:: gia’s blog ::

Well, today Sunshine was released on DVD. I thought I’d take this chance to just share some of my Sunshine memories (well the ones which come with photographs which I can more or less make public) from the past two years…

During filming at 3 Mills Studios, I carried my ‘office’ with me to and from work every single day. I looked like a techy bag lady.

One of my very favourite things was wandering around the sets which weren’t being filmed on. Here’s me sitting in the social area of the Icarus II, where Capa sits when he’s told he’s got to make *the* decision.

My Sunshine husbands were/are Damien…

…and Phil

They did the videos, I did the website. We sat next to each other, ate lunch with each other, made each other copious amounts of coffee, hung out together, stalked Danny together… the whole thing.

My actual husband was on-set regularly, too.

In between the moment Danny shouted ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, that is a wrap’ in December 2005 and the start of the post-production phase, there was the wrap party at which Benny Wong DJed.

The post-production phase went on and on and I didn’t see a single frame of the film until September 2006 – it started with a completely different character doing the voice over and was, in my memory, fairly different from the final film. Danny finished post in December 2006 and a couple days later was the first time the trailer was shown. This is Andrew Macdonald, on his Crackberry, in the screening room waiting to watch the trailer shown on a cinema screen for the first time.

Andrew is just the loveliest person in the world. I love him lots and lots and lots. And lots. He very kindly invited me to Moscow to the ‘Sunshine’ premiere. Here’s the two of us in Red Sq.

The Moscow Sunshine Boys…

Andrew, me, Brian and Danny all tarted up for the premiere.

Brian, Danny and Cillian (well, his back) ready to walk on stage.

And on stage…

I, of course, made a point of making sure my son met as many ‘Sunshine’ people as he could. He got Alex’s autograph though Andrew said he’d only sign a cheque… He also had a great time on set with Troy Garity (who was absolutely lovely with him)…

He got to meet Chris Evans…

…Cliff Curtis…

…Benedict Wong…

…and was a honorary Sunshine Boy for a day.

So now I’m finished with Sunshine… there’s not really anything left to do (whether or not LA will hire me for *their* DVD release remains to be seen…), so for the next wee bit I’m working on ’28 Weeks Later’… so you might want to get used to these.

Just got back from Moscow last night. Brian and I went over for the red carpet premiere of ‘Sunshine’ or ‘Пекло’ as it is in Russian… I’m still very tired. Here are some pictures for you to look at…

The eternal flame war memorial

Brian in front of Lenin’s Mausoleum

Brian in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square

Andrew Macdonald, me, Brian and Danny Boyle ready to leave for the premiere

Me being a dork

I took my son to Sunshine yesterday. I introduced him to Alex Garland and reminded him of when we were at Stonehenge and he said he was like ‘that Alex guy’. They talked about computer games for a bit. My son was amazed that an adult knew about Mario…

He went around getting various people’s autographs- actors and crew- then drawing a picture and signing his autograph for them. Just before we left he asked Alex for his. Alex signed his name a few times then chose the one he thought was the best autograph, then drew a rocket. My son asked him if he drew comics when he was a kid so Alex drew Judge Dredd…

Then my son asked producer Andrew Macdonald for his autograph. Andrew said, ‘I only sign cheques.’… so Alex drew a cheque for £20,000,000 made out to my son… and Andrew signed it.

We gathered our things together to leave and my son said, ‘Bye, famous people’ and we left.