Attica Rage: Road Dog Forever release

I'm aware it has been a long time since my last post but I've been very busy with the odd bit of industry work, getting Metal Outlaw TV up and running and finally completing the Attica Rage film. Yes! You read correctly. After 3 years of set backs and stress I'm happy to report that the film is now in the final stages of production and within a couple of weeks it will be pressed on to many shiny new DVD's. Now all I need is all of you (all 5 of you) to go out and buy it. ;)

So where to buy. It can be bought directly from the band at gigs or if you are local to me or any of the band members, directly from one of us. The best place to pre-order/buy for the rest of you is from the band's official website www.atticarage.com . Easy as that. I want to stress what you are getting is of far better quality and better value for money than what other bands at Attica's level have put out. I'm not pointing any fingers *cough* *cough* Fury UK. So I believe it warrants the £15.00 asking price. Bare in mind this is a short run, fully independent (no label involvement, no grant funding) feature plus a whole host of extras. For me it's a personal achievement and I'm extremely proud of the end result. So if I see any part of it online a week after its release I will be out for blood. No joke! Pirate Metallica's DVD's, not mine. Attica Rage: Road Dog Forever available to buy December 1st, 2012. Check out the trailer:


Now that I have the sales pitch out of the way I think it would be a good time to talk about the project a little. It basically started life while I was at university and one of the things on my bucket list was to make a band documentary. Unfortunately a lot of bands on the scene at the time were completely dicking around and never took it seriously. The last thing I wanted was to spend a year making a film only to have the band disband and be forgotten by the time I had finished. I came across Attica Rage who had been around a wee while so I figured they would be a safe bet. I also liked the style of music and the contrast between the band members. I'm a classic metal fan through and through since I actually like comprehensible lyrics and an actual tune so it seemed to fit. I pitched the singer, Jonny,  at a gig in the Cathouse and gave him a very studenty sample of my work. Months went by and I assumed that the band had decided that they weren't interested. Rejection is something you have to get used to if you do what I do. As it turns out though I was wrong. Jonny got in contact and we set up a little meeting in the Solid. I told the band exactly what I wanted to do and what I wanted to get out it. My only condition was that they were serious about it and that we all see it through till the end. Although there were times when I felt like giving up I'm proud to say I kept my word.

From there I shadowed the band at more or less every event they played over the next two years. The only exceptions were a gig in Edinburgh and High Voltage festival. I regret not doing one of these guess which one. Beyond gigs and festivals I also delved a little in to their lives outside the band and covered the making of the Road Dog album. Unfortunately the personal stuff did not come off as I had hoped. I think a couple of the members were a bit uncomfortable sharing their stories which was really disappointing to me from a film makers point of view. To me that's why Anvil works better than any "rockumentary" ever made. The guys wore there hearts on their sleeves and were very interesting characters. I think the Attica guys are interesting enough to hold an audiences attention but it was difficult to get a personal, mass appeal,  narrative out of them. This may be my failing as a film maker. Perhaps I wasn't invasive enough but it's one of those risk/reward scenarios. If you push too hard and overstep your bounds there is nothing stopping the guys from pulling the plug completely. At the end of the day I knew that the film would only be something that would appeal to fans of the genre and band anyway so it was easy to live with that disappointment. At the end of the day you work with what you've got and I am really happy with the end result, especially the Classic Grand gig which looks and sounds brilliant. I'm also glad that I managed to catch a bit of the humour going on as well as some of the drama of being in an unsigned band.

As an experience it was fun for the vast majority of it. I got to go to several festivals, get plenty of practice filming and editing, met many folks who have since become friends. Although I'm not going to lie, I met one or two folks who really get my back up too and I also had to endure a trip to Ibiza and the worst people in the world (British clubbers). On the whole the experience was positive. I learned a lot. I got better at what I do. I made a few important contacts and at the end of the day at the very least I can say that I had the guts to go out there and create something I wanted to make. I struggle to think of anyone working in film and TV who can claim that. Which is maybe why British TV is the pit of reality TV pish that it's become. I know from experience. I've worked on some of it.

Next for me is getting Metal Outlaw TV off of the ground. Heavy metal/rock needs a platform for up and coming bands to be seen. I'm hoping that myself Roddy and Big C can develop this concept in to that platform. I'm guessing time will tell. I'm also looking to get involved with working on anything that comes my way in any role (as long as it isn't a tea/coffee go fetcher or chauffeur). I want to build up as much experience and as many contacts as I can for the future. So if anyone is interested in working together on absolutely anything I'm more than willing to talk. So until next time, BUY THE DVD!!!!!