strawberry wine

Television

2012-12-31T14:50:00.000Z

by Roald Dahl

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants.
---
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

The Never-Ending Internet Cat-and-Mouse Game

2012-01-20T01:00:00.002Z

As future journalists, bright minds of tomorrow and the prospective creators of a better future, we often find ourselves baffled by the events of today. Whether blinded by our still-remaining-buried-in-sweet-nostalgia-and-the-smell-of-pancakes-in-the-morning childhood innocence and the good memories of yesterday, or soberly and desperately trying to analyse the situation of today and put it in words that actually make sense, we cannot help but wonder what on Earth is happening to the world.

Jumping from one ridiculousness to the other (and I shall continue to use this word, regardless of its absence in the English dictionary, perhaps due to the language's vast poorness of expression, as I have begun to find out), it is hard not to bury one's head in the sand, switch off the news and think about 'pink clouds, princes and princesses', as my grandma used to comfortingly say before we closed our eyes and drifted away into the land of the all-possible. Yet we are dragged back into this world, forced to 'deal' with the reality of today, at which point our inner child shrieks at the top of its lungs and runs off into the wilderness of its innocent dreams. Oh, yeah, to 'deal' is an 'adult' activity (whatever in the name of hell that word could ever come close to resembling, and I have still been unable to quite figure it out). And we are constantly reminded this is the 'normal', and the freaks of this ridiculous human order are, in fact, those who deem it meaningless.

I find myself buried in endless commentary of pretentious and pompous arguments about what should and must be by people who apparently have a high self-esteem and enjoy the occasional praising thought about their own brilliance. Often probably in front of the mirror. Or perhaps those geniuses of today cite their accomplishments in a well-established order when they go to bed every night, most likely to avoid crying themselves to sleep. And it is through witnessing or even briefly peeking into those discussions that one can lose their faith in humanity. As one clever commentator states, we might as well apply for our gun permits as of now and blow our brains shortly after.

All this comes in a time where, for most of us, the future is uncertain. Among the employment responsibilities and endless scholarly tasks, running from one place to the other and trying desperately not to forget that other thing we didn't write down on paper, we are haunted by the fears of making ends meet tomorrow, after graduation, when we are supposed to enlist in the army of the great minds. Though our preparation and army training has been completely insufficient to say the least. Should we put our heads down and accept the impending doom of the future, led by the 'heroes' of today? Was 'Idiocracy' correct? If so, would one of us actually get to be the president in this version?

It is merely a smoke-screen for the gullible when they begin their government-guided endlessly clever attacks on piracy, and so-serious arguments on copyright infringement, freedom and all. It seems so long ago in our idiotic human terms Baudrillard said the war did not take place, as it was our perception that guided us through the decision-making process. And, for that matter, the opinion-forming process. Or later, in the contemporary landscape of my today, Chris Rock said everything the government tells you is 'to keep your mind off the war'. Or, in other words, off of the real reasons/events of the war. Hell, I even think the reason we travel to Mars and all those other bloody far-away places, is to find more oil. So the big throats of some fat-pocketed government can make more money. In the meantime, let's throw sand in the eyes of the everyday internet user, put some salt in their wounds and shut down their biggest file-sharing website. Maybe that will shut them up for a while and we might once again seem like the almighty-powerful-Gods-we-used-to-be-perceived-as.

God forbid anyone maintains a certain amount of doubt as to the reasons why one or the other do anything. And we encounter ignorance so often that I am inclined to believe I am living under the sand which people have buried their heads in. Comfort and stability over challenging one's words? Is that really what we learned in those years of media? To trust?! Maybe I have been all the long while enrolled in a different universe.

Perhaps they should implement cynicism in the elementary school programme and above. Let them take A-levels on that subject, and also put a few lessons of how NOT TO trust immediately the words of some moron who somehow got into power and then phoned some other moron for a little press coverage and teleported himself to the screen in one's house to be watched by the hypnothised dull faces of those apes in front of the TVs, deprived of conscious thoughts and attracted by the shimmering new LCD screen (though, on second review, that comment is offensive to apes).

Oh, yeah, the heroes of today, I forget. God forbid it might occur to some of us they might be lying. Ah, it is that moneyless existence of mine that feeds the cynic inside of me and pours fuel on my rebellious nature, leading me to consider that gun license after all. Perhaps not to blow my brains out, but just to shoot a few shots as a sign of inner rebellion. And then to down a bottle of wine and drift away into the land of possibilities, where my brain function has never been limited by the ridiculousness of human perception and the incredibly idiotically narrow-minded world we live in. Who was it that said a mechanism only works as well as its weaker component. Imagine the possibilities had it been the opposite...

Final Project Proposal

2012-01-17T13:19:00.007Z

'The Perception of Epilepsy in the 21^st Century'

Part I: The project

I intend to produce a radio documentary of about 20-minute length, with a working title being 'The perception of epilepsy in the 21^st century'. The product will aim at not only explaining the condition and its effects, but more importantly, dealing with the perception of epilepsy in the medical institutions, different religions, society and the people who suffer from the condition themselves.

Part II: Rationale

There are radio and film productions that deal with epilepsy. They range from audio and video documentaries to fiction films based on real events and radio shows, dedicated to the subject. However, they all deal with either explaining the medical side of the condition, the different types of seizures; or the supposed causes and different available treatments; or the level to which a person's life and their relatives' lives are affected by the condition.

What I aim to produce is a project that challenges the perception of epilepsy as a result of the socio-cultural environment we live in, as shaped by the media and those in power. For instance, the Spiral of Silence theory, developed by the political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, explores the effect of mass media and society on the formation of public opinion. “Observations made in one context spread to another and encouraged people either to proclaim their views or to swallow them and keep quiet until, in a spiralling process, the one view dominated the public scene and the other disappeared from public awareness as its adherents became mute” (Neumann 1993: 5).

At the same time, we can discuss the effect of power on the formation of public opinion and perception from a media theory point of view: Baudrillard theorises that in today's society, there is “a collective demand for signs of power”, which everyone belongs to, as they are afraid of a collapse in the political system (Baudrillard in Kellner 1989: 133). Power is also, in the words of Barthes, “the parasite of a trans-social organism, linked to the whole of man’s history” (in Eco 1977: 240). And at the same time, history and social memory become vital in connecting the past to the present and making sense of our place in the world (Jameson 1983). Additionally, Lyotard talks about the totalising nature of metanarratives, which exist in the post-modern society (1984). Metanarratives, he means, are those 'big truths' and views about the order for the world (the formed perceptions of what is 'normal', for instance, or what is masculine/feminine; in general, most of the stereotypes in today's world).

Drawing conclusions from these theories, it is possible to challenge our perception of a condition such as epilepsy. The project is not aimed at explaining the process of epilepsy and all the different types of seizures, the diagnostics and treatments. It is to deal with the perception of epilepsy, rather than the condition itself, and challenge that perception as one not 'naturally-formed', but pre-determined by our position in today's socio-cultural mediated environment. The reason for this is not only that there is other such material in both radio and video format, dealing with those specific subjects, but also because drawing on my background in media, I find it fascinating to examine the formation of perception and the effects on medicine, religion and the people themselves.

Part III: Inspiration

The motivation for this project came after the passing of my friend, who suffered from epilepsy, as there was a lot of anger towards the lack of understanding of this condition in the 21^st century. But also, as a result of my few conversations with her about her condition and the way she 'perceived' it, as well as what her mother has shared with me about the early stages of the epilepsy and the way my friend was 'dealing' with it, I came to realise it was a diagnosis, which often created a lot of negative feelings in the patient.

What made an impression on me in the film 'Many Lives: Managing the Epilepsies' was the extent to which there was emphasis on leading a 'normal' life (from both the doctors and the patients themselves). As we gradually conclude in media studies, it is virtually always possible to challenge the word 'normal', as what we know as 'normal', is actually not the biologically natural. It is the socio-culturally formed.

Dr Kevin O'Shea, one of the specialists interviewed in 'Many Lives' said: “There's still a great deal of myth out there about epilepsy, people don't fully understand how effectively it can be treated and also that with effective treatment, people can return to a virtually normal life. Similarly, people don't understand the impact of not treating in effectively and may find it difficult to comply with whatever treatment options have been offered.”

However, in the same film it is often expressed that some forms of epilepsy are mild and there is no real danger (except for trauma from falling, as well as choking on something, which is technically a danger we all face in our everyday lives). Yet medication is prescribed for all various forms of epilepsy. This led me to wonder why doctors kept expressing the need for a person to lead a 'normal' life by suppressing their epilepsy, which is interfering with that normality, yet the side effects of anti-epileptic drugs (such as effects on the cognition and memory, as well as general fatigue) interfere in a person's life and abilities in a much greater way.

“My previous decision not to take medication for my diagnosed epilepsy is a choice I have had to defend on numerous occasions: to GP’s and specialists ranging from the well-intentioned to the dogmatic, family and friends, employers, witnesses and now my insurance company”, my friend had written, as the medication prescribed to her was severely affecting her memory and concentration and was creating high amount of tiredness and sleepiness, which was preventing her from leading a 'normal' life.

What is even more interesting in the statements made by Dr O'Shea, is the idea of a sense of loss and embarrassment, brought by either the diagnosis or the manifestation of epilepsy. “[When patients receive the diagnosis], there is a large part of their live they feel they've lost. For the individual, that can mean a sense of believing your life is almost over. People become quite passive. A lot of family, friends and spouses of people with epilepsy are acutely embarrassed that somebody has a seizure in a public place.”

The Department for Education in the UK cites asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylaxis as the four more common medical conditions. Yet epilepsy is the only one of those four to ever be perceived as something embarrassing or shameful. Additionally, in Bulgaria, for instance, a student with asthma is allowed to surpass certain exams in school, although studies don't show specific effects of asthma on one's learning abilities (unlike epilepsy, where cognition, concentration and memory are affected, and also by the medication). Yet it is still the epilepsy which is perceived as being a disability and something that interferes with the leading of a 'normal' life, something which is embarrassing to people and creates a sense that they cannot do anything with their lives any longer or will need to be dependent on somebody else for the rest of their life (i.e. being unable to take a bath or shower, unless there was somebody guarding).

Additionally, from a religious point of view, epilepsy was perceived as a demonic possession and epileptic patients were exorcised. Moveover, according to a research by Hasan Aziz and Syed Wasim Akhtar, to this day, in most Muslim countries, epilepsy is either still viewed as a demonic possession, or, to a much greater extent, is considered contagious and people are afraid of epileptics.

Part IV: Structure/content

I plan my final product to resemble the structure and style of the documentary 'My Lobotomy', the story of Howard Dully's exploration of the procedure he underwent 44 years earlier. In the same way, along with raising awareness as to what the condition is and how it is perceived (through interviews with both medical and religious officials), I would like to tell the personal story of my friend.

My list of established contacts also includes psychologists, in order to examine the effect to which epileptic patients perceive their condition as shameful, embarrassing, or they feel they have lost the quality of their lives, or feel loneliness and general isolation. I have also contacted a performer, suffering from epilepsy, who can give me her personal account of those feelings.

I plan to include some of Nadia's writing on the subject itself, along with the stories from Nadia's mother, both read out by another person. I believe they will add the necessary amount of personal feeling to the general picture. Additionally, I have an established relationship with two music composers, who have agreed to compose music, if deemed necessary. I think this will add a nuance to the product and will turn it into a more influential and less dry piece.

Part V: Target market

The aim of this project is to raise awareness as to the perception of epilepsy in the UK, in particular, and I am producing it to hopefully be utilised during National Epilepsy Week (NEW) in the UK – 20-26 May 2012. For this reason, I have contacted epilepsy charities and organisations, so the final product will be practically-usable, which can hopefully be distributed by them and used in their campaigns for raising awareness.

Part VI: Timeline

September – November 2011 – primary research; locating library, radio and video resources; analysing collected material

December 2011 – February 2012 – establishing contacts and scheduling interviews (3 interviews already scheduled); conducting interviews

March – May 2012 – editing and finalising the project

Appendix I: Sources up-to-date

Established contacts:

Dalal Farah Baird – Nadia's mother

Dr Michael Barnett, Sydney – neurologist

Dr H Allroggen, NHS University Hospitals – neurologist

Sue Thurlow, Coventry University Counselling Service – clinical lead

Dr. Shanika Samarasekera and Dr. Markus Reuber – NHS University Hospitals, conductors of research under the theme of 'Measuring Memory Function in Adults with Epilepsy'

Stacey Rennard, Epilepsy Action – PR and campaigns manager of the charity

Joanne Pybis, BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) – research facilitator

Reverend Daniel Richards, Coventry University – Anglican Lead Chaplain

Kasim Randeree, Coventry University – Muslim Chaplain

Rita Marcalo, Instant Dissidence – artist and performer, author of 'Involuntary Dances' – research art project into the effects of anti-epileptic drugs

Sources of research information:

PRINT:

Berent, S. & Sackellares (ed.) (1996) Psychological Disturbancies in Epilepsy. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann

Cull, C. & Goldstein, H. (ed.) (1997) The Clinical Psychologist's Handbook of Epilepsy. London: Routledge

Devinsky, O. (1994) A Guide to Understanding and Living with Epilepsy. Philadelphia: Davis

Eco, U. (1977) Travels in Hyperreality. London: Pan Books

Hopkins, A. (1981) Epilepsy: The Facts. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Kellner, D. (1989) Jean Baudrillard: From Marxism to Postmodernism and Beyond. Cambridge: Polity Press

Laidlaw, J. (1988) A Textbook of Epilepsy. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone

Laidlaw, M. (1984) People with Epilepsy: How They Can Be Helped. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone

LaPlante, E. (2000) Seized. New York: iUniverse

Lyotard, J. (1984) The Post-Modern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Manchester: Manchester University Press

Noelle-Neumann, E. (1993) Spiral of Silence. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press

Richard, A. & Reiter, J. (1995) Epilepsy – A New Approach. New York: Walker & Company

Schachter, S. & Schomer, D. (ed.) (1997) The Comprehensive Evaluation and Treatment of Epilepsy: A Practical Guide. London: Academic

Schachter, S. (2007) The Brainstorm Series. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Weiner, W. (ed.) (2010) Neurology for the Non-Neurologist. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Wilner, A. (2008) Epilepsy: 199 Answers. New York: Demos Medical Publishing

RADIO:

A History of the Brain (2011) [online] Radio 4. 8 November 2011, 13:45. available from <http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b016wzrd>

Anatomising a Portrait – an Epileptic Fit (2011) [online] Radio 3. 21 May 2011, 22:00. available from <http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/cu/items/ebaf5d90-6fee-3495-c2ee-95ba70cc0d9a/1/Anatomising_a_portrait_an_epileptic_fit_11-05-21.html?.hb=true>

Case Notes: Epilepsy (2011) [online] Radio4. 23 February 2011, 16:30. available from <http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00yqspm>

Devices for Epilepsy (2011) [online] Epilepsy Talk Radio. 11 November 2011. available from <http://www.blogtalkradio.com/epilepsy/2011/11/11/devices-for-epilepsy-past-present-and-future>

Mind Changers: The Man Who Couldn't Remember (2011) [online] Radio 4. 11 August 2011, 11:00. available from <http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00t6zqv>

My Lobotomy (2005) [online] NPR News. 16 November 2005. available from <http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=5014080&m=5015520>

FILM:

Abrahams, J. (1997) … First, Do No Harm [online] available from <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWp8t4PSDqY>

Buruchian, B. (2006) Healthy Body, Healthy Mind – Epilepsy: In Search of Effective Therapies [online] available from <http://bcepilepsy.com/files/videos/Healthy_Body_Healthy_Mind.mov>

Burwell, T. & Stith, R. (2008) Making a Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging [online] available from <http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/making-a-killing-the-untold-story-of-psychotropic-drugging>

De Rezendes, C. (2009) Zach, a Film About Epilepsy [online] available from <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgNbdV2Mwxc>

Extraordinary People: Living With Half a Brain (2007) [online] Channel Five. 10 January 2007. available from <http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/cu/items/4378a5f1-04bf-e193-1fac-05ed187f3678/1/Living_with_half_a_brain.html?.hb=true>

National Society for Epilepsy (1994) Epileptic Seizures. [DVD] Chalfont St Peter: National Society for Epilepsy

National Society for Epilepsy (2006) Many Lives: Managing the Epilepsies. [DVD] Chalfont St Peter: National Society for Epilepsy

Schmid, H.C. (2006) Requiem [online] available from <http://www.solarmovie.eu/movie/playlink/id/502792>

Tucker, L. (2003) God on the Brain [online] available from <http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/god-on-the-brain>

ONLINE:

Akhtar, S.W. & Aziz, H. (2004) Perception of Epilepsy in Muslim History; with Current Scenario [online] available from <http://www.neurology-asia.org/articles/20043_059.pdf>

Baird, N. (2010) Never Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Story [online] available from <http://nadiabaird.wordpress.com>

Department for Education (2011) Managing Medicines in School [online] available from <http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/pastoralcare/b0013771/managing-medicines-in-schools>

Epilepsy Action (2012) Side-effects of Anti-epileptic Drugs [online] available from <http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/developing-epilepsy-later-life/side-effects>

Epilepsy Foundation (2012) Epilepsy Foundation [online] available from <http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org>

Epilepsy Foundation (2012) Discussion Forum [online] available from <http://epilepsyfoundation.ning.com/forum>

Epilepsy Research UK (2008) Epilepsy Research UK – Epilepsy Information – Epilepsy News – Epilepsy Research – Epilepsy Resources [online] available from <http://www.epilepsyresearch.co.uk>

Epilepsy Therapy Project (2012) Epilepsy and Seizure Information for Patients and Health Professionals [online] available from <http://www.epilepsy.com>

Epilepsy Society (2011) Epilepsy Information from Epilepsy Society [online] available from <http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk>

Jameson, F. (1983) Postmodernism and Consumer Society [online] available from <http://people.virginia.edu/~jrw3k/enwr/106-7/readings/Jameson_Postmodernism_and_Consumer_Society.pdf>

NHS (2012) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence [online] available from <http://www.nice.org.uk>

Ranson-Polizzotti, S. (2005) The Strange Need of Religion: The Epileptic View [online] available from <http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/the-strange-need-of-religion-the>

Updated CV

2011-05-01T02:47:00.025+01:00

Antoniya Metodieva Petkova

50 Whitefriars Str.

CV1 2DS

0781 494 0707

petkovaa@uni.coventry.ac.uk

Journalism student with experience across a range of different platforms – print, radio and online, with extensive practice in film writing. My culturally diverse educational background has equipped me with elaborate language and communication skills, as well as confidence and comfort in interpersonal relationships. My flexibility and capacity to adapt have been developed through significant team work and group projects, both in an educational environment and at the workplace. I have learned to be patient and tolerant towards different cultures and customs and I always approach my work with initiative and enthusiasm.

SKILLS

Writing                                                                                   Portfolio
Film reviewing                                                                        www.iCov.co.uk
Creative writing                                                                       www.cueafs.com
Article writing                                                                          www.cine-vue.com
Research                                                                            www.cusu.org/sourceonline
Proofreading, sub-editing                                                      www.cutoday.wordpress.com
Interviewing                                                                             Jaded Lense newsletter, The Buzz

Software                                                                      Miscellaneous
MS Word, Excel, Publisher                                                Italian (upper advanced)
Open Office                                                                          Completed course in book editing
Adobe Audition, Adobe Indesign                                           Published poetry book
Blogger, Wordpress                                                            Amateur video production and photography

WORKING EXPERIENCE

October 2009 – present
Student helper
Coventry University
Coventry, United Kingdom

Main activities and responsibilities:
Assistance to incoming students with information and tours
Assisting teaching and administrative staff with documents/presentations
Effective team work, active communication with team members

November 2009 – February 2011
Warehouse operator
Comag Forward
Magazine marketing and distribution company in the UK
Coventry, United Kingdom
*Employed through recruitment agent Genesis Employment Services Ltd.

Main activities and responsibilities:
Fulfilling of client orders for products, locating items in the warehouse, mailing
Preparation of order sheets, invoicing, quantity and location sheets
Mainframe changes to stock quantities and orders

January 2009 – August 2009
Office assistant
Investment Trust International Sm Ltd.
An investment advisor establishment in Bulgaria in the area of trading with securities
Varna, Bulgaria

Main activities and responsibilities:
Handling internal and external correspondence
Preparation of company documentation, translation
Conducting interviews and meetings with potential employees, customers and partners

June 2008 – September 2008
Housekeeper
Villa Summerhouse
A holiday resort in Bulgaria
St.Constantine and Helena, Region Varna, Bulgaria

July 2007 – September 2007
Research personnel
MEMRB Bulgaria RTS EOOD
Wholesale and retail market research company in Bulgaria
Sofia, Bulgaria

September 2005 – June 2007
Secretary and technical assistant
ET (Sole Proprietor) Chance
A mechanical engineering company in Bulgaria producing 2D and 3D technical drawings and designs
Montana, Bulgaria

EDUCATION

2009 – Present
Specialty BA (Hons) Journalism and Media
Print and broadcast journalism with an overview of law, public relations and media theory
Coventry University, United Kingdom

2000 – 2006
High School Diploma
Mathematics with informatics and an intensive program in foreign languages
Montana, Bulgaria

References available upon request

Established network

2011-04-29T22:35:00.000+01:00

Despite having already met the following people, they became an essential part of this professional experience and proved more valuable that I had suspected they ever would.

Spencer Murphy, founder of East Asian Film Society, who we had been discussing future newsletter developments with. Consequently, I pitched him an idea for the new society publication, while he already had plans for the online version to be implemented this year. Spencer established the original recruitment process and communicated with the possible team of writers. He is an invaluable resource to have, mainly as a person to evaluate possible projects, as he is able to keep a clear unaffected by emotions opinion. Spencer's efforts led to the establishment of the society's partnership with Cine-Vue, which is an important step in our society towards professional realisation.

Daniel Green, editor of the Cine-Vue website. Despite never having communicated directly with Mr. Green, he is certainly a useful contact and the partnership between our society and his website is a promise for something bigger in the future. Daniel could essentially provide first-hand experience of working in an online environment with a chain of writers, both commissioned and freelance, sub-editors, journalists, photographers, etc. Under his indirect guidance, through the editing of my submissions, I am confident my writing skills have improved tremendously, as my expressions have become more sophisticated - an obstacle, unaided by the fact that I am not a native English speaker, ultimately surmountable through experience and outside evaluation.

Shelly Stevenson, lecturer in Coventry University, who came up with the idea of a partnership between the society and iCov. Shelly's enthusiasm towards the work that the society had done over the last year was a great source of motivation and inspiration, that ultimately led to more professional and dedicated behaviour on my part. Through my studies, Shelly had proven an objective, yet warm personal tutor, who was always available to give assistance and answer even the most ridiculous questions. She is a person who I would consider invaluable in my professional experience, through the increasing work between our society and her website, but more importantly as a source of positive energy through objective evaluation of any work produced.

Sabina Pasaniuc, member of CUEAFS. Befohand, Sabina and I had not interacted much, though she proved an invaluable writing resource for this professional experience. Part of the original intended writers team, I had been impressed with Sabina's work during the last year, although I had rarely seen much produced by her due to her many obligations and activities. I was pleased to continue receiving work from Sabina, despite her lack of time, as her writing is up to a very good standard and I have considered her useful not only as a resource, but also as a personal example as to good, expressive and serious film writing. Sabina is a developed writer who will always be of use not only as a writer to rely on/work with/employ, but also as a standing check of the quality of my own writing and developing skills as a film journalist.

Research for Udine Far East Film Festival 2011

2011-04-29T00:25:00.001+01:00

These are the review drafts for the coverage of Udine Far East Film Festival 2011, which will later be edited and published on www.iCov.co.uk, www.cueafs.com and www.cine-vue.com. Additional material produced will include daily updates, photography, audio from interviews and panels, and reviews by other members of the outgoing team.

Aftershock (2010)

2011-04-28T23:10:00.000+01:00

A devastating earthquake leaves a happy family shattered in the ruins. A collapsed building takes away a father and forces a mother to make an unthinkable choice. A crushing decision that changes lives and leaves guilt-overridden souls in a world of no redemption, and where the destroyed buildings stand rebuilt, the broken hearts remain in ruins until the day of a coincidental meeting that brings a long-awaited emotional resolution.

This is the world of Xiaogang Feng's Aftershock – the story of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which leaves Yuan Ni with no husband and a terrible decision to make – whether to save her son Fang Da or her daughter Fang Deng. Culture, tradition and custom, however, present a clear choice and in her desperate choice to spare one of her children, Yuan Ni points towards her son, leaving a burning scar on three lives where guilt and pain bubble under the surface for 32 years. Fang Deng, who overhears her mother's decision, miraculously survives and is adopted by two soldiers, and her path leads her through good and bad, for fate to finally find her in Canada in 2008, where a recent earthquake in China brings back forsaken pains and memories and her decision to join the rescue team will bring her back to where it all began.

A slow developing, heart-crushing Sophie's Choice, delivered in a plausible realistic pace, where nobody is right or wrong, good or bad – everyone is a victim of the merciless force de major and their lives are tinted with grief, pain and guilt. A truly remarkable story of a mother's inability to forgive herself, sacrificing her life and happiness in an attempt of redemption of her past sins, brought on by nature's cruel twist. The film is utterly touching without becoming overly depressing, with enough built-in realism that it does not become slow or boring, despite its lingering pace.

Aftershock is a masterpiece of emotion and it is wonderfully beautiful in the way it handles the heartbreaking drama. The final moment of mother-daughter interaction illustrates the whole essence of the film and sheds light on the seemingly fragile human soul which can bear unimaginable amounts of suffering. Fan Xu delivers an utmost performance, portraying the devastated widow and heartbroken mother, who dedicates her life to guiding the souls of her late loved ones back home and accepting her loneliness and suffering with the humility of a person redeeming their sins. Jingchu Zhang, who delivers an impressive performance in Dante Lam's The Beast Stalker, handles the part gracefully and convincingly.

Despite its money shots in the beginning, from the magical opening dragonfly scene to the absolutely breath-taking earthquake portrait, Aftershock is not a disaster epic, but a film about pure emotion and the repercussions of impossible decisions that are forced upon the fragile human conscience. The film delivers an excessive amount of drama but restrains itself from becoming too overblown. Feng paints a touching story about a family split physically and emotionally by a catastrophic event in such a way that the audience would not help but care for the characters as people – people who feel, who suffer, who make impossible decisions and whose existence is scarred with painful memories. Aftershock is a humane depiction of devastating circumstances that leaves a long-lasting feeling of pure emotion and compassion for those who fate has pressured into taking unimaginable decisions.

A Little Thing Called Love (2010)

2011-04-28T23:00:00.000+01:00

Sweet nostalgic memories and heart-warming romance is what A Little Thing Called Love is all about. The Thai film by directors Pittipong Pormsaka Na-Sakonnakorn and Wasin Pokpong promises to deliver a two hour cheesiness and over-worn sugary romance which somehow works and A Little Thing Called Love does not fall in the predictable rails of most Hollywood productions based on the same story. The film is built slowly and progressively and surprises with a plot twist that adds to the beautifully innocent tale of everlasting love.

The film depicts the life of plain-faced Nam (Pimchakok Leuwisetpaiboon) – a 14-year-old student who falls in love with one of the school's best looking boys. As she embarks on a journey to his heart, Nam goes by the rules of a superstitious book of rules to make someone fall in love and discovers herself in the meantime. By improving her physical appearance, her grades and being involved in drama club, Nam hopes that Shone would finally notice her. Only to her disappointment when Shone's best friend falls in love with her and brings her a bit closer to Shone, her heart would soon be broken by a promise between two best friends and she might lose the chance to ever be with her first love.

Pretty boy Mario Maurer has established himself as a teen-sweatheart, cast usually as the confident high-school student. Although similar to the plot of his previous film Friendship, A Little Thing Called Love showcases Mario's growth as an actor, despite the short time span of two years between the films. In this film we are able to see Mario's soft side which he portrays much more convincingly and his improvement as an actor is evident. Baifern Pimchanok is an incredible young actress, newcomer to the landascape of Thai cinema, starring also in Bangkok Knockout this year. A fresh talented new face, Fern's performance in the film is both adorable and dramatic, and absolutely convincing.

The beautiful setting in Phetchaburi province of Thailand is well-utilised and represents the mood of the characters, the sadness and loneliness in the gloomy lake and the joy and romance on the beautiful sunlit bridge above the blue water. Whether Nam is falling asleep with Shone's vision next to her or Shone and Top share a painful moment with the sun glistening through the window, or “Prince” Shone is catching “Snow white” before she falls or they share a quiet moment above the shimmering water on the bridge, the atmosphere is beautifully encapsulated and the audience is pulled into a dream world, a fantasy world of innocent and pure romance that the heart can only vaguely remember.

With the focus on the innocence and pureness of first love, the film tells a touching tale of friendship and family, and how those three things help a person grow and overcome any obstacle. The inclusion of the Nam's girlfriends brings comedy to the film and nothing is more comical than Teacher In. The humour is mostly subtle, with a few scenes that are highly entertaining and comical. The drama is nicely interwoven in the story and crashes romantic dreams with painful reality and the most dramatic scene is beautifully scripted and very successfully acted.

Despite some discrepancies in the story, such as the too fast transformation of Nam from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan, the film is sure to win the heart of everyone who ever had a first love in high-school, be it in Asia or around the world. The sugar-coated ending of the film just adds to the cheesiness and predictability of the story and delivers an overly happy ending to the audience, much to the disappointment of those expecting an original ending. Perhaps conforming to popular standards and audience's expectations, the film would not have been well received ending on a sad note, much like Friendship, despite the beauty and romance of the plot twist that delivers the most pleasure to the story. Be that as it may, the ending still works and delivers just enough cheesiness to satisfy the nostalgic romantic heart.

Cyrano Agency (2010)

2011-04-28T22:59:00.000+01:00

Cyrano is not the typical dating agency where loveless hopefuls eventually arrive in a heart-motivated quest to conquer an object of their affection. The agency's 99% success rate is ensured by the well-scripted seemingly coincidental situations where the theatre troop behind Cyrano takes care of every little detail in one's pursuit of love. But when a client's love interest proves to be from an agent's past, whom he harbours unhealed feelings for, desperation for money and desperation for one's lost enter an ultimate battle in search for the meaning of real love.

Adapted from the 1897 French play Cyrano DeBergerac, Hyeon-seok Kim's romance explores the ventures of a concealed lover who assists another man in the courtship of the former's beloved girl. The familiar plot which has been widely explored in international cinema and includes titles such as the Japanese Samurai Saga, the American Whatever It Takes and the French Cyrano DeBergerac starring Gerard Depardieu, proves to be interpreted differently for the first time, as Kim's film gives consideration to the insecure and lost-for-words man who seeks assistance and deems him more worthy of the girl's loving heart.

From the opening scene, which is adorably hilarious, the film delivers a satisfactory amount of amusement and subtle humour. The first part of the film is deliciously entertaining, delivering the humour through the fundamentally ridiculous things that in reality make people fall in love. The scenes provide utter amusement deriving from the team's meticulous methodology, as in their use of a rain machine to increase romantic influence. In the second half, the character development and background take precedence over the humour in order to explain the romance more fully and ultimately deliver a more concise narrative to the viewer. Yet the romance is eloquently poured into the story without turning into its distractingly focal point and the audience is given enough room to understand the background and to sympathise with one or another character.

As Cyrano's main man, Byeong-hoon (Tae-woong Eom) discovers the woman who is the object of young Sang-yong's affection is Hee-joong, a woman from his past he has been unable to overcome, Byeong-hoon sets on a desperate mission to ruin Sang-yong's chances with the girl and court her himself instead. From evident attempts to turn Sang-yong into a fool in the eyes of Hee-joong to more subtle intricate ways of reminding her of himself, Byeong-hoon struggles to understand the real meaning of love and let go of his feelings for the sake of his love's happiness. As yet as fate has obviously intervened in the lives of the two, bringing them together coincidentally through the years – a concept thoroughly exploited in Hollywood cinema including films like Annie Hall, When Harry Met Sally and A Lot Like Love – the ending holds a different path for both of them.

The cast deliver decent performances, as Min-jung Lee who plays Hee-joong steals the spotlight with her big emotional eyes that express more than any words would, while Daniel Choi seems awkwardly emotionless and dry portraying the fund manager Sang-yong. The rest of the cast adds up to a more derivative story and the inclusion of Hee-joong's cynical best friend played by Kim Ji-yeong is a delightful decision. With the complement of the antique theatre setting and dramatisation of the script lines representing the over-emotional exaggeration in stage performances, the film delivers a sufficient amount of amusement and entertainment. Though very familiar and over-reproduced, the story makes a different impact in Kim's production, weaving comedy, drama and romance together and ultimately moving away from commercialised expectation to deliver a happy ending to the unexpected hero.

Foxy Festival (2010)

2011-04-28T22:49:00.000+01:00

Marketed as an erotic comedy, Lee Hae-yeong's Foxy Festival is more of a ideological exploration of sexual stereotypes and taboos with an emphasis on the aroused feelings of inferiority and shame in one's self because of society's derogatory demeanour towards those with different sexual interests. The film depicts the sexual perversions and 'indecent' behaviours that happen behind the curtains of a seemingly quiet neighbourhood.

From the widow-turned-dominatrix Soon-sim and her subordinate, the shop owner Ki-bong, through to her virgin daughter Ja-hye in pursuit of a much older man Sang-doo, apathetic to her attention because of his obsession with a doll to teacher Mr. Kim who enjoys wearing his wife's pink lingerie and, eventually, the policeman Jang-bae who is convinced he is the most gifted male in the world, only to have his confidence shattered by witnessing his subordinate's male attribute. All the characters are positioned in a world rules by sexual taboos and public decency understanding constrictions, while they are all on a path of discovering their own inner pervert.

All this is delivered in a light-hearted and very natural way without becoming perverse or far-fetched. The film is smoothly built as a hilarious entertainment, where deep sociological analysis is left for the audience to decipher and is not pushed upfront. Instead, Foxy Festival delivers an insight into the lives and personalities of its twisted characters, painting them as human beings with their own flaws and fantasies, and it is easy to empathise with them in a very natural human way. The level of judgement of all things 'indecent' is over-exaggerated to the point of being comical, as policeman Jang-bae is disgusted of all things perverse, yet he has an obsession of his own, which is the source of his over-confidence and, later, his downfall.

The scenes are packed with double entendres and hilarious representation of one's thoughts through imagery. Hilarity through absurdity is evident – in a serious conversation between Soon-sim and Mr. Kim about her daughter's strange obsession with running (both of which unaware she is selling her underwear damped with sweat), the camera angle shows both Soon-sim's S&M stilettos and the female panties' pink lace peeping out of the professor's trousers. The widow's final decision to come out of the darkness and let her passions guide her forms the ending ideology of the film, where everybody reaches collective freedom having broken social stereotypes and judgements. Her final line “Let's go to hell” depicts the finding of new confidence and removing one's shame and inferiority in the light of their sexual interests.

Shim Hye-jin depicts the widow-turned-dominatrix with exceptional subtle humour and is central in the transformation from a shameful and shy stereotyped widowed housewife into a brave and confident S&M lover who has found the source of her inner pleasures and casts aside society's judgements to walk free in the open air. The rest of the cast delivers satisfactory performances that never go out of their way to seem ridiculous, except for the over-confident policeman who enjoys a few full frontal nude shots ridiculed by comical pixelation or hilarious imagery. The film lacks in narrative construction and the story seems to be jumping between the characters sporadically, but it does not feel chaotic or disconnected.

Foxy Festival is a comical film with a surprisingly deep attitude that creates a fundamentally boundless world of unconcealed sexual secrets and desires. The characters are well developed and humanised, not just presented for cheap laughs and sexual judgement and their representation is not at all degrading. The film is indeed a rare and genuine attempt at representing the deepest hidden secrets and fantasies in a stereotypical cynical world and reaches a point of acceptance of perversions that essentially celebrates sexual variety.

Here Comes the Bride (2010)

2011-04-28T22:39:00.000+01:00

A light-hearted entertaining comedy about body-swapping and plenty of laughter is delivered by Chris Martinez in the Philippine film Here Comes the Bride. With a plot story very similar to Hollywood's Freaky Friday, The Hot Chick or It's a Girl/Boy Thing, Chris Martinez's comedy takes a step further into the comical idea and twists the fates of five different people into a mixture of age and gender confusion that is entertaining in a refreshing new way.

All it takes is a solar eclipse and a five-car collision onto Magnetic Hill for the bride, her godmother, her ringbearer's nanny, her husband-to-be's grandfather and her trans-gendered beautician to exchange bodies, changing their lives in impossible ways. For the bride-to-be (Angelica Panganiban), who is on her way to her dream wedding, this just might be the worst day of her life, being transferred to her godmother's body and kept in a strait jacket for claiming she is the beautiful Stefanie. But the deal may turn not so bad for anyone else involved and soon the wedding day turns into a hilarious riot, where one gets a second chance at love, another at youth, another finally gets economic alleviation and the trans-gendered beautician hits the jackpot in the body of the young virginal bride.

Chris Martinez offers a film that is deliciously hilarious and does not try to be pedantic or moralistic, despite touching upon ideology and the bigger things in life. Here Comes the Bride is a top-notch entertainment filled with deliriously funny nonsense that is not ruined by commercial accessibility. Underneath the comedy and laughter lays the clear message of the film that life, as it is, is unfair. There are those who are poor, those who are loveless, those who are old, those who are trapped in the wrong body and, sometimes, the ones who are lucky and have spent a lifetime of being sheltered and protected. Of course, the latter is the most unfortunate of all when the places are swapped, as the ones who have everything only have what to lose.

The film is a light-hearted funny escapist fantasy, where some get a second chance at life, while others learn to see it from a set of different shoes. As the comedy never stops and the film never preaches, Chris Martinez is able to implement a subtle reflection of a fundamental truth in the statement of gay angst and sentiment in the beautician's behaviour. As he is considered the only person who is overly selfish and refuses to give up the beautiful woman's body, the phrase 'you will never understand because you are not gay' expresses a deeper ideology and portrays an overly oppressed individual which suddenly turns the character into a sympathised victim of life.

Hands down to Angelica Panganiban for her transformation from the innocent virginal and shy bride to the man-hungry ultra-extrovert gay trapped in a young sexy female body, which is simply flawless and extremely hilarious. Eugene Domingo, one of the Philippines's most successful actresses, is incredible in her rendition of the scared and lost bride-to-be, after having been the angry and confrontational litigation lawyer minutes before. The rest of the cast add a unique flavour to the film and enhance the comical element.

Chris Martinez's work is attractive without being too glossy. He delivers a realistic story of life and its funny twists through an unrealistic escapist fantasy. Complimented by the beautiful beach-side setting and handicapped by the variety of languages from Filippino and Tagalog through English and Spanish and with some dialogue in the dialects of Bisaya and Ilonggo, the film is a top-notch entertainment from beginning to end in the confusing mixture of characters and body-swaps, which tells the tale of the frailty of the human soul in the face of happiness and is ultimately a breath of fresh air in a cliche-ridden genre.

Perfect Wedding (2010)

2011-04-28T22:30:00.001+01:00

Barbara Wong delivers a flashy joyful rom-com that pays a homage to the 80's yuppie comedies. Perfect Wedding is a Hollywood-style entertainment that does not have any attempts at pretentiousness and thus does not become pompous, but delivers a well-known story that is good enough to pass a few hours. From Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Lady Gaga, through to flashy almost Sex and the City like shopping centres and restaurants, the film's pace and character development is smooth and enjoyable, and combined with the abundance of hilarious scenes, Perfect Wedding might not deliver fundamentally ideological messages, but it is a good film nevertheless.

It would be almost impossible to take this film out of its Hollywood remarkable resemblance, as there are too many elements that follow mainstream cinema, present in this story. But the brilliant cinematography by expert in the field Kenny Tse, who exhibits his personal talents in his amazing work with director Dante Lam, takes a Hollywood production a bit further into a world of flashiness and spectacular environment that is still ordinary and plausible, as opposed to films like Sex and the City, where high-street sparkle is overused and seems unrealistic. The plot is also not too far-fetched, but a realistic story with a sugar-coated ending.

Miriam Yeung stars as Yan, a bubbly humorous woman who engages in a one night stand with a handsome man in a restaurant through their mutual fascination with Dan Brown. Much similar to the Grey's Anatomy first encounter, Yan and Fung realise they are colleagues on the next day. While Fung is dedicated in his pursuit of the woman he finds truly entertaining, Yan has too much cynicism about love to really give into the young man's charm and too much pride and decency to allow her to overcome her shame and step into the outside world hand-in-hand with the handsome man. Naturally, as Yan begins to warm up to Fung's presence, their paths might just not unite, until they resolve their personal issues.

A story in a stereotyped genre that does not deliver any plot twists, but an abundance of cheesy dialogues, funny moments and brand name placements. Despite its plausible story not so much of a man in pursuit of a woman's love, as the fragile human ego and pride that overreact to the simplest of things and act randomly and hasty, one might find Perfect Wedding's characters too implausible – the handsome Fung is depicted as the most wonderful guy in the world, charming, sensitive, dedicated and impossible to seduce by the young Flora, though his competitor, the bohemian looking photographer with autism is presented as an actual threat to him. And the stereotypical setting of cynical-woman-meets-perfect-guy-who-changes-her-life's-beliefs does not help either.

Although built on an unattractive implausible premise of an upper-class urban world, Perfect Wedding does not over-exaggerate and its characters are far less far fetched than what the Westerners have seen in Gossip Girl or Sex and the City. The flashy world references are not insufferable, as they are not many, while the focus on Yan's transformation and change of beliefs is imminently expected from a rom-com of this style. Nevertheless, Barbara Wong's film delivers a perfect amount of laughs and funny characters, while creating a perfect product for all hopelessly romantic female fans. As shallow as a puddle, utterly commercial film, Perfect Wedding sets out to entertain and please, and comes across as an enjoyable piece of Hong Kong cinema.

Psychic (2010)

2011-04-28T22:29:00.000+01:00

South Korea delivers yet another action packed chase between two males in Kim Min-suk's Psychic. If the chase between two characters was not exhausted with The Chaser, Running Turtle, Secret Reunion, and The Man from Nowhere, now comes a supernatural story involving what might be called superpowers that spike the battle between the two leads.

Kang Dong-won (Secret Reunion) plays Cho-in, an inexplicably gifted man who can control people he can see. After having his father kill himself and running away from his mother, Cho-in tries to simply live without working by robbing stores. As he tries to use his power and rob a store, he discovers his superpower has finally found a person who is left unaffected in the place of Kyu-nam. As Kyu-nam absorbs the hero role and tries to stop Cho-in from his actions, the story quickly turns into a high-speed chase between the two where plenty of innocent people die in the process and the audience learns there is truly something different about Kyu-nam as well.

But while the typically action-packed and full of suspense chase in other South Korean productions in the same style, Psychic completely fails in providing substantial evidence as to why anyone does anything. Cho-in's suffering as a child is only depicted in the beginning, where both his parents try to kill him, but it remains unclear why his gift would cause them such pain. When Cho-in meets Kyu-nam and realises he is out of his control, despite there being a reason his distress was obvious, it was unnatural for his rage to escalate so quickly and without being directly provoked, and as Cho-in sets out on a killing spree in order to beat his opponent, the audience might not get any pleasure without understanding why.

Secret Reunion's star Kang Dong-won is a little outshined by Go Soo's acting, who steals the scene entirely. He is well able to portray a person who was at the wrong place at the wrong time and thus had to endure so much suffering, watching his close ones die. At the same time, Kang's character is not mystical enough, but seems rather wacky, and applause for the actor for being able to keep the craziness obvious throughout the film. With a setting and camera work that would have better worked in a horror film or video game, full of dark gloomy colours and a score that adds to the tension, Psychic was not nearly as entertaining or appealing as the recently released The Man from Nowhere.

A film with good potential which unfortunately leaves too many things unexplained for the viewer to ignore. With some decent acting and cinematography that is too dramatic and intense for the events in the storyline, the film fails to deliver emotion and the only realistic drama is well-acted, but not really dramatic. In a film that looks more like a video game than anything else, death seems unreal and the drama of death could not really spread. A decent film to watch nonetheless, with nothing more to it than action sequences and sinister eyes, that leaves too many things unclear and thus sacrifices the enjoyment of the storyline, as a film cannot prove pleasant enough if the question of why Cho-in has only one leg circles annoyingly in one's mind.

The Stool Pigeon (2010)

2011-04-28T22:19:00.000+01:00

Dante Lam has recently established himself as the provider of high-speed action-packed emotionally dark police dramas, where the world is morally ambiguous and utterly flawed, while the line between right and wrong is diluted. Another of this successful chain of films is his latest Stool Pigeon, where Lam has surrounded himself with most of his usual crew to create a visually and conceptually familiar world with a focus yet the same flaws in character that ultimately make a person human.

The Stool Pigeon explores the complicated relationship between police handler and informant – a relationship which often proves rather unfavourable to the latter, with the former receiving all the benefits and acclaim to his reputation with no compunctions. But this is not the case for emotionally damaged police officer Don Lee, who fails to adhere to his own rule of keeping distance from his informants. As Lee costs his last informant's sanity and nearly does his life, recruiting another criminal to assist him might turn into more than he could handle. As events get more and more intense and drama does not fail to follow, one man's guilt-wrecked conscience would prove able to endure only so much suffering and would ultimately lead him to make a life-changing decision.

Nick Cheung and Nicholas Tse swap places from The Beast Stalker, as Cheung becomes the man on the side of the law and Tse turns into the unwilling informant. Cheung, who showcased his acting skills in The Beast Stalker through the portrayal of the emotionally tormented seemingly inhumane assassin turned blind, is brilliant as the guilt-ridden policeman whose sorrows never seem to end despite his attempts to redeem his past sins. Tse, on the other hand, who was quite decent in the Beast Stalker and convincingly portrayed an emotionally-stained hero on a quest to rescuing a little girl, exhibits noticeable growth in acting ability and proves an actor worth keeping an eye on.

The rest of the cast features Dante Lam regular Kai Chi Liu as the informant-turned-insane, who brings experience to the screen and despite the narrow span of his storyline, enables the film to shed light on Don Lee's personality in a valuable way. Taiwanese actress Lunmei Kwai is a reviving addition who breaks away from the typical female stereotype in Lam's films, as the director usually explores his female cast as the sufferers of the protagonists' decisions and the driving force behind the reasoning for their guilt-ridden actions, with the exception of Michelle Ye in Fire of Conscience.

Along with being a dark and depressing emotional police drama which takes an attempt at explaining the sophisticated web of reasons behind human actions, The Stool Pigeon is another film that manifests the film genius of Dante Lam. His delivery makes his various characters and complicated plot twists easy to follow and creates narratives to bring depth to his films. He creates characters that are multi-dimensional, flawed and morally ambiguous, faced with ethical dilemmas and burdened with emotional baggage.

With enough display of high-speed car chases, running scenes through crowded markets, explosions and gunfights, The Stool Pigeon delivers all the action expected from Lam's work, while providing intensified drama and moral ambiguity which eliminates stereotypical black-and-white characters and gives them emotional depth that makes them human. The cinematography by Kenny Tse and musical score by Kenny Lai, both regulars in the director's productions, mark The Stool Pigeon as yet another successfully dramatic police-related exploration of human relationships and the chain of events and decisions that ultimately determine a person's life.

The Unjust (2010)

2011-04-28T22:09:00.000+01:00

The Unjust is a police thriller with big potential which fails to deliver continuous suspense and overcrowds the screen with undeveloped characters, making it impossible for the viewer to understand the motivations behind actions. It is a slow-paced unfolding story that is in its core essentially intriguingly sophisticated, but its delivery is too dull and too complicated and the good story lacks the support of enough suspense and drama to make it one of the more exciting films from South Korea this year.

Essentially similar to plenty South Korean and Hong Kong productions in the recent years, The Unjust is a man vs. man thriller, where the chase is full of surprising twists and dramatic events. While working on a rape/murder case, police officer Choi Cheol-gi is forced to wrap up the case, rather than solve it. Feeling the pressure of an internal investigation of his affairs and being convinced by the commissioner general to clean up the existing mess, Choi uses his relationship with gangster Jang Seok-gu to find a scapegoat for the crime in exchange for removing a competitor for Jang in his bidding for a new skyscraper. Little did he know, however, that said competitor is the main contributor to an ambitious prosecutor Joo Yang. As events get more complicated, the two start a game of cat and mouse, trying to outsmart each other, while pushing one another to desperate measures and causing disastrous consequences in the process.

Director Ryoo Seung-wan depicts Korea as the setting for moral decay, internal corruption at every level of public power and schemes of self-interest in one's own interest. His film transforms from a thrilling police action in the beginning to a more socially-aware tense character drama, where the director gives a commentary on the social realism in the country, prompted by recent government scandals. The Unjust does not develop with the speed of a typical action film and there are no thrilling gunfights or car chases to heat up the pressure, but the audience is given a special lens to follow the movements of each character and investigate their interaction, thus receiving an insight into the current social environment.

The main protagonists are both flawed, it will be hard to find a hero in this film. While Choi, pressed by his individual circumstances, is able to prompt some level of empathy and the viewer might root for him to succeed in his battle of wits with the prosecutor, Joo is more sleazy and with the lack of a better explanation of his corrupt ways, he oozes an air of complete arrogance and greed for power, which prompts a level of anti-heroism. But director Ryoo is more interested in presenting his thesis that anti-heroes, despite whether driven by personal problems or trying to climb up the social ladder, are both capable of unthinkable actions, when pushed till the limits of the possibilities in their attempts to reveal each other's corruption, while succeeding in concealing their own. Both Choi and Joo, as well as gangsters Jang and TK Chairman, turn into stereotypes, who are left with no choice but to play the rules of the game. This is the only thing that prompts deep sympathy for all the characters in the world, created by Ryoo – all protagonists are trapped in their social role and as things get deeper and deeper, escape becomes even more allude and the no-exit street leads to actions that would otherwise be prevented.

Despite its valuable message, The Unjust is needlessly complicated, placing layer after layer and changing sequences among characters before familiarising the viewer enough with who is who, as a result leaving the audience confused for much of the first middle, unable to completely follow the events. As the film investigates the web of broken rules at every possible level almost with a sense of sarcasm or dark comedy, Ryoo brings a level of twisted irony near the end which makes this film an even more difficult tale of one's cul-de-sac and what the human being is capable of when pushed to its very limits to mask his own errors in judgement and try to rebuild its life from a point of no return.

Wind Blast (2010)

2011-04-28T21:59:00.000+01:00

A two-hour action packed film with an abundance of fighting, gunfight and explosives. This is what Gao Qunshu's Wind Blast proposes to its viewers. But even though Wind Blast seems to have everything in store for the keen eye – tension, drama, romance, mountains and bad boys, the film is too far behind on delivering a viable story and although the pace never slows down, the interest quickly dies out.

Based on a true story, Wind Blast is the story of four detectives who capture a murderer and his girlfriend and try to bring him to justice. However, the blue forces are not the only ones after the suspect – two professional killers have been hired to track down the person who snapped a photo of the person who ordered the killing.

Wind Blast's characters are people just thrown in the mix of the story with no background and no development throughout. They are one-dimensional and the audience is not delivered anything to build upon and decide whether to side with them or oppose them. The hints of personal relationships and stories become annoying when no explanation is given and they seem out of place just mentioned in the story. There are no reasons given as to why anyone really does anything and no character is further explored or developed – they all remain strangers to the audience with nothing to relate to.

Despite the epic shots and endless landscapes and the beauty of the Gobi desert setting, the viewer has no orientation point and it is difficult to position the characters, thus taking away from the attempt to dramatise in that scenery. Despite the abundance of action, the film does not provide a consistent flow of events and between the landscapes and explosives, time stands still.

All that being said, Wind Blast is an obvious Western homage that is overflown with bullets, blood, car crashes and explosives. The fighting scenes are impressively well-choreographed and the cat and mouse games with vehicles are original. The scenes are shot in an interesting disrupted style, where no frame ends completely but cuts to another one, thus giving more speed to the events. But beyond a Western homage that replaces horses with cars and is overpacked with gunfights and chases, the film fails to deliver any tangible story and a substantial memory of it would hardly remain in the audience.

The Lunch Special - Christmas Edition

2011-04-25T11:45:00.001+01:00

Nadia, Rebecca, Claire, Alexandru and I formed a group for 231mc - Broadcast Journalism with the assignment of creating a 30-minute radio magazine show. Since our assessment was just before Christmas, we went for the holiday theme and produced a very successful programme, which received very good comments from both Shelly and BBC Presented Annie Othen, who said the programme was so good, she could feature it on her show.

Show hosts: Nadia Baird and Rebecca Gilchrist
Journalist: Claire Glanville
Desk runner: Alexandru Mihalache
Producer: Antoniya Petkova

Presentation Project

2011-04-25T01:40:00.010+01:00

Final presentation included three media artefacts that aim to investigate how news change in the different genres. Through operating with the news story about Princess Diana's death, developing it further and adding a fabricated conspiracy theory, we analysed how journalism as a genre has changed through time and with the existence of social media, film and other news outlets change the linear path journalism used to follow in the path and have transformed news into an interactive platform, that ultimately influences the way news works. Additionally, we investigated how a news story not only changes its way of delivery through the different outlets, but essentially builds onto itself and expands, as each following individual or organisation researches further into the subject and thus the news story becomes more detailed after coming out of this whole process.

Artefact 1: Confidential memo

Artefact 2: News report

Artefact 3: Film trailer

Coventry University enhances student employability

2011-04-25T00:07:00.006+01:00

Coventry University's International Experience and Mobility Service (IEMS) provides a vast range of opportunities to help students gain international experience. The programmes include study and work abroad, free language classes and in-house collaborations with China, Africa, India and the US.

“IEMS helps its graduates acquire the skills to gain work experience abroad, gain competitive advantage in the transnational graduate job market and ultimately become globally-employable”, said Jean-Bernard Adrey, Director of the International Experience and Mobility.

In recent years a total of 350 students have benefited from the Erasmus/Leonardo da Vinci schemes at Coventry. A total of 220 undergraduate students will be starting their studies in European universities and a further 60 will undertake a work placement in various locations across Europe.

Eugenijus Sapel, a recent Lithuanian graduate from Coventry University, has already gone through the initial stage of the Leonardo approval process.

“Since my studies in the UK, experiencing life abroad, living independently and meeting people from all over the world I have felt enormous urge to continue this international experience”, he said. “The Leonardo Programme is the next much desired step in my career path.”

In order to help students who are planning to complete a year of study or work abroad, IEMS provides Linguae Mundi classes in eleven languages. Since 2009, more than 600 students have benefited from the programme.

“The staff are professional, exceptionally good teachers who understand their material and have a good approach towards the students”, commented Krasimiv Chobanov, a second year Aerospace Engineering student, who has signed up for German lessons.

Krasimir, who has been approved through the first stages of the Erasmus work placement process, believes the classes will be useful in his year abroad. “Although the course will not teach someone a new language in depth for 20 hours, it does provide the basics for beginners and a great opportunity for everyone to refresh their knowledge of the language.”

According to Jean-Bernard, in addition to enhancing employability, all the programmes offered by IEMS also help students develop their social skills.

“Participants in these experiences invariably come back and report these have been some of the best times in their life, that have broadened their horizons, and through which they made many friends and which were in general a lot of fun”, he added.

*Images by Diana Stefanescu

Where To Now?

2011-04-25T00:02:00.002+01:00

Coventry University provides students with the essential skills and knowledge for a successful career path, say recent alumni. Shortly after graduation, students from the Media and Communications department are already building their futures.

Russell Whitehead has successfully started his freelancing career since graduating from MA in Media Production in 2010. Along with being a freelance media producer, he is head of video production for Third Column Productions, a company he set up with some of his graduate friends.

Russell says that finding a job in the media is quite difficult, but after graduating from Coventry University, he feels more confident. “The MA helped me network and update my practical ability.”

“I am now optimistic as I have learnt that I have to make my own work and opportunity. In the media especially, being a freelancer and developing a business model of expose and pursuit is compulsory.”

However, freelancing is not the only possible path for media students. After receiving her MA degree in Communication, Culture and Media, Hristina Haralampieva was employed as HR and Communications Specialist in SAP Labs, Bulgaria.

Hristina credits her confidence and professionalism to her time in Coventry University. “I can better plan and complete my tasks and I have a better understanding of how PR functions and needs to be executed. The international environment I operated in has broadened my general knowledge and experiences, has made me more open-minded and has helped me become better at communicating with people from different backgrounds.”

Even before receiving a graduate degree, some of Coventry University’s third year students are already successful in building their careers. Edward Taylor, a third-year Media Production student, has already set up his own freelance company with the help of Coventry University’s Student Enterprise Fund, which provides up to £30,000 to new entrepreneurs in the West Midlands.

Tim Watson, another third year student from BA Journalism and Media, is currently employed by Mercia Radio,BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, the Heritage Motor Centre and working on producing a brand new radio show.According to Tim, a lot of his work success was the result of his efforts and persistence. However, he highlighted it was his university experience that allowed him to demonstrate invaluable skills to employers.

“I have a fantastic array of skills and have good contact with the industry – but with the media it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. But I am optimistic about the future – I know what I want and accept that I may never achieve it, but as always, I look to the sky and try to touch the stars. Just because I haven’t touched one yet doesn’t stop me staring…”

*Image by Diana Stefanescu

Professional Experience Presentation

2010-04-28T23:31:00.000+01:00

My professional experience project was inspired by my involvement in the East Asian Film Society. I had been recruited by the society as a part of the writers team, producing material for the society's newsletter Jaded Lense for a period of one year, and consequently for the society's website and for our partner website Cine-Vue as part of the official coverage of the Udine Film Festival in 2010. Having provided articles and reviews on a regular basis, I wanted to re-establish the newsletter, which had been abandoned since the editor Michael Jarvis discontinued his membership, and supplement it with an online version, acting as editor-in-chief for both. In addition to my participation in CUEAFS, I wanted to develop the skills I had acquired during my journalism education and continue writing articles and film reviews regularly, as they had improved through my work for the society under the guidance of founder Spencer Murphy. At the same time, I had the desire of expanding my array of skills to the point of becoming an editor and seeing how things operate from a different aspect.

Unfortunately, the project did not go as planned, as most of the people who had been interested in the writing aspect and had come forward and thus given me a reason to go for this project, failed to deliver any material and display any dedication, as a result of which I had to choose a slightly different path. I created a partnership with Shelly Stevenson for a special Film Review section on her website www.iCov.co.uk in the role of a writer/editor for material related to film and the society's activities. Additionally, I began providing material for the society's website www.cueafs.com on a regular basis, as well as continued working with our partner website www.cine-vue.com.

As a result, my professional experience project moved away from my initial intention to expand my knowledge into the editorial field, and although my writing abilities have vastly improved through regular writing, my editorial capacity however remains unchanged, as there has been insufficient material produced by other members of the society for me to practice on. Additionally, my organisational skills also suffered from the lack of a chain of writers and sub-editors for me to co-ordinate and thus I could not evolve in this aspect either.

Nevertheless, the different changes I had to implement in my project because of the different issues helped me develop my problem-solving skills, as well as my ability to think on my feet and quickly resolve situations, as I was pressured by time and necessity to fulfil my proposed project in an appropriate way. Moreover, it made me aware of the specific requirements for handling the online world, which is intensely dynamic – websites come and go, they change quickly, and the writing 'staff' behind them is hard to pin down, which makes the whole environment very flexible, but also very difficult in terms of scheduling or planning material.

On the one hand, this professional experience helped me settle myself in the idea of film journalism that I had always known I wanted to follow, thus helping me receive more clarity as to the direction of my own future. On the other hand, however, the challenges I faced were mainly due to insufficient logistic-planning, as well as my undeveloped organisational and leadership skills, which will prove difficult obstacles in my professional path. Whereas film writing is fairly straight-forward and thus quite a simple process, a project such as the development of a writing platform depends on more people and it is an incredibly complicated plan, which requires meticulousness.

At the same time, the creation and development of new websites is always a challenge and since it mostly relies on unpaid workers and thus it can be considered generally volunteer-based, it is hard to find enough people who are willing to regularly sacrifice time and efforts for the simple gain of experience and portfolio addition. That being said, I had the original desire of being the editor of an established group of writers, and I was not entirely dedicated to developing a new recruitment process, which was a bad business decision that essentially turned my planned team project into an individual assignment.

This project was an attempt to tackle an essentially unexplored area of my practical work in order to gain invaluable editorial, organisational and leadership skills, which would be necessary in my professional future. Although my main intention and interest is in film journalism, it is a difficult industry and demands a lot more capability than excellent writing skills, especially due to the specifics of the market where essentially most film journalists are freelancers. On the one hand, in the aspect of writing, my skills have tremendously improved from this experience and will continue to improve during the course of the ongoing project, both in the coverage of the Udine Film Festival in May 2011 and in the next academic year. On the other hand, in the aspect of under-developed skills, I failed to practice running a simple organisation and exhibiting leadership skills over a team of writers, which would prove an inevitable challenge when creating a platform or project myself, attempting to recruit and co-ordinate other people. These aspects of my professional persona need to be addressed and thus I will continue my attempts at improving these unpractised skills by becoming a more central member in the East Asian Film Society and assuming the role of recruitment leader for the next academic year, thus engaging in more practice-oriented organisational and leadership exercise.

This professional experience opened my eyes about a lot of practicalities that I had not taken into account for the organisation of what seemed to be a very simple project. I learned a lot in terms of how difficult seemingly easy things sometimes turn out to be. In this sense, I am confident I will be able to approach my next project or idea with sufficient preparation and attention to logistics, and thus become more successful in my individual freelancing. Additionally, although I salvaged the project as much as possible, by transforming it into an individual production in order to rely on my own skills, I became central to the realisation of the project mainly as a writer, not as an editor and leader, as initially planned. Therefore, my original intention of expanding my skills into areas where I lacked confidence and experience was not fulfilled and it will become a challenge in the professional world. However, this professional experience proved an irreplaceable learning exercise in business thinking, and despite lack of practice with view of organisation and leadership, I have expanded my knowledge in this direction.

Additional components:

1. Evidence of professional experience work, worth 20 days or more:
http://whichsoever.blogspot.com/search/label/prof experience

2. Evidence of the planned and drafted continuing professional experience work over the course of Udine Far East Film Festival 2011:
http://whichsoever.blogspot.com/search/label/research

3. An established network of useful contacts, met through this project:
http://whichsoever.blogspot.com/search/label/contact book

4. An updated, improved CV, with more orientation to the desired industry:
http://whichsoever.blogspot.com/search/label/updated cv

Week 5 Seminar Task - Spectacle: Simulacra and spectacle; 'occult' power and anti-capitalist protests

2010-04-28T17:16:00.003+01:00

SECTION 1
Find out what Baudrillard means when he discusses Simulacra.

Simulacra is something that replaces reality with its representation. According to Baudrillard, the society we live in has become so absorbed with symbols and signs that we have lost all contact with reality, that all human experience is a simulation of reality. Baudrillard writes: “It is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real” (“The Precession of Simulacra 2”).

According to Michael Camille, who analysed Plato’s opinion of Simulacra in “The Republic”, he defines that: "The simulacrum is more than just a useless image, it is a deviation and perversion of imitation itself - a false likeness". Imitation, resulting in the production of an icon or image, results in the production of a representation that can be immediately understood as separate from the object it imitates. The likeness, however, is indistinguishable from the original; it is "a false claimant to being". While the simulacrum is defined as static, it nevertheless deceives its viewer on the level of experience, a manipulation of our senses which transforms the unrealistic into the believable.

Furthermore, the simulacrum uses our experience of reality against us, creating a false likeness that reproduces so exactly our visual experience with the real that we cannot discern the falseness of the imitation.

Another version as to how simulacrum is defined is as "a material image, made as a representation of some deity, person, or thing," as "something having merely the form or appearance of a certain thing, without possessing its substance or proper qualities," and as "a mere image, a specious imitation or likeness, of something". Like the simulation, the simulacrum bears a resemblance to the thing that it imitates only on the surface level, but as opposed to the simulation's mimicry of a process or situation, the simulacrum is defined as a static entity, a "mere image" rather than something that "imitat[es] the behavior" of the real thing on which it is based.

According to Baudrillard:

Orders of Simulacra	Phases of the Image
1. Symbolic Order: Society is organised as a fixed system of signs distributed according to rank and obligation. The question of reality doesn't arise: the meaning of signs is already established in advance.	1. Art reflects a basic reality (the sacramental order).
2. First Order of Simulacra (associated with the Pre-Modern period): The image is a clear counterfeit of the real. The image is recognised as just an illusion, a place marker for the real.	2. Art masks and perverts a basic reality.
3. Second Order of Simulacra (associated with the industrial revolution of the 19th century): The distinctions between the image and the representation begin to break down because of mass production and the proliferation of copies. Such production misrepresents and masks an underlying reality by imitating it so well, thus threatening to replace it. However, there is still a belief that through critique or effective political action one can still access the hidden fact of the real.	3. Art masks the absence of a basic reality (order of sorcery).
4. Third Order of Simulacra (associated with the Post-Modern age): We are confronted with a precession of simulacra: that is, the representation precedes and determines the real. There is no longer any distinction between reality and its representation, there is only the simulacrum.	4. Art does not resemble reality (pure simulation).

What is the relationship between Spectacle and Simulacrum?  

“Separation is the alpha and omega of spectacle” (Debord). Comparing Debord’s statement with the definition of Simulacra “something that replaces reality with its representation”, it is clear that there is some sort of relationship between the two. In the theory of simulacra; we separate ourselves from reality, representation becomes reality to us. The same can be said about spectacle, we are separated and isolated from the spectacle, we are on the outside, watching the spectacle.

If we examine Baudrillard's third order of simulacra we can see similatiries between simulacrum and spectacle. Spectacle has been defined as something that those with power use to control the masses and make them passive participants as to what is happening around them. Baudrillard states that there is no distinction between reality and representation because everything has come down to being only simulacrum, but also that: “Simulacra are not only a game played with signs; they imply social rapports and social power”.

Therefore we can make the conclusion that spectacle and simulacrum are very-tight connected terms. On the one hand, spectacle is a form of mythologising - it can be used to make people or objects seem to have much greater power or significance (i.e. royal mistique). On the other hand, the simulation of today's simulacrum is the process of taking something real then exaggerating it to make it look so perfect it could become a fantasy of the imagination. Hence in both situations, reality is stretched and reproduced, even though it serves a different purpose – reality is no longer the real, but its representation.

In Baudrillard's view, within the affected context nothing is "real", those engaged in the illusion are incapable of seeing it. In the same way those observing a spectacle are being distracted from the realities of power by engaging their emotions and overriding their minds. Instead of having experiences, people observe spectacles. Instead of the real, we have simulation and simulacra, the hyperreal.

In conclusion, in the core of spectacle and simulacra is embedded the message that the masses need to be controlled by those in power through making them NOT realise the reality they live in. The relationship between spectacle and simulacrum is to keep the masses away from reality, to manipulate them, in order to make it easier for those in power to control the audience.

What is the relationship between spectacle and simulacra and Marx's alienation?

According to Marx, alienation is the transformation of people’s own labour into a power which rules them as if by a kind of natural or supra-human law. The origin of alienation is commodity fetishism – the belief that inanimate things (commodities) have human powers (i.e., value) able to govern the activity of human beings.

The Marxist theory about alienation comes in here. Judy Cox writes: “We live in a world where technological achievements unimaginable in previous societies are within our grasp: this is the age of space travel, of the Internet, of genetic engineering. Yet never before have we felt so helpless in the face of the forces we ourselves have created.” As much as technology brings people closer to each other, it also alienates us from reality. The more densely populated our cities become; it created a sense of isolation and loneliness. Marx understood alienation as something rooted in the material world. “Alienation meant loss of control, specifically the loss of control over labour”.

For Debord, the modern society's authentic everyday life has been replaced with its representation: “All that was directly lived has become a mere representation”. Authentic everyday life has been replaced by the spectacle and the spectacle serves as a means of hiding alienation and the resolution for it. The “spectacle” is the alienation created by the images replacing the genuine interaction among people.

What is the relationship between spectacle and simulacra and Marx's commodity fetishism?

Fetishism in anthropology refers to the primitive belief that godly powers can inhere in inanimate things. According to Dino Felluga, “People in a capitalist society begin to treat commodities as if value inhered in the objects themselves, rather than in the amount of real labour expended to produce the object.”

According to Marx, we ceased to think of purchased goods in terms of use value – instead we think of the worth of things or what it can be exchanged for (beginning of capitalism). Once money became a “universal equivalent” things lost their material reality. We begin to think of our lives in terms of money not in terms of the real things we hold in our hands. According to Baudrillard, we have all lost our sense of use value: it’s all capital.

This is when the idea of simulacra comes in, we live in a materialistic world, the representation takes over reality, and things become more important than reality. As an example: Facebook is a representation of socialising. In reality socialising will be the act of meeting people face to face and talking. But people are lost in the representation; it has come to a point where sitting behind a computer screen has taken over the meaning of socialising.

In “The Society of the Spectacle” (1967), Debord argued the central role of the commodity in capitalism as analysed by Marx had been replaced by the spectacle. He states that in societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. The spectacle has made us believe that consuming material things is important, money is needed for every thing imaginable, “The spectacle is the maxed out credit card making all classes equal”.

Sources:
Baudrillard, J. (1983) Simulations
Baudrillard, J. (1994) Simulacra and Simulation
Debord, G. (1967) The Society of the Spectacle
Debord, G. (1988) Comments on the Society of the Spectacle
Camille, M. “Three Simulacrum” cited in Nelson, R. & Shiff, R. (2003) Critical Terms for Art History
1.http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/postmodernism/modules/baudrillardsimulation.html
2.http://publish.uwo.ca/~dmann/baudrillard1.htm
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-order_simulacra
4.http://www.marxists.org/subject/alienation/index.htm
5.http://www.metapedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Media_Theory_Weekly_Discussion_Fall_2008:_Week_8
6.http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/marxism/modules/marxfetishism.html
7.http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2008-03/merrifield.htm

Week 4 Seminar Task - Power: The concept of Genealogy

2010-04-26T13:23:00.011+01:00

1. What is genealogy and how can it be applied in relation to the occupations in New York and London?
2. Is it a useful concept?
3. What does it explain?

Nietzsche defined genealogy as the process of challenging the existing 'grand narratives' or 'totalising discourses' that exist in our society. Foucault later said that in order to challenge the existing narratives, one had to use the 'illegal knowledge', so to speak, which is the local and discontinuous knowledge which might be in opposition of the unitary body of theory. An example for this is history of war, where knowledge is constructed by the winners, who wrote about the events, yet we might be able to challenge this grand narrative by using the 'illegitimate knowledge' of the losers or somebody who was a witness to this war.

In relation to the occupations in New York and London, I can see it as a theoretical stand against capitalism (capitalism in the sense of the banks' structure and domination, as we are familiar with it today).

The problem with genealogy in this context is the lack of direct or clearly defined objective. The notion of 'fighting against capitalism' as an existing order of the world is more or less ludicrous, and the views of the protesters even involve statements such as 'It's time for global change' and demands for demilitarisation of the world or just the feeling of being allowed to speak up, regardless of the reason (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/19/occupy-london-movement-who-are-protesters). The anger towards the economic inequalities in the world is expressed through actions, but how useful are those actions? Foucault theorised that any movement which is in opposition to an existing system will, eventually, imitate the formulation and structure of the regime it was opposing in the first place. One of the protesters claimed: “My goal for the movement is to build alternatives to capitalism while tearing the current system down.” But how much of those 'alternatives' will function differently?

“The unbroken line from The Communist Manifesto to its contemporary adherents is that economic inequality is the monstrous injustice of the capitalist system, which must be replaced by an ideal of 'social justice' -- a 'classless' society created by the elimination of all differences in wealth and 'power'.” (http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guides/Z-Social%20Justice-Code%20for%20Communism.htm). The communist system was based on the notion of economic equality and yet it did not function. Though communism might also be viewed as a system, where a selected clique seeks to manipulate the masses for its own ends using an ideology, just as in capitalism. Capitalism plays on the idea that greed is not a grand narrative, but a human instinct, a 'natural' phenomenon. But in fact, greed IS, in fact, a 'grand narrative' which helps to justify capitalism and the existing social order.

I believe in this case, the concept of genealogy cannot be successfully applied. The protests are in response to 'everything that is wrong with the world', rather than the notion of capitalism being portrayed as a 'grand narrative'. And given the lack of clarity with view of what grand narrative the protesters are opposing and what is their aim, what is their purpose – are they standing up for capitalism to fall (like communism did in some countries), are they standing up for financial equality and the end of corporate greed, or are they standing up just to voice their opinions, to say that the world is going in the wrong direction? I don't think we can successfully implement the concept of genealogy, if there is no specific 'grand narrative' to be challenged, but rather the anger and oppression of society.

In comparison to the Arab Spring:

“Numerous factors have led to the protests, including issues such as dictatorship or absolute monarchy, human rights violations, government corruption, economic decline, unemployment, extreme poverty, and a number of demographic structural factors,such as a large percentage of educated but dissatisfied youth within the population.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring#Summary_of_protests_by_country) What this resulted in, were numerous protests over the course of several months in the Arab countries. While in Libya those protests were channelled towards the regime of Gaddafi and in opposition of his autocracy, which led to his murder, in general, the Arab Spring is not that much different than the stand against capitalism, happening around the Western world. As a reference to the 'Prague Spring' from 1968 – a liberalisation movement in Czechoslovakia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring), the Arab Spring is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests, directed against the dominant regimes in the Arab countries.

Now how is this similar? If we see capitalism as the dominant grand narrative in the Western world, the dictatorial regimes in the Arab countries can be viewed as the grand narrative in those territories, and both types of protests can be seen as genealogy. However, to what extent genealogy can be a useful concept in both cases is not particularly clear. In Libya, the demonstrations led to Gaddafi's murder and the fall of the dictatorial regime. However, this poses the question – what other regime will there be instead? After the fall of communism came democracy, which does not function either, because in both systems there is the grand narrative of capitalism, of 'natural human greed', as well as the notion of power and the concept that 'some people are born leaders and some people are born followers', which are those grand narratives so deeply rooted in our consciousnesses and in the material of society, that they will form elements of any newly-created regimes (and as Foucault said, the new systems will imitate the systems they were designed to oppose).

Week 3 Seminar Task - Spectacle: London riots

2010-04-25T13:29:00.000+01:00

Riots as the opposite of a spectacle

A spectacle is something distinctive, out of the ordinary, different from every life, which is used by the powerful to distract the masses from their reality. A spectacle is something the audience watches, not something they take part in, and it serves to keep people quiet. In this sense, the London summer riots cannot be seen as a spectacle, as they do not serve as means of escapism – instead of them freeing the public from the burden of existential anxiety, the riots served as a focus lens pointing towards exactly what was wrong with the current economical, political or social system.

The spectacle is something that requires little to no intellectual participation, as it engages the emotion and overrides the mind. In theatre, the mind is engaged and provokes the feeling, while in spectacle, if it is working, it is only the emotions that are triggered, as the audience is swept away. The spectacle provides an alley to get rid of the existential anxiety, which comes as a result of self-understanding and self-doubt, and it is a time when self-consciousness and life worries disappear. From this point of view, the London riots are obviously an event, completely different to what a spectacle is, as they not only provoke the mind and not so much the emotion, but also heighten the sense of existential anxiety and bring to front the problems of one's social circumstances.

In the words of Debord, “the spectacle aims at nothing other than itself”, it is not a means of bringing up other issues or provoke deeper thoughts. However, in the case of the London riots, the situation did not draw attention to the riots themselves, as a spectacle would have, but to what had happened to Mark Duggan, as well as other serious issues, such as the current political situation, as well as the state of the British youth and the conflict with regard to ethnic minorities and immigrants. Hence the riots cannot be seen as a means of distracting people from their reality, overriding the mind and keeping them passive and quiet, as it was, in fact, a wake-up call which pointed towards people's reality and forced them to use their mind and be active, to voice their concerns, opinions and issues.

In Ancient Rome, the spectacle was used to control the mob and distract them from challenging the dictatorial nature of the regime. McClelland quotes Tacitus's description of the battle within the walls of Rome between Vitellius and Vespasian in 69 AD, which says: “The crowd can no longer see the difference between games and the great events of the empire; everything has become a public spectacle”. And that is exactly the nature of the spectacle – an event, which distracts, which takes away the focus from the more important social matters, which allows the public to be consumed by the emotions the spectacle provokes and use it as escapism. Clearly, in the case of the London riots, the thoughts came before the emotions and it was not an event which allowed the public to be distracted, but exactly the opposite, to become more focused on the current social regime.

If we were to compare the London riots to some other contemporary spectacles, the differences would be clear. Whether that would be the royal wedding or the deaths of Michael Jackson or Heath Ledger, whether they would be murder trials or television talent shows, it is clear how those events are, in themselves, spectacles, and even more so when enforced by the media coverage of them. They don't provoke deep thoughts, they don't provoke discussions on one's social reality – instead, people identify with celebrities and they get a feeling of participation in talent shows or the royal wedding in an attempt to escape from that social reality. In comparison to those, the London riots were an event which provoked people to take a look at their circumstances and challenge the existing current order, even if not with physical actions, but they certainly required the use of one's mind. As opposed to spectacles, where the public receives pleasure from the illusion of participation, people did a conscious effort to distance themselves and to not participate in the situation, they did not identify themselves with the rioters.

Instead of a passively receiving audience, everyone became part of the crowd. In the way Le Bon describes it, it is easy to define the rioters as a psychological crowd: “Whoever be the individuals that compose it [the psychological crowd], however like or unlike be their mode of life, their occupations, their character, or their intelligence, the fact that they have been transformed into a crowd puts them in possession of a sort of collective mind which makes them feel, think, and act in a manner quite different from that in which each individual of them would feel, think, and act were he in a state of isolation”. But Le Bon also says: “The disappearance of conscious personality and the turning of feelings and thoughts in a definite direction do not always involve the simultaneous presence of a number of individuals on one spot. Thousands of isolated individuals may acquire at certain moments the characteristics of a psychological crowd”. In this sense, society itself became a part of the crowd, and not, as in a case of a simple spectacle, a passive audience, escaping from their social reality.

A few examples:

Ukranian spectacle show

- creates strong emotions, awe, admiration, one is thinking 'wow, that's incredible'; a situation which provokes the feeling and overrides the mind

William and Kate's kiss on the balcony

– creates feelings of joy and happiness, the illusion of being a part of the royal family's celebration and participating in the spectacle; strengthening the image of the royal family as being more powerful, being something special

London riots report

– provokes first thought, then feeling; arouses arguments and discussions on the reasons behind the riots, on race, immigration and other social issues)

Resources:
Gustave Le Bon, “The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind”
John McClelland, “The Crowd and the Mob: From Plato to Canetti”
Guy Debord, “The Society of the Spectacle”

Udine Overall Reflection

2009-11-07T09:05:00.014Z

Well, here we are now - the festival is already behind our backs. I don't remember the last time five days went by so quickly. I feel I couldn't have possibly endured more days of pressure, deadlines and lack of sleep, but I did want to stay. And I really wanted to work this way all my life (perhaps living a little closer and having something real to eat for dinner).

Looking back on it now I realise most of my expectations were wrong and thus most of my anxiety was unnecessary. But it was a wonderful experience and I am sure no one would've offered us the opportunity to speak to all of those directors, stars and fellow journalists in our first year, if it weren't for the society and the work that Spencer had done. It was an amazing chance for a person like me, interested in film journalism, not only to experience a totally different culture and to sit through hours and hours of East Asian film, allowing me to be able to find their similarities and where they differ, but also to observe how a festival like that works, how other journalists and media operate and to get a feeling of normalcy - after all, this is not something to be freaking out about.

The work was tough, indeed. It took me about 5-6 days to catch up on my sleep and to normalise my body not to wake me up at 7 in the morning by instinct. It was a relief not to think about deadlines and schedules and just to enjoy the wonderful silence sitting by the water near the hostel in Venice. But a part of me misses all the craziness and pressure - I love working like that, having no free time for my mind to wander aimlessly, not thinking about food or energy, not obsessing over money or travel or other things in my life that usually disturb me. No wonder after five stressful days travelling alone around Italy was so peaceful and, surprisingly, not worrying (it was the first trip where I just didn't worry about anything) - my body just couldn't produce anymore stress hormones and adrenaline. :)

I adore watching film and writing about film and I would do it over and over again. Although it was difficult to combine seeing as many films as possible and writing about them within the time limit (and a part of me just wanted to stay out and enjoy the sunlight), it was the most pleasurable type of writing I have done so far in my journalism course. And perhaps if I didn't have problems getting to a free computer, I would've done a little better, having had enough time to write and re-read and have everything perfect. But I am pleased with my work and I am glad that it has been posted on Cine-Vue, as well, and I am happy Spencer was happy with our performance overall - so all I have to say is a big bravo to the whole CUEAFS team and hope somehow we can make it to next year's festival, as well.

Hats off to the documentary team, too - from what I've seen, their work was very professional and they were able to catch on film some of the big fish on the festival. I hope all of us didn't come off looking like idiots, as most of the time we were so tired we had no idea what was going on. But I can't wait to see the promotional video and I am sure that whatever way they edit it, it will be a damn impressive piece of footage that will probably get a lot of new members into the society and get our 'organisation' running more and more professionally.

Now, with so much time on my hands, I am glad I still have material to write about from our Udine coverage, as we couldn't possibly cover everything at the spot, and I try to place myself back in the atmosphere and get the right vibe in order to sound the same way, when writing.

As to the films, I was able to catch nine of them (I couldn't possibly sit through Bodyguards and Assassins for the second time and I missed the international premiere of The Arrival, because I couldn't enter the theatre), which was pretty much what I was aiming at. Since I was covering South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia, the films from those regions were my priority, but I was able to see also films from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand, which helped me broaden my horizon and build a bigger picture of East Asian film in my head. Here is what I attended on the festival:

The Message (2009) by Chen Kuofu and Gao Qunshu (China)

Gallants (2010) by Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok (Hong Kong)

Seven 2 One (2009) by Danny Pang (Hong Kong)

Possessed (2009) by Lee Yong-ju (South Korea)

Slice (2009) by Kongkiat Khomsiri (Thailand)

Running Turtle (2009) by Lee Yeon-woo (South Korea)

Secret Reunion (2010) by Jang Hun (South Korea)

Hear Me (2009) by Cheng Fen-Fen (Taiwan)

Identity (2009) by Aria Kusumadewa (Indonesia)

For short overviews of all the films seen by members of CUEAFS and movie reviews visit CUEAFS's webpage or our partners' website.

Compared to my original schedule, I haven't attended two films (The Arrival and The Legend is Alive - the first I couldn't enter, the second was overlapping with the interview of Lee Yong-ju, director of Possessed). On my first schedule I had also the South Korean and South-East cinema panels. However, since we arrived quite late on April 27, I couldn't catch the first, and I missed the second because I had too much material to write before 7pm (the deadline) and I wasn't ready by six. Ellie and Nadia covered the panels, though, and recorded everything, so keep your eyes peeled for podcasts on CUEAFS's website.

Other highlights from the festival, as I look back on it now, were the three interviews, conducted by Spencer Murphy - the first one with the directors of Gallants Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok, the second with Lee Yong-ju, director of Possessed and the third with La Comedie Humaine's producer and main star Mr Chapman To. The interviews might be found on CUEAFS's website and the website of our partners Cine-Vue and they will be coming soon as podcast and video.

Overall, an invaluable experience for everyone involved, whether interested in media production, journalism or film, whether Asian in culture or European (Eastern or Western), whether involved in the documentary or the writers team - it is absolutely marvelous to receive such an opportunity to visit an actual international film festival and to be introduced and speak to stars, producers and directors; to witness interviews and press meetings and to be given the chance to produce material for an international film platform, which is the website of our partners Cine-Vue. To me, personally, as a journalist interested in film, involved in an East Asian film society and an absolute admirer of Italy and everything related to it - I had the time of my life. With no sleep, hardly any food at all (except the breakfast and dinner panettone, which I am so sick of by now) and constant work and pressure, I felt like an absolute professional at work and will gladly do it all over again (perhaps pack some food in my checked bag).

And, finally, I would like to extend my greatest gratitude and compliments to everyone - mainly to Mr Spencer Murphy, who made that whole trip possible, but also to all members who went to Udine and did a spectacular job: Michelle Bailey, Nadia Baird, Andreea Dascalu, Ruodong He, Michael Jarvis, Stanley Lau, Elena Rapondzhieva and Kevin Weng - well done to everyone (including compliments to myself, of course), it was an absolute pleasure to work with all of you and I am looking forward to more professional opportunities with everyone from the society (including the members who couldn't come with us).

*Images from:
http://en.cnci.gov.cn/PicLib/200910816718394.jpg
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/ab5734/gallants_a.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eIUu7XRYs8Y/Syc8Gd04bMI/AAAAAAAACPI/ciJUB15F8Xo/s320/seven2one.jpg
http://lolyfe.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Possessed-209x300.jpg
http://www.enjoythaimovies.com/media/blogs/thaimovies/slice.jpg
http://www.flixunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/Running_Turtle.jpg
http://www.watchtopmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/TheSecretReunion.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HCR6TfKEjy8/Souqn_VNVpI/AAAAAAAABBY/Tlar68dxHNI/s400/hear_me_02.png
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QBXSKg1fEAg/S05HPfmf3GI/AAAAAAAABcQ/YPDcd5gReho/s320/identitas.jpg

Udine Day 4

2009-11-05T11:55:00.005Z

Knowing that this was our last productive day in Udine, since the next day was only taken up by travelling, we wanted to do as much as possible, despite having been sleep and food deprived for four days straight and hardly having any strength to stay awake. But with the society's best interest in mind, we pulled through.

The day started for some of us with the Taiwan film Hear Me (2009), which was a romantic story about two deaf sisters and their struggles with life. For the others, the day started with the hilarious Chapman To, who was being interviewed in the press area by journalists and our own Spencer Murphy.

The dedicated members of the journalistic team started writing their reviews/interviews, while I went to see Identitas (2009) from Indonesia - a dark story depicting the life of millions of poor Indonesians that have no identity, no voice, no rights. By that time I was absolutely wrecked and was even caught on camera saying I was at the edge of my physical powers, I was off to write again. Nadia was still writing about the Hong Kong cinema panel, which featured Gallants' directors Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok, as well as La Comedie Humaine's producer and star Chapman To, whilst Ellie was transcripting Spencer's interview with Mr.To; Henry was writing his Secret Reunion review and I, on the other hand, wrote about Identitas and an overview of the films we had seen that day and the previous evening.

The whole team headed off to see Teddy Chen's Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) from Hong Kong, but I couldn't bear sitting through anymore films, let alone a film of 2 and a half hours, which I had previously seen. So I decided to take some rest and get my brain working again. The Japanese Boys on the Run (2010) was the last film to be seen by a member of CUEAFS, Nadia, while the rest of us were enjoying some quiet time outside, drinking beer and discussing the whole experience. The evening ended quite early, compared to the previous nights, as most of us were absolutely dead, but some of the other members kept the vibe going till the morning.

For Chapman To's interview and reviews of the seen films, go to CUEAFS's website and the website of our partners Cine-Vue.

Udine Day 3

2009-11-04T00:31:00.004Z

Day 3 of CUEAFS's stay in Udine began with a lot of excitement and anticipation. After having our regular morning breakfast meeting with everyone (although some of us didn't really have to get up quite that early, after having gone to bed at about half past four), the documentary team, together with Andreea and myself headed down to the theatre to film and record Spencer interviewing Lee Yong-ju from South Korea, director of Possessed. While we were waiting for the press area to be opened, some of the other members came back from the screening of Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) by Alex Lau - a Hong Kong melodrama about the adventures of two brothers, seen through the naive and innocent eyes of a child. We formed a small circle and had a short meeting, discussing our plans for the day and also the impressions of the screened film.

I was getting quite nervous about the interview, although I wasn't the one asking the questions, just taking notes and recording audio. But the pressure was somewhat getting to me. All this disappeared, though, once we entered the press area, which was filled with a calm vibe and the atmosphere was totally friendly and somewhat informal. After having sat through the Italian interviews (which had some good points, but mainly not too relevant questions), it was Spencer's turn to impress Lee Yong-ju with his knowledge of East Asian (and not only) cinema. They talked about the genre and the style of the film, the ideology behind some of the character choices, future plans, etc.

The funny thing was that Lee's interpreter didn't speak English and the interview was about to be very long, translated from English to Italian to Korean and then from Korean to Italian to English, but we were fortunate enough to find a woman who spoke Korean and English and she was nice enough to offer her assistance in the matter. After our interview we waited around for a while longer to get a picture of the team with Lee Yong-ju and then we spreaded out, attending to our individual schedules.

I went to see a Korean police thriller by Lee Yeon-woo - Running Turtle (2009), telling the story of an unfortunate cop with a gambling problem, who steals money from his wife to bet on a bull fight. He does surprisingly win a great deal of money only to be robbed by a wanted criminal, who moved back into town, and becomes obsessed with catching the runaway and taking back his belongings. The film was light-hearted and funny and although it ran slowly and there wasn't anything too exciting about the plot or the development of the story, it wasn't at all boring, but rather engaging and simply entertaining.

After having seen the film, I set off to write reviews and a summary of the interview with Lee Yong-ju, whilst the other writers were doing their due writing and the documentary team were set up filming outside, catching people from the press on camera, as well as directors of Gallants Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok, saying 'Coventry Rocks' and La Comedie Humaine's producer and actor Chapman To. Some members attended the Hong Kong cinema panel later on, featuring the three celebrities. Afterwards, some of CUEAFS's members went to see La Comedie Humaine (2010) by Chan Hing-kai and Janet Chun, where Chapman To preceded the film with a short speech.

As I was heading off to see The Arrrival (2010) from Philippine director Erik Matti with Andreea, we both got some food and entered the theatre only to find there were no seats available on the second floor and once we left, we weren't let back in. So we decided to accept the circumstances and go to dinner with the rest of the group. We ended up in a nearby Italian pizzeria and after dinner headed back to see Secret Reunion (2010) by Jang Hun (South Korea). Most of the members were quite tired after another hard day and couldn't help but fall asleep at certain moments, as I myself skipped some five minutes of the action, even though the film was really interesting and kept me watching. The story was quite similar to the story of Running Turtle - an unfortunate cop fails to catch a criminal, who he encounters some six years after and, while both believe the other one hasn't recognised them, they start working together as spies. The story here goes a lot deeper than the thriller/action motion and tells a touching tale of family bond and unexpected male friendship.

As the day was over, we were desperate to get to the hostel and sleep, although we were sure none of that would happen before 3-4 am in the morning. We are starting to get a little sad already, as tomorrow will be our last day in Udine (as we have to leave early on Saturday), and we don't want to leave. But we are determined to work even harder during our last day and produce as much material as possible for our web platforms.

For the interview with director Lee Yong-ju and reviews of the films, as well as an article on the Hong Kong cinema panel, visit CUEAFS's website and the website of our partners Cine-Vue.

Udine Day 2

2009-11-03T09:51:00.008Z

An incredible start to another incredible day. A few members of the writers team headed off early in the morning, after only about four hours of sleep, to attend the screening of yet another Hong Kong film, Seven 2 One (2009). The drama by Danny Pang was a 'patchwork' storyline, presenting the stories of seven different people, tied up together, and their actions that lead to a particular event. The ending of the film was quite brilliant, showing a 'what if' perspective - if a phone call was received earlier, if an agreement had been made, if a girl had changed her mind, then maybe things would've unraveled in a different way.

Afterwards followed a Chinese police thriller by director Wang Jing - Invisible Killer (2009), which gave insight into contemporary Chinese society and the subtle influence of the internet and prompted a big discussion between the two Chinese members of the writers team - Henry and Kevin about the ideology behind the two films from China over those two days - The Message and Invisible Killer. As the argument grew more and more passionate and the volume level grew in decibels, we attracted not only a few cameramen, who caught everything on video, but also quite a big audience, which was interested in what was going on and who were the people arguing so ardently.

As the day had just begun, all of us had planned a complicated working day, running from one place to another, trying to get as much as possible done before the sun goes down and then later perhaps we might have been able to get some sleep. Good thing we are in Italy and enjoying some decent coffee and nice food in the short breaks we get to keep us running (I am glad they have a bar in the theatre, as we don't really have the chance to go too far). :)

The documentary team had been working since the morning, as well, getting some establishing shots of Udine, Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine, the busy teams and anything else they can get their hands on. Writers were busy writing before we had forgotten our first impressions and important information about the films after seeing too many. Another busy day, indeed. On the schedule are also experimental filming and interviewing fellow students from other universities, so we had hopes everything would turn out pretty nicely.

The afternoon of our second day in Udine was also packed and stressful, including three films, a panel and a lot of writing. Nadia attended the screening of Phobia 2 (2009), a sequel to the very successful 2008 film 4bia, a Thai horror composed of five different stories. After that some of the members saw Lee Yong-ju's debut Possessed (2009), which totally creeped out everyone, especially poor Henry, who was watching through the holes in his paper sheet, which he held in front of his face for the most part. The last film on our schedule was Slice (2009) by director Kongkiat Khomsiri, by which time it was a struggle to stay awake and some of the membes made good use of the comfortable chairs and the fact that we couldn't see most of the screen from our seats.

The day also presented the opportunity for Spencer to interview the directors of Gallants Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok and the Shintoho panel presented a good opportunity for Michelle to get more information for her dissertation.

Overall, it was a stressful day, especially trying to get all the writing done before 7pm, whilst queueing to get good seats for the following screenings. With very few hours of sleep and almost no food in our stomachs, we are basically living on coffee and cigarrettes (myself, specifically), but we are excited to get to the next day and do more work.

For a short overview of the films during our second day (day 6 of the festival), visit CUEAFS's website and the website of our partner Cine-Vue.

Udine Day 1

2009-11-02T01:33:00.006Z

After what seemed to be the longest journey in the world, involving a minibus ride, a flight and another bus, we finally got to sunny Italy, welcoming us with open arms and filling us with anticipation and overwhelming anxiety, as well as tremendous excitement. We quickly found our way around and checked-in, rushing to get some writing done and get ourselves on the road for the following days, and we were off exploring the unknowns of the festival.

We picked up our media passes and got into the first screening, excited to see the beginning of what we are about to endure for the next four days. The first film we saw was The Message (2009) - a Chinese spy thriller in its European premiere in the spirit of Agatha Christie, which filled the group with a lot of excitement and optimism as to the selection of films they have prepared for us this week. The soundtrack was absolutely amazing, which was adding to the spectacular cinematography and the complicated and yet interesting story was only a bonus to all that to make the experience invaluable.

Then, having been sat in the theatre for more than two hours, we quickly regrouped to see the other film they had on schedule, Gallants (2010) from Hong Kong, which was preceded by a lovely speech by the two directors, Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok. The tone and mood we had submerged into during The Message was shifted to 100 degrees - a long way to go from a spy thriller into a martial arts comedy with dramatic moments, made in the spirit of traditional Kung-Fu Hong Kong cinema.

Throughout all that excitement and anxiety, the documentary team was busy filming everything and anything, trying to get opinions and events on camera, and we were even interviewed by an Italian radio station...

The only drawback was the lack of time for food and the group ended up eating the breakfast panettone for dinner, as well. Our emotions took very long to cool down, as we sat together in the living room chatting up until about half past three in the morning.

Overall, a very nice way to start our professional experience here, taking care of a lot of the stress and the anticipation, once we don't need to worry about finding hotels or theatres and making our way around Udine. Tomorrow we will start from seven in the morning with a group meeting, then attend some screenings, a panel on the Japanese production company Shintoho and try to write about everything and put it on our on-line platforms, whilst the documentary team is following us around. :) A busy day, indeed, and I couldn't be more excited about it.

For a short overview of the two films we attended and reviews of the two films, visit the websites of CUEAFS and our partners Cine-Vue at:

Overview of festival days 5 and 6 (first and second day of the society in Udine)
The same overview on CUEAFS's blog space, translated in Chinese by Kevin Weng
Review of The Message (by me)
Review of Gallants (by Nadia Baird)
Same review of Gallants on CUEAFS's blog space

Last thoughts before the journey

2009-11-01T10:13:00.011Z

Tomorrow, April 27, some of CUEAFS's members will be leaving for Italy to cover the Udine Far East Film Festival in its 12th edition. Feelings and thoughts are rushing around, bags are packed, pre-production has been done, anxiety and excitement absorb any other emotion - this is basically the situation before departure.

The nine members going have been assigned important responsibilities and we will try to be as professional as possible and to present the society in the best way possible, while producing some good work and getting some experience for ourselves. If at the end of the week we are pleased with what we have done and Spencer is happy, we will be coming home triumphant. At this point plans are still quite unclear, as we don't know what to expect. Schedules are ready, but last minute changes are probable. I am feeling 98% excited and 2% scared or... to think about it, it might be the other way around...

We have been divided into two groups - a 'writers' team (Nadia, Ellie, Henry and myself), that will be taking care of writing reviews and articles, as well as possible interviews and press panel reflections for CUEAFS's website and, more importantly, for the website of our partner Cine-Vue, along with our own personal reflective writing that will be a window to our feelings, expectations, disappointments, etc. The 'documentary' team (Michelle, Mike and Stan) will be filming our journey in order to produce a promotional video for the society, portraying our experience during the festival. Kevin has been assigned the position of 'coordinator of the writers team', which means that he will be making sure everyone is kept up-to-date, if they cannot attend meetings, and in addition he will be translating all of our produced material into Chinese. Andreea will have her hands full, as she will be our main photographer, admin of the CUEAFS's website and Spencer's personal assistant.

As the roles and responsibilities are clear and both teams have been meeting regularly to discuss any small details that might become an issue, everyone is more or less ready to head off to Italy and see what the festival is really about. Here is this year's festival trailer, coming from Joko Anwar (Indonesia):

When it comes to schedules, I personally will try to see as many films as possible, especially given that it is unsure whether we will be able to enter press meetings or conduct any interviews, which means we will have time only to attend films and write about them. I am not worried about the writing, as I love to write about film, and I have done extensive research into the countries I have been assigned to cover. Plus, I am convinced that once we get into the atmosphere and get the feeling of the festival itself, writing in the correct manner will not be that big of a problem (although I am saying this, I am still quite nervous about the feedback we might get from Spencer about our produced material).

Here is my planned schedule for the next few days (I have been assigned to cover South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia):

Tuesday, 27 April

6.00pm - South Korean cinema panel (E.J-yong, director of The Actresses and Kim Dong-ho from Pusan International Film Festival)

Wednesday, 28 April

8.55am - Seven 2 One (Hong Kong)

8.00pm - Possessed (South Korea)

Thursday, 29 April
11.ooam - The Legend is Alive (Vietnam)

2.15pm - Running Turtle (South Korea)

8.00pm - The Arrival (The Philippines)

10.50pm - Secret Reunion (South Korea)

Friday, 30 April
11.30am - Hear Me (Taiwan)

2.15pm - Identity (Indonesia)

6.10pm - South-East cinema panel (Erik Matti, director of The Arrival; Riri Riza, director of The Dreamer; Nithiwat Tharatorn, director of Dear Galileo)

At this point I am sure that the schedule is not final, as I am not sure what we can expect to be happening, so slight changes are possible, but I am hoping to see at least some of the films on my list. I am looking forward to attending guest speaker panels, press meetings and interviews (if we are able to get those) and gathering as much information and material as possible for both the official presentation and published material and for my personal experience and collection.

With only a few hours to go, I am literally on the verge of a mental breakdown, while at the same time I have never been that excited in my entire life. I am looking forward to working closely with the members of CUEAFS and producing some good material, making Spencer proud and representing the society on a greater platform than the university forum. Hopefully, if we do a good job, we will have more privileges next year or at least we will have been heard of. And last but not least, the promotional video of our stay in Udine will be our main tool to popularise the society and attract new members, and I can't wait to see what will be there to film and what we will have at the end.

*Images from:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eIUu7XRYs8Y/Syc8Gd04bMI/AAAAAAAACPI/ciJUB15F8Xo/s320/seven2one.jpg
http://lolyfe.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Possessed-209x300.jpg
http://www.wavereleasing.com/images/poster_legend.jpg
http://www.flixunlimited.com/wp-content/uploads/Running_Turtle.jpg
http://twitchfilm.net/news/TheArrivalPoster.jpg
http://www.watchtopmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/TheSecretReunion.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HCR6TfKEjy8/Souqn_VNVpI/AAAAAAAABBY/Tlar68dxHNI/s400/hear_me_02.png
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QBXSKg1fEAg/S05HPfmf3GI/AAAAAAAABcQ/YPDcd5gReho/s320/identitas.jpg

Disability Advert

2009-10-07T20:25:00.000+01:00

This is a disability advert, produced for a Clarks campaign, which was an activity organised during reading week. The group who did this advert consisted of Mariya Kamarashka, Elena Rapondzhieva, Radina Choleva, myself and a guy called Idongesit Ekanem (who is from advertising).

The brief we were given for the disability advert was to target an audience of men and women between 30 and 40 years old, to use a disability but not make it too obvious, nor make it the main point of the advert - use it subtly, like we would use a regular person. The final requirement was to make an advert for shoes that are practical ('shoes to be worn everyday').

Since the advert was for shoes, it would have been too obvious to use a disability related to legs/feet/etc. So we decided to use another disability, which could relate in another way. Our first idea was to use a girl with no arm, as the advert would certainly then not focus on the disability, but on the shoes. However, we decided to go with blindness, since we could also incorporate it subtly in the ad - feels good (practical shoes), but also looks good (what women want). At the same time looks good, but also feels good for those who cannot see.

The rest of the work was to find a set, get permission to shoot, find two women to try on shoes and then edit the whole advert. We decided to go with the colourful store in the city centre's shopping mall, as the background with all the shoes contributes to the tone and feeling of the advert - two women shopping, having fun, loving it.

Since we only had about two hours for the whole activity, we were allowed to use Photoshop to 'make' the disability, instead of finding a disabled person that we could use. We didn't want to be too obvious with the blindness, since it is not to be the first thing noticeable about the advert, but to be noticeable enough.

Overall, I think we did pretty good, especially since we beat a lot of advertising students when we won first place (the four of us were journalists) and received certificates for taking part in an advertising challenge. It would be really nice if the advert could be used for a real campaign.

131mc Magazine Project Covers

2009-10-06T21:53:00.000+01:00

This is my first truly fascinating encounter with InDesign. I had tried to use the program before, but with the lack of an interesting project, I quickly gave up on it. Our magazine project presented an opportunity for me to utilise my design skills and to portray my vision for our psychology/science magazine idea.

Since the program was quite easy and the internet was full of marvellous imagery, suitable for our product, I played around with the design and did 9 possible covers. My personal favourites were 3, 5 and 7 (plus the last one, although it presented quite a detailed image, which made a too 'complicated' or 'crowded' cover). As a group, we finally decided to use number 7, as our magazine is designed for laymen and not professionals, and the colour blue is usually used to very scientific magazines, whilst purple is a little more neutral. Plus, as we were targeting mostly women with an occasional interest in psychology and science, we decided purple was a more suitable colour for a female audience than blue is.

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

Number 6

Number 7

Number 8

Number 9

Graphic Design Portfolio

2009-10-05T21:10:00.000+01:00

My first encounter with graphic design, NOEA graphic design portfolio (successful entry in Denmark). Those two assignment were done to a specific brief for two postcards. The first is a 'description of yourself and the purpose of your education' and the second is a postcard that 'sells raincoats for senior citizens'. Both cards are done on Microsoft Publisher (pretty much in the last minute and trying to use the easiest program possible, due to work responsibilities and inability to find free time to dedicate to the portfolio).

Assignment 1
Assignment 2

African dance

2009-10-04T23:09:00.000+01:00

19th April 2010, Shelton Square, Coventry

As I was walking home from work, submerged into my own thoughts and trying to ignore the pain in my legs, I stumbled across a dance performance in the centre of Coventry. After having a lovely chat with one of the volunteers, I gathered that it was a performance by the Vocab Dance Company as a part of the United Colours of Dance Out & About - an extravaganza of folk dances from around the world as a part of the International Dance Festival Birmingham, a one-month festival which will take place in April and May around Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon.

United Colours of Dance Out & About will be bringing unique dance vision from Russia, India, Africa, Spain and Cuba, alongside many other most spectacular things to see, such as the dance circus, choreographed street dancing and riverdance legends. The Vocab Dance Company is a dance theatre group, founded by Alesandra Seutin, and created with a vision of fusing contemporary dance technique with African, Hip Hop, and physical theatre in order to create a unique and rich dance vocabulary.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of complete and utter pleasure from being a witness to an absolutely raw and powerful African dance, expressing the most natural human movements, yet unimaginable to the regular person. Such strength and flexibility, such energy and passion. As the dancers move with the rhythm of African music, the viewers are overwhelmed by the pure joy and rawness of what real life should look and feel like.

It is exceptional how the human body can move like that with no evident effort and seem like the most natural thing in the world. There were no spectacular moves, impossible to imagine, but the simplicity and flexibility of every little muscle and the movement of every little piece of the body was creating the most beautiful atmosphere to be a witness to. This kind of dance reminds of the grace of the gazelles, panthers or swans in the animal world, where nothing too special seems to be happening, but brings immense beauty to the eye and creates a feeling of harmony, peace and absolute, just absolute joy.

The dance was a combination of contemporary style and African movement and flow, which overlapped with what was expected out of African dance - that is to say the idea of how the movement and rhythm would be was correct for most of it, although the combination with contemporary dance and hip-hop did move it away from pure African at points. When it comes to the location, I suppose it took a little out of the impression and feeling, as it was a day performance on an open square and it would have been a lot more impressive at night or in a closed space with the right kind of lighting and surround sound. But it was not impression they were after, but to popularise international dance styles and way of movement and to show how each country is unique in its own way and beautiful through dance.

A Night At The Museum

2009-10-03T23:11:00.000+01:00

Romeo
On the 31st of March this year, the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum hosted a spectacular event, called 'A Night at the Museum'. In addition to the display of historical objects, close to the hearts of locals from Coventry and Warwickshire, the audience was treated with a recreation of Romeo and Juliet, poetry reading by Coventry Live Poets Society and live music from Neil Davies and friends, as well as the very lovely Annie Othen, who was leading the event.

Since I am a part of Coventry Live Poets Society, news for the events came some time before March, as we were preparing specific poetic writing to go with the objects from the display. I have to admit I didn't know almost anything about any of the objects or, as a matter of fact, about the history of Coventry, but through the poetry of my fellow members, I learned a lot. For instance, the Coventry Strasse sign or the James Starley safety bike - until then, James Starley was just a name of one of the university buildings in town.

The event itself was quite interesting. Annie Othen was, as usual, a pleasure to see and hear and the recreation of Romeo and Juliet was inspirational.

Juliet
The poetry reading was very close to my heart, since those were the poets I had been meeting two times a month since before Christmas and their poetry, sometimes descriptive, sometimes very abstract, is always a nice thing to be a witness to. Especially in addition to their performance, which was delivered in a very interesting manner by some of the more 'extravagant' members of the society.

The live music by Neil Davies and friends in the unfamiliar to me style 'ska' delivered a perfect finishing vibe to a lovely evening.

Overall, a very inspiration evening that left me with a long-lasting feeling of pleasure and the desire to stay out longer, watch plays, listen to music and have a drink in peace and surrounded by creative people.

Kakera – A Piece of Our Lives Premiere

2009-10-02T23:33:00.003+01:00

In the end of March 2010, Coventry University East Asian Film Society took a trip down to London for the premiere of Momoko Ando's Kakera - A Piece of Our Lives. In addition to the presence of the lovely Adam Torel, Jasper Sharp and Momoko Ando herself, we also received the opportunity to have an interview with the director and to take part in the official Q&A session after the film, which was to go to the official DVD material.

The film premiere was not to be a very big deal, as it was mainly a 'rehearsal' of a kind for our presence at the Udine Film Festival later in May, which is to say that Kakera's premiere was to give us a sense of how such an event would operate and to give us more confidence when it comes to preparation for the May festival.

The news about our involvement in the DVD cuts didn't come until our ride in the minibus and it was a little nerve-wrecking to ask an actual director a film related question in the presence of all those other people and also being on camera for the DVD (especially for me, since I have a huge public speech phobia). But the society did good work and, according to Spencer, we 'owned' the whole Q&A session, which was a good beginning of our serious professional work, which would come to be even more stressful and nerve-wrecking by the end of the year.

Personally, I found it incredible. I have a strong interest in pursuing film journalism and this was the first time I was in the presence of an actual real film director and had the chance to have a conversation with her. The whole event was totally surreal and dream-like, but it gave me a sense of what the feeling would be to be a part of such big things and, later on I would find out, it only gets stronger. Although a part of me wishes I had been a part of the interviewing of Momoko Ando, I was feeling a lot of pressure from not having been prepared for anything, so perhaps it was better we were just there to see the film and take part in the Q&A. I would later on be present at other important interviews at the Udine Film Festival, where, with enough preparation beforehand, I would have enough confidence to sit in the presence of an actual director and all types of other press and fellow journalists.

Overall, the Kakera premiere was a wonderful beginning of what would be a quite professional outcome for the society and it gave all of us a feeling of being a part of something bigger than a university society, which I think all of us actually needed. On a personal level, it was an invaluable experience, both when it comes to my involvement in CUEAFS and to my personal interest in film journalism.

*Images courtesy of Diana Stefanescu

Showzam - Blackpool's Festival of Circus, Magic and New Variety

2009-10-01T22:10:00.003+01:00

In the end of February this year, a few friends and I took a trip to Blackpool to see the festival of circus, magic and new variety that was taking place over there. It was one of those magical trips that makes a person wish they were able to do all those amazing things and at the same time brings back the feeling of being surrounded by so many marvellous things in the world that you cannot feel bad about anything - there is magic everywhere.

Blackpool itself was magical. I had missed the sea for so long, since before coming to England, I was living by the beach, and I just missed the peaceful sound of water and seagulls. There is a specific vibe about the sea, which awakens so many of my senses and reminds me of feelings like happiness and simple pure joy.

We got there around 11, when the water was still about a hundred meters in and we got to walk on the sand, which would later be covered by the sea. It was an incredible feeling to know that those steps we were taking would be under water just a few hours later - I had lived by the beach of a closed sea, where the tide was never that obvious.

Mist was covering almost all of Blackpool in that time of day, which was also a beautiful thing to see - once we were in far enough, close to the water, the whole town behind us seemed to have disappeared and it felt like we were the only people left in the world - there was fog everywhere and everything that was visible was just more sand.

The first treat that Blackpool had for us was a Heat The Streets spectacle, which was a musical performance, where fire was used to go with the music, as well as a fire display all around the centre.

Afterwards, we went to the Queens of Magic - a magic trick show by three women, performing different types of magic. Fay Presto was mostly delivering tricks with cards, ropes and bottles disappearing, which she also did in front of small groups before the show and on the next day - we were lucky enough to be done a trick with coins and cards in front of our eyes. Romany did an old-time hoops tricks and also used cages with birds. And Mandy Muden was the most hilarious of all of them, although she did not do that many tricks, entertained the audience quite a lot. The show also featured some quite impressive dancing moves by men and women in ridiculous costumes and with perfect bodies.

The main thing we had planned to see was later that evening, which was a show called La Clique. The show is described as "cocktail of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary vaudeville". We were witnesses to some absolutely incredible things, whether it was a person's movement, tricks or jokes, it was an incredible experience.

The show started with a 'tribute' to the Queen, which was portrayed by a man, and was absolutely hilarious. The best parts from the monologue were a place where the Queen had difficulty pronouncing Camilla and a sentence which went "I found out my daughter was a horse" (followed by a pause, while she was turning the page), "my daughter was a horse-riding champion".

Followed The Wau Wau Sisters, delivering an old-time acrobatic performance, which brought me back to my childhood years and the feeling of sitting in a circus once upon a time. Their acrobatic tricks were absolutely stunning, as at one point, one of the girls slid down the other, while they were holding each other only using the power of their legs.

Captain Frodo was an absolute delight to see, although his tricks seemed quite painful and to most of the audience it looked like he was really hurting himself. At one point, he had his leg through the tennis racquet and fell down the stage, which seemed to be by accident, although I suspect it was part of the performance. He did all kinds of amazing tricks that the human body could not possibly do, such as put his whole body through a tennis racquet or dislocating all of his joints and chasing one of his hands with the other. At the same time, while doing those painful tricks, he was treating the audience with hilarious comments and the sweetest ever gesture of throwing shiny pieces of paper whenever he would get stuck in one of his positions, which would totally lighten up the mood and make it seem as if he was making no effort whatsoever.

The Skating Willers were a husband and wife doing incredible acrobatic tricks, while at the same time roller skating on that little circle stage. Just by looking at it, I had no desire to sit in the front row whatsoever. But they were absolutely flawless. They did pick a girl from the audience to be turned around, while the two of them were holding her, which probably turned her whole world upside down. Their final trick was the best part of the whole performance, as he was spinning the woman in a circle, while she was only 'attached' to him by a leather band, which was going around her head and his neck, but at the same time the woman was spinning around her own axis. Absolutely breath-taking, I have to say.

Captain Frodo delivered the final performance for the evening, as well as a very inspirational speech which went along the lines of "Now that you have seen the things we do, I'm sure you feel like you can do everything" and "don't be afraid to follow your dreams". La Clique also featured an opera singer, a woman with hoops and a sword-swallower. Overall, the whole show was absolutely magnificent and it left me feeling like I couldn't do any of those things, but at the same I felt like I could do anything.

The next day we visited the display they had in the main building and also saw some old-time performance shows - as Nadia explained to the group, those were real shows in the 70s and 80s and people actually believed them. For instance, the nine inch woman, who was living in a small aquarium, was a projection of some sort; the man with no head was obviously not real; and the transportation thing was totally transparent. But the point of those displays was not to be realistic, it was showing things that people actually used to believe and, taken into that context, it had a totally different meaning and purpose.

Overall, the whole event was absolutely spectacular and it was one of those things that leaves a long-lasting feeling of 'unfulfillment', whilst at the same time the optimism that no path is impossible and no dream is ever too ridiculous to be followed and whatever we choose to do, we will have a 'clique' that is involved in that and in a sense, we will never be alone in our dreams and goals.

May the music live on inside us all

2009-09-07T22:41:00.014+01:00

Not ever in the Coventry musical scene could we find another mysterious band with such unique multiform style and inspirational mixture of cultures like 3Q&t. The band's exploration of musical genres ranging from peaceful ballads to groovy rock melodies, combined with their lyrical brilliance and haunting vibes, marks them a rare musical genius from Coventry's alternative music scene.

3 Quarts & the Truth, as the full name of the band is, is a unique combination of nationalities and musical styles, as well as musicians with distinctive personalities. From the good-looking Nepali singer and songwriter with a sexy voice to the groovy curly-haired cutie-boy classical guitarist from Bulgaria, to the English Edward Cullen look-alike and drummer genius, and of course the inspirational Caribbean bass guitarist with an affinity for keyboards and a distinct sense of humour. A truly astounding mixture of international experiences, weaved together into a musical masterpiece. Established on an almost spiritual belief that ‘music is the universal language’, the band peaked at No.14 in the ReverbNation rock charts and boasted Facebook fans from 52 different countries – people with nothing else in common, besides music, unless they are wearing socks of the same brand.

So how did all this magic happen? It had been a few months since Nepali singer and songwriter Satyajit Pradhan and Indian guitarist Razin Farzan (Fuzz) were performing impromptu jam sessions in one of the tiny rooms in Priory Hall in front of mutual friends before they became a complete band, featuring drummer Quentin from France, Caribbean-British bassist Ash, Bulgarian lead guitarist Plamen, with Fuzz as the rhythm guitarist and Satya in front of the microphone. They had worked on a few covers and a couple of originals and were now ready to conquer the world, but had no name to call themselves. Standing with instruments in tow, the boys were daunted with the inevitable task of figuring out a name that would suit them best. Fuzz suggested Liquid Explosion much to the band's disapproval and prompted a few laughs as someone likened it to Borat. Ideas were hopelessly tossed around in the makeshift footpath brainstorming session. And then, out of thin air or the mouth of a drunken local, came '3 Quarts & the Truth'. In front of the Ellen Terry building between some of the local pubs in Coventry, as more and more cigarette butts were stomped on the ground and the frustrating possibility that the group might have to go another week without a name was becoming apparent, a drunk local wobbled towards the musicians and placed his hand on Satyajit’s shoulder. “Three quarts and the truth eh?” he slurred and walked off as if on cue. On that day, the band was christened 3 Quarts & the Truth and the drunken master was never heard from nor ever seen again.

As most of the band's stories, this tale is as unbelievable as it is entertaining, with all the members nodding affirmatively that is was in fact reality. Or perhaps it was fate that day that put a hand on Satya's shoulder, as the musicians found so much meaning and significance for themselves in that name. When eventually they turned quartet, as Fuzz was promoted to listener and Quentin, who returned to France, was replaced by Robert Pattinson/Edward Cullen doppelgänger Ali Brown, the name found meaning in the Sanskrit translation of Satya carrying the meaning of truth and the number 3 to signify the number of members left. Quarts, on the other hand, deals with a liquid form of measure that is well-suited at representing their music. As liquid is, when poured into any vessel, taking its form, such is 3Q&t music – it could be funky and poppy, then bluesy and electronic, with lyrics that never fail to hold meaning and convey fundamental truths; ultimately the band's ideology to never restrict themselves to any specific genre, but to experiment and be musically open to any kind of music. The logo designed by Satya and Fuzz also holds special meaning, which is a secret even to the band members. “If you look at the way that the letters pile up”, he explains, “it is supposed to symbolise a goat. A horny goat at that... The Q is the face with the tongue out. The 3 and the & at each end are the horns and ears. While the bottom of the t, creates the nose of the character. I am a Capricorn, so the goat alter-ego makes sense and I have been called the 'horny goat' for many years now. Hence, the saying: 'From the land of the great himals (Nepal) I hail; Horny goat they call me, before me wags my tail'.”

From covers of The Beatles, Nirvana, Jack Johnson, Herbie Hancock and David Bowie, the band's originals include everything from dreamy ballad memories that remind one of a glistening sunset over a quiet ray of happiness through to rock and groovy pieces with blasting guitar solos and unique bass lines and, eventually, a hauntingly beautiful electronic track with the cooperation of producer Soul Defiance. The band's projects-in-process also included a metal number, an R&B project and possibly hip-hop collaboration with a Turkish rapper, but as Plamen and Satyajit returned to their home countries, 3Q&t was unable to expand their repertoire exploring those frontier genres.

3Q&t quickly gained popularity in the local scene with the catchy originals 'She' – a rhythmic tune with a rocky groove and well crafted lyrics; 'Sex Machine' – a funky rock-and-roll piece with high energy packed with attitude and mind-blowing guitar and bass solos; 'Margaritas' – a peaceful romantic melody with heart-melting lyrics and mellow musical notes and 'Learn to Feel' – one of them feel-good songs about being in love with a high happiness meter that inspire dancing in the open air under the warm summer rays. With songwriter Satyajit's rare poetic genius and ability to inject his music with meaning and liveliness, combined with the incredible musical talent of the other band members, 3Q&t creates versatility that is truly attractive – it's difficult to imagine the same band that performs lyrical romantic ballads such as 'Margaritas' could perform the rock piece 'Sex Machine' and interweave country and jazzy funky groove into the rest of their songs. Romanian female singer Marina Ragabeja, who assisted the boys in their live performances with her beautiful vocals, said the band creates special energy with their music, which one cannot help but listen to mesmerised. “To be honest, the music scene in Coventry is rich, but similar in terms of music genre”, she added. “What 3Q&t brings is new and refreshing; they way they approach music is different, you can't really pinpoint it to a particular type.” Eugene from Lithuania, one of the regular attendees on 3Q&t live sets, described their music as “great music which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty”, while Polish fan Emilia was astonished by the effort and passion they put behind their creations: “You can clearly tell that the melodies and lyrics come straight from their soul. They are real and are not trying to pretend. Seeing them on stage and listening them live can trigger a lot of emotions”.

3Q&t success is truly inspirational, having broken out in the Coventry musical scene. Having started in odd venues such as Habibi, the band went on to perform at 54 alongside other featured talent in a showcase of Coventry's best bands. For Satyajit himself, the local venues provided a different atmosphere, ultimately worth exploring. Whether an acoustic set at the Tin Angel or the Phoenix over a pint or a roof blowing performance at the Golden Cross or 54, he found enough bands that emulated current rock hits, really heavy numbers, or pure jazz that were all unique and enjoyable, which ultimately included local talent around town such as some brilliant singers/songwriters like Emma McGann and some amazing bands like Arabella. However, due to the lack of artistic creative publications in the area, gaining popularity is a difficult task and bands usually start out with support from their friends and the friends of their friends. Despite not having a huge friends' network, since none of 3Q&t band members was an actual local, their international and diverse acquaintances held enough support for the band to jump-start their music in Coventry and around the world. “There really isn't another way around this”, said Satya. “It is essentially the same everywhere, some places may have more opportunities than others though and the Coventry musical scene is relatively small compared to say Birmingham or London. Those would have been our targets to break into had we had more time as a band”.

3 Quarts & the Truth started as two friends jamming in a student hall apartment and turned into something that they might have imagined, but none of them probably expected. Their unrecognised members, their original name and logo prompted speculations among everyone who had witnessed their talent. Speculations led to theories and theories led to questions that inevitably led to music. Music that inspired and will continue to inspire those of us who have been fortunate enough to have been touched by their absolute brilliance, and under the haunting melodies of their beautiful songs lives the hope that the band will reunite and will go on in its quest to conquer the world, as with their musical talent and unique versatility, 3Q&t certainly has an incredible future ahead.

*Images by Satyajit Pradhan, Sophia Wong and Antoniya Petkova

Poetry is dead. Long live Poetry.

2009-09-06T13:36:00.000+01:00

A small group of dedicated poets and some other guests gathered to celebrate National Poetry Day in the evening of October 7 in the much familiar to media students Ellen Terry building.

The event was the result of the initiative and motivation of some of the members of the Coventry Live Poets society. With the help of Shelly Stevenson, who was the university host of the event, the poets found a great place for their special day.

'I did enjoy the event primarily because it was a really good venue - in some ways the best we've had', said Mr.Fred Holland, one of the founders of Coventry Live Poets. 'The ideal size, the high ceiling and the two pianos gave it both space and intimacy, indeed elegance. Shelly was a warm and welcoming host.'

A treat for both society members and external guests was the Irish poet Katherine Brogan, who is set on becoming a serious performing artist. Her act was passionate, articulate and intriguing and it was one of the highlights of the evening. Members of the society also presented their creative pieces and showed off their performance skills.

Although the event clashed with the opening of the Street Arts Festival in the Herbert Art Gallery, members of the society were please with the turnout, which in the words of one of the members, Merle Gering, was 'too small, but of very good quality'.

The Coventry Live Poets society meets every first and third Wednesday of the month at the Council House at 7.30pm and membership is free. So if you're writing, reading or just like the company of creative people, get your poetry shoes and just ask at the door for the poets - trust me, you won't regret it.

Between the Danube and the Bosphorus

2009-09-05T22:11:00.004+01:00

A study of the Bulgarian-Turkish relations prompted by 'Annyong Kimchee' (1999) - a film regarding the identity of Koreans in Japan.

'Annyong Kimchee' is an autobiographical documentary by Tetsuaki Matsue, a Korean-Japanese, trying to explore his own identity. The film deals with the consequences of the Japanese colonisation of Korea between 1910 and 1945, when Koreans were forced to assume Japanese names and speak Japanese as a result of the the country's assimilation strategies.

In the years between 1956 and 1989, years of communism, when political leader was Todor Zhivkov, Bulgaria adopted a similar assimilation policy towards Muslims and/or Turks in the country. This policy was pursued with more or less intensity, as the most widespread wave was the 'Revival Process', which lasted in the years between 1984 and 1989, ending with the fall of communism.

The 'Revival Process' was a period of time during which all the ethnic Turks living in Bulgaria were forced to assume Slavic names and the wearing of Turkish clothing and the use of Turkish language was banned. The idea behind the process was to 'claim back' the Bulgarian population that had been conversed or assimilated during the period of the Ottoman rule, supposedly restoring their original, 'real' identity.

As in the case of the suppresed Korean population, where as a result of its harsh treatment its nationalism was awakened, the 'Revival Process' was only the beginning of delicate Bulgarian-Turkish relations that seriously affect Bulgaria today.

The outcomes of the 'Revival Process' were big demonstrations that took place in May 1989 and were violently suppressed by the Bulgarian military. Then followed several bomb attacks on Bulgarian railway stations. As a result, Todor Zhivkov gave a speech in which he stated that everyone who does not want to live in Bulgaria will be free to emigrate to Turkey and the neighbour country was appealed to open its border for 'all Muslims living in Bulgaria'. The event was called the 'Big Excursion' by the media, as about 360,000 Bulgarian citizens emigrated. Although the correlation between the 'Revival Process' and the 'Big Excursion' is often argued, it is definite that the emigration of Bulgarian Turks came as a result of the Turkish suppresion within the borders of our country.

How is history going to justify those decisions and whose fault were the Turkish victims and the 360,000 people who had to leave their own country?

The way we know it is that people from the Turkish population asked for autonomy. Given that the number of that population in Bulgaria was quite big, there was enough reason behind their claims. But Bulgaria is a multi-ethnic country and the government feared that if autonomy was given, other big ethnic groups will ask for that as well. Was that fear justified? Maybe. Was it not one of the reasons that many countries withdrew themselves from the conflict with the autonomy of Kosovo from Serbia, as they feared similar situations within their own borders?

Whether or not history is going to judge Todov Zhivkov harshly for making the decisions he made or not, the outcomes of those decisions have reflections in Bulgaria as it is today.

To begin with, there are speculations that Ahmed Dogan, current leader of the Turkish party within the Bulgarian parliament, was the instigator of those claims for autonomy, as he is known to have taken part in movements against the 'Revival Process'. A figure, which was later on discovered to have been a secret internal agent of the Comittee for State Security (the Bulgarian secret service) which existed during the Communist regime. A figure, that has been evaluated by its recruitors as one of their most valuable agents - determined, analytical, effective, 'a talented young man who is ready to sell his soul in the name of life success'. A figure, that has been part of the Bulgarian government for 20 years...

But more importantly, the consequences are within the relations between Bulgarians and Turkish, within the attitudes by both parties towards each other.

Bulgarians, on the one side, feels vastly invaded by the Turkish people, as they take a ruling part in the government, which position they receive through votes by thousands of eligible voting population with double citizenship - people who have not been born and do not even live in Bulgaria. And, additionally, having news in Turkish on Bulgarian national television does not help those attitudes. Not to mention the 500-year slavery, which tends to influence our general view towards our neighbouring nation...

Bulgarian Turks, on the other side, have been lied to and manipulated, and are being even now threatened by powerful leaders like Ahmed Dogan himself that there will be a new 'Revival Process' started by the Bulgarian government. People, who do not want nothing more than their own freedoms and rights within their country of origin, regardless of their religion or ethnic background. People, who just like the population of Kosovo, Quebec and Tibet probably have the right to desire their autonomy.

Who is right and who is wrong?

My Australian friend often asks me what I base my discrimination and negative attitudes on - and the answer is often patriotism. Forget the slavery, forget the war. If any ethnic group had a seat in the parliament, had news in their own language on national television and had a voting power of hundreds of people that have not been born in the country, do not live in it and do not speak the language - I would feel threatened. And anyone from any country would feel threatened. It is not discrimination, it is the sense of 'owning' your own country.

How would the Germans feel if the big group of Turkish population within their borders wanted autonomy?

How would the English feel if the third generation Indian people born in England wanted news in their own language on BBC?

At the end of the day, it should not be a question of personal discrimination based on history.

As my mother says, we should air Turkish news on Bulgarian national television, but we should also air news in the languages of all the different ethnic groups within, as well. Bulgaria is, after all, an ethnic-tolerant country.

'If you want to perceive Turkey as your motherland and appreaciate your culture and your roots in another country, do. Say you're Turkish, just like Bulgarians in the world don't deny their nationality. But if you are a third generation Bulgarian citizen with Turkish roots you can't claim autonomy. If you want to live in Turkey, go live in Turkey.'

Sources:
http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/round-up_005.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turks_in_Bulgaria#The_.22Revival_Process.22
http://europe.actualno.com/news_309074.html
http://www.everyculture.com/East-Southeast-Asia/Koreans-in-Japan.html
http://ivanbedrov.com/?p=919#more-919
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=14090170141&topic=3111
http://bulgaria1989.wordpress.com/2010/02/12
http://thebigexcursion.blogspot.com/2009/09/20.html
http://ivanbedrov.com/?tag=%D0%B2%D1%8A%D0%B7%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%81
http://forum.aboutbulgaria.biz/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=12575&start=0

Broadcast Portfolio - Newsday

2009-09-04T22:39:00.000+01:00

Newsday was a valuable experience and there was a lot to learn from actual practice on air. As for a first time, Nadia and I did manage to work through some of the aspects and did not really succeed in others, but overall it was a successful process.

One of the good aspects of our work was that we hit out deadline – we were on time in the studio, we had our entire audio ready and all of our stories printed, ordered and rehearsed.

There were a few things I would have done differently. First of all, it took me too long to collect the vox pop, because I was not happy with the opinions and did not realise I could only use as many as three people, and as a result I was left with too little time to edit.

I learned to be more efficient with opinion gathering, especially when time compressed; not to gather too much material which would need a lot of editing, if there is no time for that; stay calm and not stress too much, whatever is going wrong.

In conclusion, working as a broadcast journalist is a lot more stressful than print and it is both exciting and terrifying.
There is also a huge technical part to it that one needs to be familiar with. And, most importantly, there needs to be coordination in order to make radio sound as good as it does.

The time is 12:45, I'm Nadia Baird.

Israeli President Binyamin Netanyahu is meeting with American President Obama in Washington today. They aim to discuss US criticism of 1,600 Jewish housing developments in occupied East Jerusalem.

Natanyahu is defiant on East Jerusalem settler homes, declaring "Jerusalem is not a settlement," and arguing that ‘building them in no way precludes the possibility of the two-state solution."
Fears from the American Government were spoken by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton:

Clip:
In words: “Israeli president...”
Out words: “...unrealised aspirations”.
Duration: 0’10’’

---

Britain is to expel an Israeli diplomat following the allegations that Israeli agents were behind the killing of a Hamas military leader. Six members of the Israeli’s secret service are allegedly to blame for cloning British passports.

Foreign secretary David Miliband will be making a statement on the issue in the Parliament later today. He is demanding that Israel co-operates fully with the investigation of the murder and describes the cloning of British passport as an ‘outrage’.

---

Gordon Brown is insisting that the country is not facing a gas supply crisis, despite a warning from the National Grid for suppliers to use less gas.

Some power suppliers can stop using gas by switching their generators to coal. The grid also receives extra gas from other terminals, which can ease off the pressure. National Grid bosses are meeting again later today to further discuss the issue.

---

VT Group PLC has today accepted a 1.3 billion pound offer from London-based Babcock International after almost a month of bidding.

The merger of the two technical engineering companies will save 50 million in annual costs and generate 3 billion pounds of revenue.

Shareholders are also set to benefit from this morning with the share price rising 5.2 percent for VT and 8.4 percent for Babcock.

---

Coventry roads are set to feature on BBC's The One Show tomorrow, highlighting it as one of the UK worst cities affected by potholes.

Appearing will be local resident Paul Gregory, who started a Facebook group titled: I’m Sick of Coventry Potholes.

The show will tour roads in Foleshill and Radford with the help of Gregory, who hopes the added media attention will bring focus to a cause that has prompted thousands of complaints from residents since January.

---

The city council is hoping to turn Far Gosford Street into our own Brick Lane. The council-led project is aiming to save historic buildings in the area, starting with a community clean up to restore local pride.

Shopkeepers and business organisations are taking part in the thirty million pounds makeover to one of the oldest streets in town.

Clip:
In words: "I think it's an excellent idea..."
Out words: "...wonderful keeping it alive".
Duration: 0'21''

That's the latest. I'm Antoniya Petkova.

*This is a slightly edited version of the recording we did on newsday. It is one minute shorter in order to fit into the timeslot.

**Initial sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8582518.stm
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3625977.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/coventry_warwickshire/8582379.stm

Broadcast Portfolio - News Package

2009-09-04T20:31:00.001+01:00

The idea for my radio package came from the fact that my housemate is a pilot for Atlantic Airlines, with whom I could discuss the ongoing issues with the closing/re-opening of the Coventry Airport, which I was following in the news, and how it affected their flying schools, the flight schedules, etc. My other connection was a member of the Coventry Live Poets society, which I am a part of, who is a Greenbelt activist, and he gave me a different point of view on the subject.

Producing a news package involved quite a lot of work, but in addition to being stressful and time-consuming, it was also exciting. Learning how to make a professional piece of broadcasting material was a good practice for the future, when maybe this will be an essential part of my work.

I personally think everything went well in the process of gathering information and working with it. The only problem I had was finding a pilot or a captain willing to talk to me, as this proved to be quite difficult, even though I had a contact working for Atlantic Airlines.

A thing I would do differently is perhaps start a little earlier, as I was relying on my airport contact to give me the numbers of other people to talk to, such as experienced captains or someone from management.

This relates to the main lesson I am taking from this experience – not to rely on and wait for other people to do my work, even though it would make it easier or I might get better results. The only reason why this did not become an issue is because there was enough time to spare.

I also learned how to work under pressure and get people to talk to me and how to come up with additional possibilities, in case someone was absolutely impossible to get a hold of. I really practiced my editing skills, as well, as I had a lot of recordings from different sets and different types of microphones and they needed to be all synchronised.

Overall, the whole process did not take me too long and I did not encounter any great problems I could not handle. I found it a little stressful, but a lot more interesting and exciting.

CUE:
Coventry Airport might be fully operational in a matter of weeks, initially reopening as an unlicensed airfield, but hoping to be granted a full license by May this year. Although the council is quite happy with the probable outcome of the current negotiations, not everyone thinks this is the best way to utilise the airport land.

Antoniya Petkova spoke to the parties involved.

Coventry Airport, which closed last year due to financial difficulties, might be reopening again in May, after a potential buyer came to the table. Since the airport closed in December last year, companies had to relocate and many people were made redundant. Atlantic Airlines first officer Alastair Yardy shed some light on the consequences of the closure.

In words: “When the closure of...”
Out words: “... our routes out of Coventry.”
Duration: 0’20’’

I joined Councillor Kevin Foster from the local city council to get more information on the current negotiations with Sir Peter Rigby’s company Pioneer Aviation Group.

In words: “The process at the moment...”
Out words: “...getting a deal signed up soon.”
Duration: 0’09’’

Although things look quite promising for the future reopening of Coventry Airport, Councillor Foster discussed the probable consequences of a different outcome.

In words: “At the moment, the odds of it...”
Out words: “...depend on the airport services.”
Duration: 0’20’’

However, not everyone is looking forward to the deal being signed. Ecologist Merle Gering, who’s also a campaigner against the Green Belt housing scheme, proposes a different use for the airport land.

Phone clip
In words: “The airport has lost money...”
Out words: “... have a very good building site.”
Duration: 0’23’’

But Councillor Foster insisted the airport will not be used as a housing site, whatever the outcome of the negotiations.

In words: “Well, we’ve been very clear...”
Out words: “... put houses on top of.”
Duration: 0’18’’

With the negotiations for the takeover reaching their final phase, opponents might not get what they want for the airport site. But the future of Coventry Airport is still to be decided, as the council isn’t ready to confirm the security of the deal just yet.

In: “(airplane sound) Coventry Airport, which closed...”
Out: “...security of the deal just yet.”
Total Duration: 2’40’’

*News sources:
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2010/03/23/coventry-airport-to-reopen-in-may-if-talks-successful-92746-26090880/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/8518659.stm
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Coventry-Airport-To-Close-With-Immediate-Effect-Making-70-People-Redundant/Article/200912215495921

Broadcast Portfolio - Court Report

2009-09-04T18:07:00.001+01:00

As part of my university modules, I had to take broadcasting journalism, for which the final coursework comprised of a live newsday reporting, consisting of 6 stories written and researched by the presenters and including one voice clip and one vox pop; a radio package on an ongoing story with at least 3 people speaking, besides myself; a court report from a Crown or a Magistrates court on a case that I have witnessed.

I visited Crown Court and was present at three cases. The first one was a preliminary hearing, the second was part of a trial with a witness on the stand and the third was the sentencing I reported on. John Callinan and Ryan Marsh for the charges of violent disorder, after they attacked a man outside his home in the middle of the night.

Doing a court report was fairly easy, since I was already familiar with Crown Court law and what things I was allowed to broadcast, depending on the specific case. Writing the script for it was a little more difficult, but I received assistance from Marcos and Annie Othen, which was very helpful. Recording the court report was somewhat of a hassle, because I was never quite satisfied with the quality of it, so I recorded 5-6 takes before I was happy enough with the outcome.

Overall, witnessing actual people receiving their sentences was really exciting and it was also a valuable experience to observe actual court procedures.

CUE:
Two men from Coventry appeared in Crown court today on charges of violent disorder. John Callinan and Ryan Marsh were found guilty after being accused of attacking Owen Dellaghi in front of his house in the middle of the night last year.

Antoniya Petkova was in court:

John Callinan and Ryan Marsh were both sentenced by Recorder Farley today and were each ordered to pay a thousand pounds compensation to Owen Dellaghi after they attacked him outside his own home last year.

The victim received a number of serious injuries to his face, arms and legs as a result of the attack.

Both defendants pleaded guilty in December last year on the charges of violent disorder.

John Callinan received full credit for his guilty plea, which reduced his eighteen month sentence to a year. The two-hundred and nineteen days he spent in custody were also deducted from his sentence.

Ryan Marsh received a sentence of fifty one weeks imprisonment which was suspended for a year’s probationary period.

Antoniya Petkova reporting.

In: “John Callinan and Ryan Marsh were both...”
Out: “...Antoniya Petkova reporting.”
Duration: 0’37’’

122mc, Media and Cultural Fields, Group 1

2009-09-03T22:10:00.007+01:00

Nadia Baird (Journalism and Media)
Matthew Beevor (Advertising and Media)
David Csoka (Communication, Culture and Media)
Paola Edvart Gulian (Advertising and Media)
Emily Lovelace (Advertising and Media)
Antoniya Petkova (Journalism and Media)
Benedict Sycamore (Communication, Culture and Media)

Week 1 Project - Radio Advert

Week 2 Project - Artistic/creative: Sound/music/image

Week 3 Project - Film Trailer

Week 4 Project - Silent Film

SWOT Analysis

2009-09-02T13:32:00.044+01:00

Strengths

Work well under pressure:During the course of my university year, I have had to deal with news days and project deadlines. My part-time employment and my tendency to procrastinate have pressured me into leaving things for the last minute and consequently dealing with stress. However, I have discovered I work really well under pressure and produce even better results than normally.
Good at team work: Having been employed since 2004 in different institutions and my previous education in Bulgaria and Italy, I have learned to be tolerant and patient when dealing with group work or team projects. I am able to separate my personal relationship from my professional with my colleagues and discuss and debate manners in a professional way that does not reflect my friendship with them.
Good at writing: Before coming to England for my current education in Journalism, I had become popular in my high-school institution for being a good writer. This was proven by my active participation in writing competitions of all kinds, where often I would be recognised for my material. In my universities both here and Bulgaria, I have received exceptional marks for my academic work, as well as my journalism oriented or creative writing.
Flexibility and capacity to adapt: I have lived in at least five different cities in Bulgaria, as well as two in Italy and one in England. My ability to adapt is my main strength when organising trips or projects in foreign countries, as I have experience in relying on myself and building a life from scratch in a different place. My solid language base allows me to feel confident when planning projects in different countries.
Good computer and technical skills: Because of my parents’ education in Mechanical Engineering and my father’s subsequent second undergraduate studies in Computer Systems and Technologies, I have been able to learn many things about technology and how the basic things operate. From my work experience as both a technical assistant and an office manager, I have developed my technical knowledge and computer skills, as well as easiness in operating technology when required.

Weaknesses

Procrastination: From my experience with project deadlines and exams, I have discovered an inability to plan my time properly. Although I work well under pressure and produce good results, I tend to over-stress without reason and regret procrastinating at a later stage.
Fear of leadership: From my work experience in being an office team manager, I found that sometimes it is difficult for me to confront people and often end up doing most of the team work myself. This ties in with my tendency to be critical of other people’s work and I often don’t have enough trust in my colleagues to put in enough efforts and produce good quality material.
Inability to present myself in a good objective manner: When creating CVs, cover letters and other documents of self-presentation, I have discovered that it is really difficult for me to be objective as to my own presentable skills and still sound confident and convincing, rather than self-involved and narcissistic.
Fear of public speaking: Due to my awareness of my inability to cope with public speaking, I applied and was employed by Coventry University for a student helper position, which involves meeting prospective students and their parents, explaining the courses to them, talking about the university, the town and my own experience. Through university presentations, I have proven to seem confident and comfortable when giving public speeches in a professional manner, but I remain absolutely terrified of speaking in front of a big audience.

Opportunities

Good knowledge of languages: I have the opportunity to find a placement/internship in a foreign country within the language area that I am familiar with.
Add+Vantage in Book Publishing: Being a part of a fictional book publishing company and acting as an editorial team member, I have the opportunity to find a placement/work in the field
Editor for East Asian Film Society: My planned work experience as the editor of an online and printed publication for the society has provided me with the opportunity to get first-hand experience from that specific position, which could later on be expanded into a role such as editorial assistant and, eventually, executive editor.
Freelance: Due to the changes in technology and journalism practices, I always have the opportunity of being an independent journalist writing and producing material on an individual blog or another online platform, that I could manage myself.

Threats

Doubt in the journalism industry: With the implementation of technology and the creation of online blogs and other platforms of communication, it has been claimed that the journalistic practice is becoming obsolete, as virtually everyone could write and produce news. Although the production of this news won’t hold the same news values and won’t apply the basic ethical and law standards, as the journalism practice does, it is a threat to the training journalist to become under-respected and under-paid, as his qualities won’t be appreciated enough.
Employability: Due to the current state of the world’s economy and the number of applicants for the same employment, the competitiveness and need to stand out has become incredibly important. However, opportunities often depend on the financial means that one could provide/arrange in order to complete certain projects. In this area, I have a clear disadvantage and often fail to propose activities based on my own inability to afford them.

Up-To-Date CV

2009-09-02T02:15:00.006+01:00

Antoniya Metodieva Petkova

50 Whitefriars Str.

CV1 2DS

0781 494 0707

petkovaa@uni.coventry.ac.uk

I am a responsible and trustworthy employee with experience in diverse cultural and interpersonal working relationships. My flexibility and capacity to adapt have been developed by my education and employment in different institutions in different countries. Through significant team work and group projects I have learned to be patient and tolerant towards my colleagues and I always approach my work with initiative and enthusiasm. I speak two languages fluently and have an advanced knowledge of Italian, as well as very well developed computer and technical skills.

WORKING EXPERIENCE

November 2009 – present

Warehouse operator

Comag Forward

Magazine marketing and distribution company in the UK

Coventry, United Kingdom

*Employed through recruitment agent Genesis Employment Services Ltd.

Main activities and responsibilities:

Maintaining a responsible and dedicated team

Fulfilling of client orders for products, locating items in the warehouse, mailing

Preparation of order sheets, invoicing, quantity and location sheets

Mainframe changes to stock quantities and orders

January 2009 – August 2009

Office assistant

Investment Trust International Sm Ltd.

An investment advisor establishment in Bulgaria in the area of trading with securities

Varna, Bulgaria

Main activities and responsibilities:

Handling internal and external correspondence

Scheduling meetings and conference calls

Conducting interviews and meetings with potential employees, customers and partners

Preparation of company documentation

Translation of written and oral communication between both English and Bulgarian

Conducting interviews and meetings with potential employees, customers and partners

June 2008 – September 2008

Housekeeper

Villa Summerhouse

A holiday resort in Bulgaria

St.Constantine and Helena, Region Varna, Bulgaria

Main activities and responsibilities

Housekeeping, cooking, gardening

Active communication with guests, assistance with reservations, arrival and departure

Taking care of individual requests, ensuring guests' comfort during their stay

July 2007 – September 2007

Research personnel

MEMRB Bulgaria RTS EOOD

A wholesale and retail market research company in Bulgaria

Sofia, Bulgaria

Main activities and responsibilities:

Examination and inventory of market targets in the wholesale and retail trade from the town and region

Providing the necessary documentation to management

Preparation of maps of different market regions and entering researched market targets

Active communication with companies, sales agents

September 2005 – June 2007

Secretary and Technical assistant

ET (Sole Proprietor) Chance

A mechanical engineering company in Bulgaria producing 2D and 3D technical drawings and designs

Montana, Bulgaria

Main activities and responsibilities:

Preparation and translation of technical documentation; creation of tables, spreadsheets and presentations

Setting up interviews and meetings between employers, active participation in negotiations and presentations

Taking care of incoming and outgoing correspondence

EDUCATION

2009 – Present

Specialty BA (Hons) Journalism and Media

Coventry University

2000 – 2006

High School Diploma

Mathematics and informatics with an intensive English program

Montana, Bulgaria

TECHNICAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES

Microsoft Office Package: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher

Adobe Software Package: Reader, Audition, InDesign

References available upon request

Project Proposal

2009-09-02T02:00:00.002+01:00

Project Proposal

Project description

Establishing a written and online publication for the Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) and acting as executive editor.

Project goal

To create and maintain a suitable outlet for CUEAFS to popularise its interests, activities and accomplishments - both internally for university students and externally for organisations in the film industry.

Objectives

To create a suitable platform for material about the society, as well as about Asian culture, news and events from the industry, films from the region, etc.

To put together a talented team of writers, to appoint sub-editors and distribute different roles to ensure the smooth running of the project.

To raise awareness among the university students about Asian cinema and culture, as well as the possible opportunities for professional development through participation in the society's activities.

Project timeline

The first stages of the project have already been approved and its realisation has been scheduled for the beginning of February. The publication will be produced fortnightly from the beginning of February through to the end of academic year 2010/2011. If successful, it will continue in academic year 2011/2012.

Executive summary

The main purpose of this project is to re-establish^¹ a platform for the East Asian Film Society to popularise its activities in a formal and professional manner. The publication will be facing mainly outwards and it will be distributed to possible sponsors, as well as existing partners.

This project is appealing to me both personally and professionally. As a journalism student in my second year, an experience as the editor of an independent publication is an invaluable opportunity to get first-hand impressions about the responsibilities that arise out of this role. Moreover, it will provide me with practical skills as to the creation and supervision of a writers team and the co-ordination between different positions operating within the project platform. On the other hand, I have a keen interest in film journalism, which is why this project is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the industry itself and the way organisations attract and keep the interest of sponsors and partners.

I expect this project to showcase my abilities as a leader who is able to make editorial decisions and co-ordinate a team of writers. Additionally, I expect to utilise my journalistic skills, acquired so far, in the process of selecting suitable information and writing style. As an added bonus to my Add+Vantage in Book Publishing as a member of an editors team, I expect to get a practical experience in the process of editing, which will undoubtedly prove useful in my future career.

1 The CUEAFS's newsletter “Jaded Lense” originally ran from the founding of the society in 2009 until the end of academic year 2009/2010, when editor Michael Jarvis discontinued his involvement with the society.

A Coventry University society exceeds expectations

2009-08-18T01:09:00.011+01:00

*This article is published on iCov here and on CUEAFS's website here

Since it's foundation in September 2009, the Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) has gone quite a long way. The small society started with the aim of raising awareness of Asian cinema through weekly film screenings, went on to cover national and international festivals and last month organised an Asian symposium and festival in the Midlands in collaboration with Third Window Films.

Founder Spencer Murphy, who has a Ph.D. in the area of Hong Kong films, describes the area of Asian cinema as 'my passion in life'.

“When I was at university, being in a society is something I would've liked to have the opportunity to do”, Murphy said. “Because of my research background, I thought it was better to try something for a broader audience and give an opportunity for professional experience, as well.”

Last year, the society landed two official sponsors in the distribution companies Terracotta, run by Joey Leung, and Third Window Films with Managing Director Adam Torel. Along with Torel and Leung, other guest speakers who held lectures in Coventry University through the initiative of CUEAFS included film writers and journalists Colette Balmain, Jasper Sharp and John Berra.
Shelly Stevenson, associate lecturer in Coventry University, has an ongoing partnership with the society through her website, www.ICov.co.uk.

“I think that the society has been both an amazing idea and a real eye opener”, she commented. “I would not have seen some of the interesting films that have been screened if they had not been in the building - mainly because I had never thought of it. It's so nice to see things from another viewpoint, and the East Asian films have that.”

Outside the university, CUEAFS was involved in the London première of Momoko Ando's 'Kakera – A Piece of Our Lives', where the members took part in the official Q&A with the director for the DVD extras. The society was also part of the Terracotta Film Festival in London, the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, the Zipangu Fest in London and the organisation of East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival in Coventry.

“It's one of the best things I've done while at university”, said Elena Rapondzhieva, a member of the society since 2009. “I've had a great number of such wonderful and unforgettable experiences. “I can only see CUEAFS achieving greater and greater things. If the society's been afloat only for a year and a half and yet has done so much – I can only imagine what it will have in it's portfolio in 5 years.”

CUEAFS has around 15 active members who are enthusiastic about their involvement in the society. Dr John Berra of Nanjing University said: “The members of the society have demonstrated a genuine commitment to achieving the aims of the society. They are also intelligent, open-minded and hard-working, with the necessary positive attitude, and this has obviously inspired the academics, film-makers and journalists that have visited the society since 2009 to become more involved in its various initiatives. “CUEAFS has expanded the parameters for what a ‘student film society’ can achieve, and has done so within a relatively short space of time.”

Spencer Murphy expressed his pride of the enthusiasm of everyone involved in the society and the time and passion they have dedicated to it.

“Of course, I'm very proud of everyone involved and it's a privilege to see people develop over the course of their degrees and it's nice to see this in an environment where students don't do it because they have to, but because they want to and that's what I enjoy about it. It only works when we work together and that's a key to being a society.”

Along with more film screenings and events such as the Chinese Spring Festival Gala and Japanese Halloween Party which CUEAFS organised last year, the society will also take part in 'Raising and Giving' fund-raising week for the victims of Japan's earthquake at the end of this month and it will make an appearance at the Far East Film Festival in Italy once again in April. The future plans for the society also include the launch of a TV channel and the development of their website.

“I'd really like to launch next year a TV channel where we can do more substantial things”, said Murphy. “I'd like to see the website become a platform for Asian cinema in the UK. We can hopefully secure more relationships externally and I think we can expand upon that.”

*Images by Andreea Dascalu

Italy welcomes CUEAFS once again

2009-08-17T01:04:00.011+01:00

*This article is published on iCov here and on CUEAFS's website here

The Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) is heading to Udine, Italy in the end of April to cover the 13th edition of the Far East Film Festival. The 2011 edition will be inaugurated on Friday 29th April, with a presentation of over sixty of the latest titles from the Extreme Orient. The event is curated by the Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche and will take place in Teatro Nuovo Giovanni di Udine.

CUEAFS will attend all nine days of the festival with the purpose of producing video material, interviews and reviews both internally and for their external partnerships. The society will have the chance to see international premières and conduct interviews with actors and directors from the industry for a second year in a row.

Michelle Bailey, outgoing president of the society, was part of the production team on the festival last year. This year, she will be heading the production on set during the second part of the event and will prepare the first team for the experience.

“The festival was one of the best experiences in my life. The interaction with directors and guests was casual and the atmosphere was lovely. I'm really looking forward to this year, it will hopefully be bigger and better.”
For Mariya Kamarashka, one of the later members, this will be the first opportunity to cover the festival. She will take up the role of photographer and will be in charge of the online media.

“I am very excited about this trip. It's going to be an amazing experience, being in one place with so many people sharing the same interest. It's going to be a lot of work, but I think at the end of the day it will be very rewarding.”

Last year, the society sent nine members to Italy to cover the last five days of the festival. CUEAFS attended film panels and conducted interviews with directors and producers, among which Derek Kwok, Clement Cheng, Chapman To, Lee Yong-Ju and Erik Matti and produced written material for its partnership with Cine-Vue.

The society had the chance to see the international premieres of Asian films, including 'The Message' – a film picked by CUEAFS's sponsor for distribution, which the society featured in their own festival, sharing their experience with Coventry and Warwick University students.

*Image by Andreea Dascalu

Zipangu Fest in movement to help victims in Japan

2009-08-16T00:54:00.018+01:00

*This article has been produced for CUEAFS and it is published here

Zipangu Fest has joined the Play for Japan fund-raising movement to support the victims of the recent earthquake. The project, led by the Japan Society in London, is aiming to round up fund-raisers among the UK through music and live performances. Zipangu Fest will be doing its share with a re-screening of the CALF Animation Programme in the Roxy in London Bridge on April 3rd.

The programme is a selection of innovative and uplifting short films from young award-winning animators Atsushi Wada, Mirai Mizue, Kei Oyama and TOCHKA (Takeshi Nagata and Kazue Monno).

“I’m really excited to be a part of this, I think it’s going to be a great fun event and I hope we can raise a decent amount”, said Jasper Sharp, curator of Zipangu Fest. “I know it will be a drop in the ocean compared with what Japan needs, but at the same time, I hope its sending out some sort of message of solidarity from us to the people of Japan, that we’re thinking of them and trying to do what we can.”

Zipangu Fest launched its first ever edition in November last year in the Cafe 1001 in London with a selection of UK and world film premieres and a few music events. Among the celebrity guests was director Tetsuaki Matsue, whose documentary “Live Tape” depicted the life of the “Bob Dylan of Japan” - a Japanese street musician Kenta Maeno. The film was an unconventional approach in documentary film-making and was a one tape/one take piece of filming.

Following the film, musician Kenta Maeno entered the venue and began his live set of vibrant rock and folk songs with an accompaniment of the haunting melody of an erhu – a Chinese harp, played by Yuki Yoshida.

“The event was a good opportunity to see recent work and people that are still very much a niche over here in the UK”, said Oliver Sharpe, one of the photographers at the scene.

In April, Zipangu will be travelling to Newcastle in collaboration with the Star and Shadow cinema, where the programme will show a Japanese Film Season programme selected from the festival's first year.

“We’re going to show some of the programme at an event in Tallinn in Estonia this Summer. But really we’re mainly focussing on finding some good films and events for this year”, added Jasper Sharp.

*Images by Oliver Sharpe

CUEAFS Goes Pro

2009-08-15T00:48:00.015+01:00

*This article is published on iCov here and on CUEAFS's website here

Last night, the Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) in collaboration with Third Window Films closed the first ever issue of East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival which took place in the Warwick Arts Centre. The three day event was held in the memory of Journalism and Media colleague and friend Nadia Baird, who passed away earlier this week. The closing film of the festival, 'The Message', was a special commemorative screening in celebration of the life and work of Nadia, who had been a member of CUEAFS since 2009.

The festival opened on Friday, February 11, with the première of Japan's entry to the Oscars, 'Confessions' by director Tetsuya Nakashima. Other films from the programme included 'Memories of Matsuko' by the same director, Gen Takahashi's 'Confessions of a Dog', 'Cold Fish' by director of CUEAFS's screened 'Love Exposure' Sion Sono and the UK première of 'The Message' by Qunshu Gao and Kuo-Fu Chen.

CUEAFS's founder Spencer Murphy collaborated heavily with Third Window Film's Managing Director Adam Torel and John Gore from the Warwick Arts Centre in the weeks leading to the event.

“East Winds was very successful this year and I'm very pleased”, commented Mr Murphy. “Getting this festival established is a very important and very difficult task and to be able to do it this and next year will be a great accomplishment.”

Members of the society were the driving force behind the realisation of East Winds. This was the first event on such a grand scale that was partially organised by them, along with the Asia Exposure Symposium earlier this weekend.

Diana Stefanescu, current treasurer of CUEAFS, said she is very proud to have been involved in the festival, especially as this is her final year in Coventry. Stanley Lau, another member of CUEAFS, shared: “It was an amazing experience to be part of a festival that could match the big boys in the industry."

Among the guests to the event were Japanese director Gen Takahashi and Italian composer Gabriele Roberto, both of whom held Q&A sessions with the festival guests. Other attendees were writers and journalists from the industry, such as Colette Balmain, John Berra, Jasper Sharp, Martin Cleary and Daniel Green.

*Images by Andreea Dascalu

Interview with Adam Torel on East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival

2009-08-14T00:43:00.012+01:00

*This interview has been produced for CUEAFS and it is published here

Adam Torel is the owner of Third Window Films – one of the largest distributors of contemporary East Asian Cinema, whose main aim is to raise awareness of the Asian film industry in the UK. Adam started the company five years ago after leaving Tartan Films, as he wanted to explore 'a full spectrum of genres' rather than mainstream Asian productions.

This year, Third Window Films with the help of Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) and the Warwick Arts Centre organised the East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival, which was held in the Warwick Arts Centre from February 11 to February 13. The idea for the event came about as Adam wanted to explore the UK outside of London and raise awareness in places where Asian film is not widely seen or talked about.

“I feel that it's better to reach out in such places instead of 'preaching to the converted' in larger areas”, he said.

Adam and CUEAFS's founder Spencer Murphy had talked about the concept of preparing a larger event where the students could have a more active participation.

“We thought about a film festival 'by the students and for the students'”, Adam commented. “In this way I could better reach my goal of trying to spread the word of Asian cinema (as well as my company) to a Midlands student population, and the students could take a real-life experience to accompany their studies.”

Selection of the films for the festival programme was based on 'keeping costs low' as Mr Torel said that “staying within budget is the most important skill when organising a festival”. The films featured came from Third Window Films' catalogue, including the Japanese entry to the Oscars, 'Confessions' by Tetsuya Nakashima and 'The Message' by Qunshu Gao and Kuo-Fu Chen, premiering in the UK.

“I wanted to show a wide spectrum of Asian film from the decade as a sort of 'beginners guide to Asian cinema' which focused on all genres across Asian, and initially wanted to play a few more 'art house' titles such as 'Oasis' or 'Peppermint Candy', but thought it best to keep things a little more simple and 'friendlier' to a lesser experienced (in terms of Asian film watching) crowd.”

Adam had worked closely with Spencer Murphy on organising the pre-festival work in regards to the selection of films and organising guests. In the meantime, CUEAFS handled the majority of marketing and also played a role in the day-to-day activity of the festival, which Adam said he 'wanted them to do'.

“I was really busy with a few other film releases that week so I had hoped that the society would take up the mantle of making sure everything went smoothly throughout the festival and I'm very happy with the work they did”, he added. “I hope in the future they can also take over the role of planning so that they can learn the whole experience from start-to-finish of organising a festival”.

Adam became one of the official sponsors of the Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) last year and donated a few titles to the society, including Momoko Ando's 'Kakera' and Sion Sono's 'Love Exposure'. Due to the collaboration, the society was also invited to the official premiere of 'Kakera' in London, where the members got a chance to participate in a Q&A session with the director, which was part of the official DVD extras.

*Image by Andreea Dascalu

CUEAFS is back and better than ever.

2009-08-13T13:36:00.001+01:00

This year the Coventry University East Asian Film Society has big plans. New members, new guest speakers and some amazing films screened already set things in the right direction.

In addition to Dr. Shaun Hides and the expert on Japanese cinema Mr. Jasper Sharp, the society has planned quite a few visits by 'big fish' within the realm of Asian cinema. CUEAFS is also preparing for other exciting events, such as the screening of the recently released 'Big Tits Zombie' in 3D, followed by a Halloween fancy dress party in 'Inspire'. And this is only the beginning.

Later this year, CUEAFS will be covering the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy and the Terracotta Film Festival in London. Along with that, CUEAFS has quite a few projects lined up, together with internal professional experience opportunities.

A lot of the society's work is not pure entertainment, but it gets the attention and respect of professionals in the field. Last year, the society travelled down to London for the premiere of 'Kakera - A Piece Of Our Lives', where they interviewed director Momoko Ando and their participation in the Q&A session was included in the original DVD extras.

At the end of April, the society covered the second part of the Far East Film Festival, where with an official media pass they did interviews, media panels and collaborated with an external webspace to produce material. In May, CUEAFS was a part of the Terracotta Film Festival, where they were again treated as professionals and did amazing work.

If you're interested in producing written/visual material and being treated as a professional by professionals in the field, join the Facebook group or join officially at www.cusu.org/eastasianfilmsociety and check out CUEAFS's work at www.youtube.com/user/CUEAFS and the official website www.cueafs.com.

Another successful week for CUEAFS

2009-08-12T00:36:00.002+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Last week, Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) had a very special guest speaker in addition to a powerful movie. Dr. Colette Balmain is the author of ‘An Introduction to Japanese Horror Film’ and an expert on the horror genre, having published many articles on both European and East Asian horror films. She is currently writing and researching material for an upcoming book on Korean horror cinema, focusing on the Gothic and its relationship with the historical and traumatic past.

Dr. Balmain gave a long and interesting talk on the characteristics of South Korean cinema, both in the past and in the present, as well as pointing out the differences between historical periods and films from other nearby regions. She talked about the emerging of Korean horror and explained certain motives, such as ‘otherness’, suffering in the sense of resentment, the contradiction between sisterhood and the rivalry between women and the conspiracy of silence, which were then interesting to see in the screened South Korean film, ‘Shadows in the Palace’.

The film touched upon those delicate ideas and others, such as the power structure within the court yard, as well as the treatment of women by women.

This Wednesday is CUEAFS’s last screening for this term, so don’t miss it, as public screenings will be extremely limited next term. We will be screening another film by a female director, ‘Run Papa Run’, a Hong Kong mixture of genres about a Triad gang leader, trying to conceal his criminal identity from his young daughter.

p.s. the original article, written for The Buzz, consequently published in another version.

Feminism and women’s social status in East Asia

2009-08-11T00:34:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Last week’s screening of the ‘female saturated’ film ‘Shadows in the Palace’ provided sufficient ground for some research on feminism and women’s status in the 21st century, especially in Eastern Asia. Not only that, the approach of the International Women’s Day and the screening of yet another film with a female director prompted some relatively curious research into the social state of women in East Asia.

Prior to the 20th century, women in China were considered essentially different from men, as women were believed to occupy a lower position than men in the hierarchal order of the universe. Women were to be submissive and obedient to men and were not allowed to participate in government or community institutions. Now this cultural perception is difficult to challenge. Whilst in Western feminism, the categories of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are understood as two equal real categories, Chinese culture perceives them as social categories, as gender has always influenced social status and the rights thereof.

Beginning in the 70s and continuing in the 80s, however, many Chinese feminists began arguing that the Communist government had been ‘consistently willing to treat women's liberation as something to be achieved later, after class inequalities had been taken care of’. Some feminists claim that part of the problem is a tendency on the government's part to interpret ‘equality’ as sameness, and to treat women according to an unexamined standard of male normalcy.

Japanese feminism differs from Western feminism in that it is less focused on individual autonomy. Prior to the 19th century, Japanese women were traditionally taught to obey a male, either a father, husband, or son. However, after the abolition of the feudal system, a number of changes were made in the status of women. Trafficking in women was restricted; women were allowed to request divorces; and both boys and girls were required to receive elementary education. Further changes to the status of women came about in the aftermath of World War II. Women received the vote, and the new constitution of 1946 stipulated equality between the sexes.

Today, because of the efforts of feminists and suffragettes, women’s status in East Asia is vastly different from a few decades ago. In China, women are encouraged to take part in the political and social processes. In Japan, Women began to participate in ever greater numbers in a range of economic and social activities. However, the equality of men and women has not been fully achieved in practice, for the traditional concept that women are to stay at home is still deeply rooted. Though women are enjoying an improved social status, society still adopts double standards to appraise men and women. Women's involvement in politics is still far from satisfactory and women are still discriminated against in the workplace.

“Confucius” left the crowds craving James Cameron

2009-08-10T22:26:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

The Chinese biographical drama “Confucius”, starring Hong Kong star Chow Yun-Fat (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) bumped the blockbuster “Avatar” off cinema screens earlier this year. Speculation suggested Cameron’s masterpiece was pulled because of the similarities with a present sensitive issue in China.

Whilst the reason was not quite clear, the film remained at 3D cinemas, and its Chinese competition was chosen to mark the beginning of the Year of the Tiger.

Crowds did show up at the theatres, but mostly to see “Avatar”. Most of the audience, as well as a historian, present at the “Confucius” screening, were puzzled by all the inaccuracies in the movie.

As things did not look very promising, the Chinese government decided to bring “Avatar” back to some Chinese cinemas – a decision mainly based on the financial performance of the film which reportedly makes approximately 2.5 times more money per day than the Chinese epic.

Peter Kam – sound familiar?

2009-08-09T22:25:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Last week the society screened the martial arts blockbuster “Bodyguards and Assassins” and whilst most viewers were not quite impressed by the story and the predictability of the plot, one thing that was certainly worth experiencing was the music.

The soundtrack was brilliant – from the quick-paced accompaniment during the fight sequences to the slow and emotional tunes in the touching scenes. Every note was in its place.

Some of you might not have heard of Peter Kam, although his name might be familiar from another earlier screened film – “Shunjuku Incident”, where comments on the breath-taking work of the composer were certainly not absent. His spectacular work in “Bodyguards and Assassins”, though, would most likely receive a lot of credit and would put him back in the “Best original score” category.

Peter’s most praised piece of music is the soundtrack of “Yi Sa Bui Lai” (Isabella), for which he received two awards and a couple of nominations for best soundtrack. He is among the most famous film composers in the Asian realm of cinema. Other similar amazing artists include Chan Kwong Wing (co-composer in “Bodyguards and Assassins”), Leon Ko (“Perhaps Love”) and Joe Hisaishi (“Spirited Away”).

Year of the Tiger: Big Changes Ahead

2009-08-08T22:25:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Most of the world celebrated New Year’s Day on the 1st of January and last week we celebrated Valentine’s Day, but for some people things weren’t quite like that. Whilst February 14th marked the day of romance in Western culture, it was also the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese calendar.

The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese zodiac cycle and it is a sign of courage and fearlessness, praised by the ancient Chinese as it is believed to be the sign that keeps away the three main disasters of the household – fire, thieves and ghosts. The year 2010 is a Metal year, called Geng-Yin in Chinese, and it is the mark of the Golden or White tiger, sometimes considered unlucky, as white is the colour of death in Asian culture.

The tiger is one of the most dynamic and powerful signs in the Chinese astrology and the Year of the Tiger is usually associated with big changes and social disorder. The Tiger year is a year of difficulty and normally with a Tiger year there is much conflict. Events such as the First World War, China’s invasion in Tibet and Iraqi-Sudan conflicts all commenced in a Tiger year. The nature of the Tiger is unpredictable, courageous and explosive, so this year will be more about unexpected change in your life. Be careful with your health, as a Metal year presents potential health jeopardy, and be prepared to uncover lies about the past.

Spring Festival

2009-08-07T22:24:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Spring Festival is the alternative name of the Chinese New Year. Unlike most of the world which has adopted the arithmetical Gregorian calendar, the Chinese use a lunar calendar according to which the New Year begins with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day is known as the Lantern Festival, celebrated with lantern displays and a parade.

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most significant of the traditional Chinese holidays. During the celebrations, people would wear red clothes, as red carries positive connotations and it is associated with success, fortune and happiness. One of the key celebration elements is the Dragon dance, which symbolises the bringing of luck and success into the coming year. Exchanging gifts and greeting cards are also typical for the period of the Spring Festival.

The first three days, people visit their families, relatives and friends. On the fifth day people shoot off firecrackers, in the attempt to get Guan Yu's attention (the God of wealth), thus ensuring his favour and good fortune for the New Year. The seventh day is the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older. The eighth, ninth day and tenth day are a celebration of the birth of the Jade Emperor. The thirteenth day is dedicated to the Chinese God of War. And the last day of the Spring Festival, the fifteenth day, is the Lantern Festival, when families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns. This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use numbered years, outside China the years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor, Huangdi, making the year 2010 "Chinese Year" 4707.

Pinku eiga? – No, thanks.

2009-08-06T22:23:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Last week’s screening caught the eye of many people, who couldn’t get in the door. The words ‘sex and violence’ in addition to ‘members only’ were a great attraction. But those of us who were expecting more pornography and less blood were up for a big surprise.

Pinku eiga films (or ‘pink cinema’) emerged around the 1960s as a form of rebellion against the conservatism in post-war Japanese cinema. There are different types of pink films, ranging from more violent to more pornographic. They are usually an hour long and have no storyline, although we were able to find deep and serious concepts in some of them.

As nudity and sex were a big taboo in post-war Japanese cinema, pinku eiga films were not exactly praised for their content. However, when in 1965 director Tetsuji Takechi was arrested for one of his films on charges of obscenity and won the lawsuit, the doors in front of pinku eiga were opened and many more were to follow.

When it comes to recommendations, though, I wouldn’t make any. Next time, if someone offers to show you a pink film, just say ‘no, thanks’.

Banning movies in China - audience vs. government

2009-08-05T22:21:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Last week James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar” was banned in Chinese cinemas. With the imminent approach of the Chinese New Year, the film has been taken off screens to make room for a domestic production.

The country is known for its strict rules on foreign films, allowing only 20 productions to enter Chinese cinemas in order to support domestic industry. However, when it comes to bans, the reasons go further deep.

China doesn’t have a film classification system and all movies are passed to general audiences. However, the main reason for banning is not violence, nudity or language, but a rather more sensitive political situation.

Banned films
On the list of banned movies around the world, we can find violent horrors such as “Hostel”, “Saw”, “Halloween” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, as well as films such as “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, “Borat” and “Bruno”, for pornographic material, language and nudity.

What we can find on China’s list, however, is a rather more complicated process. Most banned movies, whether foreign or domestic, are related to delicate political issues. Only here can we find “Seven Years in Tibet” (for its view on a free Tibet), “Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider” (for unflattering depictions of Chinese society), “Memoirs of a Geisha” (because it could rouse anti-Japanese sentiment) and “Pirates of the Caribbean” (for negative portrayal of Chinese people).

One of CUEAFS’s screenings, “Shinjuku Incident”, was also banned in China for its violence, although it has been speculated that the real reason behind the ban was the sensitive situation with Chinese immigrants in Japan.

The story with “Avatar”
For those of you who have not yet seen the movie, stop reading and go do so!
As far as the reasons for ban go, the Chinese government claims that with the approach of the Chinese New Year, it is time to make room for the film “Confucius”, starring well-known Chow-Yun Fat (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”).

However, speculation leads in another way. Allegedly, the authorities feared the public might make a connection between the plot and the present delicate situation in China, where people are being evicted to make way for mines, dams and other government infrastructure projects.

The other side of the coin
It is worth knowing that China is far from being the country with the biggest number of banned films in the world. One of the leaders in this race is actually Australia, with reasons being mainly sex and violence, with examples such as “Of Mice and Men”, “Frankenstein” and “Dracula”.

With whatever measures, though, it is well-known that people are going to see what they want to see. The government might have its reasons to ban certain productions, but the audience has the reasons (and moreover the right) to see them. In today’s situation, “banned” is strictly a term, as it has become almost obsolete with the accessibility of prohibited films over the internet and on pirate DVD’s.

Treat yourself with Asian romance

2009-08-04T19:16:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Valentine’s Day is coming and you’re looking to see something romantic, but you’re tired of the classic chick-flicks with predictable plots and happy endings? Why not see something a little different this year? Here are some East Asian romantic films that would go perfectly with the bottle of wine and box of chocolates on that special day.

An Affair (Jeong Sa) 1998 – South Korea
An Affair tells the story of Seo-hyun, an ordinary woman and housewife, trapped in her marriage to a man that can provide everything but love. Her life suddenly changes when she meets her sister’s fiancée and falls for him. Trying to resist her feelings is pointless and attraction evolves into a passionate affair.

The Classic (Keulraesik) 2003 – South Korea
The classic is a powerful and touching movie about two girlfriends, Ji-hae and Soo-kyoung who are passionate about the same boy. When Soo-kyoung asks Ji-hae to write him love letters, he falls in love with her words, sadly written in her friend’s name. Ji-hae tries to avoid him, but their paths keep crossing. One day she discovers a secret box that reveals the story of her mother’s life, quite similar to her own...

Ploy 2007 - Thailand
The death of a relative brings a Thai-American couple, Wit and Dang, back to Thailand after a long time. They check into a hotel where fate brings them together with strangers, making them question their lives and their seven-year marriage that has changed into life without love. After a series of unfortunate events, the couple is faced with two options – to go on their separate ways or embrace each other in the hope of a new beginning.

House of Flying Daggers (Shi Mian Mai Fu) 2004 – Hong Kong
The movie tells the story of two police captains, Leo and Jin, accomplices in a plot to find the leader of a secret rebellious organisation called “The House of Flying Daggers”. Their scheme involves a blind dancer, Mei, who Leo arrests and Jin sets free in order to gain her trust and use her to find the rebels. But things get complicated and their love for Mei might lead them to a disaster.

Lost Paradise (Shitsurakuen) 1997 - Japan
This powerful movie tells the story of Shoichiro, a middle-aged man, whose daughter’s fiancée falls in love with Rinko, a married woman trapped in her depression and hopelessness. Shoichiro meets Rinko to ask her to end the relationship and despite their unpleasant meeting, soon they become drawn to each other and find everything they have been looking for in their lives.

Bungee Jumping of Their Own (Beonjijeompeureul Hada) 2001 – South Korea
This is a touching story about two college students who fall in love, only to be torn by a tragedy. The girl disappears without a word and we find ourselves 17 years later when the boy has got married and has become a teacher. As one of his students reminds him of his lost love, the mystery around her disappearance begins to unravel.

Does a film journalist have to be a journalist?

2009-08-03T19:16:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

If you’re looking to get into film and start writing about it, what kind of specialty would you go for? Journalism or film studies? Would any of those give you exactly what you need?

And what if you are a good writer and a movie buff and you know anything and everything about film, but you have no formal training neither in writing, nor in the specifics of film making, could you make a career?

Specialists say if you want to be a film journalist, you don’t need any formal training, you just need practice. You have to be passionate about film and know a lot about the industry and not only “post-Scorsese”, as they put it. But is film journalism only writing reviews and commenting on film, rather than something more important, as game journalism has turned out to be, influencing trends by criticising bad products? We can all write our movie blogs and comment on what we’ve seen in the cinema last week, but can we REALLY make a living like that or do we need to be “more professional”?

Writer, researcher and film critic John Berra, CUEAFS’s special guest speaker this week, is a proof that a professional film journalist and critic doesn’t necessarily need to be a trained journalist. Yet, however, John holds a PhD in media from Sheffield University.

A journalism course might get you nowhere near what you are passionate about, but a media or film course would certainly be useful as to the means you use in interpreting and analysing film when critiquing. Nobody can make a career of “it sucked” or “it was amazing” comments, but if you can cleverly analyse it, you don’t need journalistic training. And, if you can write well, just start submitting your pieces. You know what they say – practice makes perfect.

Zhang Ziyi’s secret fan?

2009-08-02T19:15:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

The ceiling on “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” has collapsed after lead actress/producer Zhang Ziyi quit the project. Zhang Ziyi’s second try as a producer (after the success of “Sophie’s Revenge”) was set out to start filming earlier this month.

According to Zhang’s publicist, the actress was too busy filming her martial arts part in Wong Kar-wai’s drama “The Grand Master” which is currently being filmed in North-Eastern China. It has been speculated, though, that her decision was influenced by the fall-out with a Beijing publication, defaming her as the “third woman destroying another’s family”.

“Snow Flower” has drawn blank for now, as Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun (the other female lead) and the male lead, said to be a member of Taiwanese band F4, followed Zhang through the door.

But hope is not gone yet, as producers Wendi Murdock and Florence Sloan started reviewing other Chinese well-known stars. A familiar face we might see is Fan BingBing (“Sophie’s Revenge”; “Shunjuku Incident”) who is now being considered alongside Li BingBing (“The Forbidden Kingdom”). Rumour has it Taiwanese ex-soft-porn actress Qi Shu, also considered for one of the female roles, has turned down the project, as she doesn’t want to strip without good reason.

Kazuaki Kiriya – vision, imagination, genius

2009-08-01T19:14:00.000+01:00

By Niya Diamo

Kazuaki Kiriya may not be a name you’re familiar with, especially if you’re new to Japanese cinema. But the visionary director is well-known for his vast imagination and creative work. He became famous in Japan in 2002, after marrying pop music superstar Utada Hikaru, but to the rest of the world his name gained meaning in 2004 with the epic action movie “Casshern”.

In the spirit of “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” and “Sin City”, Kiriya creates the visual masterpiece “Casshern”, very well received from audiences for its fairy-tale structure and remarkable use of visual effects. Five years later Kiriya presents his second film “Goemon”, which does not fall short of revealing the genius of writer/director/photographer Kazuaki. Yet another piece to be praised for its visual brilliance and exquisite use of green screen/CGI relationship.

Before “Casshern”, Kiriya’s work included directing music videos (including many of Hikaru’s) and fashion photography. His background skills were a useful tool for his work on the epic movie. “Technically, and aesthetically I utilised everything from my past.”

Kiriya’s films might disappoint with some plot holes, but what they lack in content, they make up for in vision. It is Kiriya’s own strive for the “nonlinear” that creates the different and impressive style of “Casshern”. “Action, sci-fi, Shakespeare, and whatever. I really don't like genre.” Although he claims that “Goemon” might disappoint his fans and he could be accused of being “too linear” this time, the “easiness” to understand the plot of “Goemon” does not take away anything from the visual genius of the piece.

Those new to Kiriya may be blown by the visual effects, which are a joy to watch. With only two films in his short filmography, he has yet to disappoint. Any future projects? Kiriya reveals he is involved with some English language films, so hopefully we’ll see something else from the visionary director in the near future.

Transmedia Storytelling

2009-07-01T00:11:00.002+01:00

Storytelling is the combination of the story and the narrative. Think about some of your favourite stories (these can be from literature, film, fairytales, etc). What are the various elements in the ways in which these stories are told that attracts you to them and gives you pleasure (not the story itself, but the way the story is told).

Examples:

Memento (2000) starring Guy Pearce, Carrie Anne-Moss and Joe Pantoliano
The Butterfly Effect (2004) starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart
Vantage Point (2008) starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox and Forest Whitaker

Some people enjoy a linear type of narrative, where the story is told consequently and without too much mystery, as they consume pleasure from other elements of the specific type of media, for instance horror, suspense, laughter, etc. I particularly enjoy narratives that are broken, upside-down, inside-out. Whether the film starts with the ending and ends with the beginning or all of its parts are mixed in a way that makes it difficult to follow the story, it is a pleasure for me to watch. Clearly, that is not to say that the story itself is irrelevant to my deriving pleasure from it, but when it comes to a good story (or, in rare cases, a great one), the best stories are the good ones being told in a more interesting way.

Being a big Hollywood consumer myself and, film consumer in general, it is easy to notice how mass produced films are being easily influenced by the mass's desire for a linear narrative, easy to understand, easy to make laugh, cry or scare. That is not the same in foreign productions, mostly independent, that don't fall within the same requirements, due to their different audiences. However, Hollywood does produce good narratives once in a while, unpredictable endings that leave the viewer with their mouth open, trying to construct the story in their heads. Of course, that excludes those films that construct complicated narratives only to reveal the whole story consequently with flashbacks for those who were not paying attention - mass requirement, once again, as cinema is being viewed as a tool of mass satisfaction and escapism, rather than something that makes the audience think and feel heavier than they already do.

Task 2
Different media (fictional film, documentary, news report, music video, etc) and different genres within each of those media (fictional film - film noir, ganster film, rom com, etc) have different codes, conventions and rules for their narrative forms. Identify two different media and compare and contrast some of the main differences and techniques in their narrative forms, are certain types of camera work, editing, scripting permitted in some forms and genres whilst not in others? Think of examples.

News report vs. perfume advertisement

The differences in the techniques for constructing a narrative within different media derives from their different purposes. For instance, a news report is meant to inform and sometimes alert. It is expected to be clear, consequential, there are certain elements that are expected to be present, such as interviews or voice overs. An advertisement is meant to sell, mainly relying on semiotics as its primary tool, and there is not a huge necessity for a linear narrative, as the advertisement sells attraction or need or plays on the viewer's lack of something.

For the purpose of proving my argument, I picked two random perfume advertisements from youtube to compare with a news report and a video that ridicules news reports. Although this video is obviously made to make fun of the way the BBC does news reports, it actually reflects the way most news features are done all over the world and exposes some of the expected elements and conventional techniques used.

Hugo Boss Commercial

Armani Commercial

How to Report the News

Fox News Report

Comparing those videos on just a basic level it is obvious that they differ in a lot more than their narrative structures. A lot of their other elements will be unsuitable or even inappropriate if used in the other genre. For instance, the camera angles in a perfume advert may vary quite a bit, whilst the camera needs to be steady in a news report, giving a sense of actuality and real life. Music in a news report (on serious news) would be quite unsuitable and even fun news reports limit the usage of sound, while adverts rely a lot on jingles and music. Adverts also rely on flashing images and attractive celebrities, while news reports keep it simple and informative. And this is just basic level comparison.

There are many genre conventions that would be inappropriate if their genre is changed, although some of them might be transferrable to genres close to them in form or purpose. For instance, the lack of necessity for narrative and the variety of camera angles are also common for music videos, while news report share similar techniques with documentaries. It is the purpose of the media form that would have set those conventions in place and once the audience expects something from a certain genre, that genre has to follow those requirements in order to produce pleasure for the viewer.