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Just had a great couple of days -- yesterday and the day before -- taking part in a film being made by final-year multimedia students at Sheffield Hallam University.
The film's called Fiver Live, and I've got the honour of featuring in the opening sequence. Guess what part I play? Something totally uncharacteristic ... a drunk! It's dawn, and I'm staggering home after a good night out. I fumble in my pocket for my keys and out drops a five pound note. A young man just coming out of a brothel picks up the fiver, and the film follows the journey of this banknote through several individuals' hands, until it gets back to the young man again.
We filmed that at dusk on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday morning I had to be a flower seller on the market. The barman brings the fiver to buy some flowers, but as it changes hands (briefly) it's snatched out of my hands by a passing thief.
I can't wait to see the finished film. It sounds like a good one!
Watch this space!
Thursday 26 February 2009
Saturday 14 February 2009
Sad news
Sadly, after my glowing report of a recent barn dance, I received an email from the organisers, asking me very politely to take the video down from YouTube, and consequently from my own website, because someone had complained. Not about the video per se, but because nobody thought to obtain written permission from the parents of the few children shown in the video.
Personally, I think it's madness that we have to jump through so many hoops these days just to please the "politically correct" members of society, who all seem to be descended from Big Brother. However, I concede that there may just be some element of risk for vulnerable young people from paedophiles and the like, who might live expressly for the purpose of hunting down pretty children, identifying where they live and stalking them, possibly taking it further than that.
I am genuinely sorry if I upset or offended anyone by posting the video on the Net, and hope that taking it down will have appeased those who felt hurt.
Next time, I'll make sure we have permission in writing before including children in videos.
Personally, I think it's madness that we have to jump through so many hoops these days just to please the "politically correct" members of society, who all seem to be descended from Big Brother. However, I concede that there may just be some element of risk for vulnerable young people from paedophiles and the like, who might live expressly for the purpose of hunting down pretty children, identifying where they live and stalking them, possibly taking it further than that.
I am genuinely sorry if I upset or offended anyone by posting the video on the Net, and hope that taking it down will have appeased those who felt hurt.
Next time, I'll make sure we have permission in writing before including children in videos.
Sunday 8 February 2009
Belton Village Barn Dance
I had a fantastic time with the wonderful people of Belton, Leicestershire, yesterday evening (7th Feb). It was the third time I'd been invited to give them a barn dance in their lovely village hall -- and I'll be going back for a fourth visit pretty soon (more about that when it happens).
Despite the still snowy roads (particularly the cross-country ones, which many people would have had to traverse in order to get to Belton) there was a decent crowd of more than 50 dancers, including lots of children and a couple of grandmothers!
My assistant video'd some of the dances, and I've just uploaded the video to YouTube. There's also a link to the video on the Gallery page of my website: http://barndance.biz.
If you'd like a dance like this one at Belton, why not contact me?
Despite the still snowy roads (particularly the cross-country ones, which many people would have had to traverse in order to get to Belton) there was a decent crowd of more than 50 dancers, including lots of children and a couple of grandmothers!
My assistant video'd some of the dances, and I've just uploaded the video to YouTube. There's also a link to the video on the Gallery page of my website: http://barndance.biz.
If you'd like a dance like this one at Belton, why not contact me?
Sunday 1 February 2009
New direction
Back in the 80s, I used to do quite a bit of presenting. I co-presented BBC Radio Derby's weekly folk programme Derby Tup, as well as a Saturday morning show (only once or twice). They also got me to voice short stories, and a couple of serials (one or them was about the Pentrich Revolution). BBC Radio Nottingham asked to stand in for Roy Harris once on their folk music show, and then I had to read some extracts from D.H.Lawrence for a 4-programme documentary. I remember they had to get clearance from very high up for me so say "the F-Word" (hee hee).
1990 saw me writing the scripts and the teachers' notes for a 10-part BBC Schools Radio series called Folk Dance. I also got to put together the band (including John Kirkpatrick, Phil Langham, and a very young Guy Fletcher), arrange all the music and play keyboards. Wonderful time!
I also did a bit of "acting" -- well, that might be a bit grand. I was an extra (one of those actors who stand around in the background, or walking across ...) and got to appear in Crossroads and Shine on Harvey Moon (remember them?). One interesting gig was being a prisoner-of-war in the mini-series Jenny's War, starring Dian Cannon, Christopher Cazenove, and a small galaxy of other stars. I didn't enjoy having my hair cut for the job, but it was quite good fun over several days.
Anyway, I've decided I want to do more of that kind of stuff -- extra work, as well as presenting. I'd love to read audiobooks (especially if I get to make silly voices) and Talking Books for the Blind. You know the kind of thing.
So, last Tuesday I went down to Nottingham (not a city I know very well) to visit Kickstart Media. They arranged for me to have a couple of hours' voice coaching with an actress, Elaine Donnelly, and then I had to stand in front of a green screen and an autocue system while they video'd me presenting a handful of items (TV adverts, etc). I even got to mouth off like Jeremy Kyle for a couple of minutes (imagine that!). They're putting it all together for me, and I'll eventually get my own show reel on DVD, which I can hawk around the agencies.
The message here, of course, is "Watch your TV screens" and "listen to your local radio" -- one day I'll be on there!
1990 saw me writing the scripts and the teachers' notes for a 10-part BBC Schools Radio series called Folk Dance. I also got to put together the band (including John Kirkpatrick, Phil Langham, and a very young Guy Fletcher), arrange all the music and play keyboards. Wonderful time!
I also did a bit of "acting" -- well, that might be a bit grand. I was an extra (one of those actors who stand around in the background, or walking across ...) and got to appear in Crossroads and Shine on Harvey Moon (remember them?). One interesting gig was being a prisoner-of-war in the mini-series Jenny's War, starring Dian Cannon, Christopher Cazenove, and a small galaxy of other stars. I didn't enjoy having my hair cut for the job, but it was quite good fun over several days.
Anyway, I've decided I want to do more of that kind of stuff -- extra work, as well as presenting. I'd love to read audiobooks (especially if I get to make silly voices) and Talking Books for the Blind. You know the kind of thing.
So, last Tuesday I went down to Nottingham (not a city I know very well) to visit Kickstart Media. They arranged for me to have a couple of hours' voice coaching with an actress, Elaine Donnelly, and then I had to stand in front of a green screen and an autocue system while they video'd me presenting a handful of items (TV adverts, etc). I even got to mouth off like Jeremy Kyle for a couple of minutes (imagine that!). They're putting it all together for me, and I'll eventually get my own show reel on DVD, which I can hawk around the agencies.
The message here, of course, is "Watch your TV screens" and "listen to your local radio" -- one day I'll be on there!
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