Why Children Need to Keep Quiet on Trains

If you know a child who persists in showing you up when traveling on trains then show them this immediately.  It is something of a tall tale, created by Kilogramme is an animation company based in Manchester, England.  However, once you have plonked the errant infant down in front of this joyous animated short they shouldn’t bother you again – at least when on a series of connected railway carriages or wagons moved by a locomotive. Hurrah!

Dalek Made From An Egg - Eggsterminate!

How cool is this?  A Dalek made out of an egg – looks like a brilliant homemade present for a friend or a member of the family who just can’t get enough of the Science Fiction TV show Doctor Who.  But just how do you make one?  We just know you want one, right?

Image Credit Flickr User PugnoM

Here is a step by step guide, from egg carton right back to the egg carton - courtesy of Flickr User PugnoM.  Yes, you too can create your own species of Daleks from the original race, the Kal-eggs (ouch).  You won't even need a sonic screwdriver.

The Very Near Future – (or How AI Will Really Take Over)

Do you worry about artificial intelligence taking over? Do you think that we already live in The Matrix? Or are you one of those people who believe that we will all be destroyed by a Judgement Day kind of event, accompanied by a couple of million robots who look like an old Austrian?  Well, think again.

We’re all going to live, apparently.  Yet AI is going to make our lives such a living hell that we might as well be dead.  Take Joey (played by Marcel Romeijn) as an example.  All he wants to do is to order a luscious, chewy, mouth-watering but completely unhealthy XXL Triple Cheese Pizza online.  However, his AI assistant has other ideas.  Joey’s supper turns into some serious trouble.

The Very Near Future“ was written, shot and post-produced within 36 hours at Kinokabaret in Hamburg, Germany.  It was written and directed by Sebastian Egert. Without any irony whatsoever, the voice of Joey’s AI assistant is played by a human, Julia Casper – a very well-known video game voiceover artist.  The fight back begins…

Newton’s Three Laws of Motion – Animated

I don’t know about you, but if I was asked what Newton’s Three Laws of Motion are, I would probably garble something that might approximate to one of them.  So thanks goodness for animations like this.  Created for the Royal Observatory Greenwich, director Amael Isnard has come up with this wonderful animation that illustrates Newton's 3 Laws of Motion with some lovely 2D animation and astronauts Bella, Isaac, Neeva and Max.

The astronauts take on a mission to Mars – and seem like a pretty diverse lot which probably means the mission was funded outside by someone other than a well-known car manufacturer. During their trip they experience all three laws in action, making this a fairly straightforward way to get a grip on the laws and to retain them – once and for all – in one’s head.

Wait, what was that third law again? Better press play once more, and sit through Bella and the others having their little jaunt to Mars. There’s worse things you could be doing, after all.

Hammer Rock (Qingchui Peak) – Chengde’s Geological Landmark

From a distance, something looks vaguely odd. Nestled in the scenic landscapes of Chengde, Hebei Province, China, Hammer Rock, also known as Qingchui Peak (literally "Uplifted Hammer Peak"), is one of the region’s most striking geological formations. This towering natural rock, resembling a sledgehammer or wooden club, has fascinated visitors for centuries with its unique shape, cultural significance, and breathtaking views.  When you get close up, you can see why people usually scratch their heads when they first catch sight of this bizarre formation.

Image

Hammer Rock stands at approximately 598 meters above sea level, with a relative height of about 60 meters from its base. That little bit of green you can see poking out about half-way up is actually a rather large tree. The rock’s shape is a result of millions of years of weathering and erosion, sculpting the sandstone and granite into the vertical column we see today. The smooth yet rugged surface of the formation adds to its distinctiveness, making it an iconic feature of Chengde’s landscape. Due to its shape and prominence, it has been dubbed the "Thumb of God," inspiring local legends and myths over the centuries.

Regular Rabbit

 

A year after its whirlwind festival tour, Regular Rabbit has now captivated audiences at over 60 international film festivals, including prestigious events such as Newport Beach, Annecy, and Pictoplasma. The film was handpicked by Whoopi Goldberg for the renowned Tribeca Film Festival, with legends Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in attendance. It also claimed top honors at the Portland and Oxford International Film Festivals and received nominations at Fastnet, Worldfest, and Flicker’s International Film Festival.

Regular Rabbit creatively challenges our willingness to accept absurd misinformation by deliberately separating visuals from narrative. The mismatch between the two encourages us to reflect on our own gullibility in the face of even the most outrageous claims.

Written and Directed by: Eoin Duffy
Voiced by: Rory McCann

The Watch - A Short Film by Will Ross

The Watch is a short film made by one of my young students, Will Ross.  I should hasten to add that I don’t teach film studies, film-making or – honestly – anything to do with the silver screen.  However, I do teach English when people listen and part of that is the structure of something short, sweet but very creative. I wanted to share this short as I think it shows great promise both in terms of the way it is structured and put together in general, given that I suspect it was made on a budget of approximately… let’s see… zero pounds.

Created under the Willitham Films™ global trademark(!), this comedy short tells the story of a young chap (a kind of everyman for psychopaths) who has lost his precious watch, and the extremes to which he will go to have it back in his possession.  You do need to watch it to the end to really appreciate its structure, but it has a running time that even a gnat wouldn’t find too challenging.  So, please watch it!

Hats off to Will here.  It’s an entertaining and engaging short, well-paced and with a number of familiar tropes from film history thrown in.  Will is clearly highly visually literate, with a voice perfectly suited for the expressive, wordless performances of the silent film era.  Sorry, I meant face (one colleague who watched this said he was reminiscent of Harold Lloyd). Joking aside, this is the kind of film that only someone who loves film would make.

I am now looking forward to the day that Will is able to extract huge amounts of license fee payers’ money from the BBC (possibly by force) and wreak his own kind of comedy-havoc on to the world in general but on a budget.  I am fairly certain that this will come to pass.