Film Northern Film Northern Film

[Mike]

stumbled across this webpage

dunno where this one fits in with all others mentioned over last year or so

anyone know?

Northern Soul Film: Special creative project in preparation

Written by Aidan O'Rourke

2007-03-02

I am planning a film about Northern Soul, the genre of American R'n'B music that found an enthusiastic audience in northern England during the 1960s and 70s. It's a phenomenon that continues today.

full story at https://www.aidan.co.uk/article_northern_soul_film.htm

[Jaco]

The article asks for people to contact him for help, so I've e-mailed him to suggest that he looks at this forum to see just how much passion and knowledge is shared by the members on here. If detail is what he wants there there is no better place for him to start.

I hope he gets it off the ground and does justice to the scene.

[Drew3]

stumbled across this webpage

dunno where this one fits in with all others mentioned over last year or so

anyone know?

Northern Soul Film: Special creative project in preparation

Written by Aidan O'Rourke

2007-03-02

I am planning a film about Northern Soul, the genre of American R'n'B music that found an enthusiastic audience in northern England during the 1960s and 70s. It's a phenomenon that continues today.

full story at https://www.aidan.co.uk/article_northern_soul_film.htm

Went to that little scout hut type disco (The Den) myself as a teenager.

Don't remember it running for very long but yet another place where we in Stockport got NS in the mid 70's closer to home, along with Thursday nights at Brinny Youth Club. Such places then,youth clubs,local village hall dances etc all over the country are just as much part of the NS story as the big venues I suppose.

KTF.

Drew.

[Guest kevnewry]

Out if interest,did this guy get back to any of ya's. Kev

[Guest Carl Dixon]

I have heard from him. If anybody want to fill in a brief questionnaire about the proposed movie to help with ideas etc, private messenger me with your email address and I will send you a word document to complete and email back to him. I feel he wants to research correctly and this is just the beginning.

[Jaco]

Me too, Carl. Any input will be of considerable benefit to him and I personally believe that if the reasearch is done correctly the end product will have some chance of being an as accurate reflection of the scene as is possible.

[Guest]

It's me, Aidan O'Rourke - the aspiring maker of a film set in the Northern Soul scene during the mid-70s. After I made my request earlier in the year I heard from quite a few people and got some fantastic suggestions, insights, and also quite a few warnings!

Anyway I'm just posting this to say that instead of pushing towards a feature film, I've decided to write up my story as a novel. I decided to do this after speaking to some film directors and checking out the ins and outs of making a feature film.

I have decided it is much better to get my vision down on paper and develop it fully in the way I want through the medium of writing. Eventually I hope it will be made into a film. Many films start off as novels or short stories.

The medium is different, but the request for input remains the same. I will continue listening to as many people as possible to try and make the portrayal as authentic as I can, but at the same time true to my own personal vision and memories of Northern Soul and the impact it had on me at a formative age.

If anyone would like to offer any feedback, personal accounts or anything else, please get in contact. I'm very keen to record interviews with people.

Thanks again to all those who have completed the questionnaire and shown such enthusiasm.

Thanks also to Richard Searling whose 'Soul Sauce' radio show was the spark that led to me developing the story.

To find my site, just do a search on my name - I am not the Scottish fiddle player!

[Tomangoes]

Aidan, the only thing is there's about 10 books out there on the same subject, countless tv shows about it now available on DVD etc, and 'The strange world of Northern Soul' from Levine & Co.

So the Film idea would get more interest because it has not been done before.

Quadrophenia was about the scene 10 years earlier than your chosen timescale, and look how well that did.

Good luck whatever you choose, and just remember you wont please everybody with your interpretation of events.

Ed

[Guest Carl Dixon]

Aidan - good luck with the project. The movie idea is great, but ambitious. I know of a number of possible prodcuctions in the pipeline, but they suffer from budget and authenticity issues. Even I have a story which if produced correctly would be moving and of great interest to many who enjoy 60's soul etc. The difference with mine it's set around todays date, but incorporates the music. It's only a matter of time and something will happen....

[Spacehopper]

its a shame hes not going ahead with the idea of a film..maybe for a company like film 4....there are so many books out there already,always thought "crackin up over you " would make a great film...great twist at the end in keepin with todays films,

i think the time is right .aswell as the kids musical hairspray..theres a film out sometime soon about usa mods "birds can fly"...the trailer looks ok...im sure us brits could do it better

[chrissie]

It's me, Aidan O'Rourke - the aspiring maker of a film set in the Northern Soul scene during the mid-70s. After I made my request earlier in the year I heard from quite a few people and got some fantastic suggestions, insights, and also quite a few warnings!

Anyway I'm just posting this to say that instead of pushing towards a feature film, I've decided to write up my story as a novel. I decided to do this after speaking to some film directors and checking out the ins and outs of making a feature film.

I have decided it is much better to get my vision down on paper and develop it fully in the way I want through the medium of writing. Eventually I hope it will be made into a film. Many films start off as novels or short stories.

The medium is different, but the request for input remains the same. I will continue listening to as many people as possible to try and make the portrayal as authentic as I can, but at the same time true to my own personal vision and memories of Northern Soul and the impact it had on me at a formative age.

If anyone would like to offer any feedback, personal accounts or anything else, please get in contact. I'm very keen to record interviews with people.

Thanks again to all those who have completed the questionnaire and shown such enthusiasm.

Thanks also to Richard Searling whose 'Soul Sauce' radio show was the spark that led to me developing the story.

To find my site, just do a search on my name - I am not the Scottish fiddle player!

Good luck with the project, and may I make one small suggesgtion, stay away from the freebasing section of this site, cos we're all completely bonkers. Maybe you could do a sequel to your book on how NS has sent us all mental in our senior years

QoFxx

[coops]

stumbled across this webpage

dunno where this one fits in with all others mentioned over last year or so

anyone know?

Northern Soul Film: Special creative project in preparation

Written by Aidan O'Rourke

2007-03-02

I am planning a film about Northern Soul, the genre of American R'n'B music that found an enthusiastic audience in northern England during the 1960s and 70s. It's a phenomenon that continues today.

full story at https://www.aidan.co.uk/article_northern_soul_film.htm

could be worse, could be lavine making one with infuriating 'disco' beat stapled on the an otherwise perfect record.... oh, bugger, been done hasn't it! sorry.

[Guest Bearsy]

Good luck with the project, and may I make one small suggesgtion, stay away from the freebasing section of this site, cos we're all completely bonkers. Maybe you could do a sequel to your book on how NS has sent us all mental in our senior years

QoFxx

who you calling senior and mental

good luck and i agree a film done the right way in the majoritys eyes would be fantastic and get global interest

[Phild]

a film done the right way in the majoritys eyes would be fantastic and get global interest

A film done the right way in the majority's eyes (majority of the soul scene that is, pleasing all the "right" people and causing no offence to anyone) would appeal to the general cinema going or video watching public about as much hammering nails into their own eye sockets would.

A generally entertaining film made to appeal to the vast majority of the cinema going public that used the Northen Soul scene as its backdrop would be widely slated amongst the Northern Soul cognoscenti. I can just imagine it, comments like "this film is supposed to be set in March 1977 and I know for a FACT that Searling didn't play that record until at least October 1977", "load of crap, ripping off the scene" etc etc etc ad nauseam.

You know it would be like that.

Phil

[Guest]

stumbled across this webpage

dunno where this one fits in with all others mentioned over last year or so

anyone know?

Northern Soul Film: Special creative project in preparation

Written by Aidan O'Rourke

2007-03-02

I am planning a film about Northern Soul, the genre of American R'n'B music that found an enthusiastic audience in northern England during the 1960s and 70s. It's a phenomenon that continues today.

full story at https://www.aidan.co.uk/article_northern_soul_film.htm

There have been plans for a film about the NS scene for over ten years , predating Mr O'Rourke's interest in doing so .....

This subject has previously been discussed on SS in depth , the last time over a year ago , when I gave an update from the people who originally mooted the idea , and who had already put it forward to the film industry ....

As stated before , the problems they were encountering in staging such a cinematic epic , were outweighing the actual realisation of doing it , one of the main ones being the litigation involved .....

One of the prime examples ( shown to me from standard legal papers they were given , should they wish to go ahead ) :

However much a " character " is disguised , it must be certain that the person it is being based on , does and cannot , or will find any , or be given , any indication or state , that the mannerisms , phrases , appearance or whatever , of or used by that

" character " was intentionally based on them , therefore confirming irresponsible depiction of , or slur on or to his / her character and being ....

Now that is a minefield : there would be more suing going on than at a pig farm in Alabama .....

If a film of the NS scene IS to be done , then why not extend the stage play " Once Upon A Time In Wigan " into a film ?

Malc Burton

Edited September 22, 2007 by Malc Burton

[manus]

I seem to remember that a play based on a events at Wigan was broadcast on television in the early eighties. It must have been written by someone who frequented the scene at some point because the storyline was fairly accurate. They used the Smith Brothers "There can be a better way" and I think that's possibly what it was called.

All the best

Manus

[ChrisOD1964]

ever seen coast to coast with lenny henry? very good

[ChrisOD1964]

just watched a film clip on soul source sounds called blue juice is this a film about northern or is it just the clip they show? that has northern on.

[Pete S]

I seem to remember that a play based on a events at Wigan was broadcast on television in the early eighties. It must have been written by someone who frequented the scene at some point because the storyline was fairly accurate. They used the Smith Brothers "There can be a better way" and I think that's possibly what it was called.

All the best

Manus

That's called Out On The Floor and trust me, it's terrible. The play I mean. The soundtrack is great though, all Grapevine 45's. I do copies of this now and again...

[Pete S]

ever seen coast to coast with lenny henry? very good

Don't bring this up again, please, at one time I had a full time job providing copies of this for every member of the site

[Pete S]

just watched a film clip on soul source sounds called blue juice is this a film about northern or is it just the clip they show? that has northern on.

No those are the only clips, one of the threads running through the film is about a rave DJ who used to be on ther Northern scene and won't acknowledge his roots. Good film actually Blue Juice. Catherine Zeta Jones in her pre-Hollywood days for a start

[Guest MissM]

just watched a film clip on soul source sounds called blue juice is this a film about northern or is it just the clip they show? that has northern on.

Blue Juice actually is a weird little surf-film, one of the charcters is a techno producer, coming from the northern scene, remixing northern records as techno version. the scene youre probably referring to is when he meets that girl whos a northern dj and invittes him to hear club to make him see what he did to the music... quite amusing piece of film that is, a little strange though, all in all.

[manus]

That's called Out On The Floor and trust me, it's terrible. The play I mean. The soundtrack is great though, all Grapevine 45's. I do copies of this now and again...

Can't really remember if the play was any good to be honest but I hadn't been to an allnighter for a couple of years when I watched it and suddenly I was buzzing and didn't get a wink of sleep allnight. Same thing happened around the same time early eighties thought I'd given up on allnighters and sat down to watch some programme about nothing before going to bed and the Tw*ts played " Temptation Walk" over the credits at the end. Result: I'm buzzing again and no sleep.

Cheers

Manus

[Guest gordon russell]

GOT A FEELING ALL THE WRONG PEOPLE WILL GET INVOLVED , AS IS THE CASE WITH ANY THING OF THIS TYPE