Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Last Resort
A documentary film about the decline of Portsmouth as a traditional seaside resort has won first prize for three student film-makers who graduate this week.
The University of Portsmouth students won the award for 'best documentary' at the Inspire Film Festival for their graduate film'The Last Resort' which received critical acclaim from the judging panel including legendary film critic, Barry Norman. The film explores the decline of the Southsea as a traditional seaside resort told from the perspective of an elderly sea-swimmers group, a sea-front cafe manager and the owner of a model village.
The 16 minute film made by Russell Oastler, David Kinnaird and Lucas Way has since been picked up by the Sunday Times Short Film Community, an online showcase for the work of new film-makers which goes live in August.
Russell, 28, who directed the film was born and bred in Portsmouth and said he selected the location and the characters after taking photographs of the sea-front and noting how much it had changed since he enjoyed happy times there as a child with his family.
He said: "I remembered my childhood in Southsea as the golden age of the bucket and spade but when I saw it again with fresh eyes everything looked rather tired. I decided to make a film which explored the decline of through the eyes of some of the locals who have seen it change over the years."
The film explores the declining fortunes of The Big Wheel Cafe at Clarence Pier and Southsea's model village, run by Mike Armet, who owns the attraction on Southsea Esplanade.
The film also introduces a group of Southsea die-hard swimmers who take a dip in the Solent's chilly water 365 days a year. Some have been swimming there for over 30 years and even swim on Christmas Day. Sadly one of their group, 86 year old Dorothy Browning, passed away during the making of the documentary and the film has been dedicated to her memory.
Russell, who has just returned from work-experience on a professional short film, said it was never his plan to be a documentary film-maker but enjoys the unplanned nature of the medium.
"I like the idea that you don¿t really know what might happen in a documentary - it could be something totally unexpected," he said.
The students' tutor, Ben Thompson from Creative Technologies, said that the film has a great deal of substance and showed level of maturity which deserved to the recognition.
He said: "A documentary director needs the ability to get the most from the people taking part in the film - it's a special skill which you just can't teach, it's intuitive. It's a superb film and all three have what it takes for a career in film-making."
The three students, who collected their award this week, graduate from their course in BA Hons Television and Film Production today when they will also receive the Creative Technologies departmental prize for Best Short Documentary.
David Kinnaird also collects the prize for Best Digital Cinematography for which he receives a digital video camera from a representative from industry specialists, JVC, who sponsored the award.
The film can be seen at: http://vimeo.com/12377469
Friday, July 16, 2010
London Indian Film Festival
UK Welcomes first ever Film Festival celebrating Alternative Indian Cinema
Celebrating the burgeoning movement of alternative Indian cinema, the first ever annual London INDIAN Film Festival launched from 15th – 20th July in London, showcasing a repertoire of cutting edge films from some of India’s hottest independent talents. Going way beyond Bollywood, these are films that challenge, push the boundaries, activate debate and present a more realistic view of India today in all its colour and diversity.
Showcasing the work of India’s new wave of avant-garde filmmakers, London INDIAN Film Festival’s programme of films will be screened across London, opening in West End at Cineworld, Haymarket then continuing at Barbican, Nehru Centre, Watermans and Genesis cinemas. The Festival covers a wide range of themes and issues from family dramas, coming-of age tales to twisted urban romance. What pervades many of these films is a new more assured Indian cool, experimenting with cinematic styles, new technology and influenced by themes both East and West, which has helped them win favour with the young in-crowd in super cities like Mumbai, as well as with connoisseurs of world cinema across the globe.
India is the largest film producing country in the world producing up to 1,000 films a year and out stripping Hollywood. But apart from mainstream Bollywood, very few of these films are seen in the UK. Cary Rajinder Sawhney, Festival Director explains, “Apart from just showing great movies, we also aim to help get these films talked about and screened more broadly in cinemas in the UK, in the same way that Iraniain cinema has been. London of course has a huge Asian audience for these movies, but many Brits would also like to see what’s going on in the 1.2 billion strong India today and cinema is a great way to do this”.
The London INDIAN Film Festival opens at Cineworld, Haymarket on 15th July with the UK Premiere of the groundbreaking‘Love, Sex Aur Dhokha’, (‘Love, Sex and Betrayal’) by director, Dibakar Banerjee. Through three intertwined tales, this controversial film explores sexuality, voyeurism, love and betrayal in modern India. The film features a cast of unknowns, but it’s radical revision, challenging the romantic Indian fairy-tale romance, was a big Box Office hit when it was released in India in March. Featuring India’s first ever on-screen sex scene, the Premiere will screen the uncensored, international version of the film, rather than the censored India version. The Opening Night screening will be attended by an array of international celebrities and VIP’s.
Other highlights of the festival include the high-impact ‘City of Gold’ by maverick director, Mahesh Manjrekar, on the forgotten history of mill workers of Mumbai whose livelihoods were crushed when the mills were converted into a development of glitzy shopping malls and five star hotels. Meanwhile, ‘Last Chance Mumbai’ is a sophisticated multi-strand ensemble exploring the connective lives of the city’s inhabitants over a 24-hour period by acclaimed director, Saeed Akhtar Mirza.
‘Road to Sangam’ directed by Amit Rai, explores ideas of Nation India and sometimes conflicting religious identity. It tells the story of one Muslim man’s desire to help take Mahatma Gandhi’s remaining ashes to the holy river and explores the experiences of Muslims living in India 60 years after Independence. The Closing Night Film is the UK Premiere ‘Vihir’ (‘The Well’) by award winning director Umesh Kulkarni (World Premiered at Berlin Film Festival), which is stunningly filmed against the grandeur of the rolling Indian plains, as two adolescent friends inspire each other’s journey to manhood.
London INDIAN Film Festival partners from across the industry are supporting the Festival. The Satyajit Ray Foundation’s Short Film Competition has joined the Festival with the winning filmmaker receiving a £1,000 Award on 20th July at Cineworld, Haymarket.
For more information and bookings please visit www.londonindianfilmfestival.
101 WAYS TO LEAVE A GAMESHOW
Episode Two Broadcasting on Saturday 17th July on BBC One
Time again for eight more would-be daredevils to join Steve Jones and co–host Nemone on the mighty tower of steel in the ultimate battle of wits, nerves and general knowledge.
In this game getting a question wrong involves more than just an embarrassing early exit - it means the contestants face being dropped, flung or pushed off the studio, quite literally. In order to bag the £10,000 cash prize the players answer questions in a series of rounds that whittle the field down from eight to one.
Tonight’s show includes a children’s’ entertainer and a beautician doing battle to stay in, and more importantly on, the world’s most terrifying multiple-choice test. As always staying in the game is a double edged sword – the contestants are one step closer to the prize whilst the exits get more and more horrific.
This week theatre nurse, Sabrina tries to over come her fear of heights whilst taking on the shopping trolley dash from hell in Exit 19 ‘Supermarket Smash’. IT consultant Barry tussles with HR manager Katy over an answer that might stop one of them leaving the show on Exit 36 - a slow tipping board over a sheer 80 foot drop aptly named ‘Rip Off’.
Meanwhile IT analyst Sudhir likens himself to all action hero Keanu Reeves - something he will try and avoid proving during Exit 52 which Nemone reveals as ‘Armchair Armageddon’ – a chance for the contestants to put their feet up on a comfy chair, only for one unlucky player to be back flipped into oblivion.
With the field trimmed down to just four, Exit 97 could prove to be their worst nightmare with the contestant with the wrong answer being dropped out of the game by being plunged into a deep pool tied to a concrete block.
As night falls the last three contestants face the grand final, Exit 101 itself - ‘The Trap Door’. Here, only one contestant will be left standing over the quick release trap doors by choosing the only correct answer and, in doing so, get to take the stairs down and home with the £10,000 cash prize.
Monday, July 12, 2010
“Digital Revolutions” short film competition with cash prizes
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT - teams up with Sheffield Doc/Fest and Crossover to deliver competition - |
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, today announced the launch of the “Digital Revolutions” short film competition, with Sheffield Doc/Fest, the biggest documentary film festival in the UK and Crossover, an international digital media and content programme. The Institute has put up £10,000 for the top prize in the public category, with everyone over 18 encouraged to have a go.
To enter, participants must submit films of up to three minutes that show how they see the world they live in, and how information and information technology impacts it. The aim is to build a unique snap shot of how people view the information society that we live in today. However, creativity and skill alone won’t be enough. The competition is taking a unique approach and will also look at how entrants use social media to get their films noticed. Building a fan base for your film will be as challenging as creating the film itself.
To enter, films must be submitted to the Digital Revolutions channel on YouTube and an entry form on the Digital Revolutions home page must be completed. [http://sheffdocfest.com/view/
Elizabeth Sparrow, President, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said:
“We want people in the UK to tell us how their lives have been changed by information and information technology and what this might mean for their communities in the future. We think this will be the biggest ever information competition to unlock the public’s creativity and we’ve teamed up with Sheffield Doc/Fest and Crossover to deliver that”.
Heather Croall, Director, Sheffield Doc/Fest said:
“This unique competition will explore the effects of the digital revolution on the lives of people in the UK. We want people to use their creativity to show how information and information technology has affected every aspect of their lives, including in the areas of safety, health, citizenship, communication, culture, the environment, commerce and work. We’ll also be looking at how social media has been used to promote the films. While it’s never been easier to produce and share content, getting it seen and building up some momentum behind it is a challenge when so much material is out there.”
Entrants will also have the chance to speak to experts and get advice on producing and marketing their films before entering at regional workshops run by Crossover.
Frank Boyd, Director, Crossover said:
“Crossover will be hosting a series of regional workshops where potential entrants are encouraged to take the opportunity to have their questions answered and get expert advice first hand. We will be focused on helping people develop their material and unlock their creative potential so that they can express their ideas in the best possible way. We’ll also be sharing advice on how digital content is best marketed and distributed online to ensure that the films are seen by the widest possible audience.”
Further details of the workshops will follow shortly, as well as a full list of judges.
The winning entries will be decided by a panel of five judges including Frank Boyd, Heather Croall, Elizabeth Sparrow, President of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. A further two high-profile judges will be announced soon.
Entries will open today and close on Friday 15 October 2010. The winners will be announced on 5 November 2010 at an event at Sheffield Doc/Fest that winners will be invited to attend.
More information is available on [http://sheffdocfest.com/view/
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
WeeFT at the Ulster Hall
Appalachian tap dancers, Icelandic ‘fishbillies’ and an early work from the director of Star Wars are just some of cinematic treats on offer at the WeeFT, a joint project between QFT and the trans Festival.
From Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 July, the Ulster Hall Group Space will be transformed into a bespoke micro-cinema, showing a range of cult classics, new avant-garde productions and adaptations. There will be regular lunchtime and evening screenings and tickets are just £3 per film, or £10 for a WeeFT pass.
Susan Picken, Head of QFT said:
“QFT aims to encourage people to watch new and classic film in innovative ways so we are delighted to be working with trans on the WeeFT. It offers a great way for new audiences to enjoy what QFT does and with one our most eclectic line-ups ever, film fans are sure to find something they’ll enjoy.”
A silent, non-narrative work from 1943, Meshes of the Afternoon is one of the most influential works in American experimental cinema. It has been identified as a key example of the trance film, in which a protagonist appears in a dreamlike state, and the camera conveys his or her subjective focus.
Described by director Charles Laughton as a “nightmarish Mother Goose”, The Night of the Hunteris a profoundly disturbing psychodrama. Driven by a performance by Robert Mitchum that goes a long way to defining on-screen evil, this is a strange, tense and at times dream-like film that still sends a shiver down the spine.
We Call it Skwee explores a new electronic sound which came out of Scandinavia in 2005. Skwee quickly built up an international cult following with an interest in fun and fresh electronic music revitalised by the funky lo-fi squeaks and bleeps coming from the cold reaches of Finland and Sweden.
Star Wars fans won’t want to miss THX 1138 – Vers:on, a special screening of one of George Lucas’ earliest writing and directorial projects. Experienced DJ/VJ team Pete Donaldson and Ed Hughes have rebuilt THX 1138 with contemporary audio and video tools and are performing the cult sci-fi hit live, retaining the atmosphere and loose narrative of the original.
In Daft Punk’s Electroma, the titular band members play two robots who journey on a quest to become human. Their odyssey takes them across a hauntingly beautiful dystopian American landscape from endless highways to deserted towns in a surreal moving painting.
The WeeFT will feature two films from ‘Master of Horror’ and ‘Godfather of Gore,’ cult director Dario Argento, whose feverishly violent films exhibit a level of artistry rarely seen in horror cinema.
Considered by many to be Argento’s finest film, Deep Red is the startling tale of a musician who witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic, and sets out to snare her killer. Opera is often considered as the director’s last great film, and is also his bleakest work – a serial killer becomes infatuated with a young opera singer in this tale of obsession and sadistic desire.
An hilarious exercise in low (almost no) budget film making from director Shane Meadows, Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee is a mockumentary following the day to day life of Le Donk (Paddy Considine), failed father, second-rate roadie, aspiring music mogul and one of the most monstrously funny characters you will ever see on the big screen.
Jaw droppingly bonkers but also kind of great, White Lightnin’ is a wildly grotesque fantastical biography of the Appalachian mountain dancer Jesco White. Fuelled by moonshine and lighter fuel, Jesco (a wild eyed Edward Hogg) uses tap dancing to keep his demons at bay, as he takes a phantasmagoric tumble into the dark corners of artistic genius.
trans and QFT are proud to present Iceland’s first foray into the exploitation horror genre – Harpoon: Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre! A motley crew of sightseers and low-lifes set out on a whale watching expedition. When a freak accident occurs and they are stranded at sea things take a turn for the worse; especially when they are rescued by a family of tourist-hating ‘fishbillies’…
The WeeFT will be open at the Ulster Hall Group Space from Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 July. Each screening costs just £3 or £10 for a WeeFT pass. For further information and online booking, see
Commonwealth Foundation pioneers film festival exchange programme
Two world renowned film festivals are embarking on a pioneering exchange programme to share the best of the Commonwealth’s diverse films and cultures. The exchange, taking place between the Zanzibar International Film Festival, Tanzania, and the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival will see films from one region screened at the other, in the first exchange of its kind to take place. The objective of the twinning, a model initiated and supported by the Commonwealth Foundation, is to maximise on the ability of both partners to promote and distribute African and Caribbean cinema to audiences throughout the Commonwealth, introducing them to new films, creating opportunities for networking and building lasting bridges among key film festivals. In order to achieve these goals, both festival directors will travel to their counterpart festival to learn about new ways of working and take away creative ideas. Directors and filmmakers will also take part in panel discussions and networking events. Seven films chosen by Dr. Bruce Paddington, Director of TTFF, will be shown at the Festival of Festivals programme at ZIFF 2010. |
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| Dr. Bruce Paddington, Director of TTFF |
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| Dr Mark Collins, Director of the Commonwealth Foundation |
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The first phase of the exchange will take place at the Zanzibar International Film Festival taking place from 10 to 18 July 2010. About ZIFF ZIFF is East Africa’s largest film, music and arts festival, bringing new talents together from all over the world. Each year, some of the most captivating and cutting-edge cinema from Africa and beyond is screened in venues across the island. From world-premiers to local shorts, we've got it all, with a long history of showcasing the highest quality film from all over the world. Films are submitted based on a yearly theme - this year is 'Hopes in Harmony' - and entered into various categories and competitions. Screenings from the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival will be taking place on 13 July from 14.00 to 17.30 at ZIFF 2010. For other screening times and the full festival schedule please visit http://www.ziff.or.tz/ About TTFFThe Trinidad and Tobago film festival seeks to highlight excellence in filmmaking. TTFF is a cutting-edge Caribbean film festival that continues to evolve and expand in celebrating expression and empowerment through film. With a series of well-organized workshops and events, TTFF is quickly emerging as the premium film festival of the Caribbean. http://www. |
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Czech Showcase
Screenings of
Auto*Mate (2009)
and Jan Kaplicky / Eye Over Prague (2010)
International Architecture Showcase
London Festival of Architecture
29 June, 8.45 pm, Barbican Centre, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS (Auto Mate)
2 July, 7 pm, Wren Room, RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD (Eye Over Prague)
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Directly addressing the key theme of the London Festival of Architecture 2010 - 'The Welcoming City' - is the Czech documentary film Auto*Mate (Czech Republic, 2009) by Martin Marecek. Born out of a cultural and social project created to promote activities to make Prague a healthier livelier city, safe for pedestrians and cyclists, Auto*Mate follows the progress of the project including meetings with politicians, group bike-rides, exhibitions and debates, to capture the growth of this inspiring, city awakening initiative. This playful film essay about our automobile-obsessed society crossed the boundary of its media, turning into a social act. Screened as a part of the DocSpot documentary series at the Barbican, the film will be followed by a debate with Martin Marecek and other guests chaired by Patrick Hazard, director of the London International Documentary Festival, comparing experiences in Prague and London and discussing current trends in urbanism.
The second Czech instalment at the International Architecture Showcase is the international premiere of the documentary Eye Over Prague (Oga Spatova, Czech Republic 2010) dedicated to the late Czech architectJan Kaplicky, founder of London based architectural practice Future Systems (Stirling Price 1999 for Lord's Cricket Ground Media Centre). Featuring Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Vaclav Havel and others, the film tells the story of Kaplicky's design for the National Library in Prague. After winning the international competition, it met fierce opposition from the Czech government and the local administration and the battle began. Director of the Design Museum Deyan Sudjic will chair a debate with architect Eva Jiricna and other guests following the screening.
Both screenings are part of the International Architecture Showcase, one of the highlights of this year's LFA programme, which presents a broad spectrum of exciting international architecture projects organised by more than 30 Embassies and Cultural institutes around London.
The London Festival of Architecture 2010, a city-wide celebration of architecture in the capital, will take place from 19 June to 4 July 2010. www.lfa2010.org
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wild Target
Jean Rochefort, one of France’s finest character actors, stars in possibly his finest ever role, in writer/director Pierre Salvadori’s outstanding debut Wild Target. This wickedly funny crime-caper sees experienced and meticulous hitman Victor’s (Rochefort) fortunes change as he takes on a hot-headed accomplice, Guillaume Depardieu (son of Gerard), it shoots on to DVD for the first time ever courtesy of Second Sight Films on 21 June 2010.
Wild Target aka Cible Émouvante, one of the standout French comedies from the nineties, is now the subject of a British remake starring Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt and Martin Freeman, which is released in cinemas in June. Victor, a middle-aged professional killer, encounters young messenger, Antoine (Depardieu), when he inadvertently becomes involved during a hit. Without a son to pass on the family business, the assassin takes the naïve youngster under his wing as his apprentice. Their next assignment is Renee (Marie Trintignant), a glamorous art forger and petty thief who has conned a gangster, but Victor has softened and can’t go through with it. The unlikely trio team up and await the inevitable showdown with an unhappy client.
Wild Target features some brilliant black humour and a superb central piece from the deadpan Rochefort in one of his best performances ever.
Title: Wild Target Release Date: 21 June 2010
RRP: £19.99 Cert: 15
Cat.No.: 2NDVD3179
Running Time: 97 min
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Company K, DVD
‘Company K’, a gripping and emotion-charged story of a unit of American marines in World War 1, is being released on retail DVD by Scanbox Entertainment on July 26.
It is based on the classic novel by William March and his own personal WW1 experiences in the trenches of Frances. March’s book has long been considered one of the greatest war novels by an American author.
The cast is headed by Ari Fliakos, Steve Cuiffo and Joe Delafield and the film is a stark reminder of the carnage and horrors of war in the First World War trenches.
Sergeant Joseph Delaney (Ari Fliakos) signs on for service with the US Marine Corps and the unit is shipped off to the front line at Verdun, France. On arrival the unit immediately comes under attack firstly from a German biplane bomber and then from the dreaded mustard gas which is thrown at the Americans as they enter the trenches.
Delaney is ordered to stay on his feet and move forward but when the fighting subsides he’s taken off to spend time at a hospital behind the lines for treatment to his injuries.
Meanwhile, back in the trenches a new lieutenant arrives who soon senses the men have no respect for him. Brashly he orders one of his sergeants to take some soldiers, advance to a clump of trees and set-up a machine gun nest, despite being warned against it.
The Germans see the men crawling across No Man’s Land and open fire, realising that the Marines have no chance of retreating back to their own lines.
The incident subsequently turns many of the men in Company K against their officers and for them the war becomes more and more of a test of sanity and survival which comes to a head when Delaney’s best friend Private Edward Carter (Steve Cuiffo) murders an officer.
When the war ends Delaney has his own burden of guilt to bear - a German soldier he killed in a forest when he knows he could have taken him prisoner instead.
Delaney, Carter and their friend Private Emile Ayres (Joe Delafield) must now learn to live the quiet life as civilians but they find its not as easy as they thought it would be to leave the memories of the war behind.
“I have watched the reactions of many men to pain, hunger and death but all I have learned is that no two men react alike and that no one man comes through the experience unchanged”
Bonus Features :
- Three trailers
- Five deleted scenes
- William March Documentary
- Audio Commentary with Director Robert Clem
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio
Airport Control Simulator
Airport Control Simulator is a casual simulator game in which players need to land the incoming airplanes on the runways. The game features 15 internationally known airports. Players operate as Air Traffic Controller and need to take in consideration the different angles of an increasing number of incoming planes, their speed and their altitude, before landing them all safely and as quickly as possible. This combination of factors makes Airport Control Simulator a very entertaining, fun and addictive game for everyone.
To find out more about Airport Control Simulator and to keep up with the latest news on the game, visit www.iceberg-interactive.com.
About Airport Control Simulator
Is the altitude correct? Which plane can stay in the air longer? What direction are other planes coming from and is a collision likely? You are in control. Land all types of airplane on your airport, until there are no more incoming flights.
As Air Traffic Controller you will experience the stress, the hectic pace and the satisfaction of landing all of your planes as safely and as quickly as possible. Avoiding collisions at all times, direct planes to their correct landing path and runway, while monitoring their fuel load closely. Your results will be strictly monitored, a score attributed and new airports unlocked – but any accident will result in your immediate firing.
Airport Control Simulator Features:
• Casual addictive game play
• 15 Different International Airports
• Realistic Air Plane Behavior
• Dynamic Weather conditions
• Complete control over the airspace
• Progressively harder levels and complex manoeuvres
Space Shuttle Mission Simulator for PC
NASA has announced quitting the space shuttle program, gamers can enjoy launching space shuttles for years to come courtesy of videogame publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer Simsquared Ltd. Iceberg announced that its hardcore simulation game for PC “Space Shuttle Mission Simulator: The Collector’s Edition”, is available at all major UK retailers and good independent game shops since this past weekend, as well as in several other European territories that release English versions. The fully localized German release is scheduled for 18 June 2010 and the French one for 15 July 2010.
The new ultra realistic and award-winning simulator game Space Shuttle Mission Simulator: The Collector’s edition is designed to provide the experience and excitement of the NASA Space Shuttle missions in extreme detail, from the first mission back in the 80’s to the newest ISS missions. So if you’ve ever wondered how it feels to be in command of the Space Shuttle, perform “space walks” and float around the ISS, while enjoying the beautiful view of our planet at dawn or sunset from space, Space Shuttle Mission Simulator is a must-have game for you!
FEATURES
• Experience the Liftoff shakes and engines roar right from the Commander's or Pilot's seats.
• Perform mission procedures: press buttons, rotate knobs, control the General Purpose Computer and manually guide the Shuttle to a safe landing etc.
• Perform variable-difficulty historical missions from STS-1 (the maiden flight), through secret DoD missions, and up to the recent ISS missions.
INCLUDES
• Beautifully rendered Space Shuttle 3D virtual cockpit, Shuttle, International Space Station, Hubble, satellites
• TrueEarth™ Global Satellite Imagery – licensed from TerraMetrics Inc. These are the same textures used by Google Earth.
• First Person View, including Space Walks – you cannot get any closer to the ISS or Hubble than that!
• Launch Control, Mission Control, Shuttle and Astronauts audio smart communications.
• Three difficulty modes: from Novice which leads the "astronaut" through the tasks with context arrows and full text subtitles, to "Read the Manual and Checklists Commander!"
• TrackIR(tm) Support in 3D Virtual Cockpit and first person view during EVA
• Multiple-Monitor support for Matrox TripleHead2Go(tm) and Nvidia nView (tm)
• Native support for Vuzix iWear VR920 Stereoscopic goggles + head tracking. This is the closest you can get to the NASA VR Labs where Shuttle Astronauts train for ISS missions (on compatible systems).
• You can find more about the Space Shuttle Mission Simulator at the official website at www.space-shuttle-mission.com
Friday, June 04, 2010
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a new comedy drama pilot on BBC Three, written & created by Leo Richardson and directed by Misha Manson-Smith (LALA Land and High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman). Stanley Park stars comedian Morwenna Banks (Saxondale) and Antonia Thomas (who played Alisha in E4's comedy drama Misfits).
Set in a south London suburb, the show follows young friends enduring the poignant and often hilarious emotional upheavals during a life-changing period. All living on the same street, it's hard to really keep secrets, and it seems everyone has something they're hiding, or hiding from.
First there's “Dirty” Debbie (Holliday Grainger), a sassy fashion designer and self-proclaimed ‘Carrie Bradshaw of Croydon’ who, from the moment she arrived to live with gin swigging, Superking smoker and serial internet dater, Auntie Pat (Sharon Horgan writer and star of BBC’s Pulling), knew the place had trouble written all over it. And she wasn’t wrong. Debbie's outfits are as outrageous as the erotic fiction she writes and no man can resist her charms but, across the road, there's competition in the form of emo, Raggedy Ann (Jennie Jacques - Desperate Romantics, Shank), who claims she was a bohemian poet in her past life.
Then there's “Bent” Ben - Ann’s fabulous, Beyonce-loving best friend who is always on hand to provide a shoulder to cry on and a constant source of advice, but who could do well to counsel himself occasionally. And who can forget Sadie (Antonia Thomas who played Alisha in E4's Misfits), waggish with a nice job, a hot boyfriend, and a Gucci bag who thinks her life will really take off since she got engaged in Pizza Express.
As the residents of Stanley Park go about their everyday lives, Harry “the hottie” winks at Debbie as she walks home and sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything and everyone in the street forever...
Join the characters of Stanley Park on Facebook
Catch the first episode of Stanley Park online before it airs on BBC Three 10 Jun 2010 at 21:00
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Five Films Celebrate IT Pioneers
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, today launched five short films that highlight the achievements of the often forgotten and unacknowledged Information Pioneers.The five pioneers, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Sir Clive Sinclair, Hedy Lamarr and Sir Tim Berners-Lee were chosen from a list of 150 IT Greats who span the globe. A celebrity advocate endorses each pioneer. The list of 150 IT Greats, along with the five short films, can be viewed on the Information Pioneers site (http://pioneers.bcs.org) The Institute commissioned Lewis Georgeson, the Emmy-nominated and multi-award winning director of short form digital programmes, to direct the series.
Elizabeth Sparrow, President, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT said:
“We want to celebrate the achievements of these Information Pioneers and demonstrate their contribution to today’s Information Society. Everyone should visit the Information Pioneer campaign website and join in the debate on who should be the greatest Information Pioneer of all time, vote for their favourite pioneer and share their favourite film with their friends and colleagues.”
The five short films star:
Ortis Deley from The Gadget Show presents the achievements of Lord Byron’s daughter, Ada Lovelace, who has been regarded as the first computer programmer.
BBC Click reporter Kate Russell celebrates Alan Turing, the father of artificial intelligence and the man who created a machine to crack the Enigma Code during the Second World War.
British actress Miranda Raison tells us about Hollywood A-list star Hedy Lamarr who apart from her successful acting career also co-invented an early technique for spread spectrum communications, making the use of mobile phone communications possible today.
Phil Tufnell, ex-England cricketer, represents Sir Clive Sinclair the father of gaming who brought computers into the home and made them affordable to the masses at £99.95 each in 1979 with the ZX80. In 1982 the iconic ZX Spectrum was launched complete with sound and eight colours, which marked the birth of the UK gaming industry.
Finally, British comedian, actor and author Dom Joly acts as the advocate for Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the World Wide Web. Sir Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea of linking all documents together in one place when he was suffering from information overload.
The films will go live today on the pioneers site (http://pioneers.bcs.org) and on MSN.co.uk. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourite Information Pioneer, share the videos and join the discussion about the other pioneers on the website.
Regular updates and commentary are available on Twitter @infopioneers.
The campaign can also be found on Facebook.
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