Northern Cowboys Shoot to the Top

CHORLEY man, and former professional musician, Martin Talbot, knows what life on the road is like – and this month he’s using his own bitter-sweet experiences to put the finishing touches to a film about the Northwest Country and Western Music scene.

“It’s a cracker of a comedy, and the film draws on many of the experiences I’ve had while touring with a band,” says Martin, writer and director.

The short film, entitled Northern Cowboys, has been made after Martin won funding from North West Vision, the film, TV and digital media development agency for the Northwest. “I applied to North West Vision’s Maxi Digital Shorts Film Scheme for 2006, and was really excited when they told me I’d won funding,” explains Martin.

North West Vision’s Head of Production Development, Helen Bingham, says Martin’s film idea showed instant potential. “We get hundreds of scripts sent to us every year, but when we read Martin’s idea, and he explained the techniques he was planning to use to film it, we knew he had a hit on his hands,” says Helen.

“We awarded Martin, and his production company, Visual Concepts, funding of £9,000 to produce the 10-minute film under our Maxi Digital Shorts Film Scheme, which every year helps northwest writers and directors produce their own original work.”

Northern Cowboys tells the story of Deano, a self-obsessed Country and Western singer, who dreams of stardom. Together with his group, The Finger Lickin' Five, they enter a Country Music 'Battle of the Bands' where they must compete with arch rivals, 'The Undertakers', for the prize of a lifetime, a trip to Nashville.

The film was shot at Fort San Antone in Warton – a popular attraction of the region’s Country and Western line-dancing fans. But the real star of the show turns out to be Billy Bob, their loyal Roadie and number one fan. “Billy Bob saves the day, and The Finger Lickin' Five have their hopes of Nashville stardom renewed,” confides Martin.

As a former professional musician, signed to Atlantic Records, Martin has lived and worked in New York, Dublin and London, so many of the experiences, situations and characters he’s encountered during his career served as the inspiration for Northern Cowboys.

“The unglamorous life of a touring band is a world that I have personal experience of,” he says. “Bands are like families, groups of people that depend on each other both emotionally and physically. But the music industry is bitterly competitive, and when ego and ambition take over, the effect on fellow musicians and band-mates, can be heartbreaking.

“I wanted to explore these themes and turn them in to an interesting and humorous story.” Northern Cowboys is the result. But the story doesn’t end there.

Together with John Maxwell, Producer of Northern Cowboys, Martin is developing the idea into a full-length feature film. “North West Vision is currently running a competition called Digital Departures, which will see three feature films written, filmed and produced in Liverpool, to coincide with the Capital of Culture celebrations in 2008.

“It’s our aim to be selected as one of the three,” says Martin. “It would be our first feature film, and we’re determined to go all-out to try and secure the £250,000 funding which North West Vision and its partners are offering to each filmmaking team. We’re also currently developing a website for the film, so people can follow our progress.”

For further information, log on to www.northerncowboys.com

For information about Digital Departures, log on to www.digitaldepartures.co.uk