Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Today was a 'History Matters' day in which people are encouraged to record some of the tedious detail of ordinary 'vie quotidien' for posterity.
Here's my steam of conciousness time capsule:
Woke up at 6.30,made a cup of tea ansd roused my wife and daughter (11). My son (18) had a late start so I didn't rouse him with a fresh Late coffee as I usuallly do (had one myself though) Read a 'test' from the 'Book of Counsel' ( I'm an 'E**n' man) and then started up my Mac mini to check on e-mails - nothing but porno-SPAM and a notification from Amazon that a CD (by 'The Monks') was on its way. The test was 'Grant that my intention turns not into dangerous ambition' which at the present stage in my life doesn't seem at all likely My wife cooked me a bacon sandwich whilst i washed ands shaved and then to work by car. It's ajourney of 20 miles which I sometimes make by train- but today I left the house at 7.45- to late for the train. Roads busy and on Radio 4 I heard about 'One day in History' and made a resolve to contribute. At the FE college where I work I logged onto ANOTHER PC and then prepared to teach a class of 2nd year BTEC Media students. This morning they were busily working on a College magazine,writing articles about media events such as the take-over of 'Youtube' by Google. I was very impressed by one student who used 'Flash' to animate a graphic for the on-line magazine masthead (www.buzzfocus.co.uk). In the afternoon I taught the same class and we prepared for atrip to Sheffield in order to attend the Sheffield International Documentary Festival. What most interested them was the nature of the YHA accomodation I'd organised in Edale. They had bad memories of a horrible hostel I booked in Prague last February! Got home at 5.30 and immediately poured myself a beer, watched some TV and read the end of a Terry Pratchett novel i've been re-reading.Dinner we ate in front of the TV - Sausages, Mash, Parsnips and onion gravy followed by a plum crumble with cream- good old fashioned fare. By the time i got back on my computer to prepare for tomorrow it was 8pm. My son came down despondent from his microsoft messenger vigil with the news that his Gig at the 2 Pigs in Cheltenham has been cancelled. Chris is a gutarist in a post-hardcore alternative rock band called QwEEK. Upstairs my daughter is practicing Violin and the TV is on the 'History Channel' playing to an empty room. Soon there will be more tea (real then herbal) then showers and bed by 11pm.
Here's my steam of conciousness time capsule:
Woke up at 6.30,made a cup of tea ansd roused my wife and daughter (11). My son (18) had a late start so I didn't rouse him with a fresh Late coffee as I usuallly do (had one myself though) Read a 'test' from the 'Book of Counsel' ( I'm an 'E**n' man) and then started up my Mac mini to check on e-mails - nothing but porno-SPAM and a notification from Amazon that a CD (by 'The Monks') was on its way. The test was 'Grant that my intention turns not into dangerous ambition' which at the present stage in my life doesn't seem at all likely My wife cooked me a bacon sandwich whilst i washed ands shaved and then to work by car. It's ajourney of 20 miles which I sometimes make by train- but today I left the house at 7.45- to late for the train. Roads busy and on Radio 4 I heard about 'One day in History' and made a resolve to contribute. At the FE college where I work I logged onto ANOTHER PC and then prepared to teach a class of 2nd year BTEC Media students. This morning they were busily working on a College magazine,writing articles about media events such as the take-over of 'Youtube' by Google. I was very impressed by one student who used 'Flash' to animate a graphic for the on-line magazine masthead (www.buzzfocus.co.uk). In the afternoon I taught the same class and we prepared for atrip to Sheffield in order to attend the Sheffield International Documentary Festival. What most interested them was the nature of the YHA accomodation I'd organised in Edale. They had bad memories of a horrible hostel I booked in Prague last February! Got home at 5.30 and immediately poured myself a beer, watched some TV and read the end of a Terry Pratchett novel i've been re-reading.Dinner we ate in front of the TV - Sausages, Mash, Parsnips and onion gravy followed by a plum crumble with cream- good old fashioned fare. By the time i got back on my computer to prepare for tomorrow it was 8pm. My son came down despondent from his microsoft messenger vigil with the news that his Gig at the 2 Pigs in Cheltenham has been cancelled. Chris is a gutarist in a post-hardcore alternative rock band called QwEEK. Upstairs my daughter is practicing Violin and the TV is on the 'History Channel' playing to an empty room. Soon there will be more tea (real then herbal) then showers and bed by 11pm.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
This week I started to load links to Filton college student work onto my web-site
(http://www.buzzfocus.co.uk/Buzz/films/studentfilms.htm)
Its extrordinary just how MySpace and YouTube are impacting on the way that young film makers are communicating their work. A couple of years ago the two yearly 'film festival' screenings at Filton were the only forum for 'live' course-work, plus any local film festivals we could get entereed for (such as 'Lights-Camera-Courework' and 'Fresh' at the 'Watershed')
Now I am able google (when did that become a verb?) the work of ex-students, find their current CV and paste a link to thier films into my web-page (and have a chat with them on MySpace too)
It's a very different media world that's appearing and it the Music Biz that showed the way. My son has now been in a band for a year. The first thing the band did was to get a web-site, THEN they practiced, Then they wrote songs, then they recorded a demo and put it up on MySpace,THEN they gigged. By the time they gigged they had fans (MSM friends of friends) who knew their songs before seeing them 'live', then the Fans (including me) videoed them with video-phones/digital cameras and loaded the live performances up to YouTube. No doubt a 'Music Video' will be edited together soon and posted....and so it goes on. (See www.myspace.com/qweek for the latest gigs)
Will they become 'rich and famous'? almost certainly not- but their music is out there - and little or no compromise is required- be yourself and the like-minded will find you. Older types (like me) may regret the diminishing role of 'taste-makers' such as John-Peel-his-name-be praised- but I suspect these will arrive as a new 'technorati' using the new media.
Film-makers are now moving into the same world. This year our student work will probably be up on the web as soon as it's completed (with entailed copyright nightmares) How long before universities and employers expect to see your web page before interview?
Is this happening everywhere/ Do actors post screen tests and videos of their performances? I've just been looking at what purports to be the MySpace page of Anthony Hopkins- I cant believe its genuine - but why not?
Friday, September 22, 2006
Forty Minutes Later
BBC4's Documentary about Paul Watson's 1986 Documentary 'The Fishing Party' has been broadcast - and I missed it - apparently it was good.
Next repeat is Monday September 18th
Ah now I have it- John Das kindly sent me a DVD copy of the programme. The Filton segment only lasts a couple of minutes- but the rooomlooks nice, the students look keen and I look intelligent - who says the camera never lies!
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Summer Movies
What a terible summer for multiplex movies- I've see two movies of which the best was 'Pirates of the Carribean 2' which despite a bravaura performance by Depp and some neat CGI was in any other year a staight to DVD production.
As for 'Nacho Libre' - this sub-sub Mighty boosh-a-like potboiler would have sunk without trace in any other year - but this year looked downright 'cutting edge'.
So it was to the Art-House we had to go for a good night out
I've seen two good movies this summer- which were both coincidentally drug themed.
'Through a Scanner Darkly' is worth a couple of hours of your time if only for the inspired improvised dialogue from Downey Jnr.
Terry Gillam's 'Tideland' is right up there with Gillam's best. At first sight the movie is unsavoury and disturbing- but on reflection it is a profound thesis on the nature of childhood innocence and parenthood - you just need to realise that all the characters are mythic archetypes in possibly the best 'coming of age' movie of all time.
What a terible summer for multiplex movies- I've see two movies of which the best was 'Pirates of the Carribean 2' which despite a bravaura performance by Depp and some neat CGI was in any other year a staight to DVD production.
As for 'Nacho Libre' - this sub-sub Mighty boosh-a-like potboiler would have sunk without trace in any other year - but this year looked downright 'cutting edge'.
So it was to the Art-House we had to go for a good night out
I've seen two good movies this summer- which were both coincidentally drug themed.
'Through a Scanner Darkly' is worth a couple of hours of your time if only for the inspired improvised dialogue from Downey Jnr.
Terry Gillam's 'Tideland' is right up there with Gillam's best. At first sight the movie is unsavoury and disturbing- but on reflection it is a profound thesis on the nature of childhood innocence and parenthood - you just need to realise that all the characters are mythic archetypes in possibly the best 'coming of age' movie of all time.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Students studying TV Documentary find themslves IN a TV Documentary
On Friday 12 May a group of AS Media students turned up to revise the topic of 'TV Documentary', more specifically to look at the classic 1986 documentary 'The Fishing party' directed by Paul Watson.
Paul Watson is well known for 'inventing' the 'Fly on the Wall' approach where the subjects of the documentary are at ease with the presence of the camera to such an extent that they appear to act 'naturally' . This idea of 'the invisible camera' has often been questioned and certainly the students involved where VERY aware of the two huge tripod mounted cameras, boom mike and their respective operators (including the Director who guided the 'real' lesson throughout)
On Friday 12 May a group of AS Media students turned up to revise the topic of 'TV Documentary', more specifically to look at the classic 1986 documentary 'The Fishing party' directed by Paul Watson.
Paul Watson is well known for 'inventing' the 'Fly on the Wall' approach where the subjects of the documentary are at ease with the presence of the camera to such an extent that they appear to act 'naturally' . This idea of 'the invisible camera' has often been questioned and certainly the students involved where VERY aware of the two huge tripod mounted cameras, boom mike and their respective operators (including the Director who guided the 'real' lesson throughout)
Friday, March 10, 2006
One of the reasons we went to Prague - to visit the world famous Barrandov Studios.
Filton & ITVW Workshop members even got to see one of the sets for 'Casino Royale'- the new Bond film currently in production.
Filton & ITVW Workshop members even got to see one of the sets for 'Casino Royale'- the new Bond film currently in production.
Went to see orthopaeidic specialist today - the good news is that having the op in Prague probably saved the joint- If I'd waited for a medivac i'd have to have had an artificial hip (this MIGHT still happen- the loss of blood supply when the fracture happens can mean that the joint dies).
However - though the czech repair looks good - one of the 3 screws comes very close to the surface of the femur- and might possibly poke out and wreck the whole joint
at some point. (and yes - they are just like ordinary wood screws!)
So- In 4 weeks time they are going to take the offending screw out and replace it with a shorter one - the recovery time should be shorter this time because the bone will be set - but it does mean more time on crutches and some time in hospital - potentially a 10 week period starting from now.
I'm back!
Got home at 5pm on Monday and am presently orientating my way round the house on crutches & sleeping on the sofa (stairs are a no no)
I'm open to being e-mailed by media/photo staff and by A level students who want course work drafts checked.
Im afraid my office is even messier than usual - but most important docs & student work should be near the surface -
I'll see what my GP says about mobility etc tomorrow - I'll also need to see a Hospital specialist who can try and work out what has been done to me in Prague - Doctors there had little English and all the medical notes are in Czech- I'll contact you as soon as I have a prognosis.
I THINK I broke the neck of my femur (just below the joint) and that this has been repaired by inserting three metal pins - This should mean I'll be 'good as new' in 4-6 weeks - though in future I might need a hip replacement a few years earlier than the norm.
The good thing is that apart from restricted mobility I'm OK and pretty much pain free.
The accident was a pretty freakish mishap - I merely misjudged the distance between (high)pavement and (roughly) cobbled street as I started to cross the road- landing hard on the heel of a braced leg, whilst pivoting wildly in the classic mistake of trying to 'save myself' - If I'd fallen on the way back from the Pub/Resturaunt after a couple of drinks- instead of on the way to it, I would have probably instinctively bounced and rolled without injury! If there was an external factor apart from pure bad luck- it might have been fatigue and hunger- I'd not slept much/at all the previous night and not eaten for 8 hours (cautionary note to all tutors!)
As soon as I fell I knew what had happened - i clamped my injured leg to my good one and rolled into the recovery position - luckily everyone was together in one party and the ambulance was quick to come (the most painful bit was the ambulance ride over cpbbled streets!)
It was a fairly surreal week in the hospital - i had a lovely view out the window of St Vitus and the West side of the Castle - but wierdly the angle showed no human life- cars and people were totally absent. I shared a room with a cast of changing characters from East European literature including a Lorry Driver who listened to C&W music, A Tramp, a couple of young students (who did speak a little english and quizzed me on important matters such as the order in which milk is added whilst making a cup of tea - this eccentric pre-lactarian preference seems to be the only thing that the Czechs learn about British life!)
Fortunantely I had a 1000 page fantasy novel with me (Johnathon Strange and Mr Norrell- recommended)- which I read three times!
The nurses were great (as everywhere) and whilst very efficient were full of humour and chat - (or in my case mime)
I've decided to learn a good slab of German by the next time I go anywhere in MittleEuropa - The young educated & Germans mostly speak English- but most of the rest speak basic German as a second/third language. If we go to Berlin again in the next few years - we should have some lessons for staff/students.
Anyway - must go and lie down on the sofa after this extended narrative
Got home at 5pm on Monday and am presently orientating my way round the house on crutches & sleeping on the sofa (stairs are a no no)
I'm open to being e-mailed by media/photo staff and by A level students who want course work drafts checked.
Im afraid my office is even messier than usual - but most important docs & student work should be near the surface -
I'll see what my GP says about mobility etc tomorrow - I'll also need to see a Hospital specialist who can try and work out what has been done to me in Prague - Doctors there had little English and all the medical notes are in Czech- I'll contact you as soon as I have a prognosis.
I THINK I broke the neck of my femur (just below the joint) and that this has been repaired by inserting three metal pins - This should mean I'll be 'good as new' in 4-6 weeks - though in future I might need a hip replacement a few years earlier than the norm.
The good thing is that apart from restricted mobility I'm OK and pretty much pain free.
The accident was a pretty freakish mishap - I merely misjudged the distance between (high)pavement and (roughly) cobbled street as I started to cross the road- landing hard on the heel of a braced leg, whilst pivoting wildly in the classic mistake of trying to 'save myself' - If I'd fallen on the way back from the Pub/Resturaunt after a couple of drinks- instead of on the way to it, I would have probably instinctively bounced and rolled without injury! If there was an external factor apart from pure bad luck- it might have been fatigue and hunger- I'd not slept much/at all the previous night and not eaten for 8 hours (cautionary note to all tutors!)
As soon as I fell I knew what had happened - i clamped my injured leg to my good one and rolled into the recovery position - luckily everyone was together in one party and the ambulance was quick to come (the most painful bit was the ambulance ride over cpbbled streets!)
It was a fairly surreal week in the hospital - i had a lovely view out the window of St Vitus and the West side of the Castle - but wierdly the angle showed no human life- cars and people were totally absent. I shared a room with a cast of changing characters from East European literature including a Lorry Driver who listened to C&W music, A Tramp, a couple of young students (who did speak a little english and quizzed me on important matters such as the order in which milk is added whilst making a cup of tea - this eccentric pre-lactarian preference seems to be the only thing that the Czechs learn about British life!)
Fortunantely I had a 1000 page fantasy novel with me (Johnathon Strange and Mr Norrell- recommended)- which I read three times!
The nurses were great (as everywhere) and whilst very efficient were full of humour and chat - (or in my case mime)
I've decided to learn a good slab of German by the next time I go anywhere in MittleEuropa - The young educated & Germans mostly speak English- but most of the rest speak basic German as a second/third language. If we go to Berlin again in the next few years - we should have some lessons for staff/students.
Anyway - must go and lie down on the sofa after this extended narrative
Saturday, August 27, 2005
And welcome to the new year...
Some major changes in AS Media - We're going to change from the AQA course to the OCR one - It's a more 'student friendly' course with more practical work, less essays and a proper text book. The OCR also have some very good on-line resources.
Some major changes in AS Media - We're going to change from the AQA course to the OCR one - It's a more 'student friendly' course with more practical work, less essays and a proper text book. The OCR also have some very good on-line resources.
