Friday, 20 November 2015
Friday, 19 June 2015
AS Photography Final Images
Reflections through a broken mirror.
Twitter @gemmalewin
- G x
19/06/15 - 17:05
Monday, 4 May 2015
Phoenix Bar - 28/04/15
As a lover of good music having a live venue a stones throw away is perfect. Without fail whenever I venture down to the Phoenix Bar in Wycombe I'm met with an array of amazing & talented acts in an intimate setting. Tuesday 28-04-15 was no different, for a £3 entry I got to see 4 fantastic acts.
1. Alan Jaggs
- This one man show was up first. While rocking a The Wonder Years t-shirt he expertly strummed his way through quirky songs about anything & everything. The surprisingly emotional set was concluded by Made to Remember with its infectious repetitive melody that remained in my head for days... I had no complaints.
2. Times Like These
Having known 2/3 of this band for the best part of 5 years has nothing to do with my love for this band. Despite their youth they can easily hold their own against the best of them. With a perfect mix of covers & originals I'll never get tired of seeing these lads live.
3. Feet First
Pop-punk powerhouses from Hertfordshire, their performance was second to none. When performing single Boarders the vocalist & guitarist was in the crowd spinning and breaking it down. But it was the sets grand finale that was the nights highlight when it fueled circle & mosh pits galore even some of the crowd jumping on stage to join in on gang vocals.
4. Coast to Coast
A cover of a One Direction & A Day To Remember song plus a mini-episode of Stricly in the crowd was a very exciting conclusion to the night. Any band that can stick a killer breakdown in a one direction song & keep the kids dancing is respected highly in my books. This band knew how to put on a show and concluded a fantastic intimate night in my little home-town bar.
Enjoy these quick snaps of Feet First
My Social Media
- G x
Cracked Mirror Sunsets - Bing Wright Inspired
These images were shot over the course of a single sunset in the time frame of around 10 minutes. The idea of capturing through a cracked mirror came from Bing Wright. I love this concept/idea as broken mirrors in general are seen as what they are, broken. However from my own, Bing Wrights images & various other amazing works of art that incorporate broken mirrors that just because it's broken doesn't mean it can't be beautiful.
Friday, 27 February 2015
February 2015 Playlist
If I'm not talking to someone my headphones are always in my ears... even in lessons hidden under my hair in one ear its still there. Then if they're not in my ears they're either hanging out of my jumper or around my neck. Music is a big part of my life and these are my Top 15 of February.
( no particular order)
- This song is a song I used to play while getting ready in the morning because of its up-beat sound which you can't help but dance to. This made brushing my hair or waiting for moisturizer to soak it a much more exciting experience and made for multiple video worthy moments.
Over the last year or so this song has meant so much to me and helped me through so much - still confused how it can be my motivation song and calm down song. I finally got to see them on the 22nd in Bristol and DAMN THEY'RE GOOD LIVE. So yeah this song means a stupid amount to me and after the gig I may have been replaying it for stupid amounts of time to help deal with my post-concert depression. So yeah shout out to Nothing But Thieves for being talented and beautiful people and having the best designed website in the world.
3, Darlia - Dear Diary
- Last year I was snuck into a 'Strictly 18+ gig' when I was 15 by the headline bands bass guitarist, this band was one of the opening acts. From the first line I was hooked by the lead singers hauntingly beautiful voice and quite frankly amazing lyrics so when my favourite song from the set was released as a single I was on it like a car bonnet and had it in my phone straight away replacing my gig-recorded version I'd been listening to for a year. Fun fact on their live-stream I bullied them into singing Hold Back the River by James Bay - thanks guys it made my day and sorry for bullying you to do it.....
This band are distinctively 'indie' with an alternative sound and look. I find this band and this song are perfect for practically any situation with its upbeat sound you can dance to, its been my 'feel-good song of the month'.
The main reason this song was played so much this month was because I love the chorus its catchy but if you sing it under your breath in lesson you get some weird af looks from people unless they've also heard the song. Either way its a great song and I find it particularly motivating so I played it while doing assignments and revision. What sucks is that I found this band too late and aren't playing anymore... but we can still enjoy their music.
7.James Bay - Scars
- I first met James Bay in March 2014 after a Nina Nesbitt show at Shepards Bush Empire where he was a supporting act. He was handing out free demos and were signing them, I got one because I enjoyed his performance and left it at that. Almost a year later and literally thousands of plays James Bay is my artist and someone who can make me cry and also stop me from crying with his songs. After crying at the Radio 1 Futures Festival whilst in the front row to this song I fear he may have seen me and I didn't care. That signed demo is now my prized possession and I'm waiting patiently for the release of his debut album.
8.Sons & Lovers - Golden
These guys aren't easy to find unless you see them live at a festival or as an opening act - or the wonderful hyve sends them your way. I was on a Hyve binge and came across these guys and recognized the name from one of the small print bands for the futures stage at V-Fest 2014 I was going to in a few weeks time. The first song I heard was 'Lover' and was hooked and listened through all their songs (around 5 at the time) and fell in love. They exist in the blurred lines between rock and pop and have a unique and beautiful sound. So 12:30pm I was trudging to futures tent in zombie mode zonked from the night before and waited for them to come on and they woke me up in the first bar they were amazing. They're one of the rare bands that are better life than the sudio can give them credit for - dare I say they were the best band of V- Festival. All of their songs have been on repeat since August but Golden has been a particulary high play this month.
9.Coasts - A Rush Of Blood
As with all iPhones mine decided to break for no reason, my issue was once you put on a song it replayed until the phone died and then when it turned on again the first song you played was the only song you could play until it died. This song was the song that was playing during a 3 hour train journey and the fact that I didn't get bored of the song in that time speaks for how good it is. (phones good now) I finally saw them live at Radio 1 Futures festival and I found they sounded just as good live as recorded plus got a speak with some of them afterwards and they seem absoltutely lovely guys. They're playing Coachella also so hopefully they get some good exposure out there for the US market they deserve it.
This is a song that I always refused to skip whenever it came on shuffle and if I was alone I'd sing along start to finish and often repeated over and over again so that is how it came to be in my top 20 most played.
I find Shy Nature a perfect band because they're soft enough to be calming but just heavy enough to be interesting and dance to so I find them a perfect band to play in so many situations. This particular track I often found myself this month purposely putting it on because I loved it so much and just the entire feeling I got from it.
- My main love for this song stems from the beat all the way through and has been my alarm song this month because as I get up I can't help but do a little dance for a minute or so and it wakes me up. So thanks For The Foxes for getting me out of bed. Serious life hack having a song like this as your alarm clock, but be sure to change it after a month so you don't begin to hate it.
13. Glacier Pacific - Give Up
- I just love this song for no other reason than the fact the musicians are great and the lead singer has a wonderfully beautiful voice and the lyrics after a few listens will be circling in your head for hours and hours. This songs like Pringles or Jaffa Cakes you've gotta have more than one listen.
- As an insomniac I often find myself sitting on my bed or floor with headphones in blaring song after song particulary emotional songs as at 3am you start questioning your entire life and shiitake like that and this has been one of my late night/early morning songs.
- This song has been 'our song' for myself and a close friend so whenever we were together this would go on and stay on for practically the entire we were together which included 3 Psychology lessons a week so this song has been played an awful lot this month and I'm not sick of it yet.
Monday, 16 February 2015
Growing Up
It's my biggest fear, I don't want to leave the world of comfort, routine and familiarity. The idea that one day I won't have as much support and certainty in my life. However looking back on the last 16 years of my life I've changed in so many ways; independence, confidence, I've learnt new things, made mistakes and learnt from them too, but I don't remember the change. Like I can't remember the turning point I stopped doing things or things happened. I can't remember when adults began to swear around me freely and not apologizing afterwards. I can't remember my mum stopping cutting up my food for me. I can't remember when I began to order an adults meal in restaurants. I can't remember when I didn't run to my parents after a nightmare. I just don't remember growing up. Will it be the same in 10 or 20 years looking back on my life now? Like these huge life changes I'm dreading will they too just become one of these non-existent memories?
Life is gradual and the fear we feel is how much things are going to change but in reality it doesn't change in an instant instead its gradual and at the end of it we don't even realize its happening.
At sixteen I've got all these huge life changes coming up - this year I'll be learning to drive and that is something I'm extremely excited about yet I feel it stands as a turning point and a moment set in stone in the beginning of grown-upness and it's not something I'm sure I'm ready for. From next year I'll be making the choice if I'm going to uni or not and that's been this big great ominous milestone that I've been questioned about and been living in a type of fear of for the last couple of years and yet here it is. Not sure if I'm prepared for this, in my head I'm like "yeah I can do this and I can't wait for this" but on the flipside in my heart I'm still a child who needs guidance and I don't know if I'm prepared for it. I guess as we grow up we fear these milestones more in the lead-up than when we actually face them and I hope that's the case over the next few years because at the moment I'm shitting bricks about it all.
- 2:34am 17/02/15
Saturday, 14 February 2015
OSCAR PREDICTIONS
With the grand event happening just around the corner here's my predictions/hopes for the 2015 Oscars.
BEST PICTURE
- American Sniper
- The Imitation Games
- Birdman
- Selma
- Boyhood
- The Theory of Everything
- Whiplash
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- What I want to win - Boyhood
- What I think will win - Birdman
All through awards season its been Boyhood VS Birdman for this particular award but after watching both I feel Boyhood takes the biscuit however Birdman has been taking the big prizes such as The PGA and SAG prizes. If there's a surprise turn of events the films I'd like to see win this award if these two films weren't in the running would be Selma.
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
- Steve Carell - Foxcatcher
- Bradley Cooper - American Sniper
- Benedict Cumberbatch - Imitation Games
- Michael Keaton - Birdman
- Eddie Redmayne - Theory of Everything
- Who I want to win - Eddie Redmayne
- Who I think will win - Michael Keaton
I feel this year was very tight in terms of best actor with Eddie Redmayne and Michael Keaton battling it out at each and every awards show. With Michael Keaton seeming to sweep up all of the prizes but in a recent turn of events Eddie Redmayne has been closing in in addition to the SAG award which is a universal predictor for the Best Actor at the Oscars for a decade. However I do feel Bradley Cooper should have got a little more love in this category.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
- Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night
- Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
- Felicity Jones - The Theory Of Everything
- Reese Witherspoon - Wild
- Julianna Moore - Still Alice
- Who I want to win - Felicity Jones
- Who I think will win - Julianne Moore
This award seems to be set in stone following Julianne Moores clear sweep at the awards and dominating in this category with no-one seeming to be in her way for the Oscar. However I do feel Rosamund Pikes spellbinding and frankly really bloomin creepy role in Gone Girl should be a possibility.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Robert Duvall - The Judge
- Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
- Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
- J.K Simmons - Whiplash
- Edward Norton - Birdman
Who I want to win - J.K Simmons
Who I think will win - J.K Simmons
Quite simply J.K Simmons should win
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Patricia Arquettes - Boyhood
- Emma Stone - Birdman
- Laura Dern - Wild
- Meryl Streep - Into The Woods
- Keira Knightley - The Imitation Games
- Who I want to win - Patricia Arquette
- Who I think will win - Patricia Arquette
A role 12 years in the making Patricia Arquette gave a wonderful and varied performance in Boyhood and I feel this will be her award for the taking, If it weren't her I'd see Keira Knightley takes this prize.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- Big Hero 6
- Song Of The Sea
- The Boxtrolls
- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
- How to Train Your Dragon 2
- What I want to win - Big Hero 6
- What I think will win - How To Train Your Dragon 2
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Captain America: The Winter soldier - Dan DeLeeuw, Russel Earl, Bryan Grill & Dan Sudick
- Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes - Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barret & Erik Winquist
- Guardians Of The Galaxy - Stephanie Ceretti, Nicholas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner & Paul Corbould
- Interstellar - Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter & Scott Fisher
- X-Men: Days of Future Past - Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie & Cameron Waldbauer
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- American Sniper - Jason Hall
- Imitation Game - Graham Moore
- Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson
- The Theory Of Everything - Anthony McCarten
- Whiplash - Damien Chazelle
- What I want to win - Whiplash
- What I think will win - American Sniper
This is one of the more uncertain awards with wins for multiple films across awards season. Aapart of Inherent Vice this is anyones game. However WHERE IS GONE GIRL? Despite this I still want Whiplash to win.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Birdman - Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelris Jr & Armando Bo
- Boyhood - Richard Linklater
- Foxcatcher - E.Max Frye & Dm Futterman
- The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson, Hugo Guiness
- Nightcrawler - Dan Gilroy
- What I want to win - Boyhood
- What I think will win - Birdman
As with best picture Boyhood and Birdman have been battling it out for this title also but with the recent win at the BATFTA's for the Grand Budapest Hotel make it into a 3-way race and be the underdog?
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Inherent Vice
- Into The Woods
- Maleficent
- Mr. Turner
BEST EDITING
- American Sniper
- Boyhood
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- The Imitation Game
- Whiplash
Whiplash is the front running in my opinion but competition from American Sniper and Boyhood could easily cause it to lose the win. Out of American Sniper and Boyhood I think American Sniper would take it.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- Ida
- Leviathan
- Tangerines
- Timbuktu
- Wild Tales
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- Citizen Four
- Finding Vivian Maier
- Last Days In Vietnam
- Virunga
- The Salt of the Earth
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Birdman
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Ida
- Mr Turner
- Unbroken
- Despite Birdman being the front runner for this award I want Unbroken to win.
ALL PREDICTIONS ARE OPINION
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