Studio Scotland Ltd
From our head of production... Deborah Forrest

2009 has been a crazy year, so, working back chronologically…

I am preparing once again for Cannes MipTV, where I will be meeting up with various individuals who have been watching our progress with “The Daniel Project” (Working Title) theatrical documentary. The project is nearing completion although we have had to reorganise various interviews in London which we will catch at the beginning of the New Year.

I am in co-production talks with an international production company regarding a number of projects, one of which is a theatrical feature which we are all looking forward to. I am not at liberty to reveal information at this point, however there is already excitement in the air as various professionals in the industry will be meeting shortly to finalise matters, watch this space…

I recently attended meetings on the Zeebrugge Ferry, spent some time with the fabulous artist Lady Lucinda Mackay and lunched with the brilliant authors Fay Weldon and Tony Parsons.

I'm also not long back from the Sheffield Doc Fest where I met with a number of international broadcasters to discuss up and coming projects. Attended the premiere of 'Erasing David' as we may be interviewing the director David Bond for a film we're doing next year. I felt things were more upbeat within the industry - compared to our last get-together in the summer...

We were filming in the Middle East recently and had lots of adventures, and by the looks of things we are going back again to get interviews and footage we were unable to get for various political reasons and time. Prior to that we were in France filming vineyards in Burgundy and Provence, learning how to taste and test, well, as they say, somebody has to do it!

In the summer I was extremely busy with the Festival. Broadcasters from all over the world meet annually at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival and it is always very busy, hard work - yet fun too. We started with our own version of Britain's got Talent and it was fun meeting Ant and Dec and Louie Walsh who are all such genuinely 'nice' people. Amanda Holden was poured into a short, red strapless dress with a zip front and back - and managed to commit a couple of faux pas...but she looked good!

There was great excitement outside our venue when word leaked out that Peter Andre was joining us, and Ross Kemp was thoroughly engaging as he discussed his documentary series and showed us unseen footage. More importantly for me, there were a lot of good meetings as we discussed the boundaries of good taste, huge spending cuts in the industry, personnel shake-ups and so on. Head of Sky TV, James Murdoch, son of Rupert gave the McTaggart Lecture which caused lots of controversy... and the BBC economist Robert Peston answered my question re the media affecting the economy.

June began with me attending a private business breakfast with Bruce Crawford, Minister for Parliamentary Business. Interesting... in May, I was honoured to be a special guest of the St Andrews Old Course Hotel where I was treated so well I almost wept! Apart from a lovely lunch, I had spa treatments which included their incredible 'Highland Fling'. I can't recommend the place highly enough and urge you to visit.

Prior to that, we were in Romania launching a pilot TV game show and at present I am not at liberty to release any further information… but watch this space.

Stu and Keith have been very busy with various other projects such as The Master Stroke DVD Tutorial Series, (www.themasterstroke.com) which is now selling in countries around the world. Stu, who recently was asked to become an Independent Certified Expert for Sony broadcast, took hold of a new Hi Def camera system – Sony’s flagship XDCAM HD422 PDW-700 at the beginning of the year and I have to say, the images are absolutely stunning! We’re also hoping to test drive some of the latest Sony developments next year.

Okay… that’s enough for now… have a great Christmas, and I hope the coming New Year will be a good one for you all… Best: Deborah

Film & Documentary Projects

The Daniel Project

The Daniel Project is an international docu drama for theatrical, DVD, web and TV release. A mix of high tech effects, ancient scenes depicting world empires in days gone by, and chilling futuristic events that face mankind in the days ahead.

The pre-trailer is also viewable at Cannes MipTV and the UK Indies website.

Designed For Disaster - a working title

A documentary that investigates what must be ranked as one of the most tragic naval disasters of the Great War. With many scenes of beautifully filmed drama reconstruction this story unveils a catalogue of harrowing events and dark secrets.

The pre-trailer is also viewable at Cannes MipTV and the UK Indies website.

The Petersen Files

 A tense thriller set in a quiet fishing village on the cost of Scotland. Julia Petersen is in possession of a package; its contents hold the key to a deadly adversary from the past which pits her and her family against international forces.

The pre-trailer is also viewable at Cannes MipTV and the UK Indies website.