IC9: A Glimpse Into The World of Film Courtesy of vShowcards

The Lost Creatives team always appreciates when we are given insight and a little bit of the background to a project and as always vShowcards has been part and parcel of that by bringing to our attention the new police drama IC9.

Tackling the controversial and very contemporary issues of people trafficking and illegal immigration, the film looks at the personal as well as the professional from a police woman’s standpoint as she hunts for her sister and discovers a startling, dangerous truth about her own family coupled with the harrowing insight into the world the trafficked people find themselves in.

With a stellar team both in front and behind the camera including such leading actors as Georgia May Foote (coronation street) and Richie Campbell (Grace, liar, ITV) and of course vshowcards founder and all round actor of note Darren Tassell who has (with permission) given us access to the documentation and files for the project.

vShowcards works hard as a casting site and has also played a part bringing in such excellent talent as Richie Campbell, and Georgia May to peoples attention thanks to their savvy use of social media and contacts, each member of the team of course brings their unique talents to the table and add dimension to a nail biting script by Kyle Titteron and Gulshan Singh making this more than a film but a true showcase of talents.

With filming underway at the moment, stories and images are leaking out that show not just a cast and crew enjoying the work but adding to a film that is gathering attention not just from social media buzz but from interested parties looking to the project to see what is happening in the business including bloggers, journalists and potential viewers who are seeing snippets and images sneaking through, the anticipation for this film is rightly high.

IC9 is a large scale UK indie production that is a showcase of talent, ingenuity and intrigue. A truly welcome project that will hit the high notes and with the support of vShowcards and many others who are seeing the potential of cinematic projects and how it can be achieved with the right people backing you.

Naturally, we will be happy to support the ongoing work and cannot wait to see the final film, we will be talking to key team members about the project itself looking at the casting process, making of, and what the future is for the production team.

For more information on vShowcards and what they do see: The vShowcards Website and stay tuned to the blog for further updates on the project.

Building Your Team Featuring Vshowcards

Something I have seen quite a lot of when on social media is the individualist aspect of marketing, by that I mean promotion of just one aspect of what you do as a creative, forgetting that when it comes to a shoot be it film, TV, or photographic it is a team affair.

One of the biggest reasons we say this is because our own creative director JamesC has reached out to the team behind vshowcards and will be working with them to assess a proposal for upcoming projects.

Networking, promotion and just old fashioned relationship building over time can be a difference maker in the world of film and TV, we rely on each other to make a shoot run smoothly and efficiently so having good relationships with the team make a huge difference.

With Vshowcards you have access to the a huge number of professionals within industry that will support your moves and if you reach out are willing to help and support, you just need to ask.

From an industry standpoint there is so much more than just your skillset to consider, you are a part of a team, the machine works because we do and supporting each other is the way to move forward and building your team is a lot easier when you have all your information at your fingertips and know you can reach out to others with questions.

To learn more about the Vshowcards set up or to join see:

Vshowcards Website.

Vshowcards Facebook.

Vshowcards Twitter.

Vshowcards Instagram.

Vshowcards YouTube.

Project Notes

A habit our creative director JamesC picked up when living in India that we are actively pushing again, is keeping a notebook and pen to hand, ideal for writing down phone numbers or emails, sketching ideas for photos or as we know he did frequently, outlining plots for TV or film projects.

JamesC has in the last few weeks come up with ideas that will work as short films for festival entry or expanded into a much longer concept that need to be padded to suit the plans for 2023.

Festivals are going to be a very heavy focus of the work ahead, we have spent a lot of time checking options of annual, quarterly and by far our most favoured, monthly film festivals that take film and photo projects.

Of course our favourite book for filmmakers “Don’t F*ck Up Your No Budget Film” by Ivan Peric, plays a heavy part in our thinking because this insightful first hand account of low budget creation is designed to shape your work into a commercial project and works well with our own thinking and add to this the very savvy and again, first hand account of Patricia Jones book “Opening Doors for Working Class Actors” which when combined with Ivan’s book has the scope to create a great combination and open up the projects we have to fresh talent and with the right focus and marketing (kept within a budget) see a series of smaller films and Web TV projects built with a commercially viable slant that will benefit all involved.

We will be using the Vshowcards site for casting and actively encourage people to check them out not just because we think it is a fantastic network site, but for the various casting calls that are available.

Expanding notes on our plan will be slow released through the blog and we will be working hard to get this push running with the Lost Agency supporting it and of course led by our own JamesC who will be front and centre with upcoming interviews including the Behind The Scenes Podcast, amongst the other elements at play.

Stay tuned for more updates and sneak images of our notes.

Talking Books and Films With Ivan Peric

Over at The Lost Creatives, we are big fans of Ivan Peric and his book on filmmaking, taken from his own experiences and offering a solid plan for making and selling your work that resonates with our team. We are extremely thankful that he took some time out of his schedule to talk to us and open up about what he has been doing since the launch of “Don’t F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie!”

You are returning from a break after the release of your successful and lauded book “Don’t F*ck Up Your No-Budget Movie!” What have you been doing in that time that you can share with us?

Thanks for this question as it touches upon something that we don't often hear about, and that's taking ''breaks". Taking the time to not do anything and just relax. You scroll down your social media feed and all you see are people pushing the ''hustle'' and "grind'' lifestyle, it's rare you see someone talking about taking it easy and pacing yourself.

“The reality is that everyone needs to take breaks every once in a while in order not to burn out. This is especially true for us artists and digital creators.”

Most of us have full-time jobs and families, so all the extra work we put into our projects ends up taking a toll on our bodies. Just like any car, it doesn't matter if you use it for work or leisure, the mileage always accumulates. So that's what I did, I just took a break from it all, acting, writing, producing...My agent was sending me auditions and I just couldn't get myself to do them. I was physically and mentally drained.

I had written DFYNBM during the pandemic, the editing process was a lot of work and a lot of back and forth with the editors, then the publisher released it pretty quickly so I had to be on my toes and start promoting it right away.

With the uncertainties of the pandemic, everyday life at work, and writing this book, I never got to take a step back and refocus. After a few months ''off'', I now feel great and motivated to continue working on my plans for this book and other projects!

You have spoken quite openly about how your workflow has changed thanks to your experiences in filmmaking, taking you from actor to director/producer to give you control over your projects, how has this affected your style as an actor overall, and is it a method you would recommend?

Yes, I would definitely recommend any actor to pick up a camera and produce something themselves! It's the best experience and you get to see through the eyes of a producer and director. For me, understanding the process gave me much more confidence as an actor.

Once you get to understand how things work, you put much less pressure on yourself. Most young actors are very self-conscious, always wondering what everyone on set thinks of their performance. I was like that, always looking for that validation. By becoming a director yourself, you get to understand that performing is not that complicated and it often doesn't take that much of a ''performance'' as some actors might think.

It definitely grounded my acting style. Every subtle moment is blown up by 1000% on the screen, so it made me understand that less is more because the camera catches everything. You also get to understand the point of view of the director much more.

I remember being a young actor and being devastated by any notes a director would give me after a take. I would take it personally and couldn't understand why the director didn't like my performance. But the truth was that the director never disliked my performance, he just wanted to see something different and push me as an artist. Producing also makes you appreciate every single person on set. You see and understand that everyone has an important role in a production. You just respect everyone more, and out of that respect comes better performances because you want to contribute as best as you can to the project.

What is next for you in the creative arena? Do you have any new projects planned? Will
you be taking your method on the road and teaching the Ivan Peric method of filmmaking?

Every time I come back from a break I want to do it all! I feel inspired to act, write and produce! But I know I will have to focus on one thing at a time. I wasn't 100% satisfied with my book launch as it was rushed by the publisher and I didn't have much time to market it before I had to take a break. So the first thing on my list is to continue to push my book and get it out there to as many people as possible. Yes, one of the ways I will be doing this is by starting workshops for aspiring filmmakers. I would love to have seminars all around the world and inspire others to start making their own movies.

My main goal with DFYNBM was to inspire people who might not have a big budget, or any budget at all, to produce their own feature films. I believe these seminars can complement the book very well by being not only inspiring but also informative and entertaining.

I have so many stories and anecdotes I would love to share that didn't end up in the book! I will start locally here in Montreal, then hopefully expand to the rest of Canada and the US. The next goal after that would be to go overseas! I will also slowly get back into acting. I already have a few auditions lined up that seem like fun. There are also some unfinished scripts I'd like to work on and hopefully produce.

What advice would you offer anyone entering the film or TV arena as an actor, producer, or director?

Make sure you are getting into it because you absolutely love it. Don't do it for some kind of fame or fortune because there is a 99.9% chance you won't get it. Do it from your heart and not your ego. Take classes/workshops, and learn as much about your craft as you can. Watch a lot of movies and shows!

There is a lot of great content out there and so many outlets where you can expose your work. There is no excuse these days, the technology is affordable and platforms are always looking for fresh ideas. Finally, just do it! Pick up your digital camera or iPhone and just go out there and shoot. If you're an actor, record yourself doing scenes or shoot skits to keep yourself sharp, and never give up!

To learn more about Ivan Peric and his work or to purchase his excellent book see:

Ivan Peric Website.

Ivan Peric Instagram.

Ivan Peric Facebook.

Ivan Peric Twitter.

Ivan Peric Youtube.

Don’t F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! Amazon UK.

Don’t F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! Amazon USA.

Patricia Jones: An Actors Journey

Patricia Jones has created a stellar career as an actor and is now the author of the book Opening Doors for Working Class Actors.  We wanted to gain a little more insight into the career, and thoughts of this stellar actress and how she came to be where she is. 

can you tell us more about yourself and your career path as an actress?  

I always knew that I wanted to be an actor from a very early age so in a way it was easy for me to know where I wanted to be. I didn’t go to drama school due to lack of funding which was in grant form at that time but started to chart a career for myself in fringe and small-scale productions in London in order to build a cv for myself. I eventually landed some good theatre work and then was offered a regular role in the TV series ‘Byker Grove’ where I stayed for four years. This was an amazing opportunity to learn my craft and to meet many different directors who I subsequently worked with again on various shows and this was how I began to build a television career. I took a break when I hit my forties thinking that work was getting scarce but returned 10 years later and started again. I think that if I had my time again I wouldn’t have taken that break. I am not sure I believe it is true about actresses getting less work as they age. I think you just have to stick with it. Stay at the top of your game and be patient. Things are beginning to change slowly and it’s important to give a voice to the stories of older women.

You have worked a wide range of roles over the years, and secured some interesting parts, would you say the industry has changed over the years and if so how? 

In a way, I think the industry is much more open now. With the advent of online casting sites and workshops for actors there is much more opportunity to be present, practice your craft and meet casting directors and agents. We are learning to take more care of our health and wellbeing as artists which is hugely important and didn’t exist at all when I was starting out. Social media platforms can offer access to casting information to everyone regardless of training and makes the industry more accessible to those starting out. Casting Directors are now more accessible too. Back in the day, there was the idea that they were gatekeepers in ivory towers but that is changing too now. This is not an easy profession for sure, but if you run yourself like a business, stay in touch with what is going on, and take action to promote yourself, it is not impossible to create a career. Staying positive and having an interest outside of the business is essential. Purely defining yourself through acting is not healthy or helpful. Finally, stick with it. This has always been the case and always will be so get ready for the long haul. Enjoy it and if you stop doing so, get out and do something else. The going can get tough so you need to love what you are doing.

Your new book Opening Doors for Working Class Actors touches on your own journey but also looks at alternative paths to entry into the industry, what was the impetus for you writing the book, and what is your plan for the future? 

The book came out of the lockdown and the online workshops I attended during that time. Casting directors and agents were really open and helpful and I noticed a lot of the same questions coming through time after time about headshots, showreels, self-tapes, etc and I thought, why not put all this together in one place for those starting out? Although the title aims the book at working-class actors it is in fact for anyone who wants to enter the industry and doesn’t necessarily have the financial resources to go to a traditional drama school. The idea for it, going forward, is that it will be updated on an annual basis with new courses, workshops, and information. I am in contact with organizations throughout the UK with the intention of keeping the book relevant and useful.

Is there a role in film/TV/theater you would love to tackle as an actress?  Is there a particular genre you would like to enter into from a purely acting stance?  

I can’t say that there is a particular role I am desperate to play but I would like to be seen as a vital part of the stories and representation of older women in theatre and television. There is a wealth of untapped experience to draw from here and I would very much like to be part of that narrative.

To learn more about Patrica Jones or to purchase her book see:

Patricia Jones Twitter.

Patricia Jones Spotlight.

Patrica Jones Management team.

“Opening Doors For Working Class Actors" Amazon UK.”

Talking Acting, Filmmaking, and Storytelling with Kate Perry

Having caught Kate Perry’s fantastic character-based showreel on her Twitter account, we couldn’t resist reaching out to talk and getting a little more insight into the woman behind the video and talking about acting, filmmaking, and storytelling with such a talented performer.

Could you introduce yourself to our audience and give us a little background on your work? 

Hello, I’m Kate Perry from Derry, an actor/writer/sketch comedian from Northern Ireland. My passion for storytelling began at ten years old, watching Westerns in a town called Dungannon. I’m from a family of twelve children so my elder brothers would take the younger ones to ‘the pictures’ on Saturday mornings to give my mother and the neighbors a break. That’s where I fell in love with storytelling, westerns, and cinema. I loved the genre for blending the comical and serious, farcical and cerebral, highbrow and lowbrow. I believe these elements have influenced my style of writing ever since. 

I have written one-woman shows, sketches, radio plays, and short films. I live in London now but prior to that, I spent time in South Africa, the US, and Ireland. 

You have been sharing your showreel via Twitter, which includes a series of comedic characters, can you tell us more about this and if there is a plan to expand on the concept? 

I began my writing and performing character comedy while living in San Francisco doing spots in the evening at a club called The Marsh. I had a full-time job at the time as an events manager so never thought of making the commitment of moving into the arts full-time. However, due to the encouragement of friends and co-workers, I developed the characters which eventually turned the 10 mins spots into a one-hour one-woman show. I toured the show in Ireland to critical acclaim, came back to the US, quit my job, and returned to Ireland to live in Dublin. I continued acting and writing and wrote a sketch show called Do Not Adjust Yourself for the Dublin Fringe Festival which led to writing opportunities at BBC NI, which led to commissions for BBC Radio 4 and RTE Radio 1. I also went to college for the first time in my 40s and did an MPhil in creative writing at Trinity College and then a master’s degree in screenwriting at the Institute of Arts Design and Technology in Dun Laoghaire. I moved to London in 2011, kept performing, and eventually took The Very Perry show to the Edinburgh Fringe. On the back of that, I was invited to the San Francisco Theatre Festival and The United Theatre Solo Festival in New York, where The Very Perry Show won the best comedy award. I have been working on other projects ever since but now I'm back writing new material and developing other comedy characters.

You have a short film currently doing the festival circuit and winning awards, what can you tell us about the project and how it came about? 

I was originally commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to write a fictional short story for a series called Under My Bed with the remit of exploring memories and stories of what characters might have found stashed away in the dark. I called it Ruthless. 

I came up with the idea of a ten-year-old boy who finds a prosthetic leg under the bed and how he uses it as currency to get something he desperately wants, which is the latest T. Rex album, Electric Warrior. He has also recently lost his mother, his father has shut down emotionally and they are stuck in a mire of grief. The problem is that PJ is skint and his Da is on the dole so PJ comes up with a cunning plan to get the dough, involving a pawnbroker, a sock, and a prosthetic leg.

I wanted to explore that sense of loss lifted with moments of comedy and lightness using the backdrop of the troubles and the glam rock movement happening in Northern Ireland. In Belfast, in the early 70s something was in the air and it wasn’t a bomb, it was a revolution. Glam Rock was drowning out the noise of armored cars and as British soldiers patrolled the streets, kids were glued to Top Of The Pops, entranced by Marc Bolan, the androgynous, satin-clad, glitter-god. 

In a nutshell, the prosthetic leg and a T. Rex album become the conduit for overcoming grief. After I wrote the radio play I knew it would make a good film so I adapted the story to a screenplay and applied for funding through Northern Ireland Screen. Luckily they liked the script, I found a producer and we shot the film in Belfast in 2019. Ruthless is currently on the film festival circuit and has won 5 awards so far and been nominated for six so I’m over the moon for team Ruthless. 

Is there a particular role or project that you are working on at the moment you can tell us about and is there a particular role you would love to be cast in?  

I am currently writing a children’s book called Saucepan Eddie. Hard to talk about as it’s in the early developmental stage so not sure where it is going….but it’s going somewhere. 

As for a role I’d like to be in, I was cast as one of the Yoga Mums in season two of Ted Lasso and would happily jump into that lycra again!

To learn more about Kate Perry and her work see:

Kate Perry Twitter

Kate Perry Youtube.

Kate Perry Website.

Opening Doors For Working-Class Actors By Patricia Jones

There has been a push to get more working-class people into actors but with that, there has been little to no attempt at providing any information or support, which is why we at the lost creatives were very happy to be able to talk to Patricia Jones, a working actress of note, and the author of the book “Opening Doors for Working-Class Actors.” 

Opening up to her readers about her own journey from her Northern English roots, and struggles, her honest and upfront approach to the art of acting offers up hope for those who want a career in the arts and shows that it can be done. 

The book itself covers the basics of starting out and takes you through the process, offering advice based on experience, anecdotes about people she has met, and how her own life shaped her journey. 

Each chapter sets out a map of the craft and puts you in a position to set a clear path from starting out to finding yourself an agent, with a series of current options that are designed to be researched and cross-referenced to fit your plans, budget, and aspirations. 

Something that stood out for us was the reference to theater as a learning platform, we are big advocates of working on stage as an actor or backstage as a crew member, you will learn a huge amount about time management, voice work, character development and working to the constraints of the stage, another plus is the short and student film market, both of which can give you a chance to build showreel material and network (a very important part of the job of an actor). 

The *book “Opening Doors for Working-Class Actors.” is a book that has been needed for many years and in a content-hungry age of digital downloads, shows that the craft is not just for those with financial means, it is a journey that can be made by anyone with the determination to do it. 

With the full support and endorsement of The Lost Creatives, the book “Opening Doors for Working-Class Actors” is something we highly recommend to anyone looking to delve into the world of acting or to expand their knowledge of the working world of actors. 

To learn more about Patrician Jones or discuss bookings see:

Patricia Jones Twitter.

For further details of the book which is available in Kindle, hardback and paperback format see:

Opening Doors For Working Class Actors Amazon UK.

Don't F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! By Ivan Peric

As an accomplished filmmaker and actor in his own right, Ivan Peric has become something of a maven for the digital content market and with his book “Don’t F*ck Your No Budget Movie” takes you through the hard-earned and hard-learned process that took his passion for acting and film to a wider audience, detailing the process with retrospective ease to help others in the same place.

Working backward, Ivan Peric talks about his own experience of starting out as a filmmaker taking the mistakes he made, the lessons he learned, and compiling them into an easy-to-follow and frankly common-sense manner that will change the way you look at digital filmmaking and selling your product.

Many new and established filmmakers have the belief that “If I make it, they shall come,” and focus on film as an art form rather than a commercial venture, which if you want to make a career out of this is the wrong approach and often leads down the path of shelving a project. What this book focuses on is taking the art, and the commercial, combining the two, and producing work that will be a showcase of your talents and commercially viable.

What is really refreshing about “Don't F*ck Your No-Budget Movie” is the candor with which Ivan approaches the process, he openly talks about how hard it was to make things happen and why, giving a first-hand view of what he did, how he achieved it and what pitfalls he faced in the journey.

As a team, we can see the value in this book and fully endorse it, our team has worked behind and in front of the camera for over 20 years and we decided that we wanted to focus our energy on producing for ourselves which we had a broad idea of what was involved from previous work, however, taking that knowledge (along with our contacts in distribution, casting, etc), alongside the stellar advice offered by Ivan Peric in his book, we can clearly create a path that will reduce the process of creating a TV or film project and streamline it making it a much more cohesive journey. *It is worth noting even with the experience we have it is always good to source additional information and add to the arsenal of information we have in our pocket, which this book did by verifying our thought processes and giving a clear and concise plan that filled in certain gaps in our knowledge.

To learn more about Ivan Peric or to purchase the book see:

Ivan Peric Link Tree.

Ivan Peric Twitter.

Don't F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! Amazon UK. (Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback)

Don't F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! Amazon USA. (Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback)

Don't F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! Barns and Noble USA

Don't F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! Google Books.

Don't F*ck Up Your No Budget Movie! Apple Books.

Talking Acting and The Vshowcards Site With Alex Reece

We are incredibly proud to be able to talk to some of the leading talents in the UK about their careers and plans, with a CV that spans the world, and a down to earth attitude Alex Reece is not only an actor of note but the co-founder of vshowcards the newest talent spotlight site to hit the market and create a storm.

As an actor you have had a varied career, can you start by telling us about yourself and the work you have done?

“I’m an adventurer at heart. I love new experiences and extreme ones too. I’ve traveled and lived on different continents and learned languages and studied martial arts and cultures as diverse as Capoeira in Brazil and Kalari Payatttu in India.”

I’ve lived in the mountains in Spain where I scratched a living working for the local farmers and builders. Acting is an extension of that. It’s a way of going to new places, from a perceptual point of view… investigating new characters and immersing myself in different stories. It’s a great adventure.

What has been the highlight so far of your career and is there a dream role you would like to take on?

There have been several huge highlights… getting flown to Canada to do a great role as a Hindi speaking English spy ( I’ve been learning Hindi since doing a huge movie Sajjan Singh Rangroot with Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh) and working with Daniel Craig on the Heineken Skyfall Commercial and getting cast as the lead villain in Danny Patrick’s latest movie ‘The Aryan Papers’ - Danny won the Cannes Film Festival Best Director for Independent film in 2021 and to be working with is just huge.

What advice would you offer to a new or aspiring actor?

Get proactive. Don’t wait for the jobs to come to you. Keep at it, the craft, the marketing, the networking. A powerfully positive mental attitude is your best asset. And get a vShowcard. It’s the best way to put an actor’s professional information all in one link.

You are one of the founders of vshowcards, can you tell us a little more about the site and how it works?

The vShowcards site lets Actors put all of their information in one link. This saves the casting directors so much time. These days you need to have all your links in one place. A vshowcard is the next best thing to actually meeting people. Meeting people is the best way to connect and network, and the vShowcard is the best link to send to people so that they can see as much of you and your work all in one place.

To learn more about Alex Reece or to discuss booking see:

Alex Reece vshowcards.

Alex Reece Twitter.

Alex Reece Instagram.

Alex Reece Facebook.

Alex Reece Spotlight.

Alex Reece IMDB.