My favourite things of 2016 become ever more important in this tumultous year. Brexit and Donald Trump?
The danger is the sharp turn to the right will mean a death of the arts. A world without art and artists is a sobering thought. Here are some of my art heroes of the past year:
Favourite things: Music
I love music of all sorts. 2016 saw the loss of two of my all-time favourites: David Bowie and then fellow countryman Leonard Cohen. Website A.V Club has a great list of the top 20 albums of 2016 – it’s well worth a browse.
Somehow they’ve missed out my favourite: Future Standards by the inimitable Howe Gelb. Here’s my favourite track where Howe is joined by Lonna Kelley.
Favourite things: Art
David Datuna was a juror at this year’s Raindance Film Festival. His revolutionary work has to be experienced to be believed. Seizing on the madness of the recent American election campaign David has created a stunning piece of cenceptual art in November.
Favourite things: Film
I saw La La Land last night (December 17th) at BAFTA followed by a Q&A with writer/director Damien Chazelle , composer Justin Hurwitz and Emma Stone. It really blew it away. Again to mention my motherland, but Ryan Gosling is awesome (as is Emma Stone). I also love the story of how La La Land nearly didn’t get made.
Favourite things: 360/Virtual Reality
Back in January I realised there wasn’t anyone teaching how 360/VR could be used for story. I bumped into the most amazing 360/VR filmmaker, Jonny Johnson of SpeedVR.
The Raindance Saturday 360/VR Film School was born. Jonny demonstrates and talks about the ins-and-outs of shooting in-the-round in a unique one day class.
The kit we use on courses is this little beauty which edits and loads onto Youtube in seconds. It’s ideal for learning and for proof-of-concept. Yes, Raindance will earn about a fiver if you buy it >HERE<
Favourite things: Dance
You don’t need to like dance to like Michael Clark Company. Your only pre-requisite is to adore David Bowie and to love dancers doing things with their bodies you never thought possible.
Favourite things: Health
Health is energy.
I’ve always had tonnes of energy. I’m pretty easy on myself actually. I’ve a few simple rules I follow diet and exercise-wise. I walk about seven or eight miles a day and watch what I eat.
I also follow a couple of blogs:
My current favourite is a new one CalmingCrohns.com. There’s always inspirational messages, health tips, recipes and ideas that work for everyone, Crohn’s sufferers or not (luckily I’m not).
Ecology
Two things keep me up at night: Politics and the horros in the East. and the ecological damage we are wrecking on the planet.
I became near-vegan before I started Raindance because of the ecological damage a carnivorous diet does to the environment. Most think of me as a nutter (or nut-eater). Here’s an interesting read from Terence Blacker: The awkward ecology around eating meat.
I could go on. I will likely add to this later. Have you some favourite things? Let us know in the comments below:
Did You Know?
- Raindance Film Festival is considered one of the top fifteen film festivals in the world?
- Raindance has a Higher Education programme offering HND, BA and MA in Filmmaking and Screenwriting?
- Raindance members support indie film, and enjoy a range of benefits
- Let Raindance guide you on your filmmaking pathway. call +44 (0) 207 930 3412 or email filmschool@raindance.ac.uk
Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
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