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Apologies to all, something horribly technical happened with our people who look after this website. All the information was lost and no back up available, so this site was not available to you all for a while.
We now have new technical people looking after us, and we've have all the most of the information reconstructed here. I'm told we will have almost everything back in place before too long, and in Welsh too.
Lovely.

I'm in the office of the Pavilion, Llangollen, about to pack away my computer and I thought I'd just post a quick good bye.

Its 23:27 and its all over. What a week. I've met some great people, the kind of people I just wouldn't normally come into contact with. I've been on a real rollercoster of an adventure with them and we've shared a big experience together. That will be something that lasts a long time.

The bands wrapping up, there's a lot to do to get it all into cars and out of here. I really fancy a beer

Good night

Ian

That's it!
All the teams have finished their films!

The End: 4 Tiny little DV tapes

Degawdawns came through with flying colours, and handed in their film with a minute to spare.

All other teams had last minute unforseen technical problems. Which we really should have forseen. But we did have enough slack time that everyone got there in the end!

So, we're all off to Llangollen for the Really Restrictive Shorts' Caberet Finale!

We're ready to beat the gong, and turn the power off in the editing room.

Then the teams have to do a little ceremony to present their final cut tape to Gemima's representatiev.

Weather is starting to feel stormy. Rain and dusk. Wind smashing against the windows of the house in gusts.

Martin and Paul from Octopus Apocalypse were over in the office in the other building, doing the credits for their film. The other two weren't in sight. So, quite relaxed. I think I heard them saying they were going to make sure they credited the Real Institute, so we're happy :)

Just 10 minutes to go!

Craig has just given the teams the 20 minute warning, and explained that they must hand over a digital tape of the film at 5pm, not just have finished editing the film on their computer then. This means that if they have a 10 minute film, they have to start transfering it to the tape by at the very very latest 4:50pm.

Atmosphere in there is still surprisingly calm. Sara from Have Wings just asked me for the surnames of all the drama students who appear in their film, but alas I didn't know. They're typing in the credits, and the cast list is now first names only.

Degawdawns seem to still be tweaking scenes - they were talking about the climax of the film, and having a copy of some other part there. Couldn't quite make it out.

Fruitcake are in hushed silence. All looking at the screen. Arms round each others shoulders. One clicking the mouse.

I'm going to brave the weather to check out Octopus Apocalypse.

Fruitcakes on the left, Degawdawn in the middle, Have Wings on the right. (Octopus are in the outbuilding, and it's too cold for us to go out :)

Editing room, 20 minutes to go

I just asked Iwan what the atmosphere is like in the editing suite.

"It's getting tense. Room's full of the teams. All there just praying that their computers don't crash last minute. Editing bits like trimmings on top of the cake, that will add the extra sparkle to their workk. There is an occasional glare of panic on their faces. And the next minute they're quite relaxed and know what they're doing and feel in control. Sometimes people turn to me and say 'I've got a name for my film!' then the next minute say they haven't any more.

"It will be panic within the next 20 minutes.

"Fruitcake (on SVHS), there was a fear they couldn't get there film off the computer at all. There was talk about workarounds like taking the hard drive out. But in the end we and they have found out a way of making it work. Touch wood in the next 35 minutes we'll be able to get their film out in the tape and officialy submit it to Really Restrictive Shorts."

Degawdawns are in the Music Room recording sound effects. Matt holds the mike, Eilir bangs out chords on the almost unusable piano, while Julie blows more or less in rhythm on a little posthorn. Ffion's tinklings on a recorder are more or less drowned. They are recording, it is clear, for a wild, dramatic scene.

After the music they have some lines to record. In one of their restrictions they were required to incorporate a rhyming couplet including the word "biro". It will be spoken by their narrator, a black-and-white minstrel toy among the extraordinary paraphenalia lying around the house. "We need a black man to do it." "We haven't got a black man." "Matthew'll do it best. Go on Matt." Eilir gives him the microphone. Somebody mentions Louis Armstrong.

"Tarnished by rain," whispers Matthew. "By biro, by flame." Julie directs him: "Again, only with more welly." "Now do it with a contrast between the three parts." He does it with greater and lesser amounts of welly. It sounds OK. It sounds like Matthew. It doesn't sound like Louis Armstrong. Julie takes the mike: "Shall we all have a go? TARNISHED BY RAIN!" Pause. "By biro. By FLAME!" A few more tries, and Ffion takes the mike and darts into the small space between the curtain and the window. Perhaps she likes the acoustic, perhaps the privacy, or perhaps the faint patter of raindrops. She says, quietly, "Tarnished by rain, by biro, by flame." She does it again, a fraction louder. "Have we got it?" someone asks. Eilir takes the microphone. "Let me have a go. Ba da ba da dibu dibo dum." He has a rich, deep Welsh voice but he rasps these syllables from somewhere deeper, resonant and unrecognisable. "Tarnished by rain, by biro, by flame." He is Louis Armstrong, singing the blues. Matthew is about to take the mike off him, but is brushed him away. "I'm still warming up. Bah, ba da bah, bah da badada badada badada bah. Tarnished bah, reeen! Bah bah-ro, bah, fleeem!" It sounds amazing. "Now I'll just do Louis vomiting. Bweuaargh." He makes a series of ever-more lifelike and revolting vomiting sounds. Julie has turned her face to the wall to stop her laughter putting him off. I hide behind a curtain, Matt behind a pillar. At length Eilir-Louis' emesis is over. "Right, let's go upstairs and get that other stuff we need."

Fruitcakes have the restriction of having to use Joel's drumming in their film. Here's Myk directing Joel to get just the right noise.

Joel drumming with Myk