Complicated or What?

Well, having completed all the filming (except for Gareth making stained glass), I decided the time had come, the time that shall surely be, to draw up a DVD Menu - a moment I appreciate you had all been awaiting agog.

When one opens the DVD there will be a title and a jolly rush of images of windows, which leads into the mission statement and 3 buttons. With one of these you can skip the intro, the other 2 allow you to enter the catalogue raisonne or the film options.

Let us assume you want to look at the Cat Rais (of course you do). This is basically just like a book, and copiously illustrated, but you can either read it on screen or print it yourself from the PDF file. The window (as in computers, not glass) will show 8 buttons which lead to - Acknowledgements, Bibliography, Introduction (containing a brief history of stained glass, how glass is made and stained glass panels are made, and Brangwyn's involvement in general), Glossary of terms, Glass makers (details of the glass makers with whom FB worked), a printable index, a copy of this Blog, and Stained Glass Windows. This latter button leads to another window with 8 further buttons which give one the catalogue raisonne details for Small Works (small or shelved commissions), Tiffany (details of six panels), Bucklebury, Northampton, Manaton, Bruges, Dublin and Elveden.

If however you decided to investigate the Film Options you would be presented with a window with 6 buttons titled something like Main Film (this gives an overall history of all the windows together with interviews with experts and practitioners and parishioners and will be about 30-40 minutes long), Making Stained Glass (an educational film devoted to Gareth's work producing a stained glass panel from a design Brangwyn made for Tiffany in 1899 and also showing how stained glass is produced at English Antique Glass), Biography (a 10 minute film with commentary including shots of places FB lived and some of his works), Stained Glass Windows (eight 10-15 minute films providing more detailed descriptions of the windows, together with interviews with such luminaries as Brian Clarke, Peter Cormack, Martin Eidelberg, Martin Harrison and Patrick Reyntiens), Slide Show (eight slide shows containing 20-30 slides of each window or group of windows). The last button, Music, leads to yet another window with 2 buttons entitled Sound Tracks (of the Miscellany recording) and Interviews (with Mike Westbrook and Andrea Argent).

And if we still have the energy there may be an Easter Egg (which, for the uninitiated is a hidden file)!

So that's a fair bit of work for both of us and lots of complicated structural techy stuff for Charles. I feel absolutely exhausted just contemplating it. Sit down Libby, have a break.

FFFF Thursday and Friday

John Tennant and part of the Nativity window at St Mary the Virgin, Bucklebury.

The sundial and fly.

Great excitment Thursday morning because in loading up the car we discover that mine hosts have a whole gaggle of beautiful hens, some of which lay blue eggs, which got CM thinking about expanding his flock again.

A short drive to Bucklebury to interview John Tennant about the windows in the church and take some more shots to supplement the filming we had done there a couple of years back for ART? It's just a job! (the Brangwyn film commissioned by Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham) - but you all knew that I guess. Another good session and I took a photo of the fly in the glass reminding us that tempus fugit! A good reason to carpe diem!

And thus back to Film Farm, two rather weary souls, but all is not over yet, because on Friday CM has to put all the film rushes onto DVD for me, together with built-in timecodes, and the stills on to a CD, and we also had a telephone interview with Martin Adams about the iniquitous events at the William Morris Gallery for DRIFTWOOD's first rant session. And we recorded some links and CM made the most wonderful intro from the sound of the sea and gulls at Dawlish and the harp and hang we taped in Dublin (see 12 September 2007). AND he treated himself to a coal fired Fish and Chips from Stickney for lunch, the latest 'find' (I succeeded in ducking out and opted for anchovy fillets and artichoke hearts and some killer Lincolnshire Poacher).

Farraginous, Falemic, Flapdoodle February.

FFFF 8 bags Wednesday

Expressive or what? Brian Clarke and the ever youthful Martin Harrison

We always knew this would be the killer day and so it proved.

Early starts are not on Charles' agenda but I had to bang down his door at 6.30 so that we could pack and be at the Royal Academy by 8am. No breakfast but at least the pre-ordered taxi was prompt - 8 bags checked in. We were in the RA Library again, a beautiful room, looking at sketchbooks FB had left to the RA which included sketches for St Andre's monastery outside Bruges, and also photographing a large study for the Northampton window. We succeeded in finishing before the 10am deadline and somehow struggled with our 8 bags to the nearest coffee bar for a much needed shot of caffeine and croissants.

8 bags - check, and the next taxi which took us to Martin Harrison's house near Sussex Gardens where we set up the green screen and interviewed Martin (an art historian and authority on Victorian stained glass) and Brian Clarke (an artist and stained glass designer of renown). As you can see from the images, both sessions were lively events as well as the gentlemen being very erudite and good speakers.

8 bags - check. Martin kindly helped us lug them to Sussex Gardens where we flagged down a taxi to take us to Imperial College where there is a cartoon for the Youth and Age window FB designed for Tiffany. Last time I went to see this work I waltzed in happily through the Prince Consort Road entrance. Now however they have installed security devices making it impossible to enter. A guard finally took pity on us and led me to the office of my contact. He wasn't there of course so then we went looking for the Prof but he wasn't there either. Then we went to the Common Room and luckily spotted the contact en route so raced after him. It transpired that he knew nothing about our visit but, having read my email confirmation, kindly let Charles into the building and helped us carry 8 bags to the room in question. We had only been there a matter of minutes when a rather flustered lady marched in and demanded to know what we were doing, announcing that she had millions of hopeful students about to descend on the room. We smiled graciously and made due obeiscance and I waved the magic email once more. Slightly mollified she allowed us to remain for the 20 minutes it took for CM to set up and photograph said cartoon. Then - 8 bags - check and a slow and tired walk through the college to Exhibition Road and another taxi ride, this time to Temple Lodge, Hammersmith, Brangwyn's home from 1900 to the mid 1930s.

CM was by this time 'faint for lack of nourishment' so we popped into The Gate, the vegetarian restaurant in what used to be Brangwyn's studio. We each had a fabulous fruity/veggie drink and CM had a morsel to fill his hollow legs. Then some filming of the front and back of FB's house and the river for the bio section. I'd hoped to be able to leave London by 4pm but this turned out not to be the case. For one thing, trying to hail a taxi in Hammersmith proved impossible, so we finally had to ring for one. 8 bags - check, back to the multi-storey car park where China had stayed overnight - the charge wasn't quite as horrifying as anticipated luckily. 8 bags into the car, and off we head for Chieveley.

We had promised ourselves a really good meal for this evening at The Crab at Chieveley and had booked a taxi from the B&B. Unfortunately by this time it was rush hour and we just crawled out of London. Then there was a hold up on the M4, we tried diverting via Slough (also busy), and we anticipated having to give up our repast. However we did finally arrive with sufficient time to spare for a wash and brush up and a change of clothes.

And it was all worthwhile because the meal was EXCELLENT (if expensive). Strange company though - one lady managed to pour a glass of red wine all over the white tabelcloth and her dress, and at the next table a couple spent the entire meal consulting their matching laptops! I think if I had been the management I'd have told said offending couple that if they didn't appreciate my food sufficiently to eat it, observing the niceties, then they could take their trade elsewhere!

View through Brangwyn's front door - wonderful streaky yellow glass!

FFFF Monday and Tuesday

Having sorted out the equipment, charged batteries (mechanical and human) and girded loins, we loaded up the poor overworked car and set off for Steyning, an attractive village just north of Brighton, but not over blessed with eateries open on Mondays.

As we prepared to set off on Tuesday morning I discovered that Charles' hat had fallen out of the car the previous evening (apparently my fault of course). Lying as it was on the ground, said headgear had experienced more than a little rain during the night. It was sodden, and the weather still being of an inclement nature, CM wished to keep his head warm and dry. I was not the most popular bunny.

However we decamped to Ditchling and for safety's sake parked the car next to the wonderful little museum in that village. Although the museum is officially closed at present, not only was Hilary (the curator) there, but also a gentleman who was giving a demonstration of the Stanhope press which used to belong to Pepler (dated 1805). Now CM owns miles upon miles of typeset and a couple of presses which will come into their own in the next but however many house renovations, so he was absolutely delighted to be able to see the press in action (as was I actually, it was fascinating) - DAY SAVED!

We also trudged round Ditchling in the wind and the rain getting film and photos for the bio of Brangwyn to be included in FBSG, and even went up to the Jack and Jill windmills where the wind was so strong we nearly got blown away.

Next port of call, Lewes, to interview Martin Eidelberg, Professor Emeritus of Art History, Rutgers University, an expert on all matters Tiffany, and a lovely, lovely man with a great sense of fun (see photo). Not only did he give us lunch and do the agreed Tiffany/Brangwyn/Bing interview but he also talked about the Clara Driscoll book for DRIFTWOOD! (See also Crackers, 13 Janaury 2008) What a STAR!

Followed by a V E R Y L O N G dark, wet drive to London, catching the rush hour traffic. UGH!

FABULOUS FEBRUARY FLYABOUT FORAY

Got the chair - where's my crew?

With abject apologies for flagging the incorrect title previously!

Armed with my special FFFF folder (FFFFF) mit pretty pink label, I arrived at Film Farm (FF) on a wonderful sunny Saturday to be greeted as usual by Muriel and Dot. After catching up with their news, Charles I had lunch, over which he expounded on the recent techy exhibition he had attended (Broadcast Live & Video Forum at Earl's Court 2), in particular the podcast seminar. I had been contemplating how I could reach a wider audience with my lectures (since the fees marginally lessen the hole in my pocket resulting from my independent research projects). Would a podcast be the answer?

We mulled over possibilities whilst making marmalade for Hare in the Gate enterprises, this particular batch being named Groundhog Marmalade in honour of the day.

Like Topsy (not Morris) the idea grew, became totally unassociated with the initial scheme, took on a life of its own, and by Sunday evening we had evolved the idea of a general arts podcast along the lines of a radio magazine programme, taking in art exhibitions, book revues, poetry, music, food, the inevitable Brangwyn soundbite, and a rant. It is to be titled DRIFTWOOD.

Being incapable of resisting a challenge has led me into many strange activities including marathon running, triathlons, frisking round in Dawlish cove in distinctly cold weather, and writing film scripts. I have more than sufficient on my platter as it is without taking on more responsibilities. Am I completely barking? Answers on a postcard.

Have you noticed the favicon on my website? Isn't that fun? A design FB stencilled on the exterior of Bing's Galerie L'Art Nouveau in Paris, 1895, no less!