Category Archives: Design

Aug 17 1 comments
Design, Documentary, Film, Filmmaking, Photography

Capturing Conflict Film Festival

I’m really proud to be able to announce the Frontline Club’s Capturing Conflict Film Festival. The festival is something I have been working on for months and I really hope the lineup showcases a selection of the most important films about the risks journalists and filmmakers take in order to get their stories out.

BannerFest.jpg

The festival begins on the 7th September and the listings are below, for a more in-depth description of the films please visit the club’s main listings page here:

Tortured Truths – September 4, 7pm – book
Followed by a Q&A with Director and Producer Christine Garabedian

Russian Newspaper Murders – September 7, 7pm – book
Followed by a Q&A with Director Paul Jenkins

Death in Gaza – September 10, 7pm – book
Followed by a Q&A with Reporter Saira Shah

Unseen Gaza – September 14, 7pm – book
Followed by a Q&A with Jon Snow and Director Katherine Churcher

Somalia: Al-Qaeda’s New Haven – September 24, 7pm – book
Followed by a Q&A with Director James Brabazon

Cry Freetown – September 25, 7pm – book
Followed by a Q&A with Writer, Reporter and Cameraman Sorious Samura and Director Ron McCullagh

Mo & Me – September 28, 7pm – book
Followed by a Q&A with Salim Amin

I would be incredibly grateful if you could help us promote the film festival on your website or blog. Please use the code below to add the festival banner to your site.

Capturing Conflict Film Festival

Capturing Conflict Film Festival

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Jun 30 0 comments
Design, Music

Jay-Z at Glastonbury

There has been HUGE controversy over Jay-Z headlining at Glastonbury this year. To the point where people have boycotted the event, and it was even blamed as the reason the festival didn’t sell out for the first time in years.

It had really been bugging me as I really couldn’t see what everyone’s problem was. I had always seen Glastonbury as the festival that didn’t lean to one particular music genre, they have had Kylie and Shirely Bassey in recent years, and even had Neil Diamond this year. Nevermind that tickets usually sell out before the line-up is announced. Wasn’t this the festival that was just as much about the experience as the line-up?

I’m very much determined by the line-up so haven’t really ever considered Glastonbury (which is usually a stupid move as they tend to have anyone and everyone I’d want to see) and so didn’t even think about it this year. To be honest when I heard Jay-Z was playing I regretted that decision. What an inspired choice, I thought.

Then the criticism began and I really was shocked by it and couldn’t figure it out. If it had been a festival such as Download that is aimed at particular music fans I would’ve understood. Why were people so bothered? I was a little ashamed of this reaction of a demographic I supposedly belong to, are we youngsters really that narrow-minded?

I’ve been thinking about it for a few days, is it that it’s hip hop?, surely it can’t be as Lupe Fiasco and Dizzie Rascal, both playing this year, haven’t had any backlash. And if an act like DJ Shadow had been billed no-one would’ve minded, perhaps even Kanye West would’ve been accepted.

Is it what Jay-Z represents, are Glastonbury fans against someone with that lifestyle, wife, and bank balance? Is this just absolute snobbery? I think that’s the most plausible reason.

Amy Winehouse got it right when she asked ‘where the black people were’ during her performance, a point that no-one seems to mention, that festivals essentially attract middle-class white kids, also rarely remembered that the biggest buyer of most hip-hop are white kids. She also was incredibly positive about Jay-Z as was Beth Ditto during her set. It was great to see that at least the fellow performers could go beyond the ignorance.

And then he performed, I really suggest you watch the set as it’s simply amazing. As despite the reported critical reception the crowd is enormous and everytime he pauses the entire crowd fills in the lyric, I couldn’t be more proud to see all the naysayers proved wrong.

Jay-Z’s full set at Glastonbury

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Jun 29 1 comments
Design

Economist Ads

I’ve been meaning to post about this for ages, but it was one of those things I’d always remember when I was a far away from a computer.

Anyway The Economist make the best print adverts.

The first one is by far my favourite, when I first saw it I had to cut it out and put it up in our flat. It’s so wonderful

They have started doing some other really creative advertising campaigns on other mediums but the print ads, in my opinion, continue to amaze.

Below and example of their non-print ads

One of the older ads, there are a lot more, all fantastic

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Jun 28 0 comments
Design

The Living Room House

On my way to work this morning (grumpy and tired as per usual) I was thinking to myself how much of a shame it is that we don’t push for classic design anymore in architecture. Driving along the Thames into London to go to work you see such differing ranges of buildings, from the massive monotonous glass ‘luxury’ apartment buildings through to Parliament Square and the House of Commons which still blows me away each and every time I drive past it.

Big Ben

Architecture used to be about making a statement and companies and institutions wanted to to say something about what they were. The only building of late that I think has done this is the Mayor’s office. Which, love it or hate it, does make a statement and is striking.

Mayor of London\'s Office

As much as I love old architecture I do love modern buildings that are innovative and interesting. This house by Seifert Stoeckmann, shown on Apartment Therapy, really struck me. Although the exterior is really not that thrilling the concept and design of the inside of the house is amazing

Living Room House

I really love the idea of having a room that can slide out into the air, how wonderful that would be on a summer morning, or at night if there was a clear sky, sunsets, sunrises, when you’ve burnt sausages and filled the house with smoke… anything. It’s simply a wonderful idea.

Living Room House

Living Room House

More pictures and information at Seifert Stoeckmann’s website here

Source: Apartment Therapy

Images: walking.about.com azschmidts.net Apartment Therapy

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May 31 0 comments
Design, Film, Filmmaking, My daft stories, Title Design, Travel, Typography

The Masters

The man in the picture above is Errol Morris. I love him. I cannot explain how much, just know that I do

No documentary filmmaker has inspired me as much.

“The proper route to an understanding of the world is an examination of our errors about it.”

Errol Morris

I bought this month’s Filmmaker magazine and was excited to see that they had an interview with Morris about his new film Standard Operating Procedure and then literally gasped with excitement to learn that Morris had enlisted the other man that has inspired me and led me to follow my dreams (via a tattoo of one of his designs) Kyle Cooper to do graphics for his film.

Needless to say this is now the most anticipated film of the year for me.

The Filmmaker interview is here

If you aren’t aware of him you may be aware of Fog of War

But if you haven’t seen any of his films I urge you to watch Thin Blue Line

and there is more on Kyle Cooper below…. excuse any gushing about his brilliance

Kyle Cooper

Directors don’t call on Cooper for a signature style; they hire him to dig under the celluloid and tap into the symbolism of a film.

Wired, 2004

Kyle Cooper is regarded as one of the most important opening title designers on history (the only other person regarded as highly is Saul Bass, the pioneer of titles)

Cooper revolutionised opening title design with the titles for Se7en (click to see below)

another highlight are the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang titles below: (I would’ve loved to have shown the title for Donnie Brasco as I absolutely adore them but they seem too hard to find, check them out if you can though)

for more of his work please take a look at his website Prologue

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