52 Jokers Wild

Robots or AI? To be concise! ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

Each day brings us into a strange new world, one where what WE used to do is gradually being taken over by robots. Well, maybe not, maybe Artificial Intelligence, A.I. In the form of cars, lorries, potato pickers, lawyers, doctors, artists, dentists, mechanics, and filmmakers. What? We are all being taken over. So what's left? If all the creative stuff is being taken away from us. And, and, and, all the mundane stuff is also being automated, what's left? What are we supposed to do? Or, or, or, is it that we are really in a multiverse matrix where we can reinvent everything and not worry about having to do 50 hour weeks and can get to spend time with the family, especially the cat. Yes, that's right, the one in the box. What do you mean, it could be dead but also alive, and we won't know until we open the box? So do I have a choice? Other than opening the box to see either a dead cat or one that is licking its paws wondering what took me so long to open the box.

Universe Builders ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

It doesn't matter whether you are building a Universe, Multiverse or just a simple little, short film project, you have to work out all the details, plan for all possibilities and remember the extra little ingredient of magic is the unknown that will always throw in a little extra bit of spice. That's the fun bit, the not knowing what will happen, the unexpected, the flaw in the tapestry but you still have to give it room to be there. If you don't it'll still manage to muscle in any way, and if you forget to invite it, it'll be very disruptive and moody. Possibly even sabotage the whole project. And you don't want that. Garvin and George start to go down deep into the fabric of their Academy Project, looking at the fine details that thread everything together, hoping there are no ladders that will wrench away at the stitching.

The Reset ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

What is a reset? Usually, it is when you press a button and the numbers go back to zero. Often we think if only we can press the button and start again. But is that really what we want. A year ago, Garvin and I were excited about where the journey was taking us. At this point, with massive disruptions going on in the world, beyond our control where you might wonder where we are going, we were surprised to find, on reflection that we are still on the straight and narrow, heading towards the goals we had set way back at the beginning. The reset was back then, nothing has changed and the enthusiasm is still there. We are ploughing forward and achieving what we originally set out to do. All we needed was to be reminded of what the reset was and when and to keep on believing.

Be Passionate ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

Be Passionate is the theme in this episode because being in the film industry can be quite a juggling act trying to catch great paying jobs and then trying to produce a project that will show the world who you really are. The trouble is you need both, the first to pay the bills and the second to meet your own creative aspirations. If one dominates the other either you make tonnes of money but don't really have anything to show what your ideas are about and what your voice is or you struggle to make ends meet because you've gone for the artistic option. In this episode, seven producers, Sean Breathnach, Sinead Cassidy Holt, Frank Kelly, Dave Minogue, Francesca Romana Nider, Dave Thomas, and James Webber, share their thoughts on how they cope with the juggling act.

Deep Within The Avatar, ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

You know, Garvin pretends he doesn't like to go deep. He sees himself as being quite simple and shallow, just paddling away letting nothing go higher than his ankles. BUT in this episode, he goes deep, and I mean deep, reaching down into the depths of his soul, where no one (including himself) has gone before. So deep, that even black holes are scared to go beyond the event horizon. Yes, we get totally spaced out, including the music. We're made of stardust, and there are some who can prove it, trouble is they have dodgy backgrounds, and probably need a lot of counselling, so as long as they can wait a couple of years so George can get qualified, then all is good. The planet can be saved. In your dream, at least those are the ones that George and Garvin have as the philosophy oozes out all over the place. Told you it was deep.

Back from the future ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

As we travel back from our future guesses to be in the room with 52 Jokers Wild, we have jumped back into a few of our early shows to see what we were talking about. Initially, it was about fear, and then we seemed to find that as a recurring topic in later shows. Then we looked at what was needed in the industry and how there seemed to be a paradox. Everyone wants producers, directors and writer, but seem to forget about the rest of the crew who make it possible to writers, directors and producers to see their dreams come true. All those unsung heroes need to be considered. Motivation is another topic, Garvin was influenced by writer Danielle Serpico, which inspired us to engage in the podcast process, then nearly a year later Danielle was on our show. Just goes to show how once you say what you want in words they can manifest themselves into reality.

Phil McKenzie, COO of Goldfinch, ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

In the room, this session is Phil McKenzie, COO of Goldfinch who talks about Finance, Production & Ventures in Entertainment & Exploring Web3. Yes, we got talking about Block Chains, NFTs or Non-fungible Tokens, you know digital cats that can be traced to their original owner. No, no, their not real cats that have been tagged (though thinking about it perhaps that might be a use for them). No, these are digital artefacts that are unique, one of a kind. Yes, yes, I know digital things can be copied and not degenerate. Oh, no, this conversation could easily degenerate in one of our typical conversations (BOOM). Ok, head cleared, Seriously, now, this is a good thing. Especially with all the deep fake stuff. We need to be able to discover the origins of things. Who created them. No, we're not getting into a philosophical debate. Simply put, we talk about improving prospects for women creatives in film, funding opportunities and eenn-ph-tees. That is the programme, you get the idea. Oh, and Garvin is quiet for quite a few minutes at the start. I thought it was a deep fake version of him, but he soon got wound up, proving he is the original. Yes, go watch the show, you'll love it.

Nathan Mac, Cinematic Pop Artist with a Circus flair, ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

Nathan Mac is "In The Room" with 52 Jokers Wild this week. Lots of clowning around, juggling a range of topics, discussing white elephants, and the all-important reason there are 52 Jokers Wild. Quite a circus event. Nathan shares his thoughts on working with and nurturing other artists. He has found his own music producer and after producing a short film, Nathan is ready to launch it with a music concert on 3rd September 2022. Having such a deadline and making it public has really focused his energies. Nathan's motto is "Support Your Local Artist By Helping To Fund Them." This way they can continue to be creative and produce even more art, which is what they were put on this planet to do. Garvin was reminded of another Douglas Adams title, George found a range of ideas sparked by the conversation flying through his mind, and Nathan conducted the two of them demonstrating his talented ability in balancing acts with a range of creatives.

”Wonderful to work with” In The Room with 52 Jokers Wild.

Over the week Garvin and George have interviewed some very talented people. In this episode, we take another opportunity to mashup some of our previous interviews to see where there were links between conversations. We revisit chats with Stephen Ford, Ronika Merl, Myia Elliot, Aidan O'Sullivan, and Sinead Cassidy Holt who share their aspirations for writing, acting and directing. We find common themes. Yes, we all have to make money but at the same time, we all want to develop our craft and find ways of working in collaboration with some amazing people who share our passion for filmmaking. Garvin and George mix in some of their words of wisdom built up over the past four decades, but are also inspired by the young blood forging their way into independent film production.

Sinéad Cassidy Holt, Actor, Model, Writer, Director and FX artist, ”In The Room” with 52 Jokers Wild

Sinéad Cassidy Holt, joins us "In The Room" with 52 Jokers Wild, and straight away we got onto the 'goodies', fairy cakes and the likes. The stuff that makes every film crew happy because their tummy is filled. With a happy crew, you get a great show. Everyone has a positive attitude. And we all know that if there is any of that negativity around, accept when testing for you-know-what, that little downer voice can be so disruptive in a way you just don't want. Time to expel from our presence. And if you are making horror stories you'll need as many blessings as you can get to keep those demons away. Especially, if they come in drain your batteries, make your clapperboard fall to piece and leave your director in tears. Nope, none of that. Another round of the cakes, please. That's the ticket and a good bit of talking it through as we do in this week's show.