You can watch Trapped (split into two parts) here:
Friday, 31 July 2009
Trapped (2005)...
This was my first zombie short and I sought to improve upon the previous year’s “my NIGHTMARE” in all respects, and I would say I succeeded with “Trapped”. I experimented with creating my own music (even though I’m not musically gifted – hence why I now use music by friends of mine, and royalty free stuff), produced a more focussed looking film, and a tighter edit. Again, it’s another one of my fond memories – my mates and I out and about causing havoc filming zombies in the woods (and my garage).
You can watch Trapped (split into two parts) here:
You can watch Trapped (split into two parts) here:
my NIGHTMARE (2004)...
Following hot on the heels of “Digital”, this was my second narrative short, and it was a semi-surreal serial killer thriller. In fact it was the last thing I ever filmed on my Hi8 camera (it never worked the same after filming), but it has gone on to become a fond memory of mine – my mates and I out yomping around in the woods chasing each other around, referencing “The Evil Dead”, spraying plenty of fake blood mix about and generally causing havoc. It was shot very much ‘on the hoof’ (the script changed every single weekend) ‘from the hip’ and was a great opportunity to experiment.
Digital (2004)...
This was my first narrative short – the plot was about a lone figure who worked freelance for the government tracking down internet criminals and reporting them to the authorities. It was also a semi-meditation on living in an internet age and extrapolating it a bit – the protagonist being essentially a hermit who survives simply through the internet. This idea would seep back into my work (a script in this case) years later.
See the Other Side (2005)...
This was the second of two group projects shot for the Documentary Video Production course at the University of East Anglia, and it was all about providing a semi-experimental, visually interesting interpretation of a location – in this case, the seaside town of Great Yarmouth.
Working together as a group more consistently on this second project compared to the first, we yomped around the town, the back streets, the beach, the pier and everywhere in between. Our inspiration was the look and sound of “Requiem for a Dream”, and it certainly came out that way.
Working together as a group more consistently on this second project compared to the first, we yomped around the town, the back streets, the beach, the pier and everywhere in between. Our inspiration was the look and sound of “Requiem for a Dream”, and it certainly came out that way.
Sounds of the City (2005)...
This was the first of two group projects shot for the Documentary Video Production course at the University of East Anglia, and it was all about the buskers on the streets of Norwich city centre. I fondly remember how we studiously worked constantly with the tripod and boom microphone as a foursome, running around the city centre pointing our camera at the variety of buskers.
Unfortunately after the first of two days of filming I ended up with a dreadful flu and was physically incapable of making the second day. I also remember the tense times editing the projects for Documentary Video Production – four people crammed inside a small, non air-conditioned edit suite. It was ultimately a good lesson in group work ethics, and it was a pretty good little video that was well-liked by our tutor and peers.
Watch the film below:
Unfortunately after the first of two days of filming I ended up with a dreadful flu and was physically incapable of making the second day. I also remember the tense times editing the projects for Documentary Video Production – four people crammed inside a small, non air-conditioned edit suite. It was ultimately a good lesson in group work ethics, and it was a pretty good little video that was well-liked by our tutor and peers.
Watch the film below:
Movie Madness (2003)...
During my time at UEA we got to do some practical courses, the first of which was Television Studio Production. By the end of the semester we (teams of two – one editor, one director) had to put together a 15 minute long ‘live’ magazine-style show. We decided to set ours in a world where events in movies were happening in real life. I co-wrote the script and acted as editor, while my team partner co-wrote and acted as director.
During the course I discovered that I was far happier not directing multi-camera ‘live’ stuff – I guess it’s the whole problem of multi-tasking thing inside a male brain. Instead I took better to editing multi-camera ‘live’. This said I do prefer to shoot and direct single camera, or multi-camera non-‘live’ depending on the project.
Of course this was several years ago now and I’ve grown as a filmmaker a hell of a lot since then, and would no doubt be much better suited to such a task if I was presented with the challenge – even though my preferred style of filmmaking is single camera – it’s more film rather than studio television, and that’s what I dig the most.
During the course I discovered that I was far happier not directing multi-camera ‘live’ stuff – I guess it’s the whole problem of multi-tasking thing inside a male brain. Instead I took better to editing multi-camera ‘live’. This said I do prefer to shoot and direct single camera, or multi-camera non-‘live’ depending on the project.
Of course this was several years ago now and I’ve grown as a filmmaker a hell of a lot since then, and would no doubt be much better suited to such a task if I was presented with the challenge – even though my preferred style of filmmaking is single camera – it’s more film rather than studio television, and that’s what I dig the most.
The Uni Video Saga (2003-2005)...
While my uni mates took photographs, I shot video – initially on Hi8, and then on miniDV. I experimented with digital editing (and initially analogue editing, prior to upgrading to NLE), and importantly I was training myself as a by-product in ‘shooting from the hip’ and responding to unknown events unfolding in real time. These skills honed on a series of such videos have continued to prove invaluable, especially on projects I’ve shot for the Arts Council – big events, only simple preparation and prior planning, and a lot of ‘run & gun’ documenting.
Over the course of these videos (compiled at the end of each semester) I also improved my editing skills (both understanding various pieces of editing-related software, as well as the technicalities of editing theory). It was a great opportunity to try out ideas (some nifty, some rather daft – both in filming and editing) in a free, experimental environment. It also helped get a lot of ‘young ideals’ out of my system (certain ways of filming or editing) before I moved on to bigger and better things in the following years.
Over the course of these videos (compiled at the end of each semester) I also improved my editing skills (both understanding various pieces of editing-related software, as well as the technicalities of editing theory). It was a great opportunity to try out ideas (some nifty, some rather daft – both in filming and editing) in a free, experimental environment. It also helped get a lot of ‘young ideals’ out of my system (certain ways of filming or editing) before I moved on to bigger and better things in the following years.
Monday, 27 July 2009
New short on the way?
Possibly - just had word from Sean (Signing Off) today that he was in town and was wondering if I had anything to film - annoyingly, I didn't - but because I've been rather keen to film 'something DeadShed' for a while, I got my thinking cap on and a few hours later I had not only an idea, but the script written - the title is "Skinner".
Hopefully we'll get to shoot it very soon (i.e. within the next two weeks, according to the available timetable), and then I'd set about editing it.
It's cool actually, pressuring myself (in a way) into coming up with an idea, and then actually getting really genuinely excited about it, and envisioning it so quickly - indeed I decided to write the script in terms of a shot list, rather than a normal script.
Anyway - more news on this possible new DeadShed Productions short as-and-when.
Hopefully we'll get to shoot it very soon (i.e. within the next two weeks, according to the available timetable), and then I'd set about editing it.
It's cool actually, pressuring myself (in a way) into coming up with an idea, and then actually getting really genuinely excited about it, and envisioning it so quickly - indeed I decided to write the script in terms of a shot list, rather than a normal script.
Anyway - more news on this possible new DeadShed Productions short as-and-when.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Early Work (1999-2005)...
Lust For Life (1999):
During the summer of 1999 I took part in a one week taster course at the local Art College. The week was split into two – video and then photography. It was in the first part of the week that myself and a fellow filmmaking friend put together (as was the task set to our group) a music video. We chose Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”, and set about tearing around the city (with the bulky VHS tape loading video camera) getting a variety of shots, to which we added some stop motion animation. We then edited the whole thing together via analogue means (before digital editing really took off).
Night of the Living Ted (1999):
Inspired by The Adam & Joe Show, myself and the guy I did the Lust For Life video with, had been doing a number of our own “toy movies” and A&J style skits. One of the last “toy movies” we did together was this, a spoof of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead”. At the time it was edited in-camera from start to finish with no breaks – simple stuff, but nonetheless a lot of fun.
The Evil Ted (2000):
Shot on Father’s Day, again edited in-camera from start to finish with no breaks, this was a solo “toy movie” effort – a spoof of Sam Raimi’s “The Evil Dead”. This time I spent more time recreating the famous cabin in cardboard (as well as props, a cardboard car, and a woodland backdrop) – not to mention adding simple lighting and video effects for further punch. Like with Night of the Living Ted, I would come to do a simple re-dux version in 2004.
Back in the Day (2003):
A simple piece of ‘found footage’ experimental editing – I gathered a bunch of random stuff I’d first shot in 1999-2000 and cobbled it all together to a soundtrack. It was really more of an editing experiment than anything else, and one of the last things I ever edited using analogue methods.
Experiment in Exposure (2003/04):
Another experimental short, this one involved me trying things out using light and the manual exposure control on my Hi8 video camera. Visually it was also about looking at ordinary things and making them look odd/unrecognisable (reflections in a metal tube, the worn spine of a book, light cast against walls and objects, etc).
Zhombeez (2000/04):
Later re-edited digitally, this was my flirtation with stop-motion animation. I modelled a handful of characters (one soldier, and a three zombies) and did two scenarios inspired by George A. Romero’s “Day of the Dead”. It was a great excuse to let the plasticine blood & guts fly.
In A Heartbeat (2004):
Another experimental ‘found footage’ short – again using a variety of film and television sequences, cut to a specific piece of music (hence the title). The main purpose was an editing experiment – editing (very tightly) to the beat of a piece of music.
DeadShed (2004-2006):
I would ultimately cut together three versions of this experimental short, inspired by the opening sequence of the remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. That down and dirty, gritty crime scene examination vibe really got to me, and I decided to put together my own version – the ‘crime scene’ being the shed in the back garden of our off-campus residence at university. Indeed, this is the source of the name for DeadShed Productions.
During editing I gave it a high contrast black & white look with faux film grain and damage, and added some creepy audio (inspired this time by the soundtrack to the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”). Of all my early experimental shorts, this continues to be my favourite, and I almost did another similar video a few years back.
Decay (2005):
Another experimental short which used a similar gritty aesthetic as “DeadShed”, but this time using footage shot while I was making “my NIGHTMARE”. It ran for 15 seconds and was submitted to the 2005 Nokia Shorts competition.
Echoes (2005):
This one-minute short was intended for BBC One Minute Movies that year, and it was a creepy look at Great Yarmouth (using the footage I had personally shot for “See the Other Side”).
Deathzone (2005):
I was in full-on experimental short mode in 2005 alright. This one was a ‘found footage’ piece using a variety of war footage set to a piece of music of the same name.
Manhunt Did It (2005):
This experimental semi-documentary was inspired by the media blame circus that revolved around Rockstar’s videogame “Manhunt” in the summer of 2004 here in the UK. Visually (and in terms of the narration) this semi-documentary is inspired by the aforementioned videogame itself, and kept ballooning as more videogame controversies came about. It all culminated in the infamous “Hot Coffee” scandal (related to GTA: San Andreas). The intention of the film was to examine the media hype, and the blame culture surrounding tragic, and not-so-tragic, news stories.
Smack Addict (2005):
Originally intended for an online video competition for an extreme sports company (which just seemed to come and go with no winner announced or anything, rather disappointingly), this short fitted under the category of “jackass style” – in other words, daft and weird.
The short is about a couple of rural odd balls who are addicted to “happy slapping” (an act which became news worthy that year) like it’s a drug. It’s another fond memory of my friend and I standing around on the side of a rural road in the middle of winter pratting about making silly faces and putting on daft voices.
Undead Games Promo (2006):
The website UndeadGames.com is a modding community for the videogame “Road to Fiddler’s Green” (a zombie game loosely based on George A. Romero’s “Land of the Dead”). I was so impressed by one of the mods on the website (which allowed the player to explore the underground complex featured in Romero’s “Day of the Dead”) that I offered to put together a little promo video for them, which was also in part a personal thanks for such great modding work on their part.
Watch "Echoes" here:
Watch "Smack Addict" here:
Watch "DeadShed" here:
During the summer of 1999 I took part in a one week taster course at the local Art College. The week was split into two – video and then photography. It was in the first part of the week that myself and a fellow filmmaking friend put together (as was the task set to our group) a music video. We chose Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”, and set about tearing around the city (with the bulky VHS tape loading video camera) getting a variety of shots, to which we added some stop motion animation. We then edited the whole thing together via analogue means (before digital editing really took off).
Night of the Living Ted (1999):
Inspired by The Adam & Joe Show, myself and the guy I did the Lust For Life video with, had been doing a number of our own “toy movies” and A&J style skits. One of the last “toy movies” we did together was this, a spoof of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead”. At the time it was edited in-camera from start to finish with no breaks – simple stuff, but nonetheless a lot of fun.
The Evil Ted (2000):
Shot on Father’s Day, again edited in-camera from start to finish with no breaks, this was a solo “toy movie” effort – a spoof of Sam Raimi’s “The Evil Dead”. This time I spent more time recreating the famous cabin in cardboard (as well as props, a cardboard car, and a woodland backdrop) – not to mention adding simple lighting and video effects for further punch. Like with Night of the Living Ted, I would come to do a simple re-dux version in 2004.
Back in the Day (2003):
A simple piece of ‘found footage’ experimental editing – I gathered a bunch of random stuff I’d first shot in 1999-2000 and cobbled it all together to a soundtrack. It was really more of an editing experiment than anything else, and one of the last things I ever edited using analogue methods.
Experiment in Exposure (2003/04):
Another experimental short, this one involved me trying things out using light and the manual exposure control on my Hi8 video camera. Visually it was also about looking at ordinary things and making them look odd/unrecognisable (reflections in a metal tube, the worn spine of a book, light cast against walls and objects, etc).
Zhombeez (2000/04):
Later re-edited digitally, this was my flirtation with stop-motion animation. I modelled a handful of characters (one soldier, and a three zombies) and did two scenarios inspired by George A. Romero’s “Day of the Dead”. It was a great excuse to let the plasticine blood & guts fly.
In A Heartbeat (2004):
Another experimental ‘found footage’ short – again using a variety of film and television sequences, cut to a specific piece of music (hence the title). The main purpose was an editing experiment – editing (very tightly) to the beat of a piece of music.
DeadShed (2004-2006):
I would ultimately cut together three versions of this experimental short, inspired by the opening sequence of the remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. That down and dirty, gritty crime scene examination vibe really got to me, and I decided to put together my own version – the ‘crime scene’ being the shed in the back garden of our off-campus residence at university. Indeed, this is the source of the name for DeadShed Productions.
During editing I gave it a high contrast black & white look with faux film grain and damage, and added some creepy audio (inspired this time by the soundtrack to the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”). Of all my early experimental shorts, this continues to be my favourite, and I almost did another similar video a few years back.
Decay (2005):
Another experimental short which used a similar gritty aesthetic as “DeadShed”, but this time using footage shot while I was making “my NIGHTMARE”. It ran for 15 seconds and was submitted to the 2005 Nokia Shorts competition.
Echoes (2005):
This one-minute short was intended for BBC One Minute Movies that year, and it was a creepy look at Great Yarmouth (using the footage I had personally shot for “See the Other Side”).
Deathzone (2005):
I was in full-on experimental short mode in 2005 alright. This one was a ‘found footage’ piece using a variety of war footage set to a piece of music of the same name.
Manhunt Did It (2005):
This experimental semi-documentary was inspired by the media blame circus that revolved around Rockstar’s videogame “Manhunt” in the summer of 2004 here in the UK. Visually (and in terms of the narration) this semi-documentary is inspired by the aforementioned videogame itself, and kept ballooning as more videogame controversies came about. It all culminated in the infamous “Hot Coffee” scandal (related to GTA: San Andreas). The intention of the film was to examine the media hype, and the blame culture surrounding tragic, and not-so-tragic, news stories.
Smack Addict (2005):
Originally intended for an online video competition for an extreme sports company (which just seemed to come and go with no winner announced or anything, rather disappointingly), this short fitted under the category of “jackass style” – in other words, daft and weird.
The short is about a couple of rural odd balls who are addicted to “happy slapping” (an act which became news worthy that year) like it’s a drug. It’s another fond memory of my friend and I standing around on the side of a rural road in the middle of winter pratting about making silly faces and putting on daft voices.
Undead Games Promo (2006):
The website UndeadGames.com is a modding community for the videogame “Road to Fiddler’s Green” (a zombie game loosely based on George A. Romero’s “Land of the Dead”). I was so impressed by one of the mods on the website (which allowed the player to explore the underground complex featured in Romero’s “Day of the Dead”) that I offered to put together a little promo video for them, which was also in part a personal thanks for such great modding work on their part.
Watch "Echoes" here:
Watch "Smack Addict" here:
Watch "DeadShed" here:
The odds & ends...
“Run Rabbit Run” (2003) was another experimental music video I put together – this time using the stop-motion button on my Hi8 video camera at the time. It showed a variety of every day things happening in stop-start style.
“Flesh Into Gear” (2003) was, indeed, an experimental music video – this time simply to get to grips with the basics of non-linear editing on my (at the time) brand new computer that I’d bought for digital editing.
“Cinema X” (2004) was another experimental short with a grainy CCTV/VHS aesthetic that involved me cutting together a variety of violent movie scenes to music. The aesthetic used in this short would return in several other shorts that followed.
“Some Random F***ing Ass” (2004) was a crude little Jackass/CKY-style skit that I had planned to shoot with my uni mates, but it never happened, so I instead drew some rough storyboards on the computer and edited those together. A very daft, very studenty idea that was quickly cast aside.
“Fight Club Remix” (2004) was another editing experiment, this time using footage and music from the David Fincher film, and an intense high contrast black & white look, which I have revisited a few times since (e.g. “Memories of Falling Ash”).
“Vice City: A Day in the Life of Tommy Vercetti” (2004) was a little fan video I put together for the videogame GTA: Vice City (my favourite of the GTA franchise).
“GTA: San Andreas Mayhem Promo” (2005) was a fan trailer I made for Rockstar’s big name videogame.
“Flesh Into Gear” (2003) was, indeed, an experimental music video – this time simply to get to grips with the basics of non-linear editing on my (at the time) brand new computer that I’d bought for digital editing.
“Cinema X” (2004) was another experimental short with a grainy CCTV/VHS aesthetic that involved me cutting together a variety of violent movie scenes to music. The aesthetic used in this short would return in several other shorts that followed.
“Some Random F***ing Ass” (2004) was a crude little Jackass/CKY-style skit that I had planned to shoot with my uni mates, but it never happened, so I instead drew some rough storyboards on the computer and edited those together. A very daft, very studenty idea that was quickly cast aside.
“Fight Club Remix” (2004) was another editing experiment, this time using footage and music from the David Fincher film, and an intense high contrast black & white look, which I have revisited a few times since (e.g. “Memories of Falling Ash”).
“Vice City: A Day in the Life of Tommy Vercetti” (2004) was a little fan video I put together for the videogame GTA: Vice City (my favourite of the GTA franchise).
“GTA: San Andreas Mayhem Promo” (2005) was a fan trailer I made for Rockstar’s big name videogame.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
DeadShed Productions on Flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadshed/
http://www.flickr.com/people/deadshed/
Well, I've been beavering away putting a bunch of screenshots from various DeadShed (and related) projects over the years up onto Flickr, and there they are.
Although I'm having trouble getting them to show up on the "slideshow gadget" for the blog (see, for the moment, down at the very bottom of the blog - it just has the title, but no images ... not sure why ... will have to see about that).
Anyway, for the meantime - there's the link, which is also now in the "Make With The Clicky!" section on the right hand side of the blog.
*update one*
I also seem to be having trouble posting links to the images so they appear inside blog posts, as well as the above links - surely people can view a Flickr album without having to be a member? I've seen Flickr albums prior to becoming a member.
Is it to do with setting my account to "moderate" rather than "safe"? Only some of the images might be considered a bit "ooh-err" by the most incredibly squeamish people on the planet, and there's no porn (obviously) ... perhaps I should set it to "safe" and then set "moderate" specifically to only certain images?
*sigh* I hate learning how new accounts work...
*update two*
Well I've gotten my images to show up in the little Flickr slideshow window on the right - however it's not rolling through the entire set (of 132 photos), it's only going through the first page (of 8 in total) on my "Photostream" ... why, I don't know ... ugh, yet more nuisance.
Indeed though, the images not showing up at all was due to a content filter setting issue, but I think I've got that sorted now (there's only 8 images that I now have flagged as "moderate" just to be on the safe side - mainly images from the bloodier/more menacing moments from "my NIGHTMARE" - which was the intention anyway, the rest are perfectly fine being classed as "safe" - and therefore, viewable by non-Flickr folk too).
*update three*
Hazah! I've got the Flickr album embedded and working correctly - turns out Blogger's own widget can only RSS (or whatever) about 20 images at most - so instead (thanks to the rather helpful help area on Flickr) I found out I could just take the embed code directly from my own photostream's slideshow, and paste it in under a "HTML/Java gadget" thingy here on Blogger.
Blimey, confusing stuff sometimes ... but it's finally there and working nicely ... all I need to do now is see if I can specifically order the images so the strongest shots are at the start of the slideshow, and so that that also ends up in the embedded slideshow here on my blog.
http://www.flickr.com/people/deadshed/
Well, I've been beavering away putting a bunch of screenshots from various DeadShed (and related) projects over the years up onto Flickr, and there they are.
Although I'm having trouble getting them to show up on the "slideshow gadget" for the blog (see, for the moment, down at the very bottom of the blog - it just has the title, but no images ... not sure why ... will have to see about that).
Anyway, for the meantime - there's the link, which is also now in the "Make With The Clicky!" section on the right hand side of the blog.
*update one*
I also seem to be having trouble posting links to the images so they appear inside blog posts, as well as the above links - surely people can view a Flickr album without having to be a member? I've seen Flickr albums prior to becoming a member.
Is it to do with setting my account to "moderate" rather than "safe"? Only some of the images might be considered a bit "ooh-err" by the most incredibly squeamish people on the planet, and there's no porn (obviously) ... perhaps I should set it to "safe" and then set "moderate" specifically to only certain images?
*sigh* I hate learning how new accounts work...
*update two*
Well I've gotten my images to show up in the little Flickr slideshow window on the right - however it's not rolling through the entire set (of 132 photos), it's only going through the first page (of 8 in total) on my "Photostream" ... why, I don't know ... ugh, yet more nuisance.
Indeed though, the images not showing up at all was due to a content filter setting issue, but I think I've got that sorted now (there's only 8 images that I now have flagged as "moderate" just to be on the safe side - mainly images from the bloodier/more menacing moments from "my NIGHTMARE" - which was the intention anyway, the rest are perfectly fine being classed as "safe" - and therefore, viewable by non-Flickr folk too).
*update three*
Hazah! I've got the Flickr album embedded and working correctly - turns out Blogger's own widget can only RSS (or whatever) about 20 images at most - so instead (thanks to the rather helpful help area on Flickr) I found out I could just take the embed code directly from my own photostream's slideshow, and paste it in under a "HTML/Java gadget" thingy here on Blogger.
Blimey, confusing stuff sometimes ... but it's finally there and working nicely ... all I need to do now is see if I can specifically order the images so the strongest shots are at the start of the slideshow, and so that that also ends up in the embedded slideshow here on my blog.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Flavours of the month (June/July 2009)...
I've been thinking of doing this for a while, a little blog now and then, to just give you a flavour of what's been flavouring my month(s) in retrospect ... so here's the first one of (as the idea goes anyway) many such posts over the coming months.
Bug Juice - I used to watch this during my summer holidays off from school, and I fondly remember watching the first season of this show during the summer of 1998. It was like going to an American camp, without having to actually bother or stump up the vast sums of money to go (I saw the camp's current rates online - bloody nora!). Anyway, nostalgia flashback overload is the order of the day with these episodes which I've been viewing online.
Cannibal movies - not just cannibal movies, but many down & dirty, sleazy exploitation flicks from the 70s and 80s, with a few newer ones thrown in. Aye, during my recovery from my hernia operation, I have been re-viewing a bunch of the exploitation horror flicks that I already have on DVD, but I've also been adding to that with a few cannibal-related horror adventure flicks that I didn't have. Very gross, very sleazy, very grindhouse ... brilliant.
Michael Jackson - the day I had my operation was when I found out MJ had died, kinda weird. Anyway, as a result the couple of music channels you can get on Freeview (the shitty signal of late is due to that sodding Digital Switchover bullshit that's now being conducted in our area for months) have been inundated with MJ videos. I'm not a huge fan - as in I don't listen to MJ albums, but I do enjoy many MJ singles, and those have been a sort of background soundtrack of sorts to my recovery over the last few weeks.
E.S. Posthumus - I discovered this group of experimental classic musicians through the soundtrack for Top Gear (which is, at the time of writing, in the midst of it's 13th series) - I've heard a bunch of their tracks now, and it's bloody great stuff. A really interesting mix of the classical and the modern, and very, very cinematic in its sound - no wonder it has become so ensconsed within the Top Gear soundtrack.
Pygmy - I'd forgotten that Chuck Palahniuk had a new book out, so back in June I nabbed myself a copy of Pygmy. At first I was struggling to get into it - it sounded like a kick ass story, one far fresher than last year's 'Palahniuk on auto pilot' "Snuff", but being that it was written in broken English spoken by the central, foreign, protagonist, I was finding it difficult to get a good flow going when reading. Fortunately, with a bit of perserverance, I've gotten into it quite a bit now and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
Meat Loaf - I've had a brief return to a couple of Meat Loaf albums I got when I was about 12 or 13, back when my musical tastes were young and undeveloped. This isn't a slight against Meat Loaf, although listening to "Welcome to the Neighbourhood" more than a decade later, I dig it more fully than before ... although a couple of the tracks are a bit naff, the majority of that album is a pretty good listen. It feels like a 50s movie, which is cool too.
Friends blooper reels - being bed ridden, and only having limited choice on Freeview (which is missing several channels thanks to the Digital Switchover work that's going on around here), I got back into Friends (which endlessly repeats from start to finish on E4), and as such I found myself watching blooper reels from the show on YouTube - and laugh I most certainly did. Friends might not be ground breaking stuff, nor super deep or anything, but it's nice, familiar, friendly, and funny - and as a result, ideal for when you're feeling bloody crock (physically and mentally) after a hernia operation.
The Assassintion of Jesse James soundtrack - as I've said numerous times before, I absolutely love this film (it's in my Top 10 of All Time), and the soundtrack is superb, so I've been listening to that at nights before bed - and it's truly wonderful to listen to. It's just so bloody good - seriously, check it out.
Bug Juice - I used to watch this during my summer holidays off from school, and I fondly remember watching the first season of this show during the summer of 1998. It was like going to an American camp, without having to actually bother or stump up the vast sums of money to go (I saw the camp's current rates online - bloody nora!). Anyway, nostalgia flashback overload is the order of the day with these episodes which I've been viewing online.
Cannibal movies - not just cannibal movies, but many down & dirty, sleazy exploitation flicks from the 70s and 80s, with a few newer ones thrown in. Aye, during my recovery from my hernia operation, I have been re-viewing a bunch of the exploitation horror flicks that I already have on DVD, but I've also been adding to that with a few cannibal-related horror adventure flicks that I didn't have. Very gross, very sleazy, very grindhouse ... brilliant.
Michael Jackson - the day I had my operation was when I found out MJ had died, kinda weird. Anyway, as a result the couple of music channels you can get on Freeview (the shitty signal of late is due to that sodding Digital Switchover bullshit that's now being conducted in our area for months) have been inundated with MJ videos. I'm not a huge fan - as in I don't listen to MJ albums, but I do enjoy many MJ singles, and those have been a sort of background soundtrack of sorts to my recovery over the last few weeks.
E.S. Posthumus - I discovered this group of experimental classic musicians through the soundtrack for Top Gear (which is, at the time of writing, in the midst of it's 13th series) - I've heard a bunch of their tracks now, and it's bloody great stuff. A really interesting mix of the classical and the modern, and very, very cinematic in its sound - no wonder it has become so ensconsed within the Top Gear soundtrack.
Pygmy - I'd forgotten that Chuck Palahniuk had a new book out, so back in June I nabbed myself a copy of Pygmy. At first I was struggling to get into it - it sounded like a kick ass story, one far fresher than last year's 'Palahniuk on auto pilot' "Snuff", but being that it was written in broken English spoken by the central, foreign, protagonist, I was finding it difficult to get a good flow going when reading. Fortunately, with a bit of perserverance, I've gotten into it quite a bit now and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
Meat Loaf - I've had a brief return to a couple of Meat Loaf albums I got when I was about 12 or 13, back when my musical tastes were young and undeveloped. This isn't a slight against Meat Loaf, although listening to "Welcome to the Neighbourhood" more than a decade later, I dig it more fully than before ... although a couple of the tracks are a bit naff, the majority of that album is a pretty good listen. It feels like a 50s movie, which is cool too.
Friends blooper reels - being bed ridden, and only having limited choice on Freeview (which is missing several channels thanks to the Digital Switchover work that's going on around here), I got back into Friends (which endlessly repeats from start to finish on E4), and as such I found myself watching blooper reels from the show on YouTube - and laugh I most certainly did. Friends might not be ground breaking stuff, nor super deep or anything, but it's nice, familiar, friendly, and funny - and as a result, ideal for when you're feeling bloody crock (physically and mentally) after a hernia operation.
The Assassintion of Jesse James soundtrack - as I've said numerous times before, I absolutely love this film (it's in my Top 10 of All Time), and the soundtrack is superb, so I've been listening to that at nights before bed - and it's truly wonderful to listen to. It's just so bloody good - seriously, check it out.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Sexual Ethics DVD - more feedback...
Just swung by Ethics Online to see if there were any new responses from those who had purchased the DVD, and indeed there was:
“A must-have resource for any RE Department.”
...and...
“This DVD will definitely help students develop their knowledge and understanding of sexual ethics. It has been lovingly crafted by Joe Jenkins, a master at producing workaday resources for hard-pressed teachers at both GCSE and A Level.”
... ... ... ... ...
As for the new educational DVD we're working on, it's coming along nicely - I'm currently doing the last of the five main films (after which there will be five short chunks of corresponding student discussion to do, as well as finishing touches to all the five main films).
Obviously as a result of my recent operation I've not been able to work on it for the last 2 or 3 weeks, but I've gotten back (gently) into the saddle and have resumed work on the last film left to edit. It's coming along well, and is probably the most complex of all the films (in terms of editing together), but also one of the ones which has afforded me the most creative freedom (in terms of trying out some new ideas, and indeed learning a couple of new editing skills).
Anyway, onwards...
“A must-have resource for any RE Department.”
...and...
“This DVD will definitely help students develop their knowledge and understanding of sexual ethics. It has been lovingly crafted by Joe Jenkins, a master at producing workaday resources for hard-pressed teachers at both GCSE and A Level.”
... ... ... ... ...
As for the new educational DVD we're working on, it's coming along nicely - I'm currently doing the last of the five main films (after which there will be five short chunks of corresponding student discussion to do, as well as finishing touches to all the five main films).
Obviously as a result of my recent operation I've not been able to work on it for the last 2 or 3 weeks, but I've gotten back (gently) into the saddle and have resumed work on the last film left to edit. It's coming along well, and is probably the most complex of all the films (in terms of editing together), but also one of the ones which has afforded me the most creative freedom (in terms of trying out some new ideas, and indeed learning a couple of new editing skills).
Anyway, onwards...
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