No time for breakfast

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Sunday 14th)

Dear Marmaduke,

I happened to run into Grissald Grissalski today at Cheltenham. Having always vowed that since the incident in Nairobi I would have keep a discreet distance but the opportunity to question him on the connection between the ancient artifacts and this Gunter fellow seemed fortuitous.

Although he had just returned from a commission tutoring the children of the oldest seated royal family in Europe, he was again penniless and living in a run down Jacobean mansion with some wealthy heiress who kept him in food, drink and oil paints. I always remember his Russian – Prussian and Bulgarian lectures on the virtues of turpentine.

Marmaduke, do you remember his single most impressionable advice that he gave to us in our short but heady period under his expert guidance.

“Never judge an artist buy his paintings, but always by the state of his brushes”!

That inspiration has carried me through many a sitting as I curiously fixed my gaze on the side table for days, and then refused to even look at the finished portrait! He was pleased to see me and ventured a conversation in broken English for a change.

“Ah you have to track down this Gunter Schnippe fellow?” He enquired. He relayed some details about a collectors circle he knew of and recommended, by way of tersiary research, through the google almanac he may be listed. I could find no reference to him as a collector. “Damned secretive these Bolshavics!” He replied.

I eventually found some chap by that name listed in a society journal. It turned out to be a fellow famed for his collection of ‘Automata-Sexualle’. If he is the same chap listed under that name, he also apparently composed scores for adult orientated cinema, I dare say the dirty fellow damn well stars in them! I’ll let you know the nature of these events in due course.

As usual, if you do not hear from me by the agreed time – see to the arrangements and publish the photographs in one of those sordid little dailies!

Yours Piers

Animated Rock...

Margot James - Junior Question time Event At Base Studios 1st September 2011

Margot James MP- Student Debate from Vuoo Digital Solutions on Vimeo.

Music to be buried to…(Songs for your own great gig in the sky)

Music to be buried to

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P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Saturday 13th)

Dear Marmaduke,


Today, having gone to Oxford to visit an old friend I had the pleasure of running into Lady Isabelle Clover, one day to be my betrothed if I can convince her father. She is a lovely young lady of 18, daughter of Dr Reginald and Lady Clover Clover.

It was whilst I was standing talking to her that I spotted a strange little man in the window of the Mongolian Wok Bar, I recognised him immediately as Panhandle, and broke into a slow cantor across the street wielding my umbrella with a loud, bellowing war cry of “tally-hoe you little bastard”!

At the sight of my obviously impressive and fearsome frame, he threw down his plate of food over the customers on an adjacent table and, jumping through the glass frontage, ran up the street as fast as his little Gurkha legs could carry him.

Of course I gave chase all the time yelling that I intended to horsewhip his nasty little hide.

I would have caught him had I not been slowed down by a coarse old hag pushing a perambulator, which, I believed had a small child in. I made a calculated jump over with a vault which would have made Bernard “The Fox” Bainbridge the hurdling champion of Queens, very proud. But I misjudged the height and caught my rather fetching Cuban heeled boot on the carriage, turning the whole thing over in a cart-wheeled frenzy.

Luckily the child was of sturdy stock and only suffered minor cuts and bruising.

The way the old hag went on you would have thought I’d caused permanent damage. I even explained my plight in a garbled out of breath attempt to explain the story of Panhandle little bastard’s odious arse which I intended to whip, the strip poker game, the grocers daughter etc. But I feel that my garbled explanation only served to compound the situation, and she ran off crying “Pervert, Police Help”! Some people have no sense of right and wrong!

When I returned Lady Isabelle had gone, Damn my accursed luck, damn Panhandle.
He did however drop, in retrospect almost on purpose, from his person a vital clue, a small piece of paper with a minute scrawl in lapis lazuli coloured ink, an address and a name. Gunter Shnippe. What does this mean? Who the blue blazes is this Gunter chap?

Yours 

P K Randolph

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Friday 11th)

Dear Marmaduke,

Lunch down at the cricket club today was a dull affair and I have been forced to buy a complete new wardrobe as most of my belongings were waterlogged having been dumped in the paddock on order of the mystery purchaser from my estate. Luckliy I am still an esteemed member of several clubs and have a tab set up for emergencies and lost weekends. 


I was served a hot platter of assorted assortments which left me cold. They really should sort out the kitchen staff once and for all.

The only saving grace was the dessert, which I missed, having retired for a brandy and cigar.

I was perusing a copy of an antiquarian book service called strangely brown which was left in my pigeonhole and found in it a remarkable volume concerning Tang dynasty pie dishes from around 960 ad. Not in itself remarkable, I know you would argue dear friend, but page was marked and folded at the corner. The volume contained therein a blurred, faded by quite discernable picture of a trader who claimed to have found the item. I looked with disbelief as the image of Panhandle became discernable through the top half of my bifocals. The second page carried some piece about secret art circles and ancient holy relics. Again featuring a picture that looked remarkably like Panhandle.

I searched the aforementioned glossary for any clue as to the rogue’s whereabouts and found that the credit placed him in the town of Oxford. What a piece of luck dear Marmaduke, I intended to visit Oxford on Saturday.

Yours 


Piers

Flickr Show

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Wednesday 10th)

Dear Duke,

I am staying at Sinclair St. John’s house at the moment while I investigate the issue of my estate. Apparently the mystery buyer who had already purchased the estate had set about removing the fine oak balustrade and fitting ghastly reproduction cornesing but I cannot obtain details of his identity nor gain entry to my house.


On a lighter note, yesterday I received a telegram that my father had again blown himself up whilst attempting to defuse a land mine (one of his hobbies). I have repeatedly asked the staff in the home not to let him play with the mines.

He had started collecting them while in Burma and regularly blew himself and part of our home up or the bottom of the garden where he used them to keep rodents away.

The man who gave me my middle name of Khaki, named after his favorite colour, the colour of his tent, his chosen accommodation for some thirty years. Even when my mother forced him to live in the house, he painted the outside walls and roof Khaki and took all doors and windows out to make him feel at home.


He had also tried to dissuade my mother from calling me Piers, insisting on my Christian name be ‘Pottage’, a curious name from his only source of diet for those thirty years, having had a large piece of shrapnel lodged in his rectum he had dare not eat solids and had not passed a solid stool in all that time. Of course the British Army have recently conceded that this is in fact a recognised war time symptom now referred to as ‘Crushcocks shrapnel arse’ named after Dr Crushcock the man who first looked into it.

Anyway, the old git is still alive so I have decided to visit him. It was his ninety-eighth birthday last week, and I have been told by the staff that he spent a happy one, having celebrated the occasion by soiling his underpants in a carefree manner, I knew I would find him in good spirits.

Yours 

P K

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Tuesday 9th June)

Dear Marmaduke,

Having returned home, I found my house boarded up with a huge ruddy great ‘SOLD’ sign outside.

I was greeted by ‘Flinch’ the gardener who told me that a rather athletic man with a big ginger beard, had taken over the estate on some sort of compulsory purchase and informed all staff that their services would no longer be required.

Flinch had stayed on anyway out of a mixture of loyalty and senility, setting up a make shift home in the allotment shed. The ginger stranger had served papers for me and informed him that Panhandle had apparently lost my entire estate to an Irish horse breeder of some hairiness in a game of strip poker and had taken the grocery traders daughter, Flo, to the Americas where he plans to become a man of leisure. Little Bastard!

Yours 

P K

 

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Monday 1st June)

Dear Marmaduke

I have discovered that Eufat’s one eyed drunken navigation has resulted in us having landed in Liverpool!

My awkward feeling of the Maltese scenery proved correct. I have returned to the vessel and beaten him severely.

Yours

PK

 

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Day 37, I think)

Dear Marmaduke,

I have not written this diary for the last thirty or so days, as in my desperate thirst I suffered to drink the contents of my fountain pen, the resulting stream of mauve piss having greatly amused my navigator who I have finally deduced is called Eufat Foquer.

I also discovered that what I had taken to be a make-shift bunk bed was in fact a case of fifteen year old malt whisky, which the blessed fellow was trying to smuggle. Having deduced that this was the only drinkable substance on board, we both set to and have spent the remaining thirty odd days in a stupor.

Now we are here, however I have sobered up and have found some fresh ink.

Malta has changed so much since my last visit, I scarcely recognised it on our approach. So much light industry and civic building, I will tonight venture into the town.

Yours 

PK Randolph

 

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Sunday 8th)

Dear Marmaduke,

Defecating on such a small sea vessel is difficult. I did not wish to do so in front of such a swarthy old sea dog, my one man crew, and also found that adopting a position over the side of the boat created an undesirable ballast.

I discovered that through careful positioning and sheer English ingenuity, I was able to attach myself to the yard arm, swing free of the boat and was able to shit free of the paint-work which was now beginning to attract sea gulls and flies as a result of my earlier attempts.

Monday 9^th

Duke, 

I knew I should have brought some food and water! The navigator never seems to go hungry but does not understand when I ask where he stores the food. He just laughs and belches loudly and heartily.

 

Yours 

 

P K Randolph

 

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Saturday 7th)

My Dear Marmaduke,

Within hours of our having set sail, I was violently sea sick whilst listening to ‘April in Portugal’ on a gramophone, and have been plagued, thereafter by a large cortège of rather big albatrosses and a few sharks.

 

Yours

 

P K Randolph

 

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Thursday 5th May)

My Dear Marmaduke,

My navigator is a strange little man, no larger than 4’3 and has only one eye and one tooth, in the middle, at the top. He knew only a few words of English and repeated one phrase when I met him. “You like for good night big ladies?” To this I replied that I didn’t understand the nasty little man and that he should just show me his vessel. He laughed heartily.

Yours Piers.

P K Randolph - Adventures in a diary (Wednesday 4th May)

Wednesday 4th May

My Dear Marmaduke,

Damn that arrogant cock Tattler!

I today received a curiously worded letter addressed to me in hand and delivered by foot from an unknown messenger under cover of dusk and slipped under the door in the servant’s quarters.

It interested me immensely as it carried a post mark from the Indian subcontinent and made reference to an issue of urgent attention. Apparently my uncle’s plantation had fallen into the hands of a guerrilla army who, in an attempt to usurp and annex the last bastillion of the British Empire, planned to start trading the tea leaves, gee and out of date soda water for arms. I have chartered a rather small rusted china-clipper and will set sail for Malta from where I would board a cargo ship bound for India.

Duke, I am concerned in no small part to read this on two accounts. Firstly that my uncle has no plantation and secondly that prize prig Tristian Tattler will be left at large in the home counties without me to keep the peacock strutting cad in his place. This could not have been timed in a more inconvenient manner, as it is the May ball season and just the time that Tattler holds one of his huge balls all the ladies talk about. I do hope my dearest does not attend while I am away.

I have left my estate in the hands of my Panhandle, my odious but trusty manservant with strict instructions that he should not again enter the village naked, and that he should leave the goats alone.

As usual this was met with protest and he even suggested the compromise of wearing a fez, but I assured him that people in Surrey didn’t like that sort of lewd behavior.

Damn that arrogant cock Tattler!

 

Yours Piers K Randolph

 

P K Randolph - Adventures In A Diary

www.pkrandolph.com

A series of  ‘lost’ diaries, recently discovered in a house belonging to the estate of one of England’s historical seated families, has brought to light a most intriguing story.

The author of this substantial piece of work, totaling some 100 volumes, is something of a mystery to the public at large. Although better known through his influence as one of the leading art experts in a select, albeit, smaller circle of societies oldest wealth, his life beyond these social engagements, writings and public talks was completely secret; Until now.

P K Randolph was a hugely prolific writer, and the adventures, explorations and reflections on matters of art, taste and manners plays out over years through a series of correspondence between himself and his compatriot Marmaduke.

Experts are calling this discovery the most important literary, artistic and social find of the century, and plans are already afoot to publish these journals for all the world to marvel, revel and take delight in.

George Renaig, who represented the estate of Randolph, called this collection “Significant” and “As important a piece of literature as I have ever read”.

Professor Angus T. Cruft made the following comment on the historical and social context of the works; “In a time when being British is something that confuses people. In a time when manners have given way to debauchery, lack of style and complete absence of social etiquette. In a time when pleasantries exchanged between strangers in public places has been replaced by the insane rantings of those more at home in the cold rat infested containment of Bedlam, at last every gentleman has a mentor and every lady a hero. For me, Randolph represents everything that is fine, decent and good about the moral fiber of a golden age of enlightenment, class and fine taste.

We can learn a lot from Randolph and his perfect sense of what is proper and good bringing a little bit Randolph to our everyday bleakness”.

In short, these adventures are destined to become best sellers and would be hugely entertaining as a motion picture.

Animated gif of the day

The Rev.Dusty Rhodes - Roll & Rock Americana Radio Sample 2

Al Jawala... my first summer track

The Rev.Dusty Rhodes - Roll & Rock Americana Radio Sample 1

My Scoop It!

http://www.scoop.it/t/psychedelia-pop-and-other-stories

Missing Formula

Open publication - Free publishing - More literature

Demo tunes from the past

Lo-Fi home recordings - archive

Carbuncle

Carbuncle
Originally uploaded by anthonyjhughes

It may be brutalist concrete urban and unfashionable but it's iconic. What a shame the local council are going to pull it down and replace it with ....what? some civic / public shopping mall with a generic design that will date quicker than this ever would

Heavy Metal - The origins and myths explained...

 Heavy Metal - Often confused with Heavy Rock!

A little over two years ago someone mentioned a project aimed at celebrating the fact that the Midlands was the birth place of Heavy Metal. In principle a good idea except for the reference to "metal bands like Black Sabbath and Zeppelin" which infuriated me....just a little, being a bit of an 'expertanorak' on the subject of 60's/70's musicology...

I grew up in the Midlands and was surrounded by rock music from an early age. I was immersed in the culture of rock music, forced (at an early age) to listen to Deep Purple in Rock at what I now know to be dangerous volumes capable of structural damage and dragged to gigs by an older brother until myself starting to play in and promote bands.

With this in mind after 40 odd years reading, listening and 'studying' music via sleeve notes (You remember those don't you), acquiring back copies of rock journals dating back to the mid sixties (Which I bitterly regret giving away) and being a general anorak, I felt qualified to not just have a considered opinion but to challenge and try to inform them of the very important distinction between heavy rock and heavy metal as well as offer some insight into the origins.

I blogged about it and here again are some thoughts on the subject...as far as my research goes.

The origin of the term heavy metal in reference to music are often argued. In terms of popular culture as far back as 1962 the term was penned by William S. Burroughs in his 1962 novel The Soft Machine; itself later to be taken as the name for a band. Burroughs writes of the character "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". Building on this term his next novel in 1964 Nova Express, develops this theme further, heavy metal being a metaphor for addictive drugs (later to also be very popular with rock bands) Another aspect of these novels is the use of recorded sound to free oneself from a programmed life and the alienation caused by an increasingly mechanical world.

"With their diseases and orgasm drugs and their sexless parasite life forms - Heavy Metal People of Uranus wrapped in cool blue mist of vaporized bank notes - And the Insect People of Minraud with metal music" - new bands take note and read Burroughs!

Although unlikely that Burroughs had any intent to relate the term to rock music, however Burroughs' writing may have influenced later usage of the term.

The first use of the term "heavy metal" in a song lyric appears to be the words "heavy metal thunder" in the 1968 Steppenwolf song "Born to be Wild"...

"I like smoke and lightning

Heavy metal thunder

Racin' with the wind

And the feelin' that I'm under"

...though this still refers to the properties of a piece of machinery rather than in reference to music.

Derivatives of the 'Heavy' terms are evident in relation to beatnik/ counterculture slang when describing something 'serious or profound also in relation to 'Heavy Music' though not as we have come to understand the term in relation to the actual sound and later genre.

As blues music was adopted and played by 'beat groups' of the early 60's the amplification technology that helped developed louder sounds associated particularly with British bands such as The Who, The Kinks and The Pretty Things led to a 'Heavier (Louder) approach to blues. This became Blues Rock - typically slower, more amplified variations of standard popular music developed alongside this.

Two other pieces of the puzzle developed in 1968. Iron Butterfly's debut album was entitled 'Heavy' and Jimmy Page was left to fulfill a Yardbirds tour of Scandinavia with a disbanded line up. He set about calling on his contemporaries to perform as The New Yardbirds (Terry Reid, first Choice for vocals suggesting unknown Midland's Singer in Band of Joy, Robert Plant who in turn brought in fellow Midlander John Bonham) after completing the tour dates, they adopted the name suggested by Keith Moon and John Entwistle (The Who) in the phrase 'You'll go down like a lead balloon" and Led Zeppelin was launched (Or rather Lead Zeppelin (Later amended to Led at risk of being pronounced 'leed'.

In 1969 also in Birmingham, a band called Earth changed their name to Black Sabbath after performing as a 'Heavy' Blues Rock band. The prevalence of bands performing 'Heavy' music around the Midlands, still a centre of industry at the time has led many to suggest the term is largely associated with the culture and industry that formed a backdrop to the birth of these bands. Certainly biographies of The Move have claimed that the sound came from their 'heavy' guitar riffs that were popular amongst the 'metal midlands'.

Others have also laid claim to inventing the term in relation to bands and genre, Sandy Pearlman, original producer, manager and songwriter for the Blue Öyster Cult, claims to have been the first person to apply the term "heavy Metal" to rock music in 1970.

Regardless of anecdotal evidence, the earliest documented use of the term "heavy metal" appeared in May 1971 in an issue of Creem. In a review of the Sir Lord Baltimore album Kingdom Come, critic Mike Saunders used the term "heavy metal" for a musical form for the first time in print (Kingdom Come is the first studio album by American'heavy metal' band Sir Lord Baltimore, released on Mercury Records in 1970) and certainly fellow Creem critics Lester Bangs and Dave Marsh followed Saunders in using the term in reference to bands such as Black Sabbath, Vanilla Fudge, and Led Zeppelin. The album was recorded at Vantone Studios in West Orange, New Jersey, before being mixed by Eddie Kramer and Kim King at Electric Lady StudiosinNew York, New York. Kramer is well-known for his work with such artists and bands as Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, KISS, Led Zeppelin and many others.

Bands who performed 'heavy' music such as Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge, Jimi Hendrix would have an enormous influence on heavy metal. In fact, as pointed out above, Iron Butterfly in turn may have influenced Saunder's choice of the term "heavy metal" for the new music sounds.

Genre wise then, if the origins of the genre are in 'Heavy' or extremely amplified music then there are any number of contenders for the origins of the sound itself Kinks, Pretty Things, The Who as far back as 1964. Blue Cheer' version of Summertime Blues and particularly the Beatles Helter Skelter could be considered more of a prototype than Born To Be Wild which appears tame by comparison - also from 1968!

However, Andy Fraser (John Mayall's Bluesbreakers/ Free) cites producer Guy Stevens in the early days of what was to become FREE as using the term to encapsulate both band and sound with the term Heavy Metal and is certainly, from my research, the earliest use of the term Heavy + Metal in reference to a both band and genre of music.

AF: "Guy Stevens was a complete nutter - functioned on 150 octane all the time, was probably on speed, which I hadn't given a thought to at the time, but a really very nice guy, and very supportive of the band. I believe it was Guy who first suggested that we be called "The Heavy Metal Kids", which we totally resisted. It got to the point where Chris Blackwell (head of Island Records, Free's label) said, that if we weren't going to be called 'The Heavy Metal Kids", Island weren't interested. So I said "OK" and slammed down the phone. He called right back and said "OK, you win", and I've always had a great relationship with him ever since - to this day in fact".

This would therefore be prior to Spring 1968 and their November release of their debut album 'Tons of Sobs' (Also a title coined by Stevens a veritable poor man's George Martin at the time)

Even prior to this, however, may have been the missing piece of the jigsaw that led Guy Stevens to have suggested the title in the first place.

Guy was producer of an album by 'Hapshash & The Coloured Coat' who were protagonists of London's psychedelic boom of 1967. Founded by art students Michael English and Nigel Weymouth they became famous at the peak of the British psychedelic movement for their colorful and surreal posters. The album was released with the title'Hapshash and the Coloured Coat Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids' (Minit, 1967) and was a chaotic assembly of free-form jamming and percussions (the side-long instrumentalEmpires Of The Sun, A Mind Blown Is A Mind Shown The album featured the entire line-up of the Art (Mike Harrison, Greg Ridley, Mike Kellie, Luther Grosvenor) but the main contributions came from the producer, Guy Stevens.

Essentially then we have a term derived of two words Heavy and Metal. We have a genre classification that has become synonymous with that sound and we have the use of the term to describe essentially a form of heavy rock music.

So before you start making air-horned devil signs and being concerned with studded belts and high street fashion reissues of AC-DC tour t-shirts, thinking that Wolfmother are original or being worried that your 45% hair cut hasn't got enough gel, consider this.

The 'Metal' sound referenced today certainly has it's sound derived from 'Heavy Rock' music and owes it's birth to bands who took the heavy music of the late 60's into the seventies stadium fillers and later to the spandex and leather wearing extremes of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. So in that sense, 'Metal' is a product of The Midlands sound but could equally be credited to bands like The Kinks, Pretty Things, Beatles even, as referenced previously. Is heavy metal the same thing as heavy rock. Not in my opinion, it is a sub category of Heavy Rock and latterly a retrospective genre classification associated largely with the critical description of Heavy Rock music. Metal is not rock it is a sub genre and Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath were not metal bands, they were heavy rock bands.

The Midlands, whichever way you look at it, has been pretty central to most of the developments of Heavy Rock that led ultimately to a world-wide phenomena that is METAL. The main point I consider is the heritage that led to METAL - in my opinion far more important and interesting a period of music history.

Rock On!

Moving Stories

Moving Stories

A collection of Travelogue/Narrative – Written on and inspired by short train journeys

#1 Strangers on a train

It had been a long time since he had seen him. He just looked over and there he was. Not so much an acquaintance as a figure who had cropped up in his life over time, years, decades between each instance but strangely familiar.

They were on that cusp between nods, hello’s and conversation. That in between stage that made it difficult to identify their common ground. A common ground that existed in proximity, time, destinations and geography more than common interests relationships or socially.

He tried to remember whether there had been a more formal reason to acknowledge each other? Had they a mutual acquaintance once? Were they at school together but in different years? He really wasn’t sure but the familiarity felt more than sharing destinations on public transport.

He sat waiting for eye contact but not really needing it. The other figure, a man of around his age but looking slightly older, or so he imagined, sat engrossed in a book. John looked away momentarily and instantly sensed that the man looked up at the same time. Missed opportunity – but for what? What was the need to acknowledge another for no other reason than to acknowledge? He felt instantly awkward as if he was trying to solicit attention. Could his manner be misunderstood? Could it appear the intention to be noticed and acknowledge were less remote and more of vanity? Self importance or worse infatuation on his part! He resumed his sideways glance out of the window away from the other man.

The other man in turn resumed his absurd interest in what looked like a pretty boring science fiction book. He now resented the man immensely, Resented the shared proximity resented the slight but distant relationship they shared. He resolved that from that point forward he would never sit in that carriage of the train. He decided that he would have to scan the train window quickly as it pulled in to the station ensuring the book reader was not there and if he was, to stroll casually but purposefully further down the platform to the adjacent carriage and find a new routine that did not include a history shared with the sci-fi buff. Oh how many steps would he have to take to ensure their paths never crossed embarrassingly again? How would he have to check and double check that he would not end up sat opposite? He should always carry a paperback of his own or play with his mobile phone for the 37 minutes it took to reach the safety of his destination where he could disembark the train and return to anonymity, free of awkward social interaction – or lack of it. Everything would become a campaign of avoidance. Daily routines would be carefully orchestrated to avoid routines themselves which invariably lead to shared proximity and familiarity and social chit chat leading to the same situation he now found himself in as a result of that first instance of the day when they didn’t exchange ‘Hello’ or a friendly nod!

John arrived at his station resolved to his new life of carefully orchestrated anonymity. Not a moment too soon he thought as he stood up. A crowd of passengers had formed blocking his exit from in between the seats to the isle.

John carelessly looked around one last time and caught the eye of the other man.

“Hello” said the other man with a friendly smile.

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"Perya' - latest developments in affordable broadcast quality production on DSLR cameras

Bit of a technology blog this one

If, like me, you are a keen follower of the developments in DSLR Video capabilities, you will have been charting the Canon rise to fame with the EOS5D MarkII films last year including the amazing Laforet film Reverie

The changing technology seems set to revolutionize production costs while growing production values and impact on the traditional way in which commercial photography, journalists and citizen journalism responds.

The ability to shoot in full HD (Always arguable as a term by broadcast producers) on solid state, with lenses that would cost at least double is they were specific to 'video' cameras is very attractive. The look and feel of the footage is enhanced by depth of field, wide and other 'looks' that would only be achieved by costly prime lenses with video & film cameras.

The significance in changing job roles which is reflected in the paper based media in reduction and the video production training given to photography journalists also hints at an interesting future for stills based photographic journalism.

Even paparazzi are asked to provide full HD footage - able to shoot multiple fps and select that one frame where the celeb, half blinking or yawning, looks their worst.

For production of short films or even feature films this is also an exciting time. With aCanon 7D body retailing on some sites at just over £1k the production of films of broadcast quality is also within reach for many education providers, historically limited to lesser quality formats through budget, they can now produce films that would stand up in cinema projection environment.

There are downsides of course. Full HD on a shoulder mounted video is difficult enough to avoid shake, which, by time it's viewed on anything bigger than a 32" HD Television can lead to sea-sickness. A hand held stills camera body weighed down by heavy lenses is even more cumbersome. Hence the need for a quality steady cam such as the Blackbird (eghere) if not locked off on a tripod. You will also need a selection of lenses that, although cheap(er) could also stretch your budget.

The limiting of video capture length (Around 4GB/ 12 minutes at Full HD or 24 SD) may have more to do with export laws which would lead to describing the product as a ' HD video camera' and be subject to a different level of tax than the capability of the technology. Unless you are filming an extended sequence of dialogue, action or a live Prog Rock drum solo, this may not present much of a problem.

"Perya"The Perya film lists the following: Lenses: 16-35 mm 2.8 17 mm TS 35mm 1.4 50 mm 1.4 85mm 1.4 100 mm 2.8 macro 70-200 mm 2.8Though the film was shot with no additional lighting or post production grading! It was shot in 1920x1080 @ 24fps (Very filmic) Transcoded to XDcam codec and edited in Premier Pro CS3.

Production can therefore be quick and mobile as the team write in their blog;

"We got it Tuesday 6pm and had to return it the following Thursday at noon. 
We wanted to document something truly Filipino and came up with the idea of shooting a "Perya". There really is no direct equivalent in English. It's not as grand as a carnival, not as permanent and posh as an amusement park, there are no pumpkins nor cows in competition like a country fair. It is what it is - a Perya".

It will be interesting to see how DSLR production develops. Certainly in our sector the ability to create these sort of images to such a discerning audience as many of the young people who contribute to these projects is a great leap forward. The production values for the digital shorts developed by the regions film makers will also present amazing possibilities.

As the technology develops and we see true hybrid stills and video camcorder models occupy the common ground between, ideally at pro-sumer levels, this together with the ability to extend the minutes of video footage that can be captured in one shot will improve options and drive price down. At Pro level the one to watch would be the anticipated Red camcorder and it's equivalents with the promise of 2k/4k capabilities at a price which may not be that much of a leap from the current DSLR's once kitted up?

More about DSLR filmmaking can be found here

My Personal Heroes (Part One)

XOVA - 14th Floor

14th Floor - XOVA

'14th Floor' - from the band XOVA (pr. Cross Ova) New Reggae for the 21st Century offers a new, exciting & much needed face lift for the genre. Urban grooves, catchy very commercial. A band with social themes behind many of their tracks, this one centered on the experiences of single mothers in inner city ruts. I came up with a concept around guardian angels watching over her and the countless 'invisible' inner city population in need of a helping hand. I enjoyed making this video. We had just two days to get the filming done and as usual...I delivered!

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Autumn Walk - Series 2 (Traditions associated with Autumn/ Harvest)

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

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Autumn Walk - Series 1

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Autumn Walk - Series 1

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Autumn Walk - Series 1

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way.  Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all.  But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.

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Autumn Walk - Series 1

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Autumn Walk - Series 1

I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts.

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Autumn Walk - Series 1

      to a young childMargaret, are you grievingOver Goldengrove unleaving?Leaves, like the things of man, youWith your fresh thoughts care for, can you?Ah! as the heart grows olderIt will come to such sights colderBy & by, nor spare a sighThough worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;And yet you wíll weep & know why.Now no matter, child, the name:Sorrow’s springs are the same.Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressedWhat héart héard of, ghóst guéssed:It is the blight man was born for,It is Margaret you mourn for.

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Autumn Walk - Series 1

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Textures Mmmm!

Just enjoying photomatrix tonal blending options - I've only used existing photos (cheated by producing some different exposures from the original) so haven't tried out new stuff or RAW - but can't wait! very intuitive to use.

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Christmas Retail 1-5

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Christmas lights - Birmingham City Council urgently need match funding to finish their lights!

Birmingham City Council urgently need match funding for their Xmas mess...

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

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Giant Lilly's, Pamplemousse Gardens, Mauritius, Anthony J Hughes

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Giant Lilly's, Pamplemousse Gardens, Mauritius, Anthony J Hughes, originally uploaded by anthonyjhughes.

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Silver Beach, Mauritius

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Silver Beach, Mauritius, originally uploaded by anthonyjhughes.

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Palms - Silver Beach, Mauritius

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Palms - Silver Beach, Mauritius, originally uploaded by anthonyjhughes.

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Giant Lilly's (Detail), Pamplemousse Gardens, Mauritius

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Giant Lilly's (Detail), Pamplemousse Gardens, Mauritius, originally uploaded by anthonyjhughes.

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Chamarel Waterfall, Trou aux Cerfs, Mauritius

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Chamarel Waterfall, Trou aux Cerfs, Mauritius, originally uploaded by anthonyjhughes.

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Fountain in Curepipe, Mauritius

Photograph:Anthony J Hughes

Fountain in Curepipe, Mauritius, originally uploaded by anthonyjhughes.

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Blast!_Curzon Street Station Birmingham UK-Weirdest gig I ever filmed!

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Lady Georgianna - Take Heed

Here's a video I made for some friends who perform 18th century English songs. We filmed it in a beautiful garden in the Cotswolds. As the song was about warning a maiden about the evils of lost virtue I based the video on the 7 deadly sins.

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Hot House - Cold Summer

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