Joel Meyerovitz


There is some street photography that I love. But I am not sure why. Many look banal and uncomposed at first glance and makes me think that even I could take that snap. However, none of my photo’s seem to have the quality that photographs by the likes of Joel Meyerovitz or Stephen Shore or Gary Winogrand can convey.

Joel Meyerovitz

 

More beautiful banality by Stephen Shore

Completely beautiful but I don’t know why!

Gary Winogrand

I guess what I need to do is take my camera everywhere with me and snap and snap in order to train my eye.

Leave a comment

The Art of TV Opening Titles


Is it me or have TV opening sequences become an art form in themselves?

Sure enough TV theme tunes are recognised as hugely influential and I bet we can all sing along to many with just a couple of notes introduction, but the visuals were seldom as important.

It seems to me that the first of this new wave of amazing programme openings was the little seen but remarkably brilliant ‘Carnival’.

Carnivale

These titles are excellent for giving the viewer the sense of the period (the Great Depression) and what is happening in the world and closer to home. It also features the Tarot cards which give a sense of the supernatural that featured in the show. A beautiful example of the effort HBO put into this show. Damn them for cancelling it….I need to know what Sofie was gonna do next!

Mad Men

Another great one for capturing period and for giving a hint to the idea that the series will be capturing (in exquisite and excruciating detail) one man’s descent both literally and existentially.

The Borgias

Art, religion, seduction and lots of blood…it’s all here ….what more could you ask for?

Six Feet Under

Another earl(ish) example of this new artform. Many have imitated its style.

Dexter

Blackly witty which perfectly serves this darkly witty show. A serial killer of serial killers who is also a blood spatter expert, what’s not to like? And the theme tune is playfully undercutting the imagery which clues us in to the tone of the programme brilliantly.

True Blood

A favourite in this bloggers’ house as you could probably tell from the number of times I have posted about this show. Can’t help but singalong …’I wanna do bad things to you’. The titles encapsulate the hot, sticky, sweaty locale. Decay and death is everywhere. Religious fervour is highlighted and I always smile at the roadside signage ‘God Hates Fangs!’

Nurse Jackie

Another one with great photography and tells us all about our main character as well as the tone of the show. Nice one!

Bored To Death

Not mad about this show, but really wanted to like it because of the title sequence. Maybe I should give it another shot!

Game of Thrones

So far in my quest I think this is the standout opening sequence yet. The makers have obviously understood that a saga of this magnitude is gonna lead to a lot of head scratching if they didn’t give us the equivalent of the maps and family trees you find in the books of this type. Therefore every week we get a reminder of the geography of the many locations in the story as well as the comparable size of the various kingdoms and their relative distances from each other. That, and some beautiful animation. Super cool!

Leave a comment

Toilet humour


Many years ago,and I do mean many years ago, I worked in Soho, London and would meet up with a friend in a pub round the corner. It was the same pub used by a group of comedians that were, at the time, making a sketch show called Naked Video.

A typical sketch from one of the funnier members of the cast John Sparkes

His other great character is Shadwell the Welsh poet –

 

Leave a comment

A little Star Wars moment everyday.


Okay, so it’s not exactly every day but as much as possible I like to add a bit of Star Wars-y goodness to my blog.

Today some images from the early concept drawings for Star Wars by the brilliant Ralph McQuarrie.

When I was a kid and dicovered McQuarrie’s designs I was blown away to think someone could have a job designing robots and alien planets and environments. Shame I was rubbish at drawing!

Leave a comment

JCVD the man, the legend, the self-mockery!?!


Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Muscles from Brussels. Legend of ’80’s action movies that swung from dire to dreadful to occassionally great!

Since he starred in the strange meta-movie ‘JCVD’ Jean-Claude seems to have started to enjoy playing with his own image – even taking the piss out of it as this new campaign for Coors Lite shows –

My nipples were so cold they started talking to me –

Leave a comment

Whilst at the newsagents!


Mooching around the newsagents today, renewing my subscription to Needlework Monthly, I came across this months’ Interview Magazine.

I love magazine covers because on the rack they have to stand out and be noticed. Hence the amount of top name photographers pulling out all the stops (did you see what I did there?). Steven Klein is responsible for this example.

This is a very cool cover –

 

 

It took me a second to work out that it was our favourite bitey man Eric Northman what with the dark hair and all but there’s no doubting that this is a powerful cover shot that POPs!!

and some other shots from the shoot

1 Comment

Oh God! I am gonna cry buckets!


If you have seen my previous posts, you will know how much I want to see War Horse on stage. I am particularly keen to see the amazing looking puppets.

Now I have seen the trailer for the Spielberg movie of the book and play.

I can watch any amount of movies that are dripping in sentiment and not have even the teeniest bit of welling up. I can watch any amount of mistreatment, murder and mutilation of humans and barely shrug BUT if there are any animals mistreated or hurt or distressed – then out come the waterworks!

This trailer had me blubbing in seconds – I had better wear dark glasses coming out of the cinema

 

Leave a comment