This morning, BAFTA HQ was the place to be as the final five were announced for the 2012 Orange BAFTA Rising Star Award. A panel of 13 people including Simon Pegg, Sienna Miller and Harry Potter Director David Yates scoured the globe for those rising stars and came up with  list of 8 including Adam Deacon, Chris Hemsworth, Felicity Jones, Tom Hiddleston, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris O’Dowd, Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. It was your turn to whittle that list down even further and below are you final 5. The next job you have is to get that list down to the main winner and you can do that by voting here.

The final five are:

Adam Deacon, Chris Hemsworth, Chris O’Dowd, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston!

Let us know what you think of that list in the comments section below. Strikes me that no women made the final five and I’m very surprised not to see Jennifer Lawrence make the list. You can now vote for your favourite here.

Ben Mortimer is currently our man on the ground at BAFTA HQ and will hopefully be talking with three of the five who are in attendance launch event today.

When it comes to the BAFTA Awards, as you probably know from last year, we like to go all out and will cover every inch of it if we can. The final winner is announced at the Orange British Academy Film Awards on Sunday 13 February 2012.

NOMINEES ARE UNVEILED FOR

THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD IN 2012

• The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award is the only award at the Orange British Academy Film Awards to be voted for by the British public
• Orange Wednesdays customers have selected the shortlist of five from a long list of eight determined by the award jurors
• The winner will be announced at the awards on 12 February 2012
• Previous winners include: James McAvoy, Eva Green, Shia LaBeouf, Noel Clarke, Kristen Stewart and Tom Hardy

London 11 January 2012. Today at BAFTA’s headquarters, Pippa Harris, award jury chair, Deputy Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee and producing partner of Sam Mendes, announced the hotly anticipated nominees for the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award 2012 as selected by Orange Wednesdays customers from a long-list of eight. The nominations recognise five international actors and actresses whose talent has captured the imagination of the British public. The nominees are:

• ADAM DEACON – Hackney-born Adam rose to fame in Noel Clarke’s KIDULTHOOD, before reprising the role in the follow-up ADULTHOOD and again working with Clarke in 4321. Adam then went onto make his own mark on the film industry by co-writing, directing and starring in Brit comedy and box office success ANUVAHOOD.
• CHRIS HEMSWORTH – Australian actor Chris became an overnight success after landing the title role in film version of the Marvel comic THOR and he will reprise the role in
• THE AVENGERS next year. Chris is next starring in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN opposite Kirsten Stewart and Charlize Theron and will play Formula One driver James Hunt in Ron Howard’s RUSH.
• CHRIS O’DOWD – Chris began his career in the cult comedy series THE IT CROWD before breaking into film with roles including THE BOAT THAT ROCKED, GULLIVER’S TRAVELS and hugely successful BRIDESMAIDS. Chris will next be seen in Judd Apatow’s THIS IS 40 alongside Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann.
• EDDIE REDMAYNE – After receiving much critical acclaim on the West End and Broadway stage Eddie burst onto the film scene in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN alongside Michelle Williams, Dame Judy Dench and Kenneth Branagh. He recently finished filming BIRDSONG the BBC adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Sebastian Faulks and will soon be starring in the film version of the musical LES MISÉRABLES.
• TOM HIDDLESTON – RADA graduate Tom broke onto the big screen earlier this year in Kenneth Branagh’s THOR. Tom’s recent projects include Woody Allen’s film MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Steven Spielberg’s WAR HORSE, and THE DEEP BLUE SEA opposite Rachel Weisz. Tom has recently finished filming THE AVENGERS which is due for release in May 2012.

Orange’s accolade for up and coming talent is the only award at the Orange British Academy Film Awards to be voted for by the public. Voting takes place both at orange.co.uk/bafta and via text*. The winner will be announced at the star-studded Orange British Academy Film Awards on Sunday 12 February 2012.

Now in its seventh year, the award has set a standard for identifying talent destined for super-stardom. Previous winners include James McAvoy in 2006, Eva Green in 2007, Shia LaBeouf in 2008, Noel Clarke in 2009, Kristen Stewart in 2010 and Tom Hardy in 2011.

Potential rising stars were proposed by BAFTA members and leading film industry insiders to create an initial list of contenders who have appeared in one or more feature films, with at least one of those films released in the current awards year, 1 January to 31 December 2011. The jury for the award featured a raft of leading figures from across the film industry, including actors Simon Pegg and Sienna Miller, jury chair Pippa Harris, producing partner of Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, Jarhead), four-time Harry Potter director David Yates, producer Allon Reich (28 Weeks Later, The History Boys, The Last King of Scotland), casting director Nina Gold (The King’s Speech) and film publicist Kate Lee. These jurors whittled down the names to a long list of eight. These eight were then voted on by Orange Wednesdays customers, who have determined the final five that will now be voted for by the public.

Pippa Harris, Orange Wednesdays Rising Star award jury chair and Deputy Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee, said: “It’s great to involve the general public in championing the stars of the future, which is why the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award is such a fantastic initiative. The jury had a tough job deciding the long list of eight, as we were spoilt for choice. With such an array of new talent, I can’t wait to see who the public choose as their winner.”

Spencer McHugh, Director of Brand at Orange, said: “With the award now in its seventh year, we continue to be awed by how enthusiastic the British public are when it comes to celebrating future film talent. The fact that figures such as Simon Pegg, Sienna Miller and the rest of our esteemed jury so kindly offer their time shows how the film world has embraced the award.”

The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award was created in honour of Mary Selway, the highly respected BAFTA-winning casting director whose career spanned three decades and over ninety films before she died in 2004. She worked with notable directors such as Steven Spielberg, Roman Polanski, Clint Eastwood and Ridley Scott, contributing to the creation of some of the silver screen’s most memorable characters.

For more information on the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award go to www.orange.co.uk/bafta

Last night the building site in central London that used to be Leicester Square was restored temporarily to its former glory for the premiere of War Horse. We were there, and managed to have a few very interesting conversations with some of the cast and crew of the movie, including Jeremy Irvine, who spoke about his experience working with Spielberg, Emily Watson on how seeing the play affected her performance and Richard Curtis on the influence Blackadder played on the script.

JEREMY IRVINE – ALBERT
ON WORKING WITH HORSES
I’m not really an animal person, I wasn’t expecting to at all. Within a week I was bleary eyed like everyone else. I’m a sucker for them now. And you have to, because you can’t really fake that.

ON WORKING WITH SPEILBERG
Just to have lines is an honour – just to be in a movie. To be in a film from Stephen Speilberg is beyond what I can take in. He’s a lovely man.

EMILY WATSON – ROSE NARRACOTT
ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE PLAY ON HER PERFORMANCE
I saw Bronagh Gallagher play it – she was wonderful, and that amazing, gritty strength that she had – she came on stage all guns blazing right from the off.

ON ROSE
I think she has very fierce love. She’s very tough about it. She tolerates her husband’s drinking because she knows he’s damaged by war. She has to teach her son respect for his father, and ultimately going to war teaches him that.

RICHARD CURTIS – SCREENWRITER
ON THE CONSTRAINTS OF ADAPTING AN EXISTING PROPERTY FOR A CREATIVE DIRECTOR LIKE SPIELBERG
What was interesting is that, when Stephen first asked me to do it, I didn’t say yes, I said ‘wait’, then I went away, and came up with the ten things that I thought I should do. Then Stephen gave me eight marks out of ten, and I did those eight things, so in a way, we were always working on the stuff that I had wanted to do in the first place, and then, of course, it was his reaction to that stuff.

THE INFLUENCE OF BLACKADDER ON THE FILM
The only thing I’ll say is that Blackadder did teach me that you could deal with the most serious thing in the world, and put in a few jokes still. So I did feel free, once in a while, to try and be a little bit funny.

EDDIE MARSAN – SGT FRY
WORKING WITH SPIELBERG
He’s like all the very successful ones, his enthusiasm hasn’t waned. He’s still as enthusiastic as he was when he made his first film. That seeps through, you become enthusiastic, you enjoy it, and you relax.

ON THE DIFFERENCES (OR LACK OF) BETWEEN WORKING ON LARGE PROJECTS AND SMALL
My job as an actor is to be able to do it in any conditions, in any environment, and to be consistent. I just turn up and do it really, I don’t worry about the size. When the camera’s on me, it’s just me.

ON WHO HE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH NEXT
I’d love to work with Shane Meadows, I think he makes great films.

PATRICK KENNEDY – CHARLIER WAVERLY
ON THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN HIM, HIDDLESTON AND CUMBERBATCH
We did five weeks of horse training together beforehand, which was a great bit of acting research. I knew Benedict very well, we’d worked together before. I didn’t know Tom that well, so we got to work together, get to know each other and work on our parts while we were doing our horse training. It was perfect training to be cavalry officers in the film. We were all playing such different characters, so there was a friendly competitiveness about the horse riding, but apart from that it was very supportive.

ON THE CAVALRY CHARGES
We did that scene. Anytime we were on camera, we did that charge. That was one of the most exciting moments of my life. You’re sort of crying with the adrenalin at the end of it, and you get some sort of imaginative insight into what a cavalry charge would have been like. There were 200 horses we were doing it with.

DAVID KROSS – GUNTHER
ON FILMING HIS FINAL SCENE IN THE FILM
I remember when we were shooting it, it was really horrible. It was dark, and the light was shadowy, so it didn’t feel very nice. We did the little stunt ourselves, and there was a loud noise, and we fell down. It was horrible, but also it’s good to get shot in a film at some point.

ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HORSES, AS WELL AS ON-SCREEN SIBLING LEONHARD CAROW
It was great, because we had such a long preparation – about two months. We were around the horses a lot, and we felt safe around them. That helped, I think.

ON HIS FUTURE CAREER
I think the best thing would be that I don’t really care about the language, that I can do English films and German films and it doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the project in the end.

CELINE BUCKENS – EMILIE
ON EMILIE
I feel like I can relate to the character because she’s very stubborn, and so am I, unfortunately. She’s a great character. The horses are an inspiration to her, and give her a will to live, which I think is really inspiring.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMILIE AND HER GRANDFATHER
Neils Arestrup [the Grandfather] is such a wonderful actor. He made the job easier for me because just watching him is breathtaking. I get along really well with my grandmother, so I could relate in that sense.

ON THE SOURCE OF THE LIGHTNESS IN THE TONE OF HER SECTION OF THE FILM
It’s a moment of lightness in a film where there’s quite intense war sequences. I think it’s a bit of everyone, because obviously the acting’s vital, but Michael Morpurgo’s story, originally, is what makes it so light.

I’m in the hot seat today getting ready to live blog the War Horse UK press conference. Those expected to attend include Director Steven Spielberg, Producer Kathy Kennedy, and cast members Michael Morpurgo, Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Thewlis.

I have my laptop here ready to go and all you need to do is watch the feed below which will update automatically. This press conference is being split into two with Spielberg and Kennedy going first at 10.00 until 10.30 then the rest of the cast members from 10.45 – 11.15. Usually these things run late but we’ll be here ready and waiting. See below for updates when it all kicks off!

This evening, London Town was the host for the Royal UK Premiere of Steven Spielberg’s new movie, War Horse. What made it even more special was that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (or William and Kate to their friends) were in attendance. Joining them was the legendary director himself accompanied by the main star of the movie, Joey the horse and cat members Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Kebbel.

The Royal UK Premiere was in  aid of The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry. Joining William and Kate for this special screening were 600 servicemen and women and their families. Our man on the ground, Ben Mortimer was on the red carpet ready to catch the stars as they walk by so keep your eyes peeled for his report of the evening later today.

War Horse is released in the UK this Friday 13th January.

Here’s an array of images from this evening’s premiere, all of which you can click to enlarge.

A few weeks ago, I got to travel to a lovely ski resort in Switzerland called Saas-Fee to attend the HP Winter Summit along with numerous other bloggers and journalists from all over the globe to have a play with much of the new kit that Hewlett Packard will be releasing in the coming months. As you can see from this first image and the video below, we had a lot of fun!

Usually when we go along to these kind of events it’s a ‘sit down and listen’ kind of affair but in this instance, HP wanted to make it very much more hands-on and interactive which suited me down to the ground as I tend to switch off quite quickly when faced with the prospect of listening to someone talk about a product for hours. We were split into various groups and off we went to our sessions.

My first experience was the use of 3D in films and this has to be one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever done but I got to fight with a professional stunt man and basically beat him up! The fruits of my labour are below but suffice to say, it was fun! The idea of the sequence was to give us a taste of not only being in front of the camera but also how HP are very much in the fold when it comes to working in feature films. You may not know but HP work very closely with Dreamworks and other studios to have previously worked on movies such as the Shrek series of movies and more recently How to Train Your Dragon. The idea with this sequence was for us to be immersed into the experience and for our footage to be taken and made into a little movie. Like I say, this has to be one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever done but it was fun. I warn you now, this video is completely bonkers but you may enjoy it!

All you need to know is I am lost in a forest and get attacked by a masked gunman! I guess he wanted to steal my map!?

Onto the more serious notion of actual technology that I think for movies and games alike will make a real difference to your home entertainment life – The HP Wireless TV Connect which as soon as I saw, I wanted to own! This bit of hardware along with the HP Wireless Audio will reduce the need for more cables in the home and I know you’ll like the sound of that! The TV Connect is the second generation model but is now capable of broadcasting full HD 1080p 3D quality picture and sound wirelessly from your laptop to your living room TV. All you need to do is plug in a dongle to your laptop and then the receiver into your TV and then by selecting the right input, you’ll see your computer screen on your TV. This is going to make connecting computers to televisions so much easier and will yet again reduce the need for cables which is always a winner in my book! The device will work from up to 30 feet away which may make this a nice little solution for offices as well as homes and is so simple to set up. There’s not even any software to install, it literally is plug and play.

The Wireless Audio device is pretty similar to the that of the TV model but has a much greater range of 100 feet (30 meters) which means you could stream music around your house (unless of course you live in one the size of Buckingham Palace!). You simply plug the transmitter into your music device or computer and attach it to a speaker of hi-fi system to begin broadcasting. Simple as that.

The fact that the TV Connect can now support full HD and even 3D is also a really great feature of the product and I can’t wait to give it a test. Watch this space for more on that. HP are also starting to create laptops that have the transmitter built in so no doubt one day a time will come when this technology is all built into home systems and laptops to make this kind of technology a standard in the home. Sounds good doesn’t it!

Both the HP Wireless TV Connect will be released in the UK in February and will cost £169.99 and the HP Wireless Audio will be £89.99 and will be released imminently If you want full details, the datasheets can be downloaded here:

HP Wireless TV Connect_Datasheet | HP Wireless Audio_Datasheet

This was just one piece of kit that we saw at the event but for HeyUGuys readers, this is going to be the one for movies that you’re going to want to buy. In a nutshell,  we also saw some brand new desktop, laptops and printers that are all very much pushing wireless and touchscreen technology all of which is going to be released in 2011 and will begin to change the way in which we work on home desktops. One of the new printers that we saw was the  HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 which sort of blew my mind a little as it’s able to capture 3d objects. We were putting all sorts of objects onto the tray for it to scan and using a new bespoke arm that sits on top of the device, it was able to capture objects as easily as we’re used to a scanner collecting information from a flat piece of paper. The quality was astonishing although I did struggle to figure out what I would use it for. That said, if you were an online jewellery seller for example, this could really show off your pieces without the need to hire in a professional photographer capturing them in very different light to anything you’ve done before. This printer was like nothing I’d seen before and I loved it!

Going back to the touchscreen computers that we got to play with, all we could think about was kids growing up now in an age where iPads, iPhones are all they know, and they’re all touchscreen. Even the smartboards they use in schools are touchscreen and I am convinced that the keyboard and mouse that I am using to write this article are going to become obsolete in my lifetime but I guess only time will tell.

For more information on the products I’ve talked about here, head over to the HP website.

Walking up the main staircase of Manchester Town Hall, I felt more than a little British.

With bangers and mash and a specially curated exhibition of stills and costumes from The Iron Lady, See Differently had once again created an individual and thoroughly entertaining event.

Running since 2004, this Volkswagen venture picks out carefully selected locations to enhance the cinematic experience, with previous screenings including Jane Eyre at Haddon Hall and A Clockwork Orange at Brunel University. With the Town Hall used as a double for the Houses of Parliament within The Iron Lady, it was the only suitable venue for such an evening, with guests able to roam as they wished, taking photos and feeling part of the filmmaking process.

Although other primary shooting took place in Wimbledon and other parts of London, spending the evening in a place that doubled for the hallowed halls of Parliament added a real sense of importance and historical authenticity to the event.

With costumes worn by Streep and original design ideas on show, you did almost feel in the presence of Hollywood greatness! On show were the blue suit she wore on entering 10 Downing Street (as shown above) and a beautifully embellished dress that is seen worked on by her staff during the film.

In the adjoining hall we were treated to a wonderful selection of photographs from the film including interesting behind-the-scenes facts and information on the supporting characters, serving as a brilliant way of getting more in-depth information on what we had just seen.

I strongly advise everyone to get themselves along to another See Film Differently event, as the attention to detail is fantastic, the comfortable seats, free food and drink a wonderful bonus and the atmosphere perfect for any film fan.

You can read our review of The Iron Lady here.

While you may have heard of the more prestigious film festivals such as Cannes and BFI London Film Festival it is with the launch of Sundance London next year, Charlie Derry investigates into whether lesser known festivals are in need of more recognition, and how organisers plan to deal with this competition.

There are many international film festivals held each year worldwide, with the world’s oldest continually running festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, currently going into its 66th year. But what about more recently established festivals? Or festivals that have a smaller, more focused, audience? How do these festivals get recognition amongst the ever-expanding crowd?

Sundance London is a collaboration of both film and music, and is set to debut on 26th April, 2012 at the O2 Arena. The annual Sundance Film Festival (SFF) is the largest showcase for indie films in the US. Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam said the organisation looks forward to bringing “the most exciting American films from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival” to London.

Robert Redford, founder of SFF, is opening the launch of the festival, but in 2009 he commented that there were already too many film festivals, telling Reuters that, “When we started there was very little out there; now, there’s a lot. My feeling is when the day comes when we’re no longer providing the mission we started with…then we shouldn’t be here, and we won’t. As long as we continue to create new advantages, we will continue.”

So what’s continuing this growth of film festivals? One main advantage that new festivals can bring is a focus on a specific audience, such as a certain genre or a type of multimedia. Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF), an annual film festival held in Australia, is one of them.

SUFF celebrates independent, experimental, provocative and daring films from around the world. Festival Director Stefan Popescu says, “We screen films other festivals would never dare screen – and we are proud of it. We love depravity, gore, debauchery, experimentation, sexual perversion, anarchy and dissent. We love to be challenged and we love to challenge. Our audience knows that cinema should be adventurous not safe.”

Nevertheless, whilst individuality is a great key to success in the film festival industry, it can also create problems. “We would love to be recognised by the arts/film councils over in Australia,” says Popescu, “But unfortunately I can’t imagine that arts administrators, who are bound by policy and have particular aesthetic inclinations, will ever find themselves them being able to justify funding subversion, difference, experimentation, sedition, anarchy, debauchery and dissent.”

Launched in 2007, SUFF is soon to start touring nationally which will help the festival get more exposure and promote cinematic and cultural difference on a larger scale. Popescu adds that the festival wants more recognition to grow and sustain a community of cinematic adventurers in Sydney, and that, “It is very important for the sustainability and expansion of a grass-roots endeavour like our festival.”

Another factor that can help a festival gain recognition is to secure the premiere of a highly acclaimed film. Last week the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) hosted the premiere of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which stars Tom Cruise in the fourth instalment to the popular action franchise. But how does a festival acquire such a big name to its event? Ghost Protocol is debuting as the opening film at DIFF after an extensive portion of the film was filmed in Dubai, including a scene where Tom Cruise scales down the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

“The filmmakers and Paramount Pictures felt the city was an ideal premiere for the film. They will also be junketing the world’s press here and it makes for an interesting and different venue for the media,” says DIFF’s Press and Publicity Manager, Chris Paton.

Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) also premiered one of 2011’s popular films with Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, in October, with organisers hoping to raise the profile of their event and bring it on par with other festivals.

Festival Director Srinivasan Naraya believes that MFF’s best attribute is the quality of films, but went on to say that, “We need to take the festival to the next level, to create a platform for the business of films in this country – especially art house films.”

“The profile of the festival goes up depending on the quality of film selections, participation by the film community and efficient organisation,” he continued. “We have already started working on new elements to give a distinct quality to the Mumbai Film Festival.”

Consequently recognition is important, but as Public Relations representative at Action on Film Festival (AoF), Nick Covington, says, “Every live event, film festival, concert, film, etc. requires constant and ongoing recognition.”

To do this, AoF is the only festival that produces a weekly television series, The AOF Channel, which airs on NBC Los Angeles.

“We understand the unique position that filmmakers are in,” added Covington. “Especially when you see that they are up against a changing landscape with regards to distribution, formats, shooting styles, equipment, competition and the internet, which has really levelled the playing field for exposure.”

AoF is now one of the biggest and fastest growing festivals and was recently named one of the ‘Top 25 Festivals Worth the Fees’ by MovieMaker Magazine.

However, whilst film festivals may need more recognition, the competition is not with other festivals; it is with themselves. As Festival Director of Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival in Mexico, Ramiz Adeeb Azar, told us, “I think on the surface many people believe that there are too many film festivals around the world or in certain regions, but I do not believe so. The more festivals there are the better the film festival industry becomes.”

For that reason, if you can, get yourself to one of your local film festivals next year in support of your community of film makers. With so many around, there’s sure to be one on your doorstep.

This evening, London plays host to the European Premiere of Guy Ritchie’s new movie, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows which stars Robert Downey Jr​, Jude Law​, Noomi Rapace​, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry​ and Eddie Marsan​. Many of the main cast will be there including Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, Director Guy Ritchie and Producer Joel Silver but if you can’t be there in person, fear not as we have the live stream of the event for you right here!

The lovely Edith Bowman will be hosting the event and interviewing the stars as they arrive. They’ll also be a gypsy band performing to open the evening who are featured in the movie. It’s amazing what you can learn while they’re doing the live sync test!

The stars should be arriving on the carpet from 17:45 so go and get a cuppa and come back to watch it all as it unfolds! Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is in UK cinemas 16th December. While you’re waiting, you can see our extensive Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows coverage including trailers and posters here.

The movie hits UK cinemas on Boxing Day but premieres have been taking place all over the world for Tom Cruise’s fourth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise. The premiere in Dubai is currently live streaming for all to see so scroll down and enjoy!

The fourth installment is directed by Brad Bird​ and sees Tom Cruise​ back for more action packed fun in a movie which is expected in the UK on Boxing Day this year, 26th December. The film also includes Simon Pegg​, Jeremy Renner​, Paula Patton, Léa Seydoux, Michael Nyqvist​, Anil Kapoor in it’s cast and I have to admit, I am rather looking forward to it. Have a watch of the first teaser trailer for the movie below and let us know what you think in the comments section.

I think this will most likely be the final post for the British Independent Film Awards for this year but I’d like to finish off with this amazing set of images courtesy of brilliant photographers Idil Sukan and Richard Young who were there snapping away all last night at the awards ceremony. We had an absolutely amazing night and have never done so many interviews back to back but loved every second of it. If you’ve missed the fruits of our interviewing labour, you can check them out here and here with the winners list here.

All of the images can be blown up in size so simply click to enlarge. The more abstract photos are from Idil Sukan while the more formal portraits are courtesy of Richard Young.

Till next year British Film Lovers!

So if you’ve missed it, last night I put up all our red carpet video interviews from the 14th Annual British Independent Film Award. All that is missing is the interviews following the award ceremony with many of those who were lucky enough to win an award. I was so pleased to see that Senna won the Best Documentary award. It’s thoroughly deserved and after not getting onto the Oscar long-list, this is a massive morale boost for the intrepid and amazing film-makers.

We also catch up with Nick Moran, talk again with Michael Fassbender for his role in Shame, Michael Smiley after winning Best Supporting Actor in Kill List, Maria Djurkovic for her win for Best Technical Achievement on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Ron Howard after awarding Paddy Considine for Best Debut Director for Tyrannosaur and Olivia Colman & Producer Diarmid Scrimshaw for their Best Film award also for Tyrannosaur.

Scroll down and check out the interviews which were conducted by  Laura Hills.

The full list of award winners can be seen here and the Red Carpet interviews of which there are aplenty are here!

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This evening (well, it’s now 6.45 am so I guess it was last night!) Laura and I headed off to the brilliant venue, Old Billingsgate near London Bridge in the City of London to attend the 14th Annual Moet British Independent Film Awards. We’d never been to the event before and after seeing the incredible list of people attending, we had to go along!

I’ve literally been up editing footage from the event all night so I won’t be writing too much now but the list of people that we got to interview is rather endless and total 37 interviews in one night! Rather than do one long video with them all in, I’ve broken them all into separate ones and placed them below.

I’ve decided to break them up into sections, this post will be Red Carpet Arrivals and the one that will follow will be the post award interviews that we got with the winners of the awards as they came back to walk the carpet. We also got interviews with some of those presenting awards so keep your eyes peeled.

I’ll probably add a little more commentary to this in the morning but for now, enjoy interviews with: Abi Morgan, Dominic West, Chris O’Dowd, Dawn Porter, Michael Fassbender, Manish Pandev, Asif Kapadida, Kenneth Branagh, Ralph Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave, Ruth Wilson, MyAnna Buring, John Boyega, Will Poluter, Yasmin Paige, Craig Roberts, Elliot Grove,  and Benedict Cumberbatch.

P.s. Thanks to all those celebs who have us a HeyUGuys shout out! There were many of you!

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This evening, London hosts the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) 2011. I’ve placed the nominees below the live stream which you can watch below courtesy of LOVEFiLM.

We’ll be on the red carpet at backstage for this evening’s event so keep your eyes peeled for live updates and interviews.

The event should kick off at 18:00 GMT.

BIFA Nominees

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM

• SENNA
• SHAME
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• TYRANNOSAUR
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST DIRECTOR

• Ben Wheatley – KILL LIST
• Steve McQueen – SHAME
• Tomas Alfredson – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
• Paddy Considine – TYRANNOSAUR
• Lynne Ramsay – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]

• Joe Cornish – ATTACK THE BLOCK
• Ralph Fiennes – CORIOLANUS
• John Michael McDonagh – THE GUARD
• Richard Ayoade – SUBMARINE
• Paddy Considine – TYRANNOSAUR

BEST SCREENPLAY

• John Michael McDonagh – THE GUARD
• Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump – KILL LIST
• Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen – SHAME
• Richard Ayoade – SUBMARINE
• Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST ACTRESS

• Rebecca Hall – THE AWAKENING
• Mia Wasikowska – JANE EYRE
• MyAnna Buring – KILL LIST
• Olivia Colman – TYRANNOSAUR
• Tilda Swinton – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST ACTOR

• Brendan Gleeson – THE GUARD
• Neil Maskell – KILL LIST
• Michael Fassbender – SHAME
• Gary Oldman – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
• Peter Mullan – TYRANNOSAUR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Felicity Jones – ALBATROSS
• Vanessa Redgrave – CORIOLANUS
• Carey Mulligan – SHAME
• Sally Hawkins – SUBMARINE
• Kathy Burke – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Michael Smiley – KILL LIST
• Tom Hardy – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
• Benedict Cumberbatch – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
• Eddie Marsan – TYRANNOSAUR
• Ezra Miller – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

• Jessica Brown Findlay – ALBATROSS
• John Boyega – ATTACK THE BLOCK
• Craig Roberts – SUBMARINE
• Yasmin Paige – SUBMARINE
• Tom Cullen – WEEKEND

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

• KILL LIST
• TYRANNOSAUR
• WEEKEND
• WILD BILL
• YOU INSTEAD

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

• Chris King, Gregers Sall – Editing – SENNA
• Sean Bobbitt – Cinematography – SHAME
• Joe Walker – Editing – SHAME
• Maria Djurkovic – Production Design – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
• Seamus McGarvey – Cinematography – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• HELL AND BACK AGAIN
• LIFE IN A DAY
• PROJECT NIM
• SENNA
• TT3D: CLOSER TO THE EDGE

BEST BRITISH SHORT

• 0507
• CHALK
• LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
• RITE
• ROUGH SKIN

BEST FOREIGN INDEPENDENT FILM

• ANIMAL KINGDOM
• DRIVE
• PINA
• A SEPARATION
• THE SKIN I LIVE IN

THE RAINDANCE AWARD

• ACTS OF GODFREY
• BLACK POND
• HOLLOW
• LEAVING BAGHDAD
• A THOUSAND KISSES DEEP

On Monday night, London Town saw the UK Premiere of Martin Scorcese’s new movie, Hugo and many of the stars of the film were in attendance. Our friends from Upbeat were on the carpet ready to chat with them all and the footage is below for your viewing pleasure. They chat with writers, Brian Selznick & John Logan, stars of the movie – Asa Butterfield, Helen McCrory and Sir Ben Kingsley.

Hugo is released this Friday, 2nd December and you can see Jon’s review of the movie here and listen to our special podcast on the movie here.

Several of our writers at HeyUGuys, including our two editors, have young children, and therefore a legitimate excuse to watch Children’s TV. I, on the other hand, don’t. On the other hand, I am barely employed (and barely employable), so am far better versed in the ins-and-outs of children’s TV than I have any right to be. Consequently, when I was asked to head to the Park Lane Hilton to film my far more respectable colleague Paris Davis as she interviewed the arrivals on the red carpet, I leapt at the chance. After all, it’s not every day I get to be in the same room as Dick and Dom, Mr Tumble and Helen Skelton. Certainly not all at once.

Of course, it wasn’t just children’s TV presenters, and during the course of the night we spoke to Simon Farnaby, Bunny and the Bull’s ‘Bunny’ about the feature script he is writing with Julian Barratt, and comedian Jack Whitehall about auditioning for Harry Potter and The Hobbit. We also found out TV legend John Craven and BBC political editor Nick Robinson’s favourite films.

And if that wasn’t enough for you, we also caught up with Warwick Davis in the press room, shortly after he had collected the first of two awards won by Harry Potter films during the evening. During our conversation he spoke about how it felt to be collecting an award on behalf of the Harry Potter cast and crew, as well as his desire to have his own talk show.

A glimpse into the creative process of those big, effects-heavy Hollywood blockbusters always offers a fun and fascinating prospect, and that’s precisely what happened when one of the industry big-hitters, Oscar-winning Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar, recently took the stage to chat about his experiences working on Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

An employee of ILM for thirty years now (he worked on ‘Jedi’, and before that, the early Star Trek films), Farrar has lent his considerable talents to Michael Bay for over six years, and the third of the Transformers films presented the biggest challenge and most ambitious undertaking in his career so far. As well as a huge leap in digital effects this time around (giving ILM more than 200,000 hours of rendering power a day), Farrar and his team had to create a cityscape ravaged by a Decepticon onslaught, and unleash the awe-inspiring, building-devouring juggernaut referred to as the “Driller”, a giant snake-like creature with spinning rotator blades, knives and teeth (and comprised of over 70,000 parts!) All this was achieved while also factoring in the inclusion of 3D.

Whatever your thoughts are on the finished film, the sheer scope of the effects and the technological advancements are a thrilling part of the process, and have definitely helped to contribute to its mammoth success (it’s currently the fourth highest-grossing film of all time).

Breaking down the painstaking work that went into creating the world of Dark of the Moon, Farrar’s 30 minute slide presentation looked at all aspects of the film’s effects. A firm believer in establishing as convincing a world as possible with the technology (“CG looks lousy unless it’s dirty”) Farrar’s own noticeable personal touches to the work in the Transformers series has been the insistence of deploying those fun biochemical touched to the robots, as they spit machinery fluid and  haemorrhage oil during bloody battle sequences.

A candid and revealing presentation, Farrar talked about Bay’s on-set habits, and how his usual bombastic style of shooting needed reigning in from time to time to make concessions for the 3D (it’s clear watching the film that a much clearer geographic sense of the action is established throughout this time around).

He also divulged some interesting titbits about a couple of lesser-known aspects of the production. For instance, the FX team were actively encouraged to participate in story ideas and the Chernobyl scene and the moon conspiracy springboard for the story resulted from those workshops. Initial Sentinel Prime tests were achieved by using footage of Sean Connery as a template, and Farrar screened these matching shots. It was interesting to note how close they used Connery’s visage, making the process much easier to adapt for the actual actor (Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy) when he came onboard to do voiceover duties.

This industry veteran’s passion and boyish enthusiasm for taking on these huge, potentially overwhelming projects was very much apparent during the presentation, and it’s that youthful and passionate attitude which has undoubtedly helped him make a successful transition to a digital landscape.

While it’s the director who usually receives the kudos for their cinematic efforts, behind the scenes figures like Scott Farrar are the unsung heroes of this world.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is now available to buy or rent on DVD and Blu-ray, here’s our review.

Here at HeyUGuys we’re open to exploring any subject given the cinematic treatment, however specialist it may appear to be.

With this in mind, Saturday afternoon entertainment was provided by a documentary focusing on the humble ukulele. Entitled Mighty Uke, the film is the brainchild of Canadian editor Tony Coleman and his partner Margaret Meagher, and their initial idea of filming a modest 10 minutes short blossomed into a feature-length documentary when unexpected funding was found (as Tony explained in the post-screening Q&A).

What they’ve managed to assemble is a fun, heart-warming look at an instrument which tends to get marginalised as a quirky pastime but, as the film illustrates, there’s much love out there for this four-stringed creation, as huge legion of fans from around the globe consider it a rich interactive experience and ultimately, a means of bringing cultures together. It’s referred to by one enthusiast in the film as a “unifying force”, and it’s hard to disagree with that kind of grandiose statement when footage of a pub in Taunton, Somerset presents a room full of ukulele-wielding guests, all strumming along (and having what looks like a thoroughly fantastic time) to one of the memorable bluegrass numbers from the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Originally brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants, throughout the years the ukulele has been integrated into the work of many figures from popular music and used in an array of genres (the film offers a glimpse of some surprisingly solid and credible ukulele hip hop and has European metal artists extolling the instrument’s many virtues). Leading figures from that world are also covered here, from contemporary virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, to an inspirational, Mr. Holland’s Opus-type Canadian teacher named Peter Luongo, whose skilled pupils are flown every year to a Honolulu hotel where they take part in a two-week residency and teaching workshops.

James Hill (another uke wiz to feature heavily in the doc) is accompanying the European tour of the film, and played a live set after the screening to a rapt crowd (his slinky, highly-accomplished rendition of Bille Jean really has to be seen, and heard, to be believed). In keeping with the intimate and personal atmosphere, audience members who owned ukuleles were encouraged to bring them along for the afternoon, which culminated in a unique (and indeed, stirring) jam session and sing-a-long.

The tour continues in a number of venues around the UK during the next week or so (the official website has more details on these events) and while it may not be the most obvious choice for an evening trip to the cinema, like the instrument itself, it offers a surprisingly fun and accessible musical experience.

The Virgin Media Shorts Awards Ceremony which took place at the British Film Institute on London’s Southbank, truly was the star studded event it set out to be. From start to finish the evening was an array of stylish suits, cocktail dresses, alcoholic beverages, great films and music, laughter and more importantly, Celebration with a capital C.

A host of stars were also in attendance including Singer/DJ Paloma Faith, actress of Wuthing Heights/ Skins Kaya Scodelario, Vanessa Kirby (The Hour), Douglas Booth (Great Expectations), Submarine actor Craig Roberts, Attack the Block star Jodie Whittaker and Downton Abbey actresses Laura Carmichael and Joanne Froggatt.

After enjoying a lovely Champagne reception with live music from Alice Russell we were ushered into a cinema area for the main purpose of the evening- the presentation of awards. With a glass of champagne in hand and a tub of popcorn with complimentary cinema tickets attached, author, presenter and the host of the evening Danny Wallace took to the stage to open the ceremony. His witty personality and continuous jokes created a light hearted and relaxed atmosphere. After a welcoming speech from Director of Digital Entertainment at Virgin Media, Cindy Rose, each of the finalists were introduced along with a presentation of their films.

The 12 Shortlisted entries included:

1. Bistro: Sean Gray, London- “A hoggish diner is horrified by the tiny portions served to him in a top notch restaurant. Enraged, he decides to take matters into his own hands…”
2. By Hook: Laura Evers Johns, London- “In a dark fairytale world, a lonely fishmonger discovers a mermaid and risks the wrath of his nemesis to steal her away. Then he must decide where the mermaid truly belongs- with him, or the sea.
3. Coasting: Federico Forcolini, London- “Two old friends set off on a countryside adventure, searching for the best that the great outdoors has to offer. Will they be in time to catch a glimpse of the rare specimens they’re looking for?”
4. Don Justino De Neve: Daisy Jacobs, Gosport- “Don Justino is a fascinating swine-beautiful but rotten inside. Dozens of women fall victim to his charms and he leaves their shattered hearts in his wake”
5. The Dreamers: Matt Maude, Halifax- “A woman rises from her bed in the middle of the night. Asleep, she wanders through the city streets, followed by her concerned husband. As she walks, we see other sleepwalkers gathering silently in one place and time.”
6. First Press: Mat Laroche & Jonathan Brooks, London- “To become a member of an exclusive organisation, one man must punish himself to the very limit. He will find himself in uncharted territory, but will his best be good enough.”
7. The Friend Catcher: Lucy Campbell, Manchester- “A boy arrives at a new school at lunch time. Under scrutiny from the other children, he’s reluctant to open his lunch box when he sees what they’ve got stashed away…”
8. The Good Samaritan: Ryan Vernava, Wolverhampton- “A young man finds himself in trouble on the day of his wedding, trapped in a prank from his stage do. He looks to a passing stranger for compassion.”
9. Inanimate: Michael O’Donghue, Soulla Josephides and Ying Hui Tan, London- “An affectionate alien travels across the galaxy to earth in search of his true love. A prickly problem threatens to destroy his happiness, until he finally finds his perfect match.”
10. MES: Ian Gamester, Liverpool- Cath Gamester is given anti-depressants by her GP, little does she know just how big an impact it’ll have on her life. This touching documentary looks at a very rare condition and how Cath smiles through it.”
11. Saloon: Tom Pietrasik, London- “Filmed over a weekend in suburban New Dhelhi, Saloon is an affectionate glimpse inside the private world of the Indian barbershop, where customers can expect more than just a haircut.”
12. 20:20: Jason Wingard, Manchester- “Dave is handed a pair of broken old glasses by a mysterious woman on the street. He has just two minutes and twenty seconds to figure out what they mean.”

Each of these are currently being viewed by millions country wide on TV (through both Virgin Media’s Movies and an app for Virgin Media’s TiVo® Service), cinemas nationwide, online and via mobile.

THE AWARDS

TiVo® Award: A newly introduced award voted for by Virgin Media Customers, went to Coasting by Federico Forcolini- presented by James King (film critic and presenter of ITV2’s The Movie Show).

This year’s People’s Choice Award, presented by Matt Whitecross (director of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, The Road to Guantanamo, Ashes), went to directors Michael O’Donghue, Soulla Josephides and Ying Hui Tan for Inanimate. They were also awarded with £2000 worth of film equipment.

The Grand Prize: After being awarded the People’s Choice Award for his film Bus Baby at the 2010 awards, this year’s winner, presented by legendary John Hurt, went to Jason Wingard for his film 20:20. With that title also came a prize of £30,000 funding to put towards a future film project as well as support from the Film Fund experts- BFI in the making of the film. A Huge Congratulations!

Jason said: “I am so happy to be named the winner of Virgin Media Shorts 2011 – second time lucky! Winning the People’s Choice Award last year was fantastic but it whetted my appetite for more so to win the Grand Prize is phenomenal. I’ve seen how this competition can open doors for film makers, and am delighted that my work has been given the seal of approval by the likes of John Hurt – it is a true honour.”

Cindy Rose stated “Virgin Media Shorts is all about offering a platform to film makers trying to break into what is notoriously a difficult industry, so as judges we all take a significant amount of time to assess each entrant. Jason Wingard demonstrated real vision and expertise in 2:20 – a truly deserving winner.”

John Hurt said: “I’ve always been a huge advocate of independent film.  The breadth of talent displayed in this year’s entrants was extraordinary which made it a very difficult but nonetheless enjoyable task judging the entrants.  For me, 2:20 is a really neat idea, beautifully realised.  I’m looking forward to seeing what Jason does next.”

To view the winning films and for further information about virgin media shorts see www.virginmediashorts.co.uk.

With the winners announced it was time to celebrate with a little boogey on the dance floor to music provided by DJ’s Paloma Faith and Rob da Bank. I haven’t one bad word to say about the planning of the event as it truly was well thought out, from the fantastic venue, to the beautiful cocktails at the bar (with flowers), the canapés circulating the room, to the photo booth which immediately presented you with print outs of your snapshots as a memorabilia. I’m sure all those in attendance would agree- it was an absolutely fantastic evening!

Supernatural is an American horror television series centred around the terrifying journey of the Winchester brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles), who were taught to seek and battle mysterious spirits after their mother was killed by a demonic force years earlier.

To celebrate the release of Season 6, HeyUGuys were invited deep down into the London Tombs in an attempt to discover paranormal activity of our own. Admittedly, I couldn’t resist a bit of research into what the evening would entail and from what I could see the experience was guaranteed to bring excitement, horror, pulsing hearts and was certainly not for the faint of mind. To be honest, having always been a little sceptical when it comes to the supernatural, but not completely closed to its possibilities, I was both excited and nervous leading up to the evening.

On arrival (10pm) our group of around 9 were given a tour of the tombs, which was revealed to have formerly been  a plague pit. Each room was themed rather differently from dismembered limbs hanging from the ceiling, to freakish baby dolls, stuffed animals to a human centipede room. After this came a demonstration of the ghost hunting equipment we were to be using throughout the night, including Dowsing Rods, EMF meters, K2’s, Ouija Boards and Planchettes. Now, having become familiar with our surroundings and comfortable with the gadgets it was time to get down to business and find some ghosts!

With a small torch being our only source of light, in the otherwise pitch black room, we all huddled around a table with our index fingers slightly resting on top of the glass, looking on expectantly for any signs of movement. Nothing. Even with Jane’s (The Paranormal Expert) numerous attempts to summon the spirit, which included banging on the table, telling “Shadowman” to come forward as well as the infamous horror cliché “we are not here to hurt you” nothing could be seen nor heard. Not wanting to give in to the logical side of my brain which believed it all to be a hoax, I agreed to be used as ghost bait and was taken alone into a long dark tunnel. Maybe it was my desperate willing to see something, or that I’m lacking a sixth sense, or more realistically there was actually nothing there at all, but when Jane said I had walked through a spirit I was pretty sure it was just a cob web.

After a few hours of not much happening, the electric anticipation which once gripped our group was beginning to dwindle. There was a slight elevation when the glass began to move seemingly on its own but this soon diminished when it was revealed that a journalist (or possible covert worker) was indeed moving it himself. From there, the event became somewhat amusing. It was no longer engaging and despite being underground in a room filled with gruesome props, yawns were being exchanged. However, this could have possibly been due to how late it was.

At around 2am we finally gave up and Jane put it down to it being an “inactive” night, needless to say I have my doubts. With the hope of witnessing turning tables, conversational Ouija boards and visible figures but seeing nothing of the kind, it was hard not to feel a little cheated. I’m a firm believer of trying everything once but in this instance, I’d rather leave the Supernatural seeking for the television show, which has proved to be a much greater success.

Supernatural Season 6 Complete and Supernatural Season 1-6 Box Set are out 7th November on DVD and Blu-ray.

The Supernatural Event at the London Tombs was hosted by Haunted Happenings.

Last night, Laura and I froze our little butts off on the red (white) carpet at the UK Premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part One but loved every second of it as we got to talk to all the main cast members, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner  along with Director Bill Condon and Producer Wyck Godfrey. You can see our interviews with them all in the links below.

We also have a fab premiere report from out friends at Upbeat which is available for your viewing pleasure embedded below. We also had a post dedicated to images from the night which you can see here and if you’ve not read it yet, our review of the movie is right here!

If that wasn’t enough, we also have this news that will please Virgin Media customers who will now have the chance to get involved with the Twilight Discovery Zone which, if you’re a Twilight fan, you won’t want to miss! It’s seriously kicking off in the land of Twilight and we’re proud be semi Twihards ourselves! So, check out the links with the content below and scroll down to see Upbeat’s Twilight Breaking Dawn Premiere Report and interviews and a bit further down with how Virgin TiVo customers can get involved with their Twilight Discover Zone.

Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 hits UK and US cinemas this Friday, 18th November.

• Twilight Breaking Dawn Review
• HeyUGuys’ UK Premiere Actor Interviews
• HeyUGuys’ UK Premiere Filmmakers Interviews
• Photos from the UK Premiere
• All HeyUGuys Twilight Coverage

Virgin Media TiVo creates Twilight discovery zone for customers

To celebrate the release of the highly anticipated next chapter of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn Part 1  Virgin Media is giving its TiVo customers the opportunity to catch-up on the story so far through its pioneering movies On Demand* service as well as access to a specially crafted selection of clips, trailers, character bio’s and featurettes.

Located in the Apps & Games folder of Virgin Media TiVo’s service, Twilight Saga Explored has been created as the perfect companion for any die hard Twilight fan gearing up for Breaking Dawn Part 1’s worldwide release on November 18^th.

In preparation of the arrival, Virgin Media customer Twilight fans who simply can’t get enough will be able to take a shortcut for easy access to watch all of the previous movies through a dedicated collector’s folder that has been created to mark this very special occasion.

Whether they’re team Edward or team Jacob or just curious about why Twilight fever has swept the globe, Virgin Media TiVo customers will be able to open up a whole world of Twilight content ready to watch whenever they are.

Virgin Media: TiVo® service combines a live TV schedule with catch-up TV, a huge library of on-demand programming and popular web-based applications alongside a market-leading personal video recorder by Virgin Media’s unique fibre optic network. For further information about Virgin Media: TiVo Service visit www.virginmedia.com/tivo.