how it starts

Meet with Cici for brunch at High Road Brasserie in Chiswick. The heating and hot water are out at my place in town so after watching Don't Look Now at the PCC I escaped back west to my parents' for the weekend, so Chiswick is a good halfway point for brunch. I get there a little before her, grab a table by the window, flick through the books I’ve just picked up at a charity shop. Can’t help but half overhear the guys at the table next to us - one of them is clearly an actor.

Cici arrives, we order food and coffee and then she jumps straight in with it. She wants to make a short film but doesn't really know how to go about doing this, so is bringing me on board. We talk a little about the basics, what exactly a producer would be doing, the kind of films we both love, the imminent London Film Festival; I try to explain auteur theory, and what could happen after making a short. She’s rabidly enthusiastic, which is great, and I’m into it too, though perhaps a little more grounded and realistic about it all.

The table next to us starts to pack up to leave; one of the men turns to us and tells us there really is some good stuff at the LIFF we should check out. Turns out he's a film reviewer at viewlondon, overheard our conversation. Starts talking to us about filmmaking, picking up on Cici's lack of experience over my (admittedly limited) knowledge. He wishes us luck though; Cici hollers "you'll be reviewing our films in a year or two's time!" after him as he leaves. Probably serves us right for having this meeting at an offshoot of Soho house.

We pay the check and I drag her down to Chiswick library, where I head straight for the film section (she's amused I know exactly where these books are), pick up Filmmaking For Dummies and How To Make Short Films for her, get Alexander Mackendrick's book on film which I remember being told about in a script reading class, send her off home to do some reading so she's a little more prepared for all this. Head home myself with intentions of brainstorming then get back and end up crashing in front of the TV catching up on Chuck and Gossip Girl for a couple hours. I like not having a TV at my place, it makes me infinitely more productive, but it does mean when I’m back at my parents' house all I do is watch the shows I’ve tivoed.