Today’s early morning shoots by Janette and Mary are wonderful but the results of our afternoon processing are a tad vexing to say the least. I’m leaving a bowl of cream on the porch for the pixies tonight…
Archives for the month of: March, 2015
Thanks to a grant from the British Council and the Department of Cultural Affairs Los Angeles, we’re in Bridgwater to invite the community to participate in the latest installment of The Sound We See. This time around it’s a COUNTY symphony and we’ve got 30 delightful folks ranging in age from 9 to somewhere in the region of 70 (although none of you look a day older than 39!) raring to go.
Today is a chance for everyone to gather at The Engine Room/Somerset Film (our fabulous host/partner organization!) to share ideas, take ownership of specific hours of the day/night, shoot Super 8, process film (in coffee, in tea, and in local cider! and they all turned out GREAT!) and even learn a bit about the telecine process (thanks, Warwick!). Nine hours later…. we’ve got the start of a very tantalizing City Symphony!
A day in Bath, glamorous resort town and home to everyone from the Romans (60 AD: check out the curse tablets at the famous baths) to Jane Austen (1801 - 1806: she hated the place but you can visit the Jane Austen Centre for I Heart Mr. Darcy lip balm) to John Arthur Roebuck Rudge (late 1800s: Wizard of the Magic Lantern!) and Manolo Blahnik (I know: weird!).
Dudes in top hats, Georgian architecture, and high tea are fine and dandy but give me dinner with dear friends any old day… Orynthia and Tom, your Burmese Beef is out of this world!
Today we’re at the Slow Media Symposium at Bath-Spa University’s stunningly beautiful Corsham Court campus (let’s hear it for “England’s Greatest Gardener” Capability Brown!). Along with our talk Growing A Global Slow Film Movement, there are presentations on Slow Journalism, Norwegian Slow TV, Slow Judy Garland, Slow Web (think ~tilde.club~, not the speed of the internet connection at our B&B!) and breathing stones. After a sumptuous, jovial meal at the Methuen Arms, it’s a Sound We See trilogy screening at the Pound Center (check out the Sally Muir’s delightful dog portraits show in the gallery!). Although all the films are well-received (well, except perhaps by the nice old gent who asked “Why would anyone want to watch this scratchy, faded stuff?”), the crowd really goes wild for the Old Crow film, feeling an affinity for the fiddle music, the respect for ancestors, and the slow pace of village life.
A big thanks to Dan Ashton and his terrific team for an inspiring day (the truffles were a nice touch!), a shout out to our Somerset peeps Andrew, Rob and Charlotte for making the trek, and to our new pals Anne, Roisin and Adam (Huggy Bear 4-Ever!): keep up the great work! May our desire walks bring us together again!
The sourcing continues with 10 litres of homemade apple cider (a local specialty!) provided by Somerset Film Trustee/Sound We See Participant/All-Around Awesome Gent Andrew Buchanan. Let’s hope we don’t drink it all up before we can get to our eco-processing experiments!
Another gift today is a visit from EPFC Board Member/Sound We See Supporter/All-Around Awesome Lady Hilary Rhode… We can’t seem to find The Coleridge Way but we spend a fabulous afternoon ambling around Somerset anyway!
Today, we comb the town for washing soda (aka sodium carbonate): the elusive, old fashioned laundry additive crucial for our eco-processing recipes. Holland and Barret? No. Wilkinsons? No. Asda? YES!!! (Thanks for the tip, Spencer!). Except in Somerset, the product is known as soda crystals… We’ll consider it a nod to Glastonbury…
There’s something so lovely about a country that recognizes and celebrates the importance of walking. The UK has a huge network of public footpaths that follow traditional trails dating back centuries. Known as the right of way, walkers are welcome to traverse marked paths that run mainly on and across private property with the understanding that the land is respected and left undamaged. Are you ready, boots? Start walkin’!
