The Departed vs Infernal Affairs

I'm not the biggest DiCaprio fan but I must admit he was good in this film. It had a genius storyline and was brilliantly direceted by Scorsese and not surprisingly picked up 4 Oscars along the way..........BUT people seem to downplay the part where it was copied from Hong Kong. And in comparision there is definately room for improvement.

'The departed' gives the sense of a fast paced action film, full of suspense and tension and although it fits into the storyline really well, I think it was far too quick to follow. There were areas which were weak in explanation, leaving the viewer confused (and I've seen the original!). It also tries to condense a triology into 1 film, which never works out as proven in the rushed ending. Where did Wahlberg go for the last half of the movie and why did he wait till the very end to reappear again?

The trilogy of 'Infernal Affairs' slowed the pace down, giving viewers time to think things over and actually make sense of the whole situation. The backround story (in the 2nd film) gives each character depth making them more believeable and the fact that it held the brilliant undercover vs underdog plot is a credit in its own right.

Watch both of them and see which you prefer, but remember which came first!

Oasis "Shock of the Lightning" MV

Seriously kitsch and psychodelic, this is a collage of a million different images and movie clips all bashed together. Very raw and effective.

We should all aim to edit like this...(!)

Thomas Heatherwick

This designer is truly inspirational. He has done many pieces big and small around the UK, each one executed with precision and style.

The first image is a massive sculpture inside the Wellcome Trust building, hanging above a pool of water. It is made from molten metal dropped into water to give the twisted and flowing effect. The challenging factor of this brief was that the sculpture had to fit through the doors of the building but be large enough to fill the space.

The bridge as you can see rolls up to let boats pass instead of the usual mechanism of raising each side. I find this bridge amazing, because it shows how serious Thomas takes his work, not just looking at aesthetics but challenging the way things are made in the first place.

find out more on his website www.heatherwick.com

Tatton Park

A really beautiful and peaceful park to relax and walk around. Set in Cheshire, the 1,000 acres of land are free to explore, financed and managed by Cheshire County Council.

There are yearly events such as the flower show, country fair, art shows and exhibitions to attrach all interests making it a family friendly place to visit.

The area is made up of woodland, grassland and a large beautiful lake, with seats dotted around for the visitors to enjoy the landscape.

There are some really decent parts of the park which produce amazing photographs, which can be added to your portfolio for any future reference or work.

trueSpace 7.6

www.caligari.com

The company are giving away free downloads of their software truSpace 7.6 which enables you to create 3-D animation and illustration. It may not be the industry favourite, but I think that given it is free, it's a good little bit of software to play and practice on. 

On the website, they also offer free lessons, guiding you through the basics to help get you started.

Cool Hunting

    a guide to high design and innovation by Dave Evans

This book really inspires any product designers out there to really think about practical and aestetic solutions to problems encountered in the process of creating a product. Many of the examples seem so efficient and simple it makes you wonder why it wasn't developed in the first place.

It consists of 'cool' products found on the internet, simply displaying an image with the title and the website address. The idea that the product speaks for itself is very evident and if the viewer does want more information, the can follow the address given on the page.

I think the title of the book is very fitting for the collection of products inside- all very very cool. 

Graphic Design as Communication

This book written by Malcolm Barnard argues that Graphics Design is mainly for communication. It is very well written, looking into the different areas such as illustration, packaging and web design, and analysing these areas logically and systematically. He takes the subject seriously, looking at the theory and language rather than the "art" side of design allowing the reader to reconsider the typical stereotypes concerned with Graphic Design (a 'doss' subject). 

The illustrations help break up the large amount of text, resulting in a general reference book to ease the reader into the subject.

I found that the book gives a good overall insight into the different areas of Graphic Design, making it more suitable for 1st year students. 

Wycombe Museum

Chair Exhibition







Every town has its unique history and contribution to the modern society today. In High Wycombe it is the Windsor chair, where it was heavily manufactured during the late 19th century.


The chairs are showcased in a large converted house, alongside historical facts of the town with photos, maps and video footage but what is most interesting about the building is that it is made entirely from flint, giving it a distinctive colour and appearance.


Although the place is not big, it provides a different experience to the more popular museums around London, as I believe more credit should be given to the smaller museums featuring the town's best attributes.


I would recommend anyone who was interested in furniture to visit the museum as it is definately a unique and relaxing visit, to find out how chairs were such a big industry in the area.