This year Steven made a short doco called Record Nation.
A look at the record shop scene in Melbourne from the perspective of the record shop owners.
How damaging to music is the internet and downloading (illegal and legal)?
Why the resurgence of Vinny?
Are you mad to own a record shop?
and just what is this thingy called 'Record Shop Day'?
The soundtrack for the doco is really kick arse, here is just one of the rocking tracks that he used in the film, sourced from a local muso called Brat Farrar
Well I think this will be a cracker.
Featuring a performance from Yumi Umiumare, who I was privileged to meet last year whilst teaching the Cert III Documentary course at Open Channel.
She featured in a beautiful doco/film by Riza Manalo (filmmaker/video artist) and is described as a Butoh Punkess?
This production is being produced by Mayu Kanamori a very accomplished photographer and a whole lot more. I am yet to see this performance but hopefully Indonesia will in October and I'll get to see it on DVD. (more on the team)
One performance that I do plan to see in late Sept/early Oct is DASSHOKU SHAKE and it will also feature Yumi and others including Theatre Gumbo from Osaka and it looks truly spectacular. A Japanese Australian Butoh Cabaret Extravaganza
Last weekend I was lucky enough to hang out with BusinessChic and Hannmaid in a laneway off DeGreaves St (city o Melb) They were shooting photos for some of Hanna's delightful hand made cuff links and pendants, wanting to give the shots that Melbourne 'laneway feel' and style.
I was shooting for the doco, a not entirely new angle but taking it to new ground.
I became acquainted with Cheryl from Business Chic at a Tweed ride last year as she is a very active member of the Melbourne Tweeds and the unofficial official photographer! I wanted to interview her regarding the Tweeds but more specifically about fashion and style in cycling. Looking good on the pedals, so to speak.
Hey, what better why to start this thread than with a fashion product shoot and there was a tie in too!
Hanna is a keen cyclist who owns a lovely classic style cycle, a Pashley, hand built in Cambridge. it featured in the shoot and looked a real treat. Her partner Mick also had a beautiful bike, a Moser, that he had built himself which was also used but the real link (pun) was that she has transposed this passion into her designs and the featured product was her bicycle pendants and cuff links; in their various colour options
the link by Cheryl Lin
So me, Jamie F and Micheal B bombed the photo shoot and gathered sight and sound and a few interviews. The focus was on Cheryl and her work (photography and blogging) and her outlook on fashion and cycling. So we hovered around, observational style throwing in the odd question when there was a break in the shoot. The beauty of having a niffty little crew was that I could concentrate on questions and conversation which was liberating compared to operating and asking. But I also had a 7D, so I could take a photo or two, squirt off some footage here and there and satisfy my visual side also.
We got some really solid material on fashion and cycling thanks to Cheryl's generosity and this is what we were after. But the treat of the day was in the unknown, I knew nothing of Hanna and Mick before the day and both of them had such great stories to tell. They have traveled the world and cycled places that will forever remain on most peoples bucket lists. Mick has cycled Tour de France legs, the UK, Peru, Thailand and Tasmania! Hanna has played support for many of these rides but has also cycled more than the average person but it was her Jewelery that we concentrated on this day.
We finished up with a few hours in the can and many many options for edits and stories. A very pleasant and successful afternoon shooting in the laneways.
Rather Melbourne one could say?
Well this is a catchy tune and nice video to match. Low Budget, Gorilla style, DSLR but great results.
Tai on direction, Ed & James on camera, not much time but a lot of passion.
Not quite Rock 'n' Roll but certainly KPOP!
introducing Jannie Huynh & Jacqueline Andri doing their version of
So Cool, Loving You & Ma Boy by Sistar 씨스타
for the official dance competition
So KOFFIA (Korean Film Festival in Australia) has hit the town again. But I aint going to talk about their fantastic film selection, no this is gong to be all about the Short Film Competition they ran this year.
I got a bit inspired, had a great idea and I saw that there was also $2K up for grabs so I swung into action.
Last year at MIFF I saw a film called The Day He Arrives by my favourite Korean Director Hong Sang soo. A most verily fantastic film. Let's just say that and you can read the review and see the film in Melbourne at ACMI on Wed 12th Sept at 2045. It's actually the last film before the closing ceremony.
It's not so much the film that inspired me but the trailer to the film. Such a great minimal trailer in this world of the 'super' Hollywood reels that are just jam packed with excitement and hooks and anything else they deem suitable to suck you into that theater to see their show.
This one is so lyrical, so simple and for me so effective. Now if you aren't privy to Hong Sang soo's films it may come across as a bit too simple and possibly weird but hey ho you could also see it as I just wanna see what film could possibly be attached to such a promotion?
Check it out!
Well what inspired me was to recreate this trailer but rather than in Seoul in Melbourne.
What if you came out of the cinema having seen the film and then you found yourself witnessing the trailer, not quite in it but right next to it?
This was my idea.
And the beauty in the idea was the simplicity of the idea. I only had a few weeks and life was pretty busy so a shoot for a couple of hours and an edit of about double that was very attractive. Cause then I'd have a film ready for submission, in time for the deadline.
So I organised a shoot late on a Sunday afternoon and assembled my cast and crew. Well every crew member was also a cast member. Rusty and I were on camera, there was no sound and we were using available light. I needed five people in the shot, three guys and two gals. What I got was the opposite, two guys and three gals but hey that was cool because I was putting a twist on it eh? and that was my first.
The second was to stage it outside ACMI where the festival screens (well that was just a suck job!) The taxi was going to be the factor unknown so I had a few strategies up my sleeve, different versions so to speak.
Anyway as planned the shoot was short sharp and sweet, shot on a 7D and it kinda just rolled out as planned, all done in 2 hours and no real fuss.
The edit was slightly different as there were a number of takes and I had to work out the timing and action for the best ones. Also the graphics and the compositing took a wee bit longer than anticipated. I just don't run AfterEffects and that is what was needed for the iphone shots. Luckily Rusty did and he jumped on for that part.
So Far So Good!
the next phase was the selection process.
KOFFIA selected a shortlist of 8 films from a possible 24 or so and luckily for us they selected The Way He Arrived. I felt a bit chuffed as the plan was unfolding.
This meant that the film would be screened up at the Dendy Opera Quays cinemas in Sydney and a judging panel would pick the winners. This panel consisted of a couple of Korean Filmmakers (guests of the festival) and a few players from the Sydney film industry.
We couldn't really stack the 'audience' award because it was Sydney based and Marina was the only person involved who was going (she was up there for work).
Anyway on Sat 25th Aug at Midday the show was underway, the plan was unfolding.
But alas that is where the plan finished. Out of eight films there were four prizes up for grabs plus best actor and actress (but I didn't think we would crack any of them) but we didn't crack a noodle. Shame Shame.
Big thanks to those involved as it was a fun little project.
Cheers to Marina, JoStar, Maggie, Tez and Rusty. You guys embraced what it is to be indy and gorilla too. Next Time Guys!
