Previous Posts Goth Cruise (the movie) is done and dusted Love Takes hits Missoula Montana, and the Big Sky ... Goth Cruise the movie morning make up Stupid o clock, Vancouver airport Half hearted upgrade Goths, Lemon tops and Dessie the Egyptian Pantomim... Horror Widow Painful joints, disturbing props and an indestruct... Dot to dot daddy - Archives - January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 January 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 October 2005 November 2005 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 October 2007 January 2008 June 2008 About About Me Name: Jeanie Finlay Location: Nottingham, United Kingdom I'm an artist and film-maker based in Nottingham, UK. I like making documentaries about small stories and taking photos of strangers. I love karaoke, cooking and my family. I have more shoes than I need. View my complete profile Blogs Adventures in Uncinema (Sheil's Blog) Gareth's Doodles Tales from the Pie 'n' Mash Tales from the rural laptop Troubled Diva Love, like or hate? Loves Cocktail rings Skype New wireless laptop Swimming The Shangri La's Bobby Gentry The Be Good Tanyas Likes Green Tea Little Edie Beale Hates Beat the burglar Zombie films Freezing rain Evil traffic wardens Ruby Sites Ruby Teenland Teenland Myspace Love Takes When was...? Home-Maker Luna Skymirror Playground Top Sites Flickr Popbitch Myspace Rhizome Zanni Somewhere Binary Playground Lomo Chris Cooke director's diary Top TV Nighty Night Curb your Enthusiasm Films The Philadelphia Story Unmade Beds Heaven Black Narcissus In the mood for love Donnie Darko Rushmore Gallivant Festen Battle Royale The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Ferris Bueller's Day off Pretty in Pink Sound of Music Contact contact me by sending an email to blog *at* ruby-online.co.uk

Goth Cruise (the movie) Trailer from jeanie finlay on Vimeo.

posted by Jeanie Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | 0 comments

If all the technology has joined up than this rather more general blog will be post on the page for my film Love Takes which will be getting it's Montana Premiere in February 17th at the historic Wilma theatre.

Love Takes is the first 'proper' film that I ever made after years of skulking around galleries and tinkering with large projections. By proper I mean that you can watch it in a cinema and it has a beginning and an end, basic criteria I know but other work I had made prior to this was much more experimental or non linear and much more in the art camp.

I really like this film, shooting it on my own and with my partner and DOP Steven Sheil was very liberating; It made me feel that film-making was an exciting medium and I could just go out with my wee mini dv camera, be with people and maybe capture something that could be moving or give a glimmer into somone else's life.



I've continued this love of portraiture and trying to capture this 'intimate something' in my two subsequent projects. 60 minute Teenland for BBC4 which showed at Big Sky in 2006 and my first feature "Goth Cruise" for IFC, which is as we speak almost, almost complete and heading for post production.

It's been a terrifyingly quick jump from 10 minutes in 2003 with Love Takes, 60 mins in 2006 with Teenland and 80 minutes in 2008 with Goth Cruise but I hope there's a line that runs through all the work holding it together. It's just the telling is bigger!

I'm still umming and aahing as to whether to make the 3 flights out to Missoula from the UK. My visit in 2007 was amazing, my first trip to the States and like a breath of fresh air, literally. I saw amazing films, met great people and got to walk in the steps of David Lynch (his home town) and couldn't help but see Twin peaks everywhere I looked. The post schedule on Goth Cruise make mean that it is impossible and if this is the case I will have to cross everything that this film makes it out as I really want to go to Big Sky again.

Watch this space.

posted by Jeanie Saturday, January 26, 2008 | 0 comments

5 days to go until the main Goth Cruise shoot starts in NYC, then it's 5 days at sea sailing from New Jersey to Bermuda. I've set up a new blog so follow the journey here - www.gothcruisethemovie.com. Wishe me luck, I'm going to need it!

Labels: Goth Cruise

posted by Jeanie Wednesday, October 10, 2007 | 0 comments

morning make up, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Creature Features, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

cyber goth at the Hilton, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Cyber pair, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

posted by Jeanie Saturday, May 26, 2007 | 1 comments

Wednesday 23 May

I got in at 8pm, met paul Joyce, Nige and wee Finn at the airport then had a whistle stop tour of downtown Vancouver. My brother being a chef, delicious food was almost compulsory.

My brother is head chef at the Alibi rooms which is run by his school friend Nige and is really well known in Vancouver. Aparently Skinny Puppy (Vancouver Goth Royalty) were in there all the time when they were recording their last album so I’m hoping to let them know that if I get to meet them. A kind of reference if you like.

Being out with them at a new bar was like going out with Norm from cheers - either everyone knows each other in the bar world or Vancouver is a very tight town. Some lovely wine which felt like (at about 7.30am GMT) about 45.% proof, goats cheese cake and I was ready for my 3 hours sleep before I had to be back at the airport.

So I'm here waiting for my Portland flight and everything looks very shiny - how the hell I’m going to last to 2am when the planned party ends I don’t know, hey I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

posted by Jeanie Wednesday, May 23, 2007 | 0 comments

Tuesday 22 May 2007-05-22

Well, one delayed visa and passport, one missed flight, and I'm finally sitting in Business class, 3 glasses of wine and a vodka and tonic down the line on my way to Vancouver trying to put all the dramas of the last week behind me. My last minute booking wasn't processed correctly so I earnt a last minute/half hearted upgrade from Globespan - the easy jet of long haul. This included a massive reclining seat - fantastic, but the exclusion of the gourmet Business class meals, apparently there wasn't the cutlery! So while my fellow passengers ate a deli counter platter, scone and fine wine at tea time I had a cheese torpedo and a mars bar. The disparaty between our meals made it all the more depressing. I never usually drink on flights but the stream of complimentary beverages is certainly helping the flight go quicker, if not better written or better catered.

I'm off to the states for a week of shooting for the pilot of Goth Cruise, pausing briefly in Vancouver for a wee stop off with my brother. The passport delays - omg, six hours waiting in the US Embassy for an interview, then incomplete paperwork meant that I've spent the last week haranguing the poor staff at Broadway - has my visa arrived, has my passport got here? Then on Friday the inevitable happened – it was nowhere to be seen - the courier company blamed the embassy and vice veca, I missed my Sunday flight and I went into crisis talks with my DOP Mark about whether he could conduct interviews on my behalf. For a controlled (freak) director such as myself the idea of directing by email was stressful beyond belief. This is no 'War Tapes' (where the director sent instructions via email) I want to be there to help frame up the shots and get to meet the people I have been talking to on the phone in person for so many months.

So, all that is behind me now, I am officially a 'journalist' and will be meeting and filming people going on the Goth Cruise in October in a cross country sprint encompassing 7 flights and 3 cities - Portland Oregon, Tampa bay, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina.

This will be the second half of the Goth Cruise shoot; the first was attending Whitby Goth Weekend about a month ago. I think that shoot was the most fun I have had as a filmmaker - we met fantastic people, everyone, bar one 'gothier than thou' media-shy paranoid woman everyone else was amazing. Generous, interesting and most importantly for a documentary willing and enthusiastic about talking on camera and being filmed.

Whitby is one of my favourite places in the UK anyway and the sight of the town overrun by Edwardian and Victorian suited and booted peacocks and elegant dandies made me feel like I was watching a party I really wanted to attend. I know some of the hardcore Goths will disagree and say that Whitby is turning into a fancy dress festival but I really loved the dressing up and sheer exhibitionism.

First USA stop off is Portland for the annual Convergence festival. Misery Tree has arranged press laminates for us so I am looking forward to getting that all important night time filming action, let's hope the pag lights hold out. I'm hoping that (apparently media shy) Goth royalty Skinny Puppy will allow us to film their performance. I will find out when we get there. I'm crossing everything, as I really want that 'Gimme Shelter' shot from behind the stage, through the band of the crowd. Here's hoping.

posted by Jeanie Wednesday, May 23, 2007 | 0 comments

12 year old goth with red parasol, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

The Gypsy Adviser, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

DSC_0079.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Christine and Paul the zombie hearse drivers, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Max and Danny at the Abbey, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: filming, goths, international documentary challenge, whitby, Whitby goth weekend

posted by Jeanie Tuesday, May 01, 2007 | 0 comments

It's been a strange few weeks - I've moved offices, hurrah we have light!, been trying to plan a shoot at Whitby Goth weekend and a trip encompassing 4 American and Canadian cities in 10 days for my new project with Tigerlily; Goth Cruise. To top it all I have officially become a horror widow.

Sheil is now on his third week of shooting his feature horror Mum and Dad, which has been tiring and draining all round for lots of different reasons. For Steven, the insanity of keeping the script in his head and dealing with, special effects, actors, a crew of 33 and a punishing schedule. For me, trying to plan my own feature doc while doing most of the childcare and Betsy's chosen phrase for April is BUT WHY?

Sheil has been leaving and returning to the house at stupid o' clock so on some days she's barely seen a glimpse of him, so I've been taking her down to the set some days at lunchtime. This has been fraught with the possibility that Betsy might glimpse a severed hand, naked male torso, blood in bags or any amount of other unsavoury props that would take an awful lot of explaining and are not at all suitable for a 3 year old's eyes.

Meeting the actors has been odd, it is fair to say that the script contains some very disturbing scenes and they keep asking me the same question - 'what's it like living with him?', as if they can't seperate the gruesome horror from the calm father that does half the childcare and likes comic books and car boot sales. Alex Thomson, sound recordist extrordonaire and my sister's boyfriend felt quite weird after reading the script, said it showed S in a completely new light. God knows what the press are going to make of it - Empire Magazine and The Times were down yesterday with one interview going down the 'torture pornography' route.

Sheil's official line is 'it's better out than in' and I tell people that sometimes it's like living with the love child of Charlie Brooker and Dario Argento, because sometimes it is.

Labels: goths, horror, mum and dad, sheil

posted by Jeanie Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | 0 comments

Painful joints, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

I'm not quite sure what's more disturbing - the fact that this is a prop in the film my partner and father of my child is making 'Mum and Dad' or that my youngest cousin Simon made it for him.

In the sound room, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

On the set of 'Mum and Dad' Betsy and I listen to the pre roll action.

Greenich has an indestructable head, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Greenich tries out the rubber mallet in my cousin Simon's sfx room.

Labels: film, horror, mum and dad, props, sheil

posted by Jeanie Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | 0 comments

Dot to dot daddy, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: daddy, sheil

posted by Jeanie Saturday, April 14, 2007 | 0 comments

Ellie carries all the champagne and rose, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Ellie carries all the champagne and rosettes and publications and papers from the studio to the train. Henweekend has started.

Labels: ellie harrison, hen weekend

posted by Jeanie Friday, March 30, 2007 | 0 comments

My daughter has been suffering with the ear infection from Hell this week so I've been watching more Cebeebies than is healthy. That includes this new programme from Ragdoll (the makers of Tellytubbies) In the night garden which is the most truly surreal programme I've ever seen on TV. Betsy, of course loves it.

Labels: betsy, in the night garden, surreal, tv

posted by Jeanie Thursday, March 29, 2007 | 1 comments

Matching pink stetsons - Belinda and Clara, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Jeanie and Clara - sisters, loving the Dolly, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

On Saturday a little piece of Vegas glamour (about 5ft) came to Sheffield in the shape of the rhinestone goddess Dolly Parton. From the opening bars of Hello Dolly when she ascended the gold and sparkly staircase like Kylie's godmother it was a fantastic show. The first half was dominated by her bluegrass back catalogue and she let Jolene out of the bag staggeringly early - third in the set. There was an audible intake of breath when the familiar opening bars of Jolene started up so early. Dolly interspersed all of her songs with the personable patter we've all come to expect - "thanks for buying your tickets this evening, I need the money, it takes a lot to look this cheap etc" If you watch the clip from about 30 years ago (below) much of the patter is the same but I doubt I would have been alone in being disappointed if she hadn't talked the talk.

One of the oddest things about the show was the lack of close ups on the big screens. The backing singers and the 10 piece band were shown in close up glory but Dolly always remained in a wide shot and she was forever a shiny, tiny outline. Some online rumors have suggested that this was to cover up the fact that she was miming, and if she was I don't really want to know, but the largely acopella version of Little Sparrow proved the strength of her voice. I suspect it was good old vanity and an over enthusiasm for the surgeons knife that kept the close ups away.

For the second half Dolly changed into a yellow pant suit, like Kill Bill does Country and rattled through all the favourites and the mixed crowd of Dolly lookalikes, older lesbians, Yorkshire cowboys and everyone in between lapped it up. I loved it all and bought my obligatory tour t shirt for the gym. Not sure whether wearing Dolly Parton in pink glitter emblazoned across my breasts is a great look for passing incognito in spinning class, but hey Dolly had sparkles on everything.

Labels: country, dolly parton, music, stetson

posted by Jeanie Sunday, March 25, 2007 | 1 comments

I've just heard this cover of the Smiths by Mark Ronson, now I don't want to come over all Smiths purist but frankly I feel soiled, shudder.

Labels: music, smiths

posted by Jeanie Friday, March 23, 2007 | 0 comments

Only 2 days till Dolly at Sheffield Arena - to say I'm excited is a total understatement. The Woman is a legend in her own Rhinestones, hmm should I wear my genuine Montana Stetson or not....

Especially for Gareth here is a picture of the lovely lady.

Labels: dolly parton, stetson

posted by Jeanie Thursday, March 22, 2007 | 1 comments

Gothy Bento, originally uploaded by veggiekitty.

posted by Jeanie Thursday, March 15, 2007 | 0 comments

Betsy Miller, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Aah, the neverending glamour of life in Nottingham!

Only joking, here's Betsy at the foot of Green's Windmill in Sneinton where she was convinced that princesses lived, until we met the dusty, beardy man who mills the flour.

The original Windy Miller, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Nottingham City caught in the sails, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: nottingham, windmill

posted by Jeanie Wednesday, March 07, 2007 | 0 comments

Sent to coventry, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Spent the day in Coventry with Anna from Broadway on an Independent Cinema Office training day. Tried explaining the phrase 'being sent to Coventry' to German Anna, but not sure the translation was quite right.

Highlight was seeing Rabbit by Run Wrake, a short for Animate. Must get it for Broadway.



3 trains home, then on to Angel Row for hangover inducing private view wine and old faces.

Labels: animation, coventry, rabbit, train, training

posted by Jeanie Saturday, March 03, 2007 | 0 comments

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2, originally uploaded by love not fear.

Just found this photo on Flickr - I was in the film at this point and had no idea how busy this 'blockbuster' was. Wonderful photo.

Labels: big sky, missoula, wilma

posted by Jeanie Friday, February 23, 2007 | 0 comments

26 hours of travelling - 1 yellow cab, 3 flights, 2 trains and 1 black cab and I'm back in rainy but green Nottingham. Sheil and Betsy were in London and they managed to change their train so we could all travel back to Nottingham together which was lovely. Sunglasses were obligiatory by this stage as the jet lag was really starting to kick in and everything had gone a wee bit shiny.

DSC00372.JPG, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

So was it worth the long trip out to Missoula - absolutely, definetly. Would I do it again? in a second.

I met the nicest people, saw some great films, got valuable feedback on Teenland, got to see a whole new part of the world - a very beautiful part of the world - and sealed my determination in making another film. I don't think you can say fairer than that, oh and got a really great stetson and cowboy boots for my baby.

Here is a non-exhaustive lists of Do's and Don'ts of festival trips
Take lots of Berocca and try and eat / sleep well or you will in no fit state for anything
Try and see as many films as possible but don't be afraid to miss films for dinner / drinks. Socialising is as important as film watching.
Make time to look round the town and locale, don't just see the inside of a cinema.
Take a large poster - A1 at least. I really regret the tiny A3 posters we took, although budget dictated the size.
If you can, put up loads of publicity materials for your film before your screening / flyer the local area, you never know who might see them.
Take at least 25 screeners - you will get rid of them all.
Do ask festivals if they will consider waiving the submission fee.
Subtitle difficult regional accents - even if you think the English is comprehendible.
If your film is showing at the wrong aspect ratio get up and tell the projectionist there and then, during the screening.
Take more postcards than you think you'll need and make sure they have website / contact details on them
Take less clothes - I always over pack
Don't bother with a camera - just take a camera phone - I'm loving my Sony K800i which I have used in this trip with built in supershot camera.
Don't be afraid to give your film to people and ask for feedback.
Try and blog in the present!
Take a small hand luggage suitcase and pack extra clothes in it in case you are stranded in an airport without luggage.
Buy roaming wireless minutes for the airport.

DSC00366.JPG, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Heathrow, at last

DSC00364.JPG, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Missoula Airport

Labels: betsy, big sky, jet lag, train

posted by Jeanie Wednesday, February 21, 2007 | 0 comments

Stuart, Mike and Doug - Big Sky, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Labels: big sky, drinking, missoula

posted by Jeanie Tuesday, February 20, 2007 | 0 comments

the wilma, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

The world famous Wilma W, star of the Big Sky trailers

Next up was the evening Shorts programme.

An incomprehensible but beautiful Australian film Dig (made me wish I'd shown the subtitled teenland again as I couldn't understand a word of the thick Australian voice over).

Next was Memento: a boulder life line, which was a shot on film, crane shot heavy, boulder climbing film. It was absolutely stunning but the length (44mins) was about 10 times too long and the Red Bull product placement got to be hilarious. Climber reclines back for a relaxing sip of the highly charged caffeine drink, wearing his matching logo laden hat and trousers before he attempts to conquer another challenging boulder. You could here the whispers in the audience - how'd they afford that crane crew and the film? then the logo would come clearly into shot and the answer was obvious.

Next was Silences, one of my favourite films of the festival. The beautifully told story of the bi-racial director trying to get to the bottom of his untold history. A fantastic portrait and moving story told with sensitivity.

Then Stewart's film In the glow about blank billboards which had some very memorable shots of thousands of insects hurtling towards a huge white light. I was desperate to interrupt Stewart's Q and A with the question - how many teeth do you have? a continuation of a running joke. His friend is a stand up and will tell this joke until no one laughs - I have 1000 teeth, no 36, no, no no, 90, no 35...etc it doesn't really translate but Mike has an injury on his head that he got from hitting his head on the table he was laughing at it so hard last night.

We then found fine dining in Missoula with gourmet dinner at Scotties, all served by a very brusque waitress who had the unfortunate habit of brushing customers with her breasts.

scotties, last night meal, missoula, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Scotties, last night meal, missoula

I sat next to veteran filmmakerSteve James at dinner (Hoop Dreams, Stevie and the war tapes) who was very interesting about IFC (who my new project may be funded by) and his new project about the death penalty. He took a copy of Teenland and promised to give me some feedback and any ideas of places it could play.

By the time we hit the bar, the Old Post, everyone was in high spirits- the old drinking at altitude chestnut! Pretty much most of the festival had made it over and we took over most of the bar. I started to realise that there was a genuine buzz about Teenland - one guy said "oh, you're the Teenland Girl, everyone's talking about that film, there was someone talking about it when I got to the airport" which was very heartening and shows that even though I had only 60 (at most) people at my screening that word of mouth is a very powerful thing. One of the key things I wanted from this trip was to get direct feedback about my film nd I think I have more than achieved that. feedback I have got includes: "unusual, unconventional, moving, beautiful, insightful, surprising, untraditional film-making" which is all good (noone gives bad feedback to your face, do they?) and reassures me that there is an audience for my work.

bigsky, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Mountains hiding behind the fire escape.

bigsky01 - 12.jpg, originally uploaded by Jeanie Queenie.

Teenland poster spotted on the Hip strip.

Labels: big sky, missoula, steve james

posted by Jeanie Tuesday, February 20, 2007 | 0 comments