Monday 26 May 2008

New project

Well, the good news is that we are definitely 'on' for the John Piper film, commissioned by Mike Goldmark of the Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham. The bad news, to a certain extent, is that if we are to accomplish all the filming we want to capture before the dark days creep in, we'll have to film on location once a fortnight from now until late September - which doesn't leave a toadstool of space for FBSG. I'll try to continue logging FBSG and writing the film scripts but the main problem is that having left a project for a certain length of time the exact visual recall of the hours of film becomes dimmed, so if something proves to be not quite right, you can't necessarily recall a tidbit which would suffice or improve.
Nevertheless, we aren't complaining, it keeps us busy and the brains ticking over, and we now have a sister blog which records progress on the new project, to be found on: http://piperpapers.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 14 May 2008

Coping?



Work, the garden, everything is beginning to overwhelm me!
Garden - I'm a fair weather gardener and the weather has been so lousy that I've hardly been out this year until the current heat wave, and then I suddenly realised the weeds had taken over, so had a mad splurge the last few days and it looks tolerably better, but with 1/2 acre to tend tout seul (although I draw the line at mowing the lawns) it's a bit of a facer.
Work - Returning from the last trip to Film Farm I worked flat out for a few days on our new project and then an absolutely hectic week on the Tokyo Brangwyn Exhibition 2010 for which I've been appointed consultant curator. Plus lectures, meetings, general catching up - FBSG hasn't had much of a look in. And in recording Driftwood #3 I mistakenly let myself in for completely revamping the Reproductions page of my Brangwyn website and adding all 100 illustrations - something I've been meaning to do for ages, but takes a tad longer than a few minutes!
But I did get a break to celebrate Labour Day and we had a walk round the Saxon Shoreline north of Folkestone with views of Sheppey and then back inland to Luddenham, windswept and pleasantly bleak (contradiction in terms?) and one could almost imagine what the coast would have been like centuries ago with just a few dotted farmsteads, sheep grazing, birdlife flourishing. then on to the Sportsman at Seasalter, which I believe is the only pub in England to have a Michelin star and it was EXCELLENT. Nothing pretentious, plain decor, scrubbed oak tables, mix of chairs, relaxed but knowledgeable waitresses and good quality fresh food superbly cooked - so if ever you are in the region - make a detour! (beachuts at Seasalter above)

Off again Saturday to visit my mother, travelling via Northampton armed with tripod and the new Olympus E510 - very swanky! Then a few days at Film Farm either discussing the new project or getting on with FBSG. Our projected trip the first week in June to interview Andrea about Miscellany's approach to the music and thence on to Gareth to film him making the stained glass panel has had to be postponed unfortunately - probably until August.
(below: Bluebell woods, Kent, 1 May 2008)