Oscar and Bafta award-winning director Kevin Macdonald gained access to Marley’s friends, family, lovers and fellow musicians to build the original content for the film. Alongside interviews and photographs, rarely broadcasted archive material shows footage of the band performing onstage, including film of the famous peace concert in Jamaica shortly after the attempt on his life.

The film sets its ideological foundations with the first few minutes, as the camera passes through the “Door of No Return”, a fortress which saw the arrival of millions of black slaves shipped across the Atlantic to Ghana. From here a lingering shot over the sweeping green landscapes, accompanied by a bouncy reggae soundtrack, leads us to Nine Mile, the remote village in Jamaica where Robert Nesta Marley was born in 1945.

Aged 16, Cedella Booker, Marley’s black mother met 60 year old Norval Marley, a white captain in the Royal Marines, who came from mixed Jamaican and English descent. Although Norval and Cedella married, Marley rarely saw his father, and later in the film it is mentioned that he dealt with issues of rejection as a result of his father’s absence, quoting the lyrics of his song Cornerstone: “The stone that the builder refused, will always be the head cornerstone.”

In search of a better quality of life, the family moved to Trench Town, Kingston, where they continued to struggle, living on the poverty line. However, it was to be Trench Town where Bob Marley developed his talent for poetry, and began to see music as a way out. Kingston has since been christened “the birthplace of reggae”.

Setting a context which is significant throughout the film, Macdonald assembles the personal and political attitudes from Marley’s young life. Living in extreme poverty, dealing with mixed race identity and the despondence of his father are laid as foundations for his later life and his musical success.

Contrary to his laidback image, Bob Marley is described as being a “serious focus man” by a fellow singer, heavily influenced by the cultural and political issues of his homeland, and keen to succeed as a musician. At first, Marley wrote as part of The Wailers, a band formed with two friends, but which through success and leadership disputes, changed dramatically over time. As expected but enjoyably, the accounts from band members vary.

Throughout the film, we come to understand Marley’s political persona, an advocate for peace, rather than a campaigner of the policies of one particular party. It is mentioned that Marley had friends within both the political factions in Jamaica during the 1970s, the socialist People’s National Party (PLP), and the conservative Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and during a free concert in Kingston, Marley dragged both leaders onto the stage to publicly shake hands in a spontaneous effort to unite the country.

Marley’s political stance is summed up in footage from an interview in which he says: “Me only have one ambition, y’know. I only have one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together – black, white, Chinese, everyone – that’s all.”

The story of Jamaica’s independence is fraught with action and violence, and the film takes time to explain the backdrop to Marley’s success. At the centre of the story of racial revolution and cultural independence, Marley’s philosophy to bring all races together through music is epitomised in his lyrics: “Come together and make it work”.

A natural leader, charismatic and driven, the film depicts Bob Marley as both political pioneer and talented musician, but seems to only scrape the surface when addressing his personal relationships.

Married to backing singer Rita Anderson at 21, Marley openly had several other relationships, fathering 11 children from seven relationships. His eldest son Ziggy talks reverently about his father, whereas eldest daughter Cedella gives a moving and somewhat injured account, describing Marley as competitive and distant. While we are able to openly hear Cedella’s testimony, the film doesn’t expand the point fully, and wife Rita is a little dismissive of questions surrounding his fidelity. She describes the concept as a “western ideal” which, as a Rastafarian, Marley was disinclined to adhere to. Rita also expresses her utmost respect for the work and for the music, which she calls an “evangelist campaign”, and which she implies took precedent over their marriage.

The final stages of the film document Marley’s diagnosis and decline from a malignant melanoma diagnosed in 1977. One of his girlfriends recounts reading the Book of Job to the singer in hospital, emotionally recalling how he lost his beloved dreadlocks to chemotherapy, shortly before he died aged 36 in 1981.

The scenes which follow depict the public reaction to Marley’s death, scenes which, when juxtaposed with those earlier in the film documenting Emperor Haile Selassie’s visit to Jamaica in 1966, (a figure who, in Rastafari culture, is believed to be the reincarnation of Jesus), give representation to the huge impact Bob Marley had.

Over 30 years after his death, Bob Marley remains an emblem for peace, and “Legend”, Bob Marley & the Wailers’ compilation album released in 1984 remains the world’s best-selling reggae album of all time, selling 25 million copies and going ten times Platinum.

A warm and respectful film, it is clear that Macdonald is passionate about his subject, both from the length as well as the content; it is easy to imagine the director conflicted in an editing suite, surrounded by hours of poignant and interesting footage. Providing the perfect backing, the soundtrack embodies the contradictions inherent in the story itself, vibrant colour against crippling poverty, and the laid back, marijuana-smoking lifestyle occupied by immovable political message.

The film does much to expound the symbol for laid-back drug culture of the 1970s with which Bob Marley is connected. Behind the iconography lies the story of a real man, with his own complexities and contractions, but also passion and sincerity. Marley is a portrait of a man who had scarce beginnings, serving as an extensive and colourful tribute to a much-loved international legend, who even 31 years on, inspires a legacy of music and peace.

For those of you are like minded creators, whether it be writing film or writing novels then you should spend some time over at Circalit. It is the best place for you to read new stories from writers like yourself, and like other social networking sites you can follow their progress. You can share your work on Circalit, and spread the link further on Facebook and Twitter. The best thing about it is you can read as much as you like, and if you feel like it, you can review the work based on character, dialogue, idea and so on so the author really gets some feedback they can use to benefit their work.

You can follow reviewers and see what they like in other peoples work, and what they don’t. You can also become a reviewer yourself, this way you can be as passionate (or not, as the case may be) with someones work, but all the feedback will really help people like yourself.

And last, and no means least, the extra special part about Circalit is that you can enter writing competitions that can give you great exposure and also a lot of practice for a writer like me who needs to write to deadlines. Past prizes have included the chance to get your book published, your film produced, and your work reviewed by senior editors from major publishing houses. It would be stupid not to.

I myself entered a competition last week to get a short comedy sketch produced. This is a snippet of my sketch.

INT. MCADAMS BOOKSHOP – DAY
Helen, 23, is putting ’3 for 2’ stickers on a pile of books,
when a CUSTOMER approaches her at the till point. Helen
moves the pile of books to the floor, and smiles at the
customer, a larger lady. The customer looks at Helen with
anything but a smile.

HELEN
Hello there.

CUSTOMER
Can you help me?

HELEN
I can certainly try. What can I -

CUSTOMER
What you got on vitamins?

HELEN
(still smiling)
Excuse me? In what sense?

CUSTOMER
Well, y’know, vits in food, drinks.
I need to know what’s goin’ in.

HELEN
You’d like a book on -
The customer looks exasperated.

CUSTOMER
I need a book with all the vitamins
in yeah. You are a book shop?

Helen’s smile wavers only slightly.

HELEN
Our health section is up on the top
floor.

The customer, lowers her head and mutters under her breath
yet it is loud enough for Helen to hear.

CUSTOMER
Top floor. Stick thin, it’s alright
for her getting to the top floor.

Helen turns to face the customer, with a plastic smile
plastered on her face.

*

To read the rest of my entry, get yourself over to Circalit, and search for ‘Café au Caca’.

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Film awards are all good and fun. Nearly every A-lister appears on the red carpet and a long (and sometimes tedious) ceremony begins. Now don’t get me wrong, I would never turn down an invitation to attend the Oscars. No matter how much I dislike them and see them as more materialistic than prestigious; I would still attend if ever given the chance. This is more so because of the ingrained nature of the Oscars. They have been around in the mainstream of culture for such a long time that they do have a sense of glamour about them; even if you don’t like them you can’t help but like them to some extent. So back to the festival circuit. Simply by these being festivals they run for more than a single night plus the after party. They usually run for a few days so a larger variety of films can displayed. The most obvious is the art-house, independent and foreign sector which normally don’t get mention at the Oscars, and if they do then they get minimal mention and it’s just brushed over as it doesn’t match the same league as the blockbuster, Hollywood made films of the year. The festival circuit was more honed in to this sector which was otherwise ignored from the mainstream awards ceremonies. Sundance film festival obviously began as a salute to American independent film back in the mid 80′s (and subsequently nearly fell apart on several occasions as the festival attempted to establish itself and compete against the larger festivals and awards ceremonies).

A major reason why the film festival circuit runs as a festival and not simply an awards ceremony is that studios or filmmakers will attend the festival to try and secure a distribution deal. The festival circuit is a great place to have your film sold; having financing to make a film, doesn’t necessarily mean that once it’s made it’s guaranteed to be shown to anyone. Films like ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Clerks’ went to Sundance without distributors and left with Miramax to release their films. Now this form of distribution market has somewhat dried up within the festival circuit simply because distribution isn’t necessarily as costly as it used to be. With the internet being able to provide mass amounts of cheap advertisement, technology that allows people to create high quality DVDs in minutes and the trend of cinemas showing digital copies of films; all of these allow films to be distributed at greater ease. It therefore becomes quite clear that if you have the money to finance the production of a film then the distribution is more tied in with it (of course that are exceptions and this is just a general over view). Film festivals can also offer producers a place to get financing for a film in the first place. Some take advantage on so many studios being present in one place to play them against each other. The producers for ‘Red 2′ for instance are going to be playing the market in Cannes this year. The film has the support of the original screen writers from the first ‘Red’ film. Many of the lead cast are up for the sequel, Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich included. But why go to one studio who may turn it down and wait ages for your next meeting with the next studio when they are all going to be present at Cannes. They can skim through the studios and pick the best deal within the space of a week.

Now the main reason I decided the write this blog based on film festivals was simply by seeing the line up of jurors for this years Cannes. This is the main element which makes me truly respect Cannes. The Oscars has a panel which decide on who wins what, this makes sense, however who the hell are these people on this panel? It becomes evident that this is an event for Hollywood to pat itself on the back for another good year of films. Where as Cannes is completely different. Their jury changes every year and instead of using people who are never know they actively let the public know who is judging the festival’s film entrants. They also pick a range of jurors from film directors and actors to artists. This I feel is highly important as I still still film as an art form (I have previously remarked on this in one of my previous blogs a few months ago). For instance this years jury comprises of: Nanni Moretti (director), Hiam Abbass (actress), Andrea Arnold (director), Emmanuelle Devos (actress), Jean-Paul Gaultier (fashion designer), Diane Kruger (actress), Ewan McGregor (actor), Alexander Payne (director) and Raoul Peck (actor). Now this list is mainly composed of actor/tress and directors however the range in them alone is quite extensive. These people are peers and highly respected within the film community, previous jurors include Robert De Niro and Quentin Tarantino. With this simplicity of having people who know film as they eat, sleep and breathe it, a greater respect for who wins what can automatically be given, and with the jury being changed every year then fresh blood and new taste is added into the mix, this then stops the same sort of films winning the same prizes every year.

So I shall close this blog suggesting that you look into any film festival that may be occurring any time soon, whether it be large or small, international or local. It can be great experience to volunteer at a film festival, much like a few focus members do at the Encounters films festival down in Bristol. Festivals are a great place to network and meet other like minded people. You never know you might meet someone who shares the same passion for film as you do and start making films together. Certainly check out the Cannes film festival which began yesterday and runs until the 27th. Obviously it would be great to go there in person but as Cannes is a bloody expensive place to go in the first place (along with all the malarkey of not having passes for the festival) it creates a dilemma, but thanks to the wonderful invention of the internet daily updates can be seen online about the goings ons at Cannes.

Over the years literature has been subjected to a ludicrous amount of scrutiny. This scrutiny I speak of is not only inside the literary profession but to those who wish to distance themselves from anything to do with real literary works; novels, poetry etc. Unless of course it’s a tell all biography about a big celebrity name, fictional books (bar teen books such as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) are not as cherished by pop culture as they once were. It is becoming a sad fact that a lot of readers stay away from fiction. With this I have to question why people are ‘put off’ by it. I found one solid solution when I watched a documentary on ITV called Perspectives: The Genius of Dahl. The documentary hosted by David Walliams was un-missable to me as it was about one of my favourite authors of all time, of course I just had to watch it.

At least in my mind Roald Dahl is one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century. With titles like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Danny Champion of the World, The Fantastic Mr Fox, The Witches, Matilda and The BFG (all of which were made into film adaptations) it is clear to see the profound effect he’s had on modern writers. Even big hitters like J.K. Rowling have been affected by the magical element of Dahl’s stories which he founded from the Norwegian fairy tales he was told as a child. However despite his success Dahl was not considered a ‘proper’ author by a profession which heavily relies on imagination and open-mindedness. Without imagination we would have no stories of Dickens, Stoker, Twain, Poe and absolutely no Shakespeare to speak of…to be honest the world would be a pretty bleak place. So why should a good story be ruined by snobbery and pretentiousness? I myself have been guilty of snobbery towards things such as Twilight and soppy romance novels but that doesn’t mean they serve no purpose. Literature after all is about freedom of creative outlet and using your imagination. As David Walliams very rightly stated, Roald Dahl was a master of making you believe that the impossible could happen and with every story came a valuable lesson to be learnt.

I have many happy memories of Dahl’s stories as a kid, he was by far my favourite storyteller and there were days where I would sit down with one of his books and get lost in it for hours on end. I simply couldn’t put a book of his down. My favourite novel by him is a treasure of a story, George’s Marvellous Medicine. This book was the first Roald Dahl novel I’d ever read and it was so amazingly disgusting and mischievous that I fell in love with it. The idea an old granny could be so heartless and disgraceful was completely alien to me and it was so enjoyable to see her get her comeuppance for being such a dreadful human being. George’s grandmother was brilliantly horrific and I always wondered why his parents would have left their son with such a formidable woman.

George up to no good!

It was not only Dahl’s admiration for the disgusting and inappropriate that made him truly special, but the fantastic characters he created which were amongst some of the best in children’s literature. After all, who can overlook Willy Wonka, Mr Fox, Matilda and of course the BFG? However it occurs to me that it was not only Dahl who gave us great things from children’s literature but others before him; Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, Beatrix Potter and J.M. Barrie to name but a few of the greatest. Yet the literary world did not fully appreciate them and (of course not to discredit the brilliance of their creations) it has only been Dahl who has contributed so much variety to his tales. Perhaps being written in a different time period aided this though? After all, children’s literature was mainly limited to fairy tales which is reflected much in Barrie’s Peter Pan and Wendy. They also were not highly rated in society despite the importance of their influence on young minds. Dahl took elements of Nordic fairy tales and folklore and placed them into modern-day; trolls-giants (BFG) and imps/elves-Oompa Loompas (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). The most intriguing aspect of his novels being that there was always something magical from George’s marvellous potion making to an 8 year old’s disgust turning into chaotic mishaps in The Magic Finger, there seems to be an element of nonsensical magic in every corner of Dahl’s amazing mind.

What is most important to note however is that naivety above all is never cherished in Dahl’s novels, in fact (very much like Peter Pan) children seem to be forced into the wrath of adults. The effects of adult’s and other children’s misbehaviour showing that there are clear paths not to be followed. This of course is valuable wisdom for anyone, young or old regardless of race or origin and that (as Jiminy Cricket says) you should always let your conscience be your guide. All of this on top of children’s hospital wings, a charity and a literary prize honouring his name it is clear that the snobbery shown towards Dahl was completely unnecessary. Although Dahl’s stories were fundamentally silly (as is expected of children’s literature), we would be nowhere without a little bit of nonsense. Even Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare couldn’t have done without their own mischievous characters and love of humorous scenarios. The truth is that very few writers are known across the world and very few have longevity, all there is left to say is that so far Dahl is definitely shaping up to be the King of children’s literature and one of the most beloved authors of all time.

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you
because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”

- Roald Dahl

Like many of us, I spend a lot of my time reading literature from the distant past. I love Dickens, for example. And many of us enjoy authors like Orwell too. Does that necessarily mean that literature from the past is better? My opinion is no.

As previously mentioned, many people like to believe that the old days were much better than they are now, and that applies to everything. And that means everything. Literature comes under this category. So maybe that’s why we always like to believe that things like 19^th century literature is better than what we get now? Or maybe it’s like music where snobs will listen to the likes of Mozart and Beethoven to make it seem as if they are cultured and intelligent?

what what what what what what what...

But assuming it isn’t to do with any of the reasons I’ve outlined above, what about comparing the two on a different level? Let’s look at how many people read the books of the 21^st century and compare that figure with how many people read the books of the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries. If we look at this then we will discover that these figures would be entirely pointless.

For a start, the working class, the majority, couldn’t afford books in the previous centuries. It wasn’t until the mass production of books that it was possible for every family in the land to have a set of books in their home.

However, if we assume that all of the above factors weren’t relevant, would it change anything? The answer is no due to the fact that if you look at your average book back then then you will find that it was created with a specific audience in mind. The audience, the people in those centuries. Just as the books created today are created with the audience of today in mind. None of those authors who wrote those timeless classics ever thought that they would be the writer to make their work last for over a hundred years.

From acts of heroism and cowardice aboard the striken ship RMS Titanic to a woman who thinks she's qualified for foreign policy because she is in close proximity to Russia's border...in Alaska in 100 easy years.

So now you may ask whether it’s a case of society’s slipping standards? Well you just can’t compare that as we live in a different age now. What’s acceptable now was unacceptable back then, and vice versa. I do agree that the amount of trash put out these days does outnumber the trash put out back then. However, that’s only because money is more the motivation of now, when it comes to publishing. Back then there was no money in it, which is why famous characters like Sherlock Holmes were only printed in the newspaper originally.

The ability to write a book is available to everybody now. It’s simple to do, it’s cost-effective, and you don’t need a publisher to get your work out there. Of course, you need a publisher to put out something good, in most cases, but if all you want is to see your name in a book then you can do that. Again, I would play the devil’s advocate by saying that most people never encounter this stuff, though. Most people are only interested in what they see printed by a real publisher or what they see in their local bookstore. Only the most bored/interested readers will look into the indie writing scene in any real depth.

To conclude this little rant/tangent/discussion/argument/whatever you want to call it, literature standards are not slipping at all. Literature is doing what it always has. The writers of old inspire millions whilst new writers produce their fair share of gold and garbage.

Write on and write proud/with vanity/using ego/loud/conceit!

Leonardo da Vinci Found on http://favim.com/

Given my little rant about photography research last week I thought that this week I’d take a step back and share with you some rather beautiful and clean graphics based imagery I have been taken in by this week in my web wonderings.

Whilst I have always been a fan of details, often the more the better, when a piece can captivate it’s audience as much if not more with less I feel it’s quite an achievement, no? The simplicity found in the following posters is a prime example of this.

Up, Wanchan Lee, Pixar Posters, 2012

Australian based communication designer Wonchan Lee, in a tribute to Pixar, created this series of minimal posters that in a sense ‘advertise’ the films. The original designs have been stripped down to symbols and block colours. Through the graphic images are incredibly simple the shared knowledge between the artist and his audience of the films makes them immediately recognisable and greatly heightens the success of the work.

Finding Nemo, Wanchan Lee, Pixar Posters, 2012

Ratatouille, Wanchan Lee, Pixar Posters, 2012

It’s not merely about simplicity though, it’s the attention to the key details. Following this theme of interesting, minimal concept posters freelance graphic designer Rowan Stocks Moore, created a set of alternative Disney posters. Moore manages to capture the magic of disney without any direct reference to the original Disney illustrations.

Alternative Disney Posters, Rowan Stocks Moore, 2012

Alternative Disney Posters, Rowan Stocks Moore, 2012

Alternative Disney Posters, Rowan Stocks Moore, 2012

Moore also did some work celebrating the launch of Penguin’s Design Award designing 10 alternative book covers & film posters. I feel some of them are a little way out but this one I particularly like.

Rowan Stocks Moore, 2012

 ”A cover for the classic childrens novel, incorporating symbolic elements of the book into a rustic design.”

Graphic design is really taking off as photography is being used less and less in such things as advertising. Graphic designers, it seems, given a can portray a lot more than a photograph can when in a position where context must be correctly assumed and understood without explanation. I mean looking at the above book cover how could a photographer show so much of the story in such a simple manner? Not only is there a lion and and a wardrobe, there are the four children running around the woods that make up the lions mane; there is the street light where Lucy first meets Mr Tumnus; then there’s the colour’s chosen to best represent the coldness in the book that can be felt, both physically and metaphorically.

How far can this majestic simplicity go though? Manchester based designer Rob Bailey‘s series Wish You Were There is a series of landscape drawings based on the blank address lines on the reverse of a postcard.

Wish You Were There, Rob Bailey

Wish You Were There, Rob Bailey

They are incredibly simple and their source material does come through to some extent, but if this is where we are heading at the moment, where will we be in the next 10 years?

Recently my good colleague and myself have started a new YouTube channel and on it we are producing short sketches, they deal with the usual day-to-day life problems such as whether green lantern is really using his ring to its full potential and silly things such as whether bread is really living up to it’s worth on its own or does it desperately need its companion butter…

Of course it takes some effort to gain a following and seeing as we have only just started we set of initially to peek public interest with very short teasers such as this.

Now that was only short, it didn’t make particularly much sense and over all has to be said isn’t our best work but within a week we had fort views and it got people peeked about our new venture. I think this little post here is to inform you of two things, firstly to shamelessly promote my new sketch show with Matt, and secondly to really say when you make something new don’t just release everything out to the world, people don’t like seeing everything warts and all you have to romance your viewers and give them little tastes before the dessert cart arrives at their table. ( this metaphor really got away from me) Either way please see below and enjoy our first every sketch entitled “Green Lantern is full of sh*t”.

If its an eulogy which seems unduly detached, and will unfortunately be entirely bereft of personal anecdote, and free of any appreciative adjectives commemorating his talents, which I’m sure he nonetheless possessed in abundance, its only because I’ve never read a single Maurice Sendak book. It would be disingenuous of me, and inadequate given the many, far more talented voices understandably raised to honour him over the last few days, to talk about how good he was. That he will be missed is beyond doubt, however.

I can sum up my own brief exposure to Maurice Sendak by pointing entirely to the Spike Jonze movie adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, from a few years back. Regardless of how closely it hewed to the original I really enjoyed the style and mood of the film, and its appreciation of the delicate, turbulent emotions of childhood.

Released in ’63, Where the Wild Things Are seems to have already earned in surplus that strange alchemy by which certain books – hell, certain anything – position themselves almost permanently in the cultural subconscious. It doesn’t seem to be too much of a stretch of the imagination to think of Where the Wild Things Are attaining the sort of revered status amongst the breadth of children’s literature, joining established characters who become instantly recognisable in their own right, in the manner of Winnie the Pooh, and Thomas the Tank Engine. Granted, both characters are aimed lower and younger than the more strangely intimidating/cuddly appearance of Max’s Wild Things, but you get the idea.

The author I’ve not been able to stop thinking about in relation to Maurice Sendak, a constant presence while writing this post, which has only grown as I’ve read more and more about Sendak’s seemingly complex work, is the masterful Roald Dahl. The darkness and general uneasiness of his many stories would seem to have a spiritual cousin in both Wild Things, and Sendak’s 1970 published In the Night Kitchen.

Sendak, like Dahl, seems to completely, intuitively, have understood how kids remember stories which have that extra edge, whether its scary, or sad, or weird. Children’s books don’t have to be all cutesy to find an audience.

Beyond Where the Wild Things Are, the only story of his I feel I can even remotely talk about with any sort of confidence, Sendak has an impressive, prolific body of work. Particularly as an illustrator. Just going from the image above its clear how distinctive his style of drawing could be.

I might have personally missed the boat on reading any Maurice Sendak, but I don’t think he’s going to be forgotten. I think kids are going to be eating his stuff up for a long time yet. And that is something Max’s Wild Things would probably appreciate.

There did seem to be a general consensus when I mentioned the colonial town of Guanajuato (Quanax-juato) which means ‘Hilly place of frogs’. Every native of the country spoke with passion and admiration about this capital state town which is infamous for its maze of cobblestone streets and breath-taking vistas over architecturally inspiring churches and small European style plazas.

Situated on a small ravine leading to steep hillsides this beautiful University town boasts an altitude of 6,583 ft leading to extensive views across the state of Guanajuato. Conveniently located 5 hours drive North-west of Mexico City this town has no traffic lights or neon signs, meaning most tourists catch a glimpse into a simpler way of life that may have been forgotten. The entrancingly winding streets of Guanajuato are too narrow for the majority of vehicles and so visitors can enjoy a peaceful example of true Mexican life.

Legends run wild in these beautiful and stark locations, Guanajuato is no exception… The most famous is the tale of ‘Callejon del Beso.’

Doña Carmen was the sole daughter of an stubborn and unpleasant man, but as is the usual in historical whimsical stories, love proves too strong a force, unlucky as the consequences may be. Doña Carmen was courted by her figure of amour, Don Luis, in a church close to the maiden’s ‘casa’, where he first  offered her an offering of holy water with his own hand. On being discovered to have cavorted (even in such an innocent manner) she was subsequently locked up, threatened with being exiled to a convent for waywards, and worst of all, with being married in Spain to a rich, old noble, a marriage which was discussed for the improvement of her fathers diminishing fortune.

This lovely young girl and her close friend, Doña Brígida, wept for the lost love and prayed together. Before the maiden submitted to her sacrifice, the pair concluded that Doña Brígida should take a message to Don Luis informing him of his lovers fate. A thousand plans occurred to the young legend, but of all of them, there was one that seemed the most likely to work. A window in Doña Carmen’s home faced onto an alley so narrow that it was humanly possible that by leaning out of the window you were able to touch the wall on the other side with your hand. If Don Luis could get into the house on the other side of the alley, he would be able to talk with his beloved and hopefully, between the two of them, find a solution to their problem.

He took the initiative to find out who the house belonged to and subsequently bought it for a fortune. One can but only imagine Doña Carmen’s surprise when she stepped out onto her balcony and found the man of her dreams only a breath away. Only a few moments had passed since that indescribable lovers’ moment when violent words were heard from the back of the bedroom. It was Doña Carmen’s father shouting at poor Brígida, who was risking her life trying to try and prevent her master from entering her lady’s chambers. The father cruelly pushed Doña Carmen’s protector aside with unfair ease, and with a dagger in his clenched hand he blew a single blow and plunged it deep into his daughter’s breast.

Don Luis was shocked into utter silence. Doña Carmen’s hand, still clenched tightly in his, slowly began to go cold as the life drained out of her bloodstained body. Resigned to the inevitable consequences of her father, Don Luis planted a sadly tender kiss on that smooth, soft and pale hand, which was now so lifeless. This is why this spot, undoubtedly one of the most famous of the city, is called the Callejón del Beso (the Alley of the Kiss). Romantics flock to it in droves to mull over the story of love lost.

On a brighter note, this city is proud to hold The International Cervantino Festival each year in honour of Miguel de Cervantes – the infamous author of ‘Don Quixote’. This year is extremely special as it is the 40th year!

The numerous gorgeous plazas, theaters, parks, churches and other delightful spaces throughout Guanajuato serve as stages and showcases for the jam-packed schedule of events that has many culture vultures navigating the winding roads to be able to view the offerings.

This three-week festival, now universally know as Latin America’s biggest celebration of the arts, boasts humble beginnings when you compare its start to the level of magnitude it is known for now. It stemmed from the University of Guanajuato’s student performances of short works – known as “entremeses” -penned by Miguel de Cervantes in the city’s plazas and open spaces. This time-honored tradition, which began in the 1950′s, officially became the International Cervantino Festival in 1972; since then, it’s been unstoppable! So why not slam down that credit card, escape the downpours and come enjoy sun, art and delicious food? I dare you to say no!

Now this blog does coincide which the launch of a specific project that myself and fellow Focus member Graham have been working on, but I’ll get onto that in a bit. First I shall go into why video virals have become an embedded part of our current culture. I suppose this statement really brakes down to our current generation. Most people are actually unaware of what generation we are currently inhabiting. The 60/70s spawned the boomer generation. The 80/90s spawned the Generation X, but then people seem to trail off and not release what generation they have become a part of. For those who are unaware we are part of the Generation Y. This is very similar to the Gen Xers however with more excess. To simplify; Gen Xers rebelled against society as they didn’t want to fit into the mould which the boomer’s created for them. They were promised work after education however graduated into unemployment due to the economic crash towards the end of the 80s. The therefore became a generation of over educated unemployed youths who were empowered to not do much at all. The term ‘slacker’ was brought in to summarise this generation by many critics. Now the Gen Y is similar in the sense of being less empowered and in most cases over educated and under employed (I can’t speak for chavs there), however there is one definite difference that holds us apart from the Gen Xers and that is excess. The Gen Xers wanted to step away and define themselves as different to the boomer’s who had developed a culture of material possession. Gen Y have gone to the extreme here. This is clearly demonstrated with trashy tabloid magazines, showing the body which everyone wants, the insights into the world of the rich and famous and creating a desire to have similar things. With technology moving so quickly people discard their brand new phones for the latest model that’s released. It seems that the moto ‘It ain’t broke if I can fix it’ should be amended with ‘It ain’t broke until a new model comes out which will be every 6 months or so’.

So how does this exactly relate to my opening statement that this blog will be based on viral videos I hear you say. Well a grounding of what our current culture demands is needed to put this blog in perspective. The internet is where the viral was created and is where the viral dominates. In few other mediums can it exist; the only other places it can work is within newspapers and via being spoken about amongst friends. This is mainly because the internet is vast, ever expanding and constantly updated with fresh information every second of every day. Now this environment is perfect for the Generation Y; a wealth of information at someones finger tips. Not only that but there are plenty of things to keep you busy and craving more, especially since internet shopping has become engraved within our society. We have become a generation who have mastered procrastination. This of course gives birth to the viral. Something which is funny and remembered. It is passed around from person to person slowly picking up pace and eventually exploding into something completely new. This of course began with emails being passed around the office and now it is actively in your face where ever you turn on the internet. It has got to the point where by people can make a living purely from virals. If they create something compelling and funny enough then it will be spread across the internet. This in turn will attract the interest of businesses to advertise on the viral. It makes sense; this video is being seen by hundreds of people a day, why not advertise before it to promote my product? This of course ties in perfectly with the Gen Y mentality of living life in excess.

Not only do viral videos now allow people to make an income purely from it but it can promote or even help establish a career for some individuals. It can open the right doors to meet the right people. It very much ties in with the ‘it’s not what you know but who you know’ scenario. Once you have the attention of the big dogs (by having a following who will watch whatever you create) they will listen to not only what you have to say, but also to what you want to do. It has become a career path for many and one for myself and Graham. Applying for runner position after position can become tiring and really pull down your self esteem. This is a job I could do with my eyes closed but still I can’t get it. I can do better work that the people above me and above them but still I have to trolly round cups of coffee. It doesn’t make sense. So apart from either bumping into a big shot or meeting someone who can put you through to them, your limited within this field to get anywhere. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This comes in the form of festivals and competitions as mentioned in previous blogs. This can be expensive though. Not everyone has the time and money to constantly make shorts and enter them into dozens of competitions a year. So viral videos comes to save the day. Virals are easier to make; they don’t have to involve any talent or skill within the filming department, therefore they can be made on a zero budget basis. All you need is a camera, mic and access to the internet. Now it does come in handy to have a decent camera and mic. To have an understanding on how to make films and apply that to virals. This leads to high quality virals which can hopefully entice people into watching them.

Now Graham and myself don’t have the financing to produce shorts all the time, especially as some of them become highly ambitious and impossible on a shoe-string budget. Therefore we decided to start producing internet virals. We continue to write short films but this keeps us occupied and allows the creative juices to flow more regularly. We have created this away from the Focus Project as we feel that it isn’t something which will hold a lot of artistic merit. It started off as us writing skits about situations and conversations that we would find funny and thats pretty much the direction that we’ve taken it in. As we aren’t investing money into this we don’t have to please an audience other than ourselves so can afford to be selective in our writing process. I therefore ask you to check out our new virals at The Tube Of Doom. They are mainly sketches revolved around film, TV, comics and games as that’s a pretty big bulk of our conversations already. The channel properly launches on Saturday with the release of our first sketch. So please subscribe to our page and enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/user/thetubeofdoom