Blogzene

Ronak Singh's 'Bride & Gloom'

Ronak Singh is screening three of his films at the Arc, Stockton early next month.

The Thornaby-based filmmaker is screening the Barnardo’s funded Innocence and the BME Network funded No Honour No Choice, alongside his self-funded film  Bride & Gloom.

While Ronak’s significantly developed his writer/director skills in the last couple of years he continues to film in the region where he matches local talent with professional actors. In Bride & Gloom east meets west as a young Indian bride finds herself in the room of a nervous, asthmatic white groom. It stars Coronation Street’s Poppy Jhakra and Mark Stobbart (55 Degrees North & Auf Wiedershen Pet) and features Middlesbrough born actor Bill Fellows.

A trailer can be seen here

The film showcase is free to attend  and takes place on Monday 1st March from 7pm. To book your place contact Wendy Shepherd of Barnardos SECOS project on: 01642 819743 or Email: wendy.shepherd@barnardos.org.uk

Teesside University has announced details of its Spring University programme and as usual there are a whole host of creative courses on offer:

Design
Introduction to Digital Photography
Introduction to Graphic Design
Introduction to Interior Design
Introduction to Product Design
Introduction to Web Design

English
Introduction to Creative Writing
Regional Writing

Fine Art
Exploring Galleries
Introduction to Drawing
Introduction to Painting
Looking at Modern Art

Read the rest of this article »

Reader’s of the last instalment of Blogzene will no doubt have seen the Remember my Face video.

Director Tom Marshall made it for a national competition and is asking for support from readers of this blog. It’s been shortlisted from over 250 entries into the final 12 in reed.co.uk’s Short Film Competition. The brief was to make a short film of no more than three minutes long, under the heading ‘workplace’.

A bit like the X-Factor, Remember my Face needs as many votes as possible to get through to the final round of the competition which offers the winner a ten grand prize.

To place your vote, click here

…And good luck to Tom who is the subject of our regular ‘Creative Perspective’ feature next time on Blogzene.

Keith Moss is a self-taught photographer who has been working in the business for over 20 years. His work covers everything from fashion, product and wedding photography through to highly collectable fine art prints.

Starting out in his native Yorkshire, he relocated to the North East coast which is the subject of many of his stunning black and white landscapes. Off the back of exhibiting and selling this work around the globe, he recently became one of only five industry ambassadors for Ilford, the world’s leader in black and white film.

Sharing his knowledge and skills with others is really important to Keith. As well as being a DigitalCity mentor – where he works with up and coming businesses – he’s set to deliver a series of industry masterclasses for Ilford around the UK. This is preceeded by the unique ‘Shoot fashion’ workshop he’s delivering at Teesside University with fashion designer Kate Fearnley this month. The event is aimed at photographers wanting to break into the fashion industry and will culminate in a live shoot where they’ll be able to photograph models wearing Kate Fearlney’s latest collection.

Keith Moss is a very busy guy - but he’s as honest and down to earth as he is talented. In this interview I ask him how he is able to compete with those in London when others struggle,  if his lack of academia has caused him any problems – and throw in the inevitable ‘film or digital’ question for good measure.

To visit the Keith Moss website click here

To listen to the interview click below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Poster, click to enlarge

With the assistance of Northern Film and Media and the UK Film Council there will be a Fringe Animex event in Saltburn featuring community produced animations. This will take place at 7.30pm on February 11^th at Saltburn Community Theatre, Albion Terrace, Saltburn, TS12 1JW.

Featured this year will be World Première of “The Force is With You” which has been produced in partnership with the Institute of Digital Innovation, the Skinningrove Community, Whitecliffe Primary School and Redcar & Cleveland Community Safety Partnership. The school children will get their own matinee screening at 1.30 on the same date.

During a recent International workshop in Vienna one of scenes in “The Force is With You” was “voiced” using the services of some of the workshop attendees. The film clip below is a sneak preview of one of the scenes and a behind the scenes look at how it was put together.

Trouper 1 is played by Markus Petz from Finland, Trouper 2 by Thomas Chepaitis the Minister of foreign affairs of Uzhupis Republic (Lithuania) Arthur Vador is played by Steve Thompson and Barry Hunt the Mayor of Loftus is camera operator.

In the background is Laura Pakalne, Senior Officer in the Public Relations Department in the Ministry of Justice, Latvia who is most interested in our working with the British police and the movie production team on more collaborative projects. Markus has delayed his return to Finland to travel to Saltburn to assist with a hook-up with Latvia during the event on the 11^th. It’s quite possible that people all over the world will be able to participate in the event. More information on this will be released closer to the event. The primary site for any streaming or “back channel” activity during the event is www.saltburn.org.uk

As well as the evening event there will be a matinee for schools and its during the afternoon event that the team will be aiming to hook up with children in Latvia. For more info contact s.d.thompson@tees.ac.uk

The next in Teesside University’s series of One North East and Skillset funded workshops for recent entrants to the creative media industries is ‘Shoot Fashion with Keith Moss and Kate Fearnley’.

Led by former Vogue and Wella photographer Keith and internationally acclaimed fashion designer Kate, this workshop is ideal for anyone who is wishing to establish themselves as a fashion photographer.

Fashion photography may be one of the most exciting industries to work in but it’s a highly competitive one that can be extremely difficult to get into. So, how does an aspiring photographer break in to the industry? And when they get there, what is their role – and what are they expected to do? Who else will they work with and how does he/she interact with the many models, stylists and make-up artists who are all essential parts of the process? Leading to the next question: How do they go about recruiting these people in the first place?

Finally, how does the fashion photographer achieve the expectations of the fashion designer while appealing to the tastes of the designer’s audience? And how do they ensure that the image that appears on the billboard or in the magazine looks like the one that they and their client had in their heads?

All of these questions (and many more) will be answered in this practical workshop led by Keith Moss. Keith who has worked at the top of his industry for over 20 years, will be joined by renowned fashion designer Kate Fearnley who will give a unique insight in to the mind of the person who creates the clothes and buys the photography.

The myths of the industry will be dispelled through candid, ‘behind the scenes’ discussions with professional make-up artists, stylists and models who are all highly important contributors to the creation of great fashion photography.

This will be followed by a live shoot where (with their own cameras) the participants will have the rare opportunity to photograph the models wearing Kate Fearnley’s latest collection, supported by a team of stylists and make-up artists. Keith and Kate will give technical and creative feedback to the delegates as they develop the skills needed to become a successful fashion photographer throughout the shoot.

The Shoot Fashion with Keith Moss and Kate Fearnley workshop takes place at Teesside University from 9.30am – 4.30pm on Tuesday 23^rd February 2010.

The One North East funded workshop is open to recent entrants to the photography industry who have an interest in working in fashion. If you are interested in attending, please send a brief biog/CV and web link to your work to James McDermott at: j.mcdermott@tees.ac.uk with ‘Shoot Fashion Workshop’ in the Subject box by midday on Friday 12^th February. For further information call James on: 01642 738 089. Please note that as with all Skillset Sustain funded events, delegates MUST be working in the North East-based media industries to qualify for this ‘no cost’ event.

Teesside University’s School of Arts & Media is delivering its highly acclaimed Video Journalism course early next month – and there are subsidies for SMEs, registered freelancers and individuals who qualify for a training fund aimed at guiding businesses through the recession.

The course was originally delivered to Trinity Mirror and Newsquest North East employees in response to the changing roles of the conventional print journalist. With PR and advertising businesses also disseminating more information through video and on-line platforms, a similar course was delivered to businesses in early 2009. While the Video Journalism course is ideal for those working in the publishing, PR and advertising industries, it is equally suited to anyone who wishes to shoot, edit and upload high quality video content onto their business website.

The accredited four day course covers the following subject areas and much more:

• Camera Techniques
• Intro to editing – Avid/Final Cut Pro
• Interview Skills
• Shooting Interviews and sequences
• Uploading files to the internet

Successful participants will be awarded 20 University credits. These credits can count towards further study such as Foundation Degrees or BA (Hons) courses. The Video Journalism course is being delivered at Teesside University on March 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th.
Cost per person: £1,190.00
Cost for eligible SMEs: £120.00*
*Subject to successful ECIF and Business Link application (see below). Assistance is provided by Teesside University and BENE.

For further information contact James McDermott on: 01642 384 087 or email: j.mcdermott@tees.ac.uk

Read the rest of this article »

Kitch-en Gallery has recently moved from Middlesbrough to Newcastle. To celebrate the move up north, the gallery has announced details of a relaunch’event which will consist of a whole weekend of exhibitions, activities and entertainment from 4th – 6th March.

The relaunch will feature the work of both old and new Kitch-en resident artists, including the likes of Alexander James, Jess Douglas, Craww, Ben The Illustrator, Phlegm and Jam Factory.

A preview evening takes place at the Gallery – which is based on Ridley Place – from 6.00pm – 8.00pm on Thursday 4th March.

For further information visit the Kitch-en Gallery website

The Video below is by Tom Marshall  .Tom completed a DigitalCity fellowship in 2009 as part of the company Hallows Media and produced the short film, God & Lucy which had award winning potential and was distributed to high-end festivals including Edinburgh and Venice.  Tom also worked as scriptwriter on ‘Soldier to Man’ and ‘Scribble’ both shortlisted for the BBC drama shorts scheme, ‘The Reception’ and ‘The Grill’ which were shortlisted for the Digital Nation Scheme. Below the video Tom describes the making of this film.

The film was made to fit a brief for a competition being run by reed.co.uk, they wanted films based around the theme ‘workplace’ and under 3 minutes in length. I used the competition as a reason to do something I had wanted to do for a long time, write and record a comedy song and then shoot a video to it. I’m a huge fan of ‘Flight of  the Concords’ who do this brilliantly.  I think our attempt isn’t quite up to their standards! But I am still very proud of how it has turned out.

I wrote the lyrics to the song, I gave these to Aaron Turner who then came up with the track and the arrangement. We went more ‘Pet Shop Boys’ than ‘G Unit’ a sort of white middle class rap thing which I thought was going to be best comedy-wise! We recorded the song in one afternoon, and it was a great experience, although I’m not planning a career change to record producer just yet! (As I let Aaron do most of the work, my input was mostly “Be a bit more like Bowie on this bit)

The guy playing the lead is actually my old English/drama teacher from secondary school, who was the young trendy teacher everyone wanted to be friends with.  I think he carries the video brilliantly, I knew he would, as he was just as entertaining in the classroom.

We filmed the whole video in one day, all the dolly movements you can see in the video were done on a peice of equipment that I managed to blag. All filmed in the Phoenix Building (Thanks again Kieran Weatherill, IDI) with a skeleton crew of 4.  For extras I was just a bit cheeky and roped people in who were working in the building (spot the cameo from Kieran’s glamorous assistant Kylie).

I have always wanted to make a film like this, so I guess even though there is a very small chance we will win, I am still very proud of the fact I just went out and made it. That’s not to say I won’t be having a few bitter rants once I find out who has won instead of us!

Writers’ Block is an exciting new project for writers and creative’s in the North East. It will have its base in an empty property on Albert Road in Middlesbrough and is part of Middlesbrough Council’s empty shop scheme, which aims to support innovative ideas and create new opportunities in the Tees Valley area.

Writers’ Block will be a hub for creative talent in the region, bringing all kinds of different writers together with local Actors, Directors, Film Crew, Musicians, Illustrators, Animators, Radio Producers and Photographers; it will provide a work space for writers; create opportunities to produce showreels and develop portfolios; house regular training sessions, challenges and debates, designed to give writers new skills; and give writers access to Agents, Publishers, and the people who can launch their careers.

On top of these opportunities, Writers’ Block will house the resources, facilities and equipment needed to produce work to a professional standard; will be home to a film club and a reading group with a regional emphasis; and will have a collection of industry books and magazines to keep you informed and inspired.

Writers’ Block kicks off with a Writer Development Day on Friday 5th February. This will be attended by the likes of the Script Editor from Ashes to Ashes, a Screenwriter from Hollyoaks, an award winning Poet and Novelist, and a Development Producer from Tiger Aspect. The day event will be followed by an evening of short films in the Centuria Building, Teesside University, between 7 and 9pm. Unfortunately, the day event sold out quickly, but anyone is welcome to join in the evening screening event, to hear from the likes of Tom Marshall and James Harris – how they made it happen and how you can follow suit as part of the Writers’ Block scheme.

Join ‘Writer Network’ on Facebook to find out about future events and opportunities.

You can contact Laura @ laura_degnan323@hotmail.co.uk

Generator Compact is our new programme of music business development units for delivery as one day bite-size workshops.  These short courses offer a practical solution for small music businesses and have been assembled by people who have extensive experience of working within the music industry.  The central aim is to ensure that the information given is industry standard and also up to date.

DateTuesday 16th March 2010 Time: 10.30 am – 4.30pm Venue: The Institute of Digital Innovation Teesside University Middlesbrough TS1 3BA

This unit is designed to help bands, labels and managers use the internet to market, promote and sell their music. It will look at the range of services available and also how you can combine online marketing with traditional methods e.g. press and radio. Any artist or label looking to ‘break’ a record needs to know how to maximise internet promotion to their advantage.

For more information and to register for the workshops please email Martin McAloon or call 0191 245 0099.

Institute of Digital Innovation Xmas Card from IDI on Vimeo.