Somehow, they managed to put out this incredibly cool bit of stop motion animation in a matter of weeks, and I’m incredibly proud to have worked on it with them. The results are available online now, and you can see the film in its entirety right here:

To have a look at some of the stills from the film and to be updated on the release, have a look at Neon Ghost’s Facebook Page.

UPDATE: Neon Ghosts has won two awards: The Remi Award at World-Fest Houston and the Award of Merit at The Indie Fest! Congratulations to Stefano and Alice, who put all their efforts into making it as good as it became.

On the 10th of january, I arrived in LA. While I’m here, I have plans to meet with some industry professionals and possibly take a few acting classes. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy being with friends and feeling the vibe of this rather strange but beguiling place. While I’m here, I’ll keep a journal at my personal blog, so feel free to check in there as the weeks pass.

At the Venice Fishing Pier. Not as warm as it looks, actually.

I have been fortunate enough to work with several promising, young directors and DoPs and through their patience and expertise, I have been able to learn more than I could ever have hoped to be able to at the start of the year.

Playing opposite Ross Mitchell in Threshold by Craig McKenna (2012)

In 2011, I was ready and more or less prepared for a full year of work. This time, I made the conscious choice to move on from that and learn new things. It was quite honestly terrified that I would be sitting at my desk with nothing to do but apply for films and twiddle my thumbs. Luckily, that’s not what happened. I had my first speaking part (in film) in Craig McKenna’s Threshold, an understated and beautiful piece of film that had me scaling all the way back from shouting, hissing, singing and gesticulating wildly at children for a year to speaking at a near whisper with a bare minimum of body language. It forced me to look inward and allowed me to unlock something I wasn’t sure I had until then.

The same month I filmed Threshold, I also got cast in and shot Across The Green by Maria Sarniit, marking my first main part. It was a shoot that had its own unique set of challenges, including shooting a fight scene against “myself” (aka: A body double) at the top of the Pentland Hills in the rain and also horseback riding! I have ridden before, but enjoyed the experience so much this time around that I will be doing my best in 2013 to get together the funds for a full set of riding lessons. On the film, I worked with a very small but dedicated and talented cast that really helped to bring the curious blend of sci-fi and fantasy together.

Riding out of the sunrise as Robert in Across The Green by Maria Saarniit

In May I shot my second main part as Alex Demore in gritty, urban sci-fi noir Neon Ghosts. Working with Writer/ Director Stefano Nurra and producer Alice McKinstrie was an absolute pleasure. Stefano, though coming from a VFX background was definitely able to make the emotional heart of each scene apparent to me and helped me to map the steady decline of the control my character had over himself and the world around him. I was helped every step of the way by a magnificent cast and crew who all gave the film everything they had down in those dank, damp dungeons.

Opposite Hannah Cooper Dean in Neon Ghosts by Stefano Nurra

I took a break from films in August to appear in The World Over by Keith Bunin at the Edinburgh Fringe. It was in many ways my greatest challenge yet. As the lead character of Adam, I had to use my physicality and voice to believably project several distinct phases in the development of Adam from naive boy, through idealistic and then tragic hero to a disillusioned and weary old man.

The last film project I was part of in 2012 was as Sebastian in Judas Goat, a story about humans in a world of vampires. I had worked with the director Pavel Szczepaniak at the very start of the year in a short project called Recoil, and I jumped at the chance to work with him and producer Bianca Herold again. Definitely the most iconic of the characters I’ve played this year, Sebastian is an androgynous minor vampire lord pulling the strings of the main characters. I loved working with the cast, whom they had shipped in not just from all over the UK, but even bringing in established Austrian actress Susanne Wuest. The scene between myself and Susanne stands as one of the most electric experiences I’ve had in front of the camera so far.

Throughout the year, I also participated in several collaborative photo shoots with several different photographers. The shoot ranged from fashion to nude art, and I’m incredibly proud of having worked with such talented individuals. You can see a selection of the photos in the photo shoot gallery.

Submerged in the ice cold sea with Cara Mahoney and photographer Iness Rychlik.

At the end of the day, 2012 has been an amazing year for me. I have been much, much busier than I had dared anticipate and have worked with too many talented people to list them all here. I’m lucky enough that from cast to crew to directors, my experiences have been almost universally positive and I hope to work with many of the same people again in future years.

Now, as I enter 2013, I am faced yet again with a year full of possibilities, but nothing set in stone. It’s frightening to be sure, but I am also excited and I hope that my trip to LA will help me kick the year into gear, whether directly or indirectly.

This showreel is comprised of scenes from the films Threshold by Craig McKenna, Scotland’s Got Skills by Radim Letovsky and Across the Green by Maria Saarniit, all of which were shot in March and April of 2012.

Adam, a castaway, believes that he is the lost prince of the country of Gildoray… but no one even believes that Gildoray exists. Still Adam journeys the world over, battling pirates and monsters, rescuing princesses, and doing daring deeds of heroism, ever searching for his lost kingdom. Directed by Andrew Illsley.

Image Gallery

Apart from being my first theatrical lead role, The World Over also gave me great challenges in character study, as the play follows Adam from late adolescence into his sixties. In the same character, I had to find a way to portray four distinct states of physical development as well as track his psychology through idealism, determined adulthood, disillusionment and ultimately tranquility. I consider myself lucky to have been able to take on this challenge.

Critical Acclaim:

“The story of a relentless quest for a patch of land to call ‘home’ was garnished by a sophisticated twist, as the protagonist, Adam, the star-crossed castaway, is being finely sketched by professional actor Magnus Sinding.”
   Julie Kanya – St Andrews Radio

“We follow Magnus Sinding on this journey from his initial naivety, which is suitably haunting and alien because of the faraway look in his eyes and his whispering fairytale voice, to his age of defeated pessimism and a deep gravelly voice. I loved his dazzlingly white costume, which proved to be the visual heart of the production. His was the most impressive performance, holding the epic together.”
Helena Blackstone – EdFringe Review

“Adam is played capably by Magnus Sinding, ageing and becoming wiser very convincingly.”
   Thomas Stell - EdFringe Review

 ”Sinding gives a capable performance, charting the character’s trajectory from naiveté to disillusionment and ultimately to peace.”
Helene Cloete – Edinburgh Theatre Review

Magnus Sinding and Rachel Tam in The World Over

Myself and the rest of the cast are now nearly halfway through our run of The World Over (written by Keith Bunin) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The World Over is a dark comedy fantasy for grown-ups, and follows my character Adam as he travels the four corners of the globe in search of the land of Gildoray, from which he was banished at birth. It spans Adam’s life from late adolescence into his geriatric years and is a great physical and dramatic challenge for myself as an actor. In addition to acting duties, I got heavily involved with choreographing the sword fights.

So far we have received great audience feedback, and the show keeps getting better with every performance. Most of the cast have been favourably mentioned by name in reviews, though reviewers have not warmed to the style and tone of the script itself. I am incredibly proud of the work everyone is doing and am looking forward to the rest of the run.

Anna Hendon and myself met up with David Murdoch in July of 2012. David had wanted to create a series of images with a vintage setting and feel, and – as we are both fans of the TV show Mad Men – me and Anna jumped on the opportunity to take a step into the swinging sixties on location in Edinburgh.

The resultant images are striking and I’m incredibly proud of the work the three of us put into it. Please follow the link to the Gallery page to view the full set of seven.

The visual and conceptual idea would not have worked if all inhibitions had not been shed, as it is a project commenting on physical and personal freedom from the perceptions of others. The shoot was a liberating and fun experience, though all food tasted like chalk for the rest of that day.

I have been incredibly lucky to work with Louise, a photographer I am sure will go far, and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with in future.

See the photographs here.

I had a great time, and I think the results are fantastic. Laura and John did a great job shooting and editing these photos. This has definitely whet my appetite for further modelling projects, and I’m even more excited about my future projects with photography student Louise Robinson and student make-up artist Laura McIvor.