Tom Ford

     When I first came across Tom Ford's work I used to find it quite offensive.  The nudity did'nt bother me, as I am a huge fan of Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin, who I think Ford has taken a lot of inspiration from.  I didn't like how he portrayed the female model, but really he is using the power of the female form to sell.  There is a lot of sexual reference in his images, but at the end of the day 'sex sells.'  I have found myslef liking his photography more and more, it's sexy but still has that sophisticated style.  The two things I think Tom Ford portrays as a male fashion icon.

Giacomo Brunelli

      I came across Brunelli's work when I was looking for exhibitions to visit in London.  His animal photography is stunning and I love the earthy reality it portrays.  The settings vary from the man made to the natural landscape.  I like how the images don't feel staged, he captures life as it is happening.  The first image above of his work really caught my attention.  I like how he focuses on a certain area with the simple variation of light.  Each image is individual and striking in it's own way.

Remember Me

    I've just been to watch 'Remember Me' and it has to be one of the most moving films I have seen for a while.  It is a heartfelt drama, which takes hold of your emotions as you get wrapped up within the story.  There's everything from love, hate, violence, and death.  It's an emotional rollercoaster, especially with the main character played by Robert Pattinson.  He is a very trouble character throughout the film and you begin to really feel his pain as the story progresses.  The ending is very overwhelming and something I did not predict, so it leaves you stunned and it brings back real memories that each viewer will be able to relate to.  If you watch the film you will understand what I mean, but I won't spoil it for anyone.

'Panic' at Noise Lab

    The 'Panic' exhibition looked really professional and everyone's work was great.  There was a good variety of work and everyone had interpreted the brief in their own style.  It's amazing to have work put up in a space like this and I am proud to be part of D&AD.  I would like to thank Helen Butterworth and Alessandra Mostyn for curating the show.  They put a lot of effort into this exhibition, which is very evident in the end result.

Panic

     My degree course has been lucky enough to have an exhibition at 'Noise Lab' in Manchester city centre.  The brief for the exhibition was to interpret 'Panic.'  I did a joint project with Kirsty Gilliburn.  Our work was based around the idea that people panic at the thought of being alone, such as eating alone, shopping alone, walking alone, travelling alone, being in the house on your own, etc...We narrowed it down to three sequences and used photography as our media.  There are three sets of four photographs, but we have styled them so they link together.  The first set shows the person at the graveyard, which signifies the panic people face when they lose a partner or someone close to them.  The second sequence shows the person walking alone in an isolated area, so the panic of no one being around especially when it gets dark.  The third sequence shows the person at home alone , the panic that someone could be in your house or even watching you. 

    I recently saw the new Alice in Wonderland film, which is an extension to Lewis Carroll's novels.  The film is a combination of live action and animation and I thought the end result was amazing.  Tim Burton directed the film and I always enjoy his work because he has a very unique and distinctive style.  He seems to have a very dark imagination, which he had brought to this film whilst maintaining the 'Disney' element.  The characters are played by some very entertaining actors.  My favourite had to be 'Tweedledee and Tweedledum' played by Matt Lucas, and Helena Bonham Carter as 'Red Queen.'

    The posters above used to promote the film are very powerful and striking.  The attention to colour and detail is very prominent, so you know the film will be the same.

Lady Gaga is a crazy lady!!

I've just watched the new Lady Gaga and Beyonce video ('telephone') and it is typical Gaga style!  The clothes are completely out there but they look fantastic.  There's a range of bizarre outfits, including a padlock draped swimsuit fabricated with lit cigarettes as sunglasses, and a  crime scene tape top (if you can call it that), which basically just covers her modesty.  I love the use of the diet coke cans as rollers, it just adds to her creative madness.

 The video was directed by Jonas Akerlund.  He is known for his stylish music videos that often mock forms of movie trailers and short films.  The telephone video reminds me of a similar style Quentin Tarantino uses in his films.  It's very raw and edgy.  This video seems to have a lot of pop culture allusions with the Captain America and Wonder Woman characters, reference to Andy Warhol and pop star icons Michael Jackson and Madonna.  Akerlund is known for a wide range of music videos, but one that stand out to me was the 'Smack My Bitch Up' by Prodigy in 1997.  The video was banned due to the explicit violence and sexual reference.  I'm not a big fan of the song, but I think the way the video has been created works really well with the song.  The video is edited as if we are looking through the eyes of the main actor and the overall effect is very gripping.