This film has been in production for 11 months now shooting in Brighton, Nottingham, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Paris, London, Manchester, Leeds and more in order to tell the story of this very special album.
Filming is scheduled to wrap at the end of the year before moving on to post-production. Before that there are still many interviews lined up including "George Best" backing vocalist and Talulah Gosh front-woman, Amelia Fletcher, "George Best" 20th anniversary tour (and GB30 CD) drummer, Graeme Ramsay, John Robb (The Membranes), Martin Noble (British Sea Power) and Emma Pollock (The Delgados).
The fans have also given their stories about why this album was, and remains, so special to them. I am very grateful to all those who have shared their memories on camera so far and for their enthusiasm for the film in general. Hoping to catch up with many more before and after the Leeds homecoming show.
I have interviewed all four original members of the band, including the elusive bassist, Keith Gregory. Also the current lineup, who do such an amazing job bringing the album to life in its thirtieth year, will also all tell their side of the story.
Further filming with the band will be centred on the final ever full performances of the album in Dover, Northampton, Stowmarket and Leeds, where we will be filming the show in full with multiple cameras. Which brings me to... Crowdfunding!
Up to this point the film has been entirely self-funded. It's been a fascinating journey but a physically and financially crippling one! Help will be required to get this film finished in the best way possible and in the manner that this story deserves. In addition to the final filming days and weeks there will be then be post-production costs for editing, colour grading, sound design and distribution.
Then comes the biggie... Securing the music rights.
Obviously this is integral to a music documentary but, unfortunately, with David not holding the full rights to an album made 30 years ago this is a very expensive process. I have just paid for licensing parts of the music for use in the film trailer and hopefully this will get you excited for what is to come. However the music rights costs spiral once the film becomes a feature and is distributed around the world.
Rest assured that all money raised will solely go toward finishing and distributing this film in the best way possible. This is a passion project and never intended to be a money maker. As is the norm with crowdfunding campaigns there are rewards on offer for donators and if you can help make this film in any way, however big or small, it will be appreciated enormously.
To get back to an earlier reference, one of the rewards on offer will be the full concert DVD of the final ever "George Best" performance in Leeds, the home of the band.
Sure to be an emotional night it will hopefully be something that fans will want to remember the evening by and something for fans unable to attend to console themselves with.
I have assembled the rewards in the hope that they will genuinely appeal to fans of the band and this album, but of course, if you just wish to donate to help finish the film, that will also be more than welcome. The campaign is due to launch in the week beginning November 20th.
This is a story that I am desperate to tell and one that I'm convinced a lot of people want to see. After a year of work so far it is now just about finishing it to the highest standards and getting it out to as many people as possible.
Thanks, as ever, for your continued interest in the film. It really means a lot to hear from people excited that it is being made.