2011 was...

 ...lurking around on Ikea's roof taking landscape photos, filming inside one of Ikea's living rooms as a cheap set for a micro-short film, attempting some late night photography on Werneth Lowe but freezing our butts off and hiding in a pub instead, taking some head shots for the never ending Bog Standard multimedia package, shooting a music video in an old BBC radio studio with Jay Sharp, Chris and I recording David Brent's 'Free Love On The Free Love Free Way', shooting a film noir starring Hazel Earle and Stan The Actor in Au Gnome Du L'Amour, The Torrs, being camera operator for BBC's School Report which was also the first ever live broadcast to come out of the BBC's new home in Media City in Salford, the final sign-off for Stuck In A Box Studios and the move into Colin Warhurst Films, shooting a music video around rainy and sunny Castlefield for Carly Dee, timelapses over Salford, test shooting in cars at night, marvelling at Chris Lane's acting skills, shooting at The Castle Hotel in Manchester to film John King and his band doing their thing as well as an awesome cover of Jimi Hendrix, fire pit and pipes with Mike Justice and Co at Chateau Grayskull, scary Pre-Production experiences for The Watcher in terms of deadline and Chris Lane making friends with ghosts, the Filmonik Kabaret which saw me shoot a bittersweet drama Inconvenience, a musical in Chinatown, and a full on brutal fight scene with a story twist that I provided called The Entertainer, dangerous drinking games for Steech's birthday all captured on the 5D, shooting the epic and enthralling Paradise Heights 30 minute drama The Watcher, which involved Chris crashing his car into cones, Joe O'Byrne getting lost on his way to location, shooting with fire, working with a huge cast and and crew, shooting in gale force winds, avoiding police, wrestling with Joe O'Byrne's inability to turn left, Marek, one eyed teddy bears, dodging fourteen-wheeler trucks at 3am, sending out the second unit for GV's and Chips, and hanging around on balconies in Salford, shooting My Little Ponies with Chris Lane and dodging exploding blenders, Hazel Tree Productions lead into battle by Hazel Earle with a second Shakespearian Tapas production called Will's Midsummer Madness, tilt-shift, Hackintosh, getting The Watcher edited for the June deadline, premiering The Watcher at The Lowry, a much needed holiday down in Devon to recharge the batteries and writing a lot of the background stories and plot arcs for Cities Of Reign, shooting Will Power in the biggest mansion and poshest house I have ever seen, saying farewell to the BBC offices on Oxford Road that have been my home for the past six years and moving to Media City, buying a display cabinet big enough for all of my Transformers only to find that it isn't big enough after all, shooting a musical and being part of a 100 strong cast & crew, arguing the case for Human's needing noses, unveiling The Watcher online for Halloween, shooting a little introduction film for the North West New Wave, running our first ever North West New Wave film night (a huge success by the way), defending our reputations after a slanderous attack and lies coming from a certain 'Transmedia' MD who is still to apologise for lying about us in public and offer a retraction statement, turning 29 years young at Big Hands, spending my 29th birthday money on camera gear and not Transformers thus making me a proper grown up and slightly melancholy, High Flying Birds, the debut of The Montoyas, shooting a trailer for Hazel Tree Productions Xmas comedy show Grotto whilst being pelted with rocks by chavs, watching and thoroughly enjoying the barnstorming success that was Grotto, the Death Of Optimus Prime (again), playing with as many Canon L-Series lenses as you could dream of and getting to grips with the production model of the Canon C-300 EOS Cinema camera, Rohypnojitos at Len and Hazel II's, getting to grips with performing in front of a Green Screen for the sequel to last year's Xmas video and providing some Xmas cheer and a little bit of a drag act from Ben Mottershead for 2011, oh and having a draft of Cities Of Reign Episode One almost finished before midnight; hey, it was a busy year and so you'll forgive me if you have to wait just a while longer.


Joe O'Byrne, Chris Lane and Meself - Thank you for watching and supporting us in 2011, the year of the 'Never-ending-shitstorm-bloody-hell-could-anything-else-possibly-go-wrong-but-we-came-through-in-the-end.' x

Again, doesn't seem like much does it? Ah well, roll on 2012; The Year of The Umbrella. Peace and Love folks. Col x