Connor Luke Simpson
Bio
amateur filmmaker - will post my ramblings about film and television here from time to time. find me at @RealConnorLuke on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Stories (4)
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The Ever-Changing Face of Documentary Film
As the case with many other genres of film, there is some debate around the first example of documentary. Some credit Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) as the first example—known today as “the earliest surviving motion picture in the world.” Captured by French inventor Louis Le Prince, the film features Joseph, Sarah and Annie Whitley along with Le Prince’s son Adolphe in their home in Roundhay, Leeds. Captured on Eastman Kodak paper-based film, through a single-lens combi camera-projector, the short film simply captures the family walking around the garden and laughing. A completely groundbreaking technological development, evidence can be put forward to suggest that this is, in fact, the earliest form of documentary. Acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese (2010) proposes the earliest representatives of film are photographed examples of daily life, meaning the early recordings give us a factual and observational report of culture at this time. Even though we have had time since, to refine the genre and definition, Scorses' proposition could surely be used as a description to explain what we expect from the documentary genre 131 years later.
By Connor Luke Simpson7 years ago in Geeks
Ten Things Disney Want You to Forget
In case you missed it, Disney has recently been celebrating 90 years of magic; it's the company that has become so ingrained with the idea of childhood nostalgia that the mere mention of possibly re-releasing some of their greatest classic hits becomes terrifying—after all, what if they ruined our childhoods? The house of mouse has created an empire that now stands atop of Hollywood and the world—it's a company that prides itself on delivering family-friendly entertainment, this is an image that won't be compromised. But what about behind the scenes, the mouse hasn’t always been so "squeaky" clean over the years and this list will count down ten moments from Disney's past that they don’t want you to remember.
By Connor Luke Simpson7 years ago in Geeks
Do You Remember This Shocking Superhero Conflict at 20th Century Fox?
As consumers; Spectacle, Summer Blockbusters, and Cinematic Universes are all the rage in modern society. One has to only look at Universal Studios as an example, the studio had a fantastic 2015, breaking the industry record for the highest grossing worldwide box office. Juggernaut films such as Minions (2015), Furious 7 (2015) and Jurassic World (2015) helped the studio accumulate around $5.53 billion in global box office (Busch, 2015). Disney similarly prospered; Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) became the second highest grossing film of all time (without adjustment to inflation). 20th Century Fox, however, suffered a difficult year, franchise films such as Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2015) and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) massively underperformed.
By Connor Luke Simpson7 years ago in Geeks
How America Almost Ruined Aardman Animation
Wallace and Gromit still to this day stand as Aardman’s crowning achievement; an innovative animated duo that would not only become pop culture icons within British society, but instead icons the world over. The eccentric Northern inventor, with a fondness for Wensleydale cheese and his smart silent dog, has been said to have done “more to improve the image of the English world-wide than any officially appointed ambassadors” (Marriott, 2015). The stories of Wallace and Gromit could quickly be excused as being ripped from the pages of a Hollywood DreamFactory script—Missions to the moon, robotic trousers and humanistic animal spies. Despite this, the truth and Britishness of Aardman’s claymation films doesn’t come from the plot, but instead the feel of their cosy terrace house, cups of warm tea and the evident love for a cheesy snack, almost a revival of the traditional links to nine Nineteenth Century satirical cartoons; satirising the truthful stereotypes of the modern (and particularly Northern) Brit (Oxford, 2018).
By Connor Luke Simpson7 years ago in Geeks
