We are lucky to be one of three schools involved in a Moving Image project with Scottish Screen, MacRobert Theatre in Stirling and Falkirk Council.  As well as involvement in a Moving Image project, we are also receiving CPD on using Moving Image (i.e. film) in the classroom.

So far we have looked at two short films, The Lucky Dip and The Sandman (nothing to do with Metallica!).  We watched (listened!?) the first film with no picture, just sound.  The second we watched, with no sound.  The creativity that these sessions sparked has been superb.  They have been a real catalyst for talking and listening, creative writing and a whole host of other issues.

I threw out the challenge of using these as a stimulus for learning.  If a game, e.g. Myst can be used as a basis for a scheme of work, could not image?

http://www.filmeducation.org/

http://www.nls.uk/ssa

These are just two useful websites.  Folks at the CPD session advised that there are loads of resources out there and it shouldn’t be a problem using film in class.  But they didn’t seem to understand that teachers are busy people and that there are a number of initiatives that people buy into.  Games based learning, Active learning, Moving Image Education.  Is it possible to pursure everything?  Or do we just need to choose one and run with it?  Can we just have a taste of it all?

I don’t have a great track record when heading to the movies with my mates in Glasgow.  The films I choose, may be film of the year and win Oscars for everything, but they get slated off my hard to please – short attention spanned – Weegie pals!

With a choice of many, I declined and hoped someone else would take the lead.  We ended up seeing Body of Lies.  Seeing a film without hearing anything about it can be a blessing.  You don’t have any baggage or misconceptions, but sometimes you don’t really know what to expect and can spend too much time working out your opinion.

This was a really interesting film, which must have had enough action to keep certain pals interested, but also enough meaningful stuff to keep my other pals happy!  The 128 minutes (allegedly) flies by.  The final 5 or so almost bringing me to thrown up, quite unexpected that!  Never really been a big fan of Leo, but he is actually pretty decent in this.  Quite a subject to tackle, terrorism, Iraq, insurgents… but I think it is done in a fairly balanced way, with the CIA giving as good as they get with regard to torture and bombings… There is an attempt to introduce the wheelings and dealings and complications of international relations, but there is room for more here, we are not all ignorant…

Russell Crowe comes across as overweight and annoying, guess he played his part well then?  The winner for me was Mark Strong who was suave and sophisticated, humourous and just great!  As with most Leo films there was the woman to keep him going, I guess this added a “human” element to all the military machinery… but not really essential to the story.

I hope I didn’t come across too negative in the last post on DCFC, as I really did enjoy the gig… but maybe it was a Friday night after a long week, or the venue factor, but I really did enjoy the encore!

I spent a lot of the journey home thinking about the support act.  Selkirk’s finest, Frightened Rabbit!  (Gareth would be so proud.)  They’d been on my radar for a wee while now.  Have listened to Backwards Walk quite often lately!  Something catchy about it… but they didn’t play it.  What did impress me however, were the beards!  3 out of 4 had quality beards.  Beards to rival Iron & Wine!  They played with energy and enthusiasm, as well as a great deal of sweat (from the beards!).  Great songwriting, strong accents… seems to be a familiar theme (Glasvegas?).  Hopefully, their strong underground support will carry them on to greater things, without losing any of their appeal on the way.

I’d heard mixed reports about the Corn Exchange.  From the main road it is a nice bit of architecture.  The old storage buildings now part of the Exchange Village contain anything from bowling to football.  The positives came from Embra folk, whilst the negatives by those from Glasgee!  Was it just a city bias?

Inside it reminds you of an assembly hall from a High School built in the 60s!  The stage could be higher, but being tall it wasn’t a problem.  The girl next to me seemed to have brought the biggest ‘hand’ bag (more like body bag) – totally unnecessary for a gig, obviously a rookie, or badly prepared – and continue to whack my arm with it most of the evening!

Turning up with my 4 tickets for Death Cab for Cutie, I met my 2 friends on the street corner.  First problem!  The GigWife (as she will now be known) started blabbing about the absence of our 4th person just as someone looking for a ticket walked past.  Problem solved.  As per usual when a semi-cult like band comes a touring, we all met people we knew at the gig.  My meeting was by far the most impressive, a semi-Canadian from the Tain, way up North!

Perhaps it was my weary mind, perhaps just an experience of many great gigs, perhaps too much time on The OC, but there was something lacking. For me, the encore was exceptional, featuring two of my favourite tracks from Transatlanticism.  Plans seemed to be the crowds best loved album, judging by the response of the crowd to the tracks played off it.  Haven’t spent a lot of time listening to Narrow Stairs, but the sound for many of the songs just didn’t seem to work.  The two guitars, didn’t seem to complement each other.  The band sounded much better with one guitar and a keyboard or with two bassists!  There is no doubt that this lot are a talented bunch.  They write fantastic songs.  The literally epic stories being my favourite.  Maybe we just expect too much.  We push the boundaries of what we require to be entertained further and further.  Now, what next?

The SRU know how to create a spectacle.  A decent crowd had amassed inside Murrayfield as strobe lights and smoke machines filled the air.  Music, singing, then silence, as Remembrance day was commemorated.  A Chinook helicopter hovered above, then the flood lights came on and the fun ended!  As ever, Scottish rugby promised much, but failed to turn pressure into points.

There is such a difference between the Murrayfield and Hampden clientele.  Could you broaden it to an Edinburgh Glasgow divide?  A rugby and football one?  It is very interesting to compare the two, but with so many people travelling to internationals from all around the country it is hard I guess to limit it to a contrast of cities.

The name’s Bond, James Bond.  Or should that be James in association with Sony Ericsson Bond!  In future, I’ll be turning up late to these movies.  Having to sit through half an hour of blatant product placement was hard work.  Luckily Quantum of Solace made up for it.  I rather like the tougher, grittier Bond.  Surely a more realistic agent for these hard times?  I’ve been a fan of Daniel Craig since the awesome Layer Cake.  Once again there are great chase scenes, a significant amount of fighting, but a distinct lack of gadgets.  Although there are the usual girls present, Bond seems too preoccupied!  We may well see the reappearance of one of them, and there is no doubt that this mysterious organisation will surface again and again.  My comment of this being the middle of a good trilogy was shot down by Neil, saying there would be a whole lot more than that!  I guess this is extremely possible.

I went to see one of my favourite musicians on Saturday night.  Yes, she of Rilo Kiley fame.  Jenny Lewis.  Amazing.  I was totally captivated by her performance, in the words of Mr Rice, I can’t take my eyes off of you.  Scott was also there, and has already reviewed.  Lynzy and lism will no doubt follow suit soon.

The quality of the songs, musicians and vocals was outstanding.  I don’t think this was ever in doubt, having listened to her albums.  Scott is debating the strength of the show.  Compared to some, such as Sufjan Stevens and his coordinated cheerleading, it was quite low key.  But I think therein lies its strength.  Because of the character she is, she clearly knows how to work what she has!  One of the best moments was the rendition of Acid Tongue purely with vocals and one guitar.

The venue was packed out.  Yet the crowd was quiet, for Glasgow standards.  This is a good thing, none of the usual annoyance of folk talking through the gig.  I think most folks were also enthralled, it was almost hypnotic.  Jenny looked great and performed with style.

photo by lastyearsgirl used under creative commons

Bustling, busy, bursting with camera happy tourists.  The Cathedral is obviously the main attraction for the photo opportunity.  It is a monster.  A behemoth!  Strangely covered in scaffolding and lifts, partly cleaned, partly grimy.  Very awesome and inspiring!

The city had the usual cobbled old town area, but set against the backdrop of the Rhine, this was one of the best I’ve seen.  Bigger than Dusseldorf, also noisier, but not busier, the downside (maybe?) of midweek travel.  A real warren of cobbled streets and elegant buildings.  Well worth another look.

Well, I was there for the footy.  Why else?  But after being there, I would say there would be a couple of reasons.  It is a beautiful city, nestling gently beside Father Rhine.  The Altstadt (Old Town) is a maze of cobbled streets, filled with irish bars and european chain stores.  Smart, clean and tidy though.

The city is peaceful.  Perhaps it is because of its close proximity to the river, with the Rhine bringing a tranquil feel?  Sweeping away the day, bringing all things new?  Everything seems conducted in hushed tones.  Even in the busy streets at night, it is toned down!

That is until there is an invasion by several hundred Welshfolk!  It was quite surreal to watch the under 21s in an irish bar in germany surrounded by police vans!  Still, it was all good hearted and the standing ovation at the end of the game brought a smile from the locals.

This seems to be Germany’s fashion capital, with loads of designer shops set in a beautiful location:

There was a random moat set alongside the main galleries.  This made a great landmark for finding your way home at night, but also brought a relaxing feel to the busy streets.  I didn’t have my proper camera, but more photos can be found on my flickr set.

Germany seems to be like the Ronseal of countries (other tinned products are available, like beans and spam).  Everything just works.  Sometimes it is not particularly fancy, but it works.  Trains are reasonably priced and on time.  Cafes and bars are open at decent times and serve what you are after.  The programme was free as is match day public transport.  Nice.  The only downside was the traffic bottleneck getting to the ground.  A lovely stadium, newly built, but the streets were just jammed.  Surely if you build something from scratch out of town, you anticipate plenty of traffic, so build multiple access points to the locality.

thanks to shuna for this!

Six Uninteresting things about myself.

1. mushrooms make me hurl (although that is quite interesting)
2. polos make me sneeze
3. i have a rotten toe nail
4. i write lists
5. i’m nearly on my 3rd cuppa of the day
6. my left foot is slightly bigger than my right (foot)!

I tag Scott, Lynzy, Stewart, Gareth, Darren and Graham

Meme Terms and Conditions:

Link to the person who tagged you

Mention the rules on your blog

List 6 uninteresting things about you

Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them

but certainly not orange!  It’s Red, Red, Red.

Although Wales Under 21s eventually lost to an experienced England side, their performances over the 2 legs of the playoffs, and the campaign were superb.  Even though they let in a couple of sloppy goals, the goals they scored were of a high quality.  Aaron Ramsey really drove this team on and scored one of the sweetest strikes you’ll ever see.

With Gunter, Bale, Ledley, Hennessey and Nyatanga already firm fixtures in the senior squad, the depth of talent in the under 21s is undeniable.  They played with style, passing the ball with confidence.

The fact that they had to play a playoff in the first place is another story, but to score 4 against an England side, unbeaten in 26 and having only conceded 1 in their 8 group games was something else.

Here’s hoping they can all make the step up… exciting times.