TECHNOLOGY IS OUR CROWNING GLORY Well, the bunting has now been taken down, the Union flags packed away, the street parties have cleared away the Coronation chicken, pork pies and warm beer, and the four days of celebrations for Her Majesty The Queen have come to a conclusion. Unless you have been away in a … Read more
ART REFLECTS LIFE John Keedwell GBCT examines how this year’s BAFTA results mirror the wider world. “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom,” in the words of Baldrick from the Blackadder 4. The sounds of the 41-gun salute were still ringing in our ears in respect for His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on Friday. Then … Read more
AWARDS WITH A DIFFERENCE The industry awards ceremonies of BAFTA and the Academy Awards are now soon to be with us, yet this year they will be slightly later, and the main contenders will perhaps look somewhat different to years gone by. Much of the blame can be shown to be the pandemic, of course, … Read more
2020 AND ALL THAT The bongs of the famous Westminster bell have now fallen silent after midnight, and the year 2020 has finally been put to rest. Perhaps one the strangest and most frustrating years the world has experienced outside of wartime, yet 2020 has left many casualties along the way. Most of us either … Read more
What has space travel ever done for us? GBCT News / John Keedwell What has space travel ever done for us? GBCT News / John Keedwell Question: What do the following films have in common? Men In Black, Event Horizon, The Full Monty, LA Confidential, Seven Years In Tibet, Boogie Nights, Good Will Hunting, Titanic … Read more
Is Vertical A New Format? GBCT News / John Keedwell Is Vertical A New Format? GBCT News / John Keedwell Cinema and television pictures have always been displayed in a horizontal (or landscape) format. Yes, there have been 4:3 aspect ratios that seem almost square to us now, and there have been various “flavours” of … Read more
What politicians can learn from filmmakers GBCT News / John Keedwell What politicians can learn from filmmakers GBCT News / John Keedwell This is not a party political broadcast. It is an observation about how the film business can teach politicians, and other businesses, some essential lessons about making a success. On the June morning … Read more
Problems with modern day cinema GBCT News / John Keedwell Problems with modern day cinema GBCT News / John Keedwell Mainstream cinema seems to be entering a strange phase of its creativity. Our multiplexes are now packed with sequels and remakes and it seems filmmakers are rapidly running out of ideas. The 2016 award-winning films … Read more
UAVs, 3D Cinema & Plasma Lights GBCT News / John Keedwell UAVs, 3D Cinema & Plasma Lights GBCT News / John Keedwell The BSC show was crammed full of great kit and inspirational ideas, in particular the use of aerial shots with helicopters, microlight aircraft and drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/UAVs). Each has its place and … Read more
Embracing change GBCT News / John Keedwell Embracing change GBCT News / John Keedwell Looking back a year ago, who would have thought we would be where we are now? I don’t want to get overly political here, although it’s clearly very difficult to ignore the events over the course of 2016, and it would … Read more
The Brexit Effect GBCT News / John Keedwell The Brexit Effect GBCT News / John Keedwell It has now been several months since the decision for the UK to leave the European Union and, after the inevitable turmoil in the financial markets has died down, most stocks have returned to levels above the time of … Read more
Fix It All In Post GBCT News / John Keedwell Fix It All In Post GBCT News / John Keedwell If you have been following British Cinematographer Magazine for the past five years or more (and I hope you have) you will have seen various discussions about the Lytro camera and the implications for cinematography … Read more