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!