Almost all of the past 7 months has been devoted
to
ANCIENT SKIES and REMNANTS.
A
final dawn shoot at Stonehenge took place in
early August. The last remaining interviews were
shot around the UK, and by Joe Taylor in the US,
who also shot some additional timelapse night
sky plates in Utah. Anthony Murphy kindly
captured fisheye and flat lens stills of the
interior of Newgrange in February.
Principal photography for both films is now
complete, and
post-production for both is now in advanced
stages.
Glenn Marshall signed on as supervising CGI
artist for ANCIENT SKIES and has so far
generated all 10 animated backgrounds and 6 of
11 principal shots. Completion is expected in
the next few weeks.
Mike Mueller of SamPl@y
took on the repair of the most difficult and
damaged motion control sequence, but the
supernaturally patient Amanda Davis undertook
image cleaning of over 130 shots. Stabilisation
on just a dozen or so remain. Three successful
tests of timelapse, CGI, stills, interviews and
animations were screened at the Intech Science
Centre FullDome theatre, and one for REMNANTS at
my local 2k digital theatre.
Sadly Lisa Gerrard had to bow out due to other
commitments, but vocalist and musician Zhenia
Mahdi has come on board to provide approx. 12
mins. of material for ANCIENT SKIES.
Thorsten Quaeschning has commenced work on the
REMNANTS score, and his first 11 minutes of
original music are absolutely outstanding. A
work-in-progress cut requires only the
completion of the soundtrack to make the
transformation to final cut, and thence to final
project build, digital print making and release.
A
49 min. rough cut of the FullDome version of
ANCIENT SKIES is now complete, utilising
catalogue works by Steve Roach as the main
soundtrack. Discussions of an original score, or
potential licensing arrangements, are pending.
A
test sequence of a composited sky over a
foreground plate is currently underway at xRez
under the supervsion of Eric Hanson.
Next up is the production of a full 4k
resolution 3-4 min. ANCIENT SKIES trailer.
22nd
June 2011
Two more shoots for ANCIENT SKIES at Stonehenge
are now complete - night of a full moon during
May, and the Summer Solstice celebrations. A
third timelapse shoot for sunrise / dawn is in
planning.
Stalwart US cameraman Joe Taylor and his
assistant Brian Alberth travelled to Mexico on
my behalf to shoot an interview with pioneering
Megalithic researcher Martin Brennan.
www.handcranked.com
I
took a weekend off to shoot a promo for London
based production company Markettiers4DC.
Multiple timelapse cameras recorded the
construction of a stage / viewing platform for
the Isle of Wight Music Festival, and the video
has so far clocked 720,000 hits at YouTube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_rQqdIFCVE
www.markettiers4dc.com
Took a trip to the lovely Lowry Theatre in
Manchester to see Tangerine Dream play live, and
afterwards met with their now 8 year keyboard
veteran Thorsten Quaeschning to discuss the
REMNANTS soundtrack. We shook on a deal and an
official announcement will be made shortly. All
principal photography for the film, bar 3-4
shots, is now complete.
www.picture-palace-music.com
Mike Muller of Germany's SamPl@y has signalled
his willingness to work on the digital clean-up
and restoration of various shots for ANCIENT
SKIES, particularly those plagued by that
pervasive curse of northern European location
shooting: light pollution.
www.samplay.de
A
big thanks to my camera / production assistant
Amanda Davis for all her sterling work on
ANCIENT SKIES over the past few months.
9th May 2011
Just returned from Scotland where Astronomer
Royal John Brown and archaeologist Euan Mackie
were interviewed for ANCIENT SKIES. Currently
gearing up for a series of shoots at Stonehenge
for both timelapse during May's full moon
period, and video afterwards, plus an interview
with Aubrey Burl later in the month.
Took some time
out from the project to work on a promo video
for new album WARM WINTER by MEMORIES OF
MACHINES (Tim Bowness & Giancarlo Erra).
Production on
ANCIENT SKIES proceeds steadily and surely.
Timelapse shoots in Los Angeles and Arizona by
Lee Parker and Joe Taylor respectively are now
in the can, as is Taylor's interview with the
Director of the Griffith Observatory, Dr. Edwin
Krupp. Anthony Murphy's Newgrange winter
solstice material was successfully recovered
after a hair-raising hard drive crash by the
excellent folks at Tierra.
www.tierradatarecovery.co.uk
Archive
antiquarian material acquisition, rumoured in
some Megalithic circles as the largest and
rarest ever assembled for a film on this
subject, is now complete. Steve Roach has now
confirmed to contribute to the soundtrack, and
the first of the UK interviews commences this
week with Callanish expert Gerald Ponting.
Further interviews throughout May and June will
include Aubrey Burl, Martin Brennan, Astronomer
Royal John Brown, Euan MacKie, Clive Ruggles,
Charles Ross and Frank Prendergast. Additional
timelapse shoots at Stonehenge are also
scheduled.
Clive Collier has signed on to the project to
provide 3D separations/animations of archive
material.
www.stormcreation.com
Discussions are
ongoing with acclaimed CGI artist Glenn Marshall
to provide FullDome textures and backgrounds.
www.butterfly.ie
Composites, mattes, and other high end visual
effects are being provided by Eric Hanson at
xRez Studio.
www.xrez.com
A possible
video for the forthcoming album by Tim Bowness
and Giancarlo Erra - 'Memories of Machines' - is
also in discussion.
www.hotsdesign.co.uk/timbowness
The 'Armada Project' is now complete. Comprising
10 short films edited by Clive Collier, derived
principally from my video and timelapse
material, they will shortly be released on
YouTube.
Although I was
unable to attend this year, 2011's 'Widescreen
Weekend' event screened another mxf Digital
Cinema print built by the wonderful Alex Hibbitt
of Arts Alliance Media. Drawn from Colin Legg's
outstanding Australian night sky timelapse
material commissioned for ANCIENT SKIES, and
featuring an original soundtrack written and
performed by Toby Marks of BANCO DE GAIA, the 5
min. film WALU NGALINDI was shown in 2k
resolution as part of the 'Cineramacana' section
of the Bradford Film Festival in late March.
Another
long time since the last update....a very, very busy period!
Major news is
that following a deal struck with Glenn Smith,
Managing Director of SKY-SKAN Europe GmbH, the
ANCIENT SKIES
project is now in production. Please visit the
official site for details.
www.ancientskies.info
www.skyskan.com
Lisa Gerrard is now confirmed for the soundtrack
- hopefully directly, or indirectly, in
collaboration with US synthesist Steve Roach.
www.lisagerrard.com
www.steveroach.com
A
6 camera night shoot at Stonehenge, a month long
shoot in Ireland (including the capture of the
Autumn Equinox alignments at Cairn T and Knowth),
and a commissioned shoot of generic night skies
in Australia were all undertaken during August,
September and October. Colin Legg's astonishing
Australia reel, shot with both flat and fisheye
lenses, is available to view here:
www.vimeo.com/16629447
As a result of
the acquisition of this new material the 2k
widescreen digital 'sister' project REMNANTS is
now 90% complete.
In November I
undertook fisheye and flat lens timelapse and
motion control photography in Egypt for a
project being produced by the National Space
Centre for the Cairo Children's Museum. The
project is as yet untitled. Principal production
was overseen by Mark Whatmore of Bristol based
Yoho Media.
www.spacecentre.co.uk
www.yohomedia.co.uk
A planned shoot
at Newgrange in Ireland for the winter solstice
solar alignment was sadly largely abandoned due
to extreme weather conditions, though local
author and cameraman Anthony Murphy was hired to
capture as much of the event as possible.
www.mythicalireland.com
Upcoming are
commissioned timelapse and video shoots in Los
Angeles and Southern Arizona, under the
supervision of Directors of Photography Lee
Parker and Joe Taylor.
www.mocoman.com
www.handcranked.com
Have a lovely
xmas.
1st August 2010
A
long time since the last update....a very busy period.
In
March I wrote and produced promotional materials
and built a dedicated website for the ANCIENT
SKIES project:
In
April I attended the British Association of
Planetaria conference at the Intech Science
Centre in Winchester, UK, where I gave a
presentation for the project, as well as live
demos of the timelapse dolly.
In June and July
I continued work with Mike Greenwood on the
'Armada Project' shooting HD and timelapse for
the Curator's Office of the House of Lords,
production for which actually began last year.
The film documents their largest art restoration
project for 80 years. The paintings, created
over two and half years by Anthony Oakshett and
his team, are currently on display in the Public
Gallery.
Also in July I
shot and edited a 13 hour conference video for
pioneering Australian embryologist Dr Brian
Freeman PhD.
Throughout the
period shots for the timelapse dolly showreel
were undertaken, including night photography at
Waylands Smithy long barrow. Reel is due
shortly.
The timelapse
dolly during live demos at the BAP
conference, and on-location at the
'Adam & Eve' stones outside of
Avebury
I signed with UK
stock footage agency Timelapse Online -
www.timelapseonline.com
-
and was
invited to join the Daily Motion site:
www.dailymotion.com/grant_wakefield
A compilation of
collaborative works with Lasse Hoile 2007-2009
- HOILEFIELD - was cut and is available to see
here:
www.vimeo.com/12118718
An HD version of
the No-Man video WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT was
created, timelapse material from the Sky Sports
promos became THE BEAUTIFUL GAME, whilst EMPIRE
OF STONE also received the HD treatment, and
TIMES LITANY was posted. All are available to
view at the
showreels page,
or here:
www.vimeo.com/user515241
In the pipeline
is hopefully a meeting with the development
director of the BBC Natural History Unit, and
major, though as yet fully confirmed, timelapse
jobs in Paris, Warsaw and Egypt. New pitches for
the (R)EVOLUTION and MUSIC FROM THE FAR SIDE
projects are also in planning, plus creation of
new tour projection films and promos for BANCO
DE GAIA and former Tangerine Dream-er JEROME
FROESE.
On a
disappointing note an intense effort was made
throughout the year to secure funding for the
REMNANTS project, now just three locations and a
soundtrack short of completion. Despite
complimentary remarks about the cinematography
from the likes of National Geographic, WGBH Nova
and the BBC, the project was rejected, almost
universally citing a lack of narration or a
presenter-led format as the stumbling block. A
new push, utilising a custom made 2k widescreen
mxf render of the work-in-progress reel is
underway.
18th February 2010
The timelapse
dolly is undergoing final tweaks, including
improvements to stability and adaptation to
enable dual-axis capture.
I have kindly been invited
to submit a new 2k digital short for this year's WIDESCREEN WEEKEND event in March,
as part of the Bradford International Film
Festival.
A 10 min
piece, entitled TIME'S LITANY, is being edited,
featuring processed material originally
photographed for the Porcupine Tree TIMES FLIES
video, and a soundtrack by BASS COMMUNION.
Many thanks
again to Alex Hibbitt at Arts Alliance Media for
print building, and to Duncan McGregor and the Pictureville
team for the
invitation. Thanks also to Lasse Hoile for technical assistance,
and Steven Wilson for use of the music.
The timelapse dolly prototype is now
operational. With full 'ramping' capability, it
comes in 4, 8 and 12ft configurations. A set of
initial tests can be seen here:
Full field
trials and production of a dedicated showreel
will start shortly.
Lasse Hoile's
edit for the KATATONIA
video "DAY AND THEN THE SHADE" is now completed
and can be seen here:
www.lassehoile.com/video.aspx
(thumbnail top left)
A
work-in-progress HD edit of the 2.35:1
aspect ratio
version of REMNANTS (for 2k projection) is
finished, and two HD trailers have also been
cut.
22nd October 2009
I
am about to start shooting timelapse images for
another Lasse Hoile video, promoting Swedish
band
KATATONIA
A
higher torque motor for the timelapse dolly has
been sourced, and testing will take place over
the next few weeks.
30th September 2009
I have completed an 18
day shoot in The Orkney Islands, off the north eastern coast of
Scotland, for the ongoing ANCIENT SKIES project.
Hampered by high winds,
generally very poor weather and large numbers of visitors to the
sites, some good material was nonetheless captured during the
full moon period, particularly at the Ring of Brodgar. Sadly the
dolly system failed steadiness tests prior to the shoot, and a
new design with a higher torque motor is in progress.
Since my return I
shot timelapse and motion control at the
Butler-Tanner-Dennis print works in Frome, Somerset, as part of
another Morris Lane Creative Media production, produced and
directed by James Harrison.
www.mlcm.co.uk
Reception to the TIME FLIES video has been very positive, clocking up close to 50,000 hits
on Lasse Hoile's MySpace page alone.
www.myspace.com/lassehoile
Hoile's excellent edit of the
12 min. long form version is now playing during Porcupine Tree's
tour. See their
website for venue list.
1st August 2009
Lasse Hoile has completed the
edit on the short promo version of Porcupine Tree's TIME FLIES
The 12 minute long form
version will premiere during the tour, and may be available on a
future DVD.
The video for No-Man, WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT will screen as
part of the launch party for the bands forthcoming DVD release
MIXTAPED at the Rosemary Branch venue in London,
Saturday 22nd August. All tickets for the event are now sold
out.
The timelapse dolly is close
to completion, and tests will be undertaken prior to the journey
to Scotland's Orkney Islands, arriving Sept. 2nd to coincide
with full moon sequence.
I shot both motion
controlled timelapse and video for a recent Morris Lane Creative
Media production in York Minster, commissioned by the EPSRC -
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council.
Lasse Hoile has additionally
commissioned me to shoot timelapse material
for both a promo video, and an extended
live show version, for the track TIME FLIES from the
forthcoming PORCUPINE TREE album. HD video work on the intro to the
track, as detailed beneath, is close to completion. Work on the
promo images commences immediately.
'THE INCIDENT is released
September 15th and the band will tour extensively, following up
on their most successful record to
date, FEAR OF A BLANK PLANET
Glenn Smith + SKY SKAN have
confirmed that the principal ANCIENT SKIES shoots planned for
2009 are going ahead, along with the construction of a timelapse
dolly system. The shoots will include Stonehenge, the Newgrange
complex in Ireland and multiple sites in The Orkney Islands.
Construction and testing of the dolly is hoped to be completed
by the end of July.
24th May 2009
I am now
undertaking HD 720p 50fps and timelapse photography for PORCUPINE TREE live
projections during their forthcoming 2009 tour, once again under
the aegis of their visuals director Lasse Hoile.
The video for NO-MAN -
WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT - now features on the enhanced e.p. of
the same name. A clip also features in Richard Smith's
forthcoming documentary about the band, to be released in
conjunction with MIXTAPED - a live DVD of the their
performance at London's Bush Hall in late 2008.
A full DVD showreel for 2009
is complete. Please e-mail to request hard copies.
A compilation of works -
culled from source footage provided by me, and edited and
manipulated by Lasse Hoile - is in discussion and planned for
late 2009.
30th March 2009
A dedicated page promoting
FULLDOME and 4k compliant timelapse and motion control
photography is now posted.
The screenings at the
WIDESCREEN WEEKEND event were a great success. Thanks again to
Thomas, Duncan, Darren, and Alex Hibbitt at AAM for building
the superb digital prints.
During the
test
projection of
EMPIRE OF STONE
on the 70mm screen
One of the great iconic images
of the widescreen era,
from THIS IS CINERAMA
Featuring a track from the
deluxe edition of Steven Wilson's first solo album INSURGENTES,
my new timelapse reel IOKWIB is now
posted on the
showreels
page and available on-line.
The 1st draft treatment for
ANCIENT SKIES is now complete.
Jan Tonsmann has undertaken a
series of 4k resolution image processing tests from various
footage captured during the first three shoots.
I have been invited by
the UK National Media Museum to screen some of his work at the
forthcoming WIDESCREEN WEEKEND event in March. My video for
No-Man WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT and a shortened version of
EMPIRE OF STONE will be custom rendered to 2.2:1 aspect ratio,
and digitally projected at 2k resolution in the Pictureville
Theatre.
Many thanks to Thomas
Hauerslev, editor of 'In 70mm' magazine for setting the ball
rolling, to Alex Hibbitt and Darren Briggs at Arts Alliance Media for technical
assistance, and to Duncan McGregor at the Pictureville theatre / NMM for the
invitation.
The re-cut promo for (R)EVOLUTION
is now available to view on-line at
www.vimeo.com/2576876 -
password:
r_evolution
I am
about to travel back to the AGCO / Beauvais factory in France
for more timelapse photography. Much of the rest of January will
be taken up with writing the initial treatment for ANCIENT
SKIES.
The LOBSTER PICTURES /
SKY-SPORTS promos aired over the xmas
period.
Re-cuts and updated versions
of his Timelapse, Glidecam and Camera showreels are slated for
late January, early February.
I am in discussions with documentary director Ray McCormack for
his feature length documentary production slated for 2009.
I will potentially undertake timelapse photography and 1st A/C
duties for the European and Asian portions of the shoot.
HD renders and supply of RAW imagery for both ARTBEATS and
THOUGHT EQUITY MOTION image libraries are now complete, and
footage should be available from there shortly, as well as
direct from this site.
I have additionally signed with stock footage library
THOUGHT EQUITY MOTION.
www.thoughtequity.com
The DREAMING OUT LOUD project
has been re-worked and re-titled. (R)EVOLUTION - RE-INVENTING
THE GUITAR will be a feature length documentary that traces the
origins, development and future of the percussive guitar playing
technique, and will feature the very best of the worldwide
talent now performing.
Discussions are underway with
Rodney Branigan to act as host / guide for the film.
Clive Collier of STORM
CREATION will co-direct. A new producer is now attached and work
on a dedicated website and treatment will take place in January
/ February 2009.
www.storm-creation.co.uk
Collier's documentary on
vocalist LISA GERRARD - 'SANCTUARY' - is available on DVD from:
I am currently working
with Ollie Larkin of LOBSTER PICTURES on a series of timelapse
shoots at various locations around the UK for a SKY-SPORTS /
GILLETTE promo. www.lobsterpictures.tv
24th October 2008
A 6 minute FullDome demo reel
for ANCIENT SKIES, with the original narration, has now been
completed. The research and writing period is underway, with a
full illustrated treatment planned for January 2009.
Mischa Hedges has politely declined to be involved in the
DREAMING OUT LOUD project, and a re-write and re-structuring of
the film proposal is underway.
A 6 minute 4k FullDome demo
reel was completed in Amsterdam by Tonsmann and myself in
time for the International Planetarium Conference, and a version
was screened at SKY-SKAN's trade booth. The reel is available as
a download from the dedicated page, or can be viewed on-line at
www.vimeo.com/1496364
Masked to a
'cinemascope' aspect ratio, and utilising the best material from
the ANCIENT SKIES pre-production shoots, the reel demonstrates
the current technical quality of the timelapse capture and
motion control systems. Music by
Steve Roach, Bola and Michael Stearns. www.steveroach.com
www.michaelstearns.com
REMNANTS as a stand-alone
project continues to be developed. Now aimed at the HDTV and
Digital Projection market, a new reel has been cut, and the
search for completion funds is underway.
I have joined forces
with Bristol based timelapse specialists Robbie Allen and Ollie
Larkin at LOBSTER PICTURES, and their combined showreel is
available at www.lobsterpictures.tv
I have additionally
signed with ARTBEATS stock footage library, following a deal
struck with Glenn Smith regarding the sale of images. www.artbeats.com
Lasse Hoile will weave his
customary magic around these same images, incorporating them
into the live show projections for Swedish band OPETH on their
forthcoming European tour.
www.lassehoile.com
www.opeth.com
A 10 minute taster reel for
the proposed Open University is complete, and the pitch is
awaiting feedback from the OU and director Mike Greenwood.
15th June 2008
Stage 03 of the ANCIENT SKIES
project has now been shot in an epic trip that took in Cumbria,
Scotland and the Outer Hebrides, and which generated
almost 30 mins. of material. Additionally six hours of video was
shot with area expert Margaret Curtis.
Jan Tonsmann has completed
technical preparations for the edit, and work begins Monday 17th
in a session that will obviously run all the way to the wire!
The principal reason for the
delayed start was a short shoot in Paris that I recently
undertook, acting as 2nd Unit cameraman under DoP Yorgos
Arvanatis, for independent director Ken McMullen on a feature
film provisionally entitled GUNS AND POETRY
Director Mike Greenwood and
the OPEN UNIVERSITY have expressed interest in an off-shoot
project on the subject of Archaeo-Astronomy. A treatment and
editing of a taster reel is planned for mid to late July.
Discussions with Michael
Hedges' son Mischa are continuing on the DREAMING OUT LOUD
project. Major news is that the project has now gained the
confirmed attachment of producer Isabelle Collier. Her husband
Clive, a film maker whose credits include SANCTUARY - a portrait
of composer / vocalist Lisa Gerrard - is slated to co-direct.
The DVD is available from:
Discussions are also underway
with Zurich based producer / director Ray McCormack regarding a
feature length documentary, potentially being shot later this
year. McCormack's previous film, A CRUDE AWAKENING, won several
festival awards, has been screened worldwide, and was i-tunes
most downloaded film on the week of its release. It is also
available on DVD:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crude-Awakening-Oil-Crash/dp/B0011W2IL0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1213492844&sr=1-1
Subject matter remains
confidential for the time being, but I been asked to
helm 2nd unit and undertake all motion control timelapse
cinematography on portions of the shoot in Europe, Asia and
China. The development of a lightweight timelapse dolly system, and dedicated focus controllers for
shooting with digital SLRs, will form part of the pre-production
process.
Just returned from
Stage 02 of the ANCIENT SKIES project, having generating 15 mins.
of material on location in Wales and Anglesey. I will shortly
embark on Stage 03, to Cumbria and Scotland. A couple of shots
from the work in progress have been sold to the BBC for a
TIMEWATCH programme about Stonehenge, due for broadcast later this year.
The edit for ANCIENT SKIES is
scheduled to take place between June 5th and 25th in Amsterdam
under the supervision of Jan Tonsmann, and a 7 min. reel will be
premiered at the end of the month as part of the International
Planetarium Society annual conference and DOMEFEST being held
in Adler Planetarium, Chicago.
The NO-MAN videos for
WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT is now available for download
on the
showreels page.
Shot over the course of four days, original 13:9 aspect
images were captured at high resolution and animated and cropped
to 16:9 in After Effects. The timelapse only version is featured
on the DVD-A 5.1 release of the album 'Schoolyard Ghosts.' The
'sentimental' version is only available on this site. www.no-man.co.uk
8th April 2008
After a highly successful IMAX
conference, the REMNANTS project proceeds apace and has morphed
into a more wide ranging FullDome production with the working
title ANCIENT SKIES. I have returned from a week's shoot in
Cornwall, where I generated 12 mins. of motion
controlled time lapse material.
Two more shoots are planned
(Wales and the Midlands; Scotland and Cumbria) to coincide with
full moon sequences in April and May. And with major
investment in equipment, two fully feathered, long duration and
night capable motion control systems are now available.
We are delighted to welcome
post-production supervisor Jan Tonsmann to the project, with
whose help a high resolution demo will be cut.
Now completed
is the video for NO-MAN's song WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT from their
forthcoming album SCHOOLYARD GHOSTS. The film will included
alongside two others in the DVD-A 5.1 release, and information
about the album can be found at
http://burningshed.co.uk/aconfession/
I have also edited three
sample reels for my long cherished documentary DREAMING
OUT LOUD which will chart the life and legacy of the late, great
acoustic guitar maestro Michael Hedges.
13th February 2008
Shooting of daytime exteriors at Wayland's Smithy chambered
long barrow are complete, and production is also underway for the NO-MAN
video, with approx. 3 minutes of timelapse material captured so
far. I will be attending the forthcoming Imax / Large Format
film conference in London, March 4th and 5th (with many thanks
to Glenn Smith of SKY-SKAN)
A modified proposal of GODS OF
BRITAIN - written with Toby Marks (BANCO DE GAIA) - has been submitted and is currently under
consideration in the 'ITVS International Call'. Mike Greenwood
is slated to direct if the application is successful.
31st January 2008
Further night shooting for
REMNANTS has been hampered by poor winter weather conditions,
though one partially successful session was undertaken at The
Devil's Den in Wiltshire in late November. An upgrade to the 'Mini Moco' motion control system has been
undertaken and is now operational. The system is now able to
perform 'feathered' accelerations and decelerations whilst in
timelapse mode.
I have been invited by
Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson of the band NO-MAN to create a
video for a song from the forthcoming album, working title
SCHOOLYARD GHOSTS. Not for broadcast as a promo, the video will
however, if selected for inclusion, appear on the DVD-A release
and likely on the NO-MAN website. www.no-man.co.uk
Wishing Ron Fricke and
Mark Magidson the very best of luck with the production of
SAMSARA, which is now underway. The follow up to the critically
acclaimed BARAKA, it is being shot in 5 perf. 70mm over the next
12 months or so, and is likely to be the last ever feature film
to be originated in this format.
7th November 2007
Two night shoots for the
REMNANTS project demo film are now complete - one at
Stonehenge, the other at West Kennet Long Barrow.
Thorsten Quaeschning recently
used some of my other visuals as projections during a
concert in Berlin with his band PICTURE PALACE MUSIC. The
concert may have a DVD release.
Awaiting feedback from the
academic teams, final tweaks and picture lock for the Open
University SACRED SPACES films are now expected to be completed
by November 15th.
6th October 2007
The REMNANTS project is
underway
I'm delighted to announce that
a major development deal for the REMNANTS project has
been struck. A 4 min. test film will be shot over the coming months
for the new 'FullDome' format, with sponsorship provided by Glenn
Smith, Managing Director of the European division of SKY-SKAN, one
of the world's principal manufacturers of dome theatres. Logistical
and screening support is being provided by Mario Di Maggio, Manager
of Thinktank Planetarium, situated in the Birmingham Science
Museum, UK.
We are also delighted to
announce that the soundtrack will be composed by current
Tangerine Dream member Thorsten Quaeschning. www.picture-palace-music.com
The finished reel will be
ready for premiere at the forthcoming Giant Screen Cinema
Association conference in London, March 2008, where we will seek
partners for full production finance.
Shooting multi-axis motion
controlled time-lapse with full frame sensor cameras, I
will focus primary efforts at
Stonehenge, Avebury and West Kennet Long Barrow, as well as
undertaking further day-time shooting in the South West of
England throughout November and December.
Fine cuts on the SACRED SPACES
project are now complete and awaiting approval, prior to final
tweaks, sound mix, animation and picture lock. The
soundtrack for these 3 x 15 min. programs has been selected from
the back catalogue of BANCO DE GAIA.
www.banco.co.uk
6th September 2007
Both
principal photography and 1st assembly edits for the Open
University SACRED SPACES project are complete, under the supervision of former BBC
director and producer Mike Greenwood. The 1st assemblies have met with
approval from all parties and final cutting will commence shortly with
picture lock and delivery scheduled for late September / early
October.
I will be returning to Beauvais,
France in early October with FULL RANGE MEDIA to update the AGCO /
MASSEY FERGUSON corporate videos shot last year, where once again he
will assume motion control time-lapse duties. Major investment in
new equipment has recently been undertaken in preparation for this
shoot. The total system will shortly comprise 3
x Nikon D-70s cameras, 3 x intervalometers, and 1 x rotary
table plus new grip equipment and a SIGMA fish-eye lens.
Lasse Hoile utilised and manipulated
several minutes of my time-lapse material shot for MIRAGEMEN
in a tour film / video for the band DREAM THEATRE, which will be used
during the promotion of their new album SYSTEMATIC CHAOS. The
PORCUPINE TREE material is still showing as part of the final 2007
shows of the band in the US and Europe.
2nd June 2007
I will be spending
much of the summer shooting video and motion controlled time-lapse for
an Open University DVD for Pier Productions, entitled SACRED SPACES,
as well as editing the final 45 min. programme.
Lasse Hoile's videos for
Porcupine Tree, featuring my images, are currently showing on
their US tour, and hopefully will be posted here in the near future.
21st May 2007
I have just returned from a three
week trip to the USA where I shot both HD 720p video and
time-lapse for the second half of John Lundberg and Mark Pilkington's
forthcoming HD documentary MIRAGEMEN. Locations included New Jersey,
Arkansas, Los Angeles, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The project
is currently in the edit and is due to be completed by the end of
2007.
The pictures below were part of
the time-lapse material and were photographed at Trona Pinnacles in
the Mojave Desert and outside of Alamagordo, New Mexico.
To read Lundberg and Pilkington's
highly regarded journal of all things odd and paranormal, please
visit: www.strangeattractor.co.uk
24th April 2007
The PORCUPINE TREE - FEAR OF A
BLANK PLANET image gallery and downloadable video are now available.
Please visit the
galleries page, and see the video on-line at
http://www.vimeo.com/1105748
23rd March 2007
I am working on an additional
treatment for a more expansive NO-MAN video, but the first
prospective test video GONEFLAKES is now complete.
An alternate edit of a taster
reel for Porcupine Tree has been cut, and awaits feedback, but in
keeping with the band's general approach and visual continuity, this
taster, a 5-6 min. reel and the image gallery will all be posted on
April 18th to coincide with the opening night of the tour.
25th February 2007
I have been working some
additional days on the Lurpak commercial, and also winding down the
Porcupine Tree shoot which should be completed in the next 7-10
days, unless extra footage is requested. A one and half minute
taster reel has been cut, and awaits approval and permission before
it can be posted here. A gallery of images is also
planned.
I have committed to shooting the
second half of the documentary MIRAGEMEN for director/producers John
Lundberg and Mark Pilkington.
Prior to the shoot I will be
creating the video sketch GONEFLAKES for Tim Bowness and Steven
Wilson, who comprise the band NO-MAN. Intended to simply demonstrate
an idea, it hopefully will lead to a commission to direct a video
proper later in 2007.
1st February 2007
I have spent most
of January assisting Oxford based DoP Phil Ball with one of a series
of commercials for Lurpak butter. With working title 'The Mighty
Shroom' - it has involved set construction, lighting and general
digital camera assistance in the production of 8 plate shots and 3
long duration motion controlled time-lapse shots of mushrooms growing
in custom built 'macro' sets. Over the Christmas period, and in
between the commercial, he has continued to generate material for
Lasse Hoile and Porcupine Tree, whose deadline has been extended to
the end of February. Over 20 minutes of footage has now been created,
and a target of 30 mins. is desired.
I have also finalised all the
elements of a promo DVD for the planned IMAX production 'REMNANTS'.
The DVD will be sent to all European and selected US IMAX theatres in
order to attract funding.
21st December 2006
Based on viewing CHANT ONE, Tim
Bowness has invited me to possibly direct a video to accompany
the forthcoming album by NO-MAN. As a test for this, a new short with working title GONEFLAKES, is in development. www.no-man.co.uk
12th December 2006
I have been hired by Lasse Hoile and
PORCUPINE TREE, and over the past 12 days has been busy producing
abstract and motion control images, and shooting will
continue up until February 1st 2007.
27th November 2006
I am currently in
discussions with visuals producer and video director Lasse Hoile to
shoot custom time-lapse images for the forthcoming tour by acclaimed
UK band PORCUPINE TREE.
www.lassehoile.com
Lasse's outstanding video for
BLACKFIELD, an off-shoot band of PORCUPINE TREE's front man Steven
Wilson, and his collaborator Aviv Geffen, can be viewed at
www.blackfield.org
He has recently completed
direction, editing and post-production of PORCUPINE TREE's live
double-DVD ARRIVING SOMEWHERE which is now available at their web
site:
www.porcupinetree.com
19th November 2006
I recently travelled to Ireland
where I shot additional support material for the IMAX format
REMNANTS project. Re-editing of the 20 min. demo reel is in
progress.
4th September 2006
I am currently
shooting time-lapse and HD camera operating
for FULL RANGE MEDIA's 'AGCO' shoot during various periods
in September and October.
