The common mistake with attempting a zoetrope is to expect it to do too much. It’s unlike a film which has at its disposal time to start and stop actions. It’s at its best when it is exploring a simple loop or phrase of movement, and a lot can be done by skillfully crafting that within a context. This is part of the restrictions of limited time and space for the loops. All loops exist in parallel, meaning movements need to be clear of each other by the time the next loop is in play. Equally, baring in mind the repetitive nature of loops, some movements may read differently than intended. – (what are you waiting for go see it now).
friends
Songs for the Midsummer Rain
June 03, 2015 at 17:05pm
We took a sneaky stop off at The Cottage on the way home from the hospital. I got a “non-malignant” diagnosis for my condition so was feeling pretty spritely, grateful. It’s times like that you look at the water and see every wave.
The Crashing of Tides.
There is a interesting confluence that occurs in the brain when it’s been focused on a project so singularly and for such a long period of time, and then that project ends. After a space of quiet all the thoughts you didn’t have for the intervening months suddenly crash in from all angles. It’s a very fruitful and provides great perspective, but can be over very quickly.
I’ll will post something about the job in question when it gets released, but for now I would just say We had the good fortune to work with animator Rosie Ashforth who turned around several of the miracles we performed to get the job done on time.
So I’ve had a couple of days off to recover, and to remember what the outside looks like.
It looks like this:
There’s a lot of catching up to do here as I missed out so much time but that will come. As the country recovers from a pretty dark election result and a new compassion less Britain, and summer struggles to get itself into gear. But there’s no need to mourn.
Currently reading this book:
I’ll feedback on that in due course.
Some of the thought tsunami concerned comics, which is always troubling. I’m re-reading Ivan Brunetti’s Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice:
Useful tools:
Paper
Pen
Life
…all else is vanity.
So we’ll see how that plays out.
The animation world lost the marvellous David Anderson, his film Deadsy was very intrinsic to the way I think about animation in general.
Check it out.
Top ten tracks from 2014
http://instagram.com/p/pKWpmYny13
This is what I listened to most last year according to LastFM, to which I collect/pump/scrobble most of what I listen to on various platforms, except the CD player in the car. But I only had a CD player in the car for the last two months of last year and then I mostly listen to books anyway.
I use Soundcloud, Youtube, Google Play, Whyd and Spotify. Stuff I purchase goes on Google Play.
Some of these are surprising to me, some of them I probably wouldn’t bother telling anyone they should listen to. But this is what the numbers say so I’m going with that.
There’s an honourable mention at sime point for “Blood in Gutters” by Brody Dalle, which I did drove around the North Somerset countryside howling to a lot, especially during difficult times later on.
Here is a link to a Whyd playlist with all these in, and a Spotify one too.
10. John Grant – GMF
So beautiful, and captures a certain point in one’s life so very precisely.
“You think I hate myself, but it’s you I hate
Because you have the nerve to make me feel.”
9. Dungen – Skit I Allt
Not sure where this came from (apart from Sweden of course). Something uplifting to start the day with? Who knows. It apparently translates as “Screw it All”.
8. Honeyblood – Choker
I’ve written about this one before, it really grabs you by the throat. Building up a list of two pieces that do not sound like two pieces.
7. WhoMadeWho – Space for Rent
Like a mild QOTSA (who are notably absent this year). I think I heard this on a radio show hosted by Josh Homme, so there you are. It’s also nice because the bass (which I play) is prominent.
6. Royal Blood – Little Monster
Royal Blood gets played in the office quite a lot these days, so it’s understandable this would end up on here. Also on the two piece list.
5. John Wizards – Muizenburg
A South African band (not person) formed in 2010. Falls into the category of Falling Down The Stairs Music. Very pleasant.
4. Ninian Hawick – Scottish Temple Stomp
Just the kind of all encompassing madness I favour in the middle of the afternoon. Lo-fi power pop band from the nineties, from the four track EP Steep Steps.
3. John Grant – Blackbelt
More John Grant being amazing. This would be my room song if I ever did X-factor.
“You are at the height of your game, aren’t you?
Would you not say that you agree, baby?
You got your grift all fine tuned and sparkling.
Yeah, you got your bored look all worked out.”
Special Mention: Brody Dalle – Blood in Gutters
See above. It’s telling of the kind of the year I have had that the two top tunes are super calming, but then there’s this.
2. Mulatu Astatke – Tezeta
Brings peace to the soul. The father of Ethio-Jazz. Especially good for driving in the city at night to. I challenge you to listen to and remain angry/sad for very long.
1. The Breeders – Off You
A remarkable song form a remarkable lady. Again heavy on the bass. It doesn’t get much better than this.
“I am the autumn in the scarlet, I am the make-up on your eyes”
Season’s greetings!
Apologies if we have missed anyone on the Christmas card list. Things have been a tad up and down recently with the situation with Mum, poets going out, the funeral, the build going on and what not.
But Dad’s with us for Christmas now and the children are all in their new rooms, so it’s all systems go.
Hope all is well with you and yours and that everyone has a wonderful time over the holidays.
Love
The Greers.
x
Strange Altars: Food
Early Xmas present for me from the team at We Are Hermits, my contributor’s copy of issue one of Strange Altars!!
The theme for this issue is food.
It features beautiful work from Molly Broxton, Eliza Gauger, Erin Albrecht, Gant Powell and many others.
This print version is limited to 250 copies, but PDF is also currently available and digital, audio and boxed versions are forthcoming.
It’s been a real honour to be part of such a beautiful thing.
Submissions are open for the next issue and the theme for that one is ☆☆magic☆☆.
List of things.
1. Honeyblood
Heard this tune when walking past the radio at work, I only heard a few seconds and I was completely hooked. The album’s great (buy it). This track is called Choker, been listening to it a lot.
“This song is loosely based on a short story by Angela Carter called ‘The Bloody Chamber’.
Mostly, it’s about not letting anybody **** you around, even when they are trying to kill you. **** that ****.”
(via)
True to form I discovered them days after they had played Bristol. Curses.
2. Playlists/Cassettes
I recently met a old and dear friend of mine, who I do not see enough of. We used to communicate with compilation tapes. So when he came over he brought a CD of stuff he was listening to. So I made one for him. I had completely forgot about he process of this, the rise and fall, does this song work well before that one, do those three tracks work well together. Listening to it over and over to see if it worked.
Does anyone do that anymore, apart from DJs. It’s a beautiful thing. We got Spotification and even iTunes before that eating that decision process up for us. I know there’s places like 8tracks still around for this, but still.
3. Facebook can be useful
I recently reposted 70/365 on my Facebook and it inspired an exchange of how it could be be transferred into film. These two classics were posted as a steer for the concept.
and Feeling My Way by Jonathan Hodgson
4. Boxers/Saints
Recently read Boxers/Saints by Gene Lueng Yang. It’s a two volume magical realist semi-history of the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1899. Each book is told from a different perspective. It’s very personal and manages to say a lot about history and what is remembered underneath the story itself which is compelling.
5. Somebody App
I’m not sure if I have mentioned this here before. Artist and writer Miranda July made a messenger app that, instead of sending a text direct to the recipient, will locate someone nearby using GPS and then gets them to pass on the message verbally. You can give instruction for emotional tone, and so on.
The actual app is here: http://somebodyapp.com/
and there is a rather crazy short on how it can be used here:
I’m currently on Android, so you can’t try on me.
6. Sprautumn
..and I decided to put my face on all my profiles, not sure if it’ll make people relax because I’m obviously a human or give them the spooks. I call it my Bat Country Portrait.
7. I remembered Vine
Then I forgot it again.
Coxy is still on telly. Don’t miss it.
“*blank*blank*blank*, what's all this then?"
There’s nothing like the arrival of a new interesting social media thing to get people talking about talking.
Ello kind of blew open this last week, taking the creators by surprise slightly. I got myself and invite from a dear internet friend, and there’s only one way to find out if you look like something. It could be better than bad.
Turns out I do quite like it.
There’s a lot of speculation and discussion as to whether its the Facebook Killer prophecy speaks off, or just another Diaspora. Google+ was a Facebook Killer for about 2 days and that had Google behind it.
You can’t buy cool though.
Ello’s first inhabitants were the creatives, artists, writers and weirdos (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) we all love and adore, there weeks before anyone else. Then, because of it’s most righteous indie web aspirations it also has provided a landing pad for those fleeing Facebook as a result of its banning accounts without users genuine names (immediately alienating large areas of the LGBT community for one).
And they say they won’t advertise at you or sell your data, which is nice, but has many wondering how it will pay for itself, suggesting the big sell out is inevitable, or has already happened.
I’m hopeful it won’t. But it does have me wondering why we all just don’t post to our own sites all the time anyways, instead of socially mediating and handing all our content to someone elses website.
Makes me think I should be using this more.
Maybe I will.
Or maybe I’ll see you on Ello.
(Something that does work nicely on Ello is gifs, the one above is over 2mb and it went up and played no problem).
Paul Greer 