Rant: World Tosh?

Ignorance. It's extremely annoying. There seems to be a sort of prejudice against world cinema simply because it's, well foreign and in a different language with subtitles crawling along the bottom of the screen. Come on people, lighten up!

Some of the best films of the past two decades have been foreign features ranging from Zhang Yimou's beautiful, magical films like 'Hero', 'House of Flying Daggers' and the tragic epic 'Curse of the Golden Flower' to the charming and witty 'Amelie'. Over this time, the foreign features released in the Western world have gradually got more adventurous and bigger, allowing versatile auteurs and directors a chance to see their films enjoyed by worldwide audiences.

As long as the quality of film is high in areas such as acting, directing and cinematography, why should it matter if the story is not told in a universal language. The fun, no, the privilege comes from getting to see all types of films and seeing different viewpoints.

Festivals of Hope

In 1993, Spanish director Guillermo del Toro in desperation took his unusual vampire fable 'Cronos' to the Cannes Film Festival. This was his last chance to raise some money, after selling nearly everything he owns and remortgaging his house in order to make his dream project become a reality. Luckily, the film was a huge success and was praised for its originality and went on to scoop the Best Picture award, one of the festival's highest honours. From here Del Toro was able to make more films and still premieres at Cannes with his Spanish masterpiece 'Pan's Labyrinth' being his most recent effort.

The main aim of Cannes and other film festivals such as Sundance, Edinburgh, London, Berlin and Venice, just to name a few is to give aspiring filmmakers a chance to showcase their talent and get their films out there. Usually the films are looking for financial backing and can be brought for as much as £8 million depending on quality. Other directors that are already well known and successful such as Clint Eastwood for example, showcase their films to see what type of reaction they get, if they can make any changes or cuts and how they can be marketed.

The juries at the Festivals are often comprised of established film directors, actors/actresses, screenwriters and cinematographers among others. Its a wide variety and allows the films to be seen from all different technical points of view, making the judging fair and unbiased. Over the last few years, the festivals have been getting bigger and bigger, gaining publicity and getting more people's work noticed and distributed around the world.

Hopefully, the festivals can gain even more coverage and help budding filmmakers get noticed by worldwide audiences.
Signing out, Josh :)

And so the stress begins..

Another term, another new topic to force us writhing in agony and sighing in anguish. As soon as we sat down in the classroom we were told of the unfortunate following weeks that was to be plagued upon us. Six weeks of grueling research in school and then another six weeks during our summer holidays. This meant that i would have approximately 2.5 hours of sleep to live on if i wished to pass this exam.

The task began by picking one of a potential six topics which would have to be religiously researched for up until the next exam, with us becoming the "experts" of that topic. Being a film studies student, my eye was straight away drawn to the film topics of 'Women and Film' or 'World Cinema'. After much discussion with myself and my teachers, i decided on 'World Cinema' as this is something that has interested me over the last couple of years.

Next came the part of actually making a hypothesis which would be my question for the exam. This again involved lots of thorough chats with peers and teachers. Finally though i managed to come up with a basic hypothesis (remember its a very rough one at the moment) of:

How independent foreign language films are gaining high profile status through specific marketing tools such as festivals.

So this is where I'm up to at the moment, but any new bits i find ill keep on posting.
Cheers big ears :)

Home Cinema Renovation?

Try and remember the old days of VHS instead of shiny, new DVDs or even cassettes instead of CDs. Think of the trauma and heartbreak you went through about having to replace your whole collection with the 'Next Big Thing'. Those amazingly sleek and thin discs that were able to skip scenes, return to the menu and all that jazz. They were revoluntionary and groundbreaking, everyone wanted them,

But what about the poor souls like you and me who didn't want to throw out or trade our clunky VHS films? After years of collecting everything from Disney classics to The Godfather Trilogy, us select few cherised VHS for nostalgia sake and didnt want to part with them.

However, times change and countless DVDs were brought and they became the newest treasures of my bedroom. So think of the cheek of influencing me to conform to the new format design and then to just take that all away again after a few years, by introducing the brand new and even better Blu-Ray discs. Once again i have been asked to change formats and replace my second collection of films.

Where's the justice in that?!

Do you agree with me?
Or would you rather upgrade?
Comments please :)

What exactly is this Blu-Ray?

So im sure you have all heard about the new, shiny and absolutely amazing Blu-Ray DVDs. But have you been secretly wondering what the hell it is?

Well here is THE only guide you will need to all your Blu-Ray queries.

Containing the same dimensions as a standard DVD or CD, the Blu-Ray discs use a blue-violet laser making it possible to hold up to 50 GB, six times as much storage as a normal DVD. which uses a red laser. This is because the blu-ray discs use a much shorter wavelength, therefore able to store more information. In addition to this, the disc is also fitted with hard coating technology which make the disc far less vulnerable to scratches.

Blu-Ray also benefits the studio companies as the discs are able to fit all content on one disc which, reduces cost and makes it easier for the customers who can watch all content in one viewing without having to change the disc.

So would you buy a Blu-Ray discs or would you rather stick to the standard (cheaper) DVDs?

Joshua out :)

And the winner is.........

After months of battling discs and fighting players, a winner has emerged from the rubble of DVD formats.

And that winner is...... BLU-RAY

Yep that means that Blu-Ray discs and players will now be the leading DVD format that will soon replace standard DVDs. Whereas the unfortunate HD-DVD is going the same way as the Betamaxes of the past.

Blu-Ray was always winning the battle from the start really. By February 2008 they had already acquired 70% of the biggest film studios. Sony, Disney, Warner Bros., Fox, MGM and Lionsgate had already agreed to have their films released on Blu-Ray, while the less superior HD-DVD had only been signed by 30% of studios, these being Paramount/DreamWorks, and Universal.

Blu-Ray is run by Sony who were stuck in a format war with Toshiba's HD-DVD, that is until Toshiba decided to pull out and admit defeat to Blu-Ray.

Here is a short fan made clip about the dramatic war :)



Do you agree with the winning format?

Step Up Magazine

Over the weeks me and my group have been working on our coursework for magazines.
Below i have posted my finished front cover and also the first draft of my article.
Please leave comments
Shaun Anthony.
Remember the name, because you’re going to be hearing it a lot more over the coming year.
Discovered on the streets of London outside VocalTech College, Shaun was frantically rehearsing for a singing exam when a passer-by heard him and asked him to come along for a meeting straight away. Little did Shaun know that man was Darren Brown, producer of a top international recording artist and singing sensation. Nervously he followed Darren Brown and minutes later he found himself singing to of one of his idols, Lemar.
“It was an absolutely amazing experience and a nerve-racking one too,” Shaun says smiling broadly. “One minute I’m stressing over a little exam and the next, I’m standing in front of Lemar belting out Lets Get It On.”

As Shaun walks towards me in our meeting place, he is instantly noticeable. Dressed in cool, stylish clothes and with his well-groomed features, he’s able to turn a few heads as he walks in. He has that certain air of professionalism and a down to earth manner, which hopefully will help him keep his feet on the ground and away from all night parties and Amy Winehouse like antics. As we get talking, Shaun changes from cautious to lively and animated in a couple of sentences. He talks with such passion about music and his love for all aspects of it, its impossible not to be swept along and inspired and feel a need to really like this guy.

“Stevie Wonder was a real inspiration to me and he influenced my love for real music. I really wanted to emulate him as an artist and get to his level of appreciation of music.” Although Stevie Wonder inspired him to continue singing and brought about his love for the genre, it was American singer/songwriter Brain McKnight who is his one true idol. “He’s able to take all genres of music and make it sound current and fresh. With this he inspired me to try out new things and have range in my music.” The son of an Italian cabdriver and an English teacher, Shaun has always had the support that enables him to go out and increase his talent and perform to anyone who would listen. ”My parents had always enjoyed music themselves and I was brought up to the sounds of legends like Stevie, but also Elvis and Billie Holliday.” He began singing at the early age of four and was encouraged to continue with his dream. His parents enrolled him in Theatre Training at the age of six and he steadily began building a career of stage performances and competitions. “Singing and performing has always been my main ambition, it’s all I have ever known. It isn’t a hobby or a pastime, it’s a dream and a passion and one that I wish to always continue with.” So is this his only ambition? Not quite. “To be able to coach and teach other aspiring singers would be great. I’ve been where they are and know how much it can take out of you; so just having someone there to help is a huge lift.” This draws comparisons to what Lemar has done for him, taking Shaun under his wing and asking him to be his supporting act on his last tour. So is this the road that Shaun wants to take in a few years time, after his own success? “Yeah, defiantly. I would love to bring other talented artists to the mainstream that may be struggling to get noticed. I think it’s a major problem in the UK with a lot of amazing artists being ignored and other untalented artists getting all the attention.”
Shaun is now well known on the gig circuit and regularly sings at London bars such as Soho Revue Bar and Troubadour. “I’ve been doing the gig circuit, like open mic nights for around four or five years, ever since I was sixteen” he smiles. “It’s a great chance to get your stuff out there, find the right sound and discover who the audience are. Its an experience and just allows me to perform and sing, which is of course what I love.” He is known throughout the circuit for his powerful and soulful voice, reminding the audience of the old days when music was about the lyrics as much as it was the beats. Covering a range of musical genres from soul and jazz to pop and rock, Shaun tries to draw inspiration from all types of music and this is where his edge comes from. He has the ability to fuse sounds together to make unique and refreshing songs that really break the barriers of modern music. On first hearing Shaun sing, it’s hard not to confuse him with say, Lemar or a black singer, simply because of the soul and nature of his voice. This is surely down to his inspirations and influences over the years, which have developed his voice. But is this somehow limiting his audience? Shaun smiles like he recognises the question, being asked it countless times before. “No, I don’t think it does. If anything, it broadens my fan base and enables me to connect with all types of audiences, be it Black, White or Asian.”

Today’s music culture is shrouded in talk of drink, drugs and all night partying. There are artists who’s sales are boosted when they admit to being a drug addict or involved in some sort of sex scandal. Take Amy Winehouse for an obvious example, someone who is brilliant in every aspect of the word singer, but still resorts to drinking excessively and taking hard drugs. But even with all the controversy and the media surrounding her, she still manages to increase her sales and reclaim the top spot in the album charts. “It’s terrible and disappointing really. She has some really great music and is very talented but she is just throwing it all away and setting a bad example for youngsters everywhere.” The behaviour of youth culture has often been blamed on the influence of recording artists for promoting and glorifying violence in their songs and posing with guns on their album sleeves. “Yes, totally agree. Music can play a major part in influencing young and naïve teenagers to do stupid things such as posing with guns to mimic their idols, or like 50 Cent talking about being shot nine times like its something to be proud of. It’s evident in today’s music and shows the ideologies that being put forward, like rapping obscenities about women and the hundred conquests they have had; there’s no respect.” Shaun shakes his head and its clear that this is something he feels strongly about and wants to stop. “More and more kids are getting shot on the street for no reason. There’s no love. My songs are all about the love. I don’t mean to sound too clichéd, but they are to do with love, not war. Hopefully people can listen to my music and appreciate the heart and soul put into it and the message of love”

Shaun and I then get to talk about what is setting up to be one of the most anticipated debut albums of the year. By releasing samples of his records on Myspace and singing a few of them in clubs in and around London, it wets everyone’s appetite and leaves them begging them for more. “Truthful, energetic and soulful.” These are the three words that Shaun would use to describe his debut album Fragile. “ Inspiration comes from anything in my world really from life experiences, to simply sitting on a bus and looking out of the window. Just noticings in life.” Noticings? Shaun looks at me and realising what he said, we have a small snigger and Shaun proudly proclaims “Yeah, noticings”,

As our interview together ends, we shake hands goodbye and Shaun Anthony, future global superstar walks out of the café humming a tune to himself and I think back on something he mentioned earlier, “ Singing is my passion, it’s my life.” And I wish him all the best.