Monthly Rewind: The Best of Rowan and Jimmi

August 20, 2011

As Rowan and Jimmi are due to make a stunning comeback, I figured this would be an appropriate rewind. After all, who wouldn’t want to catch up on the epic adventures that Jimmi and I have had? Hopefully this will whet you appetite for some more of our crazy antics. For more, click here.

Rowan and Jimmi to return

August 6, 2011

Hello all. After a long time without any Rowan and Jimmi goodness, here are a few production stills from a new music video Jimmi and I are working on. It probably won’t be finished until October or November, but we’ve started it and it’s pretty epic. Here are a few more pictures to whet your appetite. More to come as available! (For those of you not familiar with Rowan and Jimmi, you can find out more here.

Family Entertainment on TV

July 31, 2011

Does family entertainment on television exist anymore? A friend of mine and I were discussing Doctor Who a short while back, and how it is becoming increasingly harder for ‘Family’ shows like these to appeal appropriately to the full spectrum its aimed at. I initially blamed this on poor story writing and plot development, but taking a second to think about it I realised that it may not be the fault of the writers at all.

As someone who understands the way that the modern television aims it’s programming at very specific demographics (e.g. “a 16-24 year old atheist, heterosexual male who’s interests include night clubs, alcohol consumption, socialising and playing Xbox”), it occurred to me that virtually no content is aimed at generalities such as families anymore. With so many channels on TV dedicated to specific types of people, and television on demand, we’re no longer stuck in the days where people have to watch whatever is being broadcast. Either there’s something better suited to a person’s niche tastes on another channel, or they’ll be able to satisfy their boredom online through on-demand content. With so much of this specific content available, it’s no wonder family shows like Doctor Who fail to enthral to the masses unlike yesteryear.

When I tried to think of some examples, I actually found it very hard to think of modern ‘family’ programmes. Doctor Who, as mentioned, is one and The Simpsons is another that I could think of. But both of these are long running shows that have been on TV since before we had such a diverse selection of media. And the only style of show that I could pinpoint as being largely ‘general appeal’ were ‘Butlins’* programmes, such as the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. But even these shows have a large number of naysayers like myself who wouldn’t dare indulge in such cheap, manufactured entertainment. Because there’s always something better out there to be watching.

But I suppose this isn’t news to the industry. Even family orientated shows like Doctor Who know that they’re missing out viewers by trying to appeal to too many people at once, ultimately alienating one demographic. Hence why they spun off The Sarah Jane Adventures for the kids, and Torchwood for the adults, in a bid to keep people involved in the franchise they’ve created. Even family-minded conglomerate Disney seems to be focussing more on specific demographics nowadays rather than the general market. What hope does it leave for true family entertainment?

Well, probably not much hope. But can I say that this diversification is bad? Certainly not. As both a consumer and creator of content, I find it to be a benefit. By there being a large demand for content, it means that my chances of eventually finding a job making media has increased dramatically. As a consumer it means that I never have to watch something that doesn’t stimulate my tastes, intellect or sense of humour. It’s a win-win situation. But what it could mean is that, when I’m older, I’ll never be able to sit down and enjoy television with my future kids – we’ll all be too busy watching separate things on different televisions or computers in the house. No doubt in our own individual rooms. Would something be lost there?

*Butlins is a British holiday resort that puts on talent shows, cover bands and other novelties as entertainment.

Monthly Rewind: Robot

July 21, 2011

This month’s rewind is ‘Robot’, as it was this month last year when it came out. Although it’s only a modest achievement in the scheme of things, ‘Robot’ is the longest short film I’ve made yet, and one of the films that I put the most effort and time into. We had such a great crew, and great buzz around this video and it was amazing to finally finish it. Enjoy.

Animals

July 15, 2011

I’ve not got broadband at the moment. I’ve just moved into a new place and I’m waiting for the phone company to come round and install the right cables needed to get some internet in this place. It’s amazing how much you do via the internet nowadays; you can even order broadband through the internet now. At the moment I’m currently connecting up through my iPhone, which is sufficient but using all of my data allowance for the month.

As such, nothing really new to report here. I’ve not had the chance to work on a new video yet as I’m still trying to work out how I’m going to animate in my new place – wether I can use one of the tables here or if I’ll have to buy a special one for that sole purpose. But I have been working on some music. The track I’ve embedded below is called ‘Animals’ and is a bit grungier than the stuff I’ve been working on for ‘Low Flying Boats’. I’m still undecided as to wether I’m going to try and put it on the album, or save it for a later project.

Speaking of ‘Low Flying Boats’, work is undergoing on that. I’m currently trying to selectively narrow down the album to ensure that the tracks are the best they can be before I release it. It’s a long, slow process, but I’m sure you’ll love it when it’s out! Anyway, here’s ‘Animals’:

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