The National Lottery advert went swimmingly (literally) you cant miss it. Great news from the Arbutus crew,  Ian Cudmore and Myself have been invited to document preparations for the recording of Lisa Hannigan's second album. We have been in and out of studio with Lisa capturing teasers, characters and general good times..! Regular snippets filmed and edited by us are being uploaded to her website lisahannigan.ie on location as it happens..

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Advertising giants DDFH&B have recruited my ability to capture vivid atmospheres to produce 'The Making of..' internet advert for the new National Lottery campaign. I shot some great stuff over a massive 3 day shoot with the Canon 7D. U only truly realise the potential of the 7D's quality when shooting in daylight, which Arbutus Yarns sees far too little of. Time to get the artists I film out and about more.

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I'm glad to be documenting Donal Dineen's Fresh Air shows for 2010 Watch Here. All the artists will be filmed this month and hopefully be online by July.

There'll be something like 15-20 acts all chosen by Dineen to present whats fresh and progressive in music from Ireland today, each performing in a new and unique venue along to Donal Dineens visual projections.

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Things have been slow here on the documenting music front. I've been involved in a comedy series commisioned by RTE. It's a series of seven minute shorts all commisioned as part of the RTE storyland competition, giving six new film makers a chance to compete by public vote to make six episodes. We have so far made 5 and if we win we make the 6th. You can view the episodes here We Own The Streets

I'm putting my sound skills to good use as sound man.. and the occasional driver/recruiter/camera/idea/whiskey man. Inadvertantly becoming a character in the series because I'm mammoth and cant be avoided by our DOP and Director Ian Cudmore.

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Inteference in DeBarrs, Clonakilty. Wow. I love that band. Had the chance to nip down to Cork and cover their gig. 

Trying to film Eithne Ni Cathain in the concert hall Paddys Day ended in disapointment. The concert manager thought it would be too upsetting for the audience if I was to be seen crouching far left of stage. Needless to say, my will to argue the point not long became replaced by thoughts of a good film and bottle of wine. I'm still desperate to bring you Eithne so good will prevail!

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Back from the Homegame festival in Scotland. Lots of camera pointing was done. Very enjoyable experience. Surprised to say my two favorite acts to film over the festival were both from Irish pastures..

..Lisa O'Neill came out tops for me. Both her performances were very special indeed, as special as the event was for her. There was a treasure of a set in The Smugglers Inn by a fella called Seamus Fogarty and his band, who visualy I have to say, I'm most excited about editing. Other artists from Homegame due to join the Arbutus roster in the coming weeks are Adrian Crowley, Adem, HMS Ginnefore, Lone Pidgeon and Pip Dillon.

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Fence Records annual music bash, The Homegame, returns for its seventh year, taking place in various small halls dotted around the labels picturesque seaside hometown of Anstruther, in Fife.

Hosted by label bosses, King Creosote and The Pictish Trail, the event will be spread over 3 days, March 12th to 14th, 2010, with performances from various artists on the Fence label, as well as a range of other up and coming Scottish, UK, and international acts.

Having shamelessly just cut and pasted those last two paragraphs from the Fence blog I'll just end this blog with the great news that  the Arbutus caravan will be travelling to Fife especially to transport and document the wonderful Lisa O'Neill for her Homegame debut. No better crowd than this bunch for Lisa to be showcasing her enormous talent. She will be playing two solo shows over the weekend and sharing the stage James Yorkston for a song so yours truly will try and capture as much.. with me will be camera compadre Ian Cudmore. Come say hi if youre there! view line-up

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In October 2009 I was lucky enough to fluke a journey around Ireland with three musicians I have grown to admire in a huge way, each for their unique take on sincere and tunefull songsmithery.

The Homelights festival weekend in November 2009 was a musical event co curated by Adrian Crowley and Foggy Notions, a sister festival to the London Homefires and Fife Homegames and, like its siblings it drew upon the themes of community and artistic kinship. I was there doing the camera pointing for my buddy Ian Cudmore whose task it was to film the weekend. After the 3 days and nights in Dublin, Adrian Crowley, James Yorkston and Alasdair Roberts, were set to play 4 dates around Ireland with Ian doing the driving and documenting. Unfortunately for Ian he had to pull out last minute but fortunately for me I got to fill his shoes.

Then so it was, we all stuffed in to my jeep to share ipods, phone chargers, socks, pillows and the odd scotch together (not in the jeep). Twas a ball to get to know three geniuses and a dream come true to film every performance but when I got home I was devastated to find my audio equipment had let me down. All the sound was.. shite. After two months of grieving I had a look at what footage there might have been from inbetween shows and from the scraps I could salvage some kind of video..  

All thanks to a man in a canoe, the bar was set. Before me I had an array of glimpses I prevoiusly thought were only the memories captured through my own two lenses. I didnt realise that the Camera may as well have been gaffed to my face for those four days, when I wasnt driving I was looking through it. Unveiled and HD, I gleefully threw the Homelights Tour film together as fast as my mind could replay the memories. I've learnt from the spirit of spontaneity that recorded life at its most alive happens in the moments when our mind stops recording but the camera's left on.

Vive le Cinema verite!  Watch it here

M

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