blog

I AM PLAYR GOES LIVE!

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:27:03 +0100

I am proud to announce the launch of I AM PLAYR - an innovative new social game with a unique film element based around a fictional football team. The team and story were created by me for the fantastic Big Balls Films and We R Interactive. Check it out, watch the trailer and play the game...
xx Lauren

http://iamplayr.com/

TEASER FOR MY NEW PROJECT 'I AM PLAYR' OFFICIALLY RELEASED

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:47:59 +0100

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCLmkC4h6tY

That's a Wrap!

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:21:37 +0100

I have had an intense few months writing the big gaming project, which was covered in the Guardian newspaper and has some very influential backers from the film and television world, including the fantastic producer Eric Fellner of Working Title Films.
The project involves combining films and games to give a whole new gaming experience to the user. I was approached to write the story and create the world in which the game would be based, which I began in January. This summer, my characters and storylines took on a life of their own as the team working on the project grew and we all worked towards having enough content to film and create the first draft release of the game as it were.
I have been travelling backwards and forwards to London to be with the rest of the team for some intense brainstorming sessions, after which I would scurry back to my desk and write character arcs and scenes. Having been an author working alone and having written the scripts for my films with only the input of a Director, this has been a completely different writing process for me with unique challenges but the team were all working towards the same goal; to create a unique and powerful project. Hearing everyone in the team discussing my characters and their worlds as if they are real was amusing when they were originally a figment of my imagination, but with the pool of talent from writing to gaming, producing and directing, they have now become real in film terms.
Following the usual casting process, shooting of the scenes was completed last week and these will be inserted into the game, so we can now breathe a sigh of relief. I had some moments during the process when I thought I wouldn't get the job done in time, especially when I had two days to write 32 scenes, but deadlines have a funny way of making us work harder! Now, with the job complete until we move into the next step of the gaming process, I am simply looking forward to seeing my characters come to life on screen.
In the meantime, I have started a new book, which is based on fact and I am editing another of my manuscripts to hone it for publication.

My latest project is in the news...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:02:35 +0100

Here is the Guardian Press Release for the latest project I am working on. It also hit the news in Hollywood. I can't say too much about it at the moment but it's both enjoyable and mind-bending, rather like watching 'Inception' and I am proud to be the writer. I will let you know more as it develops!

Fru Hazlitt backs We R Interactive social games venture

ITV executive and top advertising, films and games figures take stakes in firm creating games for smartphones and Facebook

Mark Sweney
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 July 2010

ITV's new commercial head, Fru Hazlitt, the advertising veteran Peter Mead and Eric Fellner, the co-chairman of the Four Weddings and a Funeral maker Working Title, have taken stakes in a new venture to create social games for smartphones and websites including Facebook.

The company, called We R Interactive, hopes to follow in the footsteps of hugely successful companies such as Zynga, creator of global online hits such as Farmville, which runs on Facebook.

We R Interactive claims it will develop a much higher-quality gaming experience, bringing together the film and games industries "to develop products the likes of which we have never been seen before".

"[We R Interactive] will be one of the first companies to successfully combine online gaming with high-quality broadcast content," said Hazlitt. "They are crossing the divide between the worlds of high-quality video content and massive multi-layer online games."

The company has been founded by David Rose, a former senior executive at Eidos and PlayStation with gaming credits including Championship Manager and Hitman, the ex-ITV executive Oli Madgett and the Ingenious Media non-executive director Richard Dale.

Co-founders also include Chris Kelly and Tom Thirlwall, the respective co-founder and chief executive of the production company Bigballs Films, and have worked on the acclaimed web drama KateModern, which ran on the social networking website Bebo.

In addition, We R Interactive has attracted the backing, and investment, of Hazlitt, Fellner and Mead, the co-founder of one of London's most respected ad agencies, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. It is not known what the size stake each of the three have taken in We R Interactive.

Fellner said that the first project would be "genre defining". "I believe We R are in the best position to deliver a ground-breaking fusion of online video game and narrative story-telling," he added.

"This is branded content, but not as you know it ... It is where the game and film industries collide," said Rose. "We are backed by some of the most influential people in media and finance and our management team is recognised as leaders in their fields."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/14/fru-hazlitt-we-r-interactive

music and football

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:05:37 +0100

What a weekend! I was very lucky to go to the Eden Sessions in Cornwall - a wonderfully relaxed music event held at the Eden Project among the extra-terrestrial looking greenhouse domes. My friends, talented musicians Jack Johnson and Ben Howard were both playing, which made the evening even more special. Ben is poised to launch onto the world stage and played as a precursor to Jack, who brought the magic of Hawaii, my favourite place in the world, to a very hot but chilled out day. I may have written books and films but the ability of musicians like Jack to write so many incredible songs always amazes me. I only ever listen to Jack, Ben and Coldplay while I work but I left the work at home this time and took a much needed day off.
I've been writing solidly about football lately for a project with a fantastic film company, Big Balls Films, which is lots of work but great fun. I've always loved the game having been brought up watching football with my Dad so I've been lucky to be able to watch the World Cup in the name of research. I raced home the day after Eden to watch England and... well, what can I say?! It wasn't worth the rush. My football project is fictional so I won't be using England's performance as inspiration for the high points of the story. Then again, every story needs its ups and downs. It's just a shame our World Cup had a down ending. I hope my football project ends on a high - I'm working with the best team so I think we've got more chance than England!

The End

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:37:30 +0100

Last week I finally had the pleasure of writing 'The End' of my new novel. I've been working on it for the past few months but the final weeks were intense. I tend to become so engrossed in the characters and the story that I am living, breathing and dreaming it in the final stages. I had storylines and words whirling around my head and I kept waking up at 3am to scribble notes to myself. I think I was driving Gabe mad!
I wrote 30,000 words in 3 days before popping the champagne, printing the 431 pages and sending them off to Jonathan, my agent. It still feels like handing in my homework, no matter how old I get! So, Jonathan has some reading to do, my fictional characters have taken a holiday from my head and I managed to take an afternoon off work before embarking on writing the script of a short film for Quiksilver Women. Today, I am starting work on my next big project, which has been in the pipeline for a while now and which will be occupying my time for the foreseeable future. It's different, it's exciting and it's top secret! I will let you know more when I can...

Premier Class

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:05:01 +0100

To tie in with the release of Waveriders in the USA, I was invited as the film’s writer, along with Gabe (who stars in the movie) and the Director, Joel to attend surf night at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, where Waveriders was the headline movie. Two weeks in the California sunshine, a green carpet première, meetings in Hollywood and many occasions to dress up in my new Quiksilver Women outfits - how could I say no….?!

Gabe and I flew out a week early to LA to make the most of the occasion. We spent a few days with our great friend Pat O’Connell in Laguna, surfing Trestles daily with a very friendly pod of dolphins and a fun day at Universal Studios (in the name of movie research of course!)

We then travelled north to San Luis Obispo, which is in the heart of the Californian wine region, in perfect time for the St Patrick’s Day party and wine tasting. Our film is set largely in Ireland so we were the party’s special guests. St. Patrick’s Day is a huge occasion in the USA. So much so that drinking in San Luis began at 6am. We joined in late in the day with the wine tasting but we let the Irish side down when it came to achieving complete intoxication! The local wines were great but we had to be sensible as we had work to do.

The following day we had a live radio interview about the festival and lunch with the festival organisers, sponsors and Dana Cummings who runs Ampsurf. This is an inspirational organisation encouraging amputees to take up surfing through their surf clinics. Ampsurf were sharing our premiere night and, after meeting Dana who is himself an amputee, and watching their emotional film depicting what they achieve at their clinics, I was delighted part of the proceeds of the Waveriders evening were being donated to Ampsurf. I hoped the promotion would further help their cause that literally changes lives. (www.ampsurf.org)

I was as nervous for surf night as I was for the first ever screening of Waveriders. Every audience is different in their reaction and one never knows how many people will turn up. The festival is a great event, however and the passionate organisers Wendy and Tim Eidson assured us the night would be a great success.

We were picked up in a vintage woody surf car, which really befitted the occasion and a very Irish green carpet greeted us at the door of the beautiful Fremont Theatre dating from the 1940s, as did (thankfully) a queue of cinemagoers stretching down the street and around the corner! Legendary surfers Peter Mel and Kalani Robb joined us as special guests with Peter acting as MC for the Q&A. We ate popcorn, we watched the film, we held our breaths at the end, the crowd erupted and I didn’t fall over in my very high heels as we took to the stage for the Q&A! It was a fantastic evening and one I hope to repeat with future films. Here is a link to photos from the night:

http://www.unconfinedmind.com/2010_Surfnite/surfnite/

After the glitz and glamour, I am now back home at my desk writing the last chapters of my new novel, which I hope to complete very soon. I’m in the home stretch and loving the characters and the storyline and I am actually really happy to get back to it after my travels. The champagne is on ice for ‘The End’!

Hollywood glamour!

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:56:41 +0100

I am in sunny California for the San Luis Obispo international film festival where Waveriders screens tonight at the stunning Fremont Theatre. Tonight is surf night at the festival so Gabe, our Director Joel and I were invited to fly over as guests of the very passionate organisers Wendy and Tim Eidson. We have been treated so well since we arrived and, after a radio interview this afternoon to promote the film night, we are having an hour to relax before getting our glad rags on for the 'green' carpet that awaits us. Yesterday was St Patrick's Day so the film's Irish roots tie in well with the event. A vintage woody car will pick us up and take us to the theatre that has a capacity of 900, so we are hoping for a full turnout! No matter how many times we screen our film and how many awards we have won, I am still nervous beforehand and anxious to see the reaction of the audience. Fingers crossed for a great night.
Gabe and I have spent the last week enjoying the Californian sunshine with friends in LA and Laguna beach and we have a few days after the festival to surf, socialise and shop. California is very inspiring to me as a writer so I will be flying back with fresh ideas and new motivation (not to mention excess baggage!)

Home and Away

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:14:43 +0100

I’m back in France after a great trip to the UK. I spent five days racing between work meetings, family and friends and trying to experience all the favourite things I miss when I am away. I managed two trips to the movies (a large popcorn – sweet and salt mixed – on both occasions), several frothy coffees, a few hours in my favourite book shops to stock up and of course I may have stumbled into Top Shop!

I spent a day in London where I had meetings with Big Balls Films, with whom I’m working on three very varied and very exciting projects. (More information will follow as the projects come to fruition). I also met with my agent, the lovely Jonathan Lloyd and delivered the first 40,000 words of my new book. When I’m travelling, I love writing on planes, on trains and in cafés so, with my headphones on listening mainly to Coldplay and Ben Howard, I managed to notch up many hours of work en route.

When I returned to France, I was rewarded with the best day of surf I have had all winter. There was actually snow on the beach and the water was far from tropical but the waves were perfect and the surf perked me up enough to motivate me for the next working week!

January News

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:00:43 +0100

Well it’s been a very busy start to the year with books and scripts. I managed to write 20,000 words of my new novel in 4 days as the story is flying along, which is fantastic except for the fact I have ended up with very sore forearms! I have also been writing a fictional script about football this week, a completely different subject for me but one that I love. I’ve been a football fan since I was very young, so it’s fun to be writing about something that requires completely different language, metaphors and characters.

On the film front, I heard this week that not only was Waveriders voted the best Irish film of 2009 by the Dublin Film Critics, it was also the highest grossing Irish film at the box office. The DVD is on sale now and will shortly be released in the USA at a very exciting destination for us, so check here for more information, which will follow shortly…