Links

BFI: How Muriel Box broke down doors for female directors in Britain

https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/how-muriel-box-broke-down-doors-female-directors-britain

“She directed more films than any woman in Britain, then or now, yet the accomplishments of Muriel Box are still not widely recognised. Ahead of a new season of her work, BFI curator Josephine Botting celebrates a pioneer in telling women’s stories.”

Links

  • B&H Affiliate Link –Click here to research and purchase or pre-order your choice of cameras, lenses and accessories for stills photography and video production whatever your genre and subject matter.
  • BFI – How Muriel Box broke down doors for female directors in Britain – “Box was not afraid to deal with topics that were largely taboo in British cinema – including sex before marriage, bigamy, domestic violence, infidelity and venereal disease – even if this desire to portray society as it is, warts and all, got her into battles with both the censor and the Home Office.”
  • BFI What’s On – Muriel Box: A Woman’s Take – “Britain’s Most Prolific Female Director: Muriel Box led the vanguard for women battling industry prejudice to become a director who used her position to convey her radical ideas about women’s place in society.”
  • Unititled.Net – The Observer: Who was Muriel Box, Britain’s most prolific female film director? – Commentary

Fujifilm X GFX Australia Promotion: ‘Capture More For Less’ Up to $600 cash back when you purchase the X-H2S together with one selected XF lens or teleconverter in a single transaction, 3rd April – 31st May 2023

https://www.fujifilmpromotion.com.au/X-H2Scashback

Fujifilm X-H2S. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm X-H2S with Fujinon XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8.0 R LM OIS WR zoom lens. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR. Image courtesy of B&H.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 200mm f/2.0 R LM OIS WR telephoto prime lens. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 R LM OIS WR zoom lens. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Australia.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 2x TC WR Teleconverter. Image courtesy of B&H.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 1.4x TC WR Teleconverter. Image courtesy of B&H.
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 1.4x TC F2 WR Teleconverter. Image courtesy of B&H.
Fujifilm X GFX Australia Promotion: ‘Capture More For Less’ Up to $600 cash back when you purchase the X-H2S together with one selected XF lens or teleconverter in a single transaction , 3rd April – 31st May 2023.
Fujifilm X GFX Australia Promotion: ‘Capture More For Less’ Up to $600 cash back when you purchase the X-H2S together with one selected XF lens or teleconverter in a single transaction , 3rd April – 31st May 2023.

Links

Fujifilm X GFX Australia: ‘Discover Fujifilm’ Camera & Lens Care Workshop, Fujifilm House of Photography, Sydney, Saturday 15th April 2023, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/discover-fujifilm-camera-and-lens-care-workshop-tickets-598187493897

“Ever wondered how to care for your camera and lens?

DISCOVER Fujifilm Camera and Lens Care Workshop will help you learn the tips and tricks on how to clean your camera, sensor, and the lens.

Complimentary sensor clean, one per attendee*.

*To be redeemed on the 15th of April 2023 at Fujifilm House of Photography, 2 Park Street Sydney.

Come & join us at Fujifilm House of Photography.”

Links

Industria: ‘Structurally F_cked: an inquiry into artists’ pay and conditions in the public sector in response to the Artist Leaks data’ – Downloadable Report PDF

https://mcusercontent.com/e0d86234e82614490c1510b6f/files/4046b714-da4c-1cb9-9a98-0c644b60dcf9/Structurally_F_cked.pdf

“ABSTRACT

This inquiry draws on data gathered through Artist Leaks, an online survey of visual artists conducted by Industria to probe the state of artists’ pay and working conditions in the UK public sector – data which is often elusive and hidden from public view.

Commissioned texts from Lola Olufemi, Juliet Jacques, and Jack Ky Tan contextualise and imaginatively expand on the findings of Artist Leaks.

The data and our analysis is preceded by a brief exploration of
the structure of public arts funding, the socio-political context that foregrounds our present working conditions, and an examination of the current state of artists’ pay.

From the data, the inquiry breaks down artists’ fees in relation to the minimum wage, where the difference demonstrates the volume of artistic labour which goes unrecognised and unremunerated.

The inquiry also situates artists’ pay within wider working conditions, highlighting systemic problems expressed within the testimonies gathered through Artist Leaks.

The inquiry suggests how greater transparency, solidarity, and joining a unionised fight for a £15 hourly minimum wage could begin to transform the sector, all the while recognising the need to push for a transformation of society via the introduction of Universal Basic Income or Universal Basic Services for all.”

Links

Fujifilm House of Photography: Discover Fujifilm Video workshop, Fujifilm House of Photography, Saturday 25th March 2023, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm AEDT – Commentary

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/discover-fujifilm-video-workshop-tickets-575122947217

“Keen on honing your videography skills too?

DISCOVER Fujifilm Video workshop will help you understand the tools, controls, staging and lighting to help you produce top quality videos.

Start to make your own video masterpiece.

Come & join us at Fujifilm House of Photography.”

Fujifilm X-H2, X-H2S & X-T4 with Fujinon cinema lenses & accessories

Fujifilm X-H2. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm X-H2S. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm X-T4. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm FT-XH File Transmitter Grip. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm VG-XH Vertical Battery Grip. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm VG-XT4 Vertical Battery Grip for Fujifilm X-T4 camera. Image courtesy of B&H.
Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR stills + video zoom lens with lens hood. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm Fujinon MKX 18-55mm T2.9 cinema zoom lens. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm Fujinon MKX 50-135mm T2.9 cinema zoom lens. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4.0 LM PZ WR stills + video zoom lens optical cross-section. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Fujifilm Fujinon MK 18-55mm T2.9 cinema standard zoom lens optical cross-section. Image courtesy of Fujifilm Global.
Tascam CA-XLR2d-F XLR Microphone Adapter for Fujifilm cameras. Image courtesy of Tascam.

Commentary

All hybrid mirrorless cameras released during the last decade or so are capable of recording good quality video and recent mirrorless hybrid cameras have been approaching ever closer the video quality of dedicated cinema cameras.

Since the hybrid stills and movie revolution was accidentally kicked off by Canon with its EOS 5D Mark II and the 2008 release of Reverie, the short movie co-directed by Vince Laforet and Yoni Brook, many former stills-only photographers have also become videographers if not cinematographers.

Fujifilm has come relatively late to supporting video and is still in the throes of catching up with the likes of Canon, Panasonic and Sony, but its APS-C/Super 35 cameras are more affordable than 35mm sensor aka “full frame” cameras by the latter manufacturers while offering excellent stills quality that competes with 35mm sensor cameras.

This free workshop should provide an excellent and in-depth introduction into videography using Fujifilm cameras and lenses and Sydney’s Fujifilm House of Photography provides the opportunity to touch and try cameras and lenses well-suited to video work.

Links

Leitz Auction: Leica Vario-Elmar-M 3.5-5.6/28-75mm Aspheric Prototype – Commentary

https://www.leitz-auction.com/auction/en/auktion34/auction37/article/227.html

Leica Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric Prototype

Leica Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric prototype. Image courtesy of Leitz Auction.
Leica Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric prototype. Image courtesy of Leitz Auction.
Leica Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric prototype. Image courtesy of Leitz Auction.
Leica Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric prototype. Image courtesy of Leitz Auction.
Leica Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric prototype. Image courtesy of Leitz Auction.

“One of only three existing Vario-Elmar-M lenses. It has been designed in Germany in 2012 and was conceived as a universal lens replacing the Tri-Elmar 28-35-50. In contrast to the Tri-Elmar, the Vario-Elmar-M is a true zoom construction producing a sharp image also between the four hard stops. The production of the final-stage prototypes has been outsourced to Japan, but because of the complexity of the mechanical and optical design the project was cancelled in 2015. Only three lenses have been finished and met the quality standards set by Leica engineers. The lens bears the Leica order number 11669 and comes with a special screw-type prototype hood 12469.

It is one of most special modern constructions from Leica.”

Commentary

Leica Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm f/4.0 Aspheric three-in-one medium prime lens, often referred to as the MATE aka “Medium Angle Tri-Elmar”. Image courtesy of B&H.
Leica Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4.0 Aspheric three-in-one wide angle prime lens, often referred to as the WATE aka “Wide Angle Tri-Elmar”.
Leica Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm f/4.0 Aspheric three-in-one medium prime lens, often referred to as the MATE aka “Medium Angle Tri-Elmar”.

Collectors of Leica cameras, lenses and accessories need to be very well-heeled to effectively pursue their hobby and there is no better indication of just how well-heeled than the prices fetched at Leitz Auctions.

We met one such collector some years ago in the form of Paul-Henry van Hasbroeck surrounded by more Leica products than we could count.

Clearly, he’s not the only one.

Leica cameras and lenses continue to be beautifully designed and manufactured, handcrafted in effect, and well worth their purchase prices brand new or secondhand if you are willing to forgo many of the bells and whistles to which most photographers have become accustomed nowadays.

The Leica Vario-Elmar-M 28-75mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspheric never left behind its prototype stage and if it had proven manufacturable then it would have been an admirable successor to the Leica Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50mm f/4.0 Aspheric and a fine companion to the Leica Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4.0 Aspheric.

Links

  • B&H Affiliate Link – click here to research and purchase or pre-order your choice of cameras, lenses and accessories for stills photography and video production whatever your genre and subject matter.
  • B&H Affiliate Link – Leica
  • Leica Camera – website
  • Leitz Auction – website

Digital Camera Warehouse: Learn How To Tell Visual Stories Using Your Camera with Jamie Andrei, 174 Canterbury Road, Canterbury, Sydney on Thursday 16th March 2023, 6:30pm – 9:00pm AEDT

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/learn-how-to-tell-visual-stories-using-your-camera-with-jamie-andrei-tickets-558402094697

“Are you ready to unlock your inner storyteller and take your content creation to the next level?…

We want to invite you to join us for an exclusive in-store event with content creator Jamie Andrei!

Jamie is a renowned director, producer, and DOP who has worked with clients worldwide. He is passionate about human stories, technology, and experiences and has a wealth of knowledge to share about becoming a great storyteller.

At the event, Jamie will take you on a journey to become a storyteller, sharing his insights and techniques for creating engaging and meaningful content. He will also showcase the new Panasonic LUMIX S5II and explain why it is the right camera for the job….”

Panasonic Lumix S5II

PanasonicLumixVideo: LUMIX S5II | With These Two Hands by Jamie Andrei

“Inspired by the Joy of Doing, “These Two Hands” tells the story of Lionel who from an early age found joy in being able to create things with his hands. 45 years later, he is passionate about identifying places which would make a perfect artistic project. Shot in 4K, the LUMIX S5II the inbuilt stabilization allowed easy movement between shots, and the wide dynamic range handled mixed light with ease. The LUMIX S5II is super robust, there is really no excuse not to get out and experience the joy of doing.

Watch the behind the scenes from here: https://youtu.be/xrdApxfj8wc“

Commentary

We’ve been waiting for touch-and-try or at least see-in-real-life opportunities here in Sydney since Panasonic announced its 35mm sensor-equipped hybrid Lumix S5II camera back in early January 2023 and this event is the very first to appear on our radar.

It is good that ‘Learn How To Tell Visual Stories Using Your Camera with Jamie Andrei’ will be staged somewhere in Greater Sydney but it’s going to be problematic for some Sydneysiders given the location requires us at least to travel over four hours in total there and back and at night from here in the Upper North Shore, finally getting home around midnight or later.

We hope that there will be more such events here in the coming weeks but at locations that are more accessible and won’t take such a toll on travel and safety.

We’re glad, though, that the COVID-19 pandemic-caused drought of photography and video industry events may be coming to an end.

Links

Arts Professional: Bullying bosses, broken boards and a crisis of accountability – Commentary

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/article/bullying-bosses-broken-boards-and-crisis-accountability

“Our study on abusive leadership in the arts has uncovered a spectrum of mistreatment: from racial, gender and age discrimination to sexual harassment, class prejudice and sidelining; and from fraud and financial mismanagement to bullying, victimisation and coercion.

Interviews with 13 participants from managerial and leadership roles, across different artforms and organisations based in the UK, revealed that arts professionals who have been the victims of abuse have suffered from depression, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, loss of confidence, and a fear of colleagues and the workplace….

According to one senior marketing manager: “I’ve never experienced a cultural organisation that hasn’t had bullying very central to its make-up.” If this comment rings true for other arts professionals and is a sentiment shared more widely, then it implies that abusive leadership is an enduring and ubiquitous feature of working life in the cultural sector. This would represent a staggering condemnation; one that demands urgent action….”

Commentary

Abuse, bullying, corruption, cronyism, discrimination, favouritism, misogyny, nepotism and even persecution have been rife and dominant within the arts, culture, education and media sectors and their funding bodies for as long as I have been involved in them.

Is there any hope for substantial change within any of them?

This is what’s needed for a start, not only in the UK but everywhere else as well:

“We plan to host a series of events for cultural workers and researchers to share and discuss our findings in more detail. We are also planning a large-scale study, looking at victims, perpetrators and crucially, the extent to which organisational cultures can not only enable abusive leadership, but actively reward and encourage it as a normative mode of behaviour in this fast-paced, time-pressured sector. It is only by understanding abusive leadership in all its facets and intersections that we can collectively work towards its eradication.”

Links

  • B&H Affiliate Link – click here to research and purchase or pre-order your choice of cameras, lenses and accessories for stills photography and video production whatever your genre and subject matter.
  • Arts Professional – Bullying bosses, broken boards and a crisis of accountability – Article is currently free to read though paid subscription appears to be required for access to all other articles.

The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum – Commentary

https://www.bdcmuseum.org.uk/

“The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum is home to one of the largest collections of material relating to the moving image in Britain. We are both an accredited public museum and an academic research facility and we hold a collection of over 86,000 items. Over 1,000 of our items are on display in our Galleries and are available to be viewed by the public….

Explore the collection

Browse our catalogue, listing details of our collection of over 86,000 artefacts. You can book to come and research here….”

Commentary

In the course of our ongoing research we come across cinema history museums and collections and we like to share them here.

While researching for the article on director and screenwriter Muriel Box, we found The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum located at the University of Exeter.

You can conduct your search online but items of interest must be viewed at the museum itself as they’re not available online.

Links

The Observer: Who was Muriel Box, Britain’s most prolific female film director? – Commentary

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/feb/19/muriel-box-female-film-director-carol-morley-sunday-feature

“Muriel Box: it was not until her mid-40s that she got to direct her first feature….

She was also the first woman to win an Oscar for best original screenplay. Now a new radio documentary aims to give her pioneering work a fresh appraisal…”

Commentary

We’ve been researching the British film industry and how people from s0-called minority backgrounds may have been able to establish careers within it as background to the ongoing research and writing we’ve been doing on the late, great Australian cinematographer Robert Krasker.

We were overjoyed to come across this article in The Observer newspaper, published on The Guardian website this weekend, about another almost completely forgotten talent, the screenwriter and director Muriel Box.

We’re looking forward to the radio documentary on Muriel Box by Carol Morley to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 this coming Sunday 26th February 2023 and to learning more about Muriel Box and her achievements.

Links