two of the Ghosts for Times Past (as seen in our opening sequence for the film) as they are just a few of the people whose stories are there to be told ... or not, depending on what the viewer tunes in to or focuses on. And, of course, you'll find Heartsfelled, if he's not out gathering more stories or walking the little dogs with his lady-love.
** If you would like a copy of food historian Julia Gant's collection of Heartsfelled's favourite recipes (genuinely authentic historic recipes) with illustrations and anecdotes all manner of good things included, or any other movie memorabilia or even a pre-order copy of the film .... you can get these by visiting crowdfunder.co.uk/heartsfelled
One of our Ghosts from Times Past is just loving the opportunities to visit with us and have a look around . . . .
Hello again ghost watchers,
Richard had to return to his Dentist to have a rather large tooth removed, so had not the motivation to evoke my spirit from the depths... but here I am a wandering ghost, once again free from the Netherworld and able walk quietly amongst the living.
As you know the Priory was my home for many years and was a big feature on the landscape of Spalding. It was demolished well after my death... yet today, feeling melancholy and having a need to reunite myself with my former home, I am searching modern Spalding for traces of the former Priory.
From talking to Richard recently (in between bouts of toothache!) he was telling me what survives of our order's holy places in the area. Peterborough still has Abbey remains near the Cathedral, Crowland is still used as a Church and has recognisable remains from its time as an Abbey scattered 'round and about...
Even dear old Thorney has a few remnants left, used today as a fine Church. But alas Spalding's magnificent construction is ne'er to be seen evermore... Heartsfelled remembers it well, and the stories we both could tell... But look a little deeper and you shall find pieces...
As I wandered along Spalding high street I saw a strange looking building that drew memories long distant... It has been a forge and a bakery, a hostelry and a shop that sells those square things you modern people like to talk into... It is still known affectionately as 'The Prior's Oven' and I love it! From the oddly shaped exterior to the vaulted ceiling.
In my day it boasted another story and was used as a sort of prison for Monks not keen on moral behaviour... Brother David for example who couldn't keep his hands off the local girls of ill repute, and impregnated one of them! He was sorry after that I can tell you and Brother Ignatius who put his hand into the poor box...
There was a bell tower on that second level that, when tolling, told of imminent execution, usually some poor Saxon who had fallen foul of the Normans, who was hung from a gibbet in the Market Place. It sent a shiver along my ghostly spine just thinking about it I can tell you! Sadly the grand entrance no longer exists, but as you walk into the area known as 'The Crescent' it all began to feel very familiar...
I was excited to discover a row of houses at the back of what Richard describes 'his favourite charity bookshop'. It was not known if they were from the Priory or not, but I was sure they were what was left of the Monk's sleeping dorms...
Inside they had changed much but little hints still showed through the fabric... I was sure I had found the old block again!
As I travelled I saw little hints remaining in walls and in other buildings. Stone blocks that were recognisable from my time at the Priory.
I am settled again now. My beloved Priory still exists in some form or another and I am content to return to my domain happy...
If you're a film studies student or somebody who loves to understand what you see in the movies, then you'll be aware that even the most ordinary looking person on film has been made to look the way they do.
From the very earliest days of moviemaking, cosmetics artists have had to refine their skills to make movie makeup work. And the makeup artist is a true artist! They have to understand colour, light, shade and many aspects of photography.
For example, actors in silent films often had to wear very yellow makeup to compensate for the "orthochromatic" black and white film that was not able to capture anything red.
The first make-up range ever designed just for movies was launched in 1914, Max Factor's Supreme Greasepaint . . . you wouldn't want to name any cosmetic product anything-"grease" nowadays I guess!
1969 saw the longest ever single make-up application for a movie. For the "Illustrated Man" actor Rod Steiger had to be, well, illustrated! Applying those tattoos took a make-up artist and assistants 10 hours on the torso and another full day on the lower body, hands and legs! Personally, I cannot imagine being that patient.
On the other hand, where a film has many extras and special background actors, there needs to be a fast technique, you can't do everything by CGI. Frank Westmore had to make up several thousand extras each day for "The Ten Commandments" (1956). The spray-painting technique he developed to do the job quickly is still used.
Types of Makeup Artist:
Nowadays Hollywood's union regulations classify movie make-up artists based on the area of the actor's body being made up! A make-up artist is only allowed to apply cosmetics only from the top of the head to the top of the breastbone, from fingertips to wrists and from toes to ankles. On the other hand, a body make-up artist applies cosmetics as required to any other areas of the actor's body. While the regular make-up artist generally works throughout filming, the body make-up artist is hired per day when needed. The key make-up artist, or make-up designer, is the person in charge of the make-up department for a movie. During pre-production, the designer reads the script and meets with the directorand screenwriterto discuss their needs and ideas for the film.
The key make-up artist also will work with the key hair designer, costume designer, set designer and director of lighting throughout the film. After that, the key make-up artist researches and determines how to design the make-up and special make-up effects for the film.
GoT actress, Natalia Tena (property rights Game of Thrones / HBO)
Sometimes the MUA just has to prevent an actor or actress' features from bleaching out under the lights, sometimes enhance their beauty and sometimes, well, to switch off the beauty and dirty them up!
Often complex effects or prosthetics are handled by a special effects department or a consultant company. The key make-up artist also brings together additional make-up artists for the film, sets their work schedule and supervises them during production. She or he then has to check everybody's work, make sure the make-up applied matches the agreed style, and that continuity is maintained every day during shooting.
In addition, the key make-up artist develops and stays within a budget. Once prosthetics, hairpieces and other make-up elements are finalized, they all must be inventoried and stored when they are not in use.
Where there is a big team the key makeup artist might have a senior makeup artist under them who has responsibility for continuity as well as ordinary makeup artists and assistant makeup artists.
It's a long but creative day, finding solutions to make the 'look' and make that look work on screen. Putting it all on the actors from extremely early in the morning and then taking it all off again after the end of the working day. Annual earnings for makeup artists seem to start at around £14,500 per annum and can rise, over time and experience, to anything around £62,000 per year. A practised eye, skilled hands, creativity, determination and a splash of luck are required to get into this field, so it's a good thing to have a focus of interest like our Key Makeup Artist, Nealy Horsfield who really aims to get into blood scars and injuries for tv!
Nealy is already superb at what she does, now that I know her I'm excited to watch her career blossom. Here she is talking to me on the day she agreed to join our team:
So, I am going to write an article about each of the following talented members of our film crew, and I am going to tell you why it isn't possible to make a quality film production without them. But, in the meantime, let's let them say in their own words..... you'll soon see how each brings their own unique strengths and artistry to a project.
Step One:
Go off on your own with a pad and a pencil and have an idea for a story.
Write it down (It doesn't have to be beautifully finished just grab the basic characters, plot points and events)
The reason you don't have to worry too much about the finer details at this point is because it will be completed by the director when he does his storyboards, decides what he can and cannot film on location, and works out what his actors can and cannot do!
Of course, if you want to present the story as a book then you'd better get writing in depth and find yourself a great editor to make it perfect with you.
Step Two:
Walk up to a) a Film Director or b) a Director of Cinematography or c) (and this would be preferable), a multi-millionaire who is one or both of the other things. I went for option a).
Having approached the film director, or whomever, you then need to talk about your story in such a way as to appeal to their imagination and coax them to say "ooh, yes! We could make a film of that!"
Of course, at this stage, you will be thinking small and uncomplicated thoughts about a few people making a nice video like the ones you make with your mobile, or even like the ones your dad used to make with one cine camera in the back garden!
Step Three:
Take a deep breath .... the director will now bring into being a whole crew of people with the most amazing sets of terrifying talent and technical skills.
They will walk about confidently saying things like "oh yes that can be made to fly!" and "Oh, I can airbrush that!" and before you know it they'll be looking at you like you're some kind of Industry Executive ... just smile and say yes a lot, they like that!
Steve Locsy is an unbelievably visionary special effects makeup artist - the fantasty demon monsters in Heartsfelled couldn't be being given their faces by anybody better - Steve is launching his own theatrical and film sfx makeup business and we are just privileged beyond belief to have him on our crew.
I'll feature Steve and each of the crew members individually in later blogs.
Hair Dresser Mark Brown is another person with the gift of creative vision - not only does he do the best gentlemen's hair in all of Bedfordshire, but when his imagination is sparked he turns ordinary folk into fantasy characters as if by magic ....
Heeeeeeere's Nealy. What a special and beautiful soul NEaly is. She has trained in makeup and beauty but is now setting out her stall to become a tv and film makeup and special effects makeup artist with a special interest in scars and injuries (think about all those hospital programmes and the myriad of film and tv series where she could ply her trade).
Nealy is in training but raring to go and again it is a genuine privilege to have her on our crew.
Jack Wilderspin is a director in the making. I cannot wait to do a blog about Jack in his own right.
For us he is working as cinematographer alongside our Director of Cinematography Zak Wylde Holland.
I will tell you about our actors and other good things in Friday's blog. In the meantime here is a "Show Reel" from Jack. If you don't know (and I did not) showreels are what actors, cameramen and directors create to show their styles and skills. ..... Enjoy:
(may contain strong language etc.)
I am truly looking forward to writing individual features for each of our team - Nigel and Julia, Pete, Tina and Zak, and all the wonderful folk you see in this blog and many more!
If there is anything you'd love to know - do leave me a note or ask a question.
Richard has kindly allowed me some time once again to put my ghostly memory to work and take a trip back into the past...
I must say I'm getting used to your way of life here in the future... Even though my beloved Priory is no more! Still I can wander the Streets of Spalding as a ghost and observe what I can of humanity, which I find very entertaining...
Horseless carts, boxes you speak into, boxes that copy your every movement and utterance, boxes that generate visions from other realms... This 'Web' people speak of? That is the most terrifying thing of all, and once again I observe Richard and his wife spending hours pouring over this 'Web' from yet another box... I don't believe in Magic... never have, there is a reason for all this as Richard has tried to explain... I think my time is not ready for all this jiggery pokery!
Today Richard had to go to the 'Dentist' or tooth Doctor as I discovered. He seemed to feel no pain or discomfort through the ordeal... Good for him!
I remember Brother Simeon at the Priory... He pulled out bad teeth and enjoyed every moment of the suffering of others. Mercifully I only ever had to have him pull one of my teeth, but it is said my cries could be heard all over Spalding and beyond into the very fens! I was told that his predecessor, Brother Maurice actually kept the teeth he removed! Even in God's good name could he be that foul? But it appears that you have drugs and medicines to reduce pain in your time, which can only be good. Richard says he's a martyr to his teeth... I never quite understand what that man is on about half the time!
Anyway it's raining today and quite miserable... I think I'll nip back to the netherworld or go and see Heartsfelled to swap a yarn or two... Pity I can't drink ale anymore, you should have seen me and him back in the day! Ha ha ha...
Oh, due to 'human error' in the last blog I just wish to confirm that I was born in 1068 the son of a Norman and a high ranking Saxon and went into the Priory at 15 to study and prepare for my vows.
I often mention Zak in my posts, and you'll already get the impression that I am rather impressed by his creative and artistic skills as a filmmaker (trust me I've worked in the entertainment industry for 20 years and as a film studies teacher for nearly 15, I am qualified to know when something extra special is happening). Cinematography and directing a successful film shoot are true arts and Zak is, without any doubt, an extra-ordinary, upcoming artist in his field.
Sometimes I post photos because, let's face it, he is a good looking young man, isn't he!
I can only imagine that, over the next few years, Zak will have his own fan club of followers and enthusiasts for his work.
Zak is made all the more charming by the fact that he is not in any way vain, he's strong, fit and intelligent but at the same time incredibly gentle and down-to-earth. That's not to say he isn't a fireball of energy, he loves adventure, challenges and new experiences just as much as he loves his crackling home hearth and purring cats.
I shall be spending time on location with Zak Wylde Productions over this coming weekend and am planning to get some video interviews so that you-all can get to know Zak, and other cast and crew members, better. But in the meantime, I'll leave you with a short video to admire Zak exhibiting just a few of his phenomenal gymnastic skills in 2017 . . .
The opening sequence of our film is designed to introduce you to the setting within which storyteller Heartsfelled exists. You'll see the ghosts of times past going about their business because every life is a potential story and each one has, in some way, influence the storyteller in his trade.
Our ghosts span some 1300 years. The building of Ayscoughfee Hall was completed around the year 1451. It sits, grandly, in the town of Spalding, alongside the River Welland which runs through town. Of course, the site was occupied before this hall was started, although it is hard to say exactly who or what was there. The important Spalding Priory was across the river opposite Ayscoughfee and was there at the time the hall was built.
Heartsfelled the storyteller occupies his “Museum of Stories” in a magical, slightly secret place which can, if you know how to look for it, be accessed through Ayscoughfee Hall and Gardens … but only if you know how to look!
So, when we created “The Ghosts of Times Past” to introduce our ageless, timeless storyteller Heartsfelled, the people who have lived their lives in this place readily represent a goodly, broad, cross-section of those who might have influenced stories and storytellers across time. Anywhere you go in this human world, If you step through the right gateway, at the right moment in time, and if you keep your eyes and your mind open to all of life’s rich possibilities, if you let yourself see the rich reflections of the layers of lives past, and the ghosts of different times . . . The first ghost we see in the sequence is the scampering Brother Scuttle (watch this blog for little posts from the ghost of Brother Scuttle - he’s quite a character and full of interesting information). Brother Scuttle was born in 1068 and entered the Priory of Spalding when he was 15 years old. And what about that elegant lady in her cream lace gown with parasol, strolling and reading among the ancient yews? Well, she is almost certainly a ghost from the turn of the 20th century - late Victorian to early Edwardian. Don’t you love her summer hat? The next we see is a beautiful, flaxen-haired lady that we would most likely describe as “Viking” although her heritage could actually be Anglo-Saxon … as she would have been running her errands during the time of the Danelaw sometime between the mid-ninth and the mid-tenth century.
Aaah, Sense and Sensibility! See those two Regency coquettes running and giggling through the grounds! They will have had their fun around the beginning of the 1800s at the time when people like Sir Christopher Wren, Capability Brown, Wedgewood, and Chippendale were shaping things.
And keep an eye on the background - see our Edwardian Gentleman, Mr. Seaton, stroll along a rather poignant path in front of the spot where a war memorial now stands to commemorate the bravery of those involved in WWI and WWII - perhaps even his own son or grandsons. What a handsome ghost he is.
Back in time next, to some time around 1540 where we see the ghosts of two golden haired Tudor children scampering through the maze with their handsome m’ma in the background to the left and a very elegant young tudor lady strolling along behind in the far background.
Our next ghost, from around 1910 - Just look at that sumptuous Edwardian walking suit and hat (all hand stitched). What a purposeful walk she is on. I wonder where she was going . . .
My how I love the Victorian gardeners of 1890, Tom and Dan. If ever there was a story being told, I think they really appreciated the grounds around the lovely Hall and were proud to be looking after it. I wonder what they were saying?
Next . . . a little glimpse of the Victorian cook making her way to the kitchens at the back of the Hall.
It’s 1710 at the front entrance of the Hall and we see, perhaps that’s Maurice and Elizabeth Johnson sweeping through the door in their finery. Maurice was a famous antiquarian and the founder of the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society. If you don’t know about the SGS do look it up.
And finally, from around the 1860s, we see a young Isabella Johnson seeming to approve her own portrait in the library area of the Hall. She seems a little shy - for a ghost!
There were other ghosts but if we’d filmed them all then you never would get to meet Heartsfelled!! So this is our selection - people from times past. Every time has its stories and storytellers. Maybe next time!
As the film narrator says:
Anywhere you might go in this human world, If you step through the right gateway, at the right moment in time, and if you keep your eyes and your mind open to all of life’s rich possibilities, if you let yourself see the rich reflections of the layers of lives past and the ghosts of different times - then you might just come across a little bit of magic that has been spinning around our world since the very beginnings of time.
Because when time began – the Storytellers were born!
And the Story Tellers are ancient, traversing time and space and in an intricate dance all of their own. They are the keepers of Fīfmægen (fif-meyhan), that’s magical power!
The Storytellers are the keepers of fīfmægen, and it is their place in this world, to this very day, to be weaving the secrets of men and telling the magical, mythical tales of mankind.
But will you look?
Are you prepared to see into the shadows that run deep under the trappings of our modern society?
Are you prepared to listen with your heart for the voice that goes unheard?
