18 November 2013

SUGAR & VICE - CHRISTMAS PROMO

Here's another fun promo I made for Sugar & Vice, with some behind the scenes pics of the shoot. I hope you enjoy it.



31 October 2013

TERRY AND BRENDA TEASER POSTER

A few months ago I wrote a blog post about my next short film, and being as it's a horror and today is All Hallows' Eve, it seems as good a time as any to release the teaser poster. As you may have guessed from the title of this post the film is called Terry and Brenda, and it stars Tim Blackwell and Debra Baker as the eponymous couple. Look out for more Terry and Brenda news in the future. Happy Halloween!

8 October 2013

SUGAR & VICE - PROMO

Here's a fun video I made for a great company called Sugar & Vice, who specialise in acrylic jewellery. I hope you enjoy it.

19 August 2013

CUTTING EDGE: THE MAGIC OF MOVIE EDITING

I always call myself a filmmaker, and by that I mean I write, direct and edit, but editing is probably the part I enjoy most as that's when the story really begins to form. Filmmaking is really the art of editing, and I think understanding editing is one of the most important skills of being a good filmmaker.

This documentary is a must watch for anyone with even a small interest in editing. It covers the history of editing from the earliest days of cinema right through to modern digital tools. It features interviews with such legends as Michael Kahn, Walter Murch, Sally Menke, Thelma Schoonmaker, Dede Allen, Conrad Buff, Pietro Scalia, Stephen Spielberg, Martin Scorcese, James Cameron, Anthony Minghella, Quentin Tarantino, amongst many others.

Essential viewing for all editors.

5 August 2013

STANLEY KUBRICK: A LIFE IN PICTURES

If you enjoy Kubrick's films as much as I do you'll love this documentary, made by his brother-in-law, Jan Harlan. It features rare footage and interviews with such people as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Arthur C. Clarke, Malcolm McDowell and Jack Nicholson to name a few.

A particular highlight is his daughter talking about the fifteen page document he gave to her explaining how to look after their pet cats whilst he was away shooting Barry Lyndon. "If a fight should develop between the cats, the only way you can do anything about it is to dump water on them. Alternatively, open a door and let them out, but if you can't separate them just keep dumping water, shouting, screaming, jumping up and down and distracting them, wave shirts and towels, just get them apart."

It's the definitive look at his life and work. Well worth a watch.

27 May 2013

SHORT HORROR

Ever since making VISION in 2010 I've had a hankering to dip my toes into the horror genre again. I've loved horror from a young age and attend FrightFest every year to see what new terrifically terrifying tales filmmakers have concocted.

Later in the year, once the evenings begin drawing in, I'll be directing a short horror film based on my own script. I wrote it last year but it was far too ambitious to attempt, I've since rewritten and taken everything back to it's core elements and themes, making it much more achievable. It's very much a continuation of the themes explored in Plastic Love and could easily be viewed as a companion piece.

I'm pleased to say Tim Blackwell and Debra Baker, from Plastic Love, will be featuring as the two lead roles. I love working with these two as they're fantastic actors and willing to push themselves and their performances. The film itself will be a dark comedy/horror, very British and idiosyncratic, think The Royle Family meets Fred and Rose West directed by Alan Clarke with a dash of Ken Russell.

I've created a mood board for the film as it's something I do for every script, some of the images relate to the actual script and others are purely random that I like and fit the tone. Check it out below and play name the film.

I can't say much more for now but follow me on Twitter for future updates or if you want to chat cinema.

Click image for high-res

17 May 2013

CLOGAU PHOTO SHOOT 2013

Last year the Fingercuff gang spent a week in the crazy little coastal village of Portmeirion to shoot behind the scenes on the Clogau 2013 catalogue. Check out the video below featuring amongst other things, Fiona Brattle dancing on a wall, myself driving a golf buggy in timelapse, and some horses from BBC's Merlin.

16 May 2013

PLASTIC LOVE POSTER

I'm proud to present the final Plastic Love poster by amazing artist Brian Canio. I discovered Brian's work on Instagram and he kindly agreed to illustrate a poster for me. It features all the main characters and imagery from the film and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I've always wanted an illustrated poster for one of my films and now I have one. Check out Brian's work and follow him on Instagram.


    Here's the trailer for good measure.

2 May 2013

PLASTIC LOVE REVIEWS

A few different websites/blogs have been kind enough to review Plastic Love, so I thought I'd collect them all in one place. If you want to review it tweet me at @JamHoopFilm.

"A superb film, which mixes comedy and pathos to stunning effect." Read more.
 "A surprisingly tactful and poignant take on a range of very personal and taboo subjects." Read more.

"It's a vicars-in-knickers, curtain-twitching kind of titillation, turned up to eleven with warmth still in tact." Read more.
 "A controversial work that is both funny and disturbing." Read more. Plus an interview.

 "A deeply perverse yet quintessentially British comedy." Read more.

A Crazy Kind Of Love: An Interview with Director Jamie Hooper. Read more.
 

"A messed up story of love and lust. It’s funny, tragic and disturbing in equal measures." Read more.

"Things go from comical absurdity to sadness to peril to disgust, it is an absolute assault on your senses from start to finish." Read more.

"The combination of genuinely poignant moments juxtaposed against the black comedy really makes the film memorable." Read more.

"It's well shot, with an impressive soundtrack, good performances and an interesting mix of humour, pathos and drama." Read more.

19 April 2013

SPAMFACE

Here's my latest collaboration with Leanne Davis, a talented writer/actor/comedian I've known for ages. We have a loose arrangement that if she writes a short script that's easy enough to shoot (which is why all the scripts end up being walking and talking), then I'll direct and edit it. I find it useful as I hardly ever direct other people's material, so it gives me a chance to visualise words I haven't written. We also generally freestyle the shoots, so it helps me practice directing on the spot with no preparation, which I absolutely love. I hope you enjoy.

17 April 2013

NEW FINGERCUFF SHOWREEL

Fingercuff have a new showreel featuring footage from our professional and personal work from the last couple of years. I hope you enjoy.

28 February 2013

HYPNAGOGIA - TEASER TRAILER

As promised, here's the teaser for my latest film, Hypnagogia.
Featuring Kate Hollowood and Seb Castang.

27 February 2013

HYPNAGOGIA SNEAK PEEK

In the near future I'll be releasing the teaser trailer for my latest short film, Hypnagogia. Before then here are a couple of screengrabs to whet your appetite. You can follow me on Instagram for up to date images of my filmmaking adventures - instagram.com/jamhoop

Kate Hollowood and Seb Castang
Teaser trailer coming soon
My trusty GH2 filming milk and food colouring

19 January 2013

HYPNAGOGIA MOOD BOARD

I'm starting to shoot my next short film soon called HYPNAGOGIA. I always create a mood board around the same time as I'm writing the script as I find it helps me to visualise the mood and tone of the film. Hypnagogia will be totally different to anything else I've made so I thought I'd share the mood board.

Click image for high-res