Aveleyman – Internet Curio

I came across this website the other day. It's a sort of internet movie data base created by (I hope) one guy. It isn't IMDB. In a world where IMDB exists how and why does this keep going. I love it as a testament to one guys commitment to film, I love the aesthetics, it harks back to an age when people made websites and they were personalised totally, (I'm not going to rant about the blandification which myspace imposed on the web). The site is just impressive- perhaps that's it actually- that I'm fairly sure it's one person behind this sprawling, slightly clunky but very rich website makes it a labour of love, a feeling which the more factually accurate and reliable IMDB lacks.  

Long Live The People's Internet.

Videos

First up a lovely music video which my new studio chum Clara showed me, for The Mariners Children. The animation style is simple and genuine and kind of innocent, I really like it and can't put my finger on why- I think maybe it's the music video equivalent of a zine or something. Next up is a video showing the Tom Sachs studio rules. Beautifully done, funny and also some pretty solid rules. A nice insight into the workings of a great studio.

Offset

Came across a brilliant set of videos from Offset which is a 3 day creative conference. These videos are from 2009- expect the 2010 one shortly. But the line up is brilliant and it's a great resource- all are good but I am a massive fan of the Oliver Jeffers, David Shrigley, Chip Kidd, Harry Pearce and Anthony Burrill talks. All excellent. Offset link: here.

Mitchell & Kenyon

I was recently lent a great documentary film about Lancashire based film duo Mitchell and Kenyon. The pair were active in the early 1900s and shot Edwardian life to use as entertainment in the traveling shows. For example they would set up their camera to take footage of factory workers coming out of the gates at the end of the day- they would encourage people to get in shot and people smiled and waved and stuff and then the film would be shown the following evening as part of a nights entertainment and people would come and watch themselves on the screen.

It's fascinating to historians as it provides a valuable insight into life then and specifically in and around the North West of the country. But I think it's more interesting when you start to consider spectacle and documentary and home video. It's also really interesting as when you see footage of these people from a hundred years ago (which normally you see as static photographs) you quickly understand what a short time ago it was and, we always consider people back then to be juddery (thanks to different frame rates on many cameras and stuff ) or stiff (as in the smart photographs) but when you see people moving around freely and normally (and I know it sounds stupid, but as you or I would) the anachronistic clothing and cars and stuff is forgotten a human connection emerges which I hadn't expected. You do get a real sense for the people in the images- smiling and being excited about this new technology. I wish I could have that novelty of being filmed and watching myself on screen in such an innocent way as they did. Sadly it will never be- I've grown up with cameras and video and the spectacle of cinema and the unreal on screen, not to mention the fact that any city dweller has to give into the fact that they are probably filmed 50 times a day (or whatever the scaremongers tell us).

A really interesting and worth watching artifact.