noballs

Hi from Scrum Central

noballs — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:39:48 +0000

Hi I’m Barrie and I’m the production co-ordinator here at Scrum Central and thought it was more than time for my first blog!

I’ve been on the project since its inception and currently spend my days running the production office, getting in touch with various potential partners either in business or in the rugby world. As with all other feature films, there’s quite number of people going to be involved in this project and it’s wonderful to see such enthusiasm from so many people.

The best news of all is the way that people most closely associated with the game of rugby have taken this project to heart. We’ve been welcomed at matches with open arms by both university clubs and town clubs alike. This sort of cooperation can only help when it comes to authentically reproducing the sport scenes.

So it’s a big thank you rugby world – we’ll do you proud!

Sunday read through, character development and saddles.

noballs — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:16:31 +0000

So we had a read through of the script on Sunday, hosted by our good friends at Fratellis. Such table-reads are vitally important the closer we get to principal photography. Having had hundreds of read-throughs at ‘Scrum Central’ it was essential to hear our character’s voices via the talents of trained actors, rather than the dubious thespian ‘talents’ of Team No Balls (Rubes’ flawless German excepted!).

Fortunately we were very lucky to have with us Steve Dineen, Claire Ford, Lucy Walters, Danielle Nott, Jessica Leinster and Justin ‘FarOutLaw’ Gibson, who all contributed massively to a very productive and enjoyable session.

There was laughter and constructive feedback from all present, exactly what we needed at this stage of production. The notes we took away have, and will inform how we proceed with the script’s fine tuning as we work towards the final “No Balls” shooting script. These reads are always fun, informative and fruitful – and this one reinforced our belief that the characters are growing stronger and their voices distinct and clearly defined.

And so the script continues to evolve, as all other aspects of the production move in the right direction. Whether we’re ‘axing the surfboard’ or out and about on the other side of the country, you can rest assured that we’re working tirelessly to ensure “No Balls” will be THE cross-dressing rugby rom-com of 2011. Saddle up, it’s gonna be the ride of your lives!

Si.

Si writes.

noballs — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:59:58 +0000

Just a quick one to say hello. Si here, and I’m the other writer responsible for what will now be known as the “No Balls” script, or simply ‘the script’. When making a motion picture it would be true to say that a script is generally an integral part of the process, though sometimes a movie can give the impression that script was of limited importance throughout the process… but that’s another blog.

Writer/Director Martyn ‘Chalky’ Chalk and I have been working together for ‘up to 6 years’, and this is our first feature length script in production, so every day we are experiencing new and exciting challenges. And while our individual experiences so far may be Rashomon-esque in their respective perspectives, I think we both agree that we’re at the foot of a steep learning curve. Fortunately we’re surrounded by the hugely talented and motivated members of “Team No Balls” at Scrum Central, so we have little to fear as we make our way up (the metaphorical learning curve) and “No Balls” becomes movie reality.

Please do join us for the ride.

Si.

Please, Call Me Chalky.

noballs — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:05:51 +0000

Firstly thank you for stopping by the official blog for the feature film “No Balls”. I’m the writer and director and it’s my imagination that the story has come from.

It’s a story about Chris Marshall, born in Britain and educated in America and now living in Oxford the city of his birth. Lover of all things rugby. He can’t turn down a bet and foolishly accepts the challenge of getting a full game for the Oxford Ladies rugby team. Of course there is much more to the film, but really you should wait a little while and see the finished thing.

As you might imagine, I’m extremely excited about the film for many reasons. I personally love: movies, comedy, music and sport, so it makes sense that all these elements should feature. I’ve also adopted Oxford as my home town and have now lived as part of the community for over 10 years, so I could not envisage using any other location as the backdrop to this film and production.

Over the course of the next six months or so I will be telling you about the process of making the film from my point of view, good and bad, happy and hopefully not sad.

It’s a family film and we at ‘scrum central’ are a special film family. It’s going to be fun, and I’d like you to come along for the ride.

So until next time,

Chalky