September 12 2011
“My @thisisthirdstar DVD has shipped this morning. All is beautiful.” @linnetdust, Twitter
Third Star was the first film we made at Western Edge Pictures. It was my first time being on a film set where it was my name above the door. I loved it. For all the adventures it lead to…
There are LOTS more Third Star behind-the-scenes adventures with Tom, Benedict, JJ, Adam and my amazing crew, but there are also many interesting (screenwriter and producer) forrays cropping up, as I move on to the next films with my team. It’s time to mix in the current with the retrospective. So, just because the DVD is coming out, don’t think I’m leaving Barafundle Bay behind.
I love that this part of my career began with Third Star. The film was all heart from the beginning, sitting alone in my study, and continued to be both inspiring and gut wrenching as we trekked through raising the finance, on through production and right through the release. Sure, it was tough at times, but I also had the time of my life and made so many friends I will have forever. That’s the real joy of the film business I think.
I am posting a link to the ‘shooting script’ – ThirdStar_Script_Draft19. For those who are keen enough to inclined to read it, you’ll see there are some scenes in there that didn’t make the final cut. In some cases this is a shame, in others I’m so glad they never made it. But here it is warts and all. “The past is a foreign country…” I wrote differently there.
Anyway, I know there are some writers following this who may find that interesting. It’s draft 19 which, actually, wasn’t the last but it’s not too dissimilar from the first… long before Barafundle Bay became Third Star…
After getting its premiere as the closing Night Gala film of the Edinburgh International Film Festival in the summer of 2010, Third Star was released theatrically in London and Cardiff on May 20 2011. From that moment the strength of the passionate support that existed from the fans of the film seemed to take over. And we were astounded.
Due to fan demand it was held over at the Empire Leicester Square, then rolled out regionally in the UK and also played at over 40 screens – from NYC to New Orleans – in the USA as part of the “From Britain with Love” program. In many cases it was booked thanks to the fans who followed us via on Twitter and Facebook who lobbied their local cinemas to show the film.
Third Star is a small film about big ideas. We built it on a lightweight budget, but with ultimate faith in our heavyweight cast. The reward for our belief in the film and for the efforts it took to bring it to the screen was in the unprecedented demand from the ever-faithful fans.
I f you were one of them – Thank You. Thank you so much. I can say with all honesty that as a demographic, we soon found out that you are intelligent and actually really… nice. There’s no better word for it! We also learned quickly that you’re really knowledgeable about all the things we really like too…
We have been inspired by you – and releasing Third Star has lead us to develop a slate of projects we believe you will love, and also to find ways that you can be involved from as EARLY in the process as possible in making those films and bringing them to you.
We loved having you around – and we hope you will all come with us on our next adventures.
mug7 
I didn’t get to see the film. The perils of living in the US: a very strict schedule of the screenings. I hope a distributor has picked it up, even just as a dvd release. I read the script, and I have no idea what’s changed and what hasn’t. What I know is this: It is right and true. It is funny and shockingly blunt, and it has the texture of reality.
Too much reality, perhaps. As I type this, I’m a tear-stained and silently sobbing mess. I have been a carer for 22 years, since I was 16. My gran, (Alzheimer’s) was terminal. Mum isn’t, yet. I want to stop myself right now and say, “This is too personal, there is no reason to give this information to someone I don’t know.” Except, there is: life can be amazing and it can be casually brutal and there aren’t always happy endings. Few films tell that story in ways that aren’t sweepingly heroic. This script does. This is the mundane and brilliant complexity of being human. Thank you, for that.
At a ridiculously young age, I confronted the idea of quality of life and what that really means. Where are the limits and boundaries when the loss of personality, independence, or the omnipresent and overwhelming physical pain mean that there is only one word left, “Enough?” Thank you for treating life as something that matters as a tangible thing. It is so very, very rare. I’m willing to hack my dvd player and get friends to mail me the dvd from the UK if I must, because even though it will destroy me – again, it will be worth it to see it. Bravo.
September 16, 2011 at 3:39 am
Finally got my DVD today and watched it instantly- with the film via projector brought to my living room wall- which was the best decision. It’s so beautiful shot one should watch it on a big screen. It was absolutely perfect, I m still shaking a bit from crying unashemdly for the last 20 minutes. I enjoyed every minute, every single frame, the music, the beautiful landscape, the light and most of all the amazing performances and the great plot. Epic. Thank you for this wonderful film. I hope you get a lot of DVD sales on this, you deserve it so much. And of course I m looking forward to your next projects.
September 16, 2011 at 10:33 pm
I like seeing the script. Looking forward to future scripts of yours. 🙂
September 21, 2011 at 5:36 am
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