Filmspot

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Filmspot

The end of summer, and looking forward to Autumn!

Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:05 AM PDT

Team Filmspot have had a great Summer – we hope that those of you who came along to Eastbourne enjoyed ‘The Muppets‘ and ‘Chariots of Fire‘, at the beginning of the month.

‘The Muppets’ was a great success, with glorious sunshine beating down on the Wish Tower Slopes. A big audience came along, many clutching their very own muppets - it was good to see so many Kermits and Gonzos in attendance!

The people of Eastbourne, settling down in the sunshine for a screening of ‘The Muppets’.

Unfortunately, the sun did not have his hat on for ‘Chariots of Fire’ the following day, but those who braved the elements certainly seemed to enjoy themselves, and it is always good to see this classic – as one last hurrah for the Olympic/ Paralympic season!

Unfortunately, the weather was against us at ‘Chariots of Fire’. It was a bit grey and drizzly, but still we had plenty of film fans who battled the elements, wrapped in blankets, to watch the film.
Many people brought picnics, including Team Filmspot – who enjoyed it while the sun was still (weakly) shining, at the beginning of the event!

So, now we’re looking towards Autumn. We have many plans for the upcoming season, some are yet to be confirmed, so do keep an eye on the blog and the website. At the moment, our next confirmed screening is ‘ET’ at Newhaven Fort on Saturday 3 November (Doors 3pm, film 3.10pm). It will be a real occasion – an event to ward off the Autumn chill – with some typically Filmspot twists.

So, here to whet your appetite is the trailer!

Hope to see you all there!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Filmspot

STOP PRESS: Chariots of Muppets descending upon Eastbourne this weekend – and Willy Wonka report

Posted: 06 Sep 2012 01:19 PM PDT

Hello Filmspotters! Lots of news for you in this blog, so I’ll just plough straight in!

Filmspot have helped to organise films for Eastbourne Borough Council’s Great British Weekend, this weekend. The event will take place at the Wish Tower Slopes, and are completely free! The films are to complement two fantastic live events, shown on a big screen, organised by the Borough Council.

On Saturday 8 September, the celebrations kick off at 4.30pm, with a screening of The Muppets [2011], followed by the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms, featuring music from Delius, Verdi,Puccini, Dvorak, Richard Rodgers, John Williams Olympic Fanfare and theme and the traditional Henry Wood Fantasia on British Sea Songs together with Edward Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem orchestration.

So, to whet your appetite, here’s a splendidly ridiculous musical moment:

On Sunday 9 September, we will all be getting into the 2012 spirit with Chariots of Fire [1981] at 4.30pm, which will of course be followed by the London 2012 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony at 7pm, including the parade of athletes, the extinguishing of the Paralympic flame and the passing of the flag to the next host city of Rio de Janeiro, along with musical performances headlined by Coldplay.

Here’s a taster of Sunday’s iconic offering:

There will be a bar and refreshments for both evenings, and dressing in your best red, white and blue is definitely encouraged! It promises to be a really fun, lively weekend.

For further details, please see www.visiteastbourne.com or call 0871 663 0031.

….and in other news: WILLY WONKA A HUGE, ROUSING SUCCESS!

Yes, apologies for taking a while to post these photographs, but it has taken a few days for the Filmspot team to come back to reality after entering a world of pure imagination at Newhaven Fort over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Martyna Dawidowska created a fantastic short animation, especially for the event, which was projected in the Eastern Magazine and at the beginning of the screening

Two of our wonderful volunteers, Sophie Halas and Alexia Lazou, helped to greet the audience

….and everybody in the audience enjoyed a Wonka-themed treat – delightful Wonka-esque marshmallows, sourced by Sweet Moments in Seaford, and quirky cake pops

It was a sell-out show!

Designer-maker Adam Prior did a fantastic job on the brilliant props for the event – even Willy Wonka himself seems to approve!

As ever, veteran Filmspotter Lukas looked the part! This time, seeming to channel the spirit of Wonka himself!

So here’s the team (L-R: Alexia, Sophie, Filmspot Co-Directors Rob Cunningham and Rachel Hunter, Designer Adam Prior and Magician David Girt

This great musical has a dedicated following – we had lots of interest in the event, and you may have seen/ heard some of the local media coverage. We were featured on BBC Radio Sussex and in The Argus and Sussex Express. We’d like to say a big thank you to all of you who came along and all our helpers – you all helped to create a really magical atmosphere!

….so that’s it for now! I hope you’re now all off ransacking your wardrobes for your best red, white and blue – and we’ll see you in Eastbourne!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Filmspot

…in honour of the star of next week’s show…!

Posted: 17 Aug 2012 05:20 PM PDT

We thought we’d just remind you all why you have to love Gene Wilder! Here we go…

1. The Young Frankenstein [1974]

Personally, this is my favourite Mel Brooks creation – partly because of my love of the original ‘Frankenstein’ (which is one of the reasons we screened the 1931 Frankenstein as our inaugural event, way back in 2009!).

2. Stir Crazy [1980]

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were just so good together!

3. The World’s Greatest Lover [1977]

Ok, I don’t think this is Wilder’s finest hour, but there are some pretty silly moments, that just can’t fail but make me laugh in this. Who is the world’s greatest lover? Why, obviously…

4. The Producers [1968]

From one of Wilder’s weaker performances to one of his most memorable – a possibly the most widely praised collaboration with Mel Brooks.

5. The Frisco Kid [1979]

Surprisingly, the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Gene Wilder works well. A slightly unusual, but very strong performance from Wilder, too!

…so… after all of these reminders, who could resist coming along to our screening of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory next Sunday, to see him in his most memorable role, as the great man himself?

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Sunday 26 August, 2pm

Tickets £6 adults/ £4 children
Advance booking strongly recommended. Telephone Newhaven Fort for tickets on 01273 517622, or reply to this email for more details.

The Filmspot team has enlisted the help of carpenter and designer Adam Prior, from Torbay, to create over-sized lollipops, candy cane vines and tea cup bushes to dress parts of the fort into a temporary ‘candyland’. Talented animation student, Martyna Dawidoska, is creating special projections, based on the colourful musical, which will be located in the underground tunnels at the Fort. A cast of unusual characters will be helping Filmspot out around the fort, including a magician, some oompa loompas – and even the great man himself.

A Wonka-themed treat is included in the ticket price, and these have been sourced by Sweet Moments in Seaford (http://www.sweetmomentsuk.co.uk)

…so to finish up, here’s a lovely clip of Mr Wilder at his finest!

We hope to see you all there!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Filmspot

Willy Wonka & other bizarre cinematic feasts

Posted: 05 Aug 2012 10:07 AM PDT

We are gearing up for our next big screening of the summer: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, at Newhaven Fort, at 2pm on Sunday 26th August. It’s going to be a rather special event, so we hope to see you all there!

Adam Prior, Team Filmspot’s star prop-maker, has been working his socks off making over-sized lollipops, and we will be transforming parts of Newhaven Fort into a ‘candy wonderland’. Talented animation student, Martyna Dawidoska, is creating special projections, which will be located in some of the underground tunnels at the Fort, based on the colourful musical. There will also be Wonka-themed ‘snack packs’ are included in the ticket price.

Tickets cost £6 for adults, £4 for children, and include entry to the Fort Museum. Advance booking is strongly recommended. Telephone Newhaven Fort for tickets: 01273 517622.

Inspired by the upcoming screening, we have been thinking about some of the most bizarre and unlikely food moments on film, here are a few of our favourites:

God of Cookery [1996]

We are fans of Stephen Chow‘s idiotic humour here at Team Filmspot, and here is one of Chow’s ridiculously silly dishes from ‘God of Cookery’.

Modern Times [1936]

Chaplin often involved food in his films, and in modern times, he combines this fascination with his critique of the machine age, and creates this hilarious, but worrying force-feeding contraption.

Werner Herzog Eats his Shoe [1980]

A short documentary by Les Blank ‘Werner Herzog Eats his Shoe’ depicts Herzog fulfilling his promise that if director Errol Morris completed his documentary ‘Gate of Heaven’, he would eat his own shoe. The shoes were cooked slowly, for five hours, stuffed with garlic, chilli sauce and herbs – and Herzog ate them just prior to the premiere of ‘Gates of Heaven‘…

Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise [1972]

Probably the most frustrating series of dinner parties ever committed to film, ‘Discreet Charm of the Bourgoeoise’ depicts a group of well-to-do sophisticates trying, and failing, to sit down to a meal together. This sharp, surreal comedy is one of Luis Brunel’s most accessible films, it is like a complex web of dreams.

Harry Potter series [2001-11]

I thought I’d finish with something a bit more appetising! Leaping chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott‘s Every Flavour Jelly Beans and (who could possibly forget?!) butterbeer. The Potter series is so universally popular because it combines nostalgia with the impossible!
We couldn’t find a suitable sweetie-related clip for you, but thought that this recipe of butterbeer is well worth a try!

If you have any surreal or unlikely food related clips, let us know!
Can’t wait to see you all on 26th August!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Filmspot

A fantastic CMP Festival!

Posted: 18 Jul 2012 04:35 PM PDT

We had a wonderful time at the CMP Festival last week for our first ever film-draw event. We had a fantastic audience, who seemed to enjoy the films and drawing sessions equally.

They were welcomed by David Girt, Filmspot‘s favourite pierrot!

David Girt, our pierrot for the evening

He entertained and amused with a combination of origami gifts for members of the audience, slapstick gags and magic tricks…

On arriving at the church, we were amazed to discover that one of the festival volunteers, Marion, had known Lotte Reiniger in the 1950s. She gave a delightful speech at the beginning about meeting Reiniger and her husband, Carl Koch.

…and then the audience settled in for the first of the Reiniger films

Watching Lotte Reiniger fairy tales at St Nicholas Church

Throughout the course of the evening, we watched four charming Reiniger short films: Snow White and Rose Red; The Magic Horse; Thumbelina; and Sleeping Beauty. The films were shown with 15 minute drawing sessions in between, with three different fairytale themes: Little Red Riding Hood; Rumpelstiltskin; and Rapunzel.

Jake Spicer, head tutor for DRAW, talking to the audience during the Little Red Riding Hood drawing session

Rumpelstiltskin drawing session

We were really pleased to see so many people drawing – it would have been great to see if anybody was inspired by the silhouette films!

Jake Spicer, Head tutor at DRAW, with Rachel Hunter and Rob Cunningham, Co-Directors of Filmspot

…so that wraps it up for another CMP Festival! It was a great event, and we’re so grateful to Jake Spicer and DRAW, who put in a wonderful effort, and really added to the fantastical feel of the evening. We hope to revisit drawing and film at a future date, so watch this space (or the Filmspot website) for future announcements.

In the meantime, though – we have a great screening coming up at our home from home, Newhaven Fort! On Sunday 26 August, we will present Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2pm). It promises to be a really memorable afternoon – we will temporarily transform the ‘Romney Hut’ into a magical chocolate factory.

Tickets cost £6 adults/ £4 children and concessions, including entry to the Fort Museum and a special themed snack pack’ – available from Newhaven Fort (01273 517622). More information coming soon!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Filmspot

Less Enfants du Paradis, more Lotte Reiniger!

Posted: 11 Jul 2012 03:45 PM PDT

STOP PRESS!

Unfortunately due to unforeseen licensing issues, we are unable to screen ‘Les Enfants du Paradis‘ at the CMP Festival at St Nicholas Church, Brighton, this Sunday 15 July.

The good news is… we have an even more magical event to take its place!

Filmspot will revisit the fairy tales of animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger with a stunning programme of four short films: Snow White and Rose Red, The Magic Horse, Thumbelina and Sleeping Beauty. All the films were created in 1954, and feature charming music and narration, as well as Reiniger’s exquisitely detailed silhouette puppets.

We are delighted that Jake Spicer and DRAW will be providing three 20 minute theatrically costumed drawing sessions throughout the evening. Drawing is optional, but I think most people will find it hard to resist picking up a pencil in the atmospheric setting of St Nicholas Church.

Just to get you all warmed up, here’s a clip of Jake at TEDx in Brighton, talking about his passion for life drawing:

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxBrighton-Jake-Spicer-Drawin/player?layout=&read_more=1

For further information about DRAW, see their website: http://www.draw-brighton.co.uk/

There will also be delicious galettes and crepes from The French Revolution, as well as a bar.

Doors to the event open at 6pm, with the first short film starting at 6.30pm (we expect the event to finish by approximately 8.30pm).

Tickets may be booked from www.brightonticketshop.com, by telephoning 01273 709709 or be purchased on the door – although we are expecting this to be a really popular event, so we’d recommend advance booking.

This promise to be a fun evening for all ages – we hope to see you all there!