Thursday 18 December 2014

Mischief Pictures


 
Mischief Pictures
Mischief Pictures was set up in Oxford by Richard Duriez and Sharon Woodward in 1997.The idea was to produce non-commissioned productions, that would explore the creative use of digital video in drama and experimental documentary. Although the productions had little or no funding they were broadcast on satellite, cable and Internet TV. They had a limited Cinema release through 'City Screen' and shown at international festivals including Edinburgh and Cannes as well as receiving nominations and awards. 

Mischief Pictures In Association with WoodwardMedia 
Released  Ska'd by the music with Concord Media in January 2018


4 PLAY (drama 52 min cert 15)
While fighting the pain of a failed love affair with romeo rock singer Craig, Sally meets up with and falls for Mike, a probation officer. When, one evening Mike is detained by a riot at the Phoenix Cinema along comes Dean who needs to share his troubled love life with Sally. As Dean bares his soul during a drinking binge not only emotions are uncovered.
click below:
4 PLAY  
Support from Oxford Film & Video Makers and Direct TV.
Director - Sharon Woodward / Producer - Richard Duriez
Editor(s) - Sharon Woodward, Richard Duriez
Story by Sharon Woodward
Dialogue improvised by cast
Screenings
City Screen Cinemas
1998 - Phoenix Picture House, Oxford
1998 - Stratford Picture House, Stratford - Upon - Avon
1998 - Stratford (East) Picture House, London
Independent Screenings & Festivals
1998 - Flea Pit - Newcastle - Upon - Tyne
1998 - New British Expo , The Videotheque Edinburgh
1998 - North by Northwest Independent Film & Video Festival - Liverpool
1999 - ZODIAC Club - Oxford
1999- Geneva video festival
Distribution - Concord Video & Film Council Ltd Concord

The Devils Feast (drama 93 min cert 18)
This is a community feature film we made back in the late 1990's, shot on the first digital camera (Sony V1), we were quite surprised to find out later that The Devils Feast was the first digital feature made in the UK. It ran for a week at a cinema in Oxford as well as showing at other festivals and screenings.
It was a micro-budget film (under £1000) and made over 2 years, with Premiere in 1999. During the production we heard about "Dogma 95" and saw "Festen". There is a huge amount of synchronicity between the way we were thinking and the Dogma 95 manifesto. (The only rule we really broke was to use recorded music - but mostly created by people in the cast). It was improvised, shot on video 4:3, no or minimal lighting, no grip used, etc.
This version has been re-rendered to 16:9 from 4:3 (breaking another dogma rule) and made HD, (the quality is no better but plays in full frame in youtube window at least).

It is a black comedy drama, about a conceptual artist, her anarchist lover and a religious cult. Has lots of offensive swearing and sexual references. We would recommend 18 years or above. 
click below: 
The Devils Feast 
 
Support from Dramatrix / Direct TV and Oxford Film & Video Makers
Made under the banner of Mischief Pictures
Writer (s) - Sharon Woodward, Richard Duriez
Director- Sharon Woodward / Producer - Richard Duriez
Story written from Improvised script
Screenings
Premiere
Phoenix Picture House, Oxford
26th November 1999 - 2nd December 1999
2000 - Portobello Film Festival
2000 - UK Films - Edinburgh



Interviews With The Vampires From Poole (mockumentary 30 mins)
U.S. TV show "Unexplained Mysteries" investigates the story of a group of Psychology Researches, who never return from an assignment to interview a group of would-be Vampires.
The programme explores what became of the researchers, using as evidence, their own video footage and field notes found by police in Poole.
Notes:
Shot over a weekend with a group who were part of role-play (Dungeons and dragons type of games). We were both fans of old horror films. So when the group were reluctant to take part in a documentary, we improvised this.
click below: 
Interview With The Vampires From Poole
 
Made under the banner of Mischief Pictures
Supported by Oxford Film & Video Makers
Producer & Story writer Richard Duriez
Director & Story writer Sharon Woodward
Dialogue improvised by cast
Screened: The Zodiac - Oxford
Portobello Film Festival - London
3BTV - broadband broadcast
Boscombe Arts festival – Bournemouth


The Anniversary (drama 8.5 min)
"The Anniversary" is a short romantic comedy.
When hippy student Sarah returns home to find her geeky housemate Jake on the phone, she discovers that Jake is miserable, because he cannot be with his long-term girlfriend on their anniversary.
Sarah invites him into her room for a drink. One bottle of Tequila later, and Sarah decides it would be a fun diversion to dress the intoxicated Jake up as a girl, and drag him out to a student bar.
Will Jake be discovered? Will Sarah regret more than a hangover in the morning? Or will Jake's confession completely change everything?
Notes: Shot over a weekend to try out a script written by Richard Duriez. It was picked up at Portobello Film Festival to be shown at Cannes. One of the few times we were not trying to be noticed.
 click below:
 
Drama / 8.5 minutes
made under the banner of Mischief Pictures
Supported by Oxford Film & Video Makers
Producer & writer Richard Duriez
Director - Sharon Woodward
Screenings
Preview 2001 - ZODIAC Club - Oxford
Phoenix Picture House – Oxford on 27 & 28 & 29 April 2001
British Pavilion - Cannes 2001
Portobello Film Festival - London 2001
Leeds Music festival - 2001


Mr Right (drama romantic/comedy 15 min)
Sarah is trapped in a Fairytale world of Mills and Boon Romance, Knights in 
Shining Armour, and problem page paradise. But in reality a series of embarrassing 
drunken one night stands, give her friends plenty to gossip about.
Notes: Remembering the Jackie magazines of my preteens, the romantic 
fiction of my teens and the fair-tales of my childhood. This was the influences between fantasy and reality.
  click below:
 
Producer - Richard Duriez Editors - Richard Duriez, Sharon Woodward
Cast Un-credited - Girl Jogging - Sharon Woodward / Man beaten up - Richard Duriez
Screenings
2004 - Oxford Film & Video Makers
2004 - Portobello Film Festival
2004 - Leeds Music Festival
2004 - Sun-dazed Film Festival Reading
2005 - Reel Women Oxford International Women's Day
2005 - Inside Report Web Channel
2005 - tHE eND oF pIER iNTERNATIONAL fILM festival
2005 - WWW. 3BTV

 
Thank You Skinhead Girl (documentary 45 min)
The first film shot on HD

Thank You Skinhead Girl is a documentary detailing the filmmakers experience of being in care and becoming a skinhead girl during that time. It gives insight through a female perspective into a sub-youth culture that has been one of the most misunderstood, of the youth groups. Through the voice of the filmmaker, interviews, poetry and archive footage we are taken into the personal reflections of that time, documenting the local Oxford Skinhead scene from 1969- 89.Features music by the Symarip, Oxford Ska
band The Inflatables and Welsh Oi! band The Oppressed.

Awards
‘Best Documentary’ 8th Palace International Festival, Bulgaria 2010
Nomination – Portobello Film Festival ‘Best film’ 2009

Trailers -  click below: 


45 minute documentary
Made under the banner of Mischief Pictures
This film has been enabled by Screen South Community Projects Fund
and  Film Oxford (OFVM) Production Award
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor -Sharon Woodward
Executive Producer, Camera - Richard Duriez
Associate Producer - Gary Shenton

Screenings:
2009 - Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford
2009 – Portobello Film Festival, London
2009 - Falstaff International Film Festival
2009 – 40th Anniversary of the Skinhead Spirit of 69 Margate
2010 – 8th Film Palace International Festival, Bulgaria
2010- San Lorenzo Festival in Rome, Italy
2010 - Edinburgh Fringe - Film Festival, Scotland
2010- FilmDirecting4Women International Film Festival, London
2010 - Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn
2010 - Thame Cinema supporting Exit through the gift shop
2010 - The 1st Doi Saket International Film Festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2010 - 12th Madurai Film Festival, Tamilnadu, India
2011 – 6th 7island International Film Festival, Andheri (W), Mumbai, India
2011 - 9th filmmor women's film festival, istanbul, Turkey
2011 - The Phoenix Picture House, Oxford (BBC Learning: Reel History Archive Partners)
2012 - Blue November MicroFilm Fest Upper Crust, 8420 Greenwood, Seattle USA  
   2012 and 2013 broadcast in the UK Outsiders season Community Channel Sky 539, Virgin TV 233 
  
Ska'd by the music (story of the Symarip) 
 The SYMARIP Ska band was formed in the late 1960's they had been known as The Bees, The Pyramids,Seven Letters and Zubaba.

They backed Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken and supported Millie Small. Their album 'Skinhead Moonstomp' hit the charts in 1969 accompanied by the single they were a major successes.They re-released the song in the early 1980's following The Specials cover version in 1979 under the 2 -Tone label.
 Trailer -  click below:
SYMARIP Trailer 

 
Screenings of Ska'd by the music:

March 22nd 2018: Film Oxford (Deaf and Hearing Impaired subtitles - colour coded for each person speaking) First public screening followed by Q & A with director
 
May  2018: Broadcast on - Together TV FreeviewHD 93/ Sky 539/ Virgin Media 269/ Freesat 164/ Together TV Guide here to subscribe to the Channels newsletter here