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 .....
Follow our blog to see what we get up to!
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.
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.
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 :)
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...
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.
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?
Wowza! Today I got a sneak preview of one of the bespoke masks for one of our demons. This is the second demon costume to come together (you've seen the preview of the first one modelled by beautiful Amy, in an earlier post).
It's so exciting to see such craftsmanship and to know that your characters are going to come to life and look so good. The demon battles are going to be amazing, I cannot wait until filming starts this summer.
Don't forget you can pre-order dvd or book or both, or get yourself an exclusive T shirt or sweatshirt and at the same time be supporting this project just go to - https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/heartsfelled
The Great Thirsty Higghorþ under design
in the workshops of Barefoot Leather.
