I assisted the film maker Grace LaDoja on her short documentary for Mother London, looking at the effect of sports on the lives of teenagers. The short focused on the different backgrounds of teenagers and their coaches and how sport can energise and improve many aspects of a young person’s life.

We saw the impact that inspirational teachers can have on a community- spurring on large groups of teenagers to get involved; constantly challenging themselves, winning championships and learning. Giving direction and discipline. We saw what good facilities can do, and heard so many positive stories.

The documentary is to be used as internal research by Mother.

Grace’s Blog: amazinggracelondon.blogspot.com
Mother London: www.motherlondon.com

Here’s a couple of short clips I shot while helping out at this years onedotzero_adventures in motion festival at the BFI Southbank in September.

The first is the “graffonic: virtual spraypaint” installation- which let visitors draw on a wall electronically, and also gave an audio reaction to each movement.

The second is a timelapse of the festival identity- a massive projection outside the BFI, which could be interacted with using a Nokia phone, and which drew in online talk about the festival. Amazing work, and one of the parts of the festival which drew most discussion.

You can see the full highlights of the festival on the onedotzero vimeo page, here: http://www.vimeo.com/7541175

Much thanks to The Skinny for inviting me down- and all the bands, musicians, DJs and entertainers who made it such a great night.

Read The Skinny’s preview article here: The Skinny & Ten Tracks Twisted Kids Birthday Party

“onedotzero_adventures in motion is acclaimed by artists, audiences and creative industry alike for being the world leader in audio-visual arts and entertainments at the forefront of a new festival experience which combines collaborative music, film and live performance, and playful interactivity, digital arts and culture.”

-onedotzero.com

The yearly onedotzero_adventures in motion festival just finished at the BFI Southbank, and I have been there over the course of the five days helping with the documentation of the event- photographing and filming the various interactive installations, workshops, and night time bar events.

There was much stunning work on display- from interactive installations to short films. The H5 retrospective and UK premiere of their new short film “Logorama”, the wavelength screening programme and interactive identity projected in massive scale on the National Theatre were all highlights for me. Every night also had an event at the BFI bar- live AV sets, breakdancers, and DJs all had their night.

More on the events of the festival on the onedotzero blog and vimeo channel:

http://www.onedotzero.com/blog

http://www.vimeo.com/onedotzero

Saturday night was the closing night for the Aberdeen City & Shire film festival- it was also the first night that myself and Fraser Denholm (www.fraserdenholm.com) have worked together under the name ‘Pay No Attention to the Men Behind the Curtain’, creating visuals while Kieran span records. I’m behind the camera as usual, but you can see Kieran and Fraser above.

Its been a great festival- with people coming from all over to see such diverse work by local film makers. Highlights for me were Found re-soundtracking a Norman McLaren animation, and the local films showcase, after which there were short interviews with the film makers. Below are some images of the event I have taken over the last week.

I’m currently working as a photographer for the Aberdeen City & Shire Film Festival, which is on from now until the 1st of August in various venues across the city. There is a wide variety of events planned- from artists talks, to workshops and the mysterious “mytube” youtube Djing, pictured above- which lets visitors mix youtube videos together on a projector. There is a full programme of events and more information at www.acsfilmfest.co.uk.

Tonight features a local film showcase- with everything from experimental shorts to skate films shown- from 8pm at Bar Five. The selection has been chosen by Jon Reid, himself a local film maker and blogger.

Fraser Denholm’s latest exhibition “Fat Bottomed Girls” is now open at Project Slogan, Torry. The photograph is from the opening night- Fraser rode the custom bike and main exhibit “The Silver Machine” the mile or so to Torry, arriving just after doors open.

Also on display is a series of photographs of cyclists and their bikes, and a short film- A Born to be Wild spoof featuring The Silver Machine.

I covered the Belladrum Tartan Heart music festival for The Skinny last weekend, and had an excellent time doing so. Belladrum is based near Inverness, and is very much a family-orientated festival. The headliners are not as big as some festivals put on, but the effort everyone puts in is massive- You are encouraged to dress up in the most ridiculous fashion possible, and to really get involved in the spirit of the event. There were so many things going on away from the stages: salsa classes, a didgeridoo player, all kinds of stalls and entertainers, and a great vibe. I’d have no problems in doing it all again!

For more information see the Belladrum website