Wednesday, 31 March 2010


Really liked the ideas behind these films.

People In Order: 1. Age from James Price on Vimeo.

Human Beings. 1-100

This is first in a series of four films – People In Order – commissioned by the UK’s Channel 4 in 2006. The concept behind our films was simple: we asked ourselves if you can reveal something about life by simply arranging people according to scales. Three minutes is a very short time to communicate something – perhaps too short to tell a story, or to get to know a character – so we wanted to make this series by setting ourselves some very straightforward rules, and then following them through over a long trip. The rules had to be simple so it would take the audience virtually no time to understand them. We established what scales we’d look at, and then chose how each film would be framed. Then it was a case of getting in a campervan and driving round Britain, filming as many people as we could over 4 weeks in February, coping with microphones crackling and our camera refusing to work.

The experience was exhausting but also life affirming. In our whole trip we were struck by how happy people were to help. Only a handful of our shoots were arranged in advance. We relied instead on the kindness of strangers - and we found that everywhere, from deprived urban estates to rural aristocrats.

The resulting films are like a list of government statistics where the citizens they are referring to have broken out from behind the figures on the page. The people on the screen stop us from seeing them as numbers. Even in single second bursts there are worlds of personality stretching out in front of us. The films are really about our awe at how big life is, infinite in its variety, even when it seems just normal to each of us living it.


People In Order: 2. Birth from James Price on Vimeo.

34 Women arranged by length of pregnancy. (weeks 4-41)


People In Order: 3. Love from James Price on Vimeo.

48 couples arranged by length of relationship. (in descending order)

People In Order: 4. Home from James Price on Vimeo.

73 Households arranged by income. (£400,000 - £3,240)



Dublin's people, shot really nicely and edited really well, use of close ups and focus pulling all slowed down to create an atmosphere that is probably abundant in dublin... very nice given me ideas for shooting people in small town/big town.. cheers Philip bloom.

Dublin's People: Canon 7d 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Filmed at the end of the 2 day F-Stop Academy Cinematography workshop in Dublin when we were in wind down mode. Shot on a pre-production Canon 7d.

I took the Canon 7d, Zacuto Tactical rig, Z-Finder V2 and one lone lens, a Canon 35mm f1.4, which becomes more like a 50mm lens on the 7d. So a bit like what I did with Sofia's People (but I didn't have the Zacuto rig for that).

I shot 1/50th of a second as I was shooting 24p and to match the 50hz frequency of the artificial all around me in Temple Bar.

I also shot some stuff 720p 50p with shutter at 1/100th to get the slow motion shots of the juggler which were conformed to 23.98p in Cinema tools to create the beautiful slow motion.

Sound on the last bit was just the internal mono cam mic as I didn't want a big mic on top of the camera.


Another brilliant edit by Philip bloom.

San Francisco's People. Canon 5DmkII 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Shot on 5DmkII with 50mm F1.2 and Zacuto Z-Finder

Music is Taxi Driver by Bernard Herrmann

Shot at 30p and conformed with Cinema Tools to 24p.

Check out my blog: www.philipbloom.co.uk for more info


Monday, 29 March 2010


These are some photographs by richard renaldi of people and there surroundings.

"Richard Renaldi is a photographer in love with looking. He searches for the brief encounter, that fleeting moment when a stranger opens his life to him and, con sequently, to the viewer. His trust in the descriptive and empathic ability of the camera verges on that of his nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century predecessors. Can we gain insight into the person in front of us simply by staring fixedly into his face, by capturing his figure in crisp detail on film? Renaldi leads us to believe, despite rumor to the contrary, we just might." aperture website.

these photographs have given me inspiration for the book that i am going to create, a contrast of two genres of portrait and land scape that brings an insight into the models lives and there surroundings. something i wish to portray in my photographs.















Brief outline


how people and there surroundings change there life, how they came to choose where they live and if they think there life would improve by moving. The downfalls of where they live and the gains.


How I am going to awnser this brief

Make a small book with photograpghs with info about the people and where they live if they like it and what they like about there surroundings. i will also put photographs of the two different places and the people.I will acompany it with a short documentrary that will be there to suport the brief and how they awnser the questions. I will interview people of all ages so i get a wider look on what they like about there town\city. if they think moving will improve there lifestyle.


What I need to do to make sure that project works and that I make it to a standoard that I like and the style is right..

I am going to reasearch graphic designed books that incorporate phtographs, look into there style and layout , so this will give me an idea of how I want my final book to look like. Look into other films that interview people so I get an idea of how they are shot, so I get indertsanding of what shots I need and idea of shot composition.


John bulmer, sunday times photographs article about small town, country life. really nice photographs. his use of space and placement i need to use for inspiration for small town/big city brief.







Wednesday, 24 March 2010

john bulmer

photgraphs of northern towns, really like the composition of the shots, really captivates the towns life. influencing me on a project of the small town/city project embarking on.







need to look into further photography that captivates town?city life by similar photographers.

Sunday, 21 March 2010




Fifty people one question

Fifty People, One Question: London from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

What might happen when we venture far from home now? Will we find that London light around the corner? Will the rain hide all the dreamers out of sight? They might not want to play our little game this time - or we could look away and miss our chance. Or maybe just a bit of something out there will remind us why we take the time to ask.

It's a simple question and the answers can lead us anywhere. So go ahead, ask yourself...


As human beings are nosey in nature i think everyone will enjoy seeing how other people will answer this question. this is done really nicely, filmed and edited really well, with the focus pulling and shots of the city with kids playing and people walking around really gives a sense of the area and people.. check out the other videos done in the other areas around the world they are all done in the similar way. The way it is put together also has fluidity to it which is enjoyable and interesting to watch.

Other interview documentaries done in similar ways to help give advice on how to interview for town/city brief.

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God from Frank Warren on Vimeo.

You may find the brave voices captured in this short film haunting, shocking and humorous. In some of their faces you'll see joy, anguish and grace as they trust you with their confession.

Other interviews done in similar style.

New york

Fifty People, One Question: New York from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

We asked the same question and it took us somewhere new. Gone were the lazy days of summer. A cool breeze swept the streets with leaves under foot and the familiar hustle of the city. Welcome to autumn in New York.

New Orleans

Fifty People, One Question: New Orleans from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo

The Story:

When we set out to film, it was another New Orleans day. Once you get past the inevitable grime and heat, you feel a certain energy or “atmosphere”. Like a kid throwing himself into a mud fight.


Brooklyn

Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

Once upon a time, we awoke with a new question on our mind. We didn't quite know what the buzz and bustle of a Brooklyn afternoon would bring. In search of nothing more than some fresh answers, we found a few dreams instead.


Saturday, 6 March 2010




Uganda skateboard union is a project that was created by youngsters in a rural African village who were influenced by seeing skateboarding on television. They had no concrete ramps or area to practice on so they joined together and built a skatepark. They built the first ever skatepark in Uganda in a small village called Kintintale. With no assistance from the authorities or government, the youth of Kintinale went it alone to build their skatepark. They collected bricks and concrete and started building from scratch. Skateboarding is now very popular around the village and many youngsters are joining in. This project has helped to overcome boredom caused by poverty in the region. The youths now have something fun and progressive to take part in.


From watching the documentary that is on-line you really get a feeling for how this project has improved the area and benefited teenagers. In the short documentary there is an interview with one of the skateboarder’s mothers where she says that before her son started skateboarding he was hanging around with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble, he is now skateboarding which is improving his lifestyle and has helped to change the way he communicates and socialises with other people. There is another interview with one of the elders in the village who says that skateboarding has made youngsters want to succeed in life and look further afield.


I like the way that skateboarding has changed the outlook for many people who live in this town and think that it has made a better community and lifestyle for the many youths who are surrounded by poverty and ill health. The documentary is outlining the importance for something for the youths to take part in and i believe skateboarding is very important in this town.



The photographs taken of the project illustrate the happiness the park has given the community and are a complete contrast to conventional skateboard photography. The young people holding skateboards against a back drop of mud huts and poverty stricken landscape really brings the viewer into the region and surroundings that these people live in. It’s strange to see that in such a small Ugandan village that there is a big skateboard community.


The way the documentary starts of with the music of the region which brings the viewer into the area in which this takes place. this continues with shots of the surrounding area with its mud huts, children playing in the streets and skateboarders going down the road. an interview with the head of the union, tells us the history of the sport on in the region. i like how the documentary informs us of the view of many people in the neighborhood from the youths to the parents. it is very interesting how what can be seen in the media about a sport can have such an impact in a community in uganda. this goes to show that media coverage of skateboarding can have a bigger impact than we really do realize.



hope you enjoy the photographs. video below....

















"I mostly focus my work on identities, dreams and senses of belonging to communities.I’m really interested

the way people come together and create their own subculture. "



"The first Uganda skateboarders were inspired by the television, but hadn’t any concrete to practice on in

their neighborhood. They built the only skatepark of East Africa with their own hand in Kitintale, a wor-

king class suburb of Kampala. With no assistance from government or large NGO’s, kids from Uganda took

significant steps to overcome boredom and poverty through skateboarding. Skateboarding keeps the youth

busy, combats the development of negative habits and develops a sense of belonging to a community.

The elder skateboarders became also kind of educators. They talk about the problems that many Ugandan

families are facing like HIV or malaria and try to inculcate values such as respect and solidarity among the

younger ones. " (yann gross)


extract taken from his website on how he saw the project.


Below is a documentary on the project.




Kitintale from Yann Gross on Vimeo.




December Air from MAMMOTH on Vimeo.

Sharing the crisp December air with some friends.

MammothMedia.tv


This sums up skating in December like in a way the no other video has, incredibly artistic and very influential. makes me want to pick up my board and go skate. enjoy.

Friday, 5 March 2010

APRICOT - Short Film by Ben Briand (sponsored by his incredible actors and crew) from Moonwalk Films on Vimeo.

Do you remember your first love? ... Do you remember your first kiss? ... Do you remember? ...

- Facebook page -
http://www.facebook.com/pages/APRICOT-A-Short-Film-by-Ben-Briand/340181713678/

- Written & Directed by -
Ben Briand
http://www.benbriand.com

- Produced by -
Matt Dooley
Michele Bennett
Alexis Bensa
Gaspard Chevance
http://www.moonwalkfilms.com
http://www.cherubpictures.com.au

- Cast -
Ewen Leslie
Laura Gordon
Alice Zahalka
Joshua Rozzi

- Cinematography -
http://www.adamarkapaw.com

- Music -
www.basilhogios.com.au


nicely put together, and really well filmed, and acted.