Frigid is no longer, nor is the Frequency Lab. Disorientation is now only doing occasional events, and word on the street is that Pelt, Impermanent Audio and Synaesthesia are all about to end. What does this mean for Australian experimental music?
To all NSW Film and TV Industry technicians,
Please read this letter of explanation from the NSW Film Makers Group regarding our concerns and objectives for the state of our industry.
This concerns you all, and your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
NSW Film Makers Group update – June 1, 2006
A meeting was called 6 weeks ago when a group of concerned technicians met informally at Canal Road Film Centre. The significant lack of work in all areas of film and television production including television advertising, and the restriction of NSW technicians working in Victoria, had brought this small group together. Several members of the group had written to government expressing the plight of the industry. The group has now had 6 meetings and this letter is to update and inform those interested in the outcome of those meetings. The group has been communicating with the Victorian Guild and as a consequence an open letter has been sent and distributed by the technicians booking agents from the Victorian Guild, to all NSW technicians. This letter explains that it was not the intention of the Victorian Guild to stop any interstate technicians from working in Victoria. The group is still pursuing the reasons why NSW technicians were not welcome to work in Victoria.
The group has identified and recognized the core reasons why the film industry (including feature, TV and TVC’s) is in unprecedented depression. These are listed as follows -
* Support for the film industry by Governments is not effective.
* Location costs – council charges, service charges and location fees.
* Contractual arrangements for cast/extras.
* Technicians’ rates and conditions in Sydney.
The group also recognises that the problems that ail our industry are not unique to NSW. The group has discussed including all stakeholders -suppliers, actors, extras, writers, directors, producers, editors, post production houses, service providers, etc. – in helping with the endeavours of the group, because it is in everyone’s interest. The group recognizes that a technician only organisation will not be effective to try and solve the industries problems. Anyone or any organisation that is involved in the production of film and television, in any form, will be welcome to join the group. As this is a national issue, the group will also pioneer a nation wide filmmakers group, in conjunction with other state film groups.
The group’s objectives are focusing on the following -
* Encourage all contributors and stakeholders in the film and television industry to join the group.
* Create an electronic mechanism to allow the efficient and speedy communication of information to all those wishing to support the endeavours of the group.
* Engage a professional lobbyist and strategists to assist in communicating the group’s needs to all members and Government bodies and agents.
Two weeks ago, the group decided on a name for the organisation – The NSW Film Makers Group. This should be formalized within the next few weeks. Last week, the group formalised its’ vision statement and top 10 objectives. The group has been offered generous financial support from some technicians and suppliers. Canal Road Film Centre has very generously offered, not only considerable finances, but also office space and the address for the organisation. The group will also be advertising for a co-ordinater to assist with the formation of the organisation.
The group has received the lists from the booking agents 3 week ago with the names of all of those technicians keen to show their support for the group. Thanks to all of you who have offered help and support.
The group apologises to all of those that have felt left out. To be a success, the group will need everyone’s support but please be patient. Once the website and internet forum are up and going we can all communicate directly and information, input and the hard work can all be realized with a great deal more efficiency and speed. The structure and the management of the organization have not been formalised. Once we are all communicating we can then all have a say on who is to represent this organisation and what we want to say.
David Nichols on behalf of Ray Brown, Tristran Milani, Reg Garside, Sean Conway, Jane Griffin, Penny Baldwin, Anna Howard, Simon Williams, Michael Adcock, Adrien Seffrin, Nikki Long, John Osmond, Gary Lincloln, Paul Booth, Michi Marosszeky, Moses Fotofili, Geoff Wharton, Michael Phillips, Paul Arnott, Sally Eccleston, Jeremy Fitzgerald, Brian Breheny, David Lee, Matt Toll, Warren Grieef, KenHazelwood, Dugal Campbell, Harry Dakanalis, Paul Thompson, Richard Mason.
A short audio piece by UTS Honours student Tom Smith, made to accompany an essay.
Tom Smith – Faggot Shit: Homophobia and Male Fantasy in Orthodox Hip Hop (192kbps, 0:0:58, 1.33MB)
It’s a good example of how collage can be used to highlight certain patterns.
Thanks to Seb (who has been writing lots of interesting stuff about social networking, Web 2.0, etc. over at fresh + new) for telling me a few weeks ago about this paper, “You must be logged in to do that!” : Myspace and Control by Fred Scharmen, which discusses how young ppl use sites such as Myspace to escape (parental) control, only to be controlled in other ways.
I’ve been meaning to write about it here, but haven’t been in the mood for blogging – too many distractions. But today I came across a response to it by Anne Galloway, via an interesting post by Glen.
These issues are nothing new, as anyone who has been involved in tactical media, etc. knows. And we all know how punk and the counterculture before it were packaged and sold to the mainstream. I think the low point for me was when William Burroughs did those Nike TV commercials in the 90s.
There was a lot of discussion a few years ago about how tactical media should give way to strategic media (in fact the term ‘tactical media’ is rarely used these days). I don’t know… I think both approaches are important. Maybe resistance is futile, but it is still meaningful for those doing it. The problem is with a dynamic which positions the subject as victim &/or consumer. That’s why I’ve always loved those artists who seem to create their own world (e.g. the early work of Negativland). Another world is possible *right now*. “Just live it”. Of course there is a slippery slope from that to a disengagement with important political issues in the ‘real’ world. Or the vision gets worn down by experience. It seems that the challenge is to successfully combine idealism with pragmatism, imagination with engagement, spontaneity with strategy. Or will that still inevitably feed the system?
Can the appropriation feedback loop be broken?
Instead we get something called ‘flexible dealing’ which allows for
1. Non-commercial uses by libraries, museums and archives (eg, to allow a museum to include extracts of historical documents in materials for visitors);
2. Non-commercial uses by educational institutions for the purpose of teaching (eg, to allow a school to put an out-of-date VHS documentary onto DVD);
3. Non-commercial uses for the benefit of people with disabilities (eg, to allow a person with a print disability to convert a book they own into accessible text), and
4. Parody and satire.
More info at Weatherall’s Law.
Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics: (Be sure to read to the end). It Must Be the music industry, rappers, the NBA …
36 have been accused of spousal abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71, repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits. and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
Can you guess which organization this is?
Give up yet? . . . Scroll down,Good citizen!
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It’s the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year
designed to keep the rest of us in line.
My review of the NOW now festival for RealTime is now online (and in print). In the same issue is Ben Byrne’s response to Nigel Helyer’s ‘critique’ of laptop music performance.
Some interesting free talks coming up in Sydney:
1) Key Concepts lecture series at Sydney Uni. A follow-up to last year’s Key Thinkers series which I couldn’t make due to work commitments. I’m looking forward to attending some of these.
Wednesday 3 May ‘Terra Nullius’ Andrew Fitzmaurice
Wednesday 10 May ‘Nationalism’ Glenda Sluga
Wednesday 17 May ‘Freedom’ Duncan Ivison
Wednesday 24 May ‘Truth’ Huw Price
Wednesday 31 May ‘Racism’ Ghassan Hage
Wednesday 7 June ‘Death’ Jennann Ismael
Wednesday 14 June ‘Globalisation’ Raewyn Connell
Venue: NEW VENUE FOR 2006 Footbridge Theatre The University of Sydney
2) Cory Doctorow (of Boing Boing, Creative Commons, etc.) at Popcorn Taxi:
Outspoken novelist, commentator and new-tech guru CORY DOCTOROW debates the future for filmmakers and media artists in this special event presented by Popcorn Taxi and the Australian Film Commission. Doctorow asks where does Hollywood get off, “with its antiquated business model, in treating the media user as a criminal with their draconian copyright laws?…Such laws limit the creative possibilities for artists and users.”An innovativeand brilliant thinker Doctorow proposes a revolutionary new model for media artists that defies the Digital Rights Management: “Technologies that seek to restrict the copying and use of digital works are wrong and wrong-headed”, Cory says. “Wrong because they don’t work, because they suppress creativity, and because they treat honest users like crooks. Wrong-headed because they seek to make digital works act as much as possibly like analog works. No DVD owner wants a way to do less with her movies, and companies that try to sell her technologies to do this deserve to go broke.”This debate is essential for any filmmaker and media artist who wants to give serious consideration to the future of their Work. The evening will include an interview and audience Q&A conducted by MARCUS GILLEZEAU, filmmaker (Firelight) and a specialist in digital production technologies.
popcorn taxi
Rated: R18+ EXEMPT from CLASSIFICATION
Time: 7.00pmDate: Wednesday, April, 19th, 2006
Where: Greater Union Bondi Junction
Address: Level 6, 500 Oxford Street, Westfield Bondi Junction Entry: Free
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Australian Copyright Council --- Subscriber Information Services
========================================================
The report of the House of Representatives Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Committee on technological protection measures exceptions was released
yesterday, 1 March 2006.
The report relates to Australia¹s obligations regarding technological
protection measures in the AustraliaUS Free Trade Agreement, and the
circumstances in which a person may be entitled to circumvent a
technological protection measure.
The report includes recommendations for exemption from circumvention
liability in a range of circumstances. In addition, it recommends that
technological measures intended to restrict the playing of DVDs and other
items to particular regions (region coding) be excluded from protection
under the Copyright Act.
Go to http://www.copyright.org.au/U26626 for a link to the report.
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From Australian Copyright Council
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Australian Copyright Council
PO Box 1986 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Australia
+61 2 9318 1788 (Tel, copyright information)
+61 2 9699 3247 (Tel, admin and sales)
+61 2 9698 3536 (Fax)
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