Ali Taylor-Music Videos & Art

BUSY LADY- LAZY BLOGGER

2011-01-16T02:56:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible, terrible blogger in the past 8 months. But real life has been busy, busy, busy.

I'm working with New York comedy duo AZAM on a bunch of exciting projects soon to be released on their website azam.tv

"Find Me Out" for Rose Elinor Dougal

2010-05-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

This is my second video for Rose Elinor Dougal, an artist with great integrity who I have high hopes for.

New Magic Numbers Video "The Pulse"

2010-05-26T04:35:00.000-07:00

I've just completed this video for The Magic Numbers track "Pulse". Unashamedly inspired by singer Romeo Stoddart's love of " Man on A Wire", it takes the idea to an otherworldly place. We shot this at Barking and Dagenham Town Hall believe it or not.

Here's a link to the video on Chillibean. I'll get it up here as soon as I can.

http://chillibean.net/sohosoho/newsletter/036/featured/Academy.html

Coat of Arms- Work in Progress

2010-04-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

I'm entering a new phase. This is my coat of arms as work in progress. I think my motto will be "Anarchy and Order" or maybe "Revenge! Revenge!" ....

If I were the Queen of Sheba

2010-04-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

I might grow very fat and have footmen carry me around.

Back to my Roots- Drawing!

2010-04-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a couple of drawing projects, getting back to my art roots. There are a two illustrated books on the go and a little fashion project that I'll be telling you more about soon. One of the book projects is in collaboration with Emiliana Torrini, the brilliant singer who I've worked with a number of times. It's really satisfying to be doing some hands on artwork.

"Heard It All Before" Wins Best Music Video at Northern Wave Iceland

2010-03-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

"Heard It All Before", a film I directed for The Weird Girls Project, with Emiliana Torrini's music, just won Best Music Video at Northern Wave International Film Festival Iceland, beating Gus Gus's "Add This Song" and Roots Manuver's "C.R.U.F.F" This is my second award in Iceland, where my mum jokes that I am internationally famous.

The film is based around Emiliana Torrini's track "Heard it All Before" from her album "Me and Armini" and features The Weird Girls as gorgeous glittering mermaids. It was shot on a shoestring outside Reykjavik and makes up Episode 6 of the wonderful Weird Girls series masterminded by Kitty Von Sometime. Although the film takes a music video style format, it had none of the budget or industry backing of a music video, but was created totally independently, with Emiliana and Rough Trade's permission, but without their intervention. It was purely a labour of love. It was edited by the fantastic Julia Knight, using the facilities at Trim Editing. Back in October 2008, I documented the Weird Girls shoot on this blog.

My first Icelandic award in 2006 was for "Sunnyroad", also for Emiliana, which won The Icelandic Music Awards beating Sigur Ros.

This is the Weird Girls Site, run by Kitty:

http://www.theweirdgirlsproject.com/

Sunnyroad- Winner of Icelandic Music Awards, Best Video 2006

Cultural Capital, my recession currency.

2010-03-08T02:13:00.002-08:00

There's nothing better than a museum crammed with artistic treasures to fire up the creative furnace. In a city that continues to thrive on consumerism, recession or not, it's great that there are still so many havens of brilliance and beauty available to anyone who takes the time to look. And London's museums, while being some of the best in the world, don't cost the earth every time we visit them (financially or environmentally.) In fact, a great many of them are free.

Most importantly though, I believe we all need some inspiration, whether we are artists or not. Trying to create without having feasted our eyes on some of the most brilliant art in history is a bit like trying to make a delicious meal when you've never tasted one. You have no point of reference. We all need to create; from choosing a wallpaper, to bringing up our children; life presents us with a constant creative challenge. We need an armory. Trying to make sense of the world, and developing the ability to screen out the mundane (gas bills, house prices, Ant and Dec, Piers Morgan, health gurus, people who talk about their shares in public etc), is harder without cultural capital. Art isn't reserved for the upper and middle classes anymore, it's available to everyone. At the very least it makes us feel better.

Having a young baby means I spend a lot of time walking around, pram pointed in the direction of adventure. Inexpensive adventure. After a while pounding the streets becomes monotonous, not to mention dirty. My baby is too young to care whether or not we are attending "Monkey Music" or "Tactile Soft Play" down the community centre. ( And I certainly lack the sweet tempered patience to tag along and nibble biscuits in a drab collective bound together only be reproductive success. I'll save that until she goes to school.) So for now she might as well babble and coo from her pram, gnawing on a museum guide, while her mother hones her artistic noggin, a heritage she will one day inherit.

Some of My Favourite London Museums and Galleries

Free

The British Museum- http://www.britishmuseum.org/

Geffrey Museum- http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/

The National Gallery- http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

The Wallace Collection- http://www.wallacecollection.org/

Sir John Soane's Museum- http://www.soane.org/

V& A- http://www.vam.ac.uk/

Whitechapel Gallery- http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/

(Most of the collections are free in all of the above, with special temporary exhibitions requiring tickets.)

Paying

Design Museum- (£8.50/ 6.50 concessions/ 5 students ) http://designmuseum.org/

Aimé-Jules Dalou- Peasant Woman Nursing a Baby 1873- V&A Museum

Iris's reaction to above sculpture.

Smoking Tart

2010-02-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

Out and About

2010-02-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

I love finding a good drawing spot when I'm out and about. It has to be somewhere I can ensconce for an hour or so with my sketchbook and my daughter. People watching is an inspiration, and a long slow coffee oils the imagination.

It also helps to have a bit of privacy. I once had a tour group stop behind me in the National Gallery and start taking pictures of the sketch. That doesn't help much at all.

DOES MISERY MAKE BETTER ART?

2010-02-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

I've just bought a secondhand drawing board. I'm delighted, inspired and content. But is this a good thing? One of the old cliches of art is that the artist should be unhappy. Lautrec, Blake, Bacon, Hopper, all miserable, all great artists. And there are countless others. So will all this happiness get in the way of my art?

Happy or sad?

A friend recently poo pooed happinesss altogether when, in response to her stuggle with a Januray diet, I fobbed her off with the common platitude "Well as long as your happy..." Happiness is bullshit," she said "Read Barbara Ehrenreich." I didn't, and I'm still feeling fine.

Happiness aside, I need somewhere to work. Virginia Woolf famously wrote that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." Acquiring the drawing board is my equivalent. The territory isn't just physical, it's mind space amidst washing up and unfinished jobs, soul room away from to-do-lists, a space I can escape into. It's also somewhere slopey where nobody can put their laptop, car keys or cup of tea down.

What if misery does make better art? Does happy have to care?

In the Shower with a Cabbage

2010-02-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

It sounds like a surreal game of Cluedo, but it's actually more fun than that.

I've lined the shower with cardboard boxes, blankets and duvets, and I'm sitting in the dark with a cabbage, a biscuit tin, a feather duster, two bottles of lemonade, a pair of gloves, a wet newspaper and some gravel. And I haven't just become desperate for cheap Friday night entertainment; I'm recording Foley for my new short film.

The art of recording natural and incidental sound for film is named after Jack Foley who was instrumental in developing the art in the 1920s. Well known Foley techniques include using coconut shells to create the sound of horses hooves, wet newspaper to make squishy sounds, and crinkling cellophane to make the sound of fire. In practice you just have to experiment with numerous things until you find sounds that fit your film, which may or may not have horses in it.

More info on Foley here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_artist

NEW FILM IN POST PRODUCTION

2010-02-01T02:27:00.000-08:00

My new film, working titled The Dangers of Damp, is now in post production. I'm extremely excited to have lined up the gifted Owen Oppenheimer as editor. Check out Owen's work here. He's a real talent.
http://www.owenopedits.com

Shot in Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts last summer, the film was temporarily on hold while I had baby Iris. (I'm hoping to sneak her a cameo role though.)

Interesting fact of the day is that Marthat's vineyard used to have a large deaf community in the 18th and 19th centuries, due to prevalent hereditary deafness traceable back to an English bloodline. It even boasted it's own widely spoken language, Martha's Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL). More info on that here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha%27s_Vineyard_Sign_Language

I intend to have a subtitled version of the film as a tribute to the Vineyard's history, and so that all English speaking deaf people can enjoy the film.

TODAY I LOVE SHOREDITCH

2010-01-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

All it took was a fresh bagel, a cycling granny in a purple hat, a grown man in shorts at Spitalfields city farm, a sunny day, and a swift dash down Brick Lane warning buskers about the oncoming fuzz, and I was in love again.

Shoreditch I'm sorry. I didn't mean those terrible things I said.

If you want to get to know Shoreditch you could start here.
http://www.shoreditchmap.co.uk/968.html

TODAY I HATE SHOREDITCH

2010-01-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

Today is lacklustre, dotted in sick puddles and bereft. Just bereft. Yesterday was the official most depressing day of the year. Shoreditch is hungover, and it hasn't slept since Saturday. Last night's broken car windows have lost their diamond shimmer. Queen Victoria sits on a policeman's face in Hackney Road committed to canvas by last decade's next big thing.

The asymmetric fashion clones cling to Shoreditch High Street like maudlin limpets with heavy fringes. They are knock-off pirate boots and mock depression, each trying to anti-fashion the others to shame. Faux-Westwood ideologies swathed in black- on-black layers. They haven't slept since Saturday, and they wish, they really wished they were anywhere else. They wish they understood Huxley. But photographing stranger's outfits for an anti-fashion blog with have to do. The pretty one is golden-bored, she makes the others puke inside, hating their own gaudy joie-de vive. They try to match her sublime ennui but Bethnal Green Road sneers back. It is useless.

Shoreditch High Street is shit for prams. No make-up, bad hair-day. E1mum is stressed out and sweaty. One of the clones snorts a half-laugh at her Ugg Boots. Fuck them. LO hasn't slept for days and HD is sleeping in the other room. Probably the change of routine has messed DD up. Does anyone have the answer? FYI Not slept since saturday LOL. It's a mare.

Doodle-Bug Boy thinks it's nineteen forty -fucking-five. He is tweed, is spats, is high waisted ebay trousers and a leather satchel. Wavering down Charlotte street in a ribbon of contrived fluidity he fancies he's being louche. A dirty-stop-out on a Tuesday morning. He hasn't slept since Saturday. How decadent! At the crossing E1 mum catches him looking at his i-phone. His Blitz cover is momentarily blown. He replaces it, pocket-watch-smart, in the breast of his original British Army Despatch Riders Coat. He'll be spinning shellac tonight in Hoxton Square. Ducky.

Fashion man is long-gone-forty, and ketamin is keeping him alive. He once invented some really hot trainers for Nike, but now he's flying solo. Clingers and waddya-dos hang to the outside of his shop pretending they can afford stuff, pretending they can help out at the next runway show. He taxes fags off them, and then breaks eye contact . He talks to Boy George on the phone until they piss off looking neutered. He hasn't slept since Saturday, it's the only fucking way to work.

There's a vase of water in reception at the design agency. It's all about going back to basics. Reception girl clatters back to her desk in important heels. She hasn't slept since Saturday. Who says there's a law saying you have to have flowers in a vase? You've got to think outside the box. It's all about reinventing perception.

Shoreditch is hungover, and it hasn't slept since Saturday. Today I hate Shoreditch.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T02:05:00.000-08:00

I'm finally resurfacing from the heap of mince pie tins, and it's already January the 4th! How did that happen? Happy New Year!

EDITOR NEEDED

2009-11-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

My latest short (working titled The Dangers of Damp), stars Willy Mason, Sam Mason and Sofi Thanhauser. We are looking for an editor to help us complete the film. Please get in touch via ali.taylor@academyfilms.com if you can help! Thanks!

Director/ Producer Ali Taylor, Production and Post Sam Mason, DOP Whitney Lasker.
Main Cast: Sam Mason, Willy Mason, Lexie Roth, Meredith Sheldon and Sofi Thanhauser

Baby I'm Back!

2009-11-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged for ages. A few people have been asking about the blog recently, which came as a surprise because you sometimes feel like you're just talking to thin air. I've been rather busy. This picture taken in September shows what all the full has been about.

She's called Iris, she's two months old now, and she's rather fantastic.

Rose Elinor Dougall Video

2009-07-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

Shot at Benacre beach near Lowerstoft, this video was a test of Rose and her band's mettle. Suffolk beaches in May are not renown for being warm, and it was to the band's credit that they actually went ahead with a script that had seemed like a good idea two weeks earlier in a Brick Lane pub.

Rose, of former Pipettes fame, was gorgeous and sultry as ever, and DOP Lester De Havilland did an exquisite job on the cinematography. (Sadly almost entirely lost on Youtube.)

I'm also grateful to Trim editing for doing such a lot of work on this. I'm really happy with it.

Martha's Vineyard

2009-04-24T08:21:00.001-07:00

Martha's Vineyard isn't a grape growing winery owned by a cuddly old lady called Martha, it's a small island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, inhabited by a fascinating mixture of artists, musician, hippies, fishermen, gardeners and celebrities. The geek in me notes that it's also one of the few places in the world that has a possessive apostrophe in it's name. Apparently there are only 5 places which do in the USA, and in the UK we have Bishop's Castle, Bishop's Stortford and King's Lynn according to Wikipedia. I can't think of any more. Anyway, the island is known as a summer colony, meaning that it's economy is mainly driven by the summer tourist trade, and winters are quiet.

You can find out more about the island here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha's_Vineyard

I spent 3 weeks there in springtime, before the tourist trade kicked off, and had an excellent time staying with friends Mara Carlyle and Sam Mason in Menemsha, a small fishing village to the North West. Sam is a native Vinyarder so I had the opportunity to see how life works on a day to day basis. It seems that the average long term resident is much poorer than the celebs and holiday makers that swamp the place in the summer. The young folk all seem to work as gardeners or baristas, as well as being in really brilliant bands, or creating art. In fact just about every person you meet is a talented musician; Sam is a great drummer, and often plays with his brother Willy Mason. Their friends Lexie Roth, Meredith Sheldon and Sofi Thanhauser are all incredible musicians in very different ways, not to mention visiting songstress Mara, who's talent on legs.

The island is a very inspiring place to write and relax, which was my intention when I went there to recharge the creative portion of my brain following hectic wedding plans and a busy patch of video making. Little did I know I'd end up rising to a bigger creative challenge set by Sam as he left for his gardening job one morning. "If you write a film script by the time I get back from work, we'll make a movie" he said. So that's what I did. "The Dangers of Damp" was written in a day and shot by Whit Lasker, Sam and I over the following week on Whit's Canon D5 digital SLR camera. It stars all of the aforementioned musicians (Willy Mason, Sofi Thannhauser et al) as various characters and will hopefully feature music some of their music too. Several pick-up shots were also filmed in June by Whit and Sam, with me directing from London. More to follow about that soon in another post.

In the meantime check out some of my favorite things about Marath's Vineyard.

Manemsha Fish Market- We ate lot of fish from here. The service is fantastic and the lobster is out of this world. You can even buy a baby Menemsha Fish Market T-shirt on their website, which has got to be a great thing. Right?
http://www.menemshafishmarket.net/

Sofi Thanhauser- A brilliant songwriter and performer. She has fantastic presence live and gives a great performance as Victoria Van Der Hope a leggless spinster in "The Dangers of Damp" which I'm currently editing.
http://www.myspace.com/sofithanhauser

The Dumptique- Dumptique doesn't have a website, but then it doesn't need one. This is a FREE thrift store at West Tisbury Dump, and it's the ultimate in recycling, cutting out the boredom and expense of ebay. You can bring stuff you don't want andtake anything you want. The qualiy of things here is surprisingly high, much better than the average British Charlity shop. This is probably because the turnaround is faster, well off residents regularly dump stuff and most people don't bring in crap. They accept- Clothing, clean and usable, shoes and boots, Books, Toys, Small household Items - NO furniture or appliances are accepted.

Che's Lounge- The place to hang out for music, culture and homemade magic. Just the posters for the gigs here are an artistic feat worth seeing. I've sent them a request to put them up on their facebook page, which they may be too busy to do....It's BYOB as the town is dry.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vineyard-Haven-MA/Ches-Lounge/23651653209

West Tisbury Farmers Market- The store to buy all your fresh friut and veg in. And they do really nice hummus, olives and decent bread. Actually that's one of my only winges about America, it's often hard to get nice bread. But that's not a problem here, and it's actually cheaper that Cronigs (big supermarket chain) for a lot of stuff.
http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farmersmarkets_details.php?market=158

YO MAJESTY VIDEO

2009-04-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged! But I have been busy, honest!

Here's my latest video for the MAGNIFICENT American band Yo Majesty and their dancy number "Don't Let Go."

VIDEO LINK ( click on the video to make it bigger)
http://www.academyfilms.com/flash/#/academy/music_videos/ali_taylor/yo_majesty_dont_let_go

Dubbed one of the 25 most exciting bands in America by the NME 2008, Yo Maj, as the crew and I like to affectionately call them, are a force to be reckoned with. A lesbian, Christian rap band from Florida, I like them because they do what they love, and they don't give a Goddamn what anyone else thinks about it.
This is their myspace page for those in doubt: http://www.myspace.com/yomajesty4life

The video was shot, without the band, in various locations around London using an all female cast and crew, and focuses on real people out on a Saturday afternoon. We filmed in places where ordinary women typically go: nail bars, hairdressers, a yoga class, a wedding shop and a women's art class. Although it was made on a shoes-string budget, it's been the video most representative of me as a director so far. It allowed me to shoot loads of things I've been dying to do for ages; nudity, latex, big bums, women having a laugh, Hackney streets, and for vanity's sake, a director cameo role. It's sort of rude in an innocent way.

Credits
Producer- Liz Kessler
Production Company- Academy Films
DOP- Cathrine Derry
Editor- Darren Baldwin
Starring- Connee D as Latex LAdy

While shooting Yo Maj's video I also came across Bastard Batty Bass. It's rather good if you like that sort of thing. And I do.
http://www.battybass.com/

I'm off to Martha's Vineyard next week to write and ponder the meaning of the ukele, trees and the sea. While I'm gone check out Mara Carlyle: http://www.maracarlyle.com/

I hope Mr Dan decides to come too.

BANG ON TREND?

2009-01-20T05:28:00.000-08:00

I'm bored of reading about what's going to be "bang on trend" in 2009. As if that means anything anyway. It strikes me that if a fashion, style, colour, religion, diet, hat, lipstick, car etc is "bang on trend" today it's likely to be bang off trend tomorrow. Which leads me to the conclusion that the phrase is nothing more than transparent corporate clap trap meaning "buy more stuff today, throw it away tomorrow".

So here are some things to be celebrated that are in no way bang on trend, and can't be bought anyway.

An old man's tattoo. I like this. I think it's the best tattoo I've ever seen.

Lilja Hrönn Helgadóttir's face. Lilja is not a movie star or a supermodel. She's a woman in Iceland. She doesn't have an album out or a line in Topshop, and she's not a "celebrity". She just has a great face.

Gustave Doré's "London" engravings might have been bang on trend in 1876. You can buy a book of them if you like. But I imagine the originals are too expensive to be a viable trend.

That's all.

How to Be a HAPPY New Music Video Director

2008-12-20T08:25:00.000-08:00

There's no right way to be a music video director. But in my first year and a half of doing this crazy thing I've learned to be a happy one. Like this....

GO EASY ON YOURSELF
Despite the gaps between jobs and the incredible perk of being master of your own time, you work extremely hard when a job is on. You pour your heart, soul, and often your fee, into every job you do. You've managed to carve out your little corner in a dog-eat-dog industry. Give yourself a high five and a little sweetie for being fabulous.

BE HUMBLE
I know what I just said..but..you aren't saving lives. And nobody wants to hear about the famous person you met the other day or your agent in LA. When someone asks what you've been up to, don't say "Hangin with Dizzee in Shoreditch House” or "Living it up Groucho-side with Robbie", just say "Oh you know, writing, thinking, shooting, the usual."

TAKE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM (BUT DON'T ALWAYS BELIEVE IT)
One of the hardest things about your job will be deciding who to take criticism from, who to ignore, and who to mentally note as weirdo. As a general rule stick to what you know to be good about your work. Listen to advice from those you respect or people who've got a lot of experience. But remember, it's up to you what you do with that advice; you don't have to actually TAKE it. Learn to be a diplomat.

TRUST IS THE KEY
Trust the artist/ band/ comissioner, and earn their trust back. They probably know who they are and what they want. They may need a bit of guidance and some spandex to really shine though.

DON'T LET NEGATIVE COMMENTS GET YOU DOWN
For every 100 people who like a video you've made, a handful will hate it, with a passion, and they will be the most vocal. If someone makes a negative comment on Youtube about your work DO NOT PANIC! Especially if it looks something like this "Bruv dis vid is lame. wot da fuk is dat abot man?" or "Fail'. Under no circumstances should you ever post your own work on the website Antville. This is where the has-beens and never-weres of the promo fringe spend their hours i-winging and e-moaning. Emo at best, misanthropic at worst, these squawkers use jargon like "nice defoc shot but generally weak cut and concept" or "I would have dispensed with the slow mo and...bla bla". Don’t go there. I used to look at it and get wound up but I've seen the light. There are WAY better places to look at vids or upload your stuff, minus Cyber Meldrew.

WATCH STUFF
Some ace sites, with a less poisonous rantings are:
NOT FAT CLIPS- Which is great for animation, music videos and shorts.
http://dekku.blogspot.com/

YOUTUBE- Obviously as long as you ignore 'wot da fuk " man.
http://www.youtube.com/

PROMO NEWS- Some Antville gumpsters do go on here, but generally it's a nicer feel.
http://www.promonews.tv/
I particularly like Sarah Chatfield's (or Chatters) x-mas video Mixtape. Sarah ( at Colonel Blimp)is one of the many directors who manages to be lovely and very good at what she does. Big up her.
http://www.promonews.tv/2008/12/19/video-mixtape-by-sarah-chatfield/

Keep looking on people’s blogs where a lot of fun stuff turns up. Company websites are good for up to date video news: Colonel Blimp, Bikini, Academy, Partizan, Factory Films, Blink, and Independent. Mr and Mrs Smith, Studio AKA and Annex Films for animation. Get Googling.

HAVE A SECOND INCOME WHEN YOU START
This could be in the form of a Sugar-Daddy (Not really) , work in commercials, a job in the pub, a double life as a ship's doctor (I know people with most of the above, even the doctor), or a contract as a spy (I made this one up). In any case, it will raise your bank balance, feed your self esteem and enable you to have more time off, getting inspired, doing vanity projects for your mate's band and hanging out with Dizzee in Shoreditch House.

GO TO THE AWARDS
But don't be gutted if you don't win. If you are really gutted do it in STYLE. Storm out shouting "I've been robbed!!"

DEVELOP PITCH BOUNCEBACKABILITY
Don't be too upset when you don't win a pitch. It's so competitive that there's probably 10 other directors pitching too. Also don't sit around waiting for an answer. It's better to get on with something else. Often commissioners and producers get so busy once a job is confirmed that they simply don't have the time to ring up all people who didn't get the job. Having said that, there's a little handful of lovely commissioners who DO call up. May their bottoms be gilded in gold and their cockles be warmed in perpetuity.

BUILD A GREAT TEAM
And cherish them. Sounds cheesy but I wouldn't be able to do what I do without the lovely people I work with. DOP's like Stuart Bentley and Ben Moulden have been great. Trim Editing and Academy films make a lot of things possible for me.

DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY
...In the words of Bobby Mcferrin form the 80s.

I leave you with this strange thing...

FUNNY FRANZ FERDINAND VIDEO

2008-12-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

Sadly this video wasn't shot by me. It was made by Mr Dan's daughter Sadie. Very funny and cute.

If that didn't make you smile then bah humbug.

A CHILD OF THE JAGO

2008-12-09T01:15:00.001-08:00

I'm forever banging on about how good this shop below my studio on Great Eastern Street is, and here I go now on my blog. A Child of The Jago is the brainchild of Joe Corre of Agent Provocateur and Barnzley Armitage of..a lot of fashion moments. It's a modern take on Turn of The Century mens clothing, inspired by, and centered around Hogarth's "Gin Lane", which glares out at you in neon colours from the back wall.

(To the lady who took the photo above, I took the liberty of using it. As I'm IN it talking to Dave.)

The reason I like this shop has nothing to do with who came up with the idea or how supposedly cool it all is. What I love about this place is the fact that it invites you into a world. It's an open invitation to another time, a parallel dimension where punks, pirates, gin hags and teddy boys coexist in a post apocalyptic dream world. Nowt wrong with that. What I also like about this shop, apart from the great decor, which I had a little bit of a hand in by the way, is the fact that the staff are so bloody brilliant. Forget about that snotty fashionista attitude crap you get in some places were you can't touch anything, let alone afford it. These guys are sitting in London's craziest dressing up box and they WANT you to get involved. They don't really give a shit if you aren't buying it, they are passionate about clobber. There's an inspired mix of vintage stuff and new designs ranging from hoodies to frock coats and original "Let It Rock" ties from Vivienne Westwood's original pre- Sex shop. And what's more I have to say that most of this stuff looks just as great on women as it does on men. When my website launches soon (www.alitaylor.tv) you'll be able to see some of their hats and ties on my models in my "director's lookbook". I certainly intend to use some of this stuff in a music video or two.

Here's a drawing inspired by the hats.

They are having a late night shopping and gin party on Thursday 11th Dec. So I suggest you get in there, get involved and dress the hell up. The new magazine "The Daily Terror" is also being launched.

WEBSITE: The website has a great jukebox thing on it.

http://www.achildofthejago.com/

ART BY SAM ARTHUR

2008-12-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

Check out Sam Arthur' s Prints. They'd make good Christmas presents.
http://nobrow-prints.blogspot.com/

Heard it All Before- Emiliana Torrini - CLIP

2008-12-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

This is for you Emiliana. Thank you for the music. Have fun in Iceland. When you get back you can have a proper DVD. xx Ali

Video:
Director - Ali Taylor
Editor and 1st AD - Julia Knight
Producer and Head of Weird Girls: Kitty Von Sometime
Cameraman - Kristjan Zaklynsky
Actress taking off makeup- Sophie Woolley
Makeup - Helga Sjöfn Kjartansdóttir
Lighting - Asgrimur Gudbjartsson
Head Runner - Fríða Einarsdóttir
Catering - Sigríður Elva Vilhjálmsdóttir

The track "Heard it All Before' comes from Emiliana Torrini's new album "Me and Armini" and was written by Emiliana and Dan Carey. The film was made in Iceland using ordinary girls from Kitty Von- Sometime's Weird Girls Project as the mermaids. None of them knew what they would be doing on the day. Actress Sophie Woolley features on the left, shot in the UK. It's been a lot of fun for me as I've worked with Emiliana's music before on the Sunnyroad video. This time it was a totally different process, more of an art film and involving a lot more people.
(Anyone who hasn't seen Sunnyroad can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyuL1z2tejs )

If you'd like to see the Weird Girls web page and another version of the movie, AND their amazing photos, follow this link to Kitty Von-Sometime's brilliant page : http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Weird-Girls-Project/25236661638?ref=ts

Nevio Pellicci- clip

2008-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

A short clip of a much loved man at work. I was always amazed at how humble Mr Pellicci was about the cafe considering it's history and success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFUVWGHdWZs

Nevio Pellicci 1925-2008

2008-11-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

I'm very sad to say that a good friend has passed away. Nevio Pellicci, owner of E Pellicci, or "Pellicci's Caf" in Bethnal Green, was a dear friend to me and countless others. Nevio, Neville or Nev Snr. to regulars, was one of the warmest, most dignified people I have ever met and owner of one of the East end's finest family businesses. He was one of those ageless people who's energy and joie de vivre transcended his years. Right now it sounds so odd talking about him in the past tense because he’s always been such a big part of my every day life and my positive outlook on the area I live in. I’ll really miss Nevio and I know many others will too.

I hope a little bit of his sparkle continues to live on through the cafe and his wonderful family who will no doubt keep it going. I wish them a lot of love.

MIXTAPE- Portable DJ Mixer

2008-11-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

Urban Outfitters in the US are selling a portable cross fader IN THE SHAPE OF A MIX TAPE!!!!

Although I'm not usually a gadget person, and I don't like using my blog to advertise stuff, (apart from me) I think this is ace. Unfortunately it only seems to be available online, and postage to the UK at $51 seems excessive for something that only costs $30. Urban Outfitters UK are really missing a trick because I'm sure this would be REALLY popular at Christmas.

I might get in touch with New York friends though...Perhaps I could use this as a tool in my project with Mr Dan. (Dan and I are swapping roles with him doing visuals and me doing music on a strange music video, or should that be a video-music? )

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&isProduct=true&id=15633324

INSPIRED

2008-11-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling quite inspired by all the art I've been looking at recently and am about to start working towards an exhibition of my own. Here are a few pieces I've done in the past. I call these "Tarts". They were inspired by Hogarth's visions of London and my own imaginary London, which sinks slowly into the encroaching Thames like a dystopian Venice. I'm hoping to develop the theme further and to bring some of my own experiences into the mix for an exhibition next year.

I was really touched by Adam Neate's gesture of sharing his art with London for free. I'm disappointed by people selling it on Ebay though.

If you are interested in art AND tarts, have a look at ART TART. The tartiest artiest tart around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXfGR4A7310

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7kLRzJWPV8&feature=related

SHUBY- STREET ART

2008-11-22T10:19:00.001-08:00

If you live in or around Shoreditch you might have noticed the work of Shuby on Commerial Street.

She's also just designed this album cover for Rough Trade Records. I think she's rather good. And I know a seceret about Shuby too...

http://www.shuby.co.uk

RCA SECRET- WHICH ONES? WHICH ONES?

2008-11-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

Being dedicated, but not too dedicated (like the campers who've been there since wednesday, and scare me frankly), I started queuing early for my secret RCA cards. By 5:30am the queue already stretched right around the RCA building, down the side of the Albert Hall, into the small mews behind the college, round the courtyard, down a dead end alley and back out into the courtyard. People were armed with hot flasks and high spirits. It was good fun. Watch out for my queue-film coming to youtube near you.

I had a shortlist of about 90 of the 2, 700, that I genuinely liked. Narrowing that down even further, there were 20 that I especially liked. I'm happy to say that all the ones I got were in my top 10. Here they are.

..So I'm pretty happy with that. They'll look great framed as a set. Perhaps I'll go every year and build up a collection...

And who are they by? Well, that's a secret.

SECRET ROYAL COLLAGE OF ART SECRET THING

2008-11-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow 2,700 postcard sized works of art go on sale at the RCA. The idea is that for £40 you could buy a Tracy Emin, Paula Rago or unknown RCA student. It's quite democratic really. There's also a raffle to win a place as one of the first 50 to take their pick. The exhibition has been open all week but there may be 100 other people who fancy the same piece as you, and it's first come first served tomorrow morning, It's limited to 4 pieces per person.

Here's some of my favorites as well as a picture of the tents that have been here since Wednesday. Spitefully I wish these tent people no luck because I suspect they are after the Emins and are missing the point somewhat. Maybe that's mean but I reckon this is about questioning the relationship between art and commerce, not being a slave to it.

I'll be down there tomorrow hoping to get a few that I like.

http://www.rca.ac.uk/secret

LANGUAGE- We are Here - VIDEO

2008-11-20T04:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to "We are Here " a video I made for Language.

NEATE IDEA

2008-11-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Adam Neate,

I hope you are well. You must be knackered after making 1000 pieces of art and leaving them all over London on Friday night. Just letting you know that I didn't find any, you must have forgotten to put one in my street, but I had lots of fun looking anyway. So thanks.

And just so you know, I made a proper effort and wasn't being slack or anything. I've compiled a little list of the places I looked, with some help from Charlie and our friend Neil who was round for dinner.

We synchronized watches at about 11pm, as soon as we'd finished our apple pie, which was really nice by the way. We then headed out to claim our prizes. We decided to stick to the East End, take a punt and commit so that we could be thorough. With Charlie on foot and Neil and I on bikes, just in case there was no art on the doorstep, we set out, zigzagging down streets and alleys, splitting up, regrouping, looking behind bins, falling in skips and that sort of thing. It was fun being on a mission, being special, feeling like the chosen ones, being part of art history and stuff.

To start off with I covered Back Church Lane, Boyd Street, Henriques Street (formerly Berner Street, the site of the murder of Jack the Ripper's third victim, Long Liz Stride). Next I did Ellen Street and Alie Street while the boys did Commercial Road. This was once considered a respectable area inhabited by tailors, shoemakers and dockworkers. I searched a strangely unlocked building site at Aldgate East before we regrouped at Whitechapel High Street and headed for the city, starting with Liverpool Street, via Petticoat Lane, down tiny back alleys. Neil did a couple of circuits of Liverpool Street with a Star Wars look on his face. I can't really describe exactly what this looks like but it's something like pure excitement in facial form and has a lot to do with being a chosen one. Next Charlie and I headed for Leadenhall Market, which we searched thoroughly while Neil cycled to Borough Market on the other side of the Thames (well worth a visit on Saturdays for food shopping). We regrouped outside The Bank of England (The BANK OF ENGLAND, topical, big. Common Adam Neate, this is a good spot!) Next we headed down Cheapside, taking in Saint Mary Le Bow Church, the bells of which you must be born within earshot of to be a true Cockney, on our way to the very impressive St Pauls Cathedral, one of London's most visited landmarks. Apparently Adolf Hitler once decreed a penalty of death for any German bomber accidentally flattening the place. Fortunately it remained in tact; unfortunately we didn't find your art there. Never mind, Amen Court soon cheered us up, a magical Dickensian U shaped close just off Warwick Lane. Apparently its late seventeenth century and once housed the canons of St Paul's cathedral. It looks the way London looks in films starring Hugh Grant, but without the inconvenience of Hugh Grant. Going up Newgate Street, where the Western gate of the City of London once stood, and gates are thought to have been erected since as early as AD 875, we passed the Law Courts where I once did jury service on a murder trial, and many a vagabond of yore has been imprisoned awaiting execution. Undaunted, we pressed on to Smithfield Market where we learned that 18th century men once sold their unwanted wives alongside their usual produce. We had a quick peek in the churchyard of Saint Bartholomew the Great, which dates back to 1123 and overlooks some rare Tudor architecture at the back of fancy restaurant Club Garston. We thought this would have been a romantic place to put some art. We also noted that the queue outside Fabric was massive and wondered if those people had already found their art. We then made our way to Old Street, via Whitecross Street, where the master picture framer Anthony Guest does his work for The National Gallery and other important places. Taking the back streets we bypassed Old Street Station, where, if you get on the Northern line to Angel, and the light is right, you can sometimes see the disused City Road Tube station. We didn't do that though as were on a mission, which took us up Leonard Street, where the Dragon Bar was slain before it moved to Kingsland High Street, and where a Banksy once sat unsold on the wall for ages, allegedly. In Great Eastern Street we had a look outside A Child of the Jago, Joe Corre and Barnzley Armitage's inspired new menswear shop that I helped to decorate with Robert Pinoch, a modern day marvel of a man. There was no art here apart from the tailored creations, and the shop sign secretly created by Ben Eine, who's signature you can spot if you look ever so carefully. We had a look in Holywell Lane outside my studio at Village Underground, aka those studios on a roof in Shoreditch. Waning a bit, at nearly 2am, we left Neil at Fournier Street where houses that date from the 1720's survived the Blitz and Gilbert and George can be seen daily swanning about being odd and friendly. We said our goodbyes and Neil cycled off undeterred down Brick Lane towards Bethnal Green and Weavers Fields where he lives. We moseyed on home down Commercial Street feeling like we'd had quite a nice time and not minding too much that we didn't find the treasure.

Anyway, sorry to go on and on Adam Neate, but as you can see we did our best. We enjoyed the hunt. We were lovers, were were fighters, we were heros. Hopefully next time you'll take that into consideration. No pressure. Just have a nice time making some more pictures.

Love Ali, Charlie and Neil.

LADYHAWKE- Live at The Coronet

2008-11-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

Ladyhawke at the Coronet was really good last night. For me it was the highlight of a fun but otherwise average Antipodean night "Neverever Land" that's currently traveling the globe. I get the feeling Pip Brown is a bit overwhelmed by all the attention, but somehow that very fact gives her credibility. She's got a great mixture of effortless style, passion and an endearing awkwardness that makes her all the more likable and watchable. Her stage persona gives you the feeling she'd be doing her thing anyway, even if she were playing a bar in front of 20 people.

The sound is big and poppy, but there's something quite inspiring about it. I don't know why, but it's the kind of music that makes me see pictures; landscapes, animals, giant sea horses, flights through storm clouds on the back of something big... Love it.

ARE PRESIDENTS GOOD BADDIES?

2008-11-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

The world as I know it breathed a sign of relief today with the election of Barack Obama as President of the USA. I must say I feel it's the best possible ending to the strange, borderline absurdist soap opera that's been centre stage for so long now. To be honest it baffles me that some of the characters (I mean candidates) are actually real people rather than the figment of a writer's imagination. But there's nowt as queer as folk I suppose.

What strikes me about Obama is that he comes across as a good guy. Don't worry, I'm not under the illusion that I'm making a really new point here. Bear with me. I'm aware that Obama's gift for strong reassuring rhetoric and his apparently warm character are a draw to millions of people all over the world. He's even quite good when he's being cheesy because he retains a credible dignity. But I'm not here to talk about how great it is that Obama is president. I want to talk about goodies and baddies. In my memory American Presidents have always been... baddies.... There.... I've said it. Obama is the first "goodie" American president I've ever been aware of.

From an early age vilifying US premiers has been child's play. If you think about the presidents my generation have been exposed to and the media that we consumed it's easy to see why. It all started with Regan. I was born in late 1978, so Jimmy Carter passed me by completely. Ronald Regan came to power when I was 3 years old. I didn't even know what a president was, much less care. I was far to busy thinking the world revolved around me. By the time I was 6 years old though I'd been watching Spitting Image videos with my parents. I loved the silly voices and mindless violence but didn't much like the horrible big nosed baddie Regan man. My resolution that Regan was a villain was compounded by the fact that Spitting Image often portrayed him with Thatcher, sometimes kissing her, which obviously meant that she was his wife. And I knew SHE was a baddie because I'd been told so by my Mum. Maggie Thatcher according to Mum was "not a nice lady" and according to Dad she was a word I'd never even heard before.

George HW Bush was a baddie because my English teacher said so and he knew everything. I was in my early teens and politicians, maths teachers, capitalists and meat eaters were all fair game. Bush looked like all of those things to me. He was also up for something called "THE NEW WORLD ORDER" which didn't appeal to me at all so he was definitely a good baddie. Come to think of it, I might have been onto something. This clip from the famous New World Order speech in 1990 is straight out of James Bond. Just look how it zooms slowly into his face as he talks. Scary. Very scary.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iylJ2zBGUZY&feature=related

By the time Clinton came to power I was 15. He seemed like a nice guy at first, but being 15 years old gives you license to dislike people for no reason whatsoever. So I did. By the time the Lewinski Scandal occurred I was 20 and as deeply conservative as I think I've ever been in my life. Endless TV coverage aired the dirty laundry and publicly scrutinised Clinton's morals. Whereas, I now see the odd stained dress as just one of life's occupational hazards (more or less depending on what your occupation is), at the age of 20 I was appalled, shocked, outraged. I was a feminist after all. Obviously. Yes Clinton was a baddie too, a very good baddie because he'd first pretended to be a goodie. And as everyone knows, this is classic villainous behaviour.

George W Bush....I don't think there's any need for me to go into this one. Just replace "NEW WORLD ORDER" with "WAR ON TERROR" and my preteen perspective with the realisation that "Yes, it really, really is very scary, even now I'm a grown up."

So as Obama becomes President, people all over the world rejoice for their various reasons, Paxman inexplicably interviews Dizzee Rascal, hundred year old ladies who remember Rosa Parks go on TV, and I'm just glad there's a goodie in this story.

COMRADE OR CAPITALIST?

2008-11-01T10:42:00.001-07:00

I didn't think it would be worth having a 30th birthday bash unless it was done in style. These days, what we lack in the ability to stay awake for days on end, fueled by cheap alcohol and excitement, we make up for in sheer fabulousness (and the luxury of being able to afford a bottle of wine over the £2.99 mark.) That said, the world is apparently falling apart at the seams out there and one needs to be prudent. Gone are the days when inviting all your mates to a cocktail bar, where they will ultimately end up buying hundred quid rounds and starving for a week to compensate, is welcomed as a good idea. Come to think of it, it was always a crap idea and probably won't be missed anyway.

I must admit my inner socialist is loving every minute of this apparent financial and ideological shake up. I'll go into why as soon as I finish reading Das Kapital on my big leather sofa with a glass of champagne.. Anyway, I thought an old style house party was the appropriate thing to do under the circumstances. My friends are a creative bunch so I decided to go with the theme "Comrade or Capitalist" and leave the rest up to them. I wasn't disappointed.

Here a real life painter Emma, or should I say Frida, shows her solidarity with our communist brothers and sisters. I pose with her as a rather tarty "Russian Proletariat"

Above Trotsky (aka Becca) pretends not to be eyeing up Frida's impressive painted plaster cast bodice. We all know what you are thinking Trotsky. Below the plaster cast bodice in its full hand painted glory. The artist spent most of the afternoon on her fabulous masterpiece.

This dashing chap above known as "Dave" has not let the irony of the theme pass him by. No, he has harnessed it to good effect with an outfit I call "Capitalising on Communism." I'm not sure what he calls it but I like it. I wish to thank Dave for this wry axiom and for being the first person to arrive and last person to leave the party. Well done Comrade.

This is Comrade Trotsky again above. I was VERY impressed with this look. Especially the moustache. Below this Oil Man, known to other capitalists as Charlie, shows off his facial hair. Yours may be more expensive but Trotsky's is bigger Dear Comrade.

Below Che Guevara (aka Luca) shows his communist colours with a proud smile. He's been eyeing up the table football and fancies challenging the capitalists to a match.

Ms Kahlo continues to look fabulous throughout the night and appears to be enjoying her white russian cocktail. (vodka, kahlua, milk on ice.) She even queues patiently for bread and makes no mention of her paintings or injuries all evening. At one point I see her chatting happily to a pair of hanged bankers and a lady wearing a $2800 price tag on her clothes.

According to Marx, capitalism will inevitably lead to disaster when capital is centralised in large corporations, eventually causing the demise of the middle classes. In other words "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." I'm not sure about the demise of the middle classes but this fine fellow below, known as "Rich" (!) to his friends, arrived with a dapper entourage of free market ideologists all bearing chilled champagne.

Contrary to the stereotype of the miserly capitalist these real life bankers were very generous with the fizzy stuff. They could be seen openly mixing with communists and even offering them a "top up."

On the table footy however communism and capitalism battle it out tooth and nail.

As the evening evolved I began to discover more about various comrades. One ally, known variously as W.I.Z, Andrew or Johnny, if you please, had grown his facial hair to a precise communist length and wore genuine Spanish period clothing. The result, as ever, was rather fetching and divine.

At one point Comrade Dave was photographing comrade Wiz photographing me. It was very postmodern but not at all bourgeois bohemian.

Above this Sister of Socialism Mita De takes the theme to its abstract and thoughtful conclusion with her "worker bee" interpretation. Top marks for thinking outside the box Comrade.

A lady of untold beauty known as Constance, who has appeared in some of my films, shows a remarkable socialist profile.

Meanwhile, determined to attract the attention of the Oil Man, I transform myself into GOLD for the latter half of the soiree. There's nothing like the power of pure ore to grab a prospector's interest.

As you can see this works a treat and the Oil Man is lost for words.

All in all the night was a success. Thanks to all Comrades and Capitalists who came, dressed up, dressed down, poured top ups, created a scene and generally made it so much fun. More pictures to follow on flickr soon. Feel free to send me pics too if you have some.

MOSCOW MULE

2 oz vodka
2 oz lime juice
8 oz ginger ale

Mix ingredients in a highball glass with ice.

WHITE RUSSIAN
2 oz vodka
1 oz coffee liqueur
milk (or cream if you are a capitalist)

Pour vodka and coffee liqueur over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass. Fill with milk or light cream and serve.

CRUELTY TO MERMAIDS

2008-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of positive feedback about my involvement in the Weird Girls Project. I'm editing the video right now with Julia Knight at Trim. However I must admit there's been a surprising number of "concerned" emails about the health and well being of the girls. Specifically people in the UK and USA have been worried about my immense cruelty at putting 16 girls in a pool when Iceland's autumn temperatures were dipping to -2 °C. I can see why people might worry ; There I am wrapped up like a Siberian explorer, yelling into a megaphone while the girls, clad in spandex, are making flower formations in the apparently freezing cold pool.

However if appearances can be deceiving double that on film shoots and multiply it by the square root of 100 in Iceland. Icelandic people, by the way, have made no such appeals for the prevention of cruelty to mermaids. As they all know geothermal heat has been used by people since time began. And Iceland happens to be a hot-bed (sorry) of geothermal activity, being situated on the mid-ocean ridge of the Atlantic Ocean where tectonic plates meet and magma reaches the sea floor. The water at Sundlaugin Laugaskarð pool is naturally between around 35 and 40 °C. The girls were mainly complaining of being to hot!

WEIRD GIRLS SHOOT BEHIND THE SCENES
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kittyvonsometime/sets/72157608316502781/

GEOTHERMAL HEAT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heating
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_Iceland

Sundlaugin Laugaskarð pool
http://www.infoiceland.is/infoiceland/vorur/Default.asp?ew_0_cat_id=3241&ew_0_p_id=5925127

THE BLUE LAGOON- THE ULTIMATE GEOTHERMAL EQPERIENCE
http://www.bluelagoon.com/

SOME WEIRD GIRLS PICTURES FROM SHOOT with EMILIANA TORRINI SONG

2008-10-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm over the moon about how The Weird Girls Project photos have turned out. This photo shoot was done alongside the filming of the video, which uses "Heard it All Before" by Emiliana Torrini as the soundtrack. There was also a documentary shot on the day. You can see how the project has developed from September to the present day, including Emiliana's reactions to the shoot, Perez Hilton's love of her music and info about the shoot day, by following the blog below.

This is me being a director. This is a standard look in the trade. The megaphone is a recent addition to my ensemble. It works so I'm sticking to it.

Some of my girls being fabulous.

If you'd like to see the full collection of official photos, taken by Hörður Ellert Ólafsson follow this link to producer and artist Kitty-Von -Sometime's flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kittyvonsometime/sets/72157608316585383/

The video, which I directed in Iceland earlier this month, is currently being edited at Trim in London and will be out very soon on this blog. I'll be keeping Perez Hilton informed too because he's a big fan of Emiliana. Aren't we all!

WATCH THIS SPACE PEREZ HILTON

2008-10-21T04:28:00.000-07:00

Apparently Perez Hilton is a big fan of Emiliana Torrini, having recently sited her video for "Big Jumps" as a favorite and described her as the "perfect successor to Feist". I recently emailed him just to let him know that we are currently editing "The Weird Girls Project" film using "Heard it All Before". He must be looking forward to seeing it as he replied that the whole thing was "Fab!"

Oooohhh...Watch this space Perez.

EMILIANA IS EXCITED ABOUT NEW FILM

2008-10-16T02:04:00.000-07:00

When Emiliana saw photos from on set at the Weird Girls Episode 6 shoot she was very positive. In fact her reaction was; "Wooooooobeeedooobeee!" which sounds like excitement to me. She's the first person, apart from the crew and the 16 Weird Girls who performed, to have seen anything from the top secret shoot. (That's right even Perez hasn't sen a thing yet. No preferential treatment here people.)

We are currently editing the rushes into a film using her track "Heard it All before" from "Me and Armini" as the soundtrack.

Follow the progress of the production on this blog from Sept 24th 2008, when it all started, until the film comes out. The very first online link will be here.

Here's a teaser pic...to tease you with....

MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS RESULTS

2008-10-15T04:12:00.000-07:00

You can see the results of the MVA Awards hosted by Adam Buxton here.
http:://www.promonews.tv/2008/10/14/uk-music-video-awards-2008-all-the-winners/

It was nice to see everyone, although a little cloud of sadness hung in the air with the sad news of Gideon. (See blog two down.)

EMILIANA + THE WEIRD GIRLS + DAN CAREY= HAPPY THINGS

2008-10-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

I 'm counting my lucky stars. The closer it gets to editing time for Episode 6 of The Weird Girls Project the more excited I get and the happier I am that we are using Emiliana's music. I don't think I'd fully comprehended how much she's loved in Iceland until I went there. It's great when people like your friends, but when it's an entire country that likes them, that's amazing...and...a little weird. But in a good way.

I don't know if it was the excitement of the day, the incredibly good weather or a love of Emiliana that made two dozen people arrive so cheerful (and on time) on the freezing cold morning of the shoot. Whatever it was it was great and the Weird Girls turned out in full force. (Incidentally none of them are that weird, and that's not the point at all. The way I see it, the point is providing a bit of joy and fun for girls who might otherwise feel like weirdos for having hobbies like running around in spandex. For an explanation of "why" they do it see my first blog on the subject at the very bottom.)

As I've already said in an earlier blog the shoot day was a great success. We managed to shoot everything I'd hoped for, fighting hard against the clock. Incredibly we shot 4 x 64min tapes in 4 hours. Impossible? Well..we had the good fortune of acquiring a second camera courtesy of the kind documentary crew who were covering the day. It's a luxury a music video director shouldn't get used to! We had a lot of fun though and kept blaring out "Heard it All Before" on the loudspeakers. I'm sure all of Iceland could hear it.

Here's a mystery shot to whet your appetites. It was taken by Freida, who did a very good impression of a peeping tom and caused a stir.

After the shoot it was food and hot tubs for 16 hungry Weird Girls and a handful of crew. The best lamb I have ever tasted was provided by Kitty-Von Sometime.

The only pity is I know Emiliana would have enjoyed it too and she wasn't around due to music commitments. Throughout the process I've been keeping her informed about what I'm doing. She's been so brilliant about it, giving me total creative free reign, never questioning a thing. I think we built up that trust by making the "Sunnyroad" video. Dan Carey (AKA Mr Dan) who I've written about on here already, has been amazing too. Dan co-wrote the album with Emiliana and he's given me just as much trust and freedom as she has.

I'm really looking forward to editing this and seeing what fans of Emiliana think of it.

GIDEON BAWS WILL BE SADLY MISSED

2008-10-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

A friend called me yesterday with the sad news that our mutual friend Gideon Baws of Shynola died this weekend whilst at a wedding in LA. Of course the appropriate way to find out should be more personal than this blog but having phoned everyone I can think of who needs to know I feel that I need to say a few words here. I guess the shell shocked feeling of it all clouds any notion of what the correct response should be.

The news has shocked everyone who knew him. All I know is that he died of heart failure. Gideon, a lovely and gentle young guy of 33 was the last person I'd expect to hear this about. He always seemed healthy and in good spirits. He didn't do drugs or over-do booze and he was young.

Although Gideon wasn't someone I hung out with all the time he was someone I knew and liked. The last time I spoke to him was too long ago. He'd called me to see if I wanted to go trampolining. I was busy, going on a date. It's clear to me now that it must have been over a year ago as I've been Charlie for that long now. Whilst it's pointless to get into knots over that one trivial occasion it would seem silly not to take stock and consider how important keeping in touch is.

There are a lot of people who'll miss Gideon. Those who knew him will be hit the hardest but there will also be a creative void that was once filled by a truly talented guy.

Goodbye Gids.

COLLABORATION- THIS IS MR DAN

2008-10-12T13:04:00.001-07:00

Mr Dan (AKA Dan Carey) is one of the best brains in music and arguably the nicest man in Britain, if not the world. He's mixed, produced, written, and remixed with the likes of Hot Chip, CSS, Franz Ferdinand and the lovely Emiliana Torrini (who's music, co-written with Dan, I'm using for Weird Girls Episoe 6). Mr Dan is great. Most excitingly though he's the person I'll be collaborating with on my next project. For now we'll call it "IDEA".

"IDEA" was born of a marriage between my burning desire to push myself out of my comfort zone and make some music, and Dan's long obsession with expressing himself visually. In short; we plan to turn the musician/ video director relationship on it's head by switching roles and creating our own independent music video. Obviously we'll need each other's help. There will be rules and we'll be trying to facilitate and inspire but not to influence the other persons idea too much. A list of the rules will be available soon. What I love so much about Dan is his enthusiasm for things like this and his unerring faith in the process. It truly is an adventure.

Will keep you posted.

LOOK IT'S MR DAN
http://www.myspace.com/iammrdan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Carey_(Music)
http://www.complete-music.co.uk/writers/middanc.htm

GET TEKTONIK

2008-10-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

(MINUS THE MULLET)

Ok so if you have absolutely nothing to do this weekend, why not learn Euro street dance craze Tektonik. It's artfully demonstrated in this highly watchable vid for "A Cause Des Garcons" by electro sensation Yelle.

YELLE TEKTONIK
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VqRR10Xy3GU

Music video directors take note; These kids are almost certainly doing it for themselves. And it rocks.

Don't cry, get dancing.

LEARN WITH THESE LINKS

TUTORIAL (this one is good for foot moves)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_v0GJV0FqEc

Use these arm moves in combination and you might be half way there.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pZPse6Xer3A
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rvh_x5EJVs

I HEART ICELAND

2008-10-10T03:23:00.000-07:00

After spending a week in Iceland for the Weird Girls Episode 6 shoot (featuring music by Emiliana Torrini) I can truly say I love the place. From the incredible scenery to the kind cab driver who radioed the coach so that we would not miss it, to the documentary crew who gladly leant us their camera as a B-Cam, Iceland kept on delighting and amazing me.I love the girls, the boys, the "can do" spirit, the cabins we stayed in and hot tubs at Núpar in Ölfus ( http://www.nupar.is), Naked Ape clothing (www.dontbenaked.com) especially cat-suits and extra long leggings, Ghostdigital's new single "Hovering Hoover Skates" and their old album "In Cod we Trust" (http://www.myspace.com/ghostigital), Reykjavik's village feeling, The Blue Lagoon Spa (http://www.bluelagoon.com Not the cheesy soft porn film with Milla Jovovich....), Icelandic fish stew, the nations affection towards Emiliana, wearing spandex, the weird weather, the accent and layering lots of jumpers.

I hope the economic situation results in less strife than people are expecting. Icelanders are a resourceful bunch anyhow. And as I overheard one person say in Reykjavik, "We can party our way through most disasters". I just hope most Icelanders realize that we don't actually think they are terrorists.....Thanks for that Gordan Brown...

I'll be back.

Weird Girls Episode 6 with music by Emiliana Torrini will be visible on http://www.alitaylor.tv AND http://www.academyfilms.com VERY SOON.

WEIRD GIRLS- OH WHAT A PERFECT DAY

2008-10-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Oh happy days! Iceland's weather gods decided to be very kind to us yesterday. Weeks of rain clouds parted to reveal bright sunny skies, the perfect shoot weather. Today the rain is back on in full torrential force, making us feel that we were fortunate indeed.

On top of that, the 16 lovely Weird Girls and crew who took part were all brilliant. The theme and location will be revealed when the video comes out in a few weeks time. Editor Julia Knight and I are very excited about cutting this.

Thanks everyone who took part!

Availible soon to watch at http://www.alitaylor.tv

WEIRD GIRL DIRECTOR ARRIVES IN REYKJAVIK

2008-10-03T04:59:00.000-07:00

My journey began at the receiving end of a facebook message from producer Kitty Von Sometime asking me if I'd come to Iceland and shoot the first full video Episode of The Weird Girls Project. That was a couple of months ago and sitting in my small but perfectly comfy room in a Central Reykjavik guest house, I can't quite believe the time has come.

The trip from London was uneventful until I arrived in Reykjavik to find it snowing heavily. Fortunately I was wearing most of my clothes, double gloves etc . Myself and one native Icelander were the only ones left outside the airport as numerous families and pre-booked mini busses carted people off to their respective homes and hotels. There were no taxis. Apparently most cabs still had summer tyers on so we were unlikely to see very many. Luckily I was rescued by the nice Icelandic guy who eventually found a cab, offered to share it and then was generous enough to cover my share of the fare by way of "A welcome to Iceland gift". Very nice, thank you. I wish I'd asked his name. That would have been polite.

My luck didn't last at the guesthouse. Well it did really, but it had a lapse. Following a sign that directed me to the back of the building in the adjacent street, I came across some sort of icy death slide disguised as a path. This would have been fine, I have been snowboarding, but somehow as I fell to the ground my suitcase handle managed to wallop me in the mouth. I arrived at my guest house looking like I'd just been in a bar brawl. And as I stood there spitting blood into the snow, wearing all my clothes and a silly hat, in front of the sleepy looking middle aged man I'd just woken up, he said, "Welcome, come in" as if I was the most normal person in the world, and I knew I was in a very special place indeed.

They seem a generous and trusting lot. I just hope they don't laugh at my duck-billed bruise face tomorrow.

MY NEW VID "WE ARE HERE" FOR "LANGUAGE" CUT AT TRIM EDITING

2008-10-01T04:08:00.001-07:00

At long last I've been working at Trim again with the very talented Tom Lindsay. We've been cutting a video for Shoreditch band "Language" and their new track "We are Here". It was great working with this band whose performance has that great mixture of energy and weirdness that I love so much. We'll put a link up soon.

Check out Trim, the best edit facility in London if you ask me. And a stones throw from Brick Lane, which is a way nicer place to be than Wardour street.

http://trimediting.com/

http://www.myspace.com/languageuk

WEIRD GIRLS WEATHER OF DOOM

2008-09-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

WEIRD GIRLS- GET READY FOR THE RAIN!

The upcoming Episode 6 of The Weird Girls Project, to be filmed at a secret Icelandic location next week, looks to be plagued by fearsome weather. Fortunately for us it's unlikely to be as snowy as in the episode above. This time around we are hoping for a distinctly unsnowy feel. Emiliana has agreed to let us use her new track "Heard it All Before" as a sound track for the episode.

Luckily the production team being ever so resourceful and creative have a few locations up their sleeve for me. And in the true spontaneous spirit of Weird Girls we won't really know where we are shooting until the last possible minute.

Fingers crossed that wherever we are it's not as dramatic as the image below suggests!

WEIRD GIRLS PROJECT- WITH EMILIANA TORRINI'S MUSIC

2008-09-23T02:34:00.000-07:00

Every few months in Reykjavik there's an invasion of spandex clad girls or giant bunny rabbits. The Weird Girls Project is part art project, part massive giggle. Originally a photographic project conceived by Reykjavik artist and lycra celeb Kitty Von Sometime, it has developed notoriety in Iceland over the past couple of years as something of a phenomenon. The concept is simple; Get a bunch of girls together, dress up, have fun and be very, very silly indeed while the whole spectacle is photographed. All this in the name of a laugh and confidence boosting, according to Kitty. Sounds good to me. The exciting bit; not a single one of the dozen or so girls who typically sign up knows what they are actually going to be doing. It's all a surprise. I like surprises.

It is now going cinematic and aims to create a film, directed by a professional music video director ( Me), without losing it's ethos of spontenaity, fun and surprise. To make things even more exciting, my good friend Emiliana Torrini has agreed to let us use the track "Heard it All Before" off her new Album "Me and Armini" as the soundtrack. We are all really looking forward to it. I made Emiliana's Sunnyroad video a few years ago so I'm looking forward to making a film that uses her music as a soundtrack.

I'll be leaving for Reykjavik on Oct 2nd 2008 and will be blogging the trip as I go. All will be revealed about this years amazing costumes and ace location.

What's Icelandic for "Sounds like a right laugh" ?

(If you have not see the Sunnyroad video, which I enjoyed making so so much, here it is. )
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MyuL1z2tejs

SOPHIE WOOLLEY'S NEW PLAY- FIGHT FACE- 16 September - 4 October 2008

2008-09-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

If you only go to the theatre once this year (or once in your life for that matter) go and see Sophie Woolley's "Fight Face" at the Lyric in Hammersmith. 16 September - 4 October 2008

The story is about a fight in a kebab shop, or more specifically the build up to that fight. Characters, played by Sophie and one other actor, include a bored aggressive teenager, the kebab man, a sexually frustrated artist and some all seeing builders. I really enjoyed it as there's something quite cinematic about the way it's written and staged. It's fast paced and entertaining, energetic to the point of actual bodily harm and so clever you don't even notice it's clever at first.

Really worth seeing.

http://www.lyric.co.uk/fromhomepage/pl368.html

GUARDIAN REVIEW
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2008/sep/26/theatre.captions.fight.face

BLOGGING USELESS-THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

2008-09-21T06:01:00.001-07:00

About a year ago I started a blog. I was absolutely hopeless and didn't get very far with it at all, always excusing myself as being "too busy". This was of course nothing more than an excuse. I have friends who, when I'm honest, are probably a lot busier than I am but find the time to blog away with gusto. One is a prolific writer who travels the world writing books, making films about his journeys and comes home only to launch a TV show as soon as his feet hit the airport tarmac. Or so it seems anyway. Another, a writer, performer and playwright acts in her own plays as multiple characters and managed for many years to hold down a day job as well. Who am I trying to kid? It comes down to priorities I suppose, and when I think about it, the blog just wasn't high on the list a year ago. I was far too busy having a mild late 20's crisis and a lot of fun.

A lot has happened in 12 months. I've switched careers from being an unhappy animation director working in advertising to being a very happy well represented film director working by the skin of my teeth on music videos, a documentary and my own scripts. It's been a rocky transition plagued by plummeting budgets and tough competition, but worth every second. I've gone from working in what felt like a restrictive and unhealthy environment to feeling really inspired each day by my work and the people around me. I can now truly say that I love what I do. It's gushy but I'm blown over by it really, especially the support of my nearest and dearest and my production company Academy Films.

Personal priorities have changed too. A year ago "too busy" was good friends with "too hung over". I'd been having a good few months of dedicated partying, hanging out with the kind of blokes your granny would describe as ne'er-do-wells and the kind of women who forget your name three times over the course of the evening and ask you what you do between every gin and tonic before puking on your bag. There were fun times too with wonderful people but my overwhelming memory is that it wore thin quite quickly. I had an awful epiphany one evening watching a friend guzzle nitrous oxide in vast quantities on my living room floor. It felt like some horrible scene from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and the epiphany said "Enough!"

For the first time in my life I actually started to consider what it was I actually wanted from life. Shockingly, for me anyway, it seemed that I wanted someone to live it with. Previous relationships had ended in disaster for the simple reason that fundamental wants and values where vastly different. There had been attraction and friendship but never a deep bond or shared vision of life's adventure. I was lucky enough not to have to wait very long to find this and last Juy meet someone really great who I'm certain I can spend the rest of my days with. Amazingly the idea of happily-ever-after carries non of the terror I've experienced in the past when toying with that idea. In fact it just seems like the most natural fun thing ever. I'm sure it won't always be easy but I feel like I've got someone on my team now. So sue me for being content.

There's something very calming about all this happiness. Although I've long subscribed to the old cliche that an artist needs to be tormented to be productive and/or good, I'm starting to convert. While it's too early to say whether or not I'm any better or worse than I ever was, I do feel a lot more productive and grounded. There's a lot to be said for having the support of someone you love and doing just what you've always wanted to do. It makes me want to get up earlier and do stuff for a start. So I may even get round to keeping my blog going. Or I may just float happily into being 30 and not care that much. Either way I'm looking forward to the fun of it all.

"Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only moment over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future? The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."
Leo Tolstoy 1828-1910