Hotel Caledonia (The Movie): A Cannes-Do Attitude to Success

Thursday, 22 May 2008

A Cannes-Do Attitude to Success

Back in 'Blighty' after three full days (and only six hours sleep total), many meetings, a few socials, and lots of encouragement for project 'Hotel Caledonia'. Armed with renewed interest from many independent parties, some awesome advice for continuance, and a positive attitude to getting exactly what I want to make this project the cult classic it has every opportunity of becoming, I'm even more convinced now of the success that is waiting to be harnessed at the box office.

When I've had chance to contact those people who have asked to be contacted, reorgnised my schedule for the next three weeks to encompass some further schmoozing, and made some new enquiries of agents for cast, I'll add some more info to this blog. Suffice to say at this stage I'm very optimistic of completion progress towards production before the end of July.

If you've never been to Cannes, or pitched your material in an environment where people DO listen and take interest, then book up early for next year and get on that plane. You'll be glad you did, if for no other reason that to keep inspired by the many fellow writers, and filmmakers, who are there to do the same, and exchange advice and contact information with you.

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Film Synopsis

Hotel Caledonia focuses on the inoffensive, and downtrodden characters of Norman Tickle, and his ‘street-wise’, female-obsessed friend, Arty Harris. Together they take to the road ‘Jack Kerouac’ style and are soon be-friended by a tightly knit group of backpackers, heading north to Scotland for the thrills, and spills, of adventure. Beginning in the Midlands, the story follows Norman and Arty to the lowlands of Glasgow before finally reaching New Braemar, in the desolate, and sometimes-uninviting, landscape of the Scottish Highlands. The movie humorously traces the interwoven relationships that develop between all the travellers as their quest for fresh air, and the isolation of the wild outdoors, finally leads them to a working guesthouse known as ‘HOTEL CALEDONIA’. Here, at their final destination, the black, comedic thread of the movie transcends into the macabre, with scares-a-plenty, and where the ‘surrealness of the bizarre’ takes on a face of abject horror. Far removed from the groups’, and the audience’s expectations, HOTEL CALEDONIA is in a state of dilapidation. To describe it as a hotel, let alone a guesthouse, is somewhat of an over-exaggeration of its potential. HOTEL CALEDONIA reveals its ‘true’identity in the meeting of the travellers and the weirdly frightening, dysfunctional, horrific and unhealthily eating Pertwee family; owners, occupiers, and caterers extraordinaire. From the adventurers’ first encounter with the ‘sinister’ garage owner, Sheena McDonald, to the appearance of ‘old man’ William with his wooden leg, the inhospitality of the environment, and the people who inhabit it, slowly proves itself in the shadows, nooks, crannies, and things that go THUMP in the night. The discovery of strange, and macabre activities, far removed from those of a humane society, and the sudden disappearance of one of their group, leads the adventurers into greater and greater conflict with the Pertwees. Finally, learning the truth about their ‘employer’s’ vile deeds, perversions and culinary habits, the travellers decide to make good their escape. From that moment on, the thrill-seekers embark on a roller-coaster ride to hell and back, as their worst fears are realised and they are left, literally fighting for their lives. But who survives, and how, is where the story unfolds in the most unexpected of ways, as Norman, with his ‘meek and mild’ nature, allows his personality to reveal that of ‘rescuer’ and ‘hero’. The movie reaches its clever, and untelegraphed climax, with a ‘twist ending’ that will leave the misdirected audience to ponder upon the question of “so what happens next?” HOTEL CALEDONIA is comparable in its widespread appeal to any number of recent ‘box-office’ successful films, from within the Horror genre, but it is within the Comedy-Horror genre that it serves to, and succeeds in, setting itself apart.