Film Review : Arts Castaway.

Arts Castaway is the latest offering from the stable of Phillip Debs ProVisual.

It takes you on a visual journey of Cockatoo Island as part of the Sydney Biennele, and saw it's premiere screening at the most recent Kino Sydney open-mic night. Exploring the artworks that lay all over the island, this short features the film maker himself proudly taking a hands-on role assisting Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa with an installation.

Arts Castaway opens with a ferry ride across Sydney Harbour on a gloriously sunny autumn morning. Once you step onto the island, there is interesting artwork all around, and sculptures that are thought provoking and somewhat confronting. The film was made using a Nokia E71 mobile phone, and is accompanied by Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" - a highly appropriate instrumental piece that accentuates the pace of the film beautifully, and highlights the "point of view" technique used.

Debs has provided another short void of dialogue, showing us that there is more to connecting with each other than the spoken word. His cheeky editing sets a frantic pace - something required to take in all there is to see on the island (or repeat visits !), and is a reflection on the pace of life in the hustle-bustle of Sydney. Whilst the appreciation of art may need time and contemplation, Debs leads us on a wild journey through flashes of light and colour. With all the restrictions of a mobile phone considered, this film is another piece of in your face art in itself.

The closing moments of footage are highly befitting the end of the film. Arts Castaway will take you on a cracking ride and send you home with more than a few lasting memories.

For more short films from Phillip Debs ProVisual, head to his channel on youtube : http://www.youtube.com/user/phillipdebs, or go to his website : www.pdprovisual.com.au

And if you're interested in watching or making independent short films, check out Kino Sydney : http://sites.google.com/a/kinosydney.com/kinosydney/

More reviews to come. Feel free to leave a comment !!

How The Human Eye Works.

Oh, I know I said film review was next up, but hey, it's my blog, I'm allowed to change my mind ! I was pondering the other day, as is my want, about what life would be like without the sense of vision. This got me researching how the eyes actually work. What follows is a BRIEF paraphrase of what I found....

The eyes are the windows to the soul, they say. When your eyes meet across a crowded room, what happens ?!! Imagine, if you can, NOT having a sense of sight...

The eye is approximately the size of a ping pong ball and sits in a socket in the skull. The white of the eye is named the sclera, and is a fibrous membrane that, along with the cornea, forms the outer covering and protection of the eyeball. The cornea is transparent, or completely clear, which allows light to pass through it. It helps the eye to focus.

Behind the cornea are the iris and pupil. The iris has muscles attached to it that change its shape, controlling the amount of light that passes through the pupil. It is the pupil that allows light to enter the eye. Between the iris and cornea is the anterior chamber. This chamber is filled with a special transparent fluid that gives the eye oxygen, protein and glucose to keep it healthy.

After light enters the pupil, it hits the lens, which sits behind the iris and is clear and colourless. It is this part of the eye that focusses light on the back of the eye - the retina. The retina is smaller than a 10cent piece and holds millions of light sensitive cells. The retina's job is to convert light signals to nerve signals so that brain can process what is being seen.

The lens is suspended in the eye by fibres that are attached to the ciliary muscle. It is this muscle that changes the shape of the lens to accommodate the distance at which you are viewing an object. When you look at things close up, the lens becomes thicker to focus the image clearly onto the retina. Conversely, when you are looking at something in the distance, the lens becomes thinner.

The retina uses special cells called rods and cones to process light. There are about 120million rods and 7 million cones contained in each eye. It is these cells that are responsible for converting the recieved light into impulses which are, in turn, carried to the brain by the optic nerve.

So now you know how the eye works - go feed your ocular hunger !!

www.pdprovisual.com.au

An Interview With Mr Rob Farmer, Visual Artist.

Visual Gluttony talks to Rob Roy Farmer about his career as an actor and comedian reaching out to a worldwide audience through visual communication.

VG : Hi Rob, great to have you here. When you read the words "Visual Gluttony", what image comes to your mind ?

RR : To be honest, those are not two words I would readily recognise together ! But I guess when I think about it, it means something like gorging your eyes with visual stimulation.

VG : You began your career as a visual artist through acting, and later started your one-man show, which has taken you all over the world. What do you think makes your show visually appealing ?

RR : Being Deaf, I use sign language as my primary form of communication. In my show, I use International Sign, which means I can communicate just about anywhere. Being Deaf also means, quite naturally, that I use gesture, facial expression, and body movement to enhance what I'm signing, just as hearing actors use intonation, pitch and volume to enhance speech.

VG : That's very interesting. It makes sense that a Deaf person would choose to be involved in anything using the sense of vision to communicate thoughts and ideas. For someone who may never have experienced a show like yours, how would you describe it ?

RR : I am a visual performer - a Deaf, stand-up comedian who uses sign language. My show is a mix of signing and mime and I keep both my Deaf and hearing audience in mind. I do use an interpreter who works from a loose script, but really my goal is simply to make people laugh. I tell stories and jokes relative to the experiences of Deaf people. Some jokes translate really well into spoken language, but Deaf people have a very unique humour that naturally relies heavily on sign language.

VG : You really seem to be a stand-out as a stand-up - lol. As someone reliant on the visual, did you have any comedians or actors you yourself loved to watch ?

RR : I loved to mimic what I saw on tv as I was growing up, and Jerry Lewis was one of my favourites. Slap stick is actually a great form of hearing humour that the Deaf can read well.

VG : And what do you see as the future for visual performance ?

RR : Having travelled the world over many times throughout my almost 20 year career as an actor and comedian, I have seen a steady growth in the number of visual performers, and greater opportunities being created for Deaf involvement. I've also seen the steady increase in audience numbers. So I would say that visual performance is an art that has a healthy future!

VG : Phew ! Thanks for sharing your time with us, Rob. We look forward to seeing many more of your performances. Here's to your continued success.

Rob will be involved in the Deaf Nation World Expo, July 18-23, 2010 : http://deafnation.com/ and is touring Canada, North and South America July - December 2010. To check out more about Rob, go to his website : http://www.robroyshow.com

And what's in store next time I hear you ask ? Film review !

The Little Engine That Could : why the cost of a professional photographer is worth it.

"The Little Engine That Could", is a story that teaches the value of optimism and hard work.

Relevant in all areas of life, and I'll get around to my point, but bear with me. A question was posed to VG recently as to why professional photographers charge as much as they do. Here's the answer :

To start with, with the onslaught of digital cameras and readily available printing out there for every man and his dog to access, it's important to understand that when you engage the services of a professional, you aren't simply paying for someone to point a camera and ask you to say "cheese", then pop down to the local photolab and have prints ready in an hour !

You are paying for their years of experience, their time, travel, set-up, the actual shoot itself (and depending on what this is, may also require the photographer to be "set director", or "stylist" as well).

Then there are the hours spent hunched at the computer touching up all your wonderful images so that they are just right - cropping, contrasting, colouring, sharpening. Of course you need to also factor in consultation time - discussing your requirements, answering questions, throwing around ideas.

When considering all of these factors, you soon realise that a professional is worth the money you pay them. They aren't just taking photos - they are immortalising memories, capturing special moments in time, or making your product look it's most inviting.

It's a tough economic world we live in. Photography is highly competitive. But for those with the drive, the passion, and the determination to succeed, the reward is not only theirs, but that of their clients, also.

If you are a struggling photographer, remind yourself of the Little Engine That Could - repeat after me "I think I can, I think I can." If you are worth your salt, and the proof is in the pictures, you will be paid accordingly.

And for anyone requiring the services of a professional photographer - for weddings, commercial shoots, anything, look no further than Phillip Debs ProVisual. Phillip has had almost 10 years in the industry, and has a fantastic eye for details. For samples of Phillip's work, take a look at his website : www.pdprovisual.com.au. All contact details are supplied on the site. He can also be found on Flickr, Facebook and Twitter !

And next time, I'm looking forward to posting an interview with funny man and visual artist, Rob Roy Farmer, so keep your peepers peeled !!