Feature Media teamed up with the highly innovative Mail Box Express to bring the excitement of Augmented Reality to the Yorkshire Mafia Conference.
Click on the image to watch the film:
Watch The Video
Who do you know that would benefit from this sort of innovative technology? If you would like to chat about how we could use Augmented Reality to help your business, please contact us and we’d be happy to speak to you.
We hope you enjoy our little interactive Christmas film, click on the image below to watch…
Have a great 2011 from all the team at Feature Media.
A film about aliens directed by the same people who did Aliens Versus Predator: Requiem (The Brothers Strause) would always throw up a warning sign about its credibility. From the look of the first poster for the film, where what seemed to be debris was being sucked up by spaceships floating over Los Angeles and it turned out to be thousands of people. I thought there may be hope for this film yet.
The main attraction to the film was seeing the old stereotypical alien abduction given a new more terrifying twist. As people look at the light coming from the spaceships and are violently pulled into it. The film has a plot we’ve seen hundreds of times as aliens invade the planet and we just so happen to be in LA when its all kicking off. A group of friends are trapped in their apartment while the events unfold around them and they try to survive as the aliens get closer and closer. As much as the special effects look good, the film is generally underwhelming. It’s nothing new. The action is pretty good in some places, but its all been done before. Mix Independence Day, Cloverfield, add a little bit of Transformers, oh and don’t forget a good old atomic blast and you’ve got Skyline.
It was released by the producers of the film that a sequel has been written before the film even came out. Knowing this before viewing allowed the film makers to not wrap up several elements of their story. The characters weren’t fully developed, and the aliens never fully explained. An annoying ending will solidify you’re feelings on Skyline as it did mine.
To summarise, when you’re looking for a really interesting, thoughtful and moving piece of modern artwork in cinematic form, then watch Schindler’s List NOT Skyline. Or else.
Recently, I was asked by Leeds Ahead (www.leedsahead.org.uk) to take part in a creative project, mentoring looked after young people as part of the Northern Arts Prize.
I jumped at the chance to take part – supporting a group of young people, who have been part of the care system, through a series of art workshops, culminating in them receiving a Bronze Arts Award. Fantastic!
As business owners in Leeds, myself and Ian have always felt that it was important for us to ‘put something back’. We have both been fortuntate to come from loving families that supported us and encouraged us to do well. After all if you don’t have these basic needs met, what sort of future can you hope for.
A couple of weeks ago I attended a training course, which highlighted some of the issues faced by this group of youngsters – Did you know that only 14% of looked after young people achieve 5 or more GCSE’s at A-C grade, compared to 65% of their peers and 80% of teenage pregnancies in Leeds are from young people in this group. We also discovered many more horrifying statistcs which to be completely honest really angered me. As a mum of two, it baffles me that ‘parents’ can neglect or abuse their children but it happens.
I have to wonder why, if we know these stats, more not being done for this group of youngsters!
Our first session is on the 10th November, where we get to meet our group, who against all odds have finished school and are now in further education. I can’t wait and will keep everyone updated with how it goes.
If you would like to find out more about this project or other mentoring and CSR opportunities, please get in touch or have a look at Leeds Ahead’s website (above).
To all our friends and colleagues, our very own Julie T has had a beautiful little girl at 6.37am on Friday 17th September, called Mia, and both Mum & Baby are doing fine. They were even home in time for tea, perfect.
We will be starting Mia’s camera skills and editing training shortly so expect to see her on future shoots very soon.
If you wanted to drop Julie a note her email address is julie@featuremedia.co.uk
Hurrah!
In recent years we’ve had many good comic book adaptations receiving success in cinemas – Now Edgar Wright, director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, steps up with his take on the transferring the character of Scott Pilgrim to the big screen.
And Wright does an excellent job directing Michael Cera in the main role, in which Scott Pilgrim must fight through the seven evil ex’s to be able to date his new infatuation.
The films’ look is fresh and inventive. It takes the standards of both beat-em-up computer games and comic books and layers and splices them into fast, pacey editing. And with a soundtrack to match the film really deserves a watch.
The only downfall of the film is around half way, when we know that Scott is going to fight seven ex’s, he’s onto number three and the over the top action became a bit repetitive. Only when the film gets further in and the film moves from its linear one fight after another and becomes unpredictable does the excitement ramp up again.
The supporting cast are very good, the script is humorous and the action is full on.
I would definitely be up for some more Pilgrim.
I remember back to all those years ago, going into the cinema to watch the first Toy Story, sitting in the cinema with a feeling of awe, especially with the computer generated animation. However this style of animation has become common place now, but what hasn’t is the level of story-telling and humour the Toy Story trilogy has to offer.
The third film is funny, engaging and exciting not only for kids but for adults as well. This is also a key point in which issues are addressed which lend themselves to mature story telling and not necessarily with a film aimed, for the most part, at children.
When Andy the owner of Woody, Buzz, Slinky, Rex, Mr Potato Head and the rest of the gang reaches the age of moving to college the toys are lost between wanting to stay together, to be played with and cherished, and staying faithful to their owner Andy. Some tough decisions and realisations are made throughout the movie, in which the toys end up in a seemingly perfect environment, which turns out to be a living nightmare, and one they must escape from, but not without the resistance of several new, funny and sometimes creepy characters.
The film was in 3d, which doesn’t enhance the actually story and entertainment that the film gives. Well worth a watch, even if you wait for DVD or Blu Ray.
By now the majority of us have at least heard about social networking sites if we aren’t currently using them oursleves. They are a fantastic way of businesses raising their profile, sending out good news, researching information, finding new contacts and generally keeping in touch in a much more personal way than the standard e-newsletter. They are also quick and easy to use and quick and easy for people to read and respond to. So most of us get that but how many of us you have a strategy for what we’re doing? How many of us are measuring what we do?
If you’re internal voice is saying ‘I don’t’ then you should put aside some time to develop a strategy and a system to measure what you do. It could be something simple – This week I’m going to start a discussion about x so that I can find out the wants and needs of a particular sector I want to break into and make a point of contacting all those that reply to thank them and if they seem of particular interest to arrange a 1-2-1.
Measure the time you’ve spent doing this. Measure the value of the information you receive back – has it helped you target an approach to businesses in that sector? Measure the value of contacts you get from it and whether any of those turn into a strategic alliances, which brings you business or even direct business.
If you don’t measure what you are doing – setting out what you want to achieve and seeing if you have achieved it then how do you know what to do next time?
At Feature Media we want to know how much money we save or make our clients so we ask you to think about it.
Recently a project for a manufacturing company not only saved their health and safety manager 2 days a month but gave him back that time to be doing something much more useful.
What could you do with an addtional 2 days a month?
When The Dark Knight was your previous offering you’d better have a few tricks up your sleeve to at least stay on par with the excellent Batman sequel. And Christopher Nolan has more than tricks, offering a film which is by far the best film of the year.
The script is well written, with twists and turns all the way through. Without giving too much away about the plot, technology has been developed which allows people to enter other peoples dreams and steal their secrets. However now a man wants an idea to be planted in someone’s mind, a seemingly impossible task, however Leonardo Dicaprio believes it can be done. That’s all you need to know going into this film and the less you know the better as you take the journey with the characters into the unknown.
Dicaprio is on top form and as usual gives an emotional and empathetic performance and is supported by a great cast including solid performances from Joseph Gordon Levitt and Tom Hardy.
The films main assets when enticing viewers in the trailer were the malleable world in which physics does not apply, and the ominous, brooding soundtrack which carries on in the film with great effect, never over done for the sake of it and always complementing the story.
The narrative will keep you enthralled right up until the credits roll.
Quite simply, go and see this film.
The last shot from the trailer for this film showed Adrien Brody covered in about 20 of the Predators’ signature laser triangular targeting dots…Epic!
Spoiler alert… they just did that for the trailer. Luckily that was quite a way in and after a bit of a slow start and a daft cameo from a senile Morpheus (Larry Fishburne), there was quite a good wedge of mindless violence.
Brody actually played a decent hard man after some voice coaching from Christian Bale.
Some familiar music (and storyline) along the way; funny faced aliens and some hard geezers having a right scrap. I enjoyed it, although I did put the first one on when I got home, ahhh… “stick around!”
Coming Soon….Inception
