Legends in our own lunchbox

With the film project hardly underway we are certainly whipping the folk of Canturbury into a fenzy over our topic.

Last Friday The Press ran an article about the project and my phone ran hot over the weekend with people coming forward with information. Please click here to read the item in full.

While there were a few dubious stories, by and large we now have a wealth of information and quite a bit of interesting evidence. We have a filming trip booked for the end of this week with a Backcountry guide from Methven. Over Christmas and New Year we will be researching and processing the footage that we have (with a wee bit of a break of course). Early January will be a busy time for the film as we base ourselves in Mayfield and film a lot of the main sequences that will tie the film together. I'll take a stills camera on the next shoot and post some progress photos on the blog afterwards.

Speeding in Denmark-The Speedbandits

At first I thought this was an elaborate spoof, but aparently it is true! I'm not sure it would work in New Zealand as I doubt motorists would grasp the concept . Got to hand it to those cunning Danes, it certainly is innovative. I doubt Danish women are too impressed, what do the authorities have in mind to stop women speeding, male strippers?

Because the video clip caused frustration for persons trying to follow my blog from work computers with over-sensitive obscenity filters, I have put the link here for you to have a look at.

The Danish Speedbandits

Beware, the video clip contains nudity. If you are offended then please visit another blog.

Last Man Standing

My blogging has been a bit lapse recently, so it occured to me that I should use some of my newspaper music reviews to pad things out for those people who don't have access to the O.D.T. Of course, I only plan to feature reviews of albums that are any good, and this one from Jerry Lee Lewis is great.

"Infamous for bizarre behaviour, Jerry Lee Lewis’ undoubted talent has never been in question. However, the same cannot be said for his desire to perform, largely an enigma for the last 25 years. Enticed into a recording studio by lifelong fan and film hotshot Steve Bing, Lewis reportedly arrived at the first sessions in his pyjamas. What a blessing that he did, this album makes a mockery of all the other old rockers still trying to string together a tune for a buck.

Out of the legendary Sun Recording artists assembled by founder Sam Phillips, names like Elvis, Perkins, Cash and Orbison come to the fore as musicians who helped define popular music. However, it is Jerry Lee Lewis who still burns brightly as the ‘Last Man Standing’. If there was any suspicion that Last Man Standing might be a sentimental marketing ploy to rescue Lewis’ finances then the opening salvo of “Rock N Roll” blows that theory away. Spitting out “Let me get back where I come from, the gritty riffing of Jimmy Page is matched by ‘The Killer’ frenetically thumping the keyboards while squeezing every nuance out of his vocals.

The pace rarely lets up, I doubt John Fogerty has performed Travelin’ Band at the pace cooked up by Lewis. Now 70, the performance is explosive, testament to Lewis’ status as the original bad boy of rock and roll. Whatever you think of his chequered past, it’s simply impossible not to smile when Lewis sings ‘That Kind of Fool’ with Keith Richards. Lewis typically upstages his somewhat younger collaborators. The two best tracks on the album are from two of the oldest pairings, Buddy Guy and BB King, proving that age isn’t any hindrance to real talent. Last Man Standing is a great country-blues album favouring Lewis’s love of barroom honky-tonk. Bad luck, bad decisions and badass keyboard playing, Jerry Lee Lewis is a survivor with one hell of a sound".

Rating: 4.5 stars

Stray Cat Strut

Yes, its official Pip and myself are producing a documentary based on the mystery black cat of Mid-Canterbury. This is one story that refuses to die and to date nobody has focused on some of the important facts and asked the right questions. In our research we have uncovered some fascinating information, and are quite excited about the filming that we have planned for the next couple of months. Watch this space.

If anybody reading this has their own experience of alien cat sightings or anything similar then please post a comment wiith contact details and I'll be in touch. Just to whet your appetite here is an image of a cat photographed by Mark Brosnahan in 2003 near Lake Clearwater in mid-Canterbury.

The Curse of Ulva Island

Its been a while since my last post but it would be fair to say that a lot has happened since then. I have started writing film reviews for the ODT, am putting together a shooting script for my diploma film and had an opportunity to spend two weeks on Ulva Island for my Internship.

Is it a curse being offered the opportunity to live on a pristine island for two weeks assisting in the construction of a film? Initially when given the opportunity I was extremely enthusiastic and realistic about how far out of my comfort zone I was putting myself (two weeks without my coffee machine and Green Wing!).

Anyway, three weeks ago I endured a typically bumpy crossing of Foveaux Strait to be met by Scott Mouat at the wharf on Ulva. Scott is a one-man band production house called Elwin productions and has a contract to produce a 50 minute documentary on Ulva Island, in particular the birds. I won't give all the specifics but you can see details of the work in progress if you click here.



Anyway, being met by a guy head to toe in camo fashion with rain blowing sideways I soon realised that this wasn't going to be a simple filming exercise. For the first week it was pretty much a military exercise as we humped film equipment all over the island from sun-up to sun down. Not only was it a test for my fitness, I had to get used to the idea of sitting silent in the bush for hours at a time waiting for animal behaviour. Gee, the island might be teaming with native birds but do you think they will do what you want them to. After week one we decamped to Stewart Island proper for a decent meal and a shower with some well earnt beers at the pub.
That was when trouble started.



On the Sunday afternoon, I took an axe to my thumb when chopping firewood. Determined that it wasn't going to need stitches I started doing a repair job with my new first aid kit when I collapsed on the floor, for the first time in my life I think I passed out. Anyway, this was just the beginning on a fun couple of days, that night I was bitten by some heinous bug that left 4 big welts down my left arm. To keep things interesting the next night I started projectile vomiting and when that subsided 24 hours later I had developed a runny bottom. All this time I continued to act as a pack horse for Scott and keep the shooting schedule up to speed. We actually grabbed some great footage and Scott is well ahead of schedule, if only those damn Saddlebacks would breed!




Midway through the second week the back to nature experience had lost its appeal. The weather was lousy, there is mud everywhere, the hut used by six people was smaller that our bedroom in Dunedin and having a wash outside in a hailstorm is not that much fun. This is nothing on the loo conditions, where the long drop was so full that we almost had to start poking it down with a stick before assuming the position.



Lets just say that going home was such a treat, even if the crossing back to Bluff was rougher than the way over and the car wouldn't start when I got there! My lovely partner Tracy had a great meal waiting for me and a bottle of wine, it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

I have a whole new respect for Natural History Filmmakers and the patience and determination that is needed to collect those couple of magical seconds. Scott was a great guy to learn from, he is very focused and extremely well organised. His shooting script was tight and well constructed and his ability to rough cut footage at night in the hut assisted us no end when heading out the next day to grab some shots. I'm really looking forward to the finished product and think that it will be quite stunning, especially is the sunrise that we filmed is anything to go by.




Ulva Island is a special place to visit and the sights and sounds are quite unique. If only the water was 20 degrees warmer, the sand-flies not so vicious and there was a good coffee cart! Ah well, I can now tell the difference between a Robin and a Saddleback call and know where to look for good Huhu grubs and worms.

Steam is the word-The Trainspotting Files

Steam is the word

Dunedin was steam central on the weekend as the Railway Station celebrated its 100th Birthday. To anybody who has ever visited Dunedin I'm sure the Railway Station will be remembered as the fantastic architectural achievement that it is. If you think I'm over-exaggerating, it has been rated as one of the world's 200 must-see places.

How better to celebrate than bring a whole host of steam locomotives to town. Turning back the clock to a golden age of transport, the city was inundated with train-buffs from throughout New Zealand and overseas. Trainspotter's heaven. 99% male, these guys raced from viewing site to motorway overpass to snap excitedly at the marvelously restored steam trains delivering passengers to Port Chalmers and Wingatui.

Trainspotters

The fun of recording train numbers and dressing up in train gear is not restricted to these guys. Click here for a train spotting simulator.

Cameras loaded with film (yes film), these relics of yesteryear (the trains) were a real treat as they reminded those of us old enough to remember to great romanticism associated with riding the rails. Sadly, this has been largely forgotten as we have gone highway heavy.

All Aboard

The city reverberated all weekend to the sound of steam being let off and at one fantastic moment on Saturday morning, all the locomotives sounded off at once. Munching on a bacon buttie, I nearly soiled my pants, but quickly recovered to laugh at all the children screaming and their parents frantically trying to calm them.

Here's to you Mrs Robinson

Once again politicians think they have the answer to societies ills, don't let em have it and all will be fixed. Sadly, this has never worked.

Lets give this blog some context, we have a binge drinking culture in New Zealand that seems to straddle the generational divide. I'm not advocating drinking to excess, in fact I'm getting kinda annoyed about stepping over vomit on the way home from town. However, setting the drinking age at 20 rather than 18 where it is now is rather regressive. It will not solve a few issues, namely:

1.The law is not being administered now
2.Kids will still get access to alcohol, just not in licensed premises
3.We have failed in educating people how to enjoy alcohol, without whacking some poor sod over the head!

In researching this blog I discovered out of the various NZ political parties, only the Greens Frogblog have an element of sanity. I applaud them for their 'less government, more personal responsibility' approach to this issue.
I'm 35, so I'm not too worried that I won't be sharing the pub with 16 year olds, but its not about me. I feel for the music loving fans who want to see their favorite bands and will prevented from doing so by this ridiculous legislation.
But, as with every hair-brained poorly thought-out piece of legislation there is a solution. Pair up with an older partner. Lets face it a bit of experience never hurt
anyone.

Guys, check out that friend of your older sister (tell her that dating you will be serving some form of community good), girls pick up a sugar daddy and let him buy drinks all night. A definite win-win.

However, what do we do about the alcohol binging culture inherent in the youth of today? Well, once again, with a bit of thought a better solution presented itself. Stop selling cheap nasty alcopops and bland beers with an emphasis on quantity rather than quality. These drinks aren't meant to be enjoyed socially, they are mere alcohol delivery vessels. Get pissed quick tools.

Make the kids fork out top dollar for Emersons and see how many continue drinking in huge quantities? Make top Pinots and Single Malts more available and if nothing else we might start to cultivate a culture of 'taste'.

However, people still have a right to get drunk just as long as they don't drive, defecate on the pavement and hurt somebody else, whatever happened to host responsibility and the law against serving grossly intoxicated people? Enough said.

We only have sixty years on this planet

Sixty Years-The Music Video

After a very successful screening of 12 music videos from the NHFC diploma students on Friday I have decided to see what the wider world thinks of this little ditty. Any comments, suggestions, likes, dislikes would be appreciated as I really want to learn what works and of course, what doesn't.

I had a great time making it and learnt a lot in the progress. The whole thing was put together in imovie which is pretty limited but still a pretty cool piece of software that is free for OSX users. If anything, I think the limitations of the editing process stopped me getting distracted from the flow that I was trying to create. I am learning the power of Final Cut at the moment and have instantly seen areas that my creative ideas could have been realised. However, it is really good discipline to put a lot of focus on getting images/sound right in the first place and not relying on fixing problems in post production.

This coming week will be quite interesting as Pip and myself will decide what film idea to run with. We have had no shortage of possible story threads thus far and have narrowed our pool down to three ideas. Watch this space. In the next few weeks I will also be departing for Ulva Island where I will be assisting a film-maker who is compiling a DVD of island bird life. I'm really looking forward to helping out and sapping any knowledge I can. Wildlife activity and animal behavior is totally foreign to me so this will be a good chance to get out of my comfort zone and have a go. Just one thing though, I'm a bit worried about coffee making facilities so I might just pack my mini grinder and a couple of kgs of good beans to keep me going, especially as we are supposed to be rising before daylight and filming birds waking up!

Don't underestimate the importance of music

In this whole filmmaking process that I am engaged in at the moment, I am learning some really good lessons about how to write for images and importantly how to be tight when editing our own words. The ideas for my diploma film is being shaped at the moment and images are being sorted in my head as I settle upon story threads and get them to paper. However, in all the instruction we are getting and the corresponding exercises, we have yet to work on scoring music for documentary.
Personally, from some of my favourite documentaries (and features) I tend to remember the odd static image after the film has receded from my retina, but it is the soundtrack that I can often recall in more detail. I guess where I am going with this blog is that I am now starting to think about possible sounds that will work with the visual stimulus planned for out diploma film.
This week, I was given The Veils second album to review for the Otago Daily Times and it has the distinction of receiving the first 5 star rating that I have dished out. Quite simply, singer songwriter Finn Andrews is a major talent waiting to occupy the huge void left by Jeff Buckley. Sure that's a mighty big call, but the intoxicating concoction contained on Nux Vomica gave me so many film ideas that I'd love to get this guy to score a film. Perhaps, he could be the next Damon Gough. I have attached the glowing album review below.

Bullshit!

Searching for something decent to unwind with on tv can be quite difficult, especially as the Classic Album series on C4 has finished and Top Gear only screens one night a week. However, Prime have been good enough to repeat the fantastic first series of The Office on Tuesday nights followed by Bullshit, presented by Penn and Teller. I should tattoo somewhere on my body a reminder to watch this as it is really that good. Seeking to pour scorn on all sorts of things, last night they had a go at AA (alcoholics anonymous). It was a hoot, they sent up the overwhelming Christian bias that this organisation uses to 'supposedly' clean up drunks. I say supposedly because they put forward information that demonstrated you have the same chance of cleaning up on your own as you do going to a backwards religious organisation like AA, just 5%. The crux of their argument was to dismiss the idea that addiction was a disease, and I tend to agree. Hell, cancer is a disease, but addiction? It seems that everybody suffering from some weakness in character seeks to absolve personal responsibility by labeling their weakness as a 'disease'. Try telling someone with leukemia that your addiction to over-eating is a 'disease'. Enough said. Watching this argument unfold I couldn't help think about the way Fight Club parodied American fixation with self-help groups and the 12 step process. Making oneself feel weak and worthless just so you can give yourself over to some higher power seems like a crap way to deal with addiction, gee I'd be heading straight to the bar after a meeting with some of those god squad loonies.
Speaking of skeptics, I noticed that the NZ skeptics society had their annual conference last week. Their website is a great starting point for anyone who might be curious. A notable local member is the potter Peter Lange, brother of the late great David Lange. If you see weird things in the night sky over Auckland, chances are it will be Peter and his chums setting off his U.F.O hoaxes.

Montreal Magic

Its not often that I get excited about new music coming out of Canada (Neil Young excepted), but this week I had the pleasure of reviewing a release by a six-piece from Montreal called The Dears. As with previous postings about music the review for The Otago Daily Times has been pasted below. I enjoyed this album immensly as I'm sure my review spells out:

Canada’s latest music revelation The Dears, are somewhat unfairly pigeonholed as an indie band. While this may not be such a bad thing in certain circles, the moniker really does their sound an injustice. Gang of Losers deserves so much more than any simple genre classification.

Fronted by the extraordinary Murray Lightburn on lead vocals, this six piece from Montreal have a real knack for nailing the nuance of instantly memorable pop/rock hooks. The album sounds really familiar, but not in a way that it is instantly apparent. Lightburn does have an uncanny tendency to mimic the best moments of quintessential British lads Damon Albarn and Paul Weller. However, this is not blatant plagiarism, just good fortune.

Incredibly dark lyrical themes are embellished with brutal guitar raking, subtle keyboard washes, and ethereal three part harmonies. Just as every other sensitive artist seems to be commenting on the state of the world at the moment, The Dears are no different. Sure, it would be nice to have rock bands singing about their crotches once again, all this global conspiracy stuff can get a bit heavy. Thankfully, for those so inclined, the lyrics are on the enclosed booklet. Leave meaning at the door and let Lightburn mould the words into great shapes to fit the uplifting beats. When he searches for the upper registers of his vocal capability, the resulting melodies are quite hypnotic.

Fear made the world go ‘round is not only the standout, but also quite simply one of the single best tracks I have heard all year. Whites Only Party is a trippy little ditty that is somewhat poignant as the black Lightburn sings whimsically, “Don’t say I’m paranoid, it’s more like just annoyed, maybe a bit destroyed”. If there is any justice left in Lightburn’s bleak worldview, then this Gang of Losers deserves to be heard by a large audience. And if that isn’t a blatant plug, then the Australian/New Zealand version of Gang of Losers features a couple of exclusive extra tracks.

Rating: 4.5 stars.

On the catwalk yeah!

In keeping with this midlife crisis that I am going through (buying a motorbike, growing a moustache, and going back to school to be a filmmaker), today I embraced randomness and went totally outside my comfort zone. I guess part of it was due to the fact that I was encouraged by my lovely partner Tracy and I thank her for that, but can you imagine me modeling clothes on the catwalk, come on..
Yes, I queued for well over an hour to be given the once over by a panel of fashionistas who would decide whether I had the goods to grace the catwalk at next years ID Fashion show in Dunedin. It was a really bizarre experience and I'm glad I did it. I figured I might be able to corner the market for geezers with long read curly hair and to be sure I didn't spot any others at the audition, though I seriously doubt that my phone will ring next week with a job offer.
Speaking of geezers with long red hair and models, I happened to catch the classic album series on C4 this week featuring the huge 90s album Stars by Simply Red. Now, I don't own any of their records and I'm not a fan but I have to admit, that Mick Hucknell has a great voice and what's more, a great track record with models. I have unfairly been ridiculed for years based on some supposed similarity in appearance that I have to Mr Hucknell. Yes, I have capitalised on it from time to time and was stalked by a member of the Simply Red fan club but that is another story. I was dismayed to see what he looks like now, gee all that good living eh! Still, even though I'm a bit disparaging, I have to admit, some of the tracks on Stars are great and really took me back to life in London in the early 90s where that radio was saturated with my Mick's dulcet tones.

Do I really look like Mick? Come on!

Spam Film Ideas

While racking my brain recently for potential film ideas I stumbled upon an email that got me thinking. After years of receiving spam with offers of free laptops, cheap mortgages, a bigger penis and unexpected news of many relatives that I never new existed working in government departments in Nigeria, who had all recently perished in bizarre accidents, I received the following:

Dear Friend,
I am Captain Brian James of the US Marine Force on
Monitoring and Peace keeping mission in Baghdad-Iraq.
On the7thh day of July 2006, we were alerted on the
sudden presence of some Terrorists camping in a suburb
not too far from Karbala here in Iraq. After Immediate
intervention, we captured three (3) of the Terrorists,
twenty-six (26) were killed leaving seven (7) injured.

In the process of torture they confessed being
rebels for  late Ayman al-Zawahiri  and  took us to a
cave in Karbala which served as their camp. Here we
recovered several guns, bombs and other Ammunitions
including some boxes among which two contains nuclear
weapons, one filled  with hard drugs(cocaine) and the
other four to my amazement contain some US Dollars
amounting to $7.2M after I and two of my junior
intelligent officers counted them. I however
instructed them to keep this in high secrecy.

I am in keen need of a Reliable and Trustworthy
person like you who would receive,  secure and protect
these boxes  containing the US Dollars for me up on
till my assignment elapses in here in Iraq. I assure
and promise to give you 30% of this fund, however feel
free to negotiate what you wish to have as your
percentage in this business..

Please assure me of your keeping this topmost secret
to protect my job with the US Monitoring and
Peace-Keeping mission. Contact me through my personal
email capt_brianjames7@sify.com

Sincere regards,
Capt.Brian James.

Wow I thought, I'm in contact in Iraq with someone in the military. Not only does this email read like a John Woo script, but this guy has searched out little old me here in Dunedin as his confidant. Gee, my blog must be good! I wonder how much for the film rights?

Now, with my curiosity significantly raised, I'm afraid to say that I started to smell a rat. Hey, this guys email account is with some organisation called 'sify'. Could it be possible that this should read 'sifty'.
Good to see that our friends in the spamming world are getting inventive and generating some quite amusing creative writing.

Frank Zappa Genius

Zappa on Crossfire - 1986

For anyone not familiar with the genius of the late great Frank Zappa then please watch the very amusing video clip below. Slightly outdated sure, but for anyone who remembers the debate concerning censorship of music in the 1980s this was serious stuff. Just cause Al Gore is doing the rounds with a nice little film about environmental issues that doesn't excuse him for marrying Tipper and being associated with her insane ranting that is politically recognised as the PMRC.
In homage to his art, I have even decided to grow the Zappa moustache for Movember, but I'm unsure that my follically challenged face will play the game.

Sixty Years-The Music Video

One of the assignments that seems to be creating quite a few column inches in my classmates blogs is the music video that we are all working on. When signing up for this course, I was really excited about the opportunity to be creative with a song of our choice. Given the thousands of songs that I could have deliberated over, I chose to keep things simple by focusing on one of my first musical loves, Rockabilly. The choice then was relatively straightforward as I selected Brian Setzer as my artist. A long time fan of The Stray Cats and Brian's various solo projects I tuned into his 2003 solo release Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy.

The cover for Nitro Burnin Funny Daddy

The opening track Sixty Years is an absolute rock n roll tour de force. With an infectious drum beat and classic Setzer riffs, the song lent itself perfectly to the visuals that had been forming in my head. What's more, after studying the lyrical content I was able to refine my sequences accordingly. While, the song is liable to get you a speeding ticket and is incredibly upbeat, Setzer wrote it to say goodbye to his good friend the legendry Joe Strummer of The Clash who passed away in 2002.

Brian posing with one of his many Gretsches.

As Brian sings on the track: "Saint Peter didn't put you here/ For no reason at all/ So when it time to go/ Oh brother stand tall"

This is the most personal album I've ever done,Setzer has confessed. Lyrically, I go into areas I've never touched before,relationships, spirituality. I just wanted to let my whole life out, more than just the hot-rod rockabilly side."

For anyone not familiar with this genre of music and is curious to hear what the track sounds like click on the following link for Sixty Years. I'll post some visuals from the music video once I have it ready to go.

Emersons Triumph Again

Two weeks late I know, but the recent Brew NZ awards in Wellington confirmed what many in the South have known for quite sometime, that Emersons is a damn fine drop. All 12 Beers entered won awards and three beers were awarded the coveted status of 'Best in Class'. What a haul, major brewer Lion Nathan with its stable of four brands only won 14 trophies and the news was even worse for the other giant DB with just nine awards. Once again, taste came to the fore with two other boutique brewers (Limberg and Epic) also doing well. Thankfully, Emersons have very kindly put some of their festival beers on tap in a couple of Dunedin Bars. I am anxiously anticipating the fantastically named Pandora's Bock, the Anniversary IPA and brewer Shaun Ancell's tribute to his late father, the Ancellator.

Perhaps the genius of Richard Emerson is not only his super-sensory taste buds! It seems that Scottish scientists have put forward the notion in a recent study that geniuses are less likely to suffer from Hangovers! Or, could it be that people with higher IQs realise that its not always wise to binge drink? I know for a fact that one of my very intelligent colleagues (Sarah) does not suffer hangovers. However, that's probably due to the fact that she is teetotal, imagine that, an Irish girl who doesn't drink!

Post Script: I have just heard that the chairman on Young's Brewery in London. Mr John Young C.B.E has passed away aged 85. I have long had a soft spot in my soul for Youngs after discovering their product working in a West End Pub in the early 90s. The publican of the Ponterfract Castle was a real ale enthusiast and insisted that the staff drink Young's Special with him. I took a real liking to it, and progressed from there onto many of the other fine Young's products. Fortunately working in North West London for a couple of years I had to pass the great Young's establishment the Grand Junction Arms every day on my way to and from work. Situated on the Grand Union canal many summers were spent savoring the chocolate stout next in the beer garden next to the canal.

Politics and Filmmaking

Now I know that this blog is ostensibly about the filmmaking process, but events in the political life of New Zealand have really taken my interest recently. The bitter mud-slinging taking place between the two major political parties is farcical and both of them look silly, nothing too strange there. However, the entry into the fray of 'super sleuth' Ian Wishart from Investigate magazine really has me wondering about the journalistic focus in this country. Thankfully, Mr Wishart was taken to task in fantastic style by Sean Plunket who showed him up for the weasel that he is. Indeed, as one political commentator (whose name escapes me) was heard to say:
"If Ian Wishart told me the sun was shining I would go to the window to check it out. Even then if I discovered that it was indeed shining I would assume that Mr Wishart had rigged it!"
Who cares if our Prime Minister doesn't have children and has a partner that is a bit odd? Even if Peter Davis is unsure about his sexual orientation, who really cares? Well, it seems the Exclusive Brethren do and they are really scary. For a religious group determined to ostracise themselves from society as we know it, they really have taken to politics with a great deal of fervor recently. What's worse, they are anti just about everything I hold sacred! They are anti-environment, pro the Present USA regime, anti-cinema and media, anti-computers, homophobic and the list goes on. So, its scares me that they seem to have a political voice in the form of the National Party.

Tag Teams have been decided

One of the major hurdles of this film course is the knowledge that we won't have sole creative control over our films, we will need to work in pairs. Well, this issue has been sorted and I am pleased to announce that my partner in creative crime will be Pip Walls. All the way from
Hawera (Taranki), Pip shares with me a love of character driven documentaries. Both of us have media focused training/education so I wouldn't expect at this stage that we'll end up churning out a hard science flick. A cursory read of Pip's Blog will give you an idea of some of the ideas that we will be throwing around over the next week. Film ideas are still being subjected to the pitching process so no ideas have been given the green light yet. We need to have an executive producer assigned to our project first.

* Pip on the left with Lesley during a research trip to Macraes Flat.

Trouser Shakedown

Today, a collegue of mine very kindly emailed me a URL that I simply had to share. As a long time fan of Spinal Tap I had often wondered what would happen in a modern airport with paranoid security measures, if Derek Smalls had attempted to smuggle a large cucumber down his trousers. It seems I am not alone in my curiosity, but there is no way I could possibly have imagined that it would create the sort of comedy that John Hargrave writes about. This is genius with a capital 'G' and deserves to be read, re-read and emailed to others. Thanks Alistair for bringing this to my attention.

All Hail the Troll- Lukas wins Rockstar

Supernova did what I expected them to so and named a midget Canadian as their lead singer. What a slap in the face to all the girls. If this reality concept is going to keep people interested they will have to stop ignoring the untold talents of the females that apply and give one of them a go. Chicks can rock and Dilana is amazing, it is unfortunate that fans were probably put off by her naive comments to the press about her fellow contestants.

Last night both her and Magni outperformed the others. Magni's rendition of the Hendrix classic 'Fire' was my favourite moment, he really looked the part with a Les Paul slung around his neck completely monstering the track. Magni's biggest fault was having a wife and child, very un-rockstar apparently. If only he could have hooked up with a porn-star while in L.A. and craashed an expensive car coked to the gills!

As for Toby, back to the Melbourne bar-band bro, nough said!

In the INXS show I thought Sweet Suzie was the most talented performer and Dilana was by far and away the best thing to happen to the Supernova show. In fact, if it wasn 't for Tommy Lee's bias and support of Lukas I'm sure Gilby and Jason would have preferred Dilana. Its great to think that both Gilby and Dave Navarro will have some input into her solo album. I doubt Supernova will come to much and the victory by a relatively unknown Punk Band to the rights for the name suggest troubled times ahead. I have a lot of time for Gilby Clark and he went up in my estimation last night based purely on his choice of guitar, a burgundy Firebird!!

Helldorado Album Review

Some of you may have noticed that I have put a 'listening to' post on my sidebar. The plan is to update this with really, really good albums and then follow them up with a review. In this day of itunes music store downloads, there is (i think) too much music to be consumed as every aspiring artist with a decent computer and pro-tools gets in on the act. So, if you like the review and end up purchasing the product I would really appreciate any feedback. Also, I am keen for others to recommend me music that I should check out, and this includes classic albums from years gone by. I'm always looking for extra pieces of plastic to grace my turntable.

Artist: Helldorado
Title: The Ballad of Nora Lee
Label: Glitterhouse records


Norwegian contribution to world music has often been entrenched in the slightly bizarre and comical. Famous for an ignominious brand of death metal and often-hilarious Eurovision song entries, Helldorado could be the ticket to resurrect some Scandinavian respectability. Formed in 2001 in Stavanger, Norway, this four-piece defies categorisation and excels at it. All multi-instrumentalists, the performances captured here really showcase the talents of musicians with years of live experience.

Twelve songs of loss, losers and old Lucifer himself, The Ballad of Nora Lee is the long lost soundtrack to David Lynch’s ‘Wild at Heart’. Comparisons to film scores don’t end there. Helldorado have fattened their sound on Ennio Morricone spaghetti, the regurgitated mélange reeks of refried beans and corn chips. Helldorado’s interpretation of the sounds associated with the American West and the dodgy border territory just South of the Rio Grande is infectious.

In a nutshell, The Ballad of Nora Lee eloquently rocks. It infuses the subconscious with layers of guitars (both twangy and surfed up), harmonicas, trumpets, banjo and glockenspiel. Instrumentation chimes in unison with the fantastic vocal delivery of Dag S Vagle who really captures the best elements of the American accent, and a not bad Nick Cave impersonation either.

The album is littered with standout tracks, from the opening tale of dangerous liaisons in The Ballad of Nora Lee to the slide guitar and reeds blowing down the tumbleweed-strewn alleys of Guitar Noir. There is rarely a dull moment and surprises lie around every corner. The Mariachi trumpets serenade the intoxication on A Drinking Song and Rock Your Soul kicks the spurs into overdrive, inciting a bar room brawl. Final track Waiting around to die takes the prominent theme of death to a new epoch, built upon a haunting Chris Isaac –ish vocal. Helldorado ain’t a bad place to be.

Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed By: Mark Orton

Supernova-and there were four!

Well, after tomorrow night (NZ time) I will be lost for programmes to watch to television after Rockstar Supernova has the season finale. Have you voted for your favourite on my blog yet? Sorry Toby fans, I left him off as a selection as I honestly didn't think he would make it this far. I just hope that the Lukas the Troll doesn't get the gig, way too much eyeliner dude! So, Dilana (pictured) it is and based on the strength of tonights performance I think she deserves it, if not Magni's my man. Stay tuned...

Black Holes and Revelations

Strange things are happening on this album. Speculation of New World Order conspiracy theories abound. Alien invasions, oil dependency, thievery, corruption and general disenchantment with global politics, the Muse revolution is upon us, well not quite. Lyrical content aside, the most unusual aspect of Black Holes & Revelations is the sound. The Teignmouth trio are older, tighter and have a lot more leverage with recording time. There seem to be no constraints; the only way to describe this aural assault is seamlessly schizophrenic, if that makes any sense? This album is completely bonkers, and it is all the better for it.

Opening track ‘Take a Bow’ is slightly misleading as its grandiose nature hints at the previous album ‘Absolution’. However, proceedings then take a sharp turn. Second track, ‘Starlight’ is a big ballsy disco anthem with an infectious fuzzy bass loop and dare I say handclaps, is this really Muse? Third track ‘Supermassive black hole’ sounds like Beck has been trapped in a pair of Lenny Kravitz bell-bottoms, all falsetto vocals and funky double tracked guitar. Assassin starts with a pummelling riff that is straight out of the Queens of the Stone Age songbook. All angst and aggression layered with an ethereal lilt from singer Matt Bellamy. The tub-thumping then gives way to a subtle Weezer-like groove that slowly reveals the most infectious melodic moment on the album in Exo-politics.

With recordings spread over two continents, it is the numbers completed at Electric Lady studios in New York that really get the feet tapping. There are hints of Scissor Sisters, Bowie, any number of studio 54 disco acts and the ghost of Hendrix never too far away. Yes, this is the result of three very talented musicians holed up in an alien environment with an eclectic music collection for solace.

Black Holes & Revelations is a great genre mash-up. It is also, the most accessible and enjoyable MUSE album yet.

Rating: 4 stars.

The Human Riff

Topic: The Human Riff

By now I had at least expected a couple of questions concerning the nature of my pseudonym 'humanriff', alas there have been none. However, for those curious souls that have not found a voice the term human riff is commonly used to describe none other than the mighty Keith Richards (pictured below).

A lifelong fan of The Stones, I continue to marvel at the ability of Mr Richards to cheat the Reaper and continue to hammer out those fantastic rhythms in open 'G'. However, one post on another blog caught my eye and I just have to post a link to it. Please click here and read about how one lucky soul met Keith backstage at The Stones recent Western Springs concert. I would give my right testicle for such an opportunity!

Fancy asking Keith if he had done it with a carrot?

Anyway, speaking of Kiwi ingenuity I was amazed to see that Jim Anderton was jumping on his hobby horse again to declare that all drug smoking paraphernalia will be outlawed for sale in New Zealand. Well sorry to tell you Jim, but does that mean you are going to legislate against fruit and vegetables. In case your wondering where this is going, I happened upon a really interesting article on the Hard News Blog and thought it should be linked here. Please feel free to come forward with your own ingenious tales on DIY bongs, water pipes etc.

Steve Irwin R.I.P

Date: Friday, 8 September 2006

I am a bit late with this posting but I had to pass on my thoughts about the sad ending to a very colourful life. Yes, this is a blog with a focus on making documentary films and I am learning more about capturing wildlife on camera all the time. I didn't grow up on a diet of David Attenborough (unlike many of my filmmaking colleagues). However, I did notice Steve Irwin and was always entertained by him. I admire people who push the envelope and don't sit on the fence, there are far too many mediocre people balancing there as it is. That is why I'm incensed that Germaine Greer has had the temerity to openly criticise Steve Irwin after he has no opportunity to defend himself. What would she know about animal behaviour? If I'm really cynical I suspect that Irwin's biggest fault in Greer's eyes was his unashamedly colloquial performance of 'ocker' masculinity that got up her nose. It seems that every ex-aussie based in the U.K. has a real sense of embarrassment about their homeland, just think of Clive James! Thankfully, I'm not alone in condemning Greer and her misguided comments.

In fact, where do all these so called animal rights spokespeople get off?

Sure, in the name of entertainment Steve Irwin did things on camera with animals that weren't exactly conventional. In the bigger picture he raised untold awareness for ecological issues and generated a lot of money (from his own pocket as well) that has been used to benefit animals. Enough said!

Macraes Corporate Governance Policy?

Sounds like a lot of wank doesn't it? Let me put this in context.

On Wednesday the 30th of August I was very kindly driven up to Macraes Flat to visit the Department of Conservation (DOC) headquarters and more importantly the mammal-proof enclosure. Lesley Judd from DOC was the perfect guide, so enthusiatic about her role in the Otago/Grand Skink program. I really envied her obvious excitement about finding a career that she was so interested in. I would also like to thank Shaun who is training as a DOC mammal control worker. He was quite understanding of my naievity regarding the trapping methods used for feral cats, hedgehogs, stoats, weasals and rats.

Shaun setting a trap

Fortunately the day was quite warm and we managed to locate a Grand Skink who very kindly posed for a number of photographs. The environment is extremely beautiful apart from one major scar...the Oceana Gold Macraes Mine right next door. Gee, these Skinks have an uphill battle, not only are they sitting prey for the really large feral cats roaming the area, the farmers are rapidly burning their food sources and your neighbour is a ruddy huge gold mine!

I applaud the work being conducted by DOC in this area, in particular the feral cat dog training programme. Shaun has just acquired a puppy (Keila) that will be trained to sniff out cats. It is such a valuable contribution that these dogs make, as the monsters of the tussock have such a negative impact on endangered native species. Unfortunetly, some members of the public often have trouble distinguishing the difference between feral cats and urban cats. A real emotive issue this one as cat-dog personal have been singled out for abuse by cat loving freaks. This is a shame as the feral cats being trapped bear scant similarities with domestic cats. How many domestic moggies weigh 7-10kgs and can travel 150 kilometers in a 7 day period? Just to highlight this issue, my collegue Kat Baulu very kindly posted a couple of good links to my blog, they make interesting reading:

http://www.johnkinsella.org/essays/scapegoats.html
http://www.feralcat.com/action.html

Lesley with Keila

While the visit was incredibly productive in allowing me to visualise the scenery and look at possible angles for a shooting script on skinks, I was really taken with an art installation on the road to the skink enclosure. It seems that Oceana Gold in an attempt to uphold some form of corporate good behaviour have gifted the landscape a billboard installation and have called it an art-park? Hey, I liked some of the images on the billboards but it really stood out like muts nuts! At a reputed $30K, I couldn't stop thinking how money could have been spent more wisely assisting the 'Real Gold' of Otago, the charming lizards. Don't get me wrong, I love art and would hate to be labelled a cultural philistine, but the art-park really did not gell with me and contrary to Oceana Gold's press statement, it does not enhance the environment. I guess a clever mock-up of the Tui Brewery billboard campaign in the nearby Stanley's Hotel summed things up for me, 'Artwork'....Yeah Right!

Art Park?

Stereophonics / Radio Birdman Reviews

The last week has been quite intense for research so unfortunately I haven't updated my blog as regularly as I would like. However, I'm still consuming new music and searching for the right words to describe it. In the next week I will review the new MUSE album 'Black holes and revelations which I'm really enjoying at the moment, so look out for that one. In the meantime, I have included two reviews submitted to the Otago Daily Times recently and will post a blog about my experience with feral cats, skinks and an art-park shortly.

The Stereophonics: Live from Dakota


After five studio albums the Stereophonics release the obligatory live album to complement the recently released DVD. Hot on the heals of the often excellent Language, Sex, Violence, Other? this double album features 20 tracks distilled from the 2005 tour. Contrary to the title ‘Live from Dakota’, each track on the album has been selected by the band as the best performance of that song from the tour.

Once upon a time, live albums allowed bands to stretch out with rambling jams that rarely reflected the studio tracks. Sometimes they were even afforded the luxury to cover obscure favourites and engage in friendly banter with the audience. This album has little of that. Instead you get all the hits sandwiched between a few lesser-known gems; a best of package sequenced for portable music devices. This is a pity, as the sound for the most part is huge. Kelly Jones’s gravely voice never misses a beat, belting melodically over the classic tone of his Gibson guitars. The rhythm section of Richard Jones and Javier Weyler are fantastically tight amounting to quite an impressive racket for just three musicians.

Crowd appreciation comes to the fore in the mix, often providing backing vocals to support Jones during the quieter moments. Yes, the Stereophonics have an extremely solid fan base and this album encapsulates the intimate relationship that the trio on stage have with the hoards in front of them. Opening track Superman is a cracker with a cutting guitar solo that will no doubt have bedroom air guitar aficionado’s jumping off their air monitors. There is a cool segue way into Motorhead’s Ace of Spades during The bartender and the thief and encore track Dakota rounds disc two off nicely.

Live from Dakota is essentially a gift from the band to their fans to commemorate the very successful 2005 tour. It is raw (just as it should be), there are no overdubs and the mistakes are intact. Existing fans will love it and to those who haven’t discovered the Stereophonics brand of rock n roll; this would be a fine introduction.

Rating: 3 stars.

Radio Birdman: Zeno Beach

Fans of Radio Birdman must have been salivating over the prospect of a new release from a band that last released an album of original material 25 years ago. A pioneer of Aussie Punk, this release by four of the original members of Radio Birdman is straightforward rock-n-roll, Sydney bar-band style. However, if you didn’t warm to their sound the first time around, then chances are Zeno Beach will not create seismic waves in 2006. Not that Zeno Beach is full of sour notes; it’s just a tad mediocre.

Rob Younger’s vocals are an acquired taste, less punk, more new-romantic. Performance wise, the remaining band including You Am I drummer Russell Hopkinson, are probably tighter than ever. But, the opening tracks are stacked full of perfunctory riffs that seem to plod along at zimmer-frame pace. This is a pity as the tracks improve as the album progresses. For instance, ‘Locked Up’ (track 11) is an absolute stormer, a Stooges inspired discordant fuzz-fest that gives away to some frantic fretwork that fully grooves. Similarly, the next track ‘The Brotherhood of Al Wazah’ is quite hypnotic with a vocal delivery borrowed from Jordan Luck. The melodic goods are delivered by way of a stripped back bass/keyboard interlude in the bridge.

Unfortunately, the opening track, ‘We’ve come so far (to be here today’; which probably carries untold sentiment for the reunited Radio Birdman, equates to nothing more than filler. Surely the euphoria of a new release should sound more uplifting? After 25 years there must have been more than a few goods songs waiting for the re-assembled Radio Birdman treatment, the evidence presented here would suggest only five.

Rating: 2.5 stars.

Sinister sightings in Canterbury?

Please don't worry, I haven't decided to blog Sheep worrying, not yet anyway!

No, something far more amusing has registered on my radar recently. Just two weeks ago the national programme reported that yet another unidentified large cat has been spotted in the Ashburton district. I'm not talking a cat that has had too many dinners either. Apparently the sighting confirmed what many others have claimed. There is a big, black cat that looks like a Panther living between Timaru and Christchurch! On further investigation it turns out that there have been a dozen or so similar sightings in the last 10 years. Curiosity significantly aroused I perused the Internet and found some quite interesting reads on the Mysterious New Zealand and Ashburton Guardian sites.

While I am a big sceptic and love nothing more than a good conspiracy theory, I would still like to interview some of the people involved. I'm willing to bet that the really large Feral Cats roaming the district are being mistaken for something slightly more sinister. Though, these 7-10kg monsters wreak havoc on endangered species in these parts and really should be taken notice of. From my research thus far I have taken an interest in making a film based on the enemy that stalks the critically endangered Otago Skinks and Black Stilts (Kaki). With GPS research assisting mammal predator control teams, increasing numbers of monster moggies are being hauled in, full to the gills on rabbits, birds and skinks.

Its about time we paid as much attention to the menace stalking our countryside as we do to supposed sightings of exotic cats. Could it be that we don't consider feral cats a problem because they are quite similar to the their cuddly cousins that hog our sofas?

Cheap organic foods?

Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it. Well, my last post started a groundswell of interest in Blog land concerning food consumption and food scares in general. I was fortunate enough to be posted a link to a riveting podcast of an interview with Michael Pollan concerning the mass production of organic foods and the growth of the farmer's market concept. Thanks Ricardo from Organically Speaking for the resource.
I am even more determined to find a way to structure these threads of information into a coherent story that could be filmed. I will also be downloading the podcast for the midday show on the National program tomorrow that features an article on 'Fat Tax' which is creating headlines in this part of the world. Good topic of debate that one, especially as everything else seems to be getting legislated against these days.

Scary Food

This whole train of thought that I have been possessed with regarding the food industry in general has suddenly become a lot more sinister. I'm really not sure how I can incorporate all these threads into a 25 minute film, it would make a cool feature perhaps? Any suggestions?

While I am intrigued at the efforts of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to put real food in front of British kids, it is an article in the New Zealand Listener that really has me salivating. Taking convenience food to a whole new level, scientists are perfecting ways to give vegetables an indefinite shelf life and in a move destined to detach food even further from its origins, scientists have developed a way to match the chemical composition of food with an individual's genetic make-up? As if giant food corporations didn't already exercise a massive amount of control over our lives! Enjoyment and pleasure in consuming food seem to be taken as a thing of the past. Thankfully, pockets of consumers are resisting the drive towards 'dinner in a pill' embracing the wonderful slow food movement.

Surely the best decisions for food corporations are hastening the onset of diet-related illnesses. In a clever article written in the new scientist, Anna Lappe argues that "we are the first species to turn our food supply into one of the biggest threats to our health." As if this depressing information was not enough, I was fortunate enough to catch an insightful program on the radio at the weekend detailing the toxic threat that seems to be omnipresent. We can't escape. Please download the podcast on environmental pollution and listen for yourselves.

On a slightly more positive note, American writer Michael Pollan has an extremely insightful six rules for eating that summarise a lot of my thinking concerning food:

1. Don't eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognise as food.
2. Avoid foods containing high-fructose corn syrup.
3. Spend more, eat less
4. Ignore nutritional science and health claims on packaging.
5. Shop at the farmers market.
6. Eat moderate portions, don't have seconds or snack between meals, enjoy your food.

green is the new brown

Putting up camo nets and staking out wildlife is not exactly the sort of stuff that gets my pulse racing. However, on friday myself and 10 other novice natural history documentary makers decended on Victory Beach, a fantastic spot on the Otago Penisula for a spot of animal observation. In the current television climate we are constantly being told that 'Blue Chip' wildlife documentaries are out of synch with viewer demands. Hence, there is probably no good reason that this Post Graduate Diploma should teach wildlife filmmaking practices? Without wanting to engage in that debate, I'm glad that we had this field trip as it was a great chance to get to know others on the course and quite importantly for budding filmmakers, get used to working in teams. We didn't have much luck spotting Sea Lions but there were a few plucky Penguins that were kind enough to act like they couldn't see us in our funny hides. The day was particulary well documented by my collegue Kat Baulu, so please visit her blog to see the photos.

Clayhill "Mine at Last" Album of 2006?

Gee, I must love you guys, giving you a special preview of a review that I have drafted for this weekend's Otago Daily Times. The album in question, Clayhill's Mine at Last is an absolute gem and a must buy for anyone who has not found anything musical to get inspired by recently. Anyway, here is the review, please feel free to comment on it as you see fit.

"If I was to string together the marketing blurb stuck to the CD Case into a coherent paragraph or two this review would pretty much write itself. Yes, the UK music press have been fawning all over this release. Is it that good? Well yes, yes and hell yes.

Formed in 2003 from the remnants of Beth Orton’s backing band, Clayhill are yet another U.K. act exercising some subdued acoustic chops alongside some relatively gruff vocals, but they just do it so damn good. Budding songwriters take note, the melodic hook comes to the fore in almost every track and the fine bass/keyboard playing just accentuates the mood rather than overplay it.

Second track Suffer Not is lush; the rich lyrics seem to reveal something new with every listen. This is the great thing about Mine at Last, on a cursory listen it sounds like a mixture of great background tunes for a dinner party. Then, something happens. You sit bolt upright, as the songs demand your full attention. The furniture seems to fade into the background; the speakers become the room. Track four, Hector’s Laugh is a gem; it layers a dreamy groove to a crescendo that comes to an unexpectedly abrupt halt, stunning.

The sound has been described as parts Gomez and bits of the Beta Band, but closer to home I can detect hints of Trinity roots and that is no small praise. There are so many mood swings and emotional moments on Mine at Last that this album fits equally well soothing a sore head as it does preparing one for the big night to come.

This is deep heavy music but not in the power chord stakes. The vocals of singer Gavin Clark (ex Sunhouse) are throaty and sometimes mumbled but always compelling. Indeed, his previous band Sunhouse was brilliant but went largely unnoticed by the fickle U.K. press. Melancholic moments mirror the winter gloom outside, but rarely has being miserable sounded so good. This is a stayer and I’m equally sure it will work just as well as the soundtrack for the summer."


Rating: 4.5 stars

MMMM BEER !

A while ago listening to one of my favourite Tom Waits albums, "Mule Variations" the track Whats he building?; essentially a tale of a loner arousing neighbourhood curiosity through strange behaviour in a shed, got me thinking. I don't want to apear disingenuous, but my thought process caused me to reflect on a particularly innovative Dunedin identity and his wonderful product.

For those of you yet to experience it, Emerson's beer is reason enough to brave the cold winters and short summers in this part of the world. Emerging in the early 90s from his flat kitchen experiments, Richard Emerson is stunning the brewing community of New Zealand and keeping its willing dicipiles (like myself) hanging on for the latest seasonal brew. What relevance does this sycophantic blog have to a Natural History filmmaking project I hear you ask? Well, I think there is the potential for a great story here. Aside from the fact that Richard Emerson is almost totally deaf, it is his single minded determination to put flavour back into beer (the natural way) that has my creative juices flowing. Yes, there have been plenty of stories about the archetypal Kiwi Battler, but this is more, Richard Emerson's vision and uncompromising approch to the highly competive Beer industry is fresh and crisp, just like his award winning Pilsner.

Where others might have taken the cash and relocated the brewery to Auckland, Emerson's is proudly Dunedin based and if the latest brews are anything to go by, the trophy cabinet at the new premises in wickliffe street might need to be extended.

From a film perspective, I am curious to tie this story in with some focus on the changing trend of mass consumption towards a more niche oriented marketplace. Furthermore, with a range of beers based on well worn British recipes, Emerson's availability in the U.K. is an interesting case in point as the small Dunedin brewery has barstardised the Ale pedigree by combining extremely fragrent NZ Hops, great southern water overseen with Richard Emerson's hightened sensory capability.

There are many more curious points of interest but I'll leave those to the reaserch stages of the project (if it gets off the ground). While I committed and quite passionate about telling this story, I'm unsure that my filmmaking associates in the Post Graduate Diploma course will be quite as enchanted. Perhaps we will have to discuss my ideas over a few jars of Emerson's Bourbon Porter, weighing in at a hefty 9.2 %

Mounting but no Thrusting

How this relates to the film that I will eventually make I'm really not sure?

However, this is an example of a directive that might be given to Natural History filmmakers putting together content for the American market (naming no names). Thankfully, with our wee films we will have a lot more flexibility, I hope!

Now, Pet (Indoor/Outdoor) Cats are such an emotive subject that may well be fertile territory for a character based film, both of the human and feline kind.

Indeed, Mark Twain wrote that:
"If man could be crossed with a cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat."

How much do we know about the behavior and movements of our household pets? Not a lot if the recent findings of project C.A.T (Cats About Town) is anything to go by. With recent developments in Satellite tracking technology, Dr Yolanda VanHeezik from The University of Otago Zoology Department is presently collating data on the hunting and roaming habits of domestic cats. The findings are quite interesting, especially in light of previous studies that have been conducted with less accurate radio-tracking. The specially adapted satellite collars being used in the Dunedin study collect locations from a network of satellites and store the data in the collar. These collars collect many more locations than previously used radio-tracking devices in Australian and The United States. While the data is still being collected, the findings to date suggest a number of interesting facts related to the average range that domestic cats roam from their home and the type of prey that they specialize in. This information will also throw light on the contentious issue of environmental impact, in particular the amount of native species targeted by domestic cats.
How exactly will I film this, gee that is going to be quite difficult as most activity occurs during the night. However, I'm sure with some creative license (pencil cams anyone?) and access to some compliant Moggies there is some good footage to be had. Watch this space. All 'constructive' shooting suggestions welcome.

You have to be prepared to kill your darlings

Prophetic and visionary indeed. With the wonderful resource and years of experience located at NHNZ, we are learning plenty of great tips about filmmaking before we have really had the chance to begin. The title of this blog entry was inspired by a quote from a visiting editor from Sweden who sums up what must happen all too often in film productions, the sacrifice that must be made by directors, producers, and camera ops when the field material is collated in the editing suite. I guess the best lesson passed on from Ian McGhee who is responsible for the highly successful Most Extreme series for Animal Planet is to thoroughly plan sequences and storyboard where possible so that the sacrifice is easier to stomach in the editing process. This point reminded me of a great quote by arguably one of the greatest editors to emerge out of Hollywood since the 1960s, Walter Murch (pictured). In his book In the Blink of an Eye (2nd ed, 2001), Murch says: "Don't unnecessarily allow yourself to be impregnated by the conditions of shooting. Try to keep up with what's going on but try to have as little specific knowledge of it as possible because, ultimately, the audience knows nothing about any of this-and you are the ombudsman for the audience." Of course, this will be difficult for us as we will be working in pairs and completing all elements of the process from the initial research through to camera field work and the eventual cutting together of our films. With thorough research and a tight shooting script we should hopefully avoid some terse moments in the editing suite early next year!

Making Bacon

What is it that gets me out of bed on a chilly Saturday morning to crowd myself around others at the Dunedin Farmers market?

The quite sublime Bacon Butties and fresh coffee is the answer!

Cured and smoked, the bacon is quite amazing. I haven't bought Bacon from the supermarket for a while but from memory it never tasted this good. I have since discovered that the Havoc bacon company from Waitati have a rather unique approach to keeping pigs in this day and age of mass produced food injected with all manner of growth agents. After listening to a broadcast about their product and philosophy on National Radio last week I am encouraged to try and incorporate this example into a story that I am developing about the distrust of major food producers.

In other words, I want to focus a short film on the growth of Farmer's market concept as consumers seek a better relationship with their food providers. It seems that many people are suspicious of what they are eating and are embracing the chance to source fresh produce from people who are particular and passionate about the methods use to grow crops and keep livestock. This comes at a time when 'green' politicians in New Zealand are seeking better clarification of contents of food labeling, while over-zealous health and safety officials focus on Ma and Pa food producers selling their wares at weekend markets.

This is quite obviously a huge issues based project, so the plan will be to distill the ideas down and wrap the story around the character lifestyle pig farmers who call themselves Havoc. I'm sure there are other examples if such an idea proves fruitless. With a bit of digging I'm sure I can expose some disgusting food production practices balanced with a story of a farmers passionate about producing the best food possible.

The seed is sown

The heat is on, ideas are flowing thick and fast and just two weeks into our course in documentary filmmaking one can smell the anxiety in the Zoology Department as twelve minds turn their attention to crafting a story of their choice. Over the next few weeks I will add some of my musings to this blog in the hope that I can solicit some constructive feedback on the idea that I settle on for my story. At the moment I am torn between a project focusing on a topical isssue such as the us vs them debate that rages in New Zealand at the moment between the Environmentalists and sectors of the Agricultural community; or a character driven story focusing on the efforts to preserve the Otago Skink, an endangered Lizard that exists in pockets around Central Otago and the Maniototo. We have the opportunity to research our best ideas over the next couple of weeks and them pitch them to our collegues in the hope that we will settle of working partners for the filmmaking process. In the meantime I will be out an about the streets of Dunedin with a camera and tripod refining my skills and entertaining the curious onlookers. Also, this weekend I will be filming at the music festival being held at Bath Street in Dunedin on Saturday to celebrate the first birthday of dunedinmusic.com.