SciFi Fans Invade London and the Doctor Returns

It is no great secret that I am somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to Science Fiction. Whether it’s the complete collection of Stargate DVDs, the Dune novels of Frank Herbert that adorn my shelves, or the Dalek that stands proudly on my desk (don’t judge me!), it is evident that my life is embroiled in a galaxy of SciFi. Has it made me a complete geek? Quite possibly, but my understanding of Warp theory has nothing to do with this article.

This weekend sees the commencement  of the 10th SciFi London Film Festival which will run from the 23rd April to 2nd May. Regrettably, I won’t get the chance to attend the vast majority of the events to properly cover the festival, but I certainly hope to be able to catch one or two of the premieres during the week. Tragically, I will have to miss the SciFi Easter Parade on Sunday… Which is a shame really, as the sight of numerous costumed SciFi fans on parade would make me feel like much less of a nerd! That is, unless I joined in. Which I almost certainly would.
The parade will be running from Waterloo Bridge/National Theatre at midday, passing through Jubilee Park and ending up at Westminster Bridge. If you fancy watching Stormtroopers and Cybermen escorting Zombified Prince William and Kate Middleton this is the parade for you! (Presence of Stormtroopers and Cybermen is purely hypothetical, although I am reliably informed that there will indeed be a Zombie representation of the royal couple…)

SciFi London plays host to a series of Science Fiction related events, screening the premieres of up and coming films in the genre, as well as showing some old classics, stand up comedy, real world gaming, and documentaries. The event is also populated by directors, writers, cinematographers and of course a wide variety of geeks, ranging from those vaguely interested in film and SciFi to those with prosthetic Vulcan ears and an iconic Starfleet uniform (which, coincidentally, I’m wearing as I write this). Whether you are an up and coming writer or director with a penchant for SciFi, or a connoisseur of the genre, this is the event for you.

More details on SciFi London can be found here.

Another important event in SciFi this week is the return of Doctor Who to our screens, 6pm Saturday 23rd, kicking off with The Impossible Astronaut. It will be the first half of a two-parter in which the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his time-travelling companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) travel to America and are reunited with the enigmatic River Song (Alex Kingston). This will mark the beginning of Steven Moffat’s second year as lead writer for Doctor Who, and also the second year of  Smith starring as the eleventh incarnation of the titular role as the Doctor.

It will also be the 6th series since the legendary show of the 60s, 70s and 80s was revived in 2005 by former lead writer and executive producer Russel T. Davies. The show, much beloved by those who grew up with the original series, has since been given new life and a greater sense of vitality, recapturing the hearts of it’s initial fans and enchanting a whole new generation of viewers. When Davies initially set about reviving the series, who could have predicted that it would have been such an immense success?  I guess, much like it’s Time Lord protagonist, Doctor Who is timeless and a truly remarkable piece of television. The trailer for the new series can be seen at the bottom of this article.

I would also like to take the time in this article to mark the passing of Elisabeth Sladen earlier this week. She, like her leading Time Lords Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, was a staple of Doctor Who history as arguably the Doctor’s most brilliant companion, Sarah Jane Smith. She was taken from this world too soon, and will be sorely missed.

“Goodbye, my Sarah Jane.”

Writer's Block and I

This article can also be found on Step2Inspire.

I’m a writer. More prominently, I’m a blocked writer. One of the primary tenets of writing is simply to write what you know, and seeing as my mind cannot conjure up anything more inventive, here it is: Writer’s Block.

Writer’s block is by far one of the most common blights to plague a creative mind, descending on the victim like a blank veil, completely impeding the artists ability to be creative. As I sat in front of the computer, gently swilling a glass of sauvignon blanc, the smooth aromatic smoke from my cigar filling the room and the lilting piano chords of Phillip Glass‘ Metamorphosis One drifting from my speakers, I attempted to resume writing the script I’ve been working on for a while now. I spent a good half an hour staring at the white void of Microsoft Word, that ever-expectant cursor blinking patiently as it awaited my first clumsily typed word of the day.

As time ticked by, my efforts turned to apathy, my Word document to an episode of Caprica (fantastic spin-off series of Battlestar Galactica, highly recommended!), and any motivation I initially had by now had become an overwhelmingly compelling desire to either trawl YouTube for undiscovered wonders or to simply turn on the PS3. I’m no stranger to writer’s block, it frequently visits me like an unwanted friend you just can’t get rid of and once they leave you seem to have much less alcohol than you did before their arrival. This instance was no exception.

A while back there was a discussion on a creative writing forum I used to frequent, dedicated to writer’s block and how people attempt to rid themselves of it. I found it quite an interesting read, as everyone seemed to have their own form of cure for the accursed lack of creativity.

1) Make a sandwich. Whilst this may seem trivial, taking a step back and making a sandwich whilst thinking about your writing can be a useful way to help the flow of creativity. Plus, lunch.

2) Watch TV/Play Video Games. Sometimes an idea from somewhere else can generate a spark of inspiration. Alternatively, it can distract you from the stress of not being able to write, allowing ideas to flow more freely and come to you as and when.

3) Listen to music appropriate for what you are writing. Music always helps create an ambience, and if you can find the right piece of music for your vibe, whether it’s you as a person or what you’re writing, it should certainly help inspire you.

4) Go for a drive. There’s something very therapeutic about driving, and several writers I know have been flooded with ideas whilst out for a drive. It will also provide you with a change of scenery, which will get your mind out of a stagnant and uninspired routine.

5) Go for a walk. As with going for a drive, it can provide you with different surroundings. Fill your lungs with fresh air, and wander about for a bit - it can aid your mind in thinking clearly.

6) Exercise. The next step up from walking. An active body leads to an active mind. Scientifically speaking, endorphins help stimulate the brain, and with increased neural-connectivity will come increase creativity.

7) Relax. Take your mind off of the subject for a while, give yourself a break, and come back to it later. Do whatever you find relaxing and the inspiration will come when it’s ready.

At the end of the day, I concluded, it all comes down to not working your brain too hard, taking your mind off of the writing and get a change of scenery. Inspiration has a funny way of striking when you least expect it, be it the middle of the night, out walking in the park, or simply making a sandwich - the less you concern yourself with the block and the more you relax, the easier the creativity will flow. As writer’s block doesn‘t have an objectified and quantifiable cause, there‘s no magic cure for it that will work for everyone. Everybody has their own muse, their own methods of relaxation, unique ways of combating writer’s block, it’s just a matter of finding what works for you.

Personally, I find a strong coffee, a book of sonnets and tickling my chin to stimulate new thoughts works a treat!

Arts Council Cuts - How Will They Affect The Industry?

This article can also be found on Step2Inspire.

I had wanted to review either Campus or The Crimson Petal And The White, but with the recent cuts announced for the UK Arts Council, and more than 200 arts organisations losing their funding, I felt it would be more fitting if I were to write about that first. Severe cuts have been made to London’s Riverside Studios, the Shared Experience theatre at Oxford Playhouse, and the dance companies The Cholmondeleys & The Featherstonehaughs (pronounced Chumleys and Fanshaws, oddly enough…) to name but a few. Seeing as the arts are so deeply ingrained within our culture and provide a valuable source of revenue and tourism, I decided to investigate further just what these cuts mean for the Arts Council, and where it might lead us in the future.

As an aside (just before I get going!), I’m quite fond of The Cholmondeleys & The Featherstonehaughs. One thing I learnt from them, back when I was studying the post-modern choreographic style of Lea Anderson, was that throwing things out of a tent to a rhythm counted as dance. Post-modern, but dance nonetheless, and I couldn’t help but feel that if I had been made aware of this sooner I may have considered a career as a dancer. In fact, I have a sizeable repertoire of post-modern dance, including throwing things out of tents, cars and windows, throwing things into bins, baskets and tents again, and tripping over uneven slabs of concrete resulting in my own curious rendition of Swan Lake as I attempt to regain my balance. Perhaps when I’m next out clubbing I should take along my camping gear and set about throwing things in and out of a tent - at the very least it will detract from the fact that my dancing style is similar to that of Carlton in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air… (Perfect Example Here).
But I digress.

Chief executive, Alan Davey, has insisted that the cuts do not mean ‘equal pain for all’ but more of win-some-lose-some situation. While some are definitely starting to feel the Arts Council cuts, approximately 110 new organisations have been accepted into the national portfolio and are to receive regular funding, so it’s not all bad news for the arts. The summary of the situation is that the Arts Council has had 29.6% of it’s budget cut, resulting in a remix of the national portfolio. Some have received a boost in funding (the Arcola theatre in Dalston, London, has received an 89% increase in funding) while others have gone down, such as the Almeida in Islington, London, which is losing almost 40% of its budget.

Evidently there are going to be mixed feelings about this. Some of those previously unsupported companies have received a substantial boost (yay) and those previously receiving funds have been cut altogether (boo). I think that neatly encapsulates the whole tone of the deficit - some will benefit, others won’t. Whilst this is somewhat inevitable for any society when it’s economy is in decline, I still can’t help but feel perhaps there is an alternative to cutting almost 30% of the Arts Council funding, like say, I don’t know, scale the banker’s bonus down a little bit, or increased tax on the rich? Just a thought, but hey, I’m no politician, perhaps it’s not as simple as that!

Regardless, having looked into the situation further (rather than blindly ranting without any substantial facts as I had initially intended!) it is by no means the crushing blow to our culture I had anticipated.
In the end, all this means is that the organisations that have now been taken on by the Arts Council can afford to be a bit more experimental and stretch their wings, whilst others will be relying more heavily on ticket revenue and private sponsors. I just hope that this is not the shape of things to come, with further cuts down the line now that the gates to reducing arts funding have been opened.

Thankfully, I know of quite a few performers who are willing to be a little out of pocket to help ensure that their production can continue despite these cuts, but I fear that this will also mean that the Cholmondeleys and Featherstonehaughs can’t be so reckless when emptying their tents on the cliffs of Dover - we all know that the Government certainly won’t be replacing your sleeping bag any time soon!

(Since writing this, Patrick Stewart, Maxine Peake, Samuel West and Penelope Wilton have delivered a letter on behalf of Equity to 10 Downing Street calling for an arts summit regarding the recent cuts. More can be read on the matter here.)

Site Update - Shoot 2011

Just a quick post to say that images from my recent shoot are now on the website. Check them out!

www.bronjames.co.uk

Outcasts - New BBC Sci-Fi/Drama

If, like me, you were blissfully unaware of this series until you accidentally caught the premier whilst pessimistically scouring the usual tripe on TV that passes for entertainment, it will no doubt have almost been a pleasant surprise to find out the BBC had commissioned a relatively gritty sci-fi drama set in the not-too-distant future.

As a long-term Twitter user (I refuse to refer to myself as a Twit, especially since Piers Morgan used it to describe his Twitter presence...) I was startled by the flood of negativity that was directed towards Outcasts from the Twitter public. Seeing as I had only caught the middle 10 minutes, and then read the various complaints about it, I decided to watch it from the beginning on iPlayer to see just how appalling it was, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it actually was. Perhaps it was because from the various tweets I'd read I was expecting the acting to be on par with a primary school's rendition of Hamlet and the plot to be just as flimsy as cling-film, but Outcasts certainly didn't strike me as being that bad. There were a few minor flaws in it, but nothing that robbed it of it's overall enjoyability for me.

The premise for the show definitely has potential.It's the not too distant future and the surviving handful of humanity have fled Earth after what is hinted at as being World War III. They set up a new civilisation on the Earth-like planet of Carpathia, and soon enough they've established a fully functioning bureaucracy on their new world. Yippee for them. There are mentions of a curious disease (C23) that killed off quite a lot of their children, and also that there are people who do not share the ideals of their society (a feeling I know all too well!). Whilst all these subtle mentions scattered throughout the first and second episodes are evidently an attempt at constructing a history, it just didn't feel 'real' enough for me (let alone the fact it's only 30 to 50 years in the future... Space is bloody big, so how the hell did they find a nice habitable planet so quickly?!). I'm willing to accept what they're showing me as the present, but something about the past feels very hollow. But, I think Outcasts has a lot of little surprises up it's sleeve yet to come, so perhaps there's a good reason for this?

What I believe Ben Richards (writer for Outcasts, also known for penning Spooks and Party Animals) is going for with this series is that underlying aspect of human nature that will always be a part of us. Towards the end of the first episode, Mitchell Hoban (Jamie Bamber) posits the questions 'do you really think human beings can live in peace?', which I think neatly encapsulates the premise of the show. We want to believe we can live in peace, like to think everything will be all shiny and happy, but the chances of things turning out that way are incredibly slim given our penchant for discrimination, war and generally putting others down. I'm not saying everyone is intrinsically a self-motivated warmonger-er, that's far too cynical even by my standards, but I do believe that everyone has a different view of what is morally beneficial to society and themselves.

Admittedly, the end of the first episode had left me a little dubious, seeing as they killed off one of the characters, who not only seemed like they were going to be a focal character, but was the only one who had appealed to me within the first half an hour. I don't consider that a brilliant sign, as I don't see many of the characters as being particularly likeable, so it's hard for me to have any real sympathy for them when things start to go horribly wrong... It's also exceptionally slow paced, so unless you're willing to give it a chance to explain itself or are capable of tolerating bouts of boredom this probably isn't the show for you. I just like to think that it's pacing itself appropriately. Would the reimagined Battlestar Galactica have been so successful if they hadn't included several space battle sequence in the first episode? That would have been astoundingly slow in the opening mini-series were it not for the Cylons being all murdery and what not...

Quite frankly, if I didn't often think about the absurdity of society, human nature, and how it could possibly be improved (if you're interested, email me, not all of my ideas are genocidal!), Outcasts might appear to me as another one of those boring series disguised as a quite interesting one, so I can understand where some of the critical reception is coming from. Whilst it qualifies as Sci-Fi, don't expect robots, aliens, lasers, or many spaceships, as technically this belongs in the drama category, just with all the extra stuff Sci-Fi can give you. If anything, I'd say the only Sci-Fi thing about it is that it's a completely different planet, which allows the show to literally start from scratch and recreate human society, without all the trappings of our Earth-bound demographic.

It is a series I will definitely continue to watch to see where it goes. I think it has a lot of potential that a lot of viewers didn't realise in the first episode, which was redeemed for those who continued to watch the second one. There are a lot of things brought up that could really make an intriguing series, but unfortunately by not making this obvious from the get-go I fear it may have lost a large portion of it's viewing figures (who would much rather watch Big Fat Gypsy Weddings instead, apparently...).

The third episode airs tonight at 9 on BBC1, so if like me you'll be watching the telly instead of spending time with a loved one, I would recommend giving it a go. The trailer for Outcasts can be seen immediately below.