Diary

Anyone know an interesting person working for an oil company?

Location Cushion-bed on floor. Some honeymooners have booked our flash room, drats. Why can't they sleep on the floor? | Mood Drunk on music | Date 6 June 2006
A thousand people work for Big Oil in New Orleans. All we gotta do is find the interesting one, right? We've got a few leads - and the phone book - but it all seems a little hit and miss. How do real filmmakers do this? Can't really speed the process up, either - a lot of waiting around for call backs - so we're trying to adapt to the not-knowing grey zone. Writing diary, struggling to get through chapter two of The Prize, press-ups, logging tapes and, frankly, sleeping.

Welcome to New Orleans

Location Four poster bed in Gone With The Wind-style guest house | Mood Eyes popping out of head | Date 3 June 2006
Slipped immediately into American-style consumption the moment we touched down in New Orleans. Had to have a car - how can we get anywhere without one? Immediately put on the AC - far too hot without it. Bucket-sized drinks - makes perfect sense, as same price as non-obesity-inducing ones.

Answer to the not eating question

Location Amidst piles of unpacked camera equipment at home | Mood Beginning to get excited. Just remembered I always wanted to go to New Orleans (for the music, but still). | Date 2 June 2006
Lizzie had a late night brainwave, which was executed by 8.30 this morning (the pace is speeding up - something I'd have said was impossible even two weeks ago). Went round her friend Fenella's house - former lawyer, one of the Crude funders - and raided her wardrobe of corporate-but-funky outfits. Took only 20 mins to get a couple of shirts and a jacket each and come away new people. Also had a very brief tour of their newly eco'd house, which never fails to encourage.

Way out of my depth

Location Sofa at home | Mood Deep black | Date 1 June 2006
After personal appearance advice from my BBC Presenter Friend, who (apparently) effortlessly always looks the part, (I say apparently cos I now know she spends two hours on her hair every morning! Yikes!), I spent all day trying to get an outfit together for our Big Oil interview in New Orleans on Monday. Degraded myself in big chains in Oxford Street. Utterly hateful experience. Came away with nothing. Wish I'd never been born.

Who said ordinary people can't change the world?

Location 6pm. In bed with confused cats (too early) | Mood Thrilled | Date 29 May 2006
Official Day Off today. After a panicky start in the morning - what to do? - hooked up with old pal/new celebrity Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, who's in town to launch his new kids' junk-food book. Helen and Dave McLibel came along too.

A day at the races

Location Kitchen table at home | Mood Despondent | Date 28 May 2006
"Ear protectors" for sale at Santa Pod racestrip - and the anti-wind campaingers say the windfarm proposed next door will be too noisy

Morrissey saves the day

Location Literally hopping around office | Mood Major adrenalin rush coursing through veins | Date 22 May 2006
Been spending spare moments in buses and showers trying to think of a song for the opening Big Bang animation sequence. Starting at the beginning of the world, speeding through geological time, the formation then discovery of oil, cut to the artist recording the song, there s/he is in concert, then global satellite link up, then downloaded off internet etc etc. The point being to show all the positive stuff we've done with oil.

Barely broke a sweat cycling 20km uphill aged 82

Location Cute bunkbeds in sleeper train across France | Mood Utter exhaustion | Date 20 May 2006
Second of two consecutive nights in two consecutive weeks in French train bunk beds. As Fernand dropped us at the station last weekend, he casually mentioned he was going on a big anti-truck cycle protest this weekend. 300 hardy Chamonix-ers cycling, Critical Mass style, along the huge motorway that cuts through the valley. Couldn't resist coming back to film it, as it's so perfect for the some-hope-remains theme.

Everything-right-except-the-focus

Location At the Avid at the office | Mood Angry with self | Date 18 May 2006
Twenty lovely coca-cola (I know, I know) fuelled hours logging French, Cornish and Nigerian tapes interspersed with lavish emails to Israel detailing all my great shots and general genius filmmaker-ness. Then came across key scene in Nigeria - where Layefa gets a tour through the destroyed village of Odiama - and there was dirt on the lens throughout. Usually I'm good at spotting that kind of thing, but ... well, can't think of any excuse. I fucked up.

Love miles

Location Sofa at my house | Mood Pining | Date 13 May 2006
Just back from Morrissey gig with old pal Mark Lynas : author of climate change classic, "High Tide", daily pub companion when we were both stranded for six months in Oxfordshire outpost, occasional McLibel microphone holder, Alaskan snowmobile driver, Tuvaluan shoulder-to-cry-on - and only other person who would say "What time does worship start?" when enquiring when a Morrissey concert begins.