Chinese film makers wow the BBC

Wenlan Peng's fascinating talk won audiences' enthusiastic applause and the most genuine appreciation.

The indepent television producer, who has also worked with BBC World Service as a documentary consultant from '06 to '07, gave her speech based on the experience that she trained the Chinese film makers to explore social issues in west part of China.

School on the Cliff

The documentary, highly praised by Ms peng, has also won the couple (illustrated in the film) a big fame, they became one of the best personalities out of 100 in China last year.

School on the Cliff has explored the education situation in one of the villages of Yi minority in Sichuan province, western China.

Mr. xxx and his wife have been teaching in the school for nearly 20 years.

Before he came here as a volunteer, the school had been closed for more than 10 years, which means every single child in this village had stopped compulsory education for such a long period.

Against all the odds, including his wife's complaint from the very start, seperation with his own sons and families, severe conditions of his home on the cliff.

He determined to continue his teaching at the school, and he is more than clear that if he gives up, children here will lose their only chance to receive proper education.

It is hard to imagine that due to the school's difficult location, instead of the proper road to reach it, every child has to climb the dangerous ladder which connects the top and bottom of the cliff.

The film beat other 19 contestants from the project, which has also been broadcasted in BBC World Service.

Self-cencorship

China media, including television, radio and the press are still under rigid state control and continues to be used as a propaganda tool. It only allows to project the positive, bright and inspring view of life.

Documentaries, which are the films supposed to explore social issues or provide critical point of view on society, are not permitted to talk openly about negative things under government control.

According to Ms Peng, the more government wants to hide it, the more problems cannot be solved. If let us just honestly face them, probably things will be going better.

The Meridian Society

Ms Peng also introduced audiences the charity - The Meridian Society she has run.

The charity aims to promote Chinese culture and increase the Sino-British understanding through range of events organised, including the coverage of social issues on Chinese television.

Arts - is all about breaking the rules

Chris commented on my first project on Digital Imaging, which we're learning to use Illustrator creating different shapes, effects and familiar with various tools from the programme. His main idea is to be an artist, I need to be brave to break the rules.

David'sviewmagazine

I remembered David once mentioned "breaking rules" concept in his website. And also from Apple's profiling on him, he's a person breaking all the rules around journalism, technology and motion pictures.

And of course, I found most of his works are quite engaging and more than interesting. But still it's hard for me to get the deep understanding behind his approach of making stories.

Emma's class

From this term I changed web design module into Emma's painting and drawing class due to time clash. From the first time I met her, I just felt she is definitely an energetic person, and full of fire, creative fire in her heart.

On that day, I'm working on the Sun poster in front of the computer, and she came, had a look of my work, then suggested me to use some materials, maybe textures, collages, to make the work more fascinating.

She introduced us many ways, such as spilling the coloured sand on the plastic glue on the white paper, making stencil and colour it with brush, and then see if I can develop with computer software programmes.

Metro transferred into art

Recently I read an interesting report from Metro, a group of artists from London East End using Metro front page to create several art works.

All the objects on the pictures are put together with these front pages.

Breaking the rules, anything after special treatment can be art.

13 and other thoughts

The following description is the plot of the four Film Awards Nominee 13 (Academy/Bafta/Golden Globe (best actress)/Golden Globe(best supporting-actress)

"Brace yourself" (Rolling Stone) for a raw, revealling insight into urban adolescence that's is so intense and realistic, "it's impossible to turn away" (Interview Managzine)

Anxiously trying to fit into the peer-pressre cooker environment of junior high, thirteen-year-old Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) goes to shocking lengths in order to befriend Evie (Co-writer, Nikki Read), the most popular girl in school. Now hte two are inseparable and incorrigible - leaving Tracy's desparate mother (Academy Award Winner Holly Hunter) powerless to rescue her from a whirlwind of drugs, sex and crime.



What is more?

Recently, Jade Goody's dying affair is continuously becoming the first lead on the newspaper. There's one point I found strange, the mum of two keeps saying that she wants her boys to study at private school until 16.

Indeed I heard some local teens saying that the private schools are full of materials girls and violent boys. And according to her, these private school kids' behaviour just like the film 13 portraits.

Bearing the doubt in mind, I talked with one local elder named Brigitte from West London. The lady told me that she quite understands Jade Goody's idea.

"There're some private school do get kids achieving better results than government ones. Though some of the governmental schools are also good." Brigitte said.

Speaking about how the private schools functions, she mentions that the private ones employ more teacher, so they spend more time with individual student.

The schools possesses better facilities and provide more chances for kids to broaden their vision.

Other attractions are some of the private schools are focusing on cultivating pupils to enter elite universities such as Cambridge and Oxford.

These tutors just simply understand Cambridge and Oxford mentality, and how the process will be end up with.

Miracle - the youngest British dad

Since middle of Feburary, UK national newspapers such as the Sun, the Daily Mirror are full of reports on the 13-year-old lad Alfie Patten makes a 15-year-old schoolgirl pregnant.

Miracle - Britain's youngest dad

It was commented by many Sun readers saying that it's the most outrageous, appalling, disgusting and sickest thing they have ever seen.

How can it complies to the law that allows a boy in such a young age to father a baby girl. some readers doubted.

When I first saw the news, I was totally shocked that how can a boy in his age conceive a child? It must be joking!

Sadly, more episodes going on, the 13-year-old dad even bravely decides to take DNA test to prove he's the father of the babygirl and protects his girlfriend's reputation.

Since there are other three local lads claiming to be the father of the child!!

Sex education

Sex education is now reset on the top of agenda and discussing extensively on the board. Conservative leader David Cameron said that it's very very worrying.

And today you got children having children, but frankly parental is something that they shouldn't think about it. That is wrong and we've got to put it right.

According to BBC News, teenage pregnancy under 16, Uk is ranked on the top among European countries and just behind US.

Germany and France are ranked as fifth and tenth of teenage pregnancy respectively.

Government is now making sex and relationship education as compulsory in primary school. one parent said that after all the kids are going to have sex, in this circumstance, it's better to teach them how to have sex safely, make them understand how big the issue is to be pregnant.

Compared with my culture

In western countries, people are not shy of talking about sex, they've got relationship in a young age. But in my country, things are very different, young teens are still prohibited to fall in a serious relationship in the mainstream.

In a way, it controls child pregnancy and I rarely hear that a kid conceive a baby.

It's a one of the good things from Asian country.

Lark Rise to Candleford

The 7th episode of Lark Rise to Candleford Series II is the most interesting one among all the episodes I have seen.

Man's pride, hardship of bread-winner, young girl's first love. This 19th century novel covers common people's life stories which reflect that particular period's British society.

"If I have one more day, I could make you love me."

On the screen, Laura told fisher, a craftsman building clock, with all her heart and soul:" If I could have one more day with you, I could make you love me." I believe audience will be affected by such a strong affection from such a beautiful young lady.

From Fisher's eyes, it's obviously he is falling in love with such a sweet girl, in fact the sweetest girl in Candleford.

But how long his love could last? Is he ready to lay all his life aside and stay in this small town and leave his freedom and rest of his life behind, only for Laura?

Robert, Laura's father asks Fisher:" What do you mean by loving her?" "I don't want to leave her." Fisher answered.

"You don't want to leave doesn't mean You want to stay, lad. Love her? Can you afford to offer her a family? A home? And having children around? Do you know your heart? If not, break her heart now." Robert said grimly.

Fisher at last left Candleford after finishing his mission. There're many loves in this world can't be growing up and they just don't have such a fortune. Time, places, maturity and all sorts of elements matter. And no one is able to control as no one is to blame.

But there's always true answers for things, if there is not, just keep asking your heart.

"Tools are gone and how am I going to restore my faith?"

Tobert Timmins' tools were sold by some village folks, though his family in such a grave circumstance, he is still setting his pride as the first priority - refuse other people's assistance, since from his eyes, their help is just charity for him and his family.

Man's pride,a big issue embedded for centuries in human beings' mind, no place matter in this case, indeed everywhere is the same from my eyes.

Emma (Robert's wife) cried out: "How dare you ask me to choose between my children and your pride. How dare you put me in this difficult situation. The children need to eat, Rober, they need food."

It's always hard to guess what prize the proud man's expecting people around to pay him back, and in fact it's very brutal even just thinking about it.

What is art?!?

Looked at these vague and blurring pictures, what you get out of it at the end, I was wondering. I prefer something that makes sense, and something that makes me understand the meaning behind the object, and not simple meaning, but profound ones.

What does it mean?

A lady showed us her tarot cards today in the class, the three pictures are laden with very blurrin colour, and the objects created in the cards have very peculiar shapes, not human beings, not animals, I really don't know what she wants to express.

Not only her work like this, I have once joined illustration class, another lady used wather-colour (I think) to create eight pictures illustrates one human mood to the other (for example: laugh to cry).

I can't remember what the changing mood exactly, but what she has done is just like brushing colour on the paper, some of the colours are mixed ones, so it reflects a bit differently.

Hell!! What she's trying to say?

Alright, ladies and gentleman. This is art, this is creative stuff, and the more vague, the more abstract, the more dodging and nobody understands, then probably the more arty!!

By now, I do miss my journalism, journalism is so much precise, profound, so much makes sense, and you can just feel the power and strength.

Politics and religion are too dangerous

A lady said to me look, your works related with politics and religion things, they're too dangerous.

Indeed I'm so much wish that I'm an excellent debater, then I could express myself more promptly and properly.

It's ture, my works are about politics, are about these hot issues, and it's my interest.

These things are real and they're just sticking around you that happening in our brutal world.

Also I do believe art comes from life, the more experiences you have, the more you have great ideas.

What's the point you just paint your colour there, stick your collage there, but without profound ideas that strike people's attention?

Artists, of course should be good at painting, drawing, and colour composition. But you should also understand history and have great life experiences, which do make your work profound.

Art, the same as Music

Now I find that music and art do have similarities. Here I'm particularly talking about classical music.

Being a brilliant classical musician not only requires techniques, which probably the most foundation of performing a music piece.

I once heard Maria Blanco, an amazing pianist from Malta, said to me after listening a recital from an old Russian pianist.

"he is not only playing the notes, he's basically playing his life."

Great music comes from life. All sorts of art come from life!

NHS sacked the nurse after offering to pray

A Christian nurse got sacked from NHS after she asked her patient would you like me to pray for you? The news made headline throughout all sorts of UK press.

Is it made too big?

I got shocked after seeing the news, first of all, it's allegedly that the baptist nurse just asked the patient if the patient would like her to offer pray. Seems the patient got over nurved and afterwards reported the case to the health trust.

Indeed if the nurse just asked and not forced the patient to accept, I don't see any wrongdoing. Anyone has the right to ask things and of course you can accpet or not.

Scientific mind

After talking with some journalists about the incident, they say most of the Brit don't like talking religion and belief in public, it's a private issue and just keep your own.

It's obviously they don't want people to think that they're superstitious, being scientific is always a good honour.

Though I felt the thing was exploded too much, perhaps as a patient herself, she just can't stop worring and who dares to risk precious thing such as life?

Love for peace

Mother Teresa is the original idea of this tarot card, previously I was thinking to draw an old lady as mother.

However during drawing process, I found that why should I draw an old lady? If an young lady owes the same heart laden with kindness, mercy and generosity, should it be an more graceful picture?

Mother teresa

Probably my only connection with mother Teresa was the whole summer I spent in Kolkata, 2005. A difficult city with lots of poors.

Though Kolkata is the capital of West Begal, it's surprisingly underdeveloped compared with Delhi, Mumbai these big cities from my personal opinion.

And heard many stories about mother Teresa and her charity, which lead her fame to grow internationally as an humanitarian. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India's highest civil honour.

Picasso dove

The way of drawing dove suggested by Chris, though I know that I haven't captured enough of its appearance, and in fact I drawed it directly in photoshop, indeed the better way I felt perhaps drawing it in Illustrator would be better, and then import into photoshop.

I like the way Pablo Picasso did for the dove, very simple sketches, but very much like the alive ones.

After done the card, I did more drawings in illustrator, feel much more comfortable after practising a bit more.

Moon tarot card (2)

The second tarot card I have created focus on the theme - Moon, theoretically speaking, it's a dark card indicating all the evil things. And my idea is even a bit more crazy - based on the symbol of Nazi.

"Yeah, I know it's a bit crazy"

When first showing my original sketch to Chris, I notices he glanced me strangely, which makes me uncomfortable, "You should go for simple idea, you know." he said. "Yeah, I know it's a bit crazy, but it just comes."

From my eyes Chris is a soft person, probably he doesn't fancy this idea, but anyway I'm stubbon to insist my own idea.

Indeed I'm not sure why I want to base my moon tarot card on the Nazi symbol, probably just because I had saw too much bloody films happening in this period, heard too much sad, devastating and inhuman stories based on this period of history.

When first saw the tarot card brief, the idea just naturally appeared in my mind, nothing can be more darker than Hitler's conspiracy, nothing can be more horrific than the Nazi concentration camp, nothing can be more brutal than the genocide of Jews.

Sophine Scholl

I once saw a film called Sophine Scholl, which depicts how anti-Nazi resistence movement "White Rose" member Sophine, uses her wits in the interrogation in order to protect other members in the movement.

It's a film describing her final day before her death

News writing

You have to learn how the reporters structure their sentences, which words they're choosing, you have to know these certain expressions, learn to write chatting language, like people are talking in the pub.


Damn it

Looked at my news writing scrab book, full of standard news writing languages, professional news story expressions, with all of these stunning, dazzling, and typical english news writing vocabularies.

But I'm just wondering how much I could remember them, and how accurate I could use them. It'a a tough task, and I'm not joking sometimes spending hours and hours for checking these words and expressions and paragraphs.

It was funny that my mind nowadays connects everything with news writing. I once laughed at an e-mail replied from a news editor from Harrow Observer, he is saying in the letter "everyone is returning family home" instead of using "everyone is retruning home."

I just can't stopping laugh of it, Damn it! These professional people.

Cyber revolution in Cuba

For decades, many of us Cubans only read from national press, and only have access to state television, and this made us to believe that the world somehow is unreal, and everything in Cuba is good, and everything abroad is catastrophic.

People and power

Ron E Dee, an editor from BBC London introduced me to his newly edited documentary film named People and Power.

Like hundreds of millions of people in Cuba, blogger Joanne suffered the blocking of the information flow from state media control.

Since 1959, Cuba government carried out the strict censorship on national press, and very few people got chances to access internet, and get to know the other parts of the world.

Along the digital revolution sweeping the whole country, as a citizen journalism pioneer, Joanne blogged her personal life, feelings and sharing her opinions about social issues of Cuba at her family home.

However, sometimes she still needs to go to internet cafe for updating her blog if the government cut off the internet connection.

Joanne's husband, a former journalist was sacked by government due to his controversial article discussing younger generation's dream of pursuing more freedom.

Her husband said that when he was entering journalism industry, he did not understand that he could only practise propaganda instead of real journalism.

In the student petition condemning government abusing their right to access internet, one of the students was allegedly arrested according to western report.



Collaboration

Since 1962, America implemented ecomonic sanctions on Cuba, "...Waken the economic life of Cuba...denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation, and overthrow of government."

The country's situation is in fragile, an artist and cartoonist who previously departed to US illegally (arrested afterwards) was now collaborating with Joanne and her journalist husband, "I illustrate political posters and nothing harmful, we're just joking about social issues, and about the problems in Cuban society."

"And we're telling peopel what's really happening in this country, because media there is controlled by government, and it just says things that benefit government, and they say everything here is ok, is fine. but what's the reality? We're just saying the trueth."

Great expectation for change

"Things growing much better in the recent months," said editor from Convivencia, an online social issues site, "People are expecting the greater changes."

He added that his site articles mainly about telling people about the Declaration of Human Rights, which he believes that the government deliberately prohibits to teach school pupils. Many of the Cubans even do not know the existence of the Declaration.

Joanne's husband also said that they're not in the 80s, or 90s, people can speak out more freely compared with past time.

Shorthand

For being a qualified newspaper reporter in UK, everyone needs to get his/her shorthand done. For newspaper reporter 100 per min and for magazine 80 per min.

Another language

To learn shorthand is definitely not that easy, I used one month and two weeks to complete the Teeline Fast book, but honestly, I can only remember very simple words, and some simple expressions so far.

I clearly know that how much efforts I must put in order to get my shorthand certificate, life is always not that easy if you want to do great things, but never gives up and be a grafter, I'll never regret!

An different angle of war film

The most interesting piece I have saw from the Future Film Festival called Rule 2. An short film tells a story about war impact on a family.

A different angle

I have saw plenty of war films, and always think that to set a story background as war is so much easier to dramatise the story.

Love, death, life these magic words with profound meaning, which are more difficult to explain in a normal background, but always performed brilliantly and compellingly in the war period.

However, Rule 2, describes the story in such a simple way, a screen monitor connecting two computer used by the British soldier and his family, one scene he's talking with his mother, the other his grilfriend.

Though there's only few sentences with very common content, but the pressure from war, seperation of the family all fanscinatingly displayed (through their face expression) in these short minutes, and incredibly emotional.

I have never experienced war, but when watching the story, I just feel it's so sad and touching.

Jokes from around the world

The funniest film I have saw from the Future Film Festival is the "Jokes from around the world".

Where to use Oyster Card

A traveller newly to London, and heard that Oyster card can do a great help when she's travelling in this expensive city. Cool, after happily getting her Oyster card in her hand, she's planning to start her great journey.

But wait, where to use the Oyster card, she's busy finding the hole for inserting her Oyster Card, but where is it? She wants to cry!! And seeing people passing by, she is trying to find the hole.

Half pack of the eggs

"Hey, I only want to buy half pack of the eggs, only three, not six, I pay half of the price."

"No, you can't do that, you have to buy the whole pack, six. not three."

"Why, I'm still paying you money, look, I say three."

"You can't do that, and in the whole London, no people is going to just sell three eggs to you."

...

Deal is done - "Ok, here is half pack, get your three eggs."

Black or White?

The first short film I have saw from the Future Film Festival at BFI IMAX centre called Estate Us. To be honest, it's such a confused film which I think will misguide people.

Black equals violence

The story depicts black young teenagers from deprived communities in London facing different pressures from life, and he has to force himself making difficult choices, typically drug and violence sort of stuff that he just can't get rid of it.

And it's ture, young Londoners do have this kind of trouble, but let's put the original idea aside, why choosing black kids acting on this film?

Is it all happening in the black skin community? For me, as an outsider, the impression on me will be Oh, look,this is today's London youngster, and do watch out, black kids on the side street!!

What kind of impression the film create? Why violence always does associate with Black?

Brilliant black guys I have known

Frankly speaking, I have met some wonderful black people while studying at London.

My Online tutor David Dumkley, who's such an amazing journalist with great passion on Journalism.

Previously he has worked with BBC News Night, Radio 4, and then an associate producer from Channel 4, an international award winning multimedia website creator, a senior lecturer from Uni. Westminster...

A classical musician whom I have met during my final project creation period - Levie Moscovici, originally from Nigeria (If I'm not mistaken, but he's black definitely).

Though from the beginning I didn't put much attention on him (because so many good musicians in the music colleges around London), but after listening to his fantastic recital, and I just told myself that this's the musician I must invite to my site, though he dropped out at the end due to his arm injury.

Another Jamaican friend from Uni. Jamalah Bryan, an excellent web developer, and extremely good at coding.

He's so young, full of bright amibitions and high expectation for his life, and wants to see the world, meet people, starts to run his own company and begins his career.

There's millions of ways bringing positive impacts on black community. And I just can't understand why if there's violence there, then the audience 9 out of ten times will see all the black creatures occupying that screen, is that fair?

Because we're white - Goodbye Bafana



I still clearly remembered the famous sentence from Goodbye Bafana:"Because we're white."

James Gregory, the prison guard of Nelson Mandela, told his little sick daughter after witnessing a black women got beaten from a white officer and was taken away from her boby.

James told his daughter that they are white and they never mixed up with black!

But years later, Nelson Mandela became the first President of South Africa, who was to be elected in a fully representative democracy election.

And today, Barack Obama came to power as the 44th United States President, the first black president in America's history, and the most powerful man in the world.

Black or White, never mind!!

Terot card - Moon (1)

The project I'm doing at the moment is to create a moon tarot card, which indicates darkness, evil power, hell and all the horrific scenes human beings can imagine.

Starry sky creation

An interesting episode happened during the card creation is to make the starry night sky. Since fed up of "stealing" things from web, I told myself I'm going to create my own.

The best part I have learnt so far from the class is to search for certain photoshop object creation tutorial.

It's funny that by now I finally realised the learning process is such a long and difficult procedure.

From "knowing nothing" to "realising developing from web" until now finally "understand to search for certain object creation tutorial".

Layer mask

I was using photoshop before, but using it without proper understanding, and I have no idea what results I'm intending to get and how the process goes and ends whatsover.

I have never bothered what is layer mask, adjustment layer, or those convenient shortcuts.

After searching from tutorial, I realised starry night sky can be created though adding noise and using layer mask to adjust its level in order to get the right tone.

And indeed the layer mask is the small thumbnail just right beside the layer thumbnail, and it indicates the area which you want to do change.

The last important thing is to remember that no matter which part you want to change and always firstly select the part otherwise layer mask would never work.

keep practice, nothing can be worse

Illustrating is just like writing, you drew things as metaphors instead of writing them down, just drew everything you saw and keep it everyday, nothing can get wrose!

Girl, you should change your name into animation

An east Londoner named Aninata Joseph, I assume (though haven't checked yet), the first person I have networked (which's one of the missions I'm carrying on) during my graphic design course at central London.

First impression on her, a talktive Londoner and quite interested in design stuff. I have seen her sketch books which kept everything organised and tidy.

She introduced me to her favourite drawing style - times of Robinhood. Though I do know this fellow and his engaging fairytale, the details must be admitted to gaining a much more close insight.

Miracle stuff - Drawing

As telling my friend that for me, drawing is such a miracle thing, and I have never imagined that I'm going to draw things myself.

Remembered once when I was working as a trainee at BBC london, Gary Holland, the project manager wanted us to design a poster for the "Real Young London" Page.

He then said, you guys, just go online and plenty of stuff there for you to develop, and see if you can adjust something fancy from there.

Same thing at my Uni., Online tutor David Dumkley told me Yixiang you need to find something online and develop from there!

And here, at Blake college, Christopher Rainbow, a professional illustrator said, you can't just take things from web, and you need to create your own stuff, and don't cheat!

You see, journalism doesn't require too much drawing and designing stuff, but when you're doing graphic, everyone is trying to using different methods to "show off" their artwork. they say we are cretive and we are innovative!

If Anne Boleyn lives in the presence