SHOOTING A KIWI | Your Big Break

SHOOTING A KIWI | Your Big Break

Peter Jackson's YOUR BIG BREAK

Just entered YOUR BIG BREAK, the competition organised by Peter Jackson and Barrie Osborne - 100% New Zealand.

Have a look at my entry and vote if you like it:
SHOOTING A KIWI

VOTING ENDS 15th JAN.

The Passenger

I watched Anonioni's film "The Passenger" again last night. It's probably the tenth time I have seen it and I still see it like a new film every time. This film poetically and cerebrally reinforces the idea that you can't change who you are in life. Not that your destiny is fixed, but that your 'identity' is. That there is no escaping who you are. It makes a powerful statement about this idea through Jack Nicholson's portrayal of a journalist who has become trapped in his own identity unable to really say anything meaningful anymore, even though he has a privileged career and a strong reputation. Even though he knows the truth about the war he is reporting on in Congo, he is unable to report it how it really is. By chance he is offered a way out, when a man dies in an adjacent hotel room. He fakes his own death and takes on the identity of the man who has died. What follows is his inability to escape his own identity, as well as his now assumed identity which slowly also becomes a burden from which he also needs to escape....

OXO FACTOR result

Just a quick note to say a BIG THANKS to everyone who voted for us in the OXO FACTOR competition. Unfortunately, we didn't win despite votes coming from wide and far - so well done to the 'Dawsons' who claimed the £10,000 prize. They certainly had an impressive amount of views on Youtube compared to everyone else.

Thanks again for voting for the "Califano Hursts". I'd like to believe that we were at least 2nd! We were in terms of the number of Youtube votes anyway. And it was pretty amazing that the ad had a viewing of over 15 million when it was on ITV1 during the X-FACTOR! It was certainly fun to do - and it's something to show the kids in several year's time when they have all forgotten about it!!!

THANKS AGAIN!!!

Arab Shorts

Graham Jeffery sent me this link about Arab Shorts


Just found my friend Mahdi's film on it - check it out:

Arafat and I by Mahdi Fleifel

Bicycle Revolutionary

The 4docs "Its Good To Know..." competition has some really interesting entries. I hope to be recommending some as I catch up with watching many of the entries.

Here's one by a friend for now, Dylan Howitt's wonderful "Bicycle Revolutionary" about amazing cyclist Estelle and her passion for cycling. This was made using only one reel of Super 8 footage as as part of the "Attack of the 50 foot reels" project and shown at the Sheffield DocFest 2009. The soundtrack has a very "Motorcycle Diaries" quality about it too!

http://www.4docs.org.uk/competition/view/220/Bicycle+Revolutionary

Enjoy!

4docs

4docs

www.4docs.org.uk

4 docs have teamed up with The Co-operative for this competition. We have a team of experts ready to watch the films, and they will choose which one will win a cash prize of £2,000.

Check out my film entry for the competition "Its Good To Know.. Julian"

http://www.4docs.org.uk/competition/view/326/It%27s+Good+To+Know+Julian

Log in and click on the heart if you like it!!

See the film here on Youtube:

THE OXO FACTOR

The Oxo Factor Ad went out during the X-FACTOR on November 8th to an audience of over 15 million people. Quite incredible!

If you haven't voted yet, then please do so: www.theoxofactor.com

Vote for the "Califano & Hurst Families" by clicking on the green thumbs up!

VOTING CLOSES MONDAY 7TH DEC

Watch the X-FACTOR Sunday Nov 8th on ITV1

Watch the X-FACTOR this Sunday November 8th on ITV1 and catch our "home made" OXO ad which has been shortlisted with four others.

If you can't wait until then , you can also see the video here on Youtube.

To vote for it, select "Califano & Hurst Families" then click on the green thumbs up.

http://www.youtube.com/OXOfactor#p/f/1/Hi_X9U1Avkc

The winner is decided by a public vote and the winning ad gets shown during the final of the X-FACTOR, and also wins £10,000.

Enjoy it!!

1 minute to save the world

1 minute to save the world

Who Do You Blame? We all know who is really to blame for climate change...



Or click here to see:

http://www.1minutetosavetheworld.com/2009/10/who-do-you-blame/

Vote for this video by clicking on the stars at the top of the video - please leave a comment too if you like!

OXO FACTOR AD

THE OXO FACTOR COMPETITION

The first time that I decided to film my daughter Zahrah who is now of the grand age of 3, and our "home made" OXO advert has been shortlisted down to the final 5! The script was supplied by OXO and we just had a lot of fun filming it. It also features Yasmina and Josh who are Zahrah's cousins, as well as my sister Nadia and her husband Jonny.

The ad will be shown from Sat 24th Oct until Dec 12. The winner will be decided by a public vote via Youtube with the winning entry being shown during the final of the X-FACTOR and winning £10,000.

Check it out here: www.theoxofactor.com (Califano & Hurst Families)

Your vote much appreciated!!

Just as I start writing a blog I am expecting someone to announce that 'writing blogs is so 2005'!! And that'll be the end of blogs...
Oh well, it takes time to catch up with new ideas and technology sometimes. I am always struck by the explanation for jet-lag that the human spirit is simply not designed for trans-atlantic jet travel and the feeling that jet-lag gives you is actually the time it takes for your soul to catch-up with where you are in the world! Well, for me my soul is catching up slowly.....it took me a while to appreciate that digital technology for filmmakers is truly liberating, the magic of celluloid film will never be lost, but the ability to make filmmaking truly accessible, cut costs and reach global audiences that digital technology gives us is truly revolutionary.