happy medium

Thursday was the date set for the filming of Che-fu’s latest video. 3 locations, two indoors, but first our outdoor shoots over in Ponsonby at 11am:

The whole video has been filmed on 35mm, most of it on steady-cam. A serious bit of kit.

This week the weather has been amazing, and although the forecast was for showers, it was the hottest day since I’ve been in New Zealand. Perfect for some really great shots, not so nice on the crew! Few red faces by the end of the day.

Apart from getting in the way taking photos, I was the extra pair of hands needed to look after playback.

We finished up at the outdoor location and headed over to Che’s place in western springs. Out the back is his “chop-shop”, pretty much a recording studio and den. Some really nice 35mm shots from here…

Sunset as the crew moved on to the third location around 6:30pm, a dope record store / cafe over on Ponsonby Road.

Wrap at 11:30pm. Totally knacked by the end of the day, can’t imagine how drained the rest of the crew were. Work has just begun however, as now it’s the turn of post-production and plenty of motion graphics

Managed to borrow a tripod from the studio, so plenty of night shots to come…

Back to the mother land, and my old man’s team – the mighty Hibernian from Edinburgh, have beaten Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish Premiership.

What makes it all the more sweeter is the two goals came from New Zealander – Chris Killen, both headers. He was sent off later for getting shirty with a rangers player but we’ll over-look that, boy’s got spirit. Chris also scored the third goal of Hibs’ 3-0 defeat of Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup 4th round in February. Knew these Kiwis were good for something.

Looking up from the Lobby.

Looks like the story isn’t over yet…

Had a phone call from a Detective Tony Bruce, and that the woman is indeed insane, but if she proves fit enough to go to trial, I’ll probably be called as a witness.

Here’s a couple of news stories on the incident:

NZ Herald

Stuff.co.nz

“I can’t actually say anything till we can confirm it. I was told that a woman was seen running from the shop. But I was also told there was some video footage showing her doing that,” Mr Fuller said.

A member of the public caught the incident on film, showing a woman leaving the burning drycleaners and turning to throw the empty petrol container into the flames.

I take far too many photos of flowers : \

Auckland CBD – Dusk

I’m getting way more viewers of this blog then I expected, and around half of the hits are from here in New Zealand. When someone asks where I’m from, Leicester, the response is normally a blank stare. So for the Kiwis –

It’s pretty much as far from the coast you can get in the UK, which is probably why I can never be bored of the sea and harbour view from my apartment. Leicester is one of the oldest cities in Britain, 2000 years, though you wouldn’t think it to look at it. Dates back to the Roman times, when they had a peaceful takeover of the Coritani people and created the city on the banks of the River Soar.

After the Romans cleared out in the 5th Century the population fell, and the city abandoned, until the Saxons came along, and the Danes (Vikings) invaded. It then became a stong-hold in Medieval Times, King Richard III was buried under Greyfriars Church , and England’s first ever Parliament was held in Leicester in 1265 – not London. In the late 1700s and 1800s it became one of the main centres of the Industrial Revolution.

Leicester is set to be the first city in the UK to have a non-white ethnic majority population, by 2011. It has the largest Hindu-Indian population outside of India (what-up Vish!), as well as a large Afro-Caribbean population. The famous Golden Mile consists of the best Indian restaurants in the Country.

Today it’s a pretty unremarkable City, but it’s the surrounding countryside that saves it. Some of the most beautiful green landscapes, ancient woodland, and chocolate box villages.

Some great photos of Leicester City here

I’m not going to forget yesterday in hurry.

At about 4:45pm I headed down Parnell road from Bunker to get a bite to eat. Just after ordering, a couple of girls sitting at the window started screaming and shouting at something happening across the road.

Grey smoke was passing by the window, at first I thought it was just a car breaking down / engine fire or something, but in the seconds it took to get outisde, this was the scene:

The laundrette across the road was fully engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. The whole building was on fire, in just a matter of seconds. The woman standing next to me was on the phone to the fireservice so I started taking these photos.

It’s then I noticed a woman across the street shouting and swearing. She walked back to her car and took out a petrol can, walked to the fire and threw it in. People from above the laundrette were just getting out of the building, and the lady on the phone had started screaming that the woman had stared the fire with a petrol bomb.

The woman lit a cigarette, got into the car and drove off. No-one tried to stop her, probably due to the fact it happened so fast and people were trying to figure out the situation and were in shock.

I had started to film the event from pretty much the beginning, and so had footage of her, her actions, car and number plate, driving off, and the police arriving 10seconds after.

All this in Parnell, one of the more richer, well-to-do areas of Auckland. Complete with mock-victorian buildings and hanging baskets. Think of all the people who’s clothes have gone up in smoke…

By this time the whole place was teeming with cops and firemen. I gave my details to a policeman, including the footage on disc after popping back to the studio.

Gerrard worked at C4 and Channel3, so we decided to ring up the news if they were interested in the footage for a fee for the 6 o’clock news, in about half an hour. They were, and we were told to get down to the station as soon as possible (i.e before 6!) Not easy when the whole of parnell is gridlocked due to the fire.

After some backstreet shortcuts, got to there just in time for the footage to be edited and shown on the National News within an hour of the incident taking place…

Update
I was contacted today by 3News, for an eye-witness account on camera. After some good advice, I’ve decided not to do it. Incredibly, despite the police knowing the woman and having the plate’s number, at this time she’s still at large. I work in Parnell, and it’s just not worth the possible repercussions. Especially when someone who’s capable of petrol bombing a laundrette in the middle of the day is involved. Hopefully she doesn’t read this blog…

Update 2

Well they caught her. Throwing used tampons at random people in the street

That’s one crazy woman…

Video
At this time, I’m not going to put the footage online. Those who know me just drop me an email first.