I am about to have a meeting with FilmFour and EM-Media, the regional body co-producing the two projects we have in development. It's a high pressure time, which is why I am writing this late into the night, having been up a long time trying to address the issues surrounding the road movie Helen and I are writing together.

World Of Pain, the wrestling film which I am co-writing with Steve Shiel, is moving ahead positively and by the time you read this, we will be into the first draft. It's a complicated script for a black comedy/Midlands-based grapple pic. There are enough central characters to create a set of Top Trump cards, so Steve has! It's weird the way that marketing influences you long before you have written line one of the first draft, but we already have plans for a CD of songs, Top Trump cards, and maybe we could open a boutique selling wrestling costumes... who knows?

"WE STILL DON'T HAVE A TITLE"

The road movie is having a hard time... one of my own making. Helen Solomon, co-producer of One For The Road, is my co-writer on this and it's a tough pitch, being a road movie completely in reverse - the characters on a bleak return journey rather than an open, outward one which we are more used to seeing in the genre. I tend to make things difficult by ignoring story and focusing solely on character, and being as bleak and downbeat as possible for someone who allegedly makes comedy. Oh well. And we still don't have a title... something we explore in this new video diary. Maybe people could send in suggestions here.

At the moment I am feeling a little less ill than previous diaries suggest, but then again I've been paid so maybe everything is psychosomatic. Things are looking a little more interesting in Nottingham at the moment - we recently had the premiere screening of a whole lot of brand new short films by new and up-coming directors and writers.

First was the documentary shorts, supported by Carlton Television's First Cut scheme, and then there were the new DV Shorts - new directors working with DVCam to create animation, drama, and maybe a few surprises. It's great stuff and, as well as helping out on a few of the productions, I have seen a few others and there are some original and exciting new filmmakers emerging in our region.

It's something that has to be encouraged: there are so few schemes, funding opportunities or organisations in the regions that can or will actively support new, untested talent. And even then, there is often a cynical undertone to a lot of the schemes that claim to support these new filmmakers. Which is a pity as, instead of justifying themselves by applying for the administration of grants as a self-serving opportunity for funding organisations, it is the product of these filmmakers that enriches the culture.

However, as film fans we owe it to ourselves to get out there and see as many new shorts as we can, to encourage our local cinemas to screen them, and do our best to develop the culture of filmmaking in our country.

Nottingham has its own festivals devoted to screening shorts from new talent. If your town hasn't got one, then set one up - in your cinema, a bar, or in your house or flat. Let's get the new stuff seen and appreciated: from low budget to no budget, it's the future.

Anyway, I better get back to trying to come up with a title.

Next time, the video diary will let you know if we have one yet and reveal why I am obsessed with films where little animals get killed.

WATCH: The fourth of Chris' video diaries:View it here