All Saints Church, Bishops Park, Putney

All Saints Church, Bishops Park, Putney, originally uploaded by vapour trail.

Scout London are writing an article for their next magazine on famous film locations in London, and have asked to use my photo of All Saints church in Bishops Park (where the vicar gets impaled in The Omen).

Coolio creepio! :)

vapour trail's photostream

vapour trail's photostream on Flickr.

Today my Flickr photos reached 100,000 views! 100,000 thanks to all who have viewed, commented, fav'd and shared.

Have a peak and polish your eyes with happy dust! :)

Normal transmission will resume shortly - we apologise for the delay...

...and a very Happy New Year to one and all. 2010 is going to be a blinder - I can feel it in me bones!

VT.

(Click on the image for some recent photovideoage).

Riding on the summer wind

One of the loveliest Summers in living memory is flying by and so much has happened (and is yet to occur) before Autumn's hues and temperatures are upon us. Miss L is feeling a bit under the weather at the moment, so in between playing nurse I am grabbing the opportunity to record some bits and bobs we've been up to:

Reiss and Dazed & Confused magazine recently ran an competition to illustrate a ltd. edition of 500 T-Shirt for their new 1971 collection. 600 designs were submitted and 30,000 public votes cast. My design came in the top 5 which put a smile on my face. I won some Reiss vouchers, a pair on ltd edition jeans and an invite to the collection launch at London Fashion Week, so can't grumble. See my submission here.

Old chum Mike came down from Lichfield for a lad's w'end which was a right old laugh, the highlight of which was the Film4/Summer Screen at Somerset House. Another old mucker Mark was DJing beforehand (and very marvellous he was too - cheeky/quirky filmscore mash-up), then we were treated to a dream double bill of Alien/Poltergeist. Great to see two of my fav. films on a big screen, in the open air summer night. Many thanks to Mark for the free entry and VIP treatment.

A few weeks later a very welcome weekend break in Harrogate followed - caught up with lots of old muckers and family, and celebrated the engagement of my bro and Sarah - really happy for you guys...Congratulations. Some de riguer stomps around the Yorkshire countryside blew away some cobwebs too. Then, it was up to Lichfield to stay with Mike and Lou who have some very exciting news - so happy for you both! Lovely relaxing weekend relaxing and BBQing. Took some cool photos too.

Yesterday da Maria and I trekked down to Clapham Common to see the ever brilliant Orbital. Wicked night and great to have a proper jump around to one of my favourite bands, with one of my oldest buds. Shame we missed Roni Size. Here's a bit of footage:



Amazingly, it seems we don't have a free weekend for the next few months, so there will be lots to report next time the blogging urge takes me.

I have discovered loads of excellent new music recently, mainly through the genius that is Spotify. If you don't have this wonderful App. I strongly suggest you download it. If you need an invite let me know and I will be glad to sort you out. Here's some brilliant music I think is worth more than a casual look:

British Sea Power - Man of Aran.
The Horrors - Primary Colours.
Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring.
Slut - Still No.1.
Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice born men.
Tindersticks - Waiting for the Moon.
The XX - XX.
John Surman - Brewster's Rooster.

I also 'graduated' from Raindance on their FilmMakers Foundation - what a great course and film festival, and some inspiring people to work with. I have a backlog of footage now which needs crafting into something amazing when I find the time and a load of lovely contacts to make magic with. Highly recommend you check Raindance out if you have even a passing interest in film.

More to come soon. Keep checking back here and Flickr for updates. Beep.

Cool waves

It's been far too long since I blogged, but I'd just like to record that in between the helix of time in VT's world, a warm sparkly glow dances through the peaks and troughs. More to come soon...

PS. If you get the chance you should all go to Iceland...It's a very nice land (don't eat the Whales or Puffins though...or upset the Vikings).

A year in listening

The graph above charts my music listening habits over the past year according to LastGraph...a cool little app. for Last FM.

Quite a lovely shape really.

Sunshine hits me

Another brief hiatus from blogging is testament to the numerous events, unexpected changes and surprises that have peppered my little life over the past few weeks. As the seasons are in transition, so it seems are the directions in which I am traveling at the moment...some instigated by myself, some it appears driven by fate. Sometimes things seem to align in an effortless timely fashion and everything fits into place...those times make me smile.

I am supposed to be working on some freelance stuff for a friend, but the mood took me to blog so I am going to do a brief sum up of notable bobbins and twaddle:

Films

Shifty: I was very lucky to win a Boxfresh competition a few weeks ago. The prizes being a couple of tickets to the industry premier of Shifty at Soho Curzon and some free clobber from the afore mentioned brand. Great film - The directorial debut of Eran Creevy and made for an amazingly low £100k (tip - blow the actors away with the script, then sweet talk them into working for next to nothing) A 24h story set in an outer London suburb, it documents two friends (Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays) who's lives were parted by tragedy, then reunited four years later where old ghosts return to haunt them. A refreshing take on drug street life in an average British city suburb, low key but effective in photographic direction, with an utterly fluid and semi-improvised dialogue. The lead actors have a brother like synergy on screen that makes it truly pleasurable to get lost in their journey down a spiral of social disintegration and ultimately absolution from their demons. Social realism at its best - highly recommended. 9/10

In the Loop: Armando Iannucci at his absolute best. The scene: The Labour Party just prior to the UN's investigation in Iraq's supposed WMD's and build up to invasion, it's heartless and chaotic spin doctors, whips and press depts, and fascicle MP's lack of PR skills/rational thinking. Razor sharp delivery, crude beyond words, incendiary delivery - an utterly hilarious dark comedy. Rarely have I seem so many chairs vibrate with hilarity and tears of laughter stream down so many faces in one room. Without doubt the funniest thing I have seen in a good few years. Essential viewing. 10/10.

Cheri: Excellent period romantic drama directed by Stephen Frears. A welcome return to form from Michelle Pfeiffer and the brilliant Kathy Bates. Basic story centres around the son of a famous courtesan, his dalliances with his mum's mates and other unlucky ladies of social standing. Utterly hedonistic, sometimes funny, sometimes heartwarming, ultimately redeeming and satisfying. Great soundtrack apparently, though I nearly fell asleep near the end...not through boredom...strange. 8/10.

Somers Town: I have wanted to see this film for ages - it is sooo damn good. Directed by the fantastic Shane Meadows of This Is England fame and a return from the genius child actor Thomas Turgoose. A pure, honest and lovely tale of a brummy runaway and polish immigrant who become unlikely friends, fall in love with the same french girl working in the local cafe and decide to seek her out when she leaves town. Beautiful screenplay and script, with a gritty b&w urban taste to it. Highly recommended. 9/10

I'm on a real good run of cinema at the moment, so a few more reviews to come very soon after my Flickr buddy Mark and I return from the next jaunt. Need to take some photos too...and make more films...Ooo, Raindance soon!

London Marathon

The company I work for sponsor a charity every year and in 2009 it is Help the Hospices. Our offices are bang on the 23rd mile mark and we organise BBQs, face painting, kettle drums, BBC Radio come down with a sound system and we all cheer on those amazing people running for whatever reason it is. I always take photos for the charity which is great fun (they're a lovely bunch of people). So much activity and the atmosphere is highly charged with emotion - this makes for great shots. Great weather for us spectators, but some of the runners were certainly suffering, bless 'em. Top day - loved it.

Tunes

Two bands that I just can't stop playing at the moment, both Scottish, both incredible and I think a few of the songs will enter the 'soundtrack to my life' play list very soon...ah yes, their names: The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit. Brilliant - remind me of some of the Chemikal Underground bands like Delgadoes. Hope they don't get massive and turn into Snow Patrols - they're mine and I want to keep them to myself and safe from the harm of mass commercial appeal!

Book

The Box Man by Kobo Abe. A Japanese man decides to wear a box on his head, visit his mates and go about his day. Anymore would give it away, but rest assured it's brilliant.

Work

It's cool, challenging, stimulating and sometimes just nuts. I based a campaign around a glass of water - works well I think. Someone asked me to airbrush out their wrinkles and double chin on a portrait - I obliged and it made them happy. Someone else asked me to polish some poo (see book review a few posts ago)...it made me chuckle, then sigh.

I can feel those sunbeams getting stronger as they pierce the clouds and shine on my head - must be summer on its way...or something...