Over this dingy, dark, winter period, one of the projects I'm currently working on is editing a new documentary called "The Racket". It's kind of a tie-in to this year's 100th anniversary of the start of World War One, but looking at the conflict - arguably the first war to be fought on an industrial scale - from a financial and political perspective. While good men were fighting on the battlefields, who was enabling (and paying for) this endeavour behind the scenes? "The Racket" explores this topic.
Check out the official website HERE, and watch a portion of the film.
Showing posts with label website. Show all posts
Showing posts with label website. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Friday, 6 August 2010
Back to the 80s (2010)...
This was a project that was similar in many ways to Hereford's Got Talent (2010). Not only did it also take place the Hereford Courtyard Theatre, but it was also a single camera project - and being single camera, it means you have to be keep as focussed as possible on the camerawork as it's basically going to be two 80 minute takes cut together in the edit.
I've done a few of these sort of demanding shooting gigs now, and they do have their limitations (you are rarely afforded the ideal position from which to film, low light, some audio issues, and you have to treat it like one big take throughout - unless you're working on a two-man-two-camera team), but despite the challenge it is always quite rewarding to do. The only thing that actually bothered me was having to compress the quality of the video to fit onto a DVD - the drop in quality isn't overtly apparent, but was necessary due to the length of the edit, which was 138 minutes!
Back to the 80s was an epic musical set in the American 1980s as performed by the Year 6 pupils of three local primary schools - Year 6 being the final year of primary school; Year 7 being the first year of high school. Like with HGT, the project allowed me to have a good play around when it came to the opening and closing titles, the central conceit being to use various fonts from 80s TV and film (e.g. Blade Runner, Back to the Future, The Terminator, and Teenage Mutant Ninja (Hero) Turtles).
All in all it was a fun (if somewhat limiting) project to do (which came to me at the last minute - on the day of, in fact) and it's a good way to strike a balance between not being overly intrusive into the performance (visually speaking), and maintaining the audible sense of audience participation that those who partook would naturally want to re-experience.
I've done a few of these sort of demanding shooting gigs now, and they do have their limitations (you are rarely afforded the ideal position from which to film, low light, some audio issues, and you have to treat it like one big take throughout - unless you're working on a two-man-two-camera team), but despite the challenge it is always quite rewarding to do. The only thing that actually bothered me was having to compress the quality of the video to fit onto a DVD - the drop in quality isn't overtly apparent, but was necessary due to the length of the edit, which was 138 minutes!
Back to the 80s was an epic musical set in the American 1980s as performed by the Year 6 pupils of three local primary schools - Year 6 being the final year of primary school; Year 7 being the first year of high school. Like with HGT, the project allowed me to have a good play around when it came to the opening and closing titles, the central conceit being to use various fonts from 80s TV and film (e.g. Blade Runner, Back to the Future, The Terminator, and Teenage Mutant Ninja (Hero) Turtles).
All in all it was a fun (if somewhat limiting) project to do (which came to me at the last minute - on the day of, in fact) and it's a good way to strike a balance between not being overly intrusive into the performance (visually speaking), and maintaining the audible sense of audience participation that those who partook would naturally want to re-experience.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Ethics Online now has a YouTube Channel...
Scoot yourselves over to www.youtube.com/ethicsonline to have a gander.
All the films available on the DVDs for War & Peace, Sex & Ethics, and Gaia & Genesis now have clips up on YouTube, differing from the clips available to view at www.ethicsonline.co.uk
You'll also see that I've linked to the above YouTube Channel in my links section over there on the right among the other links.
All the films available on the DVDs for War & Peace, Sex & Ethics, and Gaia & Genesis now have clips up on YouTube, differing from the clips available to view at www.ethicsonline.co.uk
You'll also see that I've linked to the above YouTube Channel in my links section over there on the right among the other links.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Just War (2010)…
This is an educational film about warfare, from Augustine and Aquinas to Afghanistan and Iraq, covering the history and development of Just War Theory as well as its implications for armed conflict today. I used my experience shooting and editing (especially the latter in this instance) previous educational films extensively on this project, learning from past mistakes or things I’d like to change, both in terms of the edit itself, and how I edit.
Out of all the educational films I’ve put together, I feel this is my best work to date (at the time of writing). I improved my editing style, use of Non-Linear Editing software, and – as always – took care to edit tight from the get-go. I dislike cobbling things together and then doing extensive re-working – I always do a tight edit from the out-set, because if you can see how something should appear on screen straight away, why waste time getting there?
Past educational films I’ve worked on have been praised for their visual style (in addition to content), which has proved engaging to teachers, students, and festival audiences alike – and so with Just War I continued to explore new ways of making the film look (and even sound) striking. I’m very pleased with how the final product has turned out – a film that, for me personally, pushed me to further enhance my editing and organisational skills. The final film is informative, visually and aurally exciting, and sports an efficient pace.
Out of all the educational films I’ve put together, I feel this is my best work to date (at the time of writing). I improved my editing style, use of Non-Linear Editing software, and – as always – took care to edit tight from the get-go. I dislike cobbling things together and then doing extensive re-working – I always do a tight edit from the out-set, because if you can see how something should appear on screen straight away, why waste time getting there?
Past educational films I’ve worked on have been praised for their visual style (in addition to content), which has proved engaging to teachers, students, and festival audiences alike – and so with Just War I continued to explore new ways of making the film look (and even sound) striking. I’m very pleased with how the final product has turned out – a film that, for me personally, pushed me to further enhance my editing and organisational skills. The final film is informative, visually and aurally exciting, and sports an efficient pace.
Hereford’s Got Talent (2010)…
This was a charity talent show – inspired by the likes of Britain’s Got Talent, and The X-Factor – with the DVD creation & sale side of things handled by The Naked Creative (www.thenc.co.uk), who got in contact with me to do a ‘single camera shoot & edit’ job on the project.
Designed to be straight forward coverage of the evening’s events (a range of budding rock bands, dancers and singers from local primary and secondary schools), the project still presented its own challenges. Being a single camera shoot it is imperative that you maintain smooth camerawork throughout – quite simply because you cannot cut away to another viewpoint in the edit – but you can’t just set the camera on a tripod and film a flat shot for an hour. You’ve got to smoothly add movement and a range of shots to the camerawork as the performance takes place.
Ideally you’d have two cameras (or even three if you wanted to indulge yourself) to cover everything, but projects like this are never a walk in the park and rarely provide filmmaking luxury. Fortunately over the years I have gained valuable experience at a variety of these kind of events, that allows me to react in the moment (with little-to-no prior preparation) as unexpected things happen – and provide smooth, visually attractive coverage throughout.
Designed to be straight forward coverage of the evening’s events (a range of budding rock bands, dancers and singers from local primary and secondary schools), the project still presented its own challenges. Being a single camera shoot it is imperative that you maintain smooth camerawork throughout – quite simply because you cannot cut away to another viewpoint in the edit – but you can’t just set the camera on a tripod and film a flat shot for an hour. You’ve got to smoothly add movement and a range of shots to the camerawork as the performance takes place.
Ideally you’d have two cameras (or even three if you wanted to indulge yourself) to cover everything, but projects like this are never a walk in the park and rarely provide filmmaking luxury. Fortunately over the years I have gained valuable experience at a variety of these kind of events, that allows me to react in the moment (with little-to-no prior preparation) as unexpected things happen – and provide smooth, visually attractive coverage throughout.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Doing Our Bit (2009)...
This was a quick project that was put together for the One Minute To Save The World competition that ran in Autumn 2009 ahead of the Copenhagen summit on climate change. Filmmakers were asked to put together a one minute long video about the environment.
Our video was based on the theme referenced in the title - the little things that everyone could easily do to all help towards the effort of making our society more fuel efficient, less throw-away in nature, and involved in recycling.
In the end our video didn't get chosen for the final selection, but there seemed to be a significant controversy during the process of picking the videos that caused many of the involved filmmakers to lodge their protest. I never really found out what that was all about, but in the end we've still been able to show this short film at public screenings and the reaction to it has been positive.
The style of the video was one part inspired by old public domain information films, one part inspired by old music show countdowns (such as Top of the Pops in its heyday), and one part inspired by the film High Fidelity. The project also allowed me to advance by filmmaking skills across several areas - conceiving a brief and sharp idea, shooting in a controlled manner to get footage that could then be edited in a snappy manner, and finally in terms of the editing process, where I further honed my skills at saying the most with the least amount of footage, inside a very tight time frame.
You can watch the film on YouTube by following this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZY55AMbyYI
Our video was based on the theme referenced in the title - the little things that everyone could easily do to all help towards the effort of making our society more fuel efficient, less throw-away in nature, and involved in recycling.
In the end our video didn't get chosen for the final selection, but there seemed to be a significant controversy during the process of picking the videos that caused many of the involved filmmakers to lodge their protest. I never really found out what that was all about, but in the end we've still been able to show this short film at public screenings and the reaction to it has been positive.
The style of the video was one part inspired by old public domain information films, one part inspired by old music show countdowns (such as Top of the Pops in its heyday), and one part inspired by the film High Fidelity. The project also allowed me to advance by filmmaking skills across several areas - conceiving a brief and sharp idea, shooting in a controlled manner to get footage that could then be edited in a snappy manner, and finally in terms of the editing process, where I further honed my skills at saying the most with the least amount of footage, inside a very tight time frame.
You can watch the film on YouTube by following this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZY55AMbyYI
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Skinner (2009)...
I got an email from an actor friend of mine on a Monday (Sean - who also starred in 2008's "Signing Off"), who was going to be back in town for a week, wondering if I had anything to film. At this point I had been cooped up at home recovering from an operation, and was very eager to make a new DeadShed short film.
As such I used the Robert Rodriguez mantra for indie filmmaking - what do I have at my disposal, because it's going in my movie.
I had a few props lying around which were at the time unused (bought for another project), so that formed the basis - a gas mask, boiler suit, and two horror props (a skinned head and arm). I had a title suddenly - "Skinner" - and then I thought about how these elements (additionally a plastic sheet, garden implements, Christmas tree lights, and a dark garage) could go together.
Within 48 hours I had the script knocked together - it was going to be a horror noir - influenced in the back of my mind by the likes of Se7en and Dexter, as well as a list of exploitation horror flicks I'd been re-watching back-to-back while laid-up in bed recovering from the aforementioned operation. Added on top I placed a noir-inspired voice over (think Sam Spade meets Max Payne (the videogame that is) meets the horror genre), laden with grisly descriptions and tired-soul musings.
Come Sunday, we filmed the short (I decided to plan my shots quite clearly in advance, in a way I hadn't done before) quickly and efficiently, and then I was able to edit it together at my own leisure in moments of spare time.
"A forensic detective attends the latest in a long line of grisly, unsolved crime scenes - murders committed by the titular serial killer whose modus operandi remains so varied and vague that those tracking him have been unable to gain any traction on the case. It is here that we see a gruesomely festive tableau set aside for the detective - a tired-eyed, noir-like protagonist - replete with a note left at the scene; the product of a diseased mind that continues to goad those who seek to bring him to justice."
You can view the film via the YouTube link below, also available in High Quality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA0gD60edHI
N.B. Click the images to go and see full size versions, as well as the rest of my Flickr Photostream.
As such I used the Robert Rodriguez mantra for indie filmmaking - what do I have at my disposal, because it's going in my movie.
I had a few props lying around which were at the time unused (bought for another project), so that formed the basis - a gas mask, boiler suit, and two horror props (a skinned head and arm). I had a title suddenly - "Skinner" - and then I thought about how these elements (additionally a plastic sheet, garden implements, Christmas tree lights, and a dark garage) could go together.
Within 48 hours I had the script knocked together - it was going to be a horror noir - influenced in the back of my mind by the likes of Se7en and Dexter, as well as a list of exploitation horror flicks I'd been re-watching back-to-back while laid-up in bed recovering from the aforementioned operation. Added on top I placed a noir-inspired voice over (think Sam Spade meets Max Payne (the videogame that is) meets the horror genre), laden with grisly descriptions and tired-soul musings.
Come Sunday, we filmed the short (I decided to plan my shots quite clearly in advance, in a way I hadn't done before) quickly and efficiently, and then I was able to edit it together at my own leisure in moments of spare time.
"A forensic detective attends the latest in a long line of grisly, unsolved crime scenes - murders committed by the titular serial killer whose modus operandi remains so varied and vague that those tracking him have been unable to gain any traction on the case. It is here that we see a gruesomely festive tableau set aside for the detective - a tired-eyed, noir-like protagonist - replete with a note left at the scene; the product of a diseased mind that continues to goad those who seek to bring him to justice."
You can view the film via the YouTube link below, also available in High Quality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA0gD60edHI
N.B. Click the images to go and see full size versions, as well as the rest of my Flickr Photostream.
Gaia and Genesis (2009)...
Following on from 2008's Sex & Ethics, this educational DVD focussed on the environment from religious, philosophical and scientific viewpoints - covering five topics over five films (Gaia, Genesis, Stewards & Slayers, The Rapture, All Things Are Connected), with a follow-up group discussion with A-Level students for each of the main films.
This was a great opportunity to expand and improve on what we achieved with Sex & Ethics, and I am very proud of the final product, which we also cut together in a feature-length format for festival purposes.
I acted as editor and lead cameraman on this project.
N.B. Click the images to go to see full size versions, and to see the rest of my Flickr Photostream.
This was a great opportunity to expand and improve on what we achieved with Sex & Ethics, and I am very proud of the final product, which we also cut together in a feature-length format for festival purposes.
I acted as editor and lead cameraman on this project.
N.B. Click the images to go to see full size versions, and to see the rest of my Flickr Photostream.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Sex & Ethics (2008)...
This was my first educational DVD, and I was charged with the task of filming and editing the whole thing. At this point it was the biggest filmmaking project I had been involved in, and it was great experience.
The DVD consists of eight films (four topics split into two films each), with added student group discussion (and teacher’s notes too). The DVD is about ethical theories and issues related to sex and relationships.
It was a great opportunity to really come up with arresting visuals – personally, my experience of educational videos (that dates my education, haha) was usually one of boredom, of something rather staid. Obviously I didn’t want to be responsible for filming and editing something that wouldn’t keep the students interested in watching – so I was able to come up with an interesting style.
We not only used a whole wealth of Public Domain stock footage (to use as-is, or re-cut and re-contextualise), but I also got to put together colourful and interesting sequences through various means (layering video, colouring, shooting re-enactments/scenarios in different ways etc).
The project wasn’t the most organised I’d worked on, so that was an education in itself – but it has helped to improve my own organisation, shooting, editing and filmmaking in general – plus, it also acted as a testing run (in a way) for the next educational DVD, which was all about the environment from a theological stand point.
Follow the below link to the official website, where you can also see four video clips:
http://www.ethicsonline.co.uk/
The DVD consists of eight films (four topics split into two films each), with added student group discussion (and teacher’s notes too). The DVD is about ethical theories and issues related to sex and relationships.
It was a great opportunity to really come up with arresting visuals – personally, my experience of educational videos (that dates my education, haha) was usually one of boredom, of something rather staid. Obviously I didn’t want to be responsible for filming and editing something that wouldn’t keep the students interested in watching – so I was able to come up with an interesting style.
We not only used a whole wealth of Public Domain stock footage (to use as-is, or re-cut and re-contextualise), but I also got to put together colourful and interesting sequences through various means (layering video, colouring, shooting re-enactments/scenarios in different ways etc).
The project wasn’t the most organised I’d worked on, so that was an education in itself – but it has helped to improve my own organisation, shooting, editing and filmmaking in general – plus, it also acted as a testing run (in a way) for the next educational DVD, which was all about the environment from a theological stand point.
Follow the below link to the official website, where you can also see four video clips:
http://www.ethicsonline.co.uk/
Contempt of Conscience (2008)...
This locally produced documentary about conscientious objectors The Peace Tax Seven had been a few years in the making by the time I joined the project as cameraman and additional editor.
Thanks to my new equipment it was at this point that I was able to move forward again and set myself up officially as a Freelance Filmmaker (prior to this point I had been gaining expenses-only work experience in between my own little side projects).
“Contempt of Conscience” premiered in its finished form at the Milano Film Festival in Italy, 2008. It was also shown at the Reality Uncut film festival in New Delhi, and the Beyond TV film festival in Swansea.
You can view the full film online (in 3 parts) at Ethics Online's YouTube Channel - or via Top Documentary Films.
See the IMDb page for this film here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294663/
Below is a clip from the film - an original cut of the 'bailiff sequence', which I was able to direct, shoot, and edit.
Thanks to my new equipment it was at this point that I was able to move forward again and set myself up officially as a Freelance Filmmaker (prior to this point I had been gaining expenses-only work experience in between my own little side projects).
“Contempt of Conscience” premiered in its finished form at the Milano Film Festival in Italy, 2008. It was also shown at the Reality Uncut film festival in New Delhi, and the Beyond TV film festival in Swansea.
You can view the full film online (in 3 parts) at Ethics Online's YouTube Channel - or via Top Documentary Films.
See the IMDb page for this film here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294663/
Below is a clip from the film - an original cut of the 'bailiff sequence', which I was able to direct, shoot, and edit.
Sabrina and the Engineer (2008)...
Similar to “Sturgeon Moon” the previous year, this was another town-wide performance from the Arts Council. It was great to bring the experience from previous Arts Council projects onto this one and further hone my ‘run & gun, from the hip’ filming skills.
It was also a great opportunity to get some fantastic looking shots – giant water jets shooting into the air, dancers, fireworks, the whole kit and caboodle.
Below is a video about the project, as put together by Silva Productions:
Visit the below links for more information, and lots of pictures of the event.
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/home.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bewdley.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bridgnorth.html
And here are some screenshots from a musical montage of some of the footage I shot during the Bewdley performance.
It was also a great opportunity to get some fantastic looking shots – giant water jets shooting into the air, dancers, fireworks, the whole kit and caboodle.
Below is a video about the project, as put together by Silva Productions:
Visit the below links for more information, and lots of pictures of the event.
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/home.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bewdley.html
http://www.severnproject.com/2008/bridgnorth.html
And here are some screenshots from a musical montage of some of the footage I shot during the Bewdley performance.
Great Malvern Christmas Lantern Parade (2007)...
This was my first solo effort for the Arts Council, and it was one that came to me on the very day it was taking place. I got the call in the morning, and was at the location by the early evening, and then filming moments later. The whole day would prove to be a series of valuable lessons in the world of freelance filmmaking.
I was tasked with, at the last minute, shooting and then editing a five minute piece that covered the Lantern Parade and turning on of the Christmas lights in Great Malvern.
In the end the film turned out quite nicely, especially for the amount of chaos involved – the very last minute getting of the job, wrestling with trying to find the location without SatNav, then dealing with constant rain (which made the journey there ten times more stressful, confusing and occasionally dangerous), huge crowds, and a general sense of chaos … but like I said, the final product turned out nicely.
I was tasked with, at the last minute, shooting and then editing a five minute piece that covered the Lantern Parade and turning on of the Christmas lights in Great Malvern.
In the end the film turned out quite nicely, especially for the amount of chaos involved – the very last minute getting of the job, wrestling with trying to find the location without SatNav, then dealing with constant rain (which made the journey there ten times more stressful, confusing and occasionally dangerous), huge crowds, and a general sense of chaos … but like I said, the final product turned out nicely.
Sturgeon Moon (2007) & The Handless Maiden (2007)...
Acting as second cameraman for Silva Productions, these two films were my introduction to putting together documentaries for Arts Council projects.
“Sturgeon Moon” took place in Bridgnorth – all over the town during the day (in the blistering hot summer of 2007), and culminating in a multi-staged performance on the town’s sports field at night. It was an opportunity to employ those ‘shoot from the hip, as it happens’ skills that I acquired on all those videos I made at university, but it was also a robust experience in terms of patience and especially endurance.
“The Handless Maiden” was a Covent Garden Street Opera production (performed by, and aimed at, people with disabilities) at the Trinity College of Music, London. It was a further lesson in working with complete strangers (there’s a big difference between just being around strange people, and having to film and direct complete strangers). Additionally it was a continued lesson in filmmaking endurance – “Sturgeon Moon” was a 20 hour day, and “The Handless Maiden” was an exhausting 21 hours.
Interestingly, with these sort of projects, you have a sense of nervousness and anticipation leading up to the main performance – you’re obsessively going over the little, and even simple, details (batteries, tapes, camera settings, what’s roughly going to happen etc), but when the actual performance gets going time stops existing except for the time code on your camera’s flip-out screen. Everything comes together during the performance, and especially on outdoor shoots, it becomes a case of ‘run and gun’ filmmaking. Responding to everything happening around you every second and having to get a whole range of quality shots – indeed, it’s quite thrilling.
This first video is a little short piece I put together using my own footage from the performance:
Below are two videos about the "Sturgeon Moon" project, as put together by Silva Productions:
“Sturgeon Moon” took place in Bridgnorth – all over the town during the day (in the blistering hot summer of 2007), and culminating in a multi-staged performance on the town’s sports field at night. It was an opportunity to employ those ‘shoot from the hip, as it happens’ skills that I acquired on all those videos I made at university, but it was also a robust experience in terms of patience and especially endurance.
“The Handless Maiden” was a Covent Garden Street Opera production (performed by, and aimed at, people with disabilities) at the Trinity College of Music, London. It was a further lesson in working with complete strangers (there’s a big difference between just being around strange people, and having to film and direct complete strangers). Additionally it was a continued lesson in filmmaking endurance – “Sturgeon Moon” was a 20 hour day, and “The Handless Maiden” was an exhausting 21 hours.
Interestingly, with these sort of projects, you have a sense of nervousness and anticipation leading up to the main performance – you’re obsessively going over the little, and even simple, details (batteries, tapes, camera settings, what’s roughly going to happen etc), but when the actual performance gets going time stops existing except for the time code on your camera’s flip-out screen. Everything comes together during the performance, and especially on outdoor shoots, it becomes a case of ‘run and gun’ filmmaking. Responding to everything happening around you every second and having to get a whole range of quality shots – indeed, it’s quite thrilling.
This first video is a little short piece I put together using my own footage from the performance:
Below are two videos about the "Sturgeon Moon" project, as put together by Silva Productions:
Friday, 14 August 2009
Show & Tell (2007)...
This was another chance to work with the Rural Media Company in Hereford, this time on a government sponsored research project (mediated through Bristol University School of Policy Studies) into rural poverty. It covered the following topics:
Necessities of Life, Isolation and Powerlessness, Accessing Services and Opportunities, Denial of Rights, Aspirations and Opinions.
The project involved solo teams getting video diary footage from those who took part – at this point the footage was handed over to me, acting as footage loader & logger. I was, put simply, responsible for getting all the footage (hours upon hours of it – there were around 50 tapes if memory serves) loaded onto the editing system, while simultaneously logging the content (what’s being said, quality of footage, overall score etc).
For my part of the job at least, it was a good lesson in patience and endurance. It’s really surprising how worn out you can get loading and logging footage, seriously.
Even though I was doing a fairly process-based job, it did allow me to see a hell of a lot of response to the issue of rural poverty from those affected by it - from their mouth, to my ears - every single tape, uncut. It really shows you what some people have to get by on, and how they struggle, and most importantly of all, how it affects them personally.
Via the Guardian link below, you can view a trailer of the project, or alternatively via the Rural Media link where you can watch a fuller version.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/video/2009/jan/07/show-tell-rural-poverty
http://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/index.php?nav_id_sent=3&page_id_sent=35
http://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/video-player/FlvVideo.php?video=636670039Show%20and%20Tell.flv
Necessities of Life, Isolation and Powerlessness, Accessing Services and Opportunities, Denial of Rights, Aspirations and Opinions.
The project involved solo teams getting video diary footage from those who took part – at this point the footage was handed over to me, acting as footage loader & logger. I was, put simply, responsible for getting all the footage (hours upon hours of it – there were around 50 tapes if memory serves) loaded onto the editing system, while simultaneously logging the content (what’s being said, quality of footage, overall score etc).
For my part of the job at least, it was a good lesson in patience and endurance. It’s really surprising how worn out you can get loading and logging footage, seriously.
Even though I was doing a fairly process-based job, it did allow me to see a hell of a lot of response to the issue of rural poverty from those affected by it - from their mouth, to my ears - every single tape, uncut. It really shows you what some people have to get by on, and how they struggle, and most importantly of all, how it affects them personally.
Via the Guardian link below, you can view a trailer of the project, or alternatively via the Rural Media link where you can watch a fuller version.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/video/2009/jan/07/show-tell-rural-poverty
http://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/index.php?nav_id_sent=3&page_id_sent=35
http://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/video-player/FlvVideo.php?video=636670039Show%20and%20Tell.flv
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Signing Off (2008)...
Following on a few weeks after “VHS: Long Play”, I set about putting together my next zombie-related film – although this time there were no on-screen zombies. Instead it was a one-hander, so the primary focus of this film was working with an actor who would convey a large story all through dialogue in a simple setting.
The UK has been ravaged by a virus that has turned the people into flesh-eating zombies, and this film’s lone protagonist is the sole survivor of the last outpost to fall to the undead – he’s the last human in the country – but he’s dying, and he now must deliver his parting message to whomever may one day find his body.
I was very pleased with this short, not only the performance (which was the first time I had been really able to work with someone who was a student of acting), but the visual presentation also.
View the film, posted on YouTube, via this handy embed here:
The UK has been ravaged by a virus that has turned the people into flesh-eating zombies, and this film’s lone protagonist is the sole survivor of the last outpost to fall to the undead – he’s the last human in the country – but he’s dying, and he now must deliver his parting message to whomever may one day find his body.
I was very pleased with this short, not only the performance (which was the first time I had been really able to work with someone who was a student of acting), but the visual presentation also.
View the film, posted on YouTube, via this handy embed here:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
