The Good Natured: Video Voyeur

At the beginning of this month The Good Natured released their latest video for the song Video Voyeur. I discovered the band about a year ago through Get it Loud in Libraries and interviewed singer Sarah McIntosh for Cellardoor Magazine. They class their music as "pop noir" and I'm not even going to pretend I know what that means but I love it and I love this song.

Storytelling: Buildings and Vampires

I love stories of all kinds. Storytelling is such a natural form of entertainment and teaching; people have used stories for hundreds of years to pass on myths and truths. With Halloween coming up, people will be creating and absorbing stories through comics, video, books, music and word-of-mouth.

When babysitting the other day I thought to get in the Halloween mood we should carve pumpkins. Unlike my little brother who did his best to do an angry pumpkin so he wouldn't be afraid of it, my youngest sister put all her effort into making a scary pumpkin. When she was finished she stared at it and then piped up worriedly: "Evie told me pumpkins come alive at night. Will my scary pumpkin do that?"

My brother's angry pumpkin and sister's scary one

There is something wonderfully naive about children and their stories. I think that's why Where the Wild Things Are is so successful and why it has inspired so many people since. I particularly like the Buildings and Vampires story and how the tribute video by Sebastian Baptista & Nico Casavecchia then went on to inspire the likes of Manuela dos Santos to be more experimental. Creativity breeding creativity is a wonderful thing and I love the childlike style of both the video and the chalkboard cards.

Buildings & Vampires from Nico Casavecchia on Vimeo.

Manuela dos Santos' chalkboard cards.

Can I Be Your Friend?

Whilst doing my usual Sunday morning perusal of blogs I came across the video 'Can I be your friend?' on Slash/Slash.  The video brings the actions we use online into the real world and demonstrates just how strange a concept poking people, liking things and announcing our relationship to the world really is. What's stranger still is that the video is to promote a new opera, not the first medium you'd expect to exposure the dangers associated with living our lives online.

"Ever thought how odd your online life is?  Ever thought what could go wrong?  This film looks forward to ENO's production of Nico Muhly's new opera 'Two Boys'."  If that sounds like your kind of thing the opera premieres on the 24th June at the London Coliseum.

BLAC Space Scape

Now I'm back in the Midlands I decided to try my luck and see if Fused Magazine would let me write for them again...and they said yes.  I will be writing for Fused/Area Culture Guide online and in print, so keep an eye out for me.  For those of you who go to Birmingham uni look out for my reprise in Fused's Student Issue, where I give you the best trends for the coming season...all affordable of course.

My first article went up on Tuesday entitled BLAC Space Scape.  (If you follow me on Twitter you'll already know this but I am a bit behind with my blog sorry!) You should read it because it features fabulous jewellery by BLAC and an incredible shoot by creative director Ashley Hilton, who will be graduating this summer.  It also features an amazing film of the shoot by Videographer Dima Kalenda.

Hermanos Inglesos: Wanderland

This music video appeared on The Cool Hunter this week and despite the fact the song is infectious it is the video itself that interested me.  It is quirky, unique and produced in the mixed material style I just love. The combination of photographs with illustrations works perfectly and reminds me of some of Darren Firth's work.


Hermanos Inglesos feat. MeMe - "Wanderland" from Michélé De Feudis on Vimeo.

Being a Dickhead's Cool

When your tutor shows this video in a lecture you have to smile.  Especially when she not only finds it funny but sees the potential for this style of video to be used in promotion/to express trend within fashion and society...



...It's a common look, or lifestyle even, in the UK and has been for the past few years.  In my class every one of the English students found this funny, even if they were like this/their friends were...the international students not so much.  In fact, none of the students from India found it funny/got it/appreciated the turn of phrase.  I wonder if my readers in America relate to this?  I doubt geek glasses, loafers and warehouse raves are just an English thing.

2Weeks 2Make It: Brum 2010

If you read my blog you'll know I love untapped talent.  If it's untapped local talent even better because it gives me the chance to experience it first hand.  That's why I love Created in Birmingham so much.  In order to encourage new talent I'm going to try to do my best to lace in some competition info into FCR so that all you budding creatives can get involved.  First up is 2Weeks 2Make It, Birmingham 2010.

"2Weeks 2Make It is a music video competition pairing randomly drawn teams of filmmakers and musical artists who then have exactly 2 weeks to shoot and edit a music video from scratch! The aim is to have fun and encourage teamwork, initiative and creativity “under fire”, whilst working to a challenging and immovable deadline."

Kicking off on 21st May there will be a Professional Music Video Masterclass followed by the official launch where the bands and film teams will be randomly matched.  On June 15th, following two weeks of madness, there will be a screening and party for all involved to share their stories, watch their videos and...of course...a prize ceremony.  The perfect way to get your talent noticed.  The only drawback?  Today is the final day for registration, which ends at midnight.  I know, it's late...I only just found out about this so I apologise.

For all the information you could need visit the 2Weeks 2Make It Brum 2010 website...don't miss your chance!  For an added bit of inspiration here's what the winners from last years Yorkshire based competition came up with.  Sheffield did a good job but I think Birmingham could do better...