KOMPIS!

I have just finished a short doco KOMPIS (which means Buddy in Swedish) featuring Osama and Sahin who are part of my Eleven documentary. It is 7 mins long and in 2 hours I will be showing it to the boys, ahead of the weekend premier at 2 film festivals! Pretty excited it is screening at 2 festivals in one weekend and that we can go to both. Kompis is in Swedish but we have made an English subtitled version thanks to Henrik so that you guys can understand it too. It was really fun editing in another language, like what I did when I made Dansu Kurabu in Japanese back in 2002. It is especially fun editing rappers!


We just did some more shooting with them, this time at their school which is by our apartment. It was really nice and new and I got them to do some fun stuff. Osama and Sahin are my first subjects to be interviewed together as part of Eleven. It is interesting and different the way they bounce off eachother and stuff. Anyhoo, you will see in the film.


What else, well if you feel like watching my new film TIP TOE it is up on the net as part of NOISE 2006. I am in the final 10 for the film category and you can view and vote here

http://www.noise.net/artist-homepage.asp?id=2763

I'd love feedback and comments about my films! Especially Tip Toe as it is so new, but you can view Bright Lights on there too!

It is pretty cold here, snow soon I reckon. It gets dark at 4pm. I am looking forward to shooting in the snow.

We are casting for the Danish music video I am directing next week. It will be a lot of fun! The band is called Alice Sings the Petterson Songbook and they are great!


We went to their album launch and the 8 peice band played to a massive crowd of happy punters! The venue was lovely.


When they started their first song which I love, this huge guy in front of us started talking to his drunk friend... I couldnt help myself so I leant over and tapped them and said "sshhhhhhh" and the guy paused, and I was concerned he might hit me on the head, but he didn't, he giggled and said "SHHHHHHH" back, then continued to say it to everyone near us... Hey, it worked! Bit embarassing but funny.






I love casting old men who can dance, we watched Strictly Ballroom last night. Paul Mecurio is really good.



I have updated www.genbailey.com with some info and stills. I have finished a film I shot in Prague 2005 which is currently called Choir Boys or Train to Prague.. but I am not sure these names wont continue to change... it is a true story based on a strange guy who I encountered on an old train from Cesky Krumlov to Prague lst year. Ida and John did a good job at recreating the mood... and the soundtrack by Oklahomo Trio works really well. I also call it the Trio Film... I look forward to showing it to people... it premiered in Prague which was fitting.

Tokyo Sep 2006

Oh yeah, speaking of out of order... I forgot to mention that I had the pleasure of visiting Tokyo again on my way to Europe. What can I say, what you have already heard.. I am in love with Japan. I cant wait to live there. LOVE IT. I got a new memory card so will be taking many more shots on my way home via Tokyo, but for now here are a few...

AKIHABARA
Electric town. I love this place. I went back to the same department store and sat on the wonderful massage chairs. Jude and I also found something every director should have... or maybe not!







Harajuku






You can imagine what my face looked like when I saw this top in Harajuku!




Shopping in the rain is serious business for Gina and Jude... clearly.




This little girl caught my eye because she was walking around Shibuya on her own. I walked up and asked her how old she was (in Japanese) and she held her right hand up (all five fingers) and with her left thumb pointed at her right palm and said loudly and with confidence FIVE. It was so odd. I couldnät help but snap her. I hope other people don't. I guess coming from Australia it was weird to see a 5 year old out on her own in a huge city with many people, cars, karaoke clubs, soft toys, LCD screens etc. It is nice if they are safe though. I think she was.





Dhugal doing sumo on the train.





I stayed with Dhugs and we reminisced about our Target modelling days. We also did a lot of karaoke with JP which was good fun. Video evidence available upon request obviously.

Somewhere between Tokyo and Copenhagen... I was blown away by the video footage from the plane! Have you seen it? Fun! I was just happy to be on my first flight with my own screen! But this was something extra special. The take off and landing footage is a bit freaking scary if you are scared of flying though.

Prague

So much to tell... but for now... a few of the faces I was happy to see again!

A road trip north and the Swedish Beach

We jumped around to keep warm at the beach.


Henrik and I did some photography work this weekend. We went up north a few hours and took lots of nice portraits of people. I got to see lots of pretty places, eat yummy food, meet Ida's family and her grandparents hyper dog Tim. And, I saw a LOT of good Scandy wallpaper and curtains etc. Here is some of the fun. The actual photos we took for the job are not these, but I will post em soon.

We can't hear you. I think it is easier if you just point at what you want.


WHOEVER teaches these army people how to chinese burn, should be shot.. or burnt... or something. IT HURT! She does it with a smile!
I didn't catch this guys name... if they are not 11 they are no use to me.

Feed us...
Yummiest Swedey meal to date! Thanks!

Showing pics of Melbourne and The Bostons to Ida's grandparents. Ida is in Prague and very happy. Good good.

My ride.

Sweden Pt 2 and some Copenhagen on the side

The Oklahomo Trio played some shows over the last fortnight: Lund, Copenhagen and Malmo.



Smålands in Lund

They were fun shows, Copenhagen was particularly pretty. The Danes are friendly.
See Brother John's blog, he recently rode a bike from one side of Denmark to the other.

Cafe Retro in Copenhagen
The Malmo show was at a place called Craft Club... it is literally a craft club of trendy knitters and the likes... The woman running the show was wearing a jacket like they were in Grease with CRAFT CLUB embroidered on the back, and she was fully commited to crafting it seemed. She edited together a little promo video.... lots and lots of fast cuts of sheep and different types of fabrics and needles and stuff and the chant CRAFT CLUB! It was funny watching people enjoying Henrik and Ida's music whilst systematically sticking pins in the heads of small dolls. In between the bands and poets etc the boss lady would round up audience members to come on stage and explain what they were crafting... I dont speak swedish but it was still pretty funny. Henrik translated one lady bragging that she " a cover for my DVDs out of horse hair."
Strange, but fun!


Speaking of music, this is a really cool outdoor venue! Come to Sweden and play a show here! The sound comes up through speakers under the grass! Fun!