Well its official, according to 52% of respondents I officially look like that ginger freak out of Simply Red.
Ah well.
So, it is time for a new poll and this time it will be related to the film. So much so that we want to solicit feedback on possible titile options for the film. While we still have a very hectic couple of months pulling this thing together, a title at this stage would give us some focus and direction (or provide us with one less headache later).
So, please vote (on the right hand side of this page) and more than once if you feel so inclined. Of course any comments or suggestions will also be gratefully accepted. There is no money or prizes associated with this activity, just the knowledge that you might in some way influence the final product.
As for the film itself I have discovered one major detail during this process of editing. It is a lot easier writing a review every week about film and providing a critique than actually making one of them.
Both Pip and myself and have become so close to the images and the personalities involved that it is often difficult to stand back and give an objective appraisal. Thankfully we have no shortage of people wanting to give their two cents worth which is just what we need.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Exciting New Poll
Well its official, according to 52% of respondents I officially look like that ginger freak out of Simply Red.
Ah well.
So, it is time for a new poll and this time it will be related to the film. So much so that we want to solicit feedback on possible titile options for the film. While we still have a very hectic couple of months pulling this thing together, a title at this stage would give us some focus and direction (or provide us with one less headache later).
So, please vote (on the right hand side of this page) and more than once if you feel so inclined. Of course any comments or suggestions will also be gratefully accepted. There is no money or prizes associated with this activity, just the knowledge that you might in some way influence the final product.
As for the film itself I have discovered one major detail during this process of editing. It is a lot easier writing a review every week about film and providing a critique than actually making one of them.
Both Pip and myself and have become so close to the images and the personalities involved that it is often difficult to stand back and give an objective appraisal. Thankfully we have no shortage of people wanting to give their two cents worth which is just what we need.
Ah well.
So, it is time for a new poll and this time it will be related to the film. So much so that we want to solicit feedback on possible titile options for the film. While we still have a very hectic couple of months pulling this thing together, a title at this stage would give us some focus and direction (or provide us with one less headache later).
So, please vote (on the right hand side of this page) and more than once if you feel so inclined. Of course any comments or suggestions will also be gratefully accepted. There is no money or prizes associated with this activity, just the knowledge that you might in some way influence the final product.
As for the film itself I have discovered one major detail during this process of editing. It is a lot easier writing a review every week about film and providing a critique than actually making one of them.
Both Pip and myself and have become so close to the images and the personalities involved that it is often difficult to stand back and give an objective appraisal. Thankfully we have no shortage of people wanting to give their two cents worth which is just what we need.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Mystery is alive and well
One of the questions that we commonly ask ourselves when making this film is "how likely is it that a 'big' cat could be alive and well in the mid-Canterbury area and only be seen sporadically over the last six years"? O.K. we are talking about an expert in stealth and deception, the most cunning carnivore possibly, but surely we would know more about the creatures in our midst and have more tangible proof?
Maybe not, this week those bastions of all things rational and explained (Scientists) have had to admit that a clouded leopard native to the islands of Sumatra and Borneo are actually a separate 'brand new' species. Wow. Read about it here.
Its hard to fathom how this could be the case with the wealth of genetics knowledge and all the people who are involved in protecting the diverse range of animal and plantlife in this pracarious part of the world. But happen it has and we should delight in discovering that maybe we don't have all the answers and just maybe our levels of perception are clouded or blocked to all the potential possibilites. No doubt 'Crypto Nuts' will be delighting in this information, now if only we can get some more information on the mystery New Zealand otter.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Photos from the film
I have decided to make a few extra photos available through this forum so have added a link to some photos that I have uploaded to Flickr.If you haven't used it then give it a go, a great way to back up photos and make them available to persons everywhere. The link is in the right hand tool bar under Cat Film Photos.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Cunstables
Apologies to all those readers outside of NZ (and I know there are a few of you) as this post concerns some thoughts concerning a high profile rape case involving three NZ policeman. The media have been all over this like a rash, but I feel the national print media have failed in comparison to some of the on-line bloging concerning this issue. As usual Russell Brown gets it spot on and really sums up for me how sad the three 'Cunstables' were and continue to be.
However, it really struck a chord to find out what Mr Right Wing himself (Ian Wishart) had to say concerning this sorry episode. Having met Ian recently when I interviewed him for the film, I found him to be a very pleasant, well thought, and engaging individual. So it shouldn't have come as such a surprise to hear him lambast the legal system and refer to the coppers as "violent rapists". Yes, his column is well worth a read.
Here's the thing, back in the 80s it wasn't a crime to sport a huge slug of a moustache and engage in consensual group sex involving introduced apparatus. However, if the person(s) supposedly consenting to such activities were young females, pressured into the act through falling foul of the law then one has to ask themselves, how consensual was this. These sad men abused their power (and batons) to procure sex which quite obviously was being denied to them through other means. They had a right racket going and probably thought they were invincible! Based on two court hearings to date that would seem to be the case. Now, I'm also not opposed to having sex on the bonnet of a police-car (as long as the fuzz was holed up in a doughnut shop), but, I'm not a policeman and Mr Rickards was. I just hope he doesn't get his job back as I would hate to think we are putting our trust and money in the hands of wankers like that.
I was not able to secure a video clip of the Back of the Y masterpiece 'Cunstables' but I did come across an amusing flash animation that sums things up quite nicely (especially for fans of Viz). The 'Real' Cunstables, Enjoy.
However, it really struck a chord to find out what Mr Right Wing himself (Ian Wishart) had to say concerning this sorry episode. Having met Ian recently when I interviewed him for the film, I found him to be a very pleasant, well thought, and engaging individual. So it shouldn't have come as such a surprise to hear him lambast the legal system and refer to the coppers as "violent rapists". Yes, his column is well worth a read.
Here's the thing, back in the 80s it wasn't a crime to sport a huge slug of a moustache and engage in consensual group sex involving introduced apparatus. However, if the person(s) supposedly consenting to such activities were young females, pressured into the act through falling foul of the law then one has to ask themselves, how consensual was this. These sad men abused their power (and batons) to procure sex which quite obviously was being denied to them through other means. They had a right racket going and probably thought they were invincible! Based on two court hearings to date that would seem to be the case. Now, I'm also not opposed to having sex on the bonnet of a police-car (as long as the fuzz was holed up in a doughnut shop), but, I'm not a policeman and Mr Rickards was. I just hope he doesn't get his job back as I would hate to think we are putting our trust and money in the hands of wankers like that.
I was not able to secure a video clip of the Back of the Y masterpiece 'Cunstables' but I did come across an amusing flash animation that sums things up quite nicely (especially for fans of Viz). The 'Real' Cunstables, Enjoy.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
It's a cryptid world
Thankfully the weather in Dunedin has come right for a couple of days, just in time for Pip and myself to hunker down in the bunker-like editing suite and start meshing together a few sequences.
However, I am still finding time to indulge in the odd distraction like listening to one-day cricket (go the black caps) and reading the odd blog. So it came as somewhat of a surprise to learn that our wee film project is being mentioned elsewhere on the net.
The following website dedicated to all things cryptozoology features news of our film. Please read about it here. As if that isn't freaky enough, a big cat expert in Great Britain has been emailing me a whole host of useful information related to tracking urban big cats. His name is Danny Nineham and he authors a very interesting website.
However, in the interest of balance there are others who totally discredit the work of Mr Nineham. The following report details efforts by Canadian trappers to prove/disprove the theory that there are big cats in the United Kingdom.
However, I am still finding time to indulge in the odd distraction like listening to one-day cricket (go the black caps) and reading the odd blog. So it came as somewhat of a surprise to learn that our wee film project is being mentioned elsewhere on the net.
The following website dedicated to all things cryptozoology features news of our film. Please read about it here. As if that isn't freaky enough, a big cat expert in Great Britain has been emailing me a whole host of useful information related to tracking urban big cats. His name is Danny Nineham and he authors a very interesting website.
However, in the interest of balance there are others who totally discredit the work of Mr Nineham. The following report details efforts by Canadian trappers to prove/disprove the theory that there are big cats in the United Kingdom.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Sacrilege and SUVs
This blog is proving harder than ever to keep updated as my feet very rarely sit in front of my trusty laptop in Dunedin.
The last week has been spent conducting a couple of interviews for the film in Auckland and then taking five days to travel around the wonderful far north. I have posted a couple of photos below from the last trip into Mid-Canterbury and some of you may notice a hand that looks like it is attached to my arm holding a can of C.D. No, I haven't given up on my beloved Emersons but when in Rome and all that..
Now, as many of you may know, I'm not a fan of S.U.Vs .However, I have to admit that during our film trip thus far we have witnessed them being used properly and in the hands of some very skilled operators (thanks David and Al). They have a purpose and place and dropping off the kids at school is not it. The term 'cafe tractors' springs to mind after trying to negotiate Auckland streets clogged with monster SUVs that have never seen some mud let alone a rocky hillside. But, there is an even bigger menace on the road that is driving us insane, the 'people movers'. I can't count the amount of times that travelling up and down the country that we have been cut-off and slowed down by these silly looking mini-buses. It would appear that they come factory fitted with neither rear view mirrors or indicators.
On a slightly more positive note, I'm regretting that we aren't filming in Christchurch this weekend as Dramfest 07 is taking place. Tickets are already sold out, but it looks like a fantastic event, big ups to those folk that appreciate Kiwi tastes don't stop at Speights and Jack Daniels.
Actually getting some air, can you see the front wheel off the ground!
A land transport sign that we spotted driving through the inland scenic route!
Drinking the local amber with David Wightman on Winterslow Station
The last week has been spent conducting a couple of interviews for the film in Auckland and then taking five days to travel around the wonderful far north. I have posted a couple of photos below from the last trip into Mid-Canterbury and some of you may notice a hand that looks like it is attached to my arm holding a can of C.D. No, I haven't given up on my beloved Emersons but when in Rome and all that..
Now, as many of you may know, I'm not a fan of S.U.Vs .However, I have to admit that during our film trip thus far we have witnessed them being used properly and in the hands of some very skilled operators (thanks David and Al). They have a purpose and place and dropping off the kids at school is not it. The term 'cafe tractors' springs to mind after trying to negotiate Auckland streets clogged with monster SUVs that have never seen some mud let alone a rocky hillside. But, there is an even bigger menace on the road that is driving us insane, the 'people movers'. I can't count the amount of times that travelling up and down the country that we have been cut-off and slowed down by these silly looking mini-buses. It would appear that they come factory fitted with neither rear view mirrors or indicators.
On a slightly more positive note, I'm regretting that we aren't filming in Christchurch this weekend as Dramfest 07 is taking place. Tickets are already sold out, but it looks like a fantastic event, big ups to those folk that appreciate Kiwi tastes don't stop at Speights and Jack Daniels.
Actually getting some air, can you see the front wheel off the ground!
A land transport sign that we spotted driving through the inland scenic route!
Drinking the local amber with David Wightman on Winterslow Station
Trying to kick start the bike, where is that damn electric ignition!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)