Happy Sunday, Spy Vibers! If you haven't entered the new contest yet, please go to the contest post HERE and enter to win some cool 1960s spy treasures. Note that the contact info was updated, so make sure you have re-sent your entry if needed. New release: Cutting Edge: My Life in Film and Television. Eric Mival (The Prisoner, Strange Report, Doctor Who, Wonderwall) has just released a memoir chronicling his experiences working on many of our favorite cult films and programs- most notably The Prisoner! I had a chance to read an advanced copy for review and really enjoyed hearing about working with Patrick McGoohan and about how the music came about in the production of The Prisoner. It was fascinating to learn how many of the familiar cues were really a result of the special sensibility of crew members like Mival. It was amazing to read how The Prisoner was made at such a break-neck pace, that some elements were often a matter of last-moment decisions- a great reminder that success truly relies on trust and collaboration! The book also offers a look into how various jobs work behind the scenes. Although he relies a bit on parenthetical comments as a writer, Mival does a good job balancing fun anecdotes about fave projects with concrete info about how films and television shows are made. From the press release: "Eric Mival originally wanted to be an animator, getting his big break working for Halas and Batchelor, the 'UK Disney', in the late 1950s. However, it soon became clear that Eric's talents lay in film making, and an assistant editor's role at World Wide Pictures soon followed. From there, he quickly moved into feature films, working for such greats as Ray Harryhausen, George Harrison, and Otto Preminger. In the 1960s Eric worked as film editor on iconic TV series such as Doctor Who, Top of the Pops, and Comedy Playhouse, before he took a job which would change his life forever - assistant film editor and then music editor on Patrick McGoohan's thriller series The Prisoner. The show's enigmatic co-creator was to remain a life-long friend. Work on Strange Report, another ITC series, followed before he moved into directing and producing in a career in the film and television industry which would span the next 45 years. Cutting Edge is not only a fascinating look at life inside the film and television industry, it also includes the inside story of arguably the greatest TV series ever produced. Cutting Edge also serves as a fascinating guide to the art of film making, with invaluable inside information for aspiring movie makers." Available in hardback and paperback editions. Spy Vibers can order the book at Quoit Media. Enjoy!
