Uncle Oscar

Film festivals are like fashion shows, when you're involved in the process some movies feel old by the time the announcements are made.  Everyone including the actors and directors have moved onto different projects but have to haul themselves back for the big Hollywood lovefest that is the Oscars, not forgetting of course our own BAFTAs. The King's Speech leads the way with twenty-six nominations between the two ceremonies.

Nominated for Best Actor in both awards, Colin Firth

Geoffrey Rush as Best Supporting Actor at the
Academy

Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth is in the
Foreign Language Film

Debra Granik's Winter's Bone has four nominations including
Best Picture

Josh Fox directed Gasland nominated for
Best Documentary Feature

My predictions... based on nothing scientific are as follows:

Best Film: Social Network

Best Actor: Colin Firth (although Javier could trounce our man)

Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush

Best Actress: Annette Bening

Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter

Best Documentary Feature: Resptrepo or Gasland

Best Foreign Language: Biutiful

Let me know who you think the winners will be?

  

Control Freakery...

In my opinion, if we're honest, most photographers are control freaks and anyone who says otherwise is either telling porkies or doesn't care about the work. In the days of shooting on film I had a good relationship with the printer at my lab and he knew how I liked my completed images to look. With the advent of digital one of the things that's been most welcome is having complete control over an image from start to finish. It's certainly changed the way I work, how I approach a project and most of all the look of my photography. I've found it easier to visualise how an image is going to look when it's completed yet I like the surprises that post production can bring. 

So when a client calls me and asks "can you come and take some photographs but we'd like to do the post production" there's usually a sharp intake of breath and some stuttering on my part. In this instance Metrodome Distribution wanted a special cover for the DVD release of Down Terrace a British gangster movie that's also about family. They had a very clear idea of how they wanted the image to look to the extent that they suggested the tungsten colour balance of the lighting and thanks to some superbly placed expletives from Jezz our lead actor Robert Hill who came up from Brighton where the film was shot looks suitably menacing. Down Terrace has travelled to a variety of festivals including Raindance and has also been catching some favourable rays from Little White Lies, Reuters and The Sunday Times. 

You can see it, as I will, on the big screen at the ICA starting at the end of this month.  It will be released on DVD on 23rd August.

I'm Empty So Fill Me With Your Heart's Desire...

The fabulous weather in recent weeks has seen me wielding my iPhone with abandonment.  On one day out I spent the afternoon with some friends and after a splendid lunch we adjourned to a street party nearby.  There amongst the beautiful blue sky was the obligatory bunting billowing gently above my head.  So seated comfortably in my picnic chair I didn't have to go too far to find some inspiring images.

My next outing was a weekend in West Sussex.  More friends, more food but this time with a few strolls thrown in.  Bognor Regis, Barnham and Elmer where my friends grew up. Personally I can't see the point in leaving London unless one is going to see the sea (controversial I know).

So what to do with these images besides post them to my Tumblr page?  Well with some free time (and how fleeting that was) I decided to make some greeting cards, something I haven't done for a while.   The images above are just a small selection of what's available.  The cards are blank inside (hence the title of this post) and can be purchased from the wonderful Queens Park Books in my old stomping ground of...Queens Park and also the delightful Early Bird card and gift shop in my current manor of Stoke Newington and if you're around Stokey you might just find me taking tea (and cake) in The Tea Rooms on Church Street.

Cameraman Meet Cameraman

The benefits of having an assistant at anytime cannot be underestimated but having someone who is local and speaks the language is a bonus. So for me Cannes was very different this year, in part because I had the good fortune to have an assistant who was as happy to be working with me as I was to have him. His name was Johann and he was recommended by a friend's assistant who'd previously attended the same film and photography school in Nice.  He was friendly (a good networker) and conscientious.  The bonus for him was being introduced to the cinematography of Jack Cardiff via a special screening in Cannes of Cameraman: The Life and Work or Jack Cardiff.

Coincidently, the week before I had photographed the director Craig McCall with Martin Scorsese (who gave a special introduction) at the BFI Southbank.  In fact Johann was so enthused by the movie that he went to a talk the next day given by Craig.  So thank you Johann for your help and enthusiam. It will be remembered.  ps.  He's also a dab hand in the kitchen.

Palme d'Or Winner...

Well a good start (see previous post) and a good end to the Cannes International Film Festival for me.  With in fact plenty of good bits in between. This was my last shoot of the festival and on Sunday director Apichatpong Weerasethakul beat the other 18 entries when he became the recipient of the Palme d'Or the main competition prize for his movie Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.  If you want to hear him speak about his work he'll be at the BFI Southbank (via Skype) on Tuesday 25 May

The Queen and I... and Taylor Hackford

Wednesday, first working day at the festival where I did a shoot for Screen International. Portraits of Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford. They were interviewed about a new movie together, their first in over 20 years since meeting on White Nights. The film Love Ranch is based on a true story about the first legal brothel to open in Navada.  Mr Hackford directs and Miss Mirren plays the Madam a woman in charge...once again.

Parents...they make your life interesting

Only a couple of weeks before Cannes International Film Festival starts. Sometimes the movies are released immediately after the festival and sometimes it can take up to a year or occasionally more.  One such film that's been worth waiting for is Dogtooth winner of Un Certain Regard 2009 .  A dark but humorous movie that takes a look at a family who's mother and father want to preserve the innocence of their teenage children.  The director Yorgos Lanthimos and two of his lead actors Aggeliki Papoulia and Christos Passalis were in Cannes last year to promote the movie.  Having just seen the movie it's ironic that there was a reception going on at the time of the shoot and we just about managed to find a small corner with no room for lights to shoot.  The movie is currently showing at the Curzon Renoir cinema.

Yorgos Lanthimos

Aggeliki Papoulia

Christos Passalis