Movie Tag: SendCake Films

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Awesome, thanks to Akasha Garnier who graced us with the first brilliant Movie Tag here on the blog, I was able to meet the outstandingly talented Andy of SendCake Films or as I like to call him, "Goose" :-)

His journey is simply awe-inspiring and filled with golden nuggets. ENjoy!

Meet Andy of SendCake Films

Andy’s voice makes him sound like he should be on a US TV drama series - where that Englishman is the evil villain driving a Jaguar. In the real world, he’s not a villain. Andy is fanatical about filmmaking, writing and photography, but would still quite like that Jag. He trained as a teacher and started writing a novel in the middle of his finals at university, when he couldn’t sleep. Eventually Andy moved to London for a job and took up photography. He wrote his first full-length screenplay over the course of about 7 years. While waiting for feedback on that script he got bored and decided to write and direct a short film… and so his filmmaking obsession was born.

Andy is really proud of the work he’s done with photography, where he focuses on performance and portrait work. He’s has had photographs published in various national newspapers, photography and life style magazine, theatre programs and websites. When Andy moved towards filmmaking he teamed up with the photographer who taught Andy everything he knows about taking a great photo. That photographer became Andy’s DoP for two shorts. The brief Andy gave him was ‘I want that feel and style and look you give your photographs, but moving.’ The results were fantastic. At that point Andy realized that as long as you can surround yourself with experts with a ‘can do’ attitude, you can probably do anything you set your heart on.

Andy acknowledges he really is only at the start of his adventures in filmmaking. He continues to write, produce and direct and has also started working with other writers, offering feedback and advice on their screenplays. People did so for him, so he feels it’s good and right and also fun, to pay forward the same favor.

Andy is slightly obsessed with cake. He likes to think he invented the hashtag #SendCake and #CakeJoy. The latter being what he gets from filmmaking, helping others and well… cake. The former actually now being his production company name SendCake Films.

·        What is the worst Apocalyptic scenario you have seen in movie/TV show?

The scenes in ‘Kingsman Secret Service’ where Samuel L Jackson’s character turns on the phone signal that makes people go nuts. The violence is Apocalyptic, if left unchecked. It’s terrifying. But the scene that really gets me is; where the toddler is locked in the bathroom and its nuts mother is trying to break down the door to kill her (in the style of Nicholson in ‘The Shining’). An amazing bit of writing.

·        What’s your favorite genre?

I call myself a film slut. I love everything. If I had to get specific and chose say something I’d watch on a Friday night - In film I love a good black comedy. On TV I am a huge fan of things like ‘Castle’, ‘24’, ‘The Blacklist’ and ‘Fringe’.

·        In what movie/TV series would you like to replace the main character?

Yikes. I’m not sure I could do that. If I don’t like a character it will be because someone wrote them a specific way for a specific reason. Maybe I’m not supposed to like them? I guess the only character I’d like to replace would be the beast in the fist ‘Jeepers  Creepers’. I’d never let the audience see it. The film’s opening is fantastic and scary and gripping. Right up till you see the beast… then it looses its scare.

·        Do you believe in happy endings?

Yes. Do I believe all TV or films need to end happily? No.

·        Which movie represents the best love story?

The last Toy Story film. Sometimes the best love story isn’t about boy meets girl etc etc. It can be about family and friendship, long-standing relationships and sometimes being able to let go.

·        Which movie was the Best representation of a book?

The Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte) by Michael Ende . The book was amazing – the film just beautiful.

·        What do you consider a “binge-worthy” TV series?

 HIMYM (How I met Your Mother), Bones, Fringe, Dexter.

·        Do you get emotionally attached to characters?

Yes. Both to love and hate.

·        Do you get emotional while watching TV Series or Movies?

Yes. But if you tell anyone I’ll deny everything.

·        If you had to choose a main character from a TV series/movie to come save you, who would you choose?

Raymond Reddington from ‘The Blacklist’. It would be an action fuelled rescue but there’d be cigars and luxury at the end.

·        Who was your childhood Hollywood crush?

 Daphne Zuniga as seen in ‘The Sure Thing’ with John Cusack.

·        Which popular shows do you think are overrated?

Don’t hate me – Game of Thrones.  I turn over when it comes on.

·        Which movie/TV series centralized around one of your favorite cars??

Has to be ‘Knight Rider’ – who wouldn’t want a Kit looking after you?

·        Which movie do you think deserves a sequel the most?

Spies Like Us. If it could be as amazing as the first… which I doubt. I’m not a big fan of sequels.

·        Which movie would you like to see a prequel of?

Inception – though again I doubt it could be as good. Not a fan again. It’s normally only about making money at this point.. is how I feel anyway.

·        Which TV series would you love to revive?

"The Professionals" (1977 TV series in the UK). Just simple cops and bad guys lead by three contrasting characters. Great stuff.

·        What’s your favorite mythical creature / monster from movie / TV series?

The thing in John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’. First horror I saw when underaged. Scared the hell out of me.

·        Who’s your favorite director?

Paul Greengrass - Recently directed Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks

·        Do you prefer older movies or movies with a lot of CGI?

I don’t really mind. Bad CGI ruins a film, though. I think I prefer older movies – if that means story driven ones.

·        Who’s your favorite actor?

Javier Bardem. His acting ability is phenomenal. I’d love to write something for him one day!

·         Which Indie Movie is your favorite & why?

‘My First Mister’. A simple but real life concept-driven film, amazing acting, a story line you can relate to and no CGI. A wonderful example of what indie cinema could be like.

·        If you had just One message, One Golden nugget to share with other Adventurers/Writers out there. What would that be?

Stop planning. Start doing.

Quickfire:

24.  Movie vs. TV Series

Movies

25. Anime vs. Reality TV

Anime

26. Antique road show vs. Car show (Top Gear)

Car Show

27. Horror vs. Comedy

Comedy

28. Superman vs. Ironman

Iron Man

29. Charlie Chaplin vs Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey

Read this:

Exciting News from Andy:

We’ve just gone into preproduction on the film that took me 7 years to write, which is very exciting. I say we – the company who helped produce my first short – SevenSeas Productions in Canada in the form of James Highet is producing it and I am doing my best to help! I decided not to direct it as I think to raise the money we’d need to get it made, investors would need a more experienced director. We found a talented theatre and film director called Ian Hylands to direct.

It’s a British romcom called PhatNav. It’s about a withdrawn, shy and anonymous voice over artist (with the most heard voice in the world) who falls in love with a free-spirited heiress, who in turn is being pursued by a sleazy fortune hunter.

It’s similar in style to ‘Notting Hill’.

At this stage we have found couple of very talented actors for supporting roles, an experienced casting director in Canada (Tamara Shelley of TLS Casting) and a 2016 Oscar nominated producer who seem to be interested in helping us get the project going - which is fantastic. We just started looking for a lead actor – where the voice will be paramount – and other support cast. We’ve a big social media campaign planned, including chances to make some big decisions for us and to win days on set watching filming.

Overall – it’s slightly terrifying. But I’m trying to learn from my short experience thus far in filmmaking and surrounding myself by experts who are unconscious competent: Those who know what they are doing, without having to think about it.

Follow SendCake Films:

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Bonus Question!

Thanks to a Brilliant suggest from Christine Tatum over at 200 Saturdays Until Paris

We forgot to ask Andy the most important question:

·         What is your Favorit Cake?

I love all cake... But chocolate cake. The gooier the better, would be at the top of the top. The top gun of cake.. The best of the best :-)

Though it's more the dream of the perfect cake of which my life is an endless search! Haha!

Made by Andy's wife for his Birthday

Chocolate cake, chocolate & jelly filling, chocolate fingers around the outside, chocolate icing on top of a layer of peanut butter M&Ms with more pbutter M&Ms you can see on top! Pure chocolate sugar rush!

~Be Kind To One Another~ Ellen Degeneres