A little Flatpack fun

Synth Eastwood's take on The Archers

I’m hopefully getting a guest post on Flatpack from one of the film festival’s hard-working volunteers, but I thought I’d offer a little round-up of what were my Flatpack picks.

On Friday I went to see those crazy Synth Eastwood lads at The Rainbow Warehouse. As soon as Michael and I entered warehouse we were taken to one side and photographed three times. These photos were made into animated images which  became part of the visuals later that night, pretty much all of the audience got to see themselves on the big screen.

Soon after getting papped we found the boy in the box. It seems Hugh Cooney was taking a break from being a big bird man to draw his interpretation of audience members’ suggestions posted to him through a slit in the box, on a PC in Paint with his work in progress being projected onto the wall opposite. Above is what he made of Micheal’s suggestion to ‘Listen to The Archers on a Sunday, the theme tune’s better’. I’m not even going to begin to describe his depiction of my Grandad in his old chip shop, my mum reads this. But I got a signed and framed print-out to take home, which was nice.

The music from the likes of Health & Efficiency, Clark and the Synth Eastwood Band was great, but I found the visuals even more impressive. The shots of famous film scenes cutting to a green figure striking the same poses really blew me away, it must have taken them so long to film and cut that together. The Synth Eastwood people said that they were keen to make new friends in Birmingham so I made sure to have a bit of a chat with them and can confirm they are as lovely as they are clever and stark staring mad.

Saturday was taken up with We Are Eastside’s East Stride, which really warrants its own dedicated post so please be patient.

In the evening I went to Ikon Eastside for Flatpack and Capsule’s screening of Burning, a film of Mogwai’s residency at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I really enjoyed immersing myself in Burning, it was beautifully shot. Because I’m well hopeless when it comes to music it’s pretty much the first time I’ve sat down and listened to Mogwai, and I liked a lot – definitely a download for all those springtime canalside bike rides I have planned. It also meant I got to see Brumcast’s Little Chris in the flesh and he did a brilliant job of a friendly, relaxed interview with Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite.

After Mogwai was the Plasticine Party at VIVID, which was a lively affair of extremely rude and/or cute plasticine shapes, great live and DJ’d music, drinking and dancing. Unfortunately I had far too much fun to make it to The Secret of Kells the next day, but I did manage to get it together in time for Belbury Youth Club’s Ghost Box at VIVID.

It was an evening screening of old adverts and TV dramas that ranged from the spooky to the just plain strange, such as the philosophical, homo-erotic Penda’s Fen. I couldn’t work out what the hell was going on, if I’m honest but found it interesting all the same. The big slab of victoria sponge cake helped.

After Julian House’s Winter Sun Wavelength a little later we were treated to a special live performance of Moon Wiring Club weaving some musical magic along to visuals made up from the strange, strange things we’d watched earlier.  It was chilled, lovely and the perfect wind-down to end a brilliant Flatpack film festival.  Well done to Ian and Pip and all rest of the Flatpack crew!