Pip Piper caught up with Simon Cox to find out all about the Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere, and the latest news on Kaleidoscope Man.
PF: Simon , you went to the Star Wars UK premiere! How did that happen?
Jonathan Newman, a good friend of mine, had 2 tickets for the premiere (he’s a Bafta member and an established feature film director). He was away on holiday and asked me and Chris Jones if we’d like to go instead. As a massive Star Wars fan I wasn’t going to say no to that one! He asked me two days before the premiere and I was so excited I could hardly focus on my work or sleep.
PF: Ok, talk us through it so what was it like on the red carpet? Did you meet anyone from the film?
This was a huge premiere and when we arrived the whole of Leicester square was cordoned off – Police and security were everywhere. Coming from the Piccadilly direction we were told to go and queue at the top pathway that comes down the side of the Empire cinema. When we eventually got through the crowds, we joined a massive line which lead round towards the entrance to the Empire. There were massive screens up right around the square, with lasers and light sabres wherever you looked. The Star Wars theme boomed out from every direction – it was very magical. Eventually, Chris and I were funnelled out onto the red carpet. Security were keen to keep everyone moving and to get into the Empire as quickly as possible however, anyone who knows Chris Jones and I, will know that we have never been ones to take orders, so we hung on for almost 10 minutes, making the most of the photo opportunities. Finally we went in and took our seats in anticipation for the biggest movie event of the decade.
Inside the cinema, there was a video feed from the red carpet with interviews with the stars and film makers. It was great – until we learned that both the Empire and the Odeon cinemas were premiering the film at the same time. The stars and the filmmakers being in the Odeon cinema – not the Empire!
Just before the movie started, JJ Abrams appeared on the video feed and thanked us for coming, before introducing the movie. Then that familiar text roll began…
PF: What was the response to the film on the night? What did you think?
Well, Chris and I absolutely loved the movie and everyone cheered as the opening credits started – it was a great atmosphere and the IMAX screen was fantastic. For me it delivered what was promised and I’m pleased to say that it did have that Star Wars magic that we’d all been waiting for since the original trilogy. In my view, it was a big hats off to JJ!
PF: The big question is, did you get to chat about "Kaleidoscope Man" and were you inspired to push ahead with you own sci fi movie?
In a nutshell, no, I didn’t get a chance to speak to anyone. I didn’t see anyone I recognised apart from Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Stephen Fry. The celebs and film makers were kept well away from the rest of us. Not sure if this was intentional, or just a timing issue.
However, I found the whole experience very inspiring and a massive learning curve about the madness of the film business. With all the lights, red carpet, paparazzi and general pizazz, it was a bit of a wake-up call when the movie was over because as I stepped out of the cinema, Leicester Square was back to being good old rainy Leicester Square. Everything had been taken down and it felt a bit like the cold hangover you get after a great night out.
PF: what next for "KM"?
Well after three years in production and nearly 15 years in development, I’m very pleased to say that Kaleidoscope Man is now 99% shot. We’ve literally just got back from shooting our alien planet scenes on the volcanic planes of Lanzarote, which look amazing and back in November we shot a large dream sequence in Birmingham University with around 80 extras. There are just a few minor pick up scenes and the small matter of a tank battle which we’ll be shooting in Birmingham city centre. Hopefully this will all be done by the end of March.
The next phase is the special effects and we’ll be looking to engage a small team of CGI animators and compositors to help create the many special effects this movie has. Things like spaceships, lasers, alien planets – the usual epic sci-fi kind of thing!
Of course, we still need to raise money to do this but I’m optimistic that this won’t take too long to happen. (If there are any animators reading this, please do get in touch by the way). I determined to get the film finished this year.
You can find out more info about the movie at www.kaleidoscopeman.com – and make sure you follow our for regular updates on how we’re getting on.
Simon Cox was talking Pip Piper.
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