SAE Institute Dubai | Globalisation in the Film Industry

Globalisation has already transformed the film industry, and will continue to do so. The transformation is due to a number of factors;

Production is no longer dominated by America. China and India have massive film industries. Smaller countries attract foreign film making talent by offering economic incentives, cheaper production costs, or value for money by virtue of exchange rate differences. This leads to the sharing of both skills and personnel, and very soon the smaller countries are also producing their own films. Sharing of the media is now possible not only in cinemas, but via CD or DVD distribution, through the internet or by streaming.

New technology has completely changed the way films are made, from the use of advanced CGI to the availability of small, high quality cameras. Affordable software makes the production of films by low budget, talented groups possible. This in turn makes the distribution channels affordable too. With the rapid advance in digital technology, this trend will continue.

Hardcore Henry is a good example of the new global film trade. This film was written by a heavy metal musician, made with small portable equipment (GoPro cameras and drones). It was filmed almost exclusively in a POV format, using a South African actor, filmed in Russia on a small budget, and distributed world-wide.

Another example is the film Searching for Sugarman, which is a low budget British documentary filmed in South Africa and the USA, distributed all over the world, which received honours at the Sundance Film Festival.

Technology is changing at ever increasing rates, and this technology is driving globalisation. The change is so rapid that firm predictions are very difficult. What is certain however, is that in five years’ time the filmmaking industry will be even more global than it is now.

SAE Institute Dubai | 2001: Space Odyssey

1) Who is the director?
The director of 2001: A Space Odyssey is Stanley Kubrick.

2) What is the plot of the film?
2001: A Space Odyssey is a story of evolution. Sometime in the distant past, someone or something nudged evolution by placing a monolith (a large upright black stone) on Earth. Evolution then enabled humankind to reach the moon’s surface, where yet another monolith is found, one that signals the monolith placers that humankind has evolved that far. Now a race begins between computers and humans to reach the monolith placers. The winner will achieve the next step in evolution, whatever that may be.

On a simple level you begin with an artefact left on earth four million years ago by extraterrestrial explorers who observed the behaviour of the man-apes of the time and decided to influence their evolutionary progression. Then you have a second artefact buried deep on the lunar surface and programmed to signal word of man’s first baby steps into the universe — a kind of cosmic burglar alarm when they discover the 2nd monolith. And finally there’s a third artefact placed in orbit around Jupiter waiting for the time when man has reached the outer rim of his own solar system.

When the surviving astronaut, Bowman, ultimately reaches Jupiter, this artefact sweeps him into a force field or star gate that hurls him on a journey through inner and outer space and finally transports him to another part of the galaxy, where he’s placed in a human zoo much like what we would imagine a hospital terrestrial environment drawn out of his own dreams and imagination. In a timeless state, his life passes from middle age to death. He is then reborn, an enhanced being, and returns to earth prepared for the next leap forward of man’s evolutionary destiny.

3) What did you understand from the film?
This movie is not a linear movie; there is no plotted story line. It’s a movie that you simply have to let happen while you are watching it. It is not just a science fiction movie. Rather it is a parable about the nature of man. This is only really revealed in the underlying message at the end of the movie when Hal 9000, made by man in his own image and likeness, who shares man’s ego and pride, has to be destroyed for the survival of humankind. That leaves one man, alone, at the outer edge of the Solar System to face the third monolith, where instead of having grown old and dying he is reborn as a child of the universe.  A solemn wide eyed infant, who is looking over the stars and the Earth, before finally turning his eyes to the audience. The last 20 seconds as the child of man looks down at his ancestral parents are a vital part of the message this film delivers to the audience. Kubrick wants us to see that we are men, and looking at us, is the liberated natural being that he believes we will one day be able to become.

4) What was in your opinion the director trying to make the audience feel?
Historically this movie has certainly received numerous different responses.  Whatever the response, it is clear that it offers the movie goer a unique visual experience. Not everyone found the movie engaging and judging from the response of the class watching the movie this holds true with many of us not following the movie in its entirety. It is one of those movies I had to go back, do some research on first and then watch quietly on my own and then allow what I saw to percolate before I could consider answering these questions. I did not feel any effort was made by Kubrick (and deliberately so) to provide the audience with a framework within which they might be able to process what the film actually had to offer, so for me the immediate result was great disappointment and frustration. And I think this was done very specifically, because everyone’s audience response would be very personal and very different. I feel irrespective of the title limitation 2001 still has relevance today. I am young enough to look forward to what beauty and terror await us in the future and by experiencing the world of tomorrow through this film it gives a purpose to today’s happenings. It felt like I was receiving a short foretaste of mans evolution and future development. It is so much more than just a science fiction movie, but rather a personal statement concerning the philosophy of life. I think Kubrick wanted us as an audience to feel and see what potential we have as a race, which for me is not only overwhelming, and a little frightening, but also exciting and invigorating.

5) What aspects or techniques used in this film engages the audience either to make them think or feel certain ways?
Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is a rather surreal film with surreal and unusual camera movement and techniques. During the scene were the primates encounter the monolith for the first time Kubrick uses a series of camera shots to draw us into the scene and give insight to the characters (the primates in this case) feelings. As the primates scatter the camera jumps to an extreme wide shot, then as the primates gain interest and courage to get closer to the monolith so does the camera. The camera changes to a long shot of the main primate,’Moon watcher’, circling the monolith. Finally, as Moon watcher’s curiosity compels him to touch the monolith, the camera changes to a mid-shot. This transition of shots helps us understand the primate’s initial fear, curiosity and eventual connection to the monolith. Kubrick has cleverly used used this collection of shots so the audience could connect with the primates which helps the audience’s emotional invest in the film and care about future events. Kubrick is a masterful director as he is aware for a film to succeed the audience must be emotionally invested in the characters and events.

The editing of 2001: A Space Odyssey is also critical for audience response. The encounter between the primates and the monolith ends suddenly with a jump cut to a shadow being cast on a barren desert. This sudden cut demeans (discredits) the previous scene making it seem as though it was nothing, however the scene seems very important as it sets the rest of the film in motion. Kubrick did this to show that the first step of mankind was simply the first brick in the wall. The first step holds value however the jump cut shows that without future steps the first one is pointless. This contributes to the films idea of human progression and how we never stop evolving. One step is meaningless to us so we must strive for more, however as we see further into the film, we can progress so far that it becomes dangerous. The jump cut teaches the audience that they should delight in and appreciate every little progression they have before it jumps away. This is a typical Kubrick method of using subliminal messages to influence the audience. It is how Kubrick built and edited this film that has contributed to him becoming one of the most influential and diverse directors.

6) Find articles, interviews from the date of release and analyse according to what you read in the topic the cultural, artistic … Impact on the audience. Note: the film was released in 1968.
Odyssey is a scientifically well researched film and tries very hard to offer a truly convincing representation of space travel. One of the few films to accurately portray the empty atmosphere of space as being utterly silent. As well as the first to feature a spinning artificial gravity station. It is also visually, artistically and technically stunning, even by today’s computer assisted standards. For film students it is a film we can learn from as it will have an impact on the audience from both a visual and cognitive level. The underlying message to mankind delivered through the subject matter allows Kubrick to transcend cultural barriers. Its cryptic symbolism has been analysed and discussed endlessly, even long after its release. Stanley Kubrick openly stated that 2001’s true meaning had been visually encoded to bypass the conscious rationalisations of the audience and sink straight into the unconscious. This very description of the film in 1969 by Kubrick himself speaks to the transcendence of cultural and artistic barriers, much like that of philosophy and the ancient philosophers.

Kubrick states he doesn’t like to talk about 2001 too much because it’s essentially a non-verbal experience. It attempts to communicate more to the subconscious and to the feelings than it does to the intellect. Kubrick says in an interview with Joseph Gelmis in 1969, “I think clearly there’s a problem with people who are not paying attention with their eyes. They’re listening. And they don’t get much from listening to this film. Those who won’t believe their eyes won’t be able to appreciate this film.” Kubrick was happy to discuss Odyssey at the time on the lowest level, a straightforward explanation of the plot. This is because his belief is that since an encounter with an advanced interstellar intelligence would be incomprehensible within our present earthbound frames of reference, reactions to it will have elements of philosophy and metaphysics that have nothing to do with the bare plot outline itself.

When asked in an interview shortly after its release about the areas of meaning he prefers not to discuss these because they are highly subjective and will differ from viewer to viewer. In this sense, the film becomes anything the viewer sees in it. And it is my belief it is because of this message throughout Odyssey that the film bridges many cultural barriers as it speaks to mans insights and intellect across all ages and cultures. Kubrick’s argument is if the film stirs the emotions and penetrates the subconscious of the viewer, if it stimulates, however rudimentary, his mythological and religious yearnings and impulses, then it has succeeded.

So we can determine from the interviews with Kubrick himself that 2001, is basically a visual, nonverbal experience. It avoids intellectual verbalisation and reaches the viewer’s subconscious in a way that is essentially poetic and philosophical. The film thus becomes a subjective experience which hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does, or painting.

REFERENCES:
http://www.collativelearning.com/2001%20chapter%201.html

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/qualifications-and-standards/qualifications/ncea/NCEA-subject-resources/English/91480-B/91480-EXP-B-student4-001.pdf

http://www.participations.org/Volume%206/Issue%202/kramernew.pdf

http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/2001-the-monolith-and-the-message

SAE Institute Dubai | Spectacle & Technology

Do you think technology has eroded the craft of film storytelling (is spectacle more important than a solid narrative)?

My short answer is no, but with a caveat or two. Technology is continually evolving, and the big film producers have the capital to not only use the latest technology, but also to adapt technology so that they can use it (underwater cameras in Titanic), or create their own (Vitaphone sound and Technicolour from the early days of film, to the development of compact 3D cameras). The hunger for something new and never-ending satisfaction of filmmakers and viewers make the narrative world go round. Technology is changing and growing daily, and movie makers need to keep up. If technology can be used to enhance storytelling, it should be used. New technologies are part of the movie hype – movies such as Avatar use the new technology as part of their marketing campaign, while Gravity downplayed their technology to make the story feel more real.

Some technology has become a minimum requirement. Films are recorded digitally. This allows for much more detailed editing, and makes distribution and storage more convenient. Editing is done on computer, as are animated films. Computers and films have become so intertwined that computer games have spawned a number of full length movies (Warcraft, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Hitman, to name a few).

There has been a backlash from viewers regarding unnecessary use of CGI. In the movie John Wick they spent thousands creating some CGI dog poop that only featured for a second or two. While CGI is commonly used in films, some directors are still using older technologies to get the same effects. The movie Need for Speed with Director Scott Waugh used no computer graphics at all. Instead they relied on old fashioned filming with creative camera angles and the destruction of some very expensive cars to get the same effect.

My caveat is this – special effects and technology should only be used to further the plot of the film, not just for WOW factor. Poor CGI or bad special effects will definitely erode the quality of your viewing experience.

‘’When you go to the movies, and you go sit in that seat, you are asking someone to take you somewhere, and probably somewhere you can’t go by yourself’’ – Dr Cady Coleman, NASA astronaut and consultant on Gravity

As a summary; by all means special effects should continue to advance, but by no means should the effects be a distraction from the art of story-telling.

As a filmmaker, how would you use technologies to immerse your audience? Are they considered older or more recent technologies?

It depends on the story. You can tell a story quite simply by not using any CGI or special effects. To do that, you can use special editing techniques, camera equipment, creative camera angles etc. You don’t have to use the newest technology to tell a story.

I use digital media (digital cameras, computer editing) to record and edit movies instead of traditional film. Having grown up in the digital age, I am comfortable with technology. In addition, using film has now become much more difficult. Film processing laboratories have all but ceased to exist, and there are few companies actually still producing film. Film cameras are no longer made. Older, used cameras are available cheaply, but servicing and spares have become impossible to source. Some technology we can choose to use – some technology is non-negotiable.

 

SAE Institute Dubai | Film & Audiences

Film is a wonderful, and if we are to look at box office earnings, a very popular form of entertainment. As it is a public place there is that unspoken social rule of how you are expected to behave. The obvious cinema experience involves selecting a movie that interests you, going to the cinema with a group of friends and buying your tickets, drinks and popcorn and then sitting down in the auditorium preparing to be entertained. Where I come from once we sit down, mobile phones are switched off, and we enjoy the movie quietly in the privacy of our own space and discuss our experience of the film after the movie either in a coffee shop or on the way home. A cinema experience in the UAE is very different, and it took my by surprise. Action blockbusters like Mission Impossible, XXX, and the Fast and Furious to name a few movies involve real audience participation. The good guy is cheered and encouraged, the bad guy is heckled and booed, there is even clapping and jumping up in seats to help the good guy along in fight scenes. Where I come from a comedy scene might have generated a few polite chuckles, but we would have been constantly aware of the stranger in the seat next to us while we nibbled quietly on our popcorn so as not to disturb those around us. I find I rather enjoy the UAE cinema experience as we have the freedom to involve ourselves more fully. All this audience participation in movies like Fast and Furious may well be a subconscious response to what has been seen on the screen – And the fact that there seems to be a national obsession with all things car related!

Something the audience may well not even be consciously aware of, yet they find themselves identifying with certain characters more than others. Why is this? Interpellation may well answer this question. In simplified terms Althusser explains interpellation as a form of misrecognition, where an externalised image is perceived both as self and an “other” and the person (or viewer) recognises themselves as an image or reflection of the other. This reflection of self will be influenced by our own life experiences, the type of movie we are watching, and how we project onto the movie based on our age, gender, and cultural backgrounds.  A director and creative producers casting, narrative, aesthetic and marketing choices are particularly important in this regard.  And in the case of the Fast and Furious franchise Latino viewers are specifically targeted through production and marketing choices interpellating a broadly multicultural and global audience and how they embrace an atmosphere of post racial multiculturalism.  How we interact as an audience when we watch a film is governed by techniques used by the film makers to engage the audience and make them think and feel a certain way. A holocaust survivors experience of Schindler’s List, a spouse whose partner is suffering from dementia watching The Note Book, a military conscripts response to the Hurt Locker will govern not only our experience of the movie, but our cognitive responses to the story we are watching. I definitely choose (or avoid) specific movies based a certain “experience” I expect to have at the cinema and interpellation plays a huge part in this choice.  I was 9 years old when Mean Girls with Lindsay Lohan came onto the screen and I was going through a tough time in school where I was feeling very isolated and different and I really identified with Lindsay’s character Cady Heron. I felt her pain and misery, and the need to conform.  As I have matured I have learned to embrace who I am, but at the time the film had a big impact on me because of how I identified with the experiences Cady was dealing with – they were very real to me at the time.

Some other more obvious aspects of my cinema experience that make me want to go to the movies are the great surround-sound systems; they produce sound from the sides, the front, behind you, and above, or below you. I’ve even been in cinemas where the ground vibrates if there is a huge explosion or earthquake occurring in the film. And now the whole 3D experience, even though still in its infancy, adds to that feeling that I am in the film’s world, and experiencing what the characters on the screen are experiencing. This escapism allows me to remove myself from the pressures of my day for an hour or two so when the movie ends I can walk away feeling that not only was my money was well spent, but I had a “real” experience. As an audience we have more, and more expectations of what we want to see and experience and for a movie to become successful it will need to tick all of these boxes to satisfy a more demanding and discerning audience.

Then of course there are the fun movies where it is all about escapism and audience participation is not only expected but encouraged, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This is a movie experience I go to for pure escapism and entertainment value. This 1970’s British-American musical horror comedy has a cult following. The story centres on a young engaged couple whose car breaks down in the rain near a castle where they seek a telephone to call for help. The castle is occupied by strangers in elaborate costumes celebrating an annual convention.

Although largely critically dismissed on initial release, it soon became known as a midnight movie when audiences began participating with the film, Audience members returned to the cinemas frequently and talked back to the screen and began dressing as the characters. So much so, there are blogs out there detailing the audience participation script for the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

In contrast, when I watch films in the comfort of my own home, I usually watch movies that either didn’t interest me enough to go to the cinema at the time of their release, or because I want to re-watch movies I have already seen at the cinema to follow the editing, cinematography, or just pick up on aspects I missed the first time around. I prefer to do so in the dark with a big bowl of popcorn so it is similar to my cinema experience. Some of the more B grade movies I am less invested in, I like to watch at home, but I don’t fully concentrate on what is happening. I usually have my phone in my hand, or am doing something on my laptop.

Besides the movie experience social media, reviews and film advertisements play a large part in my decision to see a movie in a cinema. Furthermore, who is cast in the film, or who it is directed by also contributes to my decision to go to the cinema. After reading reviews, watching trailers online and interviews with cast and crew I generally make a judgement on whether to see it at the cinema or wait until it is out on DVD.

References:

http://www.academia.edu/3152098/Fast_and_Bilingual_FAST_AND_FURIOUS_and_the_Latinization_of_Racelessness_

http://changingminds.org/explanations/critical_theory/concepts/interpellation.htm\

SAE Institute Dubai | Social Media and Your Career

Social media is becoming a vital tool in almost all industries. In the film industry it is fast becoming a fundamental tool, that if used cleverly will have huge benefits for you. Social media is an instrument linking websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. What better way to get your work out there and to create a professional name for yourself in a competitive industry where you can interact with your audience and potential clients.

There are a number of different social media platforms that can be used. Using them all is futile and unmanageable. Pick half a dozen and use them properly. Below is a list of some of them and their uses:

• Blab: Think of blab as a bit like Periscope or Meerkat who offer similar video sharing platforms. It allows you to broadcast your content to your followers and, better still, allows you to invite them into the video conversation thus creating a two-way dialogue.
• Facebook: A widely used forum for social and business connections.
• Google+: The clean, simple interface makes connecting with business associates easy. Google+ was the fastest-growing social network in history and looks as though it’s here for the foreseeable future.
• Ning: This site connects groups of people who are passionate about particular interests, topics or hobbies. Co-Founded by Marc Andreessen, who helped launch Netscape. It can be great for connecting with others who are interested in your area of expertise.
• Plaxo: Currently hosts address books for more than 40 million people. This allows people stay in touch with “Pulse,” which is a dashboard that lets you see what the people you know are sharing all over the web.
• Twitter: A tool that is widely-adopted and used for everything from business to fun and games.
• Bing: Bing, Google and Yahoo aren’t technically social media platforms, but they are tools that can be used to promote a product or service. The technique for using any search engine to promote your product or service effectively requires you to optimise your website so that the search engines see it. By doing so, you’ll drive traffic to your website from the people doing searches on specific topics.
• Blogging Platforms: These are tools that are used to create blogs. Some of them, like Blogger, Tumblr, Vox or Xanga are straightforward platforms that are great for people who want to do a simple blog.  If you want to create a more powerful blog that adds a lot of SEO value for your website, you can investigate sites like Joomla, Drupal, Typepad or WordPress (which I have been using for the past few years already).
• Howcast: A website where you watch “How To” videos on the topic of your choice? It’s an extremely worthy-competitor to YouTube but currently YouTube is still the default setting used by everyone.
• Vimeo: A high-end YouTube for people interested in sharing their videos with a community of positive, encouraging creative professionals.
• YouTube: Is one of the better-known platforms used to promote businesses. The key to YouTube is to keep the videos short and sweet. Make sure they solve the “what’s in it for me” equation. YouTube is perfect for “How To” videos. The only real problem is it’s a cluttered environment featuring a little of low quality rubbish.

Social Media Platforms that help you Share:

• Buffer: This social media management tool allows you to schedule Tweets and Facebook updates quickly and easily from your web browser.
• Delicious: This is a social bookmarking service owned by Yahoo. When someone tags your article, video or blog post with a Delicious bookmark, it’s the equivalent of a “vote.” The more votes you get, the more visibility your content has on the Delicious website.
• HootSuite: This is a tool that allows you to manage multiple social media channels through one dashboard. If you have a company with more than one contributor to your social media program, HootSuite is a good solution.
• Instagram: A surprisingly fun photography app.  Instagram is more popular than FaceBook in the UAE.
• LocalVox: This is a social media dashboard that’s similar to HootSuite and TweetDeck.
• Pinterest: We live in a visual world and Pinterest leverages that. Tired of reading long blog posts (like this one) but still enjoy skimming through images, then Pinterest is for you.
• Reddit: Similar to Digg and Delicious. Reddit is a source for what’s new and popular on the web. Users can vote articles up or down on the site, so readers can check out the hot, trending topics from blogs, newspapers and other sources around the globe. The only issue would be you have to have a lot of traffic and a lot of votes to show up on the radar screen.
• Scribd: This is the largest social publishing and reading site in the world. You simply upload your speech, ebook or PowerPoint presentation to the site. This is a great way to potentially get your content in front of thousands of readers.
• SlideShare: One of the better-known places to upload your content for sharing with others.
• StumbleUpon: Very similar to Digg, Delicious and Reddit. When you rate a website that you like using StumbleUpon, it’s automatically shared with like-minded people.
• TweetDeck: Like HootSuite, TweetDeck provides a way to track many of your social media channels on one dashboard. It can be a time-saver and a productivity-enhancer.

Can you survive professionally without a social media profile?
Among film and television people it appears to vary, especially for those already established. Many filmmakers I would like to follow are not on social media such as Twitter. I find this very frustrating, as I would love to learn from them and follow their creative process.

So the question raised from this week’s lecture (SAE Creative Industries (2015) for CIU111’s Social Media and Your Career) is “How do we use social media so it helps instead of hurts our professional identity?”

Our interaction on social media sites can be a number of things – illustrative, visual and social. I believe that whatever path I choose to take in the industry I am currently developing for myself, going the social media route is a must.

In the early stages, before I have even begun creating a career for myself, I need  to create a portfolio on the web to introduce my work to possible employers or clients. This means I need to be smart about what I put on the net.

I need to start going through my work and the social media sites I do have, looking at my user names and finding a consistent name for all my sites in order to create a common presence on the web. I also need to start going through my work and deciding what I believe is suitable to showcase and what best represents my skills and capabilities and how they have developed.

Doing this properly will draw people in and create an audience of interested people who wish to follow my work. Most importantly I need to consider what type of social networking is right for me. What I take away from this lecture is something that I realised a long time ago. In this industry it is important to have a strong social media presence and that it’s also a great way of networking with people in my industry.

These are my current social media links:
About Me: https://about.me/siobhonvdm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siobhonvandermerwe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/siobhonvdm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siobhonvdm/
WordPress: https://siobhonvdm.wordpress.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/siobhonvdm

About.me has the potential to be extremely powerful. It is a one page advertisement of you, where you can show and tell the world who you are, what you do and where you’re headed. Instead of giving people a business card with a dozen social media links, you point them to About.me.

Social media is a minefield to navigate in a social capacity, let alone a professional one. We can get so side tracked with what is happening out there that we can easily forget the professional function of why we were creating a social media platform for ourselves in the first place.

With the compliments and support comes the criticism and ugliness. It is something we will have to deal with. Creating more drama is not the solution.  Stay professional at all times and do not get dragged in by people who have nothing else to do. Constructive criticism and support should be embraced and encouraged and applied where necessary.

One needs to realise by putting your work (and yourself ) out there on the net, it will open one up to criticism and negativity for the sake of it. This can be avoided to a large part by just not engaging with those who like to go there.  One just needs to take the bad part that is out there with a pinch of salt. The internet was after all built as a platform to share knowledge. Use it to your advantage.

When still in High School I used to deactivate my Facebook account during the school term and then I would reactivate it doing the school holidays. I did this for a couple reasons:
1) I didn’t know how to deal with the ugliness that seemed to follow you from the playground home to your private space.
2) I was beginning to get a bit addicted to it and I would tend to obsess about who was commenting on my photographs and concentrate more on Facebook than my school work and my piano practice.

I found the social aspect of Facebook overwhelming and a drain and still do, but I have learned to take a more pragmatic approach to Facebook as a social platform now as I have matured. I now have my social Facebook page but I also have a professional page that I manage. The page that I manage is open and showcases videos I may do, my photography, and components of this course I publish on my WordPress blog. I plan to use this and develop other areas of social media as a way to connect with people in the film industry and networking.

Statista (2016) looks at global social media platforms and has produced the following data on the number of accounts people have on average:

 

I have to admit, I didn’t see Facebook as having such a big influence until viewing the next Statista (2016) graph.  Clearly as a marketing tool it definitely has merit.

I have attached a brief summary of the social media process  in the form of a MindMap below.

 

This graph alone has changed my ideas of using Facebook to market myself in my future and current career and business.

What do I want social media to do for me?:
I want it to showcase my work, and I want to network and discuss areas of interest in the industry I am involved in. Ultimately it is my hope that it will be an aid in generating a viewing platform for my work, which I hope will ultimately assist in gaining me freelance work or full time employment.

Can we avoid the hate?:
No, we can only control how we choose to engage with it. Constructive criticism we can turn to our advantage. The ugly “stuff” it is best to develop a thick skin and ignore it

References
1) http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/top-10-social-media-blogs-the-2016-winners/
2) http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2010/04/09/top-52-social-media-platforms/
3) https://medium.com/self-directed-practitioners/week-6-social-media-and-your-career-21ec52b2b003#.5bxdks35u

SAE Institute Dubai | Something About Me

When I started this blog it was initially going to be about my photographic journey, music photography and anything related to just photography. I am now studying Film Production at SAE with the idea of specialising in the postproduction side of things.  Part of my course involves writing a blog, so what I originally started here is going to evolve to include my SAE assignments as well – so I guess it still is about a photographic journey, just a little different from my initial visualisation. I look forward to seeing how my progress in film, photography and a blogger develops and grows.

Now to introduce myself in a little more detail.  Most of you know me as Siobhon. What you don’t know is my name should actually be spelt Siobhán, but it was spelt incorrectly on my birth certificate. It’s an Irish name, pronounced phonetically as “shi-vaun”. When my Mom and Dad brought me home from hospital and introduced me to my brother he couldn’t say my name, and he called me Vonnie. The name has stuck and to this day my family, and those who know me well, call me Vonnie.

As you have gathered I have an older brother called Phillip, he is 2 years older than I am. We are very different. He is seriously thechi and almost finished with his 3rd year of mechanical engineering. And yes, I am very proud of him.

I am a 3rd culture kid. I’ve lived in 5 different countries on 2 different continents. My first stop was the country I was born in, Namibia.  I was born in the capital city of Windhoek, but we lived in a one horse-mining town about 2 hours outside of Windhoek, called Karibib. Then it was a short 3 month stop in Johannesburg where I celebrated my first birthday, before moving to Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. At the age of 3 we moved to a little African village called Geita on the southern shores of lake Victoria about 100 kilometres west of Mwanza, which was a good 2-hour flight from the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam. We lived in a tent for the first 4 months, which was very exciting for us. I think less exciting for my Mom and Dad till my Dad could build a small cottage for us to live in for the next three years before we moved back home. I was home schooled there till I was 5 and a half. After that we left and returned to my parents home country, South Africa. We lived in Cape Town where I started my first real school, before moving to the United Arab Emirates when I was 9. I have lived here, in Ras al Khaimah for the past 11 years. A long time for us to stay in one place!

I started playing the piano and the violin at the age of 5, but when I moved to the UAE I stopped playing the violin, because there weren’t any teachers that could teach me at the time. We managed to find a wonderful Ukrainian piano teacher who has been teaching me now for the past 10 and a-half years. On the days I don’t come to SAE I teach the piano to young children in RAK. I am now doing my ATCL diploma in concert performance for the piano.

Photography is a big part of my life. Many years ago when I was 9 we went to Global Village with my Aunt and Uncle. I got very bored and wanted to go home. My uncle gave me his small point and shoot camera and told me o take photos for him. That was the last they heard from me till they were ready to go home. When my Dad and my Uncle looked at the photos they both decided I had an eye. I love taking photos of people and my father (who is also quite a good amateur photographer) encouraged me and really introduced me to photography over the next few years. I love taking photos of people and concerts. I started getting into music photography at the age of 13 where I took my first concert photographs at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival with my Dad’s old camera.

The academic side of school has always been a struggle for me, and the higher the grades, the harder the struggle. By year 10 things were becoming almost impossible for me, which was when they tested me and found I have Dyspraxia. Unfortunately it is not one of those things that you can just fix, or grow out of. I will always have dyspraxia. Some days I don’t even think about it, but other days it is hard, especially when I struggle to understand things. I learn things differently, and at a much slower rate, but I have learnt to make friends with that part of myself. Once we found out what the problem was it helped, because we could all approach how I learn differently, and select school subjects that would allow me to enjoy school. I managed to get my A levels, which I don’t think I would have been able to achieve without understanding what dyspraxia is, and how to work with it. Sometimes I get frustrated, but for the most part I cope well with the reality of living with dyspraxia.  If you want to know more about dyspraxia, and what it means to be an adult living with dyspraxia please read this link.

And for a further introduction, here is a little more about me…

Review | Mötley Crüe

Venue:  Du Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Date:  20 November 2015

Set list:
· So Long, Farewell (Rodgers & Hammerstein song) (Song played from tape)
· Girls, Girls, Girls
· Wild Side
· Primal Scream
· Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S)
· Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
· Smokin’ In the Boys’ Room (Brownsville Station cover) (with Gary Glitter’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Pt. II)
· Looks That Kill
· Motherfucker of the Year
· Anarchy in the U.K (Sex Pistols cover)
· In the Beginning (Song played from tape)
· Shout At the Devil
· Guitar solo
· Saints of Los Angeles
· Live Wire
· T.N.T. (Terror N’ Tinseltown) (Song played from tape)
· Dr. Feelgood
· Kickstart My Heart
· Encore – Home Sweet Home (With Tommy Lee on keyboards)
· My Way (Song played from tape)

Friday night was Mötley Crüe‘s first and last performance in the UAE. It was hosted by Flash Entertainment at the Du Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The Du Arena is a venue designed to take a large capacity crowd.  Crüe has a very loyal cult following, but it has never been a large one when compared to the likes of their 1980’s Metal peers like Guns and Roses.  Last night’s event was testament to this, where it was a more intimate crowd attending, giving the atmosphere a more cozy, club feel.  What this does mean is the fans that took the trouble to attend were clearly devoted lifelong fans, who new the words to the songs by heart.  They new what to expect, and when to expect it, and loved every explosion and burst of fire that erupted from MC’s dramatically ostentatious repertoire.

Opening with the pair of classics, Girls, Girls, Girls and Wild Side from 1987, classic Mötley songs, designed to get the crowd going and into instant party mode started things off.  They were accompanied on stage by two female dancers who also sang backup at times. It’s no secret that Motley Crue supplements their lead singer with backtracked vocals, as Vince Neil is not the best live vocalist. Instead, Neil is more of an MC and hosts and entertains the crowd in his typical flamboyant style rather than the classic vocal front man we are familiar with.  Primal Scream gave guitarist Mick Mars, who has been plagued by degenerative arthritis, the opportunity to re-emphasize his role as a key part of the band.  When he walked centre stage he proceeded to dazzle the audience with a blazing trail of screaming riffs designed to impress, and that they did.  Clearly he still has the skills.

Bassist  Nikki Sixx handles a good deal of the fronting duties, marauding across the stage in face make-up  delivering a monologue about the band’s 34-year career.  Granted, not with quite the energy he used to, but there was certainly no Zimmer frame in sight either! Bassist, Sixx brought the brashness and swagger of an ‘80s hair rock band on stage with him when he sang the song Kickstart My Heart, about his long-ago near-death experiences with heroin.

Tommy Lee, the unofficial face of the group, famous for bringing his drum kit to the fore with stunts such as putting it on a track that rotates it upside down did not quite deliver.  This may well have been due to safety restrictions imposed by the venue, or just logistics involved in travelling with all the associated paraphernalia.  History did not quite relate why this was not present on Friday night….  He did however have a circle of fire surrounding his kit, but it was the drum solo the audience was after and that didn’t happen. He did however come front and centre, to play the piano on the encore, Home Sweet Home.  The stage show was as pretentious as ever, with most of the set on fire at one point or another. And as we have come to expect over the years, Nikki Sixx’s flame-throwing bass guitar was working the stage, much to the delight of the fans. They as a band are however definitely showing their age, and considering the fact they are all well into their 50’s it’s not surprising. They always were dependent on their props, and light and sound show accompanying their performances. Now as they are 34 years into their career even more so, but as far as an evening of music and entertainment, they did not disappoint.

The gig is part of the band’s Final Tour – guaranteed by a public death pact between  members – making it both the first and last time we will see the band perform in the Middle East.  We’ve all heard it before, but only time will tell if this really is their last tour as a band.  Just weeks after the November 20 Yas Island gig the band will bow out from 34 years on the road with their final goodbye concert in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. The opening dates of The Final Tour were announced in January 2014 where each of the four the members signed a “Cessation Of Touring Agreement” in front of the media, guaranteeing this tour would mark the band’s end

In 1981, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee came together to form Mötley Crüe. Nine studio albums and countless tours later the glam, hard-rock band is finally ready to put their guitars and drumsticks away. When I told my parents that Mötley Crüe would be performing live in Abu Dhabi they laughed, and told me they had been listening to their music long before I was even a twinkle in their eye, and they were famous for a lot more than just music.  This piqued my interest and my background research unearthed some rather dubious shenanigans that belong more on TMZ than my blog, so we will leave it there I think!  Let’s just say they are as colourful off stage as they are on!  That said, there is no doubt in my mind that Mötley Crüe is one of the influential and most infamous rock bands of all time.

While the members of the band have changed over the years the core four of Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Marks, and Vince Neil have been there virtually from the beginning. The release of their album, Dr. Feelgood, became the first Mötley Crüe album to top the Billboard charts.  Mötley Crüe embarked on their final tour having sold more 100 million albums, which is phenomenal. The tour, which actually began in 2014, spans all the way through 2015 hitting 70 cities across the world. Their over the top performances bring to the stage dancing-female backup singers, fireworks, smoke machines, strobe lights, lasers, blowtorches, flaming pentagrams, stage lifts, cranes, and Tommy Lee’s upside down drum kit known as the Crüecifly (which was unfortunately missing in Friday night’s performance).

Mötley Crüe are not just musicians, but performers.  Their Glam metal sound, and look dazzles one, it is very visual and is usually associated with flashy clothing and makeup.  It combines elements of these genres with punk rock and pop music, adding catchy hooks and guitar riffs, which we hear especially in Primal Scream.  Add all of this to their rather controversial off stage reputation (especially in the 80’s) and you have the makings of a classic glam metal rock group that have stood the test of time.  Let’s see if this really is their last tour….

All photo credits go to Natheer Halawani a very talented music photographer. As a side note and fellow photographer, accreditation shots are usually the first 3 songs. In the case of this event, they were given the first 2. Challenging stage lighting and position of the photography pit can make it very difficult to get those perfect shots. Add to that, a huge LED backlit screen, which is one of the toughest, most annoying issues any music photographer might have to deal with as the camera sensor is digital and instantly fragments the LED image into hideous RGB pixles, visible to the naked eye. All the challenges aside I think he did an amazing job of getting some great shots!

Here are more photos of Motley Crue that Natheer Halawani took on the Glamroz website.

Review | Jeremy Loops

Venue:  41^st Floor, Media One Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Date:  19 November 2015

Set List:
· Welcome.
· Mission to the Sun (Howling).
· Sinner.
· Skinny Blues.
· My Shoes.
· Down South | 3 Little Birds.
· Running Away.
· Only The Good Die Young (Billy Joel cover).

Encore:
· Trip Fox.
· See, I Wrote It For You.

Loops started the show singing, “Welcome”, if you wanna have fun, say aye to warm everyone up, and get the crowd moving and off their seats and ready for more of what Jeremy Loops has to offer.  His practice of moving up against the barricades and fist bumping the audience while playing his harmonica is a great way of personally involving his fans looking forward to enjoying the evening with him.

He personally engages with his audience during his shows. And when taking an onstage breather between songs he entertained us with some personal anecdotes of his last visit to Dubai 6 years ago, which was somewhat different to the one now. The boat he had been travelling on from Italy to Dubai was temporarily seized by port authorities, because of possible people trafficking concerns. He was stranded here for 8 weeks while the matter was sorted out, which gave him the opportunity to enjoy some of what Dubai had to offer, playing golf and chilling on the beach.

Next he had us all howling along with him to the song “Mission to the Sun.” His collaborators came out one by one and introduced themselves to the audience; the saxophonist, Jamie Faull had a mini clash against Loops’ saxophone vocalisation and then rocked out on the drums. Next came the bassist, Sean Ou Tim, aka Mr. Sakitumi, and finally the South African rapper Motheo Moleko who is a great match for Jeremy’s enthusiasm and energy.  With nearly 100% audience participation, the volume of the crowd’s singing was incredible. I am sure I felt the foundations of the Media One Hotel shake even though I was standing on the 41^st floor!  Much to the delight of the audience, Jeremy caught the sound of their enthusiastic cheering and  singing along on his mic,  and looped it into the songs, “Running Away” and “See I wrote it for you” live.  You can’t help but respond to such genuine enthusiasm when the performer has such obvious enjoyment of the crowd he is playing for.

 

As a venue, it was tight, packed to capacity, and dark.  The underground dungeon feel was not an easy venue for a photographer and the lighting was challenging.  I knew the venue would be a small, so I took only one lens with me.  Jeremy’s popularity as a performer probably needed a larger venue, but the intimacy of the surroundings allowed the audience to be very much part of the performance, and interact with the performers, which is rare these days with such a popular artist.  What was exciting for the audience, and me as a photographer, was the band seemed to enjoy this intimate atmosphere as much as we did, which made for some great photo’s.

Jeremy Loops is a young South African performer fighting for his place in the world arena of music. As a South African musician it is just so much harder to be taken seriously. People in the industry and fans just make the assumption, if it is from South Africa it isn’t good enough. The result is the world misses out on some incredible musicians that deserve to be heard. Jeremy Loops is one of them. A hard working dedicated performer, a great musician with a dynamic energy that can get a whole room responding to his looped mouth/hand-made sound-effects, singing, and style of building songs that gets the whole room dancing, singing, stomping, clapping and jumping along to his music.

Anyone who loves folk, Indie and beats is in for a rare treat. Jeremy himself describes his music as having a folk sound, but at the same time, with a modern feel. Added to that are electronic sounds that he adds with his loop pedal. There are a whole arsenal of sounds that can be heard in his music from vocals that could rival Mumford of Mumford and Sons, hip hop, beatbox, beatboxing into a harmonica and even a barely noticeable female Indie voice.

Jeremy Loops has headlined at numerous festivals before tens of thousands of people, and his debut album Trading Change topped the South African charts at No. 1 on iTunes on its release date.

I am a classical pianist, and I work very hard at it, so I especially appreciate the effort and dedication that any musician puts into their performance.  As a concert photographer I have the privilege of seeing all this endless preparation and passion being put into action.  I enjoy all music, but the best part is when I am at a concert as a photographer AND a fan, and I am an unabashed fan of Jeremy Loops and his music, so last night I had a fantastic time taking photos!  A very memorable evening, and what a privilege to hear this performer play. Not only does he want to make a success of his music, but he genuinely enjoys what he is doing, and it shows in every fibre of his being. He is a vibrant and energetic performer whose passion for what he does is genuine. My suggestion is, that you go and see this young up and coming artist live. His European Tour starts at the beginning of 2016 in the UK, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. It should not be missed so do yourselves a favour and book your ticket now, you will not be disappointed. I certainly wasn’t, and I am willing to bet that we have not seen the last of Jeremy Loops. JEREMY LOOPS CONTINENTAL DRIFT TOUR FEB 2016

Review | kRAKen – Ras al Khaimah’s very own Dragon Boat team

On Friday 27 March 2015 the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club played host to Dragon Boat races on the creek.  Given the sports continuing and growing popularity it wasn’t surprising to see such an enthusiastic turnout out of both competitors visiting not just from Dubai, but also from as far afield as Ras al Khaimah, and Abu Dhabi and their loyal supporters.

Like all sports one needs to be fit to keep up with the pace at which these boats go.  It’s unique popularity is not just about fitness and the competitive desire to win.  There is so much more to it than that.  There is a wonderful atmosphere and sportsmanship among all the competitors and their supporters.  This sport is gaining popularity and will continue to become more popular because it’s an inclusive team sport and allows for a day of fun for not just competitors, but also their families and friends and other interested parties who invariably follow along.  The UAE has a huge expatriate population and anyone can try dragon boating, you don’t have to be an expert, and those that do usually end up really enjoying it for its team camaraderie and the social aspect to the practices and the events.

 

Gorgeous views of the teams starting their race on the creek alongside the yachts anchored in the marina with the Burj Khalifs dominating the skyline

The competing teams were:
Dubai Warriors
Dubai Marlins
A Team
Emirates Steel
Abu Dhabi Mar
kRAKen

Our kRAKen Team before the start of the race.

Congratulations to the Dubai Warriors who won the open and mixed categories.

The most important thing about this day was that it wasn’t just a competition.  It was a wonderful social occasion with great people, and teams having fun on the Dubai Creek.

If anyone is interested in joining the local Ras Al Khaimah kRAKen dragon boat team, they are based out of the Ras Al Khaimah International Marine Sport Club on the corniche. Anyone is welcome to join and you can contact Rina Gauer on +971 50 195 8015 or the team coach Francis Morales on +971 50 983 0331 for more information.

I’ve also made a video about the whole competition. You can click here to watch it.

Events | Ras Al Khaimah Terry Fox Run – Thank You Ceremony 2015

I had the privilege of becoming involved with photographing this wonderful event for the third year running. There is an amazing spirit and sense of fun at this annual event, but it has a serious note as well. It is ultimately to raise funds for cancer research and this has touched all of us one way or another, whether it is a dear friend, or family member who has become ill with cancer.

Terry Fox, who inspired the event was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research.  In 1980 he began the Marathon of Hope. At the time he hoped to raise one dollar for each of Canada’s 24 million people.  Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.

Rina Gauer, the organiser of the Ras al Khaimah Terry Fox Run was generous enough to give of her time enabling me to ask her a few questions, and give us as participants some insight into what is involved in organising such an event, what it entails, and where the money goes once it has been collected.

1) When do you begin with your preparations for the Terry Fox Run?

The RAK Terry Fox Run Team starts the preparation by mid September or 5 months before the event.

2) While you are obviously the driving force behind the organisation, how many people assist you to make all of this happen on the day?

There’s a lot of people involved in organising this charity event. Our Patron, HH Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi issues yearly an endorsement letter for all government offices to help and  make the run a success. The Embassy of Canada and the Consulate Office are  supporting us  unconditionally too. We are also very dependent on Premier Sports, Organisers of the RAK Half Marathon. They provide all needed materials like the Arch, wristbands, lanyards and help us acquire water sponsorship, a vital factor for the event. I have to emphasise that all money collected from participants, and corporates have to be put into the Terry Fox Run Funds Account. We are all working on a pure voluntary services. We are not allowed to touch the funds or receive payment for our work.

3)  When was the first Terry Fox Run held in RAK?

The first RAK Terry Fox Run was held in 2010.

4)  Who is the Canadian Terry Fox representative in the UAE and what is his role?

TFR Foundation based in Canada helps a lot. The Canadian Ambassador and Consul General assist us and represent Canada, where Terry Fox is coming from.

5)  How much money was raised for the 2015 Terry Fox Run in Ras al Khaimah?

The total collection for the 2015 run was AED 144,116.75.

6)  Who receives the funds raised on behalf of the Terry Fox Foundation, and where does it go, and what are the raised funds used for?

All donations are being deposited in the Dubai Terry Fox Run Bank Account. The money stays in the UAE and will be used for Cancer Research programs that are being held in the University of the UAE. The research programs have to be approved by the Foundation and it’s committee before money can be released.

7)  Do you find this a rewarding experience?

Personally, I have never imagined myself becoming this involved in something so big. I never thought that the RAK Terry Fox Run would be such a highly awaited community event in RAK. It is not easy to organise an event without any resources. But, I have been blessed with a very good team who never failed to amaze me with their generosity in time and ideas. The event is getting bigger and a success every year, because it is a cancer awareness drive and a great day out once a year on a Friday morning.

 

And some more photo’s from the day…