Forget Me Not at LIFF 2010

'Forget Me Not' won 'Best Film' award at LIFF 2010!

Here's a review in Screen Daily by Mark Adams, chief film critic: Forget Me Not - SCREENDAILY

Recording at Abbey Road Studio 2 with Hugo Degenhardt

I spent Good Friday laying down backing tracks for a project I'm producing for 615 Music, Nashville. Working with a fantastic drummer named Hugo Degenhardt and an ace engineer Nick Taylor, we had the wonderful privilege of recording in Studio 2 where The Beatles did most of their recording. Using vintage mics (Blumlein, Coles, C12, U47s) Nick got an awesome sound!
Here's a little film of Hugo and I putting one of the backing tracks down:

Mary Leay's website goes live!

We're getting closer by the day.... Mary's album is nearing completion and her website is now online.

There's also a very cool little film made by John Mills (Director on 'Live From Abbey Road' seies / C4) about Mary, made at Wincraft Studio where we've recorded all the material. The features the core team of James Towler (Engineer/Co-Producer), Miles Bould (Drums) and yours truly. We're working on  tune that features Jane Fenton, a wondeful Cellist I've known for many years.
Check it out!
Mary Leay recording at Wincraft

'The Definitive Biography' of Ian Dury (by Will Birch)

Just finished chapter 3 of this book - fascinating and engrossing...

Will Birch, the author, did an incredible amount of detailed research - he even sought me out to get my perspective regarding the 2 year period Ian and I worked together on the album '4,000 Weeks Holiday'.

The book launch party was at the Groucho club on the 27th Jan - and it was a entertaining trip down a rather misty memory lane. I met up with some people I hadn't seen for a very long.... so long actually, I'm not going to say! Mari Wilson, Jenny Cotton, Ed Speight, Chaz Jankel, Terry Davies, Andrew King, Tracey MacLeod...Baxter turned up very late too.
It was a lovely reunion...all of us graduates of the 'Dury Experience'. Fond memories and stories were shared. A good night!
Here's a picture of me and Will Birch at the party (photo by Terry Lott)

At the Dub for 'Just Ines', at The Korda Theatre, Shepperton

Right now I'm sitting in a very cosy couch in the Korda Theatre, Shepperton Studios...nice! Smart move these cosy couches... 
It's been an intense, but satisfyingly creative 3 weeks since I first watched the fine cut of 'Just Ines', Marcel Grant's 3rd feature film which stars French actress Caroline Ducey (Romance).


The editor, Kant Pan (The Crying Game), who I met while working on a  film we did during summer 2009 called 'Forget Me Not', phoned me up a week before Christmas and invited me in to meet Marcel. 
After watching the film, I did a few demos that Marcel liked, and he asked me to score the movie. 
(In photo, left to right: Kant, Mike and Marcel at Korda)

I mixed the music in 5.1 with James Towler at Steve Winwood's Studio in the Cotswolds, Wincraft - and it's sounding great here in the Korda!
(Mike and James outside the doorway into Wincraft Studio - the snow was beautiful!)

At Miloco Studio (The Pool) recording strings on my score for 'Just Ines' (Director Marcel Grant)

I got a great Xmas present from my lovely Tracey - a FlipHD pocket camera!
Here's a short clip of me working with a great friend and wonderful cellist, Jane Fenton, with James Towler engineering and our assistant, Joe.

Apple Store Talk on 'Me and Orson Welles'

On Tuesday I did a talk at the Apple Store, Regents Street, about the process that took place while working on 'Me and Orson Welles'. They have a great series of talks with film makers and creatives - all free, on a first come, first serve basis. Go Apple Mac!!!

I had a lot of fun and it was well attended. Robin Lingwood organised it on the recommendation of one of my star pupils from Royal College of Music, Anne Chmelewsky, who incidentally has a credit on the film for her work helping me prepare parts and scores (thanks Anne!). Anne was there with another talented composer I taught, Maria Vatenia. It was nice to see some familiar faces and have some interesting, probing questions.

Darren Millard was  great help setting me up, copying my Keynote document and plugging me into the 'system' there - very together and well organised (am I surprised? Absolutely not! This is Apple we're talking about. I'd never use any other computer!). So thanks goes out to Darren.
Also, my Dad, Joseph P McEvoy, was there - as was my wife Tracey. My Dad has his book coming out on Constable Robinson on January 20th 2010 - 'A Brief History of the Universe' (from Ancient Babylon to the Big Bang), and I got an advance copy after the talk...a little light Christmas reading-:)

Thanks also to all the other people who came along - Segun, Egberto, and a special big thanks goes out to Olivia Dixon and Steve Molesworth from the 'Screen Music Network' who helped promote the event for me...nice one guys!