Competition links

Below i've posted the links to the first two competitions from Glasgow Film that i mentioned in my blog from tuesday. 
(Scroll down to see original blog)

Competition 1

Competiton 2

Good luck :)

On the Road Again

Some inspiration

Glasgow is a city that like any other is teaming with stereotypes such as violence and the whole concept that everyone is ginger, wearing a kilt and have a belly full of haggis 24/7 and although this is quite possibly true for the very slim minority, i believe Glasgow has a lot to offer the film world. 

I watched a show this week which is part of the series 'Hit the road Jack' where comedian Jack Whitehall visits various places over Britain to uncover the culture and how the locals live.  Of course no comedians show is complete without the odd joke to poke fun at the residents. 
This weeks episode was the turn of Glasgow.  I've included the link below to let you have a look and make your own opinion of the city. 

Hit the Road Jack

However...
Don't be in any way put off by the references to Glasgows' violent nature, (Yes I mean the Buckfast crime reference) instead focus on the success that has came from Scotland for example actors John Hannah and Greg McHugh or the band 'The Vaccines' who all featured on the show. 
Ive provided an advert below for 'Visit Scotland' so you can restore faith in Scotland and focus more on the locals passion, pride in nationality, historical culture and the picturesque landscape.

Perhaps you'll even choose Glasgow as the next location choice for your film production.

Competitions

Feeling Lucky?

I was just doing my usual browse through social networking sites and saw something that might interest filmmakers, people with a general interest in film or even just those who like to win prizes. 

'Glasgow Film' are giving away tickets among other things today and over the next few days so why not follow the link below and see what they have to offer and know I'm going to!

                    Are you a winner?....

A creative outlet for your art

Hello Vimeo

‘Vimeo’ is the original video sharing website where users can upload, share and view videos.  ‘Vimeo’ was founded in November 2004 (3 months before ‘Youtube’) by filmmakers and video creators who;

 “wanted to share their creative work, along with intimate personal moments of their everyday life”’.

The name ‘Vimeo’ is an anagram of the word ‘movie’ as well as a play on the word ‘video’ where the word ‘me’ has been placed in the middle.  This play on words is a clever reference to the sites focus and dedication to the “user-made videos”. 

When compared to its rival ‘Youtube’,

attracts 65 million unique visitors per month

490 million unique users worldwide per month

 VS

Vimeo may appear the weaker video outlet but…

Vimeos’ community is largely built up of indie filmmakers- possibly portraying vimeo as the more respected website- and it promises to be;

“A respectful community of creative people who are passionate about sharing the videos they make”

And also;

“Provide the best tools and highest quality video in the universe”

This is a pretty bold claim which personally I can't be sure is true considering 'Youtube' is more a a household name.  However, this could be the whole point and emphasises the fact Vimeo isn't for just anyone and a home for nonsense,

such as:

but rather a devise used by creative minds to express themselves.  

This programme has even been used by many filmmakers who have found themselves on the 'Glasgow Film Festival' line-up for example the 2012 Scottish category award winner (mentioned in an earlier post) used vimeo as an outlet. 

Ultimately it is up to you to judge which website comes out on top and where you would like to showcase your work.

Relocation

Scotland is further establishing its credibility as a location for great TV drama

The BBC hit drama- ‘Waterloo Road’ has moved location from filming seven years in Rochdale Manchester, to our very own Renfrewshire (where I live). 



Cast: Waterloo Road

The former Greenock Academy has now officially transformed into ‘Waterloo Road High school’ set to shoot 50 episodes, and filming will start this Monday; 2^nd April 2012.    

The school has undertaken a number of changes with one wing being converted into a production studio, with edit and dubbing suites, make-up and wardrobe facilities and a canteen, a big step up from the maths department. 

This move is excellent news for Scotland as it is expected to bring £20m to the local economy and hundreds of jobs!!  This is even better news for me as a media student. 

The show's executive producer Gaynor Holmes said:

"this change of location was very much part of a commitment to building a strong drama base in Scotland, and is just the start, we are not done". 

Shed Media, led by founder and chief executive Eileen Gallagher went on to say:

"If you think about it, Manchester has got Coronation Street, Yorkshire has got Emmerdale, London has got Eastenders, Cardiff has got Casualty, and what does Glasgow have? It's now got Waterloo Road."

Don’t fret if you have never heard of/seen Waterloo Road before, or maybe you just want to catch up on the latest episodes, I’ve included a link to BBC iplayer here which gives you access to the current series.

So knock yourself out!

Please comment and let me know if you agree this will bring more money and jobs to Scotland.

More ways to recognise Scottish talent

This is the third year of the ‘Glasgow Margaret Tait Award’ but in case you’ve not heard of it yet, it’s a film award which;

“will recognise artists who are experimental, innovative and who work within film and moving image”

The winner of the award will be given a £10,000 prize and the opportunity to present their new commission at the Glasgow Film Festival in 2013. 

The voting closed today at 4pm, feel free to comment if you are a filmmaker who applied or someone who nominated a friend. 

I will let you know when the winner is announced. 

Urbancroft

‘Urbancroft’ is a film and video production company based in Glasgow; it is located at Scotland’s independent production hub ‘Film City Glasgow’.  Scroll down for contact information. 

This company provides production services and film training to charities, businesses & public sector organisations across the UK.  It claims to have quite a wide client base from arts and education organisations to businesses, government agencies and community projects.

‘Urbancroft’ has especially taken my interest since they worked with the university I attend to launch the Glasgow Caledonian London Campus in November 2011. 

Also, for quite a new company, ‘urbancroft’ has some pretty great credentials since they recently worked on filming for this year’s Olympic and commonwealth games.      

Contact Information:

FILM CITY GLASGOW                                 0141 445 7245

           401 GOVAN RD                                         INFO@URBANCROFT.CO.UK

      GLASGOW G51 2QJ                                      WWW.URBANCROFT.CO.UK