People of Interest. Issue #1

P-O I N T

PEOPLE OF INTEREST

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C r e a t o r s PAMODOU CEESAY

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C o n t r i b u t o r s S.M.B MARK WRIGHT/EURYDICE FRASER CURRAN CHLOE NEWMAN DIANA CHIRE ROSIE HARDY NATHAN MCCLATCHEY LUKE WILLIAMS DEXTER ORSZAGH THOMPSON URHIOFE MANUELA IODICE JONNY BURT LUIS ZUNIGA SPAD UK TRISTAN BENOIT GEORGIA ELLIOTT

o n l i n e WWW.P-OINT.COM @POINT_MAGAZINE

S.M.B S T U D I O S

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D e s i g n e r

London based Graphic Designer, Creative Artist and Illustrator, Samuel Mensah- Bonsu established himself as a freelance graphic designer in mid ’09. At the age of 19 he has shown a strong promise for design and has had acclaimed recognition from the worldwide artistic community.

As a young designer he is constantly evolving, learning and creating different styles of visual communication through digital means. Inspired mostly by designers that came before him, Samuel has developed an admiration for print and typographical design. Although he has been known to work with much more from t-shirt design to fashion photography and film.

Graduating with A-levels in Graphic Design & Fine Art, Samuel has achieved most of his success through online artistic communities such as Deviantart.com & Behance.net. Furthermore he is in the midst of officially starting his design company known as SMBStudios. This year Samuel is very interested in client work, commissions and collaborations and intending on putting his name on the map as best he can.

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How beneficial was it working with a production crew made up of people you know ?

I found it really beneficial working with a small group of trusted people I had gotten to know over my time spent at University and working in industry. It really came about through friends helping each other out where everyone involved I’d drafted in after working with them previously on different projects.

What was it like shooting with a HDSLR? the shooting experience was very enjoyable, despite the usual stress that comes with making a film, particularly on such a low budget.

It was very easy to plan out the process and with the DOP and myself both operating an HDSLR camera each, we were able to work extremely efficiently and gain everything we needed for the film in a very short space of time.

DIRECTOR/ CINEMATOGRAPHER MARK WRIGHT TALKS ABOUT HIS LATEST PROJECT ‘EURYDICE’ AND EXPERIENCE USING THE 60D

Mark S. Wright is a final year student at Staffordshire University studying a BSc (Hons) in Film Production Technology. He is the Director and Editor of the short film production ‘Eurydice’ and has previously worked in industry as an Editor and Cinematographer on various projects, including a modern feature film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Richard II shot on an HDSLR camera.

“ ACTO R S D EV ELOP A N D R EF I N E TH E A RT; THE DIRECTOR, L I K E A HYPNOTIST, WILL DRAW OUT THE APPROPIATE M E M ORI ES TO B R IN G A SCE N E TO LI F E ” CLIFFORD THURLOW

Simon Lyshon

Simon Lyshon PLays the role of ‘Hades’ in the short film Eurydice.

Simon Lyshon is an undergraduate student at Central School of Speech and Drama studying a BA (Hons) in Acting – Collaborative and Devised Theatre. He plays the role of ‘Hades’ in the short film production ‘Eurydice’ and has previously gained experience acting for both film and stage.

Working on ‘Eurydice’ was interesting for me especially because I, like the filmmakers, i am just starting out myself so to have a project like this is useful and it’s also quite nice to work with filmmakers your own age. These will be the people you end up working with out there, as these are the artists of your generation.

When you have a very small camera, it becomes a little bit easier, it takes up less space visually so in a sense it’s less distracting and easier to act around and pretend it’s not there. The shoot was a very different filming experience to what I’ve done before because it was a lot more scaled down, which is nice because you don’t have a million and one people watching you while you’re shooting but at the same time you get that one on one time with direction which you need as an actor, perhaps even more so on a small shoot like this.

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ulp Fiction is one of those movies which are universally accepted as one of the alltime greats. An essential in any collection, it showcases Quentin Tarantino at his absolute best and is arguably his greatest work. Transcending time and modern trends to incessantly appear in top film lists, it frequently takes over even the likes of The Shining and George Lucas’ Star Wars movies which many regard to be the greatest movies of all time. But exactly what were the qualities found within Pulp Fiction which allowed it to burn itself into so many people’s minds? More extensively, what is it that gives ANY film the makings of a classic?

Acting - Personally, I believe that an absolute necessity within any film is good acting. It’s important when watching a movie to not feel like you are actually watching the movie. Rather, you are experiencing the characters go through genuine events throughout a certain point in their lives - as opposed to the cast simply lifting the script from the page and regurgitating it for the camera. Uma Thurman played an incredible part in Pulp Fiction which led to her being the cover face of the movie despite only performing a minor role.

Surprise - Aside from the questionable hair styles used throughout the film (John Travolta…), Pulp Fiction includes a few surprises within the script which allow it to stand out from the crowd. Bland, predictable scripts have never worked for me and movies need the element of surprise if they are going to be a success. This has never been a problem for Tarantino. Take the intro scene – a couple in a diner having a quiet conversation which quickly escalates into a plan to execute a hold-up and rob the place. Marsellus, the hulking black gangster being raped by a scrawny, white policeman; Vincent and Mia doing the twist at Jack Rabbit Slim’s; the surprising cyclic structure later in the film showing Jules and Vincent eating in the same restaurant during the heist in the intro scene – all of these acts contribute to the memorability of the script and add to make it special.

Emotion – The most important requirement of all. If a film successfully makes me feel what it set out to make me feel then it is an instant winner. Horrors need to terrify; comedies have to make me laugh; action must get me excited. If audience emotion is achieved then other small faults in the rest of the film can easily be overlooked and forgiven. Pulp Fiction, being primarily of the crime genre definitely sparks a reaction from the audience. For one it’s filled to the brim with criminality, for another it has a flawless script and finally, it has enough interesting characters and shocking moments to allow it to be the definitive icon of its genre for a very long time.

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D etachment (Tony Kaye, 2011)

Tony Kaye, the acclaimed director of American History X returns with Detachment. A drama is set in an American high school revolving around the trials and tribulations that teachers, administrators and students face.

We experience hard-hitting moments of uneasiness through the eyes of Henry Barthes, a substitute teacher played

by Adrien Brody. Conveniently due to his role as a substitute, Henry avoids forming any attachment to those he encounters, until his latest assignment as he meets three different women during this one-month period. He firstly meets an insecure student in first period, MerBY Chloe Newman edith, later coming across Ms. Madison, Illustration By Georgia Elliott a colleague at the school. Finally we meet the one to have a substantial impact on Henry’s life, Erica, a young street hooker who Henry provides a place to stay for.

Through these encounters Henry finds (Rob Reiner, 2010) an unexpected connection to these par- From the director of Stand by Me is the It was nice seeing the progressive crossover ticular characters in realizing they share coming of age story Flipped. Since sec- transition of Juli and Bryce’s relationship, the same emotions in life. ond grade Juli knew there was something in the switching of emotions for each othspecial about fellow second grader Bryce, er. As well as the two leads sharing narraBrody’s performance is honest, memo- however Bryce didn’t feel this about Juli. tion of the story in a he said-she said kind rable and gritty, dealing with a fractured In fact Bryce would do anything to avoid of manner. Most will enjoy the warm and past. Although Detachment is slightly her. In an attempt to steer her feelings touching narrative of these two young depressing in parts, highlighting the away, Bryce later over time finds himself adults growing up in the time period of grittiness of the American education sys- realizing how interesting Juli is and that the 50s and 60s, however this film doesn’t tem, there is more to this film than meets he, himself has been ‘flipped’. Unfortu- come close to the earlier Stand by Me. the eye. nately simultaneously Juli doubts her previous feelings for Bryce and finds she disliking him more due to a number of incidents. The two kids are surrounded by their equally opposite families. Juli’s family finds it hard to make ends meet yet make up for this in morals and character. As opposing to Bryce’s who struggle a lot less in living standards but lack in morals, especially found in Bryce’s father.

Film reviews

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Taxi dr ive r

(Martin Scorcese, 1976) Martin Scorcese’s classic Taxi Driver explores the duality of the protagonist Travis Bickle (played by Robert De Niro), a cab driver on the edge of losing it. Longing for the streets of New York to be clean from the ‘scum’, Bickle takes matters into his own hands, with firstly an attempted politician’s assassination before saving a teenage runaway hooker (played by a young Jodie Foster). Gradually we see Travis’ paranoia take over especially in the iconic ‘you talkin’ to me?’ improvisation sequence. The violent events that take place leave Travis seen as a hero in the medias eyes but what makes this film great and thought provoking is the audiences lingering question of whether Travis is still at ease. Scorcese himself even appears as a similar psychopathic male in one scene.

Visually the films colours from the offset provide an uneasy atmosphere along with expressive camera shots and Bernard Herrmann’s unsettling score, the last before his death. Robert De Niro’s performance is one of fascination, he created in the character of Travis a man who welcomed a sinister side, yet simultaneously charming. Taxi Driver won the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and has remained a praised classic for being culturally significant since.

P u nc h- D r u nk Lov e

(Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002)

It was interesting to see what director; Paul Thomas Anderson had done to Adam Sandler’s usual type cast character in placing him as the sad psychological Barry in Punch-Drunk Love. Similar to what Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind did for Jim Carrey’s character transition, Sandler plays a more serious role, however the slight moments of comedy are still there but without excess. Emily Watson plays his love interest, the mysteriously quiet Lena.

Barry Egan is trapped with his seven sisters who regularly ridicule him, thus causing Barry to feel lonely and endure random fits of rage.

Once he finds a harmonium and Lena, he imparts on an enlightening journey to Hawaii.

The journey is however interrupted with the likes of four henchmen trying to extort money from Barry after he called a sex scam hotline.

One of the nicest things about this film asides from the change in Sandler from his usual comedy roles, is the use of colour in PunchDrunk Love especially during the silhouetted moments. The storyline takes unexpected turns from the typical romantic comedy, which makes it uniquely peculiar.

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Boardwal k E mp ire (2010-)

From the prestigious network of HBO is Boardwalk Empire, a period drama set in Atlantic City during the prohibition era.

Described as a film made for television even the opening credits are something to be noted straight away, with a possible visual influence from painter Magritte.

Boardwalk is stylistic from the offset as Scorcese’s gangster genre influence can be seen throughout despite only directing the pilot.

Boardwalk follows Steve Buscemi’s lead performance as the part politician, part gangster Enoch (Nucky) Thompson torn between right and wrong. He finds further problems as he encounters a poor housewife suffering from domestic abuse.

Buscemi’s performance is one of the main praises for Boardwalk’s success. British actor Stephen Graham also makes a cameo playing the notorious Al Capone in his earlier years before becoming head gangster in the prohibition era. With some great photographic moments in the pilot alone and the well-written script with quick wit, we expect to see more style like this from the series.

Tv reviews

BY Chleo Newman Illustration By Georgia Elliott

b r e a k i ng ba d (2008-) After being diagnosed with lung cancer, fifty-year-old chemistry teacher Walter White looks to the remainder of his life as a criminal. Using his knowledge of chemicals Walter teams up with drug seller Jesse, a former student of his, to produce and sell Meth. For Walter this is all in aid to secure his family’s financial situation for the future after knowing he has not long to live.

Walter’s character is particularly enticing, he is not the typical drug selling type, and in fact he is quite opposing to the stereotype. As we see his transition from a quiet, conservative teacher into the contrasting world of drugs there is humour in the situations he finds himself in and how he deals with them. Although this is a drama, the comedy is added into well-fitted parts and the cinematography itself is reminiscent of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas during the desert scenes.

Bryan Cranston who plays the lead of Walter is perfect in this role, one minute embedding the weak and sympathetic to switching into a confident kick ass. Where the protagonist changes into the antagonist as the series progresses, Breaking Bad is one to keep you watching.

New Gi rl (2011-)

Quirky sitcom New Girl stars the evermorequirky Zooey Deschanel as Jess. After being left heartbroken from an ex boyfriend, Jess moves into a loft apartment with three single men: Nick, Schmidt and Winston. The group dynamics caters towards the awkward banter.

In season two we start to see more of an exploration into the characters backgrounds and relationships towards each other, which is nice to see the focus isn’t always entirely on Deschanel’s Jess. The questions arise further with the relationships between Jess’ friend Cece and Schmidt as well as Jess and Nick.

New Girl has had its fair share of mixed criticism. Admittedly at first the banter is something to perhaps question and get used to until you realise New Girl purposely plays on the awkward humour for the comedy. The first few episodes are slightly slow however the show is not to be taken too seriously and is a certain pick me up for light-hearted comedy. Zooey Deschanel fans will certainly be pleased.

T w i n P e a ks (1990-1991)

Known for his ambiguous and surreal narratives, David Lynch’s TV series Twin Peaks combines the soap, murder-mystery genres with huge twists. Centered on the discovery of local homecoming queen Laura Palmer’s dead body the TV show follows the effect and lives of an array of distinctive characters. One of these distinctive characters in the foreground of the investigation is Special Agent Dale Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan), an FBI agent called into the small town of Twin Peaks.

Peeling back the façade of the quiet suburban life and community of Twin Peaks, Lynch exposes the unsettling and unknown.

The series itself changed the way many saw TV Series as Twin Peak breaks with conventions and leaves the audience bewildered at the ending of each episode. Without giving too much away if you are already a fan of Lynchian works and have not seen it then this is a must, if you don’t even know who David Lynch is, watch this anyway.

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Princess Mononoke (1997)

Castle In The Sky (1986)

Illustration By Georgia Elliott

Diana Chire Fi l m m a k e r P h o t o g r a p h e r

Diana Chire Interview

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’ve been a professional photographer for about three years now. I’ve just recently been signed to Fashion 156 Creative - I did my first ever editorial with their magazine in 2010. They are so much fun to work with! I’ve also recently been commissioned to make my first film. It’s about teenage skaters who fall in love. We are street casting everyone so there are no actors involved at all. I’m super excited!

How did you get into fashion photography and filmmaking?

Photography wasn’t something I thought I would be doing to be honest. It was only when I was diagnosed with Asperger’s in my teens the doctors suggested I take up a hobby to focus my attention on. My mum encouraged me to be more creative and that’s how I got into photography. Great thing about Asperger’s is that you become almost obsessed with your special talents, so as soon as I got into photography that was it. I was hooked! I continued on to study Fine Art and moving image at university and started making performances and short films there.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in music and films. With moving image and music there is feeling or tone that is nontransferable with still images. It communicates something to me that some of my favourite photographs don’t.

Did you receive any training in photography or filmmaking?

I’m pretty much self-taught. I use to assist photographers a lot when I first started out. A hand on approach is better for me, I can’t learn from just reading.

If you could shoot anywhere on earth, where would it be?

I really want to shoot some of the skate scenes for my short in a drained pool!

I watched this cool documentary called Chlorine; it’s about the pool skating scene in the 70’s. They would drive around, jumping fences, draining pools and get busted just because they wanted to skate the perfect bowl. The super 8 film diaries are so beautiful.

What cameras and lenses do you shoot with?

Macro lens! I love Macros!

Is there a specific item you’re looking forward to purchasing?

Super 8 camera and hopefully a large format camera. One day soon hopefully!

What’s your favourite piece of equipment that you have at the moment?

My flashgun. It’s so easy and quick to use and I normally don’t have to mess about with lights and stuff.

Could you take us through you editing process and what software’s you use?

Photoshop, capture and Final cut pro.

Diana Chire Interview

I can see that you prefer location to studio. why is that?

Studio can be good sometimes. But can be restricted. With location there are more possibilities. The only problem is that in England the weather is mostly crap! So you have super cold models a lot of the time. I did a swimwear shoot on a beach in February, it was freezing!

Who are your biggest creative influences?

I can’t really say who my biggest creative influences are. I love David Lynch and Sofia Coppola. Whenever I watch anything by them I feel so inspired! Bruce Weber is my favourite photographer. I love his work.

I think the biggest thing that influences me is general life. I know it sounds cliché but whatever’s going on in my personal life always has a direct correlation with the work I’m creating.

When my first boyfriend broke up with me and started dating this other girl. At the time I was in my final year of university. I created these performances for my final major project and to this day it is the best work I have ever done. I graduated with a 1st too! I should probably thank him I guess.

Biggest client so far?

I did a little something for Topshop unique which was awesome. Sadly though, I didn’t get a discount!

Diana Chire

Diana Chire

Is there anything else you’re interested in apart from photography and filmmaking?

I recently shot my first music video for one of my favourite bands ‘Throwing Up’. I love the video so much. It was such an honour to do the video! Music is such a massive part of my life; I really can’t wait to make more music videos. My best friend and I have started a djing which is awesome too.

How do you promote your work?

Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook! I get so many lovely messages on Facebook and Tumblr!

What’s your plan for the next few years?

I’m just going to keep shooting lots and lots of editorials! I want to film more shorts and eventually get funded to make a feature movie. I’ve been writing scripts since I was 18 so making a film is the ultimate plan.

What advice do you have for aspiring photographers and filmmakers?

Keep making work constantly. Even if you have your doubts, make it so it exists! I spend everyday planning, shooting, editing and writing. The more work I make the better and more confident I feel about my practice.

Could you recommend a film?

Anything by Larry Clark! Kid’s is my ultimate favourite movie! Dazed and Confused, The Virgin Suicides, Lolita (97), Y tu mama Tambien, Almost Famous (the bit where he yells ‘I am a golden god and I’m on drugs before he jumps in the pool is worth watching alone.) and The Rules of Attraction (some of the camera techniques they use is insane!)

Rosie Hardy P h o t o g r a p h e r

Interview

Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Rosie and I’m a 20year old photographer living in Manchester, UK. I’ve been shooting (badly) since I was about 17 and learning ever since. I’ve been lucky enough to be “discovered” on flickr by Maroon 5, and photographed the band and their album cover last summer. Flickr has been a massive part of my life, without the community on here I’d be pretty much nowhere!

How would you describe your style?

I would say my style is surrealism in a realistic, relatable scenario. A big part of my work is being able to people relate to the characters and be able to draw their own messages from the pictures. I like to have a strong concept, as well as a whimsy aesthetic.

Could you take us through your creative process?

Sure. So usually I’ve gotten sad about something, bit girly and put on some Disney songs or the American beauty soundtrack. I’m feeling pretty mopey and I try and pick a word that sums up what I’m feeling. The one I came up with last night was “deflated” which I thought could come with a lot of visual possibilities. I try and use items and concepts, which are familiar to a lot of people - that way the ideas, which we attach to them, strike certain chords with people that you can play with. For example, an ice cream. People associate this with happiness and sunshine, but by having a girl in a wet city street, holding an ice cream with is melting all over her hand (playing on an extreme) it creates an “aha” moment (the person gets it) and also makes people feel sad for the girl (or the ice cream).

It’s simple but it’s beautiful. Once I shoot the idea, I take it back onto my computer and edit until I twist the image into what I see in my head. Upload it to flickr and voila!

What type of cameras and lenses do you shoot with?

I have a Canon 5D Mkii, my favorite lens is the 50mm 1.4. I own a 35mm 2f, an 85mm 1.2, a 24-70mm 2.8, a TSE 45mm 2.8f and a 70-20mm 2.8f. Love em all! My babies!

What software’s do you use to edit?

I use a free program called GIMP. For me, editing is as much a part of what I do as my camera. Editing allows me to create something entirely new and to completely change an image.

Interview

What is one specific technique that you have used to get more clients or to get higher paying clients?

To get more clients: Be genuine, be authentic. People don’t want to buy into a product they don’t feel is personal or makes them feel special (in photography at least, as they’re looking for a personalized product) To get higher paying clients: Charge higher rates.

Could you recommend a film?

A Beautiful Mind.

Rosie Hardy

Rosie Hardy

Rosie Hardy

Rosie Hardy

J o s h Ga r r e ls Genre: “A genre bending mix of folk and hip-hop.” – joshgarrels.com

By Nathan McClatchey From Portland, Oregon, Josh Garrels’ first musical memory came aged 3; he remembers, “singing through the whole song ‘Pretty Little Bluebird’ with my head inside our families clothes dryer because I liked the sound of the acoustics.” It was clear that, from an early age, Garrels had a natural musical gift. Beginning recording at 13, starting a punk band at 14, Garrels was learning and experimenting with guitar and vocals. A skateboarding accident, aged 16, ended his initial dream of becoming a professional skater. What a remarkable touch of fate that was. He spent his entire summer on crutches, so his father bought him a four track recorder to help him pass the time. This is where he learnt to experiment with hop-hop beats and production, two concepts that would be central in his musical career.

A Christian, Garrels’ music has a deeply spiritual nature; he wrestles with and celebrates the ideas and mysteries of faith. With lyrical talent verging on genius oozing out of every line, the message of a song is delivered to our ears wrapped in deep natural imagery, entwined brilliantly with metaphysical concepts.

The imageries of the natural world are ones connected to Garrels’ youth. As he says, “I’ve always had a deep connection with the woods, fields and lakes. They somehow make me feel free and timeless, yet also brave and purposeful.” The surroundings of his Midwest upbringing really transfer into his artistic life.

Garrels chooses to self-record, mix, produce and distribute all of his music without industry management or representation. This allows him to take his work in the direction that he wants to take it, with no interference.

He really is a true artist.

His 2008 album, ‘Jacaranda’, explores themes of materialism, being lost in the world, and being rescued and found once again, to name a few recurring themes. Songs not to be missed on this album are: ‘Zion & Babylon’, ‘Jacaranda Tree’ and ‘Rabbit & the Bear’.

The latest album, ‘Love & War & the Sea in Between’, released in 2011 is one not to be missed. Inspired by the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, Garrels describes the album, which took over a year to produce, as “the most rigorous mental and spiritual struggle I’ve known as an artist.” With more deeply layered instrumentals than ‘Jacaranda’, this album takes a complex and varied sound. If anything, Garrels song writing has improved.

He manages to explore topics of faith and love, ideas that have been written on since the beginning of civilisation, and bend the themes into originally crafted pieces of artwork. Something very few artists can claim to do as well.

Recommended songs on this album are: ‘Farther Along’, and ‘Beyond the Blue’.

X av i e r R u d d Genre: Blends Blues, Reggae, Indigenous, Roots and Folk influences to create a unique style.

Born in Victoria, Australia in 1978, Rudd introduces himself as Rudd, as expected, gains a lot of inspiration from the an artist of both imagination and conscience. A powerful com- surrounding and encompassing nature of his homeland. bination.

Such is the variety, the diversity and extremity of the Australian land that Rudd finds inspiration from wherOne of Australia’s best known artists, the sound of his music ever he looks. He feels that he has a deep spiritual conhasn’t carried to the rest of the world anywhere near as much nection with the wild and untamed Kimberly region in as it should have. He brings a distinctly traditional Australian Australia, one of the most isolated places on earth. He sound with percussion and didgeridoo’s being prevalent in his also, like so many Australians and singer songwriters work. He has done a lot to revive the soundtrack to the abo- alike, has a love of surfing. This is brought into his music riginal culture on Australian shores, but it is yet to enlighten the by the use of waves as an instrument in songs like ‘Come nations beyond its origin.

Let Go’. This is an artistic touch which so few would dare to experiment with.

Rudd’s music is generally uplifting, and very spiritual, often telling aboriginal ancestral tales that have been told for thousands Rudd is one of a growing number of environmentally of years. He tells these tales with melodies that sometimes creep friendly artists, concerned about the impact of his tourslowly and quietly into our ears and some that hit home with an ing is having on the planet. His tour after the album unmistakable thud - such is the man’s vocal diversity.

‘White Moth’ was released was entirely carbon-neutral.

Many of his songs are dedicated to the idea of climate Rudd, however is not that predictable, where his first album, change, where Rudd declares elements of guilt and ‘To Let’, was all of the above, distinctly Australian and with shame about the state of the environment. layered instrumentals, his second, ‘Solace’, had a much more stripped back nature. It focused on the raw power of his lyr- His 2012 album ‘Spirit Bird’ continues the line of qualics and cemented Rudd’s reputation as a quality one-man band. ity albums produced by Xavier Rudd, where he experiHis fifth album, ‘Dark Shades of Blue’ (2008), had darkness to it ments further with natural sounds, especially birdsong, that hadn’t been seen from Rudd before. With songs like ‘Black with the song ‘Spirit Bird’ being the first track to give me Water’, which blends the didgeridoo sound with more rock ingoose bumps in a long time. fluences, and ‘Shiver’, we see a less uplifting and more serious Rudd. He still, however, keeps his lyrics as inspiring as ever, trying to find positivity in every situation.

J u s t i n No z u k a Genre: Acoustic, Folk, Soul, Gospel.

Many influences and styles.

By Nathan Mcclatchey Justin Nozuka, born in New York, 1988, was raised by a single mother of 6 children in Canada. He was born to a Japanese father. He learnt to play the acoustic guitar from classmates at school, and began writing at aged twelve. It was clear that this young boy had talent far beyond his years. He was soon found by a Universal Records who he did some samples for. They were impressed, so much so that they wanted him to record an album with them. In a brave move that only a true musician would do, Nozuka rejected them. The reasoning behind this was that he wanted to do an album independently, with his own freedom to create something that was of himself entirely.

This album came when he was aged just nineteen. ‘Holly’ was named after his mother who had supported his dream. What was truly remarkable about this album, was the maturity of his songwriting.

Songs like ‘Supposed to Grow Old’ and ‘I’m in Peace’ were written when Nozuka was just fifteen years old. There were songs on the album that shocked everyone by their depth, for example ‘Save Him’ is a fictional account of a woman being beaten by her husband. Another, ‘Down in a Cold Dirty Well’ is written about his perspective of being stuck in a well, with his life flashing before his eyes. Keeping the idea in mind that the majority of these songs were written when Nozuka was sixteen or seventeen, he was showing a depth and maturity that was well beyond his years. This is down to Nozuka’s belief that his music should be open and honest. He let’s the lyrics pour out of him, as he says, “with art, it is most important to follow you senses.

If it feels right, it’s right.”

Aside from his lyrical talent, Nozuka’s voice began to attract attention. Bright and soulful, sometimes mournful, he was showing in his debut album that he had a unique and powerful tone, with pure passion pouring out from his vocal chords at times.

He released his second album in 2010, called ‘You I Wind Land and Sea’. In this album he goes from strength to strength, with his voice as big and soulful as ever, and his composition being better than ‘Holly’. This album has a more complete feeling to his previous too, as Nozuka says himself; it had more of a direction to it. Nozuka still worked hard to maintain his open and honest song writing style. Songs to listen to particularly are ‘Gray’ and ‘Heartless’.

E m i ly a nd t he W o o d s

Emily Woods is an artist so far out of the public eye that I could find very little background information about her. She is a London singer songwriter, who plays with her brother Patrick backing up on guitar and percussion. Emily and the Woods is a truly family affair.

Emily is someone I have had the pleasure of seeing live, previously never having heard of her I went to the small stage at a festival to hear what she was like.

I was blown away by her talents, and also by how few people were there to hear her! In a festival where stars like Newton Faulkner and Ben Howard headlined, for me, Emily was the highlight.

Her voice doesn’t dominate the stage, it creeps and sooths, rather than being strong and brash. Her style of guitar is very different from anyone I have ever seen live, and it compliments her voice nicely. Her brother is around to add depth to his sisters’ musical talents.

Aside from her talent, it was Emily’s nature that caught my eye. Slightly shy, always charming, she seemed genuinely happy to play to the few people who had turned out to see her. I had the feeling that even if she was just playing in her bedroom without an audience, she would be just as content.

Her song writing is simple, but beautiful. Her music fits perfectly with her shy nature and charm, nearly always getting the message across with subtlety.

Emily is yet to release a full studio album, but has released two EP’s. The first, ‘Emily and the Woods EP’, released in 2010, had four songs, including ‘Never Play’, one of my personal favourites. Metaphors and melodies dominate this brilliantly composed song.

Her next EP, released in 2011, was called ‘Eye to Eye’ and it was a step up in terms of production and composition. It has gained a lot more publicity than her first EP. All of the songs on this EP are without a doubt worth a listen, but hit’s like ‘Steal His Heart’ and the title track ‘Eye to Eye’ really steal the show.

Look out for Emily and the Woods over the course of the next few years; she is bound for great things.

Illustration By Georgia Elliott

Tristan Benoit P r o d u c e r

Tristan Benoit Interview Tell us a little bit about yourself I’m a 19 year old beat maker from Walthamstow, east London and erm I have been making music since I was about 12 and erm yeah…

All right then cool. Your stage name is mirage. What does it mean?

Erm that’s a, that’s a really good question because it happened so fast. I was at my college on my way back to lesson after lunchtime and me and my friends were having a conversation outside about the desert and when you see a mirage in the desert and erm I just sort of liked the name and I thought you know kind of like a presence but not really there sort of thing you know what I mean so erm I just decided to go with it and Besides this sounds cool anyways so.. Yeah

How long have you been making beats?

I’ve been making beats since I was about 12 in after school clubs in secondary school. I just took it up from there really and my teacher recognized I had the time for it. I just liked It as the years went by. I started taking it more and more seriously.

I realized that I was actually meant to be doing this music. Its what I love. It’s the only thing I’m good at.

What inspired you?

What inspired me? Erm pretty much came around like this. Hearing tunes on like the radio and stuff like that. You always hear the singer or the rapper but you never really think about who’s behind the actual track, because all your hearing is the vocal and the beat right?! So all I wanted to do was sort of like expand my knowledge on what goes on behind the scenes…and how it works. How you put a beat together, how you write a song, how you arrange it. How you use a program and stuff like that. So that was my main inspiration and focus and that was more sort of the drive to get myself started and take music seriously.

Tristan Benoit Interview What do you think is overrated in the music Where do I find inspiration now? Going on trips. industry?

Cool. Where do you find inspiration now?

About three weeks ago I went up to Scotland because of my- well the job that my dad does. He gets to travel around the country so I tend to go with him. I’ve been to loads of places all over the UK and I always take pictures. What I see through my eyes inspires me to make music

Could you take us through your beat making process?

Ermmmmmm… (thinks),….NO

Do you think you will be doing a DJ Khaled any time soon, lets say like getting artists to feature on your instrumentals.

What do I think is overrated in the music industry?

Number one...Number one rapping and singing. I mean, like…do you understand, like it’s like a lot of people do that. You think like it’s the boom to be able to rap and sing at the same time. That I think is overrated because everyone jumps on that wave.

Second, you got all these mainstream beats that are coming through, like you’ve got your Rita Oras and your Calvin Harris and stuff like that. Thes- that sort of music coming I think that’s very overrated, I think we should concentrate a bit more on originality and authenticity.

Who or what influences you the most?

Erm my mum, because I have quite a strong bond with my mum. qui- were pretty close. Just seeing Erm yeah, me myself I wouldn’t compare myself her day in day out and being with her everyday is to him but ermm yeah. Similar sort of thing I my inspiration to make music. Kind of really just mean I’m planning, I’m planning to kind of obviheart felt music you know. She’s my inspiration. ously do the instrumental mix tape thing. I also want to get a couple tracks vocaled as well. Which I feel that. Do you have any big plans for the shouldn’t be problem you know, but in terms of rest of the year? (sighs) I mean I don’t know how to approach it.

I want to just be me then but I also want to get Big plans for the rest of the yea- well I plan to... some features on the mix tape as well and erm I’m planning to actually work at juvenile records you know I work with that other producer as well with tony and just hopefully get some stuff out so…we work hard and you know its about time there. Some of my music and get you know – I’m it started paying off. So yeah we’ll probably get – I mean – in terms of big plans what I would want to do is really push it all out this year. like make some singers in…to vocal something, definite. as much music as I can for as much people and hopefully you know the more – the more shoots If you could work with anyone in the indusyou fire the more likely you are to hit something try right now who would it be? so – you know, we’ll see how that goes.

Right now? If I could work with someone in the industry right now who would it be? Erm… What advice would you give to someone id probably have to say... I would really like to work with, just UK producers and beat makers. starting out?

You know like…im sort of making the transi- Erm d- there’s only – my most important advice tions with the underground, To trying to make that I can give to someone starting out now makthe more mainstream stuff but still with my own ing music, is to just stick to it. There will be many twist to it. If I could work with someone right times where you feel like you don’t want to do now it would probably have to be someone like it any more, or you feel let down, or you wont a…some one who is in the charts or someone get any ideas. Or you feel like your ideas are rewho is in the industry. There is so many people dundant and stuff like that. I would say definiteI want to work with. Probably crystal castles, be- ly stick to It because It’s not worth stopping. If cause i think they reflect my music a lot through you’re really talented at making music you should definitely stick to it. theirs so…

Could you recommend a film?

Could I rec? Could I recommend a film? Of all time or this year? All time? Sighs, ermm that’s a, that’s a, Memento by Chris Nolan.

Luke Williams P h o t o g r a p h e r

Luke Williams Interview

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m 20. Very laidback. Currently living in the heart of London (East End). I can speak also French, as I grew up in the south of France.

Did you go to college to study photography?

I did indeed. I was actually studying graphic design for 2 years before I did photography in the same college. During my time studying graphic design I had to take photographs for my magazine spread I was designing, and from that day I fell in love with taking photos. After I finished my graphic design course I then went on to a foundation degree in Photography.

How long have you been a photographer?

Since 2009, so just over 3 years now.

Where do you find your inspiration?

A lot of things to be honest, Looking at other photographers work always inspires me, but my inspiration mainly comes from my personal interest and life in general. I love music and films; I get a lot of my inspiration from them.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, Where would you be?

Ah, that’s a hard one. I’d love to be in many places right now. Shanghai though, if I could be anywhere right now.

Luke Williams Interview What cameras do you shoot with and which one is your favourite?

Recently I’ve been shooting with a canon 5D Mark II & a canon 1DS. I own a Nikon D60, I hope to purchase a canon 5D Mark II very soon. Oh, I also shoot with a few point and shoot film cameras.

What lenses do you roll with?

In terms of digital, I roll with a 50mm, and a 18-55mm. Both Nikon.

Do you have a plan?

To be honest, I never thought I’d be passionate about photography. I’m on a journey in life and anything can happen. I know God has a plan for me. Sometimes I try to plan things ahead you know, but it doesn’t always go the way I wanted it to go. I’d say right now I’m just trying to up my game bit and I guess I’ll just have to see where that takes me.

What do you think is overrated?

Nandos & Batman.

Your favourite film of all time?

Man, that’s a tough one. I’d have to say Blood Diamond.

Favourite photographer of all time?

Vivian Maier.

Is there anything else you have a passion for?

Youth Work, Teaching, going to the gym and playing sports.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

Maybe married? Haha we’re see. I really don’t know, like I said earlier anything could happen. You could see me diving for GB in 2016 Rio Olympics.

Any advice for someone that’s just starting off?

There is only one of you in the world so I’m sure there is something different you can bring to the table. Try to get some work on the Internet to promote yourself and to get comments on your work from photographers or other creative people. I started off using Flickr. It’s a good way to explore other photographers and share your photography with people. Keep shooting! The more you keep shooting, the more you’ll find what your style is and what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at. On the other hand don’t be scared to try something new, go out you’re comfort zone a bit. You just never know what you might learn and enjoy doing.

Luke Williams

Luke Williams

Dexter Orszagh |

illustrator

Dexter Orszagh Interview Yeah sometimes thinking up questions is a lot more difficult than answering them I hear that.

Ok So first one is tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to go into illustration

I see a bit of traditional manga in your work, where does that inspiration come from?

Erm Yeah my name is Dexter I’m a (pause) freelance illustrator and a graphic design student. Err what inspired me to go into graphic- into illustration. Err I think earliest inspiration I can remember was err just watching Japanese cartoons that got imported over here like Dragon ball Z and stuff. I think being a kid and watching that was the first time I think a lot of us realized that drawing was something you can get better at; because we were all drawing these Japanese cartoon characters or this anime and it got quite competitive and that’s when illustration kicked for me because It became something that isn’t just to past time, its something you can get better at and erm it sort of includes other people and yeah so that’s probably my earliest influence.

Same place really, erm, early on, sort of Japanese art was really, I’d say was the only influence on my work. Its what got me into drawing. So as I got a bit older, you know I started reading a bit more, more manga, erm so the earliest influence would have been you know dragon ball, dragon ballz, Akira Toriyama. Erm and I started reading a bit more, a bit more of the sort of more mature and darker stuff. I was probably younger than I should have been to be reading it but er (cough) there was er, I read a lot, not a lot of names can come to me but there was a lot of stuff like, read a lot of trigon, gants, gandam and so yeah manga was quite influential and anime as well at the same time.

If you weren’t in London where would you be?

That’s a good question. I think ideally, erm somewhere like Tokyo because obviously with those roots obviously my earliest inspirations being Japanese artists obviously I look up to you know katsuotomo all that sort of stuff, sheanatusm- e-sh- the guy that goes in the shell, I cant pronounce his surname but sort of legends like that because they came from Japan. I think, I think a lot of illustrators would want to be working there but at the same time I think yeah it’s a country where they have a word for death from over work – so – I don’t know if I’d be able to hack it out there.

What tools do you work with? (not sure) I use fine liners, pencils, er I use a range from sort of 2b up to 6b pencils. Erm fine liners, calligraphic fine liners, erm marker pens, err Indian inks and paint brushes for er ink and pencil drawings, er blue pencils for line drawings and er trusty old scanner and Photoshop. Bamboo Wacom tablet just pretty standard illustrators tools I think that every illustrator would have most of that. They are kinda like the tried and tested, true and trusted really.

How has living in London influenced your work?

How has London,.. err I think kind of. Its influenced my work in a bigger way than…

I might realize I think because a lot of my work has always sort of is had an, id say its had urban feel to it but not in the sense… like I’ve never done graffiti or anything like that…its not.. It isn’t like that but a lot of my character designs and a lot of my sort of early drawings of places and buildings were very inspired by where I grew up because kinda, I grew up in a council estate so where you live is a very sort of enclosed space. Its, it kind of gets in your head a lot and I think that influences my work because growing up you sort of you draw what you see, you draw what’s around you.

I think it simply is in my work quite a lot now because I am still in London and London is such a sort of creative center and there’s so much, so many illustrators here it kind of to me doesn’t make sense to not capitalize on the fact that you live in London in your work. I’d probably say its more influential on me now than it has been in the past but its something I’m enjoying and I think it resonates with other people.

Could you recommend a film?

A film? I watched Shaugun Assassin recently. That’s a film I’ve been meaning to watch for absolutely years. Erm and I’ve only just gotten around to watching that recently. I’d recommend that to everyone yeah. Good film

Dexter Orszagh Interview

Are you working on any projects at the moment?

What kind of advice would you give your young self?

Cool that’s all man

I am. I am working on an ep cover art for an east London based music producer called Syon. Syon music. Sort of a hiphop rnb with quite strong electro influences and basically the cover is also going to entail a sort of tie in comic book. So it’s sort of like a narrative based accompanying this ep. Yeah so currently working on the cover for that.

My Young self, what kind of advice would I give my young self? Ermm (clicks mouth) Both leave the loud and busy café!

Draw more! Jus- I drew a lot when I was young but I didn’t draw enough. I would say study drawing earlier. Learn anatomy earlier, do it all earlier, because I think I realized pretty late that you sort of have to get really serious about drawing – I would have liked to realize it earlier and yeah.

Nice…

M i x t a p e

Cover art.

http://soundcloud.com/cyonsmusiq

Marketing

Ho w t o m ar k e t y o u r s el f / b u s i n e s s .

T

BY Thompson Urhiofe – Zigzagzig.co.uk here are more than a thousand ways you can market yourself/business no matter what field you are in. With so many books, courses, blogs, tips, tutorials, podcasts and magazines available it is sometimes overwhelming to figure out which one works best. In this short article I will focus more on digital and online marketing.

As a small business, you will come to realize the many restrictions to getting yourself or business known. When we first started out, we had a brief marketing plan outlining all our marketing activities per week and month, believing that if we stuck to it then the business would get known pretty quick. But like most plans this wasn’t the case.

We had originally set up a Facebook page, Twitter page, Behance page, Tumblr page, planned to go to networking events weekly, send out regular newsletters, planed to write regular blogs on our website and guest blog on other blogs. Although these were great methods of promotion and marketing, we did not evaluate how much time we would need to set aside to make them relevant enough for our target market to even consider looking at it; let alone calling to make a purchase. Eventually when we did have time to make good use of these online and marketing platforms, it took us a while to actually sit down and evaluate the progress and effectiveness of each one. Once we did so we realised that some of these platforms and the way they were being used were doing more harm than good.

Every business is different and to build your brand you have to be able to distinguish which marketing method portrays your business in the way that you would like. We made the drastic decision to delete our Facebook page, Behance page and Tumblr page.

There were many reasons for doing so which I wont get into but it allowed us to focus on updating more important platforms such as our website, face to face networking, newsletters and regular tweets.

These methods may not work for everybody and eventually as our business grows our plans and methods will also change. This is not something to be afraid of; change is always good depending how it is dealt with. What works now may not work forever and as your business evolves and grows, so will your marketing strategy.

One thing I see a lot of people doing however is jumping on bandwagons and using the latest fad in marketing platforms. A lot of people us Facebook because they feel like they need to use it. This is also the case with emerging social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. There will always be varying arguments outlining their benefits and drawbacks for businesses, but the main question to always ask your self before using any platform is how will you use it? how will it benefit your business? If you are honest to yourself and can show that using it will truly benefit you business rather than act as an excuse for you to be “up to date” then it will always work for your business.

Manuela Iodice I

d o

w h a t

i

l i k e .

I am Manuela Iodice, a 22 years old italian girl from Naples and I currently study economics in Rome. But my real passion is all about art, including photography, illustrations and fashion design. Mostly, I see the world in color, through a lens or watercolors spray. I am not an artist, nor a photographer. I just do what i like to do.

www.flickr.com/photos/manuelaiodice www.cargocollective.com/manuelaiodice/

Manuela Iodice

Manuela Iodice

Jonny Burt A r t i s t My art is a biting reaction to the dehumanising effects of 21st century life. With a dark yet playful aesthetic, I offer a satirical examination of fractured identity in a “culture” where the relentless pursuit for fame and material pleasures becomes aligned with an ominous sense of mortality.

The subjects in my work often feature young children, not only to suggest who the true victims are, but also to unveil our own regressive and dependent condition in a mediatised and commodified “culture”.

I like to begin working in monochromatic pastels, later juxtaposing with high contrast acrylic colours to conjure a jarring seductiveness to the disturbing imagery. This often leads to a rather graphic aesthetic, which likely emerges from my strong interest in menswear fashion illustration and design.

I focus on deconstructing my subjects with heavy rubbing marks and reconstructing with more intricate detailing. This risky though very rewarding process gives me the necessary distorted quality that I need to depict the equally systematic “process” of progressively damaged identity.

My often cynical artistic response to the notion of fame is probably rooted in my experiences as an actor in London. I have met individuals who are so painfully desperate and deluded that fame has become their sole quest. In an age dominated by reality shows, the line is blurring rapidly between fame and infamy: Just how far will people go to be famous in the next ten years? Where are the limits to the exploitation of human beings?

http://jonnyburtart.com

Jonny Burt

Jonny Burt

Luis Zuniga i l l u s t r a t o r

My name is luis Zúniga and I’m a Young illustrator, born in the city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Central America) I have always loved to draw, as any child, in my case i loved to draw airplanes, all this fascination naturally spread and went evolving from school, to high school and ending up becoming something of a bigger picture when i arrived the university.

Actually I study Graphic design, I love exploring the area of illustration, realize how extended and experimental the outcome may be and at the same time forging a style that has the illustrators trademark, in my case I’m still growing and evolving in that aspect.

Now related to my work I try that the process comes out fun which it is, I have noticed that with every illustration I fulfill I learn something new, it’s about experimenting. My influences range from my childhood cartoons (Silver hawks, Maple Town, Samurai pizza Cats, Teenage mutant ninja turtles) Japanese culture and cinema overall the fantasy genres, psychological thrillers, noir and sci fi, I love animation movies referring to the creations of Studio Ghibli.

I am fond of using various concepts, like the use of forest animals and setting them in some symbolic situation, maybe ritualistic, some irony, a blend between sweet and dark.

The appearance of my recent work come with the use of vectors, strong and vivid color, using glowing spheres called “Orbs” that give a sense of connection and magic between the elements of my illustrations, I want my work to talk for its own self without the need of being a sequence of illustrations I want that just 1 illustrations can make you imagine and tell a story, that the spectator grows a curiosity for its precedence or genesis, then I fulfill the objective, part of my personality goes in my illustrations.

I have been working my late tendency / line of work in illustrator, outline process handmade and all the digital process embarks on filling with colors tones, and shades finalizing on adobe photoshop where glow and other effects are applied. With vectors the sensation of something solid and clean come out, with a correct harmony of colors something interesting may come of using forms and concepts. My last works have some kawai, ritualistic, subculture and fantasy currents; I have been using a lot of symmetry and luminosity concepts.

http://www.sillyrabs.com

Luis Zuniga

Luis Zuniga

Thanks For Reading.

WWW.P-OINT.COM