Plastic Fantastic: shooting from the hip

Ok, I’m going to start with a slight rant.  Not one that is large, or surprising or even eloquent, but rant I shall.  I’ve always been a bit wary of powerful one-click-and-you’re-done plug-ins for postproduction in film and stills.  Hardly a fortnight goes by without enduring a showreel with the same animated text template or some Super8 leader-cum-transition splattered liberally over someone’s work to give it the latest look du jour.  I was always taught to view the online editing process in the same way as theatre lighting – if it’s good, no one should notice it.  The same goes for camerawork, direction, in short, everything.  As pre-installed video and image manipulation software becomes more advanced and video production capabilities continue to be increasingly democratic (and that’s no bad thing), I’m still a firm believer in the subtle and unique touch of a professional rather than the blunt thud of the latest filter or add-on.  I’m more a ‘unique blend of subtle herbs and spices’ and less of a ‘large dollop of ketchup’ man.  Call me a snob.  You’re welcome …

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Navigating emotions

Recently I’ve been obsessing about maps.  Actually, that’s not a recent development as I’ll freely admit that my relationship with cartography can border on the fetish at times.  Other than visiting the British Library’s Magnificent Maps exhibition (more of which at a later date, but is indeed magnificent) my attention has been taken up with work on a treatment for a project that is attempting to reinterpret and develop a map into an interactive film narrative thingy…with a bit of observational documentary thrown in for good measure.  Ok, that sounds a bit wordy, but that’s the best way I can describe it at the moment.  If it comes off, I will write more in the future.

For the moment, a brief mention to Barbara Kruger’s new cover for TFL’s tube map which will undoubtedly remind any Tate Modern patron of Simon Patterson’s 1992 work, The Great Bear.  It’s not my favourite tube map cover, but I quite like it.  If not just for the potential to create confusion.

Mind you, should I be concerned I …

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A warm welcome and a bit of nostalgia

A new year, a new dawn and all that sort of thing. Whilst I continue to get to grips with the new look and start filling up all these empty pages, I thought it was a good chance to introduce the blog.

Having started my career in print (before moving to radio, TV and online) I’ve been surprisingly reluctant to start a blog.  However, I have decided I can stifle my own opinions no further.  So these pages, hopefully, will give a bit of an insight into my take on what’s happening, what I like/ don’t like and (client permitting) some of the projects I am working on.

To be fair, I’m not sure if anyone will read it, but that’s not really the point I guess.  Mind you, I say that now…ask me again in six months.

So, while I continue to work out how to fill all my new online space, here’s a chance to listen to a short interview I did with BFBS (via AudioBoo – another new personal leap into the online world) a while …

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