Good-night, Midnight Pictures!

Andrew Harrison and I have mutually agreed to bring Midnight Pictures to a close. The surprising thing is that it was Andrew who approached me about it, whereas it’s usually me whose enthusiasm often wanes to the point of quitting. Nevertheless, his wish to end it is welcome news to me. We’ve been making films on and off for fifteen years, and we’ve both reached a point where we feel it’s either time to go professional or get out. By going pro I mean seeking investors, getting a film crew, and taking time off work to be a real film-maker. Why don’t we just keep doing what we’re doing, though? Lack of reward. I have no regrets about all the time invested in film-making, especially the recent Don’t Look in the Attic, which I think is our best ever. But there is a huge investment of time and energy with every film we make, and since we’re doing this for no financial gain, there comes a point when you say enough. For Andrew, he wants to invest more time in his family, and for me, I want to spend the next few years concentrating on my novel writing.

One of the best things to come out of the film-making for me is that I’ve been able to bring it into my job at Clounagh Junior High School. Not only do I get to run a little film-making club for the pupils, but just recently the English department has shown DLITA to the whole of Year 9 as an introduction to suspense storytelling. I had a really enjoyable time discussing the film with all the kids. And now I’m inundated with DVD requests!

I will continue to keep the Midnight Picture website alive, but my intention is to integrate it with my personal homepage, which is how things were in the very beginning.

Whilst this is the end for Midnight Pictures, it will be possible to pick things up again in the future, should we so desire.

Don’t Look in the Attic shortlisted in Guardian compo

I’ve just received news that Don’t Look in the Attic has been shortlisted into the top 10, out of 125 entries, for a movie competition run by The Guardian newspaper.

Article on Midnight Pictures in The Big Buzz magazine

Irish entertainment magazine The Big Buzz has published a piece on Midnight Pictures in their current September issue. We even got a mention on the front cover, with the phrase “Zombies in Portadown.” It’s a nice two-page spread in full colour.