biffadigital whirlygig

Three months gone, and have actually kept to the schedule of every month a short video knocked out and uploaded. Not many people watch them. It is not the material to go viral. But really I make them for myself and are mildly, advisedly quite mildly amusing. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Now if I can only keep this going, maybe even to do a bit of promotion more than just a tweet. Stop hiding your light under that bushel.

Those are the ones from February and March, and January is in a earlier post. Next up a bit of black and white in a Lumiere style - static camera no effects.

For the procrastinator there are two ways to get things done. Have a routine or get pressed by a dealine. This year I chose to make one short video and shoot one roll of old school 35mm film of still images every month. It's only February and things are slipping already....

Bought a Lomokino camera. I lovely cheap novelty cameras. Got a cupboard full of them...

Well that's the test first effort. Suprisingly nice colours from a Kodak 200 ASA film. It's fun to use, turning a crank and hearing a click of another frame in canister. The downside is the expense. From a budget of zero making home shorts, I'm having to spend near 16 GBP for film and processing on what is a one minute 144 frame indulgence.

Been ages since I posted, even longer since I shot any video. Saturday 12th November was " Britain in a Day, an extraordinary project to create the definitive self-portrait of the UK today, filmed by you, inspired by Life in a Day." Time was running away, the day was heading to darkness and the little camera hadn't left its case.

But inspired by the sunset over the Ship Canal with the backdrop modern architecture of The Lowry, Imperial War Museum North and Media City this was shot in minutes. There you go, back in the saddle of making 9th rate video like lots of other people. But at least no camera shake. The autumn time has the best light when it slips into the gloaming that magic half hour before the earth is sunless.

Links : http://www.youtube.com/britaininaday

Why is obtaining the cheapest tram or train ticket so bloody complicated? It's even more galling when you missed out on the better option...

example (a)
Chorlton to Old Trafford or Trafford Bar is £3.30 return, yet Chorlton to the city centre is only £2.80. Best buy a city centre ticket and alight after just two stops at Trafford Bar. Save 50 pence.

example (b)
Chorlton to Salford Crescent Railway station, next to the art gallery and university. That's £4.00 return for a tram/rail ticket zone #1. If you wished to start at Salford and go to Chorlton that'll be a rail ticket to Deansgate £1.40, and a tram ticket of £2.80. That's because rail zone tram tickets are not sold at tram stops in the city centre or at Salford. In short, tickets are different prices for the same journey at different stations...

example (c)
A tram/rail ticket for rail zone #3 is £6.10. That'll get you out to Wigan or the Airport. Yet a System One ticket which covers tram & rail for the day all over Greater Manchester is £6.90.

This is just ticketing in my home city where I have local knowledge...it's even harder and more time consuming if you wanting to travel around a town far away. Why should it take lots of savvy and research just to get the best deal? Planning a trip to Lille, France and the Eurostar website is a nightmare. Sign off now back to the research.

Clear ground, it rains, cut back trees, it rains, throw in seeds, waiting for more rain. Mid-summer day warm and damp.

Maybe the cornflowers, corn chamomile, corncockle, corn marigold and something not corn the touching field poppy will happen. Ready mixed by the National Wildflower Centre outside Liverpool and in a wee packet to go and sow.

b) The selection of films. Oh I'm going to sit outdoors and watch "Rocky" or "A Fish Called Wanda". Have I not seen them before, again and again both sober and after drink....yawn, yawn

c) This is not a big screen. I've been in a chav's house. Now they have big telly screens that fill the room. You sit 2 metres away burning your iris away.

d) The area is not enclosed. Cinema needs to be shown with walls not some open space. Promenade is not a cinematic experience.

Picture taken at Spinningfields, Manchester but it could be anywhere in England. This whole site of chain eateries, those robbing banks and low paid jobs are a showcase of corporate indifference. Interesting, charming, delightful, edgy - it is not.

I would have gone to some outdoor cinema in Italia, but my language skills only get one word in ten. If only Italy did subtitles in English. The weather was great, the films I hadn't seen and most of them were Hollywood, the screen was a monster and the area was enclosed....

It's not very often that such events take place. A film maybe not on such a biggish screen and an orchestra or smaller group of musicians knocking out the tunes. All in the same room, and you have a comfy seat to witness it. Whenever one happens in town, then put me down for it. It's like two for one. Moving images to view, a story to follow, and a living musical performance. When the film gets into a lull then watch the musicians.

Tonight it was the film "Silent Running" with 65Static performing a new film score. It had a few hitches but that's part of the live experience. Usually it is an old silent black & white movie. The pre-1928 ones with caption boards and dramatic expressions. This was colour, 1972, and shown with English dialogue. A good 90 minutes of being immersed in concentration and entertainment.

Carl Davis was the master of these events, and I got to see three of his film concerts. Then there was "The Gollam" with theramins at the Cornerhouse in Manchester. I still remember all of them, and so too tonight. Why? Not sure, maybe it's because the concert element, like you remember gigs better than going to the cinema. Here is to the next one, it'll be await....

Everyday another event, another book, another tune, more stuff for the brain. It's just a series of firework displays, next week more, and more. What has happened is that I've stopped making things, drawing, painting and writing. Maybe i should give it up. Good imagination, lack the ability to complete.

Thursday - went to Bradford, had a fantastic meal at Prashad's it's an award winning restaurant and it lives up to the hype. Then go to a thrilling football match between Bradford Park Avenue v. FC United. Well we won 0-2, the atmosphere was tense, noisy and exciting.

Friday - hangover, watch the Royal Wedding, drinking at 1045, top up the alcohol, trip around some street parties, go home have a sleep

Saturday - Sights From The Other City, that's Salford, that's art events. I think there are going to be lots of people there. Soon realise that it's all in my head. Art is mostly a minority sport and Salford is somewhere middle class types don't visit. Well a fanzine fair, and drawing on 16mm film..."‘Unravel’, a project that will create a hand painted film that correlates in length with the 874 miles between John O'Groats and Land's End. We will be holding a workshop to contribute to this exciting and epic film. Come and join in, every little bit helps." http://unravelfilm.blogspot.com/. Then chatting to Frank at St.Philip's Church a very accomplished water colour artist - fail to pick up a few tips.

Sunday - go to allotment it's dry as a dessert, the weeds need water - what happened to April showers? Watch football on Tv, don't want to talk about it, lost, move on to the next game. The bedding plants arrive from a local cricket club - you buy plants and they spend the profits on whatever cricket clubs do.

It feels like July in the hot sun, and like every previous Easter it's time for spud planting. Pop them in, a sprinkle of water and hope they do their magic business. I wanted to give up the Allotment but when I was told it is a seven year waiting list I changed my mind. Stick it out for the retirement plan. There are no shadows and shade, the ground is heavy clay and rock hard. But there is something about getting in touch with the soil. It plays havoc with the hands, they end up dry and ingrained with dirt. It's special suffering.

I imagine that in the days before the Tv dominated the living room you did other things besides washing-up and polishing shoes. You didn't have a dishwasher machine, unheard of, but everyone had shiny shoes.

Why not read a book and listen to one of the few radio stations on the wireless. Made an evening of such. Could have done it 1950's style with one of my old radios, and a yellowing Penguin paperback or one of my original Left Book Club editions that I've never read. No, let's take it into 2011.Updated to the ever expanding selection of available media. In the true story I wasn't wearing specs - might need lookers but I don't need readers. The Kindle now has 75 items to peruse, most of which I'm saving for a forthcoming holiday. The radio is coming out of the iPhone. It's a small online station called FCUM Radio and they are broadcasting live commentary to armchair audience of FC United of Manchester and no doubt some Frickley Athletic fans. Marvellous reception from a football match in Stalybridge.

The same activities as fifty years ago but the choice is like the universe in that it is ever expanding. Ironically I was reading about early Tv experiments by John Logie Baird. Back in 1926 when the contraptions had spinning discs. As they were only allowed one transmitter by the BBC the pictures were shown for two minutes and the song and speech was heard afterwards without the images. The experiments were judged a success and Tv eventually got itself "invented".