Blue Valley
About Me
Monday, July 17, 2006
Thank You
Thank You
Hello ~
Dear Hannes, The O.C., my fellow BYM ’06 Delegates, our cameramen, all of the speakers, and last but not least, all of our sponsors~
Thank You! I don’t think I can describe in words how grateful and thankful I am for the BYM week. That week was truly, profoundly life changing for me.
The book we were given as a culmination of the week’s work was truly the most beautiful gift. It brought me to tears.
I’m probably one of the few people at the conference who has spent my life been told I’ll never get anywhere. If I listened to those people I would not be where I am today. I have never been in an environment with such a wonderful energy and family feeling of togetherness. I felt incredible freedom to be myself and show my potential.
I had no idea what to expect when I applied for BYM. I also had no idea why I was chosen to come. I later realized that someone saw in me something I didn’t see in myself. I now see that. I found it amazing to be working with a 100+ people that were like-minded and were respectful towards each other whether we were agreeing or disagreeing. I also think that people wanted different things out of this conference.
I definitely have learnt a lot. We have the right to follow our dreams and to take risks in life.
I also discovered that there is such a thing as a quarter-life crisis (!), something I was experiencing prior to attending this conference. I now have a clear idea of what I want to do with my life. I think that it is very easy to fall back into a mundane routine but I really want to carry the ‘BYM energy’ with me. I also think it is very important that we all stay in contact and realize how important these relationships are. I certainly made some wonderful friends and feel blessed to have met everyone.
Thank you to Hannes for being so supportive and a wonderful facilitator. Thank you to each and everyone on the O.C. We were so well taken care of. It must have been incredibly hard work so thank you. The cameramen were a part of us and not part of the scenery. I enjoyed all the messages from the speakers although let’s face it, a few were a bit dodgy, and I say that in the nicest possible way. Without the sponsors, none of this would be possible. I was fascinated with Vodacom’s presentations. I’m grateful for all the goodies we received, especially the flash drives and the gifts from BHP Billiton. I really needed those things. I’m grateful to all the delegates, who listened to me or shot down my ideas, and shared their personal stories.
I hope everybody keeps well.
With love,
Candice
Hello ~
Dear Hannes, The O.C., my fellow BYM ’06 Delegates, our cameramen, all of the speakers, and last but not least, all of our sponsors~
Thank You! I don’t think I can describe in words how grateful and thankful I am for the BYM week. That week was truly, profoundly life changing for me.
The book we were given as a culmination of the week’s work was truly the most beautiful gift. It brought me to tears.
I’m probably one of the few people at the conference who has spent my life been told I’ll never get anywhere. If I listened to those people I would not be where I am today. I have never been in an environment with such a wonderful energy and family feeling of togetherness. I felt incredible freedom to be myself and show my potential.
I had no idea what to expect when I applied for BYM. I also had no idea why I was chosen to come. I later realized that someone saw in me something I didn’t see in myself. I now see that. I found it amazing to be working with a 100+ people that were like-minded and were respectful towards each other whether we were agreeing or disagreeing. I also think that people wanted different things out of this conference.
I definitely have learnt a lot. We have the right to follow our dreams and to take risks in life.
I also discovered that there is such a thing as a quarter-life crisis (!), something I was experiencing prior to attending this conference. I now have a clear idea of what I want to do with my life. I think that it is very easy to fall back into a mundane routine but I really want to carry the ‘BYM energy’ with me. I also think it is very important that we all stay in contact and realize how important these relationships are. I certainly made some wonderful friends and feel blessed to have met everyone.
Thank you to Hannes for being so supportive and a wonderful facilitator. Thank you to each and everyone on the O.C. We were so well taken care of. It must have been incredibly hard work so thank you. The cameramen were a part of us and not part of the scenery. I enjoyed all the messages from the speakers although let’s face it, a few were a bit dodgy, and I say that in the nicest possible way. Without the sponsors, none of this would be possible. I was fascinated with Vodacom’s presentations. I’m grateful for all the goodies we received, especially the flash drives and the gifts from BHP Billiton. I really needed those things. I’m grateful to all the delegates, who listened to me or shot down my ideas, and shared their personal stories.
I hope everybody keeps well.
With love,
Candice
BYM Challenge
BYM Challenge:
About Me:
My name is Candice. I am currently busy with a PhD in Microbiology at Stellenbosch University. This is currently my 7th year in the science field. I consider myself a microbiologist if you were to ask what kind of science I do but in fact, I am trained in all fields of Molecular, Chemical, and Cellular Sciences, having specialized in biotechnology and microbiology, with minors, per se, in genetics and development, biochemistry, and chemistry. I did my undergraduate degree (with distinction in microbiology), honours, and Masters (with distinction) at the University of Cape Town, where I worked on a fascinating group of bacteria and searched for a cure for TB (Tuberculosis). I’ve even dabbled in some forensics but am currently working on biomining bacteria: Bacteria that live in acid and can help leach minerals out of ores. I also love teaching students, whether it is lectures or help in the lab. I am currently working on my 5th publication.
However, the future of science is bleak. It is a profession requiring hard work, intellectual prowess, and to live making a very poor income. Working your way up the science ladder means that you need a PhD, then you spend years working as a post-doctoral fellow before a lectureship opens up. These are few and far between, as the average age for retiring is 65 in academia. And once again, the pay is dismal. Yes, you could leave and work in the science industry, such as breweries and pharmaceuticals, but beware of being too overqualified, and the fact that the average industry job does not present much of a challenge.
But there is something else about me: I’m restless. I love to travel overseas (and tend to blow my poor income on that!) and dream big, mostly about running my own TV show. Running my own business, obviously, is not that far behind in my mind. My true passion has always been the film and television industry, although I cannot deny that I’m very successful at science. Science has taught me much and I have learnt amazing skills, which will not be lost if I leave science one day: they are life long skills, engrained in me. But, like I said, I dream of my own TV show, and running a production company, to help make my and other people’s dreams come true. While I was mixing up chemicals in undergrad, I got myself an agent and decided to try to make a career out of my love of writing. This was my time to be exposed to the South African film and TV industry. I learnt all the screenwriting tricks, participated in pitching sessions with producers, worked with other writers, directors, and musicians, and submitted my first TV show to the SABC. It was called “Heather Branagh”. I don’t particularly want to go into the details of my TV shows because I really need them to be copyrighted. I don’t want anyone stealing my ideas! Ideas I’ve spent years writing out and developing in my mind. That’s a lot of typing people! One thing I realized: If you want to get into the TV industry, you have to be networking and giving it you full, 100% attention, 24-7-365. I was busy obtaining a science degree and was young and nervous so I left the scene. I did also obtain a level 1 qualification in Stage Directing, and was forced to act! Didn’t know I had it in me. You just have to let yourself go.
I haven’t stopped writing though, and have spent a couple of years now working on a new show, titled “Enter Entropy”. It is meant to fill the slot of a drama series, thus each episode would be 45 minutes in length. This means money, lots and lots of money. I’ve written the show’s Bible. This is the book that outlines everything about the show, from the characters to how everything plays out. All the details baby. My next step is to get the pilot episode copyrighted and put it out there. Do a little pitching, as they say. I’d love to film in Cape Town, but more on this below.
I was also inspired to get into interior design; the details of which are directly below. I’ve said enough about science and really want to talk about my ideas and dreams concerning interior design and television. My science skills and knowledge can be used in making a TV show. Even interior design is useful: Every show needs their sets to be decorated!
So, here goes…
Interior Design:
My biggest inspiration over the past few years has been the US TV show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Yes, the story is a true success story. Yes, the show and the Fab 5 are known the world over. And yes, the show revolutionized the way the world sees the gay community. But, the main point of this show, and why I love it and find it inspirational, is that this is not a makeover show, it is a make better show. That’s the point: make better. Make your life better, make yourself better, make everything you do better. It’s a way of thinking and a way of acknowledging things around you and what you are capable of deep down inside. The make better philosophy certainly changed my life… for the better!
I love the members of the Fab 5, but Thom Filicia, the design doctor on the show (i.e. interior decorator!) is a real inspiration to me. Thom is, now, most recognized for his work on Queer Eye, or should I say, is recognized as a celebrity because of Queer Eye. He does incredible work on Queer Eye, week after week, helping the straight guy by transforming the spaces he lives, or even works in. And trust me, interior decorating is important! Thom really gets into their heads and works well with every straight guy to create the perfect space for him. Thom has a team of about 3 people helping him. The result is that the straight guys are blown away, ecstatically happy, and even cry. From a recent episode aired in SA, Sean, the straight guy is crying and saying to Thom: “You guys are just great. This is a turning point in my life.”
All the while, Thom Filicia is running his very own successful design firm, Thom Filicia Inc. or TFI. Considering how demanding a TV show is and that they film for many months of the year, it is amazing that Thom is a top interior designer, not only is the USA, but in the world, having recently represented the USA at the World Expo in Japan. But Thom does all sorts of work, including makeovers for Teen Vogue. Interestingly, Thom never stuck around to complete his qualification. He started work immediately when an offer came to work from the bottom up at well-known design firms in New York. Today, he has accomplished amazing things at a young age.
Because of Thom, I enrolled in an interior design and decorating course and have one project to go and then I will obtain my diploma and become a member of the Interior Designers Guild of South Africa. Because I already have a day job, as a scientist, I can only do interior design part time but the idea of going into business for myself has definitely crossed my mind. Perhaps even a family business as my mother is in the property market and my entire family is business orientated. I am the black sheep, having ventured into science. Currently, I give advice to people who need it. Once I have my qualification, I can start charging for my services. Even basic services like floor plans. What I’ve found is that people are aware of the importance of the spaces they live and work in. However, they really need someone to come along and open a dialogue, about interior design. The key is to get them comfortable by talking about design in a language they understand. That I can do, and I do have a keen eye for interior decorating!
I’ve decided to include below information on the process of Thom’s business. For more information on Queer Eye, TFI, or Thom Filicia, you can google the names and get plenty of helpful hits. But the main websites are: www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye/ and www.thomfilicia.com
Time-honored Classic Simplicity and unexpected Modern Flair - that's the unique and innovative vision of Thom Filicia Inc.
The purity of simple strong lines, a muted palette with splashes of bold color and rich, startling textures and patterns are the signature of Thom Filicia Inc. Although every TFI interior is born of this well honed approach, the results are as different as our clients. Whether a loft in Manhattan, a home in the Hamptons, or a hotel in Miami, each project is thoughtfully discussed with each client to draw out their vision. Only then do we proceed to craft a design by pushing boundaries that create unique and elegant spaces defined by beauty, comfort and style.
An interior designed by TFI respects the importance of architecture, space, and detail while balancing a client's ideas with the TFI aesthetic. The end result is creating space for living and working that's bold in its approach, but that is classic, contemporary, and will stand the test of time.
Process:
Design Concept
During the Concept Phase of the TFI Design Process, our designers meet individually with our clients to determine the specific needs of the project. A Design Services Agreement is drafted and executed and a preliminary budget is set.
Plans are prepared for the design of the space, and TFI presents the client with samples, images and other materials that illustrate TFI's suggested design scheme, such as color palettes, fabric schemes, furniture samples, wall coverings, floor coverings, lighting and window treatments.
Specification & Purchasing
Once a final design scheme is set and the client approves TFI's proposals, purchasing begins. At this point, TFI contacts vendors about the various raw materials, fabrics, hardware, and items of decorative merchandise such as furniture and artwork needed for the project.
After the client submits written approval for TFI proposals, the client will be invoiced for either a 50% deposit, or the full amount, depending on the type of goods being purchased. The vendor will be instructed to begin any necessary construction, customizations, or modifications. Once the item is ready to ship, TFI will invoice the client for any remaining balance, and the goods will be delivered to the work site.
Installation Phase
The final phase works differently for each project, but it is almost always the most exciting part of the process for each client. It is the point at which the TFI Design Team installs all of the furniture, wall coverings, decorative accessories, and other design materials into your home. Pieces are moved into place and positioned according to the design plans created by TFI and approved by the client. The time required for the installation phase varies according to the scope of the project and the type of work being done on the site. Once installation is completed, a project is considered to be concluded.
www.thomfilicia.com
Television:
Many shows have inspired me. Many of those have helped transform the world and have cult following today. They are as much a part of human culture as the movie Star Wars is. Think The X-Files, for example.
Regarding my TV show that I am working on, the biggest inspirations would have to be: Homicide: Life on the Street, The Sentinel, Jake 2.0, Threshold, and Stargate SG-1 (which by the way, is a massive success story, being the longest running Sci-Fi show in US history and drastically improving the Vancouver economy and digital effects warehouses).
I would say that my show, “Enter Entropy”, will have elements of Stargate Atlantis, Smallville, and Grey’s Anatomy.
For more information on my television interests, check out my blog at: www.enterentropywithcandice.blogspot.com
I love Cape Town and have plenty of locations I’d like to use for my show. I’d also like to make use of hand-held cameras for the filming. I definitely believe that there is talent in this country and that all this talent is probably untapped. I would love to see a production company that will give people a chance. I understand why people tend to make shows with an African story to it, but we need to go international. Not in terms of a feature that will give shock value, praise, and then be forgotten. We need to make a show that an international audience will be interested in watching. We need them to be watching our work, week in and week out. I think my show can do that.
It is interesting that the Canadian government ignored their film and television industry for years. People were so desperate to let their talent shine that they worked on police video re-enactments! Now the Canadian film industry is booming… because they got given the chance to.
I’m going to discuss the making of Homicide: Life on the Street and then present some information on the South African film industry.
Homicide: Life on the Street was rated as the number one drama series of the twentieth century. The TV series is based on the true crime book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, by David Simon, a Baltimore Sun crime reporter who spent a year shadowing the real-life detectives of Baltimore’s Homicide Unit. It goes without saying that the TV series is worth watching, but the book is a must-read. Homicide was filmed on location in Baltimore, steering clear of the main production hubs of LA and NY. The cast and crew spent many months of the year working and living in Baltimore, and so they became involved with the locals, and the locals became involved with the show. Real homes, bars, coffee shops, and the streets of Baltimore were used in the story telling. The show also contributed greatly to Baltimore’s economy.
Homicide set the standard for shows to follow. The cinematographer used a hand-held camera, swirling about the set on a rolling stool, moving around the cast members. The show was shot as if it were a documentary and the camera a player in the action. The experimental editing made use of repeating the same shot in rapid succession, in order to focus solely on getting the emotion of the scene right. To capture the full emotional punch of a scene, a certain shot or line of dialogue was replayed several times, as if being drilled into the audience’s mind. The film of choice for Homicide and that of low-budget independent filmmakers is Super-16mm film. The more common professional standard is 35mm film. Compared to 35mm film, Super-16mm offers a high-quality wide screen image on low-cost film using inexpensive cameras and equipment and a smaller team of technicians. The producers of Homicide were ahead of the their time because as HDTV (high definition television) blasts onto the market place in the near future, Homicide will be ready for rebroadcasting as a wide screen program. Homicide also set the trend in using songs as metaphors for the action between the show’s instrumental soundtrack.
The DVDs of Homicide and the companion books are available at Amazon.com.
The South African Film Industry:
AFDA: The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance:
Production Faculty
School Of Producing
TO KNOW THE MARKET AND HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT BRAND TO WHICH AN AUDIENCE WILL RESPOND. THE PRODUCING DISCIPLINE IS THE CATALYST THAT WILL ACTIVATE THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION PROCESS AND SETS THE STAGE FOR ENGAGING AND PROFITABLE ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTS.
The producer has three distinct areas of accountability: Firstly, the identification and acquisition of valuable entertainment property, i.e. scripts, creative concepts, directors, artists and performers whom the producer believes possess the persona and wherewithal to indulge market needs.
Secondly, the capacity to raise the finance; assemble and activate production resources to bring to fruition the project on schedule; within budget and paradigm envisaged from the outset. Finally, the necessary acumen to market, distribute and sell the product to generate an entertaining, financially and commercially profitable return on investments.
If you would like to develop the intuitive ability to discover talent and recognize great entertainment property with the initiative to turn dreams into reality, then Producing is your choice to be who you want to be.
School of Screenwriting
A GOOD SCRIPT IS THE BLUEPRINT FOR A GOOD FILM AND IS THE CENTRAL HUB TO WHICH ALL THE MANY DIFFERENT ARTISTS WHO GATHER TO PRODUCE THE WORK MUST CONNECT. SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS GOOD SCRIPTWRITERS AND IF YOU HAVE A TALENT FOR THIS VITAL CAREER PATH YOUR SERVICES WILL BE IN GREAT DEMAND.
To write good scripts you need to be highly informed about the world around you. A screenwriter is deeply interested in relevant social, cultural, philosophical and historical issues that drive societies and the way in which individuals deal with the issues that challenge them and the people they become in order to cope.
Scriptwriters are not afraid to write and rewrite draft after draft until they have succeeded in capturing event structure and escalation and the subsequent character development. This elicits the fine nuances of emotional exploration and social questioning that they set out to achieve. A good scriptwriter will often make a good director so bear this in mind when considering a career.
AFDA utilises a system of team writing. This facilitates a process that models and formalises the collaborative nature of script development in the market place. The process allows for maximum input of ideas, novelty, cultural diversity, research and brainstorming to create relevant concepts and structures for the appointed writer to shape and complete. All students are encouraged to be part of the writing process. This is a compulsory field for directors and animators.
School of Directing
This is one of the most misunderstood disciplines in the filmmaking process. Although the film director should have a thorough knowledge of the motion picture medium, understand the function of all the disciplines that make up the production team, and have the ability to communicate the overall vision of the production to the crew and cast, the primary function of the director remains firmly rooted in having a unique ability to entertain the audience, through the identification and structuring of compelling narrative material and the skilful use of the film medium to amplify the dramatic delivery of the work.
A good director loves to entertain the audience. They know what "turns an audience on" with regard to subject matter and the interpretation thereof, which performances will captivate them, and how to guide the process in order to keep this up throughout the production.
To achieve this, the director must be deeply interested in society and the social and cultural forces that shape our lives. They should be in touch with the audience and know what will challenge them and stimulate their interest and emotions. Directors should have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the world around them from which they can draw on to originate relevant concepts and emotive characters. Directors take note: the size of the audience you can attract to your work will be in direct proportion to the size of your career.
Screenwriting is a must for directors and editing is recommended as a third sub-major in order to provide a working knowledge of the post-production process of filmmaking.
Just a quote by Shakespeare that I wanted to leave you with: “Nothing is so common as the need to be remarkable.”
About Me:
My name is Candice. I am currently busy with a PhD in Microbiology at Stellenbosch University. This is currently my 7th year in the science field. I consider myself a microbiologist if you were to ask what kind of science I do but in fact, I am trained in all fields of Molecular, Chemical, and Cellular Sciences, having specialized in biotechnology and microbiology, with minors, per se, in genetics and development, biochemistry, and chemistry. I did my undergraduate degree (with distinction in microbiology), honours, and Masters (with distinction) at the University of Cape Town, where I worked on a fascinating group of bacteria and searched for a cure for TB (Tuberculosis). I’ve even dabbled in some forensics but am currently working on biomining bacteria: Bacteria that live in acid and can help leach minerals out of ores. I also love teaching students, whether it is lectures or help in the lab. I am currently working on my 5th publication.
However, the future of science is bleak. It is a profession requiring hard work, intellectual prowess, and to live making a very poor income. Working your way up the science ladder means that you need a PhD, then you spend years working as a post-doctoral fellow before a lectureship opens up. These are few and far between, as the average age for retiring is 65 in academia. And once again, the pay is dismal. Yes, you could leave and work in the science industry, such as breweries and pharmaceuticals, but beware of being too overqualified, and the fact that the average industry job does not present much of a challenge.
But there is something else about me: I’m restless. I love to travel overseas (and tend to blow my poor income on that!) and dream big, mostly about running my own TV show. Running my own business, obviously, is not that far behind in my mind. My true passion has always been the film and television industry, although I cannot deny that I’m very successful at science. Science has taught me much and I have learnt amazing skills, which will not be lost if I leave science one day: they are life long skills, engrained in me. But, like I said, I dream of my own TV show, and running a production company, to help make my and other people’s dreams come true. While I was mixing up chemicals in undergrad, I got myself an agent and decided to try to make a career out of my love of writing. This was my time to be exposed to the South African film and TV industry. I learnt all the screenwriting tricks, participated in pitching sessions with producers, worked with other writers, directors, and musicians, and submitted my first TV show to the SABC. It was called “Heather Branagh”. I don’t particularly want to go into the details of my TV shows because I really need them to be copyrighted. I don’t want anyone stealing my ideas! Ideas I’ve spent years writing out and developing in my mind. That’s a lot of typing people! One thing I realized: If you want to get into the TV industry, you have to be networking and giving it you full, 100% attention, 24-7-365. I was busy obtaining a science degree and was young and nervous so I left the scene. I did also obtain a level 1 qualification in Stage Directing, and was forced to act! Didn’t know I had it in me. You just have to let yourself go.
I haven’t stopped writing though, and have spent a couple of years now working on a new show, titled “Enter Entropy”. It is meant to fill the slot of a drama series, thus each episode would be 45 minutes in length. This means money, lots and lots of money. I’ve written the show’s Bible. This is the book that outlines everything about the show, from the characters to how everything plays out. All the details baby. My next step is to get the pilot episode copyrighted and put it out there. Do a little pitching, as they say. I’d love to film in Cape Town, but more on this below.
I was also inspired to get into interior design; the details of which are directly below. I’ve said enough about science and really want to talk about my ideas and dreams concerning interior design and television. My science skills and knowledge can be used in making a TV show. Even interior design is useful: Every show needs their sets to be decorated!
So, here goes…
Interior Design:
My biggest inspiration over the past few years has been the US TV show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Yes, the story is a true success story. Yes, the show and the Fab 5 are known the world over. And yes, the show revolutionized the way the world sees the gay community. But, the main point of this show, and why I love it and find it inspirational, is that this is not a makeover show, it is a make better show. That’s the point: make better. Make your life better, make yourself better, make everything you do better. It’s a way of thinking and a way of acknowledging things around you and what you are capable of deep down inside. The make better philosophy certainly changed my life… for the better!
I love the members of the Fab 5, but Thom Filicia, the design doctor on the show (i.e. interior decorator!) is a real inspiration to me. Thom is, now, most recognized for his work on Queer Eye, or should I say, is recognized as a celebrity because of Queer Eye. He does incredible work on Queer Eye, week after week, helping the straight guy by transforming the spaces he lives, or even works in. And trust me, interior decorating is important! Thom really gets into their heads and works well with every straight guy to create the perfect space for him. Thom has a team of about 3 people helping him. The result is that the straight guys are blown away, ecstatically happy, and even cry. From a recent episode aired in SA, Sean, the straight guy is crying and saying to Thom: “You guys are just great. This is a turning point in my life.”
All the while, Thom Filicia is running his very own successful design firm, Thom Filicia Inc. or TFI. Considering how demanding a TV show is and that they film for many months of the year, it is amazing that Thom is a top interior designer, not only is the USA, but in the world, having recently represented the USA at the World Expo in Japan. But Thom does all sorts of work, including makeovers for Teen Vogue. Interestingly, Thom never stuck around to complete his qualification. He started work immediately when an offer came to work from the bottom up at well-known design firms in New York. Today, he has accomplished amazing things at a young age.
Because of Thom, I enrolled in an interior design and decorating course and have one project to go and then I will obtain my diploma and become a member of the Interior Designers Guild of South Africa. Because I already have a day job, as a scientist, I can only do interior design part time but the idea of going into business for myself has definitely crossed my mind. Perhaps even a family business as my mother is in the property market and my entire family is business orientated. I am the black sheep, having ventured into science. Currently, I give advice to people who need it. Once I have my qualification, I can start charging for my services. Even basic services like floor plans. What I’ve found is that people are aware of the importance of the spaces they live and work in. However, they really need someone to come along and open a dialogue, about interior design. The key is to get them comfortable by talking about design in a language they understand. That I can do, and I do have a keen eye for interior decorating!
I’ve decided to include below information on the process of Thom’s business. For more information on Queer Eye, TFI, or Thom Filicia, you can google the names and get plenty of helpful hits. But the main websites are: www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye/ and www.thomfilicia.com
Time-honored Classic Simplicity and unexpected Modern Flair - that's the unique and innovative vision of Thom Filicia Inc.
The purity of simple strong lines, a muted palette with splashes of bold color and rich, startling textures and patterns are the signature of Thom Filicia Inc. Although every TFI interior is born of this well honed approach, the results are as different as our clients. Whether a loft in Manhattan, a home in the Hamptons, or a hotel in Miami, each project is thoughtfully discussed with each client to draw out their vision. Only then do we proceed to craft a design by pushing boundaries that create unique and elegant spaces defined by beauty, comfort and style.
An interior designed by TFI respects the importance of architecture, space, and detail while balancing a client's ideas with the TFI aesthetic. The end result is creating space for living and working that's bold in its approach, but that is classic, contemporary, and will stand the test of time.
Process:
Design Concept
During the Concept Phase of the TFI Design Process, our designers meet individually with our clients to determine the specific needs of the project. A Design Services Agreement is drafted and executed and a preliminary budget is set.
Plans are prepared for the design of the space, and TFI presents the client with samples, images and other materials that illustrate TFI's suggested design scheme, such as color palettes, fabric schemes, furniture samples, wall coverings, floor coverings, lighting and window treatments.
Specification & Purchasing
Once a final design scheme is set and the client approves TFI's proposals, purchasing begins. At this point, TFI contacts vendors about the various raw materials, fabrics, hardware, and items of decorative merchandise such as furniture and artwork needed for the project.
After the client submits written approval for TFI proposals, the client will be invoiced for either a 50% deposit, or the full amount, depending on the type of goods being purchased. The vendor will be instructed to begin any necessary construction, customizations, or modifications. Once the item is ready to ship, TFI will invoice the client for any remaining balance, and the goods will be delivered to the work site.
Installation Phase
The final phase works differently for each project, but it is almost always the most exciting part of the process for each client. It is the point at which the TFI Design Team installs all of the furniture, wall coverings, decorative accessories, and other design materials into your home. Pieces are moved into place and positioned according to the design plans created by TFI and approved by the client. The time required for the installation phase varies according to the scope of the project and the type of work being done on the site. Once installation is completed, a project is considered to be concluded.
www.thomfilicia.com
Television:
Many shows have inspired me. Many of those have helped transform the world and have cult following today. They are as much a part of human culture as the movie Star Wars is. Think The X-Files, for example.
Regarding my TV show that I am working on, the biggest inspirations would have to be: Homicide: Life on the Street, The Sentinel, Jake 2.0, Threshold, and Stargate SG-1 (which by the way, is a massive success story, being the longest running Sci-Fi show in US history and drastically improving the Vancouver economy and digital effects warehouses).
I would say that my show, “Enter Entropy”, will have elements of Stargate Atlantis, Smallville, and Grey’s Anatomy.
For more information on my television interests, check out my blog at: www.enterentropywithcandice.blogspot.com
I love Cape Town and have plenty of locations I’d like to use for my show. I’d also like to make use of hand-held cameras for the filming. I definitely believe that there is talent in this country and that all this talent is probably untapped. I would love to see a production company that will give people a chance. I understand why people tend to make shows with an African story to it, but we need to go international. Not in terms of a feature that will give shock value, praise, and then be forgotten. We need to make a show that an international audience will be interested in watching. We need them to be watching our work, week in and week out. I think my show can do that.
It is interesting that the Canadian government ignored their film and television industry for years. People were so desperate to let their talent shine that they worked on police video re-enactments! Now the Canadian film industry is booming… because they got given the chance to.
I’m going to discuss the making of Homicide: Life on the Street and then present some information on the South African film industry.
Homicide: Life on the Street was rated as the number one drama series of the twentieth century. The TV series is based on the true crime book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, by David Simon, a Baltimore Sun crime reporter who spent a year shadowing the real-life detectives of Baltimore’s Homicide Unit. It goes without saying that the TV series is worth watching, but the book is a must-read. Homicide was filmed on location in Baltimore, steering clear of the main production hubs of LA and NY. The cast and crew spent many months of the year working and living in Baltimore, and so they became involved with the locals, and the locals became involved with the show. Real homes, bars, coffee shops, and the streets of Baltimore were used in the story telling. The show also contributed greatly to Baltimore’s economy.
Homicide set the standard for shows to follow. The cinematographer used a hand-held camera, swirling about the set on a rolling stool, moving around the cast members. The show was shot as if it were a documentary and the camera a player in the action. The experimental editing made use of repeating the same shot in rapid succession, in order to focus solely on getting the emotion of the scene right. To capture the full emotional punch of a scene, a certain shot or line of dialogue was replayed several times, as if being drilled into the audience’s mind. The film of choice for Homicide and that of low-budget independent filmmakers is Super-16mm film. The more common professional standard is 35mm film. Compared to 35mm film, Super-16mm offers a high-quality wide screen image on low-cost film using inexpensive cameras and equipment and a smaller team of technicians. The producers of Homicide were ahead of the their time because as HDTV (high definition television) blasts onto the market place in the near future, Homicide will be ready for rebroadcasting as a wide screen program. Homicide also set the trend in using songs as metaphors for the action between the show’s instrumental soundtrack.
The DVDs of Homicide and the companion books are available at Amazon.com.
The South African Film Industry:
AFDA: The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance:
Production Faculty
School Of Producing
TO KNOW THE MARKET AND HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT BRAND TO WHICH AN AUDIENCE WILL RESPOND. THE PRODUCING DISCIPLINE IS THE CATALYST THAT WILL ACTIVATE THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION PROCESS AND SETS THE STAGE FOR ENGAGING AND PROFITABLE ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTS.
The producer has three distinct areas of accountability: Firstly, the identification and acquisition of valuable entertainment property, i.e. scripts, creative concepts, directors, artists and performers whom the producer believes possess the persona and wherewithal to indulge market needs.
Secondly, the capacity to raise the finance; assemble and activate production resources to bring to fruition the project on schedule; within budget and paradigm envisaged from the outset. Finally, the necessary acumen to market, distribute and sell the product to generate an entertaining, financially and commercially profitable return on investments.
If you would like to develop the intuitive ability to discover talent and recognize great entertainment property with the initiative to turn dreams into reality, then Producing is your choice to be who you want to be.
School of Screenwriting
A GOOD SCRIPT IS THE BLUEPRINT FOR A GOOD FILM AND IS THE CENTRAL HUB TO WHICH ALL THE MANY DIFFERENT ARTISTS WHO GATHER TO PRODUCE THE WORK MUST CONNECT. SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS GOOD SCRIPTWRITERS AND IF YOU HAVE A TALENT FOR THIS VITAL CAREER PATH YOUR SERVICES WILL BE IN GREAT DEMAND.
To write good scripts you need to be highly informed about the world around you. A screenwriter is deeply interested in relevant social, cultural, philosophical and historical issues that drive societies and the way in which individuals deal with the issues that challenge them and the people they become in order to cope.
Scriptwriters are not afraid to write and rewrite draft after draft until they have succeeded in capturing event structure and escalation and the subsequent character development. This elicits the fine nuances of emotional exploration and social questioning that they set out to achieve. A good scriptwriter will often make a good director so bear this in mind when considering a career.
AFDA utilises a system of team writing. This facilitates a process that models and formalises the collaborative nature of script development in the market place. The process allows for maximum input of ideas, novelty, cultural diversity, research and brainstorming to create relevant concepts and structures for the appointed writer to shape and complete. All students are encouraged to be part of the writing process. This is a compulsory field for directors and animators.
School of Directing
This is one of the most misunderstood disciplines in the filmmaking process. Although the film director should have a thorough knowledge of the motion picture medium, understand the function of all the disciplines that make up the production team, and have the ability to communicate the overall vision of the production to the crew and cast, the primary function of the director remains firmly rooted in having a unique ability to entertain the audience, through the identification and structuring of compelling narrative material and the skilful use of the film medium to amplify the dramatic delivery of the work.
A good director loves to entertain the audience. They know what "turns an audience on" with regard to subject matter and the interpretation thereof, which performances will captivate them, and how to guide the process in order to keep this up throughout the production.
To achieve this, the director must be deeply interested in society and the social and cultural forces that shape our lives. They should be in touch with the audience and know what will challenge them and stimulate their interest and emotions. Directors should have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the world around them from which they can draw on to originate relevant concepts and emotive characters. Directors take note: the size of the audience you can attract to your work will be in direct proportion to the size of your career.
Screenwriting is a must for directors and editing is recommended as a third sub-major in order to provide a working knowledge of the post-production process of filmmaking.
Just a quote by Shakespeare that I wanted to leave you with: “Nothing is so common as the need to be remarkable.”
News + Reviews!
Hi. I’m back. I’m going to be posting various things on this blog today, mostly related to my Brightest Young Minds conference.
For more info on Brightest Young Minds go check out the website or drop me a note: www.bym.co.za
I’m going to post what I typed up as part of the BYM Challenge before I left for the conference. There will also be some photos I took with my cell phone’s camera (not very good quality I’m afraid). I’ve tried not to include any photos of people because I don’t have their permission yet to put their faces up on this blog.
I’m including the cover of the book that was published containing the works produced by this conference. This brought me to tears. This was a profoundly life-changing experience and I want to say thank you to everyone involved: our facilitator, the organizing committee, my fellow delegates, the speakers, and the sponsors.
Now, to the TV series part. The channel called actionX has redesigned its line up and it sucks. This channel is home to Supernatural, Criminal Minds, Surface, and ReGenesis. I recently got to watch the final episode of Alias and Threshold and I thought they were both very good. Alias was very emotional but I think the wrap up did justice to 5 years of this amazing show.
OK, now for Queer Eye and the 3 weeks that I haven’t done any updates on.
On 28 June, MNET Series repeated the Winston Shih episode when they should’ve aired the John Williams episode (2.39 – Moving Out but not Moving Far). They subsequently have not shown the John W. episode and I’m furious because this is the episode where Carson is absent and I’d love to see how the four guys take on the fashion duties. On 5 July, they resumed with Episode 2.40 – Steve P., Second Time Around, and on 12 July, A Queer Eye Thanksgiving was aired (episode 2.41). I’ll put up reviews of the Steve P. and Thanksgiving episodes, and eventually get the screen caps up as well.
I think I can relate my BYM experience to what Queer Eye must be like for the Fab 5.
You have a group of experts in their respective fields who get together because they genuinely want to do good for society. You have cameras and still photographers following you around all day. You eventually get used to the cameras and behave normally when they are around. There is an amazing energy when everyone is together and bonds are formed. You feel like you finally fit in and have a new family. You go to social events and dinners and work extremely long days. Then you get a book published and end up on TV. On that note, Carte Blanche (MNET, Sundays at 19:00) will be airing a segment on Brightest Young Minds, so look out for that.
QE Reviews:
Episode 2.40: Steve Peloquin – Second Time Around
First Aired in SA: 05 July 2006
Steve has a dog named Stella, who stunk, and the boys decided to wash the dog!
You’ve got to clean up the clutter to move on in life.
Steve and Stella need to get their grove back!
Anyway, the wife cheats on Steve with his best friend, and she takes all his furniture after the divorce. Stella, the dog, is the only thing he got out of the divorce. Steve’s dad dies and then he loses his job. Poor guy. He’s had it rough.
Jai takes Steve to The Container Store. Everybody should have that type of storage. I’m not sure if people in SA need to shred all their documents but Jai got Steve a shredder and explained when to throw out bills and pay checks. Jai also had his other dog, Dory, with him.
Then, I don’t know what Ted was thinking, but he prescribes mole (pronounced mole-y) for Steve to make. Mole just means sauce. Like guacamole means avocado sauce.
Steve: “Simmer for 1 hour. Ohmigod.” Ted: “You’ve got to stir for 1 hour.” All the family and friends got a chance to stir though, so that was good.
Ted looked very smart in his suit up in the loft.
Steve’s introduction of his new girlfriend to his family was really bad. He’s ordering booze on the phone and doing introductions without looking anyone in the face.
Poor Stella had no idea where she was when she came home to Steve’s new Thom decorated home.
It was very funny when Thom was making fun of the I’m mad at you giggles or the I’m not impressed with this giggles. Ted: “Just wait until everybody leaves.”
Quotes:
Kyan (on screaming out someone else’s name in bed): “That is not an accident. That is giving out a hint.”
Carson: “They’re playing my divorce is messier than your divorce.”
Jai: “He’s saving for war time.”
Carson: “Coffee, tea, or ugly shoes?”
Jai: “Free, hotel, free from a hotel, stolen from a hotel.”
Carson (to Stella the dog): “What is it girl? Is last season’s shoes in here? Is someone overpaying at retail? What is it girl?”
Ted (about life sized wedding cake bride and groom dolls): “In a divorced household, this is creepy.”
Thom: “This is really creepy.”
Thom: “How long have you been out of work that you’ve got blocks of cheese been delivered?”
Carson: “Why doesn’t he just donate it to charity? These people have enough problems.”
Jai (about Steve drawing up a list): “This is where a straight guy goes above and beyond the call of duty.”
Ted: “You guys, why’s he putting chicken in a giant garbage bag?”
Ted: “OK, wait, he’s disrobing in the kitchen. This could be a health code violation.”
Carson: “This is good though. Who cares about the health code.”
About the marinate in the garbage bag that doesn’t go with the mole:
Carson: “That’s like wearing blue and orange.”
[Carson is wearing blue and orange.]
Carson: “Is that a nice wagon he’s dragging?”
Ted: “He’s putting her to work.”
Jai: “Which at some point all the straight guys end up doing.”
Jai: “How can he still be cooking? How is that possible?”
Carson: “Dammit Bailey, get back to work.’
Ted: “He’s a very popular guy for some reason.”
Ted (about making the mole): “He’s a smart guy.”
Kyan: “But there’s only one of him.”
Episode 2.41: A Queer Eye Thanksgiving
First Aired in SA: 12 July 2006
Maple leaves! Yay.
So, the format of this episode was different to the Christmas episode. Jeff Toale and family were invited. The Bravo Twins were invited. What were they thinking, of course there was going to be wrestling! David Goldman and Jes were invited: David no longer does the monkey, but now does an insane dinosaur.
It was really nice how the boys were making their traditional family recipes. Carson just described all the booze they have.
I love their ambushes. Jai finds the shirts that Carson chucked out in David’s closet. He takes them with him when he leaves. David: “They took my shirts. I have to go find garbage nearby.” When David does the dinosaur, the Bravo twins decide to wrestle him. When they are playing football in the loft, the Bravo twins decide to wrestle. It was hysterical when you see Carson running away with the vases. They wrestle Thom. What were they expecting? Kyan on why there is no rhyme or reason for why the wrestle: “I want blue cheese dressing. I want vinaigrette. Let’s wrestle.”
By the way, does anyone know if Thom is Jewish?
When they ambushed the Bravo twins, they were pissed off and didn’t want any lights on!
Carson downs some bourbon that was part of Ted’s recipe. Jeff teases him about his breath!
Jeff corrected Thom on the difference between turkey and pheasant feathers.
I liked the embroidered iron-on letters to make personalized napkins.
The fish shirt was back at Jeff’s house. And the dried flowers were all over the house again. Fire hazard! Jeff is making beautiful engraved wooden guitars.
Thom jokes that they were the only people that could make it. The Fab 5 go off to change outfits. The table looked amazing.
Quotes:
Carson: “They answered the door half naked.”
Kyan: “That sounds hot.”
Thom: You guys, I can't wait to get home and set the table.Kyan: Dude, that's the gayest thing you've ever said.Thom: It's almost as gay as when I lied to you and said your hair looked good.
As Carson slowly pulls a knife out of the sinkTed: No! Carson, no!
Ted: “Is that your aftershave?”
Thom: “No, I think it’s theirs.”
Ted: “You think?”
Carson (holding a weird nut): “I hate when they’re that big.”
Jeff: “I find that surprising.”
Jai (about Jeff’s house): “Everywhere you turned it was like, oooo, bambi, hi.”
Kyan (about Jeff): “He actually just made these spoons standing here.”
Jeff (about Kyan stroking his wife’s leg): “Don’t go against the grain.”
Ted (about being from the South): “We cook vegetables until they have no colour or texture.”
Thom: “It’s so bad, I think it’s great.”
Kyan (about Jeff): “He did that with a carrot peeler.”
For more info on Brightest Young Minds go check out the website or drop me a note: www.bym.co.za
I’m going to post what I typed up as part of the BYM Challenge before I left for the conference. There will also be some photos I took with my cell phone’s camera (not very good quality I’m afraid). I’ve tried not to include any photos of people because I don’t have their permission yet to put their faces up on this blog.
I’m including the cover of the book that was published containing the works produced by this conference. This brought me to tears. This was a profoundly life-changing experience and I want to say thank you to everyone involved: our facilitator, the organizing committee, my fellow delegates, the speakers, and the sponsors.
Now, to the TV series part. The channel called actionX has redesigned its line up and it sucks. This channel is home to Supernatural, Criminal Minds, Surface, and ReGenesis. I recently got to watch the final episode of Alias and Threshold and I thought they were both very good. Alias was very emotional but I think the wrap up did justice to 5 years of this amazing show.
OK, now for Queer Eye and the 3 weeks that I haven’t done any updates on.
On 28 June, MNET Series repeated the Winston Shih episode when they should’ve aired the John Williams episode (2.39 – Moving Out but not Moving Far). They subsequently have not shown the John W. episode and I’m furious because this is the episode where Carson is absent and I’d love to see how the four guys take on the fashion duties. On 5 July, they resumed with Episode 2.40 – Steve P., Second Time Around, and on 12 July, A Queer Eye Thanksgiving was aired (episode 2.41). I’ll put up reviews of the Steve P. and Thanksgiving episodes, and eventually get the screen caps up as well.
I think I can relate my BYM experience to what Queer Eye must be like for the Fab 5.
You have a group of experts in their respective fields who get together because they genuinely want to do good for society. You have cameras and still photographers following you around all day. You eventually get used to the cameras and behave normally when they are around. There is an amazing energy when everyone is together and bonds are formed. You feel like you finally fit in and have a new family. You go to social events and dinners and work extremely long days. Then you get a book published and end up on TV. On that note, Carte Blanche (MNET, Sundays at 19:00) will be airing a segment on Brightest Young Minds, so look out for that.
QE Reviews:
Episode 2.40: Steve Peloquin – Second Time Around
First Aired in SA: 05 July 2006
Steve has a dog named Stella, who stunk, and the boys decided to wash the dog!
You’ve got to clean up the clutter to move on in life.
Steve and Stella need to get their grove back!
Anyway, the wife cheats on Steve with his best friend, and she takes all his furniture after the divorce. Stella, the dog, is the only thing he got out of the divorce. Steve’s dad dies and then he loses his job. Poor guy. He’s had it rough.
Jai takes Steve to The Container Store. Everybody should have that type of storage. I’m not sure if people in SA need to shred all their documents but Jai got Steve a shredder and explained when to throw out bills and pay checks. Jai also had his other dog, Dory, with him.
Then, I don’t know what Ted was thinking, but he prescribes mole (pronounced mole-y) for Steve to make. Mole just means sauce. Like guacamole means avocado sauce.
Steve: “Simmer for 1 hour. Ohmigod.” Ted: “You’ve got to stir for 1 hour.” All the family and friends got a chance to stir though, so that was good.
Ted looked very smart in his suit up in the loft.
Steve’s introduction of his new girlfriend to his family was really bad. He’s ordering booze on the phone and doing introductions without looking anyone in the face.
Poor Stella had no idea where she was when she came home to Steve’s new Thom decorated home.
It was very funny when Thom was making fun of the I’m mad at you giggles or the I’m not impressed with this giggles. Ted: “Just wait until everybody leaves.”
Quotes:
Kyan (on screaming out someone else’s name in bed): “That is not an accident. That is giving out a hint.”
Carson: “They’re playing my divorce is messier than your divorce.”
Jai: “He’s saving for war time.”
Carson: “Coffee, tea, or ugly shoes?”
Jai: “Free, hotel, free from a hotel, stolen from a hotel.”
Carson (to Stella the dog): “What is it girl? Is last season’s shoes in here? Is someone overpaying at retail? What is it girl?”
Ted (about life sized wedding cake bride and groom dolls): “In a divorced household, this is creepy.”
Thom: “This is really creepy.”
Thom: “How long have you been out of work that you’ve got blocks of cheese been delivered?”
Carson: “Why doesn’t he just donate it to charity? These people have enough problems.”
Jai (about Steve drawing up a list): “This is where a straight guy goes above and beyond the call of duty.”
Ted: “You guys, why’s he putting chicken in a giant garbage bag?”
Ted: “OK, wait, he’s disrobing in the kitchen. This could be a health code violation.”
Carson: “This is good though. Who cares about the health code.”
About the marinate in the garbage bag that doesn’t go with the mole:
Carson: “That’s like wearing blue and orange.”
[Carson is wearing blue and orange.]
Carson: “Is that a nice wagon he’s dragging?”
Ted: “He’s putting her to work.”
Jai: “Which at some point all the straight guys end up doing.”
Jai: “How can he still be cooking? How is that possible?”
Carson: “Dammit Bailey, get back to work.’
Ted: “He’s a very popular guy for some reason.”
Ted (about making the mole): “He’s a smart guy.”
Kyan: “But there’s only one of him.”
Episode 2.41: A Queer Eye Thanksgiving
First Aired in SA: 12 July 2006
Maple leaves! Yay.
So, the format of this episode was different to the Christmas episode. Jeff Toale and family were invited. The Bravo Twins were invited. What were they thinking, of course there was going to be wrestling! David Goldman and Jes were invited: David no longer does the monkey, but now does an insane dinosaur.
It was really nice how the boys were making their traditional family recipes. Carson just described all the booze they have.
I love their ambushes. Jai finds the shirts that Carson chucked out in David’s closet. He takes them with him when he leaves. David: “They took my shirts. I have to go find garbage nearby.” When David does the dinosaur, the Bravo twins decide to wrestle him. When they are playing football in the loft, the Bravo twins decide to wrestle. It was hysterical when you see Carson running away with the vases. They wrestle Thom. What were they expecting? Kyan on why there is no rhyme or reason for why the wrestle: “I want blue cheese dressing. I want vinaigrette. Let’s wrestle.”
By the way, does anyone know if Thom is Jewish?
When they ambushed the Bravo twins, they were pissed off and didn’t want any lights on!
Carson downs some bourbon that was part of Ted’s recipe. Jeff teases him about his breath!
Jeff corrected Thom on the difference between turkey and pheasant feathers.
I liked the embroidered iron-on letters to make personalized napkins.
The fish shirt was back at Jeff’s house. And the dried flowers were all over the house again. Fire hazard! Jeff is making beautiful engraved wooden guitars.
Thom jokes that they were the only people that could make it. The Fab 5 go off to change outfits. The table looked amazing.
Quotes:
Carson: “They answered the door half naked.”
Kyan: “That sounds hot.”
Thom: You guys, I can't wait to get home and set the table.Kyan: Dude, that's the gayest thing you've ever said.Thom: It's almost as gay as when I lied to you and said your hair looked good.
As Carson slowly pulls a knife out of the sinkTed: No! Carson, no!
Ted: “Is that your aftershave?”
Thom: “No, I think it’s theirs.”
Ted: “You think?”
Carson (holding a weird nut): “I hate when they’re that big.”
Jeff: “I find that surprising.”
Jai (about Jeff’s house): “Everywhere you turned it was like, oooo, bambi, hi.”
Kyan (about Jeff): “He actually just made these spoons standing here.”
Jeff (about Kyan stroking his wife’s leg): “Don’t go against the grain.”
Ted (about being from the South): “We cook vegetables until they have no colour or texture.”
Thom: “It’s so bad, I think it’s great.”
Kyan (about Jeff): “He did that with a carrot peeler.”
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Before I go...
Updates, News, & Reviews
I will be away for the first and possibly the second weeks of July. I will be attending the Bright Young Minds (BYM) Conference in Jo’burg. It is unlikely that I will be able to update my blog during that period; thus, I won’t be putting up any Queer Eye reviews for 3 weeks! Yikes. I don’t know if I’ll even be able to ever see the Queer Eye episode of 5 July. I’ll be setting the video machine & Dstv but with all the power failures in Cape Town it is unlikely that programming will not be interrupted. My other option is to get a family member to be present and tape it for me. That’s a huge leap of faith (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). I feel I’ve been a bit slack with this blog lately in terms of discussion and I want to discuss my own TV show sometime, as well as the hot shows on TV here at the moment.
Stargate News:
The Stargates have begun filming the new seasons and all the websites are buzzing with spoilers galore. If you’re a David Hewlett fan, get all the updates you need from www.david-hewlett.co.uk (under News), including awesome photos of David’s movie, A Dog’s Breakfast. That’s David’s dog in the photo. Paul McGillion (SGA’s Dr Carson Beckett) co-stars. David’s sister, Kate Hewlett plays his sister in the movie, as well as in a third season episode of SGA entitled McKay and Mrs Miller, written by Martin Gero. I’m so excited to see how it plays out, with all the sibling Hewlettisms and the fact that both McKays are geniuses. Who is the smarter sibling though? I’ll have to wait in agony here in SA, while the new seasons start in July overseas. There are also amazing cast photos for both shows available at www.gateworld.net or at www.sg-atlantis.emedian.net (New Atlantis – The Evolution). Who did the SG-1 photos? They are particularly stunning. Of further interest in the realm of David Hewlett is an on-line article about Nothing, the weird movie I’ve recently seen and recommend to anyone and everyone. You can find the link to the site the following paragraph is from on The Number One David Hewlett Site (www.david-hewlett.co.uk):
The Stargates will return to Sci Fi Fridays next month, but till then, if you 1) acknowledge that David Hewlett’s snarky and arrogant Dr. Rodney McKay is the best thing about Stargate Atlantis, and 2) need a geeky Hewlett fix, then you’ve gotta check out the 2003 Canadian film Nothing, from Vincenzo Natali, the guy who made the seriously freaky Cube. I’m tempted to say as close to nothing about Nothing as possible, because it’s freaky in a way similar to Cube (though not at all gory), which is to say that it is more disturbing, and in the case of Nothing, more funny, the less you know in advance. Maybe it’s enough to say that Dave (Hewlett) and Andrew (Andrew Miller) are two dorks who live together in a ramshackle Toronto house that’s like something Terry Gilliam might dream about, but, being dorkishly antisocial, they don’t have a lot of use for the rest of the world. And they wake up one morning after a particularly uncomfortable run-in with the rest of the world to find that it’s gone. The world, that is. Or maybe they’ve been transported somewhere else where the world isn’t.
I’ve probably already said too much. It’s all deliciously Twilight Zoney, which would be enough for many a geek, but the bonus of Hewlett’s performance -- as a too-smart, too-weird guy who gets what he wishes for and then is sorry he got it... maybe -- is what makes Nothing a must-see. His fidgety energy animates Dave’s misanthrophy so that you identify with it at the same time you want to give him a smack -- Hewlett creates a screen presence that you just can’t help but love even when he’s being an annoying little shit.
Queer Eye News:
Like I said I’ll be away and I’ll be really upset if I miss that episode of Queer Eye. Anyone willing to tape it for me? Anyway, the review below will be the last one for a while. Queer Eye is now officially called Queer Eye and not Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, thus the change to the website and it’s URL, which is now: www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye/
Does anyone else think the new site is a bit… crazy? I do love that you can get to all the videos within one window now. The behind-the-scenes (or the outtest out-takes) of Las Vegas are a real treat and worth watching. The 3-episode Las Vegas block is now finished overseas. I really think Bravo should bring the series in its entirety to DVD. At the very least they can put the Vegas block and all the bonus footage on a special DVD.
And then, the big news, Kyan is engaged, to partner Greg.
Now for the Queer Eye Review:
Episode 2.38: Ari Vais – It’s Only Rock and Roll
First Aired in SA: 21 June 2006
The thing I’ll remember the most about this episode is the song that Ari sings for the Fab 5. It’s probably titled “long distance relationship”. I really like the song and Ari is really good. Carson gets a lighter and sits down waving the flame in the air as Ari sings. Lyrics about “long distance relationship is a four letter word” and how you need “pretty eye contact”. Really liked it. Later Thom picks up the guitar to sing a song about Ari saying, “Ari, you’re very special to me. I see you four times, just four times a year. When I’m not with you, you’ve got cream and tissues.” I digress, but the big question is, can Thom actually play the guitar?
Earlier:
Ted: “His girlfriend lives in London and he sees her four times a year. You know what that means?”
Carson: “Hand lotion.”
Later:
Thom (on the megaphone): “Attention. Attention. I found some tissues and hand lotion next to the bed. I told you.”
Later, Ari is telling Ted and Kyan about the types of clubs he normally plays in.
Ted (repeating what Ari just said): “People get sweaty and drunk and throw things and there’s a lot of love!?”
Kyan: “Sounds like Thom Filicia’s house.”
Lovely!
Ari painted an amazing picture of Robert Downey Jr.
The common thing with the average straight guy is that they just don’t do dishes. Think Tom on Desperate Housewives. Think my own brother! Don’t understand it. Ari is no different. He tells Ted that he washes his dishes on the weekend only. The Fab 5 meet a straight guy on a Tuesday, so Ted says to Ari, based on the amount of dishes, “Today must be Friday”.
Ari is a musician. He’s the lead singer, guitarist, and publicist for his band, called the Pelicans. Yet, Jai finds his stereo, which is so small, it can fit in the palm of Jai’s hand. Jai: “He’s a musician and this is his stereo. It’s fabulous. Can we get him a sound system or something?”
Speaking of poultry, Ted gives a brilliant hip tip. I burst out laughing but it is a serious warning.
Ted: “Wooden cutting boards are great for chopping but they’re also great for Salmonella.”
Salmonella is a type of bacterium found in poultry. If you cut chicken, etc. on a wooden board, the Salmonella get into the wood and grow happily to dangerous numbers. Then you come along and chop something else and the Salmonella contaminates that food. You can’t wash off Salmonella. And the scary thing is that Salmonella is making it’s way up to the number one deadliest pathogen. So use a plastic cutting board for meet products and cook and heat up your food properly.
And another thing about Thom. He jumps on furniture a lot. Granted he’s really good at that, but I wonder if the stores are accepting of it.
When Ari sees his new place he practically hugs Thom to death. Cute.
Carson is talking to Ari about his closet. He says “I hate straight bars” but he’s talking about the straight bars in a closet. Then he talks about “harness boot”. That whole conversation was just innuendo.
This is the first time that I’ve seen Ted laying on the couch and not serving any drinks. He had Carson working for him.
Ari’s stove had no handle on it. Carson comes along and uses a suction cup to open the stove door. Later, Ari burns himself wearing burglar gear trying to get the meal out.
Quotes:
Ted: “He’s a 34-year-old rocker slash hobbit.”
Carson: “He escaped communist Russia.”
Kyan: “He’s got a small basket. That’s the unfortunate thing about Ari.”
Carson: “It’s like a Jewish car alarm. I love it. Someone stole my Audi.”
Thom (on the megaphone): “Hi. I’m Thom. I’m the interior decorator.”
Ari: “I see you found the megaphone.”
Carson (on the megaphone): “Ari, report to the closet please.”
Carson: “We love cruising.” [He’s not talking about cruise liners here.]
Jai: “If you’re gay, come in this room.”
Carson: “I’m not gay, I’m questioning.”
Carson: “We can clean this place up or sing show tunes.”
Carson and Ted: “Show tunes!”
Kyan (to Ari): “Rinse with water. Rinse with water.”
Ari: “Can’t believe they’re gone.”
Ari is eating leftovers off dirty plates.
Thom: “He’s disgusting.”
Kyan: “He’s not a human being.”
Ari cuts himself while preparing the food. I’ve never seen someone be so frustrated and violent trying to make a meal.
Kyan: “He’s bleeding all over the onion.”
Kyan: “He’s using the paper directions as a potholder!”
Ari (about washing his face): “I can feel it killing things.”
Carson: “I have a high self-esteem problem.”
Ted actually knows a lot about Indie Rock, including the band Pavement.
Carson: “I thought they were talking about the asphalt industry.”
I will be away for the first and possibly the second weeks of July. I will be attending the Bright Young Minds (BYM) Conference in Jo’burg. It is unlikely that I will be able to update my blog during that period; thus, I won’t be putting up any Queer Eye reviews for 3 weeks! Yikes. I don’t know if I’ll even be able to ever see the Queer Eye episode of 5 July. I’ll be setting the video machine & Dstv but with all the power failures in Cape Town it is unlikely that programming will not be interrupted. My other option is to get a family member to be present and tape it for me. That’s a huge leap of faith (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). I feel I’ve been a bit slack with this blog lately in terms of discussion and I want to discuss my own TV show sometime, as well as the hot shows on TV here at the moment.
Stargate News:
The Stargates have begun filming the new seasons and all the websites are buzzing with spoilers galore. If you’re a David Hewlett fan, get all the updates you need from www.david-hewlett.co.uk (under News), including awesome photos of David’s movie, A Dog’s Breakfast. That’s David’s dog in the photo. Paul McGillion (SGA’s Dr Carson Beckett) co-stars. David’s sister, Kate Hewlett plays his sister in the movie, as well as in a third season episode of SGA entitled McKay and Mrs Miller, written by Martin Gero. I’m so excited to see how it plays out, with all the sibling Hewlettisms and the fact that both McKays are geniuses. Who is the smarter sibling though? I’ll have to wait in agony here in SA, while the new seasons start in July overseas. There are also amazing cast photos for both shows available at www.gateworld.net or at www.sg-atlantis.emedian.net (New Atlantis – The Evolution). Who did the SG-1 photos? They are particularly stunning. Of further interest in the realm of David Hewlett is an on-line article about Nothing, the weird movie I’ve recently seen and recommend to anyone and everyone. You can find the link to the site the following paragraph is from on The Number One David Hewlett Site (www.david-hewlett.co.uk):
The Stargates will return to Sci Fi Fridays next month, but till then, if you 1) acknowledge that David Hewlett’s snarky and arrogant Dr. Rodney McKay is the best thing about Stargate Atlantis, and 2) need a geeky Hewlett fix, then you’ve gotta check out the 2003 Canadian film Nothing, from Vincenzo Natali, the guy who made the seriously freaky Cube. I’m tempted to say as close to nothing about Nothing as possible, because it’s freaky in a way similar to Cube (though not at all gory), which is to say that it is more disturbing, and in the case of Nothing, more funny, the less you know in advance. Maybe it’s enough to say that Dave (Hewlett) and Andrew (Andrew Miller) are two dorks who live together in a ramshackle Toronto house that’s like something Terry Gilliam might dream about, but, being dorkishly antisocial, they don’t have a lot of use for the rest of the world. And they wake up one morning after a particularly uncomfortable run-in with the rest of the world to find that it’s gone. The world, that is. Or maybe they’ve been transported somewhere else where the world isn’t.
I’ve probably already said too much. It’s all deliciously Twilight Zoney, which would be enough for many a geek, but the bonus of Hewlett’s performance -- as a too-smart, too-weird guy who gets what he wishes for and then is sorry he got it... maybe -- is what makes Nothing a must-see. His fidgety energy animates Dave’s misanthrophy so that you identify with it at the same time you want to give him a smack -- Hewlett creates a screen presence that you just can’t help but love even when he’s being an annoying little shit.
Queer Eye News:
Like I said I’ll be away and I’ll be really upset if I miss that episode of Queer Eye. Anyone willing to tape it for me? Anyway, the review below will be the last one for a while. Queer Eye is now officially called Queer Eye and not Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, thus the change to the website and it’s URL, which is now: www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye/
Does anyone else think the new site is a bit… crazy? I do love that you can get to all the videos within one window now. The behind-the-scenes (or the outtest out-takes) of Las Vegas are a real treat and worth watching. The 3-episode Las Vegas block is now finished overseas. I really think Bravo should bring the series in its entirety to DVD. At the very least they can put the Vegas block and all the bonus footage on a special DVD.
And then, the big news, Kyan is engaged, to partner Greg.
Now for the Queer Eye Review:
Episode 2.38: Ari Vais – It’s Only Rock and Roll
First Aired in SA: 21 June 2006
The thing I’ll remember the most about this episode is the song that Ari sings for the Fab 5. It’s probably titled “long distance relationship”. I really like the song and Ari is really good. Carson gets a lighter and sits down waving the flame in the air as Ari sings. Lyrics about “long distance relationship is a four letter word” and how you need “pretty eye contact”. Really liked it. Later Thom picks up the guitar to sing a song about Ari saying, “Ari, you’re very special to me. I see you four times, just four times a year. When I’m not with you, you’ve got cream and tissues.” I digress, but the big question is, can Thom actually play the guitar?
Earlier:
Ted: “His girlfriend lives in London and he sees her four times a year. You know what that means?”
Carson: “Hand lotion.”
Later:
Thom (on the megaphone): “Attention. Attention. I found some tissues and hand lotion next to the bed. I told you.”
Later, Ari is telling Ted and Kyan about the types of clubs he normally plays in.
Ted (repeating what Ari just said): “People get sweaty and drunk and throw things and there’s a lot of love!?”
Kyan: “Sounds like Thom Filicia’s house.”
Lovely!
Ari painted an amazing picture of Robert Downey Jr.
The common thing with the average straight guy is that they just don’t do dishes. Think Tom on Desperate Housewives. Think my own brother! Don’t understand it. Ari is no different. He tells Ted that he washes his dishes on the weekend only. The Fab 5 meet a straight guy on a Tuesday, so Ted says to Ari, based on the amount of dishes, “Today must be Friday”.
Ari is a musician. He’s the lead singer, guitarist, and publicist for his band, called the Pelicans. Yet, Jai finds his stereo, which is so small, it can fit in the palm of Jai’s hand. Jai: “He’s a musician and this is his stereo. It’s fabulous. Can we get him a sound system or something?”
Speaking of poultry, Ted gives a brilliant hip tip. I burst out laughing but it is a serious warning.
Ted: “Wooden cutting boards are great for chopping but they’re also great for Salmonella.”
Salmonella is a type of bacterium found in poultry. If you cut chicken, etc. on a wooden board, the Salmonella get into the wood and grow happily to dangerous numbers. Then you come along and chop something else and the Salmonella contaminates that food. You can’t wash off Salmonella. And the scary thing is that Salmonella is making it’s way up to the number one deadliest pathogen. So use a plastic cutting board for meet products and cook and heat up your food properly.
And another thing about Thom. He jumps on furniture a lot. Granted he’s really good at that, but I wonder if the stores are accepting of it.
When Ari sees his new place he practically hugs Thom to death. Cute.
Carson is talking to Ari about his closet. He says “I hate straight bars” but he’s talking about the straight bars in a closet. Then he talks about “harness boot”. That whole conversation was just innuendo.
This is the first time that I’ve seen Ted laying on the couch and not serving any drinks. He had Carson working for him.
Ari’s stove had no handle on it. Carson comes along and uses a suction cup to open the stove door. Later, Ari burns himself wearing burglar gear trying to get the meal out.
Quotes:
Ted: “He’s a 34-year-old rocker slash hobbit.”
Carson: “He escaped communist Russia.”
Kyan: “He’s got a small basket. That’s the unfortunate thing about Ari.”
Carson: “It’s like a Jewish car alarm. I love it. Someone stole my Audi.”
Thom (on the megaphone): “Hi. I’m Thom. I’m the interior decorator.”
Ari: “I see you found the megaphone.”
Carson (on the megaphone): “Ari, report to the closet please.”
Carson: “We love cruising.” [He’s not talking about cruise liners here.]
Jai: “If you’re gay, come in this room.”
Carson: “I’m not gay, I’m questioning.”
Carson: “We can clean this place up or sing show tunes.”
Carson and Ted: “Show tunes!”
Kyan (to Ari): “Rinse with water. Rinse with water.”
Ari: “Can’t believe they’re gone.”
Ari is eating leftovers off dirty plates.
Thom: “He’s disgusting.”
Kyan: “He’s not a human being.”
Ari cuts himself while preparing the food. I’ve never seen someone be so frustrated and violent trying to make a meal.
Kyan: “He’s bleeding all over the onion.”
Kyan: “He’s using the paper directions as a potholder!”
Ari (about washing his face): “I can feel it killing things.”
Carson: “I have a high self-esteem problem.”
Ted actually knows a lot about Indie Rock, including the band Pavement.
Carson: “I thought they were talking about the asphalt industry.”
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