Soundtrack to Halloween

One of the weirdest options in my vinyl collection. Them tricker treaters are going to love this.

A wide range of Skye.

A few photos from a series I did on Skye last year. Love the colour contrasts there, seems like another world. Would love to eventually use it as a location, so many beautiful secluded beaches and forests. See more from series here

 

August project teaser / Happy Halloween

Actor - twitter.com/philiplarkin
Filmed - twitter.com/guyphenix
Music - freemusicarchive.org/music/analoc/

After a few months of pondering I have finally put together something with the footage from my August project. Its a good bit experimental but I hope you enjoy.

Autumnal carpets

I may be walking home in the dark at this time of the year but at least it's on a nice soft leaf carpet. We'll I hope that's squishy leaves.

Infographic IPA: Bottled

This new flat is great for brewing. Temperature stayed up around 28 so a quick brew was possible. I did however forget how slow and tedious sterilising the bottles is. Always with the beer goggles on this process.





So eventually 50 bottles filled. There was no carbonated tablets so ended up using sugar, diluting it into water and adding it to the 23litres. Rather scary, could be 23 rank litres of flat brown water. Hmmm here's hoping. Need to start designing some labels. Only have 4 weeks.

Ed Norton in a Wes Anderson spoof: The Midnight coterie of sinister intruders

Only thing missing is a bit of Bill Murray and some more yellow and whimsy.

Favourite album of all time

So I have started blogging again and on a variety of subjects. One of them being music. I should then start at the top and work my way on down.



Graceland by Paul Simon is my greatest album of all time. There you go, I said it.

After recently seeing NME journalists vote "The Queen is Dead" by The Smiths the greatest album of all time in a bizarre we-are-sorry-Morrisey-here's-some-free-publicity twist I was surprised to say the least. I am not saying its not a great album, it may even sneak on up into my top 10 but it really doesn't do it for me like Graceland.

Perhaps its based upon a childhood of Carol King or Paul Simon being played in the car during trips around Ireland. I suspect as such, its that nostalgic fuzzy feeling I get when 'Boy in the bubble' comes on. I didn't start listening to The Smiths till the 00's where as Paul has had a solid decade of play ahead.

Also and proof is in the above record, you can go into pretty much any charity shop in the UK and get a copy of Graceland for under a £1. Show me another great album (excluding The Vengaboys) that you can pick up for that price?

So here is the question, what is your greatest album of all time?

 

Kodak and Instagram

"You push the button, we do the rest"

George Eastman

If George could see this I fear his head would melt.

Portrait Insta through the viewfinder. Oh how things have changed, this is the most use my wee Kodak duaflex gets. He pioneered the ease of photography to the masses, now phones have taken it to the next level of access. I reckon he would have loved it, maybe not the business model but certainly the photography access.

Film Festival requirement hullabaloo

"If you are aged between 8-25 years old, resident in the UK and you have made a short film in the last 18 months that is under 10 minutes long – including titles and end credits - that was inspired by east London"

 

Its weird coming across Film Festivals with such a specific niche of film and often film maker they are looking for. Since making an experimental war film I assumed I would nicely find a few niche festivals that would love my film. Alas that premiere is still eluding Dragoon.

Its been a weird month since finishing Dragoon. Lots of submissions and a large number of rejections. It wouldn't be so hard if it wasn't such an expensive and time consuming process. Thankfully I have been able to use this great source NoEntryFeeFestivals.com to save a lot of money.

It has been disappointing however to find so little waivers in place for local film makers in the UK. A number of major film festivals across the pond in the US of A offer waivers to local film makers. Often a simple case of any films coming from a specific University or College receive free submission. Other times it is anyone from the local city. I am yet to find such a waiver in place in any festival in the UK.

Come on big festivals in the UK, give us poor local film makers a break even just a slight discount from being from the local area. It would make such a difference.

Elliot Smith - Satellite

Great song from a lovely album. Died yesterday a decade ago.

Backwards sunset vine

Let's cook: IPA home brew

Finally got round to setting up my latest brew. Nice rotten day outside so disinfecting and the mix got going without distraction. Felt very Gail (breaking bad reference) as I drank some coffee while cooking brewing.







Check out that cinnamon yeast sprinkling.


Always place your brew in a handy not in the way place as shown above.

Poor hipster kitty

Poor wee fella is still so raw about the REM break up he can't even enjoy his vinyl.

An Amstrad Project: what was I thinking

So this evening I decided it was a great idea to open up my hifi. About one second after the front fell out I realised I really don't have a clue about electrics. I did find though I have two (red and black) phono cables coming from amp to turntable. Means that a gutting of the turntable and replacement with a suitably sized turntable will be nice and easy...he says confidently.

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

http://youtu.be/1Fg5iWmQjwk

So Wes Anderson it hurts. Not really sure how I feel about this. It's pretty over the top and another clichéd quirky caper. It's gonna be awesome!

Leaves, leaves, leaves

Tent Camera and the camera obscura

Such an amazing idea and so beautifully executed. I have always been interested in Camera Obscura. Its such an amazing trick of nature it is nearly beyond comprehension.
The video below done in Paris really does make it seem like magic. Such a simple thing though, just a case of making a room light proof (covering windows and doors) and then letting a very small hole project light into the room. This projection is an upside down image of whatever is outside.

FRANCOIS 1ER ● STENOP.ES ● from Romain Alary on Vimeo.

An amstrad project

I have gone and got myself a small project. From the brain child of a certain lord sugar this amstrad beauty is in near perfect condition. Hardly used and with full manual it was good to go. It even came with the best of The Police cassette tape inside. Need I say more?



The plan is to rip out the horrifically poor record player and replace it with something that sounds a bit more clear than the current cactus on a plastic stick sound I am getting at the moment.



The innards are nice and clean with hardly even any dust. I suspect one careful OCD owner has had it for the last 30 years,

 

The two moons of Glasgow

Snap as I walk on.

North by North wedding.

What a fun wedding. Two friends getting married in the north of Scotland. My first Scottish wedding and what a treat it was

[caption id="attachment_2978" align="alignnone" width="525"] Roof[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2976" align="alignnone" width="525"] The Carnegie Hall 1907[/caption]

Managed to get up to Dornoch on the Sunday and had a stroll on the beach. Took a while but finally found a beach that could nearly even compete with a Northern Irish one, pity its over four hours away.

[caption id="attachment_2980" align="alignnone" width="525"] Goodnight[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2979" align="alignnone" width="525"] Glass[/caption]

 

The evening do was held in The Carnegie Hall in Clashmore. Beautiful location and such a great atmosphere in it. Hopefully some more friends will get a move on and will get to enjoy a few more Scottish weddings.

 

Throw back Thursday Battle Royal

Two epic throw back tunes for you this evening, let me know which one you prefer and why.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_XI_290cfw

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_729139&feature=iv&src_vid=g93mz_eZ5N4&v=OJWJE0x7T4Q