Friday, 3 April 2009

Busman's Holiday.......

As we enter the Easter break all ideas of having a peaceful time have already gone.
Next week I am helping a friend with her busines website, over the Easter weekend I am filming at a stunt bike show making an advert for another mate and then for the rest of the break I am filming "the Last Victim" a thriller based in north Manchester. A lot of work but at least it's something I enjoy doing.
Recently a student asked me to put together a video of one of her songs to go one Youtube, link is at the bottom. This video from setting up the equipment, doing loads of takes and them editing it and lip synching and compressing it for Youtube was done in under 5 hours. Anybody in the know will tell you that is quuite fast.

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Dude, Where's my De Lorean?....

It's the time of year to update our equipment resources and I have emailed the rest of the department to see if anyone had any ideas or equipment that needs to be bought in. One reply I got was for a flux capacitor, obviously for someone who can't find enough hours in the day. Surprisingly there is an actual site that claims to be selling this item and it can be found at;
http://www.shopneo.co.uk/flux-capacitor-free-shipping--pr-16735.html
The product reviews are definately worth a read.

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

I Need A Car....

This morning one of the 6 buses a day I catch was late thus I arrived in the town centre in time to see bus number 2 pulling out without me. If everything goes right I normally get to work 40 minutes early but when I miss bus number 2 this means I will be 15 minutes late due to traffic.
Before anybody says "you voted against the congestion charge so it's all your own fault" can I point out this journey goes away and outside the failed planned zone.
The up side of being stuck in traffic on bus number 3 is I get the chance to read all of the Metro newspaper, the down side is I end up listening to people talking bollocks. Listening to two pimply male teenagers discussing skin care products made me want to rip my own spleen out and then one of them said he was getting grief off his tutor for being late all the time. His logic was if this bus ran on time he would not be late and getting the earlier one would just make him early and not on time.
The point were I wanted to just throw him out of the emergency exit was when he said "I am giving blood for the first time next week and they give you all these rules you have to pass first. Do you know they won't let you give blood if you have a sexually transmitted disease. I think they are making these rules up".
I kid you not.
I wonder if I can sue First Bus for forcing me to listen to this crap.

Monday, 9 March 2009

Victimised.......

I know I have been neglecting the blog again but I have been a bit busy not only at my day job but also on a new project.
A friend of mine introduced me to a friend of hers who is making a short film in our area. If everything comes off OK she will be getting a job in Hollywood. But the Yanks want to see some recent work of hers so she has written a short thriller and is getting people to help film it.
One problem, we have no budget for equipment, locations, costumes etc. But the thing is that because of the importance of this project the number of people who have volunteered time, skills, homes, offices, bars, dogs etc to the film is amazing.
I am doing camera and editing and last night spent an hour and a half pacing round Brambles Bar with the director discussing the opening scene which will last approx 1 minute.
Filming of "The Next Victim" start the first week of the Easter break and is going to take up a lot of my time.
P.S. we still need a lift interior and a tall office block if you know where there is any going in the North Manchester area.

Tuesday, 3 February 2009

An Amazing Story,....

What follows is an amazing true story of determination in the face of abismal weather conditions that happened on the east coast over 125 years ago, read on.

WHITBY, YORKSHIRE 19 January 1881
After several days of heavy snowfall, at 10.30 am on 19 January 1881 Captain Robert Gibson, Harbour Master at Whitby, received a telegram to say that a ship had sunk off Robin Hood's Bay and that her crew had taken to the ship's boat, but had been forced to drop anchor. They were unable to reach land because of very heavy seas. The severity of the wind and the seas at Whitby made it impossible for the Whitby Lifeboat to be launched and sailed around to Robin Hood's Bay so the Lifeboatmen decided to take the lifeboat the 6 miles overland to Robin Hood's Bay and launch from there. No mean feat over very narrow roads and across moorland some 500 feet above sea level in drifting snow up to 7 feet deep in places.
About 60 Whitby men were given shovels and began digging to clear the snow from the roads. Horses were hitched to the lifeboat carriage and the "Robert Whitworth" set out on her journey. Eventually some 200 men joined in the snow clearance work. Additional horses were obtained from farmers on the way, eventually numbering 18. Men from Robin Hood's Bay started from their end clearing the snow and after 2 hours the lifeboat descended the very steep hill into the village.
The crew of the lifeboat had been involved in the digging but, tired though they were, they then manned the boat and set out to rescue the stranded sailors. Before they could reach them 6 of the boat's oars and the stearing oar were smashed by a heavy wave and they had to return to shore. Whilst the oars were being replaced Cox Henry Freeman asked for volunteers to double bank the oars and the lifeboat set out with 18 men on board and after an hour and a half managed to reach the sailors in the small boat, landing them at Robin Hood's Bay at 4pm. The six rescued crew members (from the Whitby Brig "Visitor") all needed medical attention as did some of the lifeboat crew.
Now that's what I call getting to work in adverse weather.
I hope Boris Johnson gets to read this.
Source: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jackie_sanders/lifeboat.htm

Winter Wonder? Land...

So we had a bit of snow yesterday and London came to a halt. Why? I noticed on the news that people couldn't get to work but had no problem getting to the park with the kids. One woman was going on about how difficult it was on the roads while standing next to a road with free moving traffic.
The M25 was a car park, nothing new there then.
Buses couldn't move in the city but the drivers throwing snowballs at each other (and the news crew) seemed to have no problem getting to work. In fact the news crews were all over the place reporting how bad conditions were so they didn't have any problems.
we knew this weather was coming a week ago but London has shown us up again, can't wait for the Olympics.
Maybe the traffic chaos was caused by people having trouble with their Chelsea Tractors (4x4's) being fitted with road tyres and then expecting to drive as normal. Let's face it London is not a particularly hilly place now is it.
I'm sorry Boris but you let the country down by being ill prepared for something we knew was going to happen. You and all those skiving southern softies who sneaked a day off.
On a sadder note, two brothers died on Crib Goch in Snowdonia the other day. I know this place and it is a very dangerous ridge even in good conditions. I feel sorry for the family's loss but they were ill advised to attempt this journey given the weather warnings.

Saturday, 31 January 2009

Crazy Fools!!!...

My sources have informed me that a film version of The A-Team should be out for release some time in 2010. Why can't the leave it alone. Next thing it will be The Iceland advert The Movie with Halle Berry playing Kerry Katona.