RITISH MEN WOULD RATHER BE MR BEAN THAN BRAD PITT

eBay.co.uk reveals all about the film we’d make of our lives

A survey commissioned by eBay.co.uk revealed that in a movie of their life, British men would rather be played by Mr Bean actor, Rowan Atkinson, than by Hollywood heart-throb Brad Pitt.

The survey asked people across the UK to name the film star they would want to play them in a movie of their life, with only chisel-jawed, Ocean’s Eleven star, George Clooney (15%) surpassing Rowan Atkinson as top choice for the men. Clooney was also the actor one in five women (21%) would want as their movie love interest.

When it comes to women, over one in four (26%) wanted British treasure Dame Judi Dench to play them in film. She was followed by Friends star Jennifer Aniston (13%) and Welsh leading light Catherine Zeta Jones (10%).

Followers of the “Brangelina” saga will be interested to know Angelina Jolie came in seventh with just 7% of the vote. Other surprise entries in the women’s choice included Jennifer Saunders at number 5 and Vicar of Dibley, Dawn French, at number 9.

A third of us (31%) would want Steven Spielberg directing our own personal blockbuster and Robbie Williams came in as top choice for the soundtrack.

eBay.co.uk spokesman, Charlie Coney, said: "Who hasn’t imagined themselves on the big screen? We all identify with film in different ways and it's great to see the British sense of humour shining through. There are nearly 400,000 DVDs for sale at any one time on ebay.co.uk so you can bring your favourite stars into your living room whenever you like."

Who British men would like to play them in a movie of their life
1 George Clooney

2 Rowan Atkinson

3 Ewan McGregor

4 Tom Cruise

5 Johnny Depp

6 Brad Pitt

7 Hugh Grant

8 Gary Oldman

9 Jim Carrey

10 Clint Eastwood

Who British women would like to
play them in a movie of their life

1 Judi Dench

2 Jennifer Aniston

3 Catherine Zeta Jones

4 Emma Thompson

5 Jennifer Saunders

6 Renee Zellweger

7 Angelina Jolie

8 Keira Knightly

9 Dawn French

10 Sandra Bullock


Who would direct the film of your life?

1 Steven Spielberg

2 Quentin Tarantino

3 Woody Allen

4 Alfred Hitchcock

5 Peter Jackson

6 Martin Scorsese

7 Ridley Scott

8 Stanley Kubrick

9 George Lucas

10 Clint Eastwood


Who would sing the soundtrack?

1 Robbie Williams

2 Madonna

3 Elvis

4 Coldplay

5 James Blunt

6 Frank Sinatra

7 Elton John

8 Celine Dion

9 Michael Jackson

10 Cliff Richard


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Animazoo launch new Gypsy5 range of portable motion capture systems.

Animazoo UK Ltd ( http://www.animazoo.com/) a Brighton based manufacturer of motion capture systems used in film, TV and Computer Games Development is launching the new Gypsy5 series, the latest models in their mechanical range of motion capture suits.

The system of suit based capture gives animators, games developers and live performers the opportunity to work with motion capture technology traditionally the reserve of big budget production houses, by freeing them from the constraints of a studio and allowing them to capture at home, on stage even out of doors. Gypsy mechanical systems were used in the making of the video game Stuart Little 3 - Big Photo Adventure, published by Sega, as well as with the BBC and Fuji television amongst others.

Sensors are incorporated into 2 separate exo-skeleton frames that fit snugly around the human body and accurately record the rotational motion of an actor's bones. By removing the spine units the new versions are more flexible, allowing a greater range of movements for the actor. New automatic actor-calibration software means faster and more efficient system set up times, with no need for bio-mechanical knowledge - users simply 'drag and drop' points over an actor's digital photograph.

Ali Kord, Technical Director of Animazoo, says: "Nowadays consumers know a lot about the technology behind blockbuster films such as King Kong - they know that motion capture was used and marvel at the results. By making
systems more accessible and affordable we can bridge the gap between understanding about this technology and actually using it! That will be a big step forwards."

The new Gypsy5 will have it's first showing at the Games Developers Conference (GDC) in San Jose, California from 20 - 24th March, by Animazoo's North American distributor Meta Motion at booth number 1545. It is priced at US$ 25,000. Upper body only Torso systems are available from US$10,000.


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ACADEMIC FILM BUFFS UNITE AT BRADFORD FILM FESTIVAL


A convention to celebrate the study of film will take place next week as part of the Bradford Film Festival 2006.

The Crash Cinema Symposium, which will feature presentations from academic film experts from across the UK, will run from 10am until 6pm on Wednesday 15 March 2006 in the Cubby Broccoli Cinema at Bradford's National Museum of Photography, Film & Television. Admission is free.

The Symposium, now in its fifth year, is a showcase of the co-operation between the Museum, the University of Bradford's Electronic Imaging & Media Communications (EIMC) Department and Bradford School of Art.

Mark Goodall, a lecturer in the University's EIMC Department, was the brainchild behind Crash Cinema and has co-ordinated the programme. He said: "Crash Cinema celebrates the study of film. We've gathered a highly respected group of experts to discuss how people interpret it, looking at some terrific and sometimes bizarre examples of films from early cinematic works to the modern day.

"The Crash Cinema Symposium is chiefly interested in unearthing political, social and cultural meanings as articulated through the art of film and this is a great event for anyone who is interested in delving deeper into the meanings, messages and styles of cinema.

"We'll be tackling allsorts during the day from the definition of 'cool' in films such as The Virgin Suicides and Wild at Heart, to representations of race and ethnicity in contemporary film drama."

For more information about the Bradford Film Festival 2006, which runs until Saturday 18 March 2006, visit www.nmpft.org.uk/bff/2006/home.asp


Crash Cinema
PROGRAMME

WILL GODFREY (University of Bradford)
THE MIRROR CRACKED:
REVERSE MANICHEAN ALLEGORY IN YASMIN
Starts: 10.00am
Representations of race and ethnicity in contemporary film drama.


ELAINE LENNON (Dublin Institute of Technology)
WHOLE LOTTA MOTHERLOVE:
FAMILY MELODRAMA IN THE BABY
Starts: 10.40am
A study of Ted Post's 1972 kitsch comedy - a 'psycho-sexually perverse grotesquery masquerading as melodrama'.


ZACHARY SNIDER (London Metropolitan University)
THE MILLENNIAL ADULTRESS:
THE CINEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF OLDER WIVES CHEATING WITH YOUNGER MEN
Starts: 11.30am
An exploration of the narratives of older woman/younger man romances in contemporary film.


ANDREW WEBBER (Chatham Grammar School for Girls)
TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF COOL
Starts: 12.10pm
Defining notions of 'cool' in films such as The Virgin Suicides, The Getaway and Wild at Heart.


ROBERT SIMPSON (Queen's University, Belfast)
WOMB WOUNDS:
THE FEMALE AS A THREAT IN THE FILMS OF NEIL MARSHALL
Starts: 1.50pm
The evolution of the role of women in 'life and death' films such as Dog Soldiers and The Descent.


JAMES EVANS (University of Brighton)
MAD, BAD AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW:
REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ARTIST IN CINEMA
Starts: 2.30pm
An examination of the myths and narratives of various cinematic attempts at capturing the 'obsessive' or 'deviant' image of the visual artist.


JAMES RILEY (Cambridge University)
RE/MEMBERING THE IMAGES:
PETER WHITEHEAD'S CINEMATIC FICTIONS
Starts: 3.10pm
Uncovering the processes by which Peter Whitehead merges screenwriting with memoir and fiction, the visual and the textual.


CATHERINE BRADLEY (University of Huddersfield)
'IMAGINARY HERO' - A CONSIDERATION OF PROT AND HIS MATRIARCHAL WONDERLAND K-PAX
Starts: 4pm


MARK ASTLEY (Freelance writer)
FROM REEL TO REAL:
THE SNUFF AESTHETIC IN URBAN MYTH AND REALITY
Starts: 4.40pm
A study of the re-emergence of the 'snuff' film in contemporary media culture and its representation in films such as Hardcore and 8mm.