Little Drummer Boy Year 3!!
A timely reminder of the world's most popular indie rock clockwork toy Christmas film. It's continued popularity is a source of much pleasure (a nice chap from Germany took the time to say hello last night much better than the stream of spam I've been getting from Russian round here lately). Enjoy!
Showing posts with label little drummer boy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label little drummer boy. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Friday, 26 December 2008
50,000 Christmas Presents
And this one is from Donna in Texas......
Well, hows things? It's foggy and dark here in Yorkshire, the rest of the house is pleasantly filled with sleeping reliatives. Mooching around as is my want, I've just had a very pleasant late present; logging on to fiddle with some pictures I took my daily peak at how my little film was doing on youface and it's passed the pleasing figure of 50,000 hits.
Now I was pleased when the people who know me said nice things about it (someo of them on here) but I would be lying as much as the indie star who gets to number five on Top of the Pops and still goes on about "just doing it to entertain themselves" if I didn't admit to being pleased that all these people have had a peek at my film.
It's has had the particular Tubebook specific accolade bestowed on it this week as someone has posted an answer video. It's a female singer doing an acoustic version of LDB, which again is pleasing if it has encouraged someone to do something creative. If we all made and did stuff we could dump rubbish like 'stenders and Holby city and we'd only need Nick Park and the news to entertain us on the BBC!
Anyway I'll let you get back to the bread sauce and Cadbury's celebrations. I need to have think about a new idea for a new film what about a robot version of Brief Encounter....... Hornby 00.......in Spanish........Uncle Joe's Mintballs.......
Well, hows things? It's foggy and dark here in Yorkshire, the rest of the house is pleasantly filled with sleeping reliatives. Mooching around as is my want, I've just had a very pleasant late present; logging on to fiddle with some pictures I took my daily peak at how my little film was doing on youface and it's passed the pleasing figure of 50,000 hits.
Now I was pleased when the people who know me said nice things about it (someo of them on here) but I would be lying as much as the indie star who gets to number five on Top of the Pops and still goes on about "just doing it to entertain themselves" if I didn't admit to being pleased that all these people have had a peek at my film.
It's has had the particular Tubebook specific accolade bestowed on it this week as someone has posted an answer video. It's a female singer doing an acoustic version of LDB, which again is pleasing if it has encouraged someone to do something creative. If we all made and did stuff we could dump rubbish like 'stenders and Holby city and we'd only need Nick Park and the news to entertain us on the BBC!
Anyway I'll let you get back to the bread sauce and Cadbury's celebrations. I need to have think about a new idea for a new film what about a robot version of Brief Encounter....... Hornby 00.......in Spanish........Uncle Joe's Mintballs.......
Monday, 1 December 2008
Little Drummer Boy
There's no getting away from it now Christmas will be here soon enough so I'm dusting off the advent calendar to celebrate this enjoyable if occasionally annoying season.
Little Drummer Boy Year 2
Advent Day1: I blame my parents they always encourage us as kids to make Christmas and birthday cards and the habit sort of stuck. So after a few years of making music compilations I was running out of good Xmas tunes and struck on the idea of making a Xmas film. I'd always liked Lows Yuletide EP and after seeing a drummer boy clockwork toy worked up the idea of him being chased by a killer robot initially across a number of famous London venues but eventually settled for things I could make in flat out of tinfoil and wrapping paper. It took a few nights to make mainly because I was using my cheap stills digital camera which could only record a few minutes of film before I had to transfer the shots to my borrowed laptop. Then using Microsoft movie maker I edited it. The whole thing if you excluded the cost of the borrowed laptop and the camera cost around £30 quid in clockwork toys, baubles and tangerines!
Broadcast yourself
When I made it in 2005 YouTube wasn't around (or if it was wasn't well know) so I spent some more evenings burning 20 or so cd's to send out to my family and friends as cards. They all seemed to enjoy it. That was that until last year by which time YouTube had grown to in effect the 6th TV channel in Britain and so I up loaded it.
I have to admit I was pleased after a day or so that 20 or 40 people had watched it, this quickly turned to 100's and by the end of January 20,000. It's many times more popular than any other of my films due mainly to the popularity of the tune.
I do find it thrilling that a film you make literally in your bedroom (mines a studio flat!) can be seen by a fair sized football crowd. Of course I doubt if many of the viewers have watched it all but even so they seen 30 seconds of my film. In fact this does raise an interesting idea if I was making it now would you change it? The opening scenes where meant to be a montage of
Christmassy things which would introduce the theme and it takes almost a minute it introduce the main characters of the drummer boy and the robot so maybe if I were re-cut it for YouTube I would literally cut to the chase a bit quicker, but you know what I'm not going to mainly because editing stuff is time consuming and fiddly but also the film fits the song and if some bored Danish teenagers tunes out before the main scenes more fool them!
IMHO
Talk of the audience brings me to the comments underneath; it's not new to say that YouTube comment posts don't show humanity at our best. Even the gratefully received positive ones are less than flattering being the usual "lol" "cool film" variety, the others fall into the cultural differences column with discussion of why there's tangerine in film.
The is also usual boastful pride filled evangelical nonsense as the god botherers storm in as, as the song is religious we get lots of random blessing that and Jesus stuff plus over literal analysis of the song i.e. did Jesus play the drums?
Lastly up is the abuse usually saying how bad the film or that they hate Jesus or Christmas.
I'm not saying the negative stuff doesn't affect me I just don't know why anyone would bother that much, I've seen hundreds of poor film on YouTube but rarely feel need to abuse the maker (or more likely poster) one guy (ivcam1021) recently told me to "next time ask a pro" . Which I didn't understand "ask a pro" what? How to make films but YouTube is all about broadcasting yourself it's about amateur film making or maybe he's a pro and I should email him when I want to film a radar tower and stick some electronica over the top! One thing I will guarantee is that anyone on YouTube who leaves a negative comment if you follow their name tag back to their profile won't have made any films of their own and are effectively anonymous, this sort of thing happens a lot less on flickr where if you slag off someone's snaps there's a good chance they'll swing by you page and could have something pithy to say about your collection of pics.
On the whole I think it's all funny really why do people think anyone gives a toss what some misanthropic teenager in Denmark thinks about a song written by some slow speaking Mormon stuck on a film about clockwork toys by a slight obsessive bloke from Yorkshire.
DO IT YOURSELF
anyway my films out there and it looks like because it's a Christmas film it will be watched for years to come all things being equal, already this Christmas 3 or 4 thousand views have clicked on it which brings us back to positive note on which to end.
If you have an idea and small amount of money you can make film and if it's any good people will watch, people however odd all over the world will see your film which is frankly very cool so happy advent I'm off to check my viewing counter one more time.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Just Like Christmas?
Low
Koko Camden
19th Nov 2008
To Koko with PB to see Low . Now I am wary of this but it was labelled “Christmas Concert”, I’m only wary as I like to keep discussion of Yule to December but I imagine that they wanted to be home for Xmas and so toured the UK now.
We got there at the start of the support who were called Ida and who both agreed where strange support as they were very similar to Low almost like a cover band. They had guitarist, a fiddle player and a harmoniumist and singer. They played very pretty precise folky acoustic numbers very similar to a none electric low songs. They weren’t too bad and the crowd listened intently I just think some variety was needed. One of the reason they were supporting it turns out is that they formed part of Low later in evening.
After a short break Low came on much like Granddaddy without us noticing.
As an intro Alan Sparhawk started to dedicate the gig to john Peel and the Obamas but got interrupted by a loud mouth in crowd. That being said Sparhawk has the slowest discourse in the history rock whole seconds go by between words giving pointers to their slow contemplative style.
Big mouth Strikes again
The first 40 minutes of the gig was recent material played as a 3 piece guitar, bass and drum and cymbal. Which was excellent with good range of songs from across their lps. Then Ida and another drummer joined them for the trance like Shots and Ladders followed by the Christmas portion of gig to great effect. I’ll even allow them their reggae tinged up beat number (as it’s that time of year) they did a new song called Come Santa which was marvellously mad (and almost metal) in that they made Santa coming seem like threat. After this another loud mouth in the crowd shout out his complaint that Low weren’t the low he knew which was strange as the gig was much like every other I’ve seen and that it did say Christmas show on the ticket any way he was well put down by the band. Anyway they continued with the Christmas songs including Just like Christmas their stone cold classic.
As to why Low work is the way that Sparhawk's and Mimi Parker's voices harmonise and meld to form a continuum, it has a slight stark hymnal quality (which isn’t surprising) and which really like the sparse and the dynamics of the songs bring them alive thus saving them from falling into shoegazing introspection.
Highlight for me: was Canada, Shots and Ladders and One perfect Gift.
Anyway especially after Lambchop the other week Low where excellent it might not have been just like Christmas but it was certainly a good advert for advent.
I wrote a bit about miserable Camden pubs but PB beat me to it!
Koko Camden
19th Nov 2008
To Koko with PB to see Low . Now I am wary of this but it was labelled “Christmas Concert”, I’m only wary as I like to keep discussion of Yule to December but I imagine that they wanted to be home for Xmas and so toured the UK now.
We got there at the start of the support who were called Ida and who both agreed where strange support as they were very similar to Low almost like a cover band. They had guitarist, a fiddle player and a harmoniumist and singer. They played very pretty precise folky acoustic numbers very similar to a none electric low songs. They weren’t too bad and the crowd listened intently I just think some variety was needed. One of the reason they were supporting it turns out is that they formed part of Low later in evening.
After a short break Low came on much like Granddaddy without us noticing.
As an intro Alan Sparhawk started to dedicate the gig to john Peel and the Obamas but got interrupted by a loud mouth in crowd. That being said Sparhawk has the slowest discourse in the history rock whole seconds go by between words giving pointers to their slow contemplative style.
Big mouth Strikes again
The first 40 minutes of the gig was recent material played as a 3 piece guitar, bass and drum and cymbal. Which was excellent with good range of songs from across their lps. Then Ida and another drummer joined them for the trance like Shots and Ladders followed by the Christmas portion of gig to great effect. I’ll even allow them their reggae tinged up beat number (as it’s that time of year) they did a new song called Come Santa which was marvellously mad (and almost metal) in that they made Santa coming seem like threat. After this another loud mouth in the crowd shout out his complaint that Low weren’t the low he knew which was strange as the gig was much like every other I’ve seen and that it did say Christmas show on the ticket any way he was well put down by the band. Anyway they continued with the Christmas songs including Just like Christmas their stone cold classic.
As to why Low work is the way that Sparhawk's and Mimi Parker's voices harmonise and meld to form a continuum, it has a slight stark hymnal quality (which isn’t surprising) and which really like the sparse and the dynamics of the songs bring them alive thus saving them from falling into shoegazing introspection.
Highlight for me: was Canada, Shots and Ladders and One perfect Gift.
Anyway especially after Lambchop the other week Low where excellent it might not have been just like Christmas but it was certainly a good advert for advent.
I wrote a bit about miserable Camden pubs but PB beat me to it!
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Lights, camera, action
Can I direct you towards my new film/making blog, I thought I'd have an entire area dedicated to my filimic blather. If you have a film to share this the place to do it. Enjoy!Friday, 11 January 2008
Thursday, 3 January 2008
LDB Update
I promise I've only checked once today, but what I must stop calling my "little film" has had now had over 17,400 views, hurrah for me and hurrah for clockwork fans everywhere!The best recent youtube comment is :
"this is so dumb i still like jesus "
Oh and I 've had an offer to buy the little tin fella as well. But if I sell him who will star in the Easter sequel " The Funky Chicken Drummer....."
Friday, 28 December 2007
LDB: Youtube Obessive Stats checker update.
I will give it up (checking every few hours that is) in January I promise, but in the mean time my little film has had 16,cocking203 views! (let's be clear that's 16,203)Again I'm not sure what that stat means, I imagine it means clicked on it. There's also some crazy comments too; I love the way some Christians have to evangelise perpetually, don't they get tired?
Also is eating Tangerines at Xmas a British thing as several US viewers where confused by this bit?
Anyway I'll log off now but I'll just have a peek first.......
Thursday, 20 December 2007
Solipsism Corner
LDB has now had over 4,500 views. I'm falling into a similar trap ( BLBW pointed this out) that authors do, of obsessively checking their Amazon ratings (I'm number 14 for the record).But well it is all new to me and I do think it's great that anyone for good or ill can broadcast their work like this.
Much like when someone from Spain or Russian visits your blog, it's exciting to know someone on the other side of the world has had chance to look at something you've done and in some cases enjoyed it. I'd like to thank my Mom......
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
You can't please all the people all of the time
LDB has had it's first bad review :
Someone called ThunderDonkey went to the trouble of leaving the following on youtube:
"whats this for piece of shit, wtf? "
He appears to be a 14 year Dutch Boy, with an interest in playing "sport rock" tunes on the piano, so there's one vital market down the pan. tee hee.
Greater minds than I have wrestled with WHAT (dare I call it so) ART is FOR. I'm at a loss.
If anyone has any ideas answer on a postcard or stuck down envelope to
Master Thunderdonkey c/o........
Someone called ThunderDonkey went to the trouble of leaving the following on youtube:
"whats this for piece of shit, wtf? "
He appears to be a 14 year Dutch Boy, with an interest in playing "sport rock" tunes on the piano, so there's one vital market down the pan. tee hee.
Greater minds than I have wrestled with WHAT (dare I call it so) ART is FOR. I'm at a loss.
If anyone has any ideas answer on a postcard or stuck down envelope to
Master Thunderdonkey c/o........
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
Drumming up Support....
Banging my own Drum
My film Little Drummer Boy has had over 2000 views on youtube which won't worry the producers of Titannic just yet, but makes me pretty chuffed.
My film Little Drummer Boy has had over 2000 views on youtube which won't worry the producers of Titannic just yet, but makes me pretty chuffed.
Monday, 17 December 2007
Little Drummer Boy .
Advent 17
World Premier(sort of) of New(ish) BLTP Film
Here’s a little Christmas present for you all, It’s already had advanced screenings as I posted it on You tube a few days ago, at one point it was the number 5 film in UK !It’s one of a number of films I’ve made over the years, I started out using super 8 and have moved onto digital (this was made on my £80 stills camera!) largely so my flat doesn’t get filled up with celluloid when I edit the things. One of my projects for next year is to digitise my super 8 projects so I can inflict them on a wider audience; Super 8 film is ideal for youtube being at best 3.50 mins long.
Anyway I made this festive tale of clockwork violence, poppers and extreme tangerine action as a Christmas card a year or so ago, youtube wasn’t quite what it is now then so I passed out cd copies to friends etc. The wonders of the digital age mean now over 1,000 people have at least clicked on it (even if they didn’t make it to the hilarious end titles!).
Anyway (again!)consider it my Christmas gift to the digital world, well the people who stumbled on this little corner of it looking for pictures of Julia Bradbury, cures for boils and of course cocking cinder toffee!
Oh and if you do watch it on youtube leave a message it cheers me up and boost my ratings.
The Little Drummer Boy a BLTP film
World Premier(sort of) of New(ish) BLTP Film
Here’s a little Christmas present for you all, It’s already had advanced screenings as I posted it on You tube a few days ago, at one point it was the number 5 film in UK !It’s one of a number of films I’ve made over the years, I started out using super 8 and have moved onto digital (this was made on my £80 stills camera!) largely so my flat doesn’t get filled up with celluloid when I edit the things. One of my projects for next year is to digitise my super 8 projects so I can inflict them on a wider audience; Super 8 film is ideal for youtube being at best 3.50 mins long.
Anyway I made this festive tale of clockwork violence, poppers and extreme tangerine action as a Christmas card a year or so ago, youtube wasn’t quite what it is now then so I passed out cd copies to friends etc. The wonders of the digital age mean now over 1,000 people have at least clicked on it (even if they didn’t make it to the hilarious end titles!).
Anyway (again!)consider it my Christmas gift to the digital world, well the people who stumbled on this little corner of it looking for pictures of Julia Bradbury, cures for boils and of course cocking cinder toffee!
Oh and if you do watch it on youtube leave a message it cheers me up and boost my ratings.
The Little Drummer Boy a BLTP film
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