tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42666016338913828842012-02-17T15:26:44.958+13:00Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-63036976432818637122011-09-08T13:06:00.000+12:002011-09-08T13:06:21.597+12:00

Well the curtain closed and the plays now an object of critical review. I can not believe how satisfying this project was and how much I owe to the brave and courageous set of cast and crew who privileged me with their labour. Feedback has been quite positive and generous and my first station on the way to a thesis has been a paper delivered to the School Post Grad Conference last week. Here's

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-87345736003514359352011-04-21T11:15:00.006+12:002011-04-21T13:56:40.294+12:00

It's been a very busy few months as I have been involved in two big projects. The one that is nearly finished has been a Continuing Education course called 16mm Film Making. A group of fourteen found themselves falling into the roles of Crew on a short film called The Nightwatchman. This was written by one of the course coordinators, Paul Wolffram who also took on the role of Director.As Paul is

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-7770352549109275902011-02-07T14:15:00.005+13:002011-02-07T15:32:50.987+13:00

One of the main questions I want to ask myself after being told a story, either from an individual or through a mediated technology, is: What am I to take from this, How does this transcend the feelings and emotions I experience in the moment I receive it and has it left me with something to chew on afterward. However let me be clear -not every story needs to be be laden with meaning, I mean, I'm

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-44351645707772109922010-08-03T08:33:00.013+12:002010-08-03T09:00:59.441+12:00

So it passes south once more and I managed to see 50 movies in just over two weeks- a blissful, contemplative experience.The films were in order of seeing:Candyman Once Upon a Time in the West The Illusionist The Housemaid NY Export: Opus Jazz The Myth of the American Sleepover Hahaha Asylum Pieces The Peddler The Loved Ones A Somewhat Gentle Man Animal Kingdom I Killed My Mother Exit Through a

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-30540811893254063322010-07-19T10:02:00.001+12:002010-07-19T10:04:38.188+12:00

Review of Asylum Pieces (Dudding, 2010).One of the pleasures of films is that moment when they gather you up and take you somewhere different. Kathy Dudding’s Asylum Pieces is the first of his year’s International Film Festival to do this for me.This deeply personal film, which is framed in a historic, and visual investigation of the old hospital/asylum at Porirua, transported me into a journey

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-4711887146981824952010-05-03T11:23:00.006+12:002010-05-03T11:45:15.179+12:00

I wanted to put together a few words about the Workshops I have attended run by Rob Sarkies. Each of the three workshops covered a different but pertinent facet of the Directors Role. I was enlightened, enlivened and enabled by these experiences.Rob has made one of the best films that the New Zealand Industry has produced. Based around the tragic events David Gray brought to Aramoana, a little

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-73443629510259922242010-01-27T09:28:00.008+13:002010-01-27T09:55:54.425+13:00

Bloody hell, a while passes...I have found myself quite busy of late with preparations for my Master's Study and the script I wish to direct a feature about. Burning Epiphanies is a script I have worked alongside Douglas Van Belle to write. We wanted to develop an intriguing project that fit around what was realistically to be found here in Wellington today.So naturally it features an academic a

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-84122330625656104822009-07-30T10:06:00.004+12:002009-07-30T10:31:09.565+12:00

I was shocked to read about Rob Mokaraka. I met him when he first arrived in Wellington and directed him in a show for the fringe. He stuck me as a genuinely nice guy. None of which explains Mondays shooting. I found myself saying " A friend of mine was shot by the police yesterday." It was a conversation that seemed surreal as this is New Zealand not Gaza or the US. Aotearoa- where in recent

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-43273762819528953362009-07-21T13:36:00.002+12:002009-07-21T14:18:51.887+12:00

Africa Connection AotearoaPosted using ShareThisI wanted to put this up as a worthwhile place to give a little help to people

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-73446795323328432702009-07-16T08:47:00.004+12:002009-07-16T09:03:31.319+12:00

Last night I was among a privileged few (about 500 I understand) to see the NZ premiere of the Hawker Brother's BLACKSPOT. This local independent movie deserves a great deal more attention. This Digital Feature looked great up on the Embassy screen. I would like to describe it as Arthaus Dred. A heady mix of ghost story, dream weave, J-horror, NZ Gothic and featuring a number of tragicomic

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-87755715545566051872009-06-30T10:32:00.007+12:002009-06-30T10:52:10.762+12:00

Sometimes I wonder how we manage to navigate this new world of constant information interference and technology manipulation- I know I want it all to be very simple- preferably across a table, face to face in total ignorance of anything happening outside of our direct experience.No luck I'm afraid.I find myself constantly surfing a middle aged wave of befuddlement. Lately I am following the

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-57612423603171717452009-03-31T09:24:00.003+13:002009-03-31T09:52:22.574+13:00

I have often thought that we live in the Age of the holy exception. It seems all to obvious that the rules always apply to others but not to me- "I was only parking on the yellow line for a minute!""But there wasn't anyone on the loading/ Private Parking zone!""Surely those rules only apply to the great unwashed?"Actually while these small infractions do not have much meaning my recent activity

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-68887251632383567712009-03-11T11:02:00.004+13:002009-03-11T11:42:19.540+13:00

Just wanted to post a small version of a short film I was involved in at the end of 2007 before heading off shore. thanks to Sandeep Khurana for permission to post it

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-18789061478815868352009-02-25T10:43:00.003+13:002009-02-25T10:54:53.737+13:00

Thanks to Andrew Dunn for this fitting....dare I say it...slimming new image.Recently I took a bite at a couple of new hooks. One was a quality but slightly budget line and the other a swanky no-expenses-spare line that dangled before. Now I'm a very particular fish and there haven't been too many lines about lately- just my luck that like buses two come along together.I have a regular method of

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-10204637951112251772009-02-07T16:11:00.002+13:002009-02-07T16:23:30.749+13:00

Well this week has been quite busy and me liddle hed is spinning.I have just put together a provisional budget for our project "Burning Epiphanies" which is a digital feature that Doug and I are keen to see on its feet- but raising $NZ135,000 to do it is a daunting task. We will of course continue trying to do irrespective of the budget but need to beg, borrow and steal as much help as we can

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-36594618462300258962009-01-13T13:01:00.002+13:002009-01-13T13:37:24.990+13:00

So it seems that after a wonderful break the sobering reality of Wellington and work reappear into my domain. Back at the grindstone I have a project pending doing a little editing of a post-graduate theatre project that was videoed and a database requiring keywords to make it easier to search- how many exploitative television programmes can you think of.The other couple of things that flow

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-50009510037698517822009-01-01T21:56:00.005+13:002009-01-01T22:42:05.856+13:00

As I come to the end of my holiday here in Dunedin I am thinking about the past year. I spent some wonderful times with family and friends that needs to be acknowledged. I really enjoyed my time down here and spent a lot of time with my Mum.We did a bit of sightseeing and I found out a bit of Family history- BTW my friend Richard also has a job at this cemetery developing a database and dealing

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-78318923236233327242008-12-25T18:48:00.006+13:002008-12-26T11:28:24.132+13:00

Just a note to offer my best to all and Sundry. Christmas day in Dunedin was an overcast affair (as usual or so my memory suggests)However the weather around the day was considerably better. Thus, inspired by my friend Lynnette I am putting some images up of our drive up the peninsula just before Christmas.My mother and I drove up to Broad Bay where she enjoyed the local china shop, I stood run

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-86428810367613756122008-12-03T14:23:00.007+13:002008-12-03T16:01:56.805+13:00

Well it has been a wonderful year for me and TV.I spent Semester one tutoring in the News Analysis paper here at Victoria and semester two tutoring on the Television Narrative paper. I enjoyed both but being a sucker for TV enjoyed the challenge of looking a little closer at my favourite stories and in turn the other genres of TV that perhaps I have less time for.A Short list of enjoyed and

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-14537314482159435322008-12-03T10:26:00.008+13:002009-01-20T11:36:11.630+13:00

So here I am after about a year of work -thinking about the trip last year, and how it affected me. And I realised that I needed to get back to writing something about my experiences- even here at home.For the 48 hour film Comp I was lucky enough to be invited to act with a great little team. Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwzVK49pXD0So by all means have a look and see some of my work.

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-4832455633423392022008-06-25T14:03:00.002+12:002008-06-25T14:06:57.656+12:00

Here's a little film I participated in before the trip that has just been posted to Youtubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BO8eVA1zRsNot bad really

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-8215019251082766852008-02-20T15:27:00.003+13:002008-12-03T10:42:36.410+13:00

As I go through the task of making my way over 4000 photos ( a lot of redundancy and sadly enough missing /presumed deleted Rome) one thing becomes clear- that so much of the collateral that is humanity surrounds the twin orbiting concepts of Sex and Death.We are constantly either seeking one or avoiding the other. And so much of human creative endeavor seems motivated not so much by the higher

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-34348185693779842272008-02-07T14:01:00.000+13:002008-02-07T15:51:09.672+13:00

So, so quickly it is over and I look back at so much of what has happened!!!I left you with my last day in London- which proved to be full of so much.The day began with a queue at the Donmar Warehouse- I wanted to see their sold out Othello, tickets for which have been going for as much as 1200 pounds on e-bay, but they release standing seats on the day of performance for seven pounds fifty and

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-72610196410829199702008-01-17T06:46:00.000+13:002008-02-07T14:00:35.234+13:00

So the time has come for me to travel on. It was with considerable sadness that I said goodbye to Phillip, Nagma and Samir but I believe we will be seeing each other in about a year.I am at the moment pleasing myself with London's treasures. But last Friday I had coffee with David and raved on about the wonderful world of television. then had an evening with my cousin Kaz her partner Simon and

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-71469627633924641912008-01-13T10:27:00.000+13:002008-01-13T12:23:52.535+13:00

Well never one to settle for less it was on my return to Didcot from Manchester that I realised what else I wanted to see so I arranged a wee trip up to Edinburgh by Train.Of Course I went to lastminute.com to find a hotel and I found the Cairn which was quaint, £25 a night and ten minutes walk from the Royal Mile. Perfect!Well, Edinburgh is just full of wonderful opportunities and reminded me so

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-86252599226573375902008-01-13T07:28:00.000+13:002008-01-13T10:26:30.826+13:00

While staying in Didcot has been a wonderful relaxing time with friends we have managed to get to London to visit the Museum of Natural History. Have a look at this T-Rex, D! After Christmas we als travelled to Manchester to visit Nagma's family. It was great to see where she had grown up and the people that surrounded her before she was swept away by young Phillip. We walked about the inner

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-57197365259757891752008-01-11T00:59:00.000+13:002008-01-11T02:15:16.598+13:00

So we arrived at Gare Du Nord with about 2-3 hours to spare before our train- nothing to do but sit and wait. the group split up around the available seats and moped about, the longest goodbye possible...The problem started as they announced a delay on the train before ours- which of course delayed all the rest of us- for up to another two hours. However eventually everyone found themselves on a

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-75143661592056173212008-01-05T05:39:00.000+13:002008-01-10T23:02:29.025+13:00

So its quite a long way from Berlin to Amsterdam tho' I still managed some sleep.Again we were put up at a lovely hotel some distance from the centre. But this is where our tour leader Kerry and Driver Coco came up trumps making it all so easy. Kerry gave us a rundown on the area which like most of her commentaries was short and pithy and invited more questions than it answered but still set us

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-42883947904231080502007-12-27T06:07:00.000+13:002007-12-27T07:53:01.474+13:00

I loved Prague. But who wouldn't with such a wonderful melange of architectural styles- Medieval through Art Noveau to communist and beyond.Our first night featured a dinner in a restaurant decorated with the owners cartoons- most of which were extremely off-colour, what fun.Then we went down into one of the fabulous cellars to hear a blues band playing before heading off to a dance club- sorry

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-43938701214394041692007-12-23T23:58:00.000+13:002007-12-24T00:11:10.456+13:00

O2 CreateA great big Merry Christmas to all-and this link, especially for Sean as a kind of public celebrity embarrassment, so here it is for all to enjoy as wellbestGregor

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-54924545712290116562007-12-18T06:41:00.000+13:002007-12-24T00:51:15.777+13:00

So there I was about to be left behind in Rome.......No, actually - Kerry our tour leader arranged everything- the hotel wouldn't courier the pack, the bus wasn't registered for Florence again so therer was nothing for it but for me to catch the train back to Firenze and then on to Venice.And so it was. I traveled about the same time as the bus, finished picking up the passport and cash and

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-1644969281732617052007-12-13T01:39:00.001+13:002007-12-24T12:22:49.735+13:00

So after two days alone in Paris time came for me to "Join" the tour- Kumuka. The first hurtle involved being sent to the summer hotel instead of the winter one -thank god for the Metro - eventually I arrived and met up with the troupe And here I want to fulfill a promise and dedicate this page to Richard and Eva (through strictly I also want to include Isabella and Norbert,

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-65324961770284754772007-12-03T07:20:00.000+13:002007-12-27T08:01:27.259+13:00

So getting out of Thailand proved to be a challenge as I found that after seven hours sitting in a plane with no air conditioning British Airways was able to admit defeat and cancel the flight for the night.We did get put up at a rather ritzy hotel but as no information was forthcoming every body got crotchety and stressed. The following night still none the wiser we were whizzed off to the

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-2333086099461652322007-11-23T04:13:00.000+13:002007-11-23T04:35:34.090+13:00

I think we place our ability to confuse ourselves firmly on our shoulders when we travel. We take each and every preconception that our culture has built up over the time of our lives and manage to manifest it in the way we react to the places we find ourselves in.Thailand managed to do this to me in both the positive and the negative. I find myself, as I sit here in England, feeling very divided

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-3595711023983207772007-11-16T20:22:00.000+13:002007-12-24T11:36:35.683+13:00

The most wonderful toy museum just outside of my hotel!!!Well after the last bit of pretension I have been brought down a little...Not that I didn't appreciate Penang but it all seemed a little gruesome at times. The ride up on the train from KL was an example of fine gymnastic figuring as I tried to keep my ever increasing suitcase in the bed space with me- mistake -all that achieved was an

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-62799430266563500782007-11-12T21:11:00.000+13:002007-12-24T11:44:08.746+13:00

Not of course that I am getting any- there's a dusty old memory from the past.However it strikes me that travelling from Singapore to Malaysia one of the topics that seems to be now more open in the public sphere and certainly in the media is a new openness on the topic of sex.I was out walking through a market in Singapore and came across a sex boutique- not something I had seen there before-

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-30524832749641108892007-11-08T01:15:00.000+13:002007-11-23T04:43:08.518+13:00

After the relatively relaxing few days spent in Singapore I slipped quietly on down to the KLM train station on Monday- I would put up a picture but without AC they all came out rather misty.The train from Singapore was an old one and even though I had decided to travel first class found out that seats designed for the smaller butt pall after the first 1000 or so Km. I felt asleep during the

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-62925918795427393892007-11-04T15:41:00.000+13:002007-12-24T12:16:18.817+13:00

In which young Grilliver, the bastard blowback of Gulliver and Gilligan, attempt to hold his head up in the strange land of Singaputt.I had forgotten just how much I liked Singapore and how easy and safe it is to get around. My hotel, Summer View is just a short (exhaustingly hot) walk away from Bugis and the MRT from which you can get anywhere even if in this sense you are the biggest sardine in

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-37359247584331729212007-11-02T15:18:00.000+13:002007-11-02T15:35:37.467+13:00

Ursula LeGuin has it right, Transit lounges ain't a lot fun...We flew into Sydney between two layers of cloud with spherical rainbows all aroud us. It was like travelling the winterlands in search of the sunset. 'Cept apparently it was all a holding pattern. Sydney greeted us on the way down with a display of Lightning that illuminated the craters and crevices of the cloud below in wonderful

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-63436093585916732562007-11-01T11:24:00.000+13:002007-11-01T11:51:16.894+13:00

With the job now finished for a time, Thursday is given over to all those annoying details that leave you a bit breathless.There is a trail of footprints before me, shiny water forced from under the sand. It leads to a vast blue blushing ocean which, at once conceals, that which every wave reveals. I am caught, twixt land and sea, wishing at once to run and yet feeling all those I leave behind- a

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-35384702518557380982007-10-28T13:12:00.000+13:002007-10-29T09:49:49.196+13:00

So as I traveled to work this morning I noted the prevalence of Black worn in this country, was reminded of the words of the departing French ambassador who quipped that NZ women dressed like soldiers and I couldn't help but think how much I will miss it- for about as long as it takes to trample my way down to a beach and take in the colours that may be there.With three sleeps to go I am looking

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266601633891382884.post-42593095801523622402007-10-26T17:10:00.000+13:002007-10-26T17:17:39.115+13:00

It is with some excitement and not a little trepidation that I set out on this trip. But to be sure I am likely to find some changes happening in the way I view the world, in my ability to fend for myself and in the way I see my friends, including those at home, those I am catching up with and those I meet on the way. As I finish work next week I will leave behind me all the trials and

Grimsstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16290172830615419603noreply@blogger.com1