The Scottish Documentary Institute: documenting the real world

Documentary films were the subject of this week's newspaper column, specifically the work of the Edinburgh-based Scottish Documentary Institute (SDI), an organisation supporting documentary filmmakers in getting their work made and screened around the world.

Examples of the SDI's work are too numerous to list here, so instead I've decided to highlight three films I think are more entertaining than many big budget feature films in cinemas today.

First up is Peter in Radioland, winner of the Best Scottish Short Documentary award at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009. Johanna Wagner's film is about 63 year-old Peter, who spends most of his time alone in his house, contemplating his past. Little makes sense to him anymore in a digital world made up of zeros and ones. Comforted by his analogue radios, his memories and his loving wife, Peter is left yearning for the old days.



The next two films aren't available for embedding on this blog, so you'll need to head over to the SDI website to watch them - both are well worth a click.

2005's A Difficult Case is the story of a woman who owes her life to unseen angels and an eminent psychologist who was prepared to believe.

Finally, Sporran Makers takes us into Mr Scott’s traditional sporran workshop, which is under threat as he battles against cheap foreign imports.

To find more examples of the SDI's documentary work, head over to their Vimeo channel.

Interview: Kevin Dart on the world of Yuki 7

Set in the world of 1960s espionage, Kevin Dart's two books - Seductive Espionage: The World of Yuki 7 and Looks That Kill - follow the adventures of fictional spy, Yuki 7, as she takes on the evil foes that James Bond somehow overlooked.

With the second book now out, I spoke to Dart about his creation and what fans can expect from Yuki in the future.

Jonathan Melville: Can you tell me a little about your background?

Kevin Dart: I’ve been working in the design business for 8 years.  I hit my stride in 2007 when I landed the summer internship at Pixar Animation Studios.  After that I worked on several commercial projects for Passion Pictures in London, and in 2009 began background painting for Genndy Tartakovsky’s Sym-Bionic Titan on Cartoon Network. Currently I am a visual development artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Seductive Espionage: The World of Yuki 7 was the history of a spy movie which didn't exist. Where did the concept come from?

It was largely inspired by Roman Coppola’s CQ. I wanted to create a world with two realities – one taking place in a movie, and the other in the real world with the people who make the movie. That idea evolved into the concept of creating a whole alternate version of pop culture history where we supposed that there had been a series of spy movies which rivalled even James Bond in popularity but had somehow faded into obscurity over the years. The book was meant to be an introduction to those movies for people who had never heard about them.


A Kiss From Tokyo - HD from Yuki 7 on Vimeo.

How long from conception to publication did the first book take?

The production cycle lasted about one year.

What was the response like?

The response was phenomenal, particularly to the animated trailer, A Kiss From Tokyo. People really seemed to get what we were going for and were excited to see more.  The comment we kept getting was “When does the movie come out?”

When did you start planning Looks That Kill? Did you only ever have the plot that's in the book or did it change?

I started planning the second book before the first one had even hit the shelves. The second one was more difficult to conceptualise because I felt like we had done a good job introducing the world, and now we had to figure out where to take it. The plot went through many changes throughout the process, but it was finally pulled together by our writer (and my wife) Elizabeth Ito. The only thing that really stayed consistent through the different versions was the idea of the underwear with the secret plans, which was dreamed up by the writer of our first book, Ada Cole.


Looks That Kill - HD from Yuki 7 on Vimeo.

The book is packed with stunning illustrations, not all by you. What sort of brief do you give the artists?

I gave the artists a brief description of the book and sent over all the materials I had relating to the artwork and story. It was sort of a broad assignment, and I didn’t want to tell them exactly what to paint because I wanted to see what new ideas they would inject into the book.

Do you miss those classic 60s poster designs, such as the old illustrated Bond posters?

Yes. I am a huge fan of the old painted movie posters. I don’t know why the studios choose to use photos for all of their marketing materials now. I haven’t seen a movie poster in the last 20 years that was able to capture the scale and excitement of a movie the way the old posters did. They really made you want to see a movie, while today’s posters just tell you who’s in the movie.

What are your favourite spy movies?

Deadlier Than The Male, Danger: Diabolik, Temptress of a Thousand Faces.

Trailers have been created to accompany both Yuki 7 films which leave viewers expecting to be able to buy the full films on DVD. Would you like to make a movie with Yuki and the Gadget Girls?

Yes! That would be my dream. I would love to one day have a whole series of Yuki 7 movies.

Who would play Yuki 7 in a movie?

Hmm, I’m not sure!  I think it would be a tough role to cast. Some names have been thrown out before, but I have yet to see an actress who really struck me as the perfect Yuki.

You tease at the end of Looks That Kill that Yuki 7 will be back...will she?

Absolutely! I am already planning out the next book and a new short film. We are going to do a longer animation next time, for all of those people who have been wanting to see a real animated Yuki 7 adventure!

What's the best way for UK buyers to get hold of the books?

The best way is through the official Yuki 7 website, www.yuki-7.com. Also in the past Gosh! Comics in London has carried Yuki books, so they may be in supply there.

Finally, who's your favourite Bond?

Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice!

Local filmmaker Martin Smith sets his sights on Jimmy

He may have a Scottish BAFTA under his belt and award nominations galore, but the chances are you've not heard of Leith-based filmmaker, Martin Smith.

Following the appearance at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival of Smith's short film, Jimmy, that may be about to change.

“I started out as a photographer with musicians such as Nick Cave and after doing a filmmaking course at Napier I ended up making music videos in London,” says Smith. “But I really wanted to do drama.”


TRACKS trailer from Martin Smith on Vimeo.

A move back to Scotland led to Smith making two short dramas and the Toronto International Film Festival commissioning him to direct a self-portrait film.

“During the making of the film at my local community centre, I was introduced to Jimmy McIntosh MBE, who campaigned for and won the vote for the institutionalised disabled and who has cerebral palsy himself. Jimmy is shot entirely from his point of view: that was the way into his life for me.”

Though it would be easy to portray Jimmy as someone struggling against the odds, Smith instead shows him to be a strong character willing to fight for his beliefs. Jimmy's speech at a council meeting is also one of the most poignant moments I've seen on screen for a long time.

“It's going to festivals now and hopefully it will get some TV screenings as well. I'm interested to see how it plays internationally, and it's important to Jimmy who wants to screen it to various campaigning organisations.”

While more people may now get to experience Martin Smith's work on the small screen, with two feature films in development it might not be too long before a cinema near you is playing his work on a much bigger one.

Visit www.martinsmithonline.com to see some of Martin's work.

Watch Happy Go Lovely online

In today's Edinburgh Evening News I wrote about the 1951 David Niven film, Happy Go Lovely, set during that year's Edinburgh Festival and featuring shots of the city, and its trams, that are fascinating for locals to watch 60 years later.

As the film is public domain in the US it's available to watch for free online, so here it is if you want to see what I'm talking about:

Happy Go Lovely by crazedigitalmovies

DVD Round-up: Witchfinder General, The Clairvoyant and Blackbeard the Pirate

Notorious in its day for its gore and violence, Michael Reeves' Witchfinder General (Odeon Entertainment) revels in its copious amounts of blood as it arrives on UK Blu-ray.

Vincent Price is Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General of the title, roaming the country lanes of 17th Century England as the Civil War rages around him. With his able assistant at his side, Hopkins is the judge, jury and executioner of poor unfortunates labelled witches or friends of the Devil by their those in their respective villages.

When Hopkins picks on the wrong victim, in the shape of Richard Marshall's (Ian Ogilvy) girlfriend, Sara (Hilary Dwyer), Marshall sets out to serve his justice to the Witchfinder, whatever the cost.

Looking stunning in its new transfer, Reeves' film is both a joy to behold and a fascinating slice of 1960 British horror, the addition of Price giving a touch of gravitas to an otherwise workmanlike cast.

The horror of the story is more to be found in the morals of Hopkins and the British establishment towards religion rather than anything supernatural, but that's enough to make it a chilling watch. A fine set of extras, including a commentary, documentaries and alternate sequences, make this a choice purchase.

Speaking of the supernatural, 1934's The Clairvoyant (Odeon Entertainment), toys with the subject as its lead character, Maximus (Claude Rains), discovers that his powers of mind reading which were previously faked have now become real.

Dubbed “King of the Mid Readers”, Maximus' music hall routine is interrupted when he correctly predicts that a train will crash, killing members of the public. When he's proved correct, he's thrust into the limelight and his life changes, though not necessarily for the better.

Rains, still a few years away from his triumphant Hollywood years, makes for a suitably moody Maximus, initially keen to exploit his new-found skills for money, before he starts to wonder just what is happening to him.

Thanks to Rains being supported by a fine cast of character actors, including King Kong's Fay Wray as Maximus' wife, and unexpectedly dark script from Charles Bennett and Bryan Edgar Wallace's, The Clairvoyant is no mere potboiler, but a fascinating curio which deserves wider exposure.

This week's final classic title is Blackbeard the Pirate (Odeon Entertainment), an RKO romp featuring Robert Newton as the titular scourge of the seas who comes into contact with Edward Maynard (Keith Andes) as he attempts to prove that Henry Morgan (Torin Thatcher) is a pirate as well as a businessman.

Though screenwriter Alan Le May manages to squeeze in sword fighting, galleons, derring do and even the odd hero and heroine in the shape of Andes and the stunning Linda Darnell, all brought to vivid life by director Raoul Walsh, it's Newton who unbalances everything with his over-the-top portrayal of Blackbeard.

A combination of every stereotyped pirate ever put on screen, Newton's performance is impossible to take seriously, even in this already heightened reality. If you can overlook Newton for a little while, you should have a good time, and at only 99 minutes it certainly doesn't overstay its welcome like the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

New Brave trailer

The team behind the Toy Story and Cars movies are currently prepping a film that might be even more popular than those films in Scotland: Brave.

Trainspotting's Kelly Macdonald joins Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson and Billy Connolly in an adventure set in the Scottish Highlands, featuring a young heroine, Merida (Macdonald) who defies her parents by taking an interest in archery, putting her father's kingdom in jeopardy...here's the trailer:

DVD Round-up: Midnight Cowboy, Who Can Kill a Child?, Isle of the Dead and The Black Pirate

Released in 1969, during one of the most exciting periods of American filmmaking which saw Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider take cinema audiences by surprise with their rawness, Midnight Cowboy (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), still has the power to shock and impress.

Jon Voight plays wannabe cowboy Joe Buck who gives up his job washing dishes and heads to the bright lights of New York, where he discovers that making it rich will take more than good looks and luck.

English director John Schlesinger's capturing of America's seamier side, complete with male prostitution and the appearance of archetypal New York hustler in the shape of Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo, is inspired, Waldo Salt's script touching on some tough themes which helped the film receive an X certificate from the US censors.

This didn't stop the film winning Best Picture at the Oscars, something it's hard to argue with. Add to the impressive performances a gorgeous score by John Barry and in Midnight Cowboy you've got a film that helped set the standards of the 1970s and beyond.

Three years earlier and on another continent, director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador had created another classic, this time of the horrific kind, in Who Can Kill a Child? (Eureka). Set in the Spain of 1976, the film sees a young couple travel to an idyllic island which appears to be inhabited mainly by children.

As they explore the island they discover that the adults have in fact been killed by the children, though quite why isn't immediately obvious. As the pair attempt to find a way off the island, using their wits ahead of any violent acts, the rules of civility become blurred and the viewer begins to realise that there can only be one way this tale can end.

With its beautifully shot exteriors and eery interiors, Who Can Kill a Child? impresses at first glance. Add to this a well cast pair of leads in Lewis Flander and Prunella Ransome and a suitably innocent looking horde of kids who then turn nasty, and this becomes a fascinating character study that isn't as bloodthirsty as its title might suggest.

One of the most overlooked of 1970s horror films, Who Can Kill a Child? deserves reappraisal with this new release, an interview with the director helping to put its production into context.

By coincidence, this week's other horror release also takes place on an island, in RKO Pictures' Isle of the Dead (Odeon Entertainment) from 1945.

Boris Karloff plays the Greek soldier, General Pherides, who takes a break from fighting the Balkan War in 1912 to head to a small remote island where his dead wife in buried. On the island he finds a small group of strangers keeping each other company and the arrival of a final unwanted guest: the plague.

As members of the group begin to die, Pherides becomes positive that the reason isn't medical but supernatural and that one of them is a kind of evil spirit, the Vorvolaka. Convinced that he's right, the soldier tries to ensure she can't continue her killing spree, but the only we she can truly be stopped is if she herself is killed.

Produced by the legendary Val Lewton, best known for Cat People and The Body Snatcher, Isle of the Dead is a slow burner but a rewarding one at that. Karloff does bonkers to perfection, his portrayal of Pherides a convincing one which ensures the quieter moments are never dull.

Director Mark Robson also makes the most of the studio interiors, some extremely creepy sequences of characters roaming through the fog while chased by something unknown lingering long in the mind.

Whether or not the horror at the film's core can be cured by science or not doesn't really matter, what makes this film a success is the interaction between the characters and the feeling that the mind can create far more terrifying, and dangerous, things than demons can.

Finally, forget Captain Jack Sparrow and the trappings of 3D for 91 minutes as the glory that is Douglas Fairbanks' The Black Pirate is released on DVD thanks to Park Circus.

Directed by Albert Parker but devised, produced and starring Fairbanks, this silent gem has everything the discerning pirate fan could want, with evil pirates, a handsome hero, a beautiful princess in distress and a plot that doesn't pause for breath.

The plot, for what it's worth, sees the sole survivor of a plundered vessel avenge the death of his father by taking up with pirates, sailing the high seas and fighting anyone who gets in his way. All of which is an excuse to let Fairbanks buckle his swash both in and out of the water as audiences marvel at the Technicolor technique used to make the film appear even more epic.

It's hard to find fault with The Black Pirate, its sheer scale still impressive over 80 years later and Fairbanks the template that heroes have tried to emulate ever since.

To say that you need to own this title to really know what an adventure movie should look like may sound like hyperbole, but if you want to see how it should be done, whether in 3D or not, you need to have The Black Pirate in your DVD collection.

Alongside the film itself is an alternative black and white version with Fairbanks narration (you won't get past the first five minutes) and an audio commentary from Rudy Behlmer, plus an alternative score.