This last week has been a most challenging and rewarding one. I have been living in the most beautiful house called Bishopswood House near Ross On Wye performing as General Sir John Barkley in a student feature film called The Hanged by Harbour Productions. This was the first team, after 88 job applications for roles in low paid/ no paid productions of all types of film, to give me a chance. To prove to myself and the industry that I can sustain myself over a week’s worth of intense filming without incident. I was honest about my medical history in my application for the job. I feel that I have to be to explain the glaring gap in my CV. My story has in many cases attracted interest but has proven to be a real barrier to securing anything more than a single day of filming in a couple of Maritime Training Films. However Harbour Productions knew that I was the right man for the part, I was a perfect fit for the General, but they needed to trust that by taking me on to play one of the principle characters, I was not going to have a wobble and ruin the entire filming schedule thus putting the entire project at risk. I know that they were uncertain from the couple of confirmatory phone calls but eventually they found the courage to give me that chance and keep me in the role. The filming days were 15 hours long but this team continued to conduct themselves in a cheerful and professional manner throughout. I maintained the discipline to look after myself during breaks in filming by taking myself out for 20 minute brisk walks and even a run in the pouring rain around the wonderful Herefordshire countryside, and by taking 15 minute catnaps on the three occasions in which I felt a small aura approaching. I struggled during a late night quick-fire rehearsal around the table in the green room. Each time the script came to my line my mind dropped it all and left me with a terrifying blank. I lost words I knew well, but when I was in front of the camera and in role as General John the words came back and I delivered my lines in a convincing and compelling way. I survived this week. I smashed this week. I proved to myself and everybody else that I really can act and sustain myself through the rigours of a feature film. The crew were first class and the cast beautifully cast and directed. I made a number of new friends and contacts this week beyond the coo. As I travel home I have every confidence that this will be a high quality production and that I will therefore have some really good high quality material with which to go to build a show reel to go and find an agent of some quality to help me find professional work in film. I have a lot of work to do, but I am starting to believe, truly believe that I can make the impossible possible once again. Acting has at every step given the greatest return in improving and strengthening my neurological and cognitive function.
To see for yourself the good work of the cast and crew follow these links to the production Facebook and Instagram pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHangedFilm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehangedfilm/
Website: https://www.thehangedfilm.com/
I will be sure to inform you of the release date once confirmed.
Please challenge me to keep fighting for a new career as an actor through your sponsorship for £1 per month for the Disasters Emergency Committee
www.beatthebeastchallenge.co.uk/sponsor-archie
Thank you
Yours aye, Archie