December 2013 Issue 11
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NIGHTLIFE&ENTERTAINMENT
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ARTS&CULTURE
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BEAUTY&FASHION
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NEWS&BUSINESS
Concrete Exposure By Jas Sansi Photography
C o nt e nt s
News 09 Behind The Scenes With Second Home Studios 10 The New Monochrome You 18 Sleeping Beauty 20 HHHO Photo Booth 22 Great Western Arcade 24 Christmas Gift Guide For Her 26 Christmas Gift Guide For Him 28 Gallery 30
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news
bite s ize news, editors note & Credits. Managing Director and Editor - Jessica Fitzpatrick Jessica@scenebirmingham.co.uk Graphics by EVP Visuals - ellison@evpvisuals.co.uk Editors Assistant - Talisha Johnson Contributing Writers - Talisha Johnson, Katy Poulsom, Georgia Adderley and Shara Johnson Contributing Photographers - Jas Sansi To request a media pack please email sales@ scenebirmingham.co.uk or call 0121 280 3012 or 07875547189.
editors note Christmas is nearly here! Are we excited? YES. Are we ready? NO. Are we going to spend the next month celebrating, shopping, eating too much, drinking too much and over using the phrase ‘It’s Christmas!’- Of course we are.
I’ve always said that the great thing about my job is that I get to learn about loads of different industries and meet people from all walks of life. This month I met Chris Randall, the owner of Second Home Studios, an animation studio company based in Digbeth. With #thebearandhare trending all over as John Lewis’ advert has captured the heart of the nation it was great to learn a bit more about the industry There are plenty of events going on in the city this month from a great guy from Birmingham that is flying the flag all of which are going to be a great warm up for what looks with his award working work. to be the biggest and best NYE line up we’ve had in the city for years! TicketSellers give their usual dose of where’s best to go and The last couple of months have flown by in the SCENE HQ. We’ve been to some fantastic events; check out the gallery pages for some of the funniest photos from The Helping Harry Help Others Ball, as well as some truly beautiful ones and all the pics from the two VIBE Audio events that we did at Vodbull’s Student night and NUDE’s Haunted Mansion Party over Halloween.
Jesxs
we’ve have a few gifts ideas for Christmas in here too! Keep checking the website www.scenebirmingham.co.uk for more news, reviews, competitions and interviews in the run up to Christmas. We hope you enjoy this issue!
Bites ize bits The Ice Rink Is Back! Birmingham’s Christmas ice rink is back after a six years. The rink will be open in the festive surroundings of Centenary Square from Saturday November 16. ‘Winterskate’, will be open for business from 10am to 10pm daily until January 5. The rink can accommodate up to 220 skaters at a time, attracting visitors from all over the city. With such a great facility in the city in the festive build up to Christmas, wrap up warm and join in the fun! The Mailbox secures luxury cinema brand Everyman Cinemas Birmingham’s premier lifestyle and shopping destination, The Mailbox, has secured luxury cinema operator, Everyman Cinemas, as part of the scheme’s refurbishment announced earlier this year. The deal with Everyman will see a three screen, 12,000 sq ft cinema open in the latter part of 2014.
Everyman at The Mailbox will also feature a fully licensed bar with fine wines, champagnes, beers and cocktails, as well as an enhanced food offering. The redevelopment of The Mailbox includes a new 45,000 sq ft Harvey Nichols signature store. Pre-let agreements have also been signed with leading fashion brands Jaeger, Gieves & Hawkes, L.K. Bennett and Daniel Footwear. Internationally renowned Castle Fine Art will open a new gallery within the scheme. The cinema is set to open towards the end of 2014, with the full redevelopment of The Mailbox completed in 2015.
New Year, New You... Yes, we’re all going to enjoy December and eat and drink as much as we can. Then in January we’ll all start over and get back into the gym. Check out our competitions page at www.scenebirmingham.co.uk. We’ve teamed up Everyman currently operate 10 cinemas across London, with personal trainer Paulos from Personal Best Personal the South East and Leeds. Everyman at The Mailbox will Training to give away £500 worth of personal training! be the group’s first cinema in the Midlands, bringing the brand’s signature style and focus on hospitality to We’ve also been testing out FTN believe products, an Birmingham with sofa seating, stylish bar and lounge amazing new nutraceutical drink that you take daily. We areas and ‘rustle-free’ food. believe this will be the next big thing next year. Check out our full review of the product on our website and go to The cinema will offer the very latest in digital projection www.ftnbelieve.com to see their latest deals. with Sony Digital 4K projectors and 3D capabilities, to screen a carefully selected and varied programme of And if you can’t wait to work on yourself before the new quality films and special events including live theatre and year why not check out Samsara Skin based in The Custard opera. Factory and ask them to create the perfect treatment to suit you! Find out more at www. www.samsaraskin.com
INTERVIEW
Second home studios
AN interview WITH ch r is r an dall Award Winning animator
In my eyes Birmingham’s always been a city of makers, full of invention, and long may it stay that way.
So, Second Home Studios…. What’s it all about? Hi, my name is Chris Randall and I run Second Home Studios. We’re an animation studio based in Digbeth in Birmingham. We produce all the disciplines - 2D, computer-generated and stop-motion, with a strong emphasis on the latter. I love working with models and puppets, which comes from my personal grounding in visual effects. I cut my teeth loading film cameras on Red Dwarf where I spent my university holidays blowing up Starbug with their model unit. I get the same buzz now when I look through the camera onto a miniature set that’s just been lit. It’s like you’re looking into a completely other world, whether it’s a 10 second title sequence or a 1 minute mini-epic.
It hasn’t held me back so far. There isn’t really any other place I’d want to be doing this. I’m in the very lucky position where I can draw on a bunch of talented people whom I feel privileged to call friends. Being located centrally has the obvious geographical advantage and a project can absorb anywhere from two to fifty freelancers. Cloud file sharing means that people can also work remotely, which helps with post-production. There’s also your support networks - there’s a very lively community of SME’s doing animation in Birmingham, and more coming through. It means you can play to your own strengths while sharing the load out to others for specific disciplines. We’re all playing the same game, so everyone has a tendency to help each other out.
You’ve recently won some awards? Yes. Recently we’ve picked up a British Animation Award for a beer commercial we made for Pilsner Urquell called ‘Legends’, while a 2D film we made for Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, ‘The Mechanical Musical Marvel’, about their spectacular pipe organ was nominated for a BAFTA last year. I’ve also been one of the eight-film-makers who contributed to the BAFTA winning ‘Share A Story’ for CITV. Last week alone we picked up 2 more RTS nominations and a Golden Panda Award for Animation in Chengdu, China. I’m always pleasantly astonished when these things happen. You spend so long toiling away in a dark studio, you often forget that a project only starts to live the moment you actually finish it. Whenever one of our films is well received it’s testimony to the graft put in by the teams involved. 9-5 seldom applies in animation (we’re not called Second Home purely for whimsical reasons!) so it’s incredible when a project gets nominated for something.
Explain a typical process of a job, how long it can take and what goes into a job that people probably wouldn’t realise… A typical job can last from a few days to several months. Animation in all forms needs to be pre-edited, so you don’t meander off the original plan and waste time. Once you turn the script into a storyboard, you put this on a timeline to make an ‘animatic’ (moving storyboard) or previsualisation. Once this is signed off, you finalise designs. Then you can start modeling, whether in drawn form, on computer or actually out of timber or plasticine. Then it’s a case of scheduling the rigging, lighting, the animation itself and then the post-production. Green and blue screen tend to be common practice for slotting in backgrounds, so I usually work to a staggered post-production schedule, so when shots start coming up from the studio, there’s someone ready to start compositing the elements. In amongst all this, you’re working out the all-important audio. I absolutely love working with musicians. If you’re working to a voice track then this is recorded right at the beginning and all the animation marches along to that.
The industry you’re in is quite fierce in London; do you think being in Birmingham can hold you back?
there’s a very lively community of SME’s doing animation in Birmingham, and more coming through What have you got coming in the next few months? ‘The Mechanical Musical Marvel’ is becoming a full-on show, which is great. There’s some other commercial work which is beholdent to secrecy, but I’m in the process of developing a new film idea that draws its visual style directly from the canal networks here in Brum, but is actually set between the war years. There’s also the prospect to pitch for some much bigger film projects, but we’ll see how those pan out. I’m also developing a children’s series idea and promoting a new interactive stop-motion app I co-produced this year. Lots on! What do you love about your job? Directing. I feel very fortunate that animators are trusting enough to take direction from me. When we shoot I try to factor in a bit of ‘playing space’ into every shot. By this I mean allowing them some room for interpretation. They’re doing a character performance after all. After directing, it has to be writing and concept development. But then I also love injecting a bit of trickery into things, which is the visual effects guy in me! But then I love animating too… and designing… and making things… What other companies do you look or to or is there any dream clients that you’d love to work with? I’ve learned the best work comes from collaboration. I’d love to be in a position to develop a feature film one day, with the right story and within the right medium and of course the right distributor; I’m open to ideas. I think that can only come about through co-production though. I have to go back to my actual home at some point every day. Do you think Birmingham gets enough praise for its creative talent? No. But I think it’s less about just creative talent and more about awareness, or lack thereof, of the scope of possibility we have here. A lot of writers and artists I know have moved here from elsewhere having found it easier to live and work. Besides, good work is its own signpost, wherever you are. Birmingham’s got loads going for it, and plenty to inspire, you just need to look for it. In my eyes Birmingham’s always been a city of makers, full of invention, and long may it stay that way.
IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE
CHRISTMAS
AT BROADWAY PLAZA
CINEMA • BOWLING • CASINO RESTAURANTS • HEALTH CLUB • BARS See www.facebook.com/BroadwayInBrum for all the latest news, offers and events this Christmas
ENTERTAINMENT • FOOD & LEISURE
BEAUTY
MONO CHROME THE NEW MONOCHROME YOU
This December take yourself out of your monochrome comfort zone. Make black and white more exciting. Whether it’s graphic liners, smudged edges or something else, try something you usually wouldn’t consider.. You could opt for Jean-Pierre Braganza’s version of a 60’s monochrome. Cat-like, eye-elongating and great with defined cheekbones. Maybe you could take a shot at the punk smoky eyes that were seen at Julien Macdonald, Erdem and Roksanda Ilincic. Or you could put some attitude into your look by concentrating on your lower lash line. This Spring/Summer 2013 staple is continuing into autumn, with shows like Rodarte, Missoni and Versace using smudgy liner under the eyes. When looking at this grungey make-up, petrol and charcoal are the words being used to describe colour. As makeup artist Kabuki puts it, it’s “cool with dangerous edge”. Show some attitude! Don’t let monochrome just be the easy way out. To achieve the look in the image, apply MAC Fluidline gel liner in Blacktrack all over your eyelids and smudged under eye and use MAC Pencil in Fascinating (white) to add a graphic edge and a focal point to the bottom lash line. This will also brighten up your eyes (the white area will be reflected in your iris) and it’s like walking around with your own photographic lighting in tow. A little insider tip is to not apply your base till after you finish your eyes. That way you can wipe off any excess pigment without making a mess. Finish off with Benefit Hoola Bronzer and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Blushing Mauve. Written by Garazi
Model: Abigail R @ Oxygen Make-up: Rebecca Frances Hair: Dale Hollinshead @ Dale Hairdressing Stylist: Lizzy Gardner Photographer’s assistant: Mollie Davis Make-up assistant: Laura Walton Photographer: Garazi
Review
Sleeping Beauty K AT Y P O U LS O M G O E S TO T H E T H E AT R E I’ve always loved the theatre. Dressing smartly and making the journey with family and friends to the imposing old buildings with their rich red velvet curtains and huge ceilings, eagerly anticipating the evenings events. The most recent performance I attended was ‘Sleeping beauty’ at the Hippodrome which I enjoyed immensely. Lacy outfits generously clad in sequins and jewels sparkle in the lights as the dancers spin, leap and twirl; not a in sight! Classical musicians hidden in the pit play seamlessly in time with the performers on stage. ‘I know you’, wafts softly through reminding me of the classic Disney film and my childhood dreams of meeting prince charming. I was so totally engrossed in the elegancy and perfection of the performance that the usual hustle and bustle of city life slipped gently from my consciousness.
Although, I did learn a few things from my trip to the ballet. The first was that if I need to slow down in this crazy world we live in; I put on classical music. At 8 like most little girls I attempted ballet myself. My mum enrolled me in Miss Heather’s ballet class. The tall strict headmistress look alike would bark commands at us as we skipped about the church hall in our shinny blue leotards. But soon ‘good toes/bad toes’, begun to tire me and as a hyperactive child I begun to search for a more energetic sport and consequently enrolled in horse riding lessons. To this day I do not regret my decision. I’m hugely impatient, I fly through life at the speed of a Tasmanian devil and want most things done yesterday. There’s also the important fact I simply didn’t have the grace to become an elegant ballerina. Although, I did learn a few things from my trip to the ballet. The first was that if I need to slow down in this crazy world we live in; (that seems to be speeding up by the second,) I put on classical music. This helps to provide a timeless feel and calms me instantly, ideal for tidying the house as it takes your mind off the task in hand! The second lesson I took from this, was that ballet didn’t suit me at the age of 8 and attempting it at 30 when you get in from the theatre is not a good idea. Whilst the tip toed skip upstairs, arm stretched elegantly in front seemed to work, the spin in my bedroom didn’t. The balance just wasn’t there and I ended up clouting my head on the wooden door, leaving a little red mark on my forehead the next day! From now on I think I’ll leave the dancing to the experts and try and get to at least one ballet performance a year in order to help restore my inner Zen! Words by Katy Poulsom
These ph to you otos were bro by Prim u obooth ght s.
GREAT WESTERN ARCADE
Great Western Arcade opens new chapter in shopping history The Great Western Arcade has been an elegant shopping mix on offer at the shopping destination whilst enjoying destination since 1876 and has just welcomed eight cocktails and musical entertainment. new retailers to produce an eclectic mix of food, drink, footwear, jewellery, accessories and fashion. Centre Manager Gay Faulkner, added: “The influx of new retailers highlights the successful transformation of the The impressive new line up includes luxury British Arcade into a key retail location in the City Centre. There clothing retailer Bolongaro Trevor from the designer really is something for everyone here and I would invite duo who founded All Saints, Agnes & Norman – a new discerning shoppers from across the country, in search of concept from well regarded wedding shoe designer something special or a bit different to come and visit.” Rachel Simpson and the Handmade Boutique which brings together a group of designers producing upcycled The Great Western Arcade is a Grade 2 listed building handmade items for the home along with jewellery and located off Colmore Row and is already home to some giftware. of Birmingham’s favourite independent retailers such as Anderson & Hill delicatessen, Sims footwear, Liquor Store The newcomers join an impressive line up of specialist menswear, At One Day Spa, Mr Simms sweets, Sparklewren retailers and boutiques and represents a new chapter in bespoke corsetry, the award winning Wine Tasting House the shopping history of the Arcade . Loki Wines, Chouchoute Chocolaterie and The Bread Collection, artisan bakery. During the flurry of new openings, the Arcade played host to Retail Birmingham’s ‘Celebration of Independents’ To find out more about Great Western Arcade visit summer garden party in early July, which saw over 450 www.greatwesternarcade.co.uk shoppers, many new to the arcade, discover the eclectic
A H ISTORY O F
Christmas SH OP P IN G
truly inspirationa l Christmas gifts greatwesternarcade.co.uk
Gift Gu ide
christmas gifts
for her
Donna Karen £915 Harvey Nicholas
Giuseppe Zanotti £765 Harvey Nicholas
Soru Jewllerry Prices from £30 www.sorujewellery.com
Casadei £560 Harvey Nicholas Venus Sneakers £35 www.teamwardrobe.com
Various styles from £36 www.teamwardrobe.com
Various styles from £34 www.teamwardrobe.com
Physical Novel £130 www.physicalnovel.co.uk
Physical Novel £130 www.physicalnovel.co.uk
Gareth Pugh £345 Harvey Nichols
Physical Novel £130 www.physicalnovel.co.uk Giuseppe Zanotti £605 Harvey Nichols
Gift Guide
christmas gifts
for him
HHHO Charity Ball
ICC - Photography by Jas Sansi
illuminate Celebrations Photography by Jas Sansi
Vodbull’s Stupid TuesdaysWith VIBE audio Halloween Special at The Hub, Birmingham Photography by Vodbull
NUDE Mansion Party Sponsored by VIBE Audio The Belfry - Photos by NUDE Nights