iphoto training September 11, 2009
Posted by booncunian in apple, computers, manchester, photos.add a comment
so apple offer some free training when you buy a mac, you can go to your local apple store and book in for some free training on most things. i decided to go in for the iphoto training, im good with computers but having a new mac its all slightly different to what i am used to.
i have to say that the iphoto software is very well though out, just being able to manage so many photos in a very easy way is perfect. the smart folders are just fantastic giving you the power to filter all of your photos in a very quick and easy way.
the faces part of iphoto is amazing, just tag a few photos of different people then iphoto runs off and finds more photos of that person.
im thinking its going to take a little time to go through all of my photos but once its done i think my life of photos will quick and easy.
Action! August 31, 2009
Posted by booncunian in Bands, Film, manchester, music, night out, videos.add a comment
So the past few weeks have been very buisy, I have been helping a few friends with filming, I say helping but its more of moving stuff and holding stuff but I’m glad to help and it lets you watch people who know what they are doing, I think I have picked up quite a few things just by helping out.
Working in the sets gives you a good idea how much work goes in to the preparation of filming, lighting can take hours just to get right and once it is you find you have 10 very hot lights in a small room and with 6 people , and have never felt heat like it. But also looking at the camera work and how different people frame different shots. Its very inspiring, I don’t think I’m much of a script person but I do think I would enjoy camera work.
Work have a short film festival every year and its coming up in the next few months so I’m thinking of may be doing something. Ive been trying to get a few people on board from work but its not moving as quickly as I think it needs to for it to be workable.
So Gigs, I got to film Dr Tid and the triple 8’s album launch on Friday night at Centro Bar on Tib street. First the Gig which was very good, its a nice venue and I think this night went off very well. The filming was something a little new to me a long with the broadcast quality cameras, I did find the more I drank the more risky shots I went after, I hope once they have the footage it works out well, if not I don’t think I will be asked again. It was also the last time Arm rug would ever play, it was good to see them back and doing what they do best and it had been some time since I watched them play.
They also got a little air time this weekend on BBC Manchester radio, have a listen here, its 2:20 in and Shmoo also got in there just after.
Im back July 2, 2009
Posted by booncunian in Film, Movies, Projection, cinema, manchester.add a comment
As the title says im back, I have not been any where just been very busy.
So work, none stop. Just finished installing a new NEC 2500 with a Qube server on one of the biggest 3D digital screens in the uk, it just takes weeks to sort this stuff out and get it all in and then work out how to use it and then train one of the biggest team in the uk on how to use it. For the 3D side of things we are using a XL unit which recycles the light lost going through a polarizer so gaining 12% of light, it looks just fantastic and thats just not the 3D but the 2D. At the moment its running Ice Age 3 in 3D so not really the best test for it and a shame as Public enemy is out and was shot in digital as Michal Mann (one or two n’s?).
So the projector is fantastic, the server is another thing. Not the best but I dont think the worst, all we can do is try it.
So keeping on the movie topic we are now in the summer block buster time, we had Wolverine which didn’t do too well (I thought it was ok), Star Trek which did some really good business (I thought it was very good) this week we have Ice Age and public enemy (which I have yet too see) and in a few weeks we get Harry Potter which im going to go out on a limb here and say it may do ok. BUT why do the mass going public think thats the only film out that week? Well its not, Moon is out and after years working in cinemas I have a sneaky feeling that this film could be something really interesting, a film that no one knows where it came from then BAM it’s something everyone is talking about.
So lets catch up, I have the next 2 weeks off from work. Im not going anywhere, well may do some camping at some point. It more of a relaxing holiday with good food, Manchester festival, time on my bike and a good time to catch up on the movies I have missed for the past few months. I read there is some sort of festival on in Manchester for a few days, I know the main square and the gallery are involved and I also spotted there is an outdoor cinema in spinning fields that I just think I will potter down to, and as my girl friends knows I will be trying to pop my head in to the booth, thats if they even have a booth, im betting its going to be a digital projector but im happy with that.
So biking, its good, its killing me but im thinking in a good way. I seem to have a set route now, head out of Manchester on the cannel intill I get to the far side of Trafford park then back in on the roads. Got a app thing to track the time and distance. It works well, I’m seeing my distance increasing and the time decreasing, that’s got to be good, right??
Right I’m going to watch some tennis, not really my cup of tea, I would be much happier watching Life season 2 but we share the TV, think its a 30/70 split in her favour, but that’s love. x
Who what when where June 2, 2009
Posted by booncunian in Day out, manchester.add a comment
Hello blogging land, hope you are having fun doing whatever you do.
So life, well its very nice having a new bike to play with, bring back some really good memories of my youth, fuck I sound old. Well it is nice being out and about, found some nice routs along the cannel which takes you out of the centre of Manchester, it must be 5 mins on the bike and im out in the open, quite surprising. I have seen some other routs I would like to go on but my lovely girl friend is still waiting on her bike so I think it would be a little mean to go out without her.
We did go to centre parks this weekend which happens to be really nice, I did have some slight reservations on what it was going to be like but it was spot on, this small get away was in aid of her dads 60th so it was a small break with all of my girl friend’s family, a little scary but it went well, I feel I got to know them a little more than just the usual afternoon visits.
Dont know what really to talk about, I seem to be up to the usual things, going to some good gigs, have drinks with friends, now I have my bike so I can look at the keeping fit side of things and then you cram birthdays and such a alike and im busy. i think one thing I need to get better at is the long term planning, you know like getting tickets to go see bands or planning trips with friends in a few months, I think my mind works in a very now, tomorrow, next week sort of way but going away this weekend showed me that with a little planning you may have to wait but it normally turns out good.
Right need to go do some work,
Dr Tid & The Triple Eights March 5, 2009
Posted by booncunian in Bands, manchester, music, night out.add a comment
Well worth a watch, Saturday night.
Dark knight back this week January 27, 2009
Posted by booncunian in Film, Movies, cinema, manchester.add a comment
The dark knight is back January 23, 2009
Posted by booncunian in Film, Movies, cinema, manchester.add a comment
Just found out batman is coming back to manchester Imax. Not got all the facts yet, watch this space.
No man’s land December 29, 2008
Posted by booncunian in Day out, Xbox 360, manchester, night out, work.add a comment
I do like to think of the time after Christmas and just before new years as no man’s land, no one is quite sure what to do, we all go back to work for a few days knowing we will be off aging for some fun and drinking so we kind of just get through. To be honest it’s a nice break from drinking as the last 5 days have been hard on the old liver, but it is the festive time and fun is to be had.
So after doing 350 miles in 3 days it all worked out well, I had a really nice festive time even with all the drinking involved. I got my really nice retro Casio watch so now I can tell the time without looking at the sun, Christmas would not be Christmas without socks, YAY! Some supper cool t-shirts (Best is the silver surfer), box of smelly stuff, beer (YAY again) a board game (thanks to the girl friends brother for keeping it retro) and cash, 28 and I still get cash off my parents, its just awesome. So with my new cash flow I decide to sink some of it in to more of a musical fund, yes Guitar Hero 4, I can now play with all the greats and sound just as good and it’s just so cool.
So as I said it’s the few days of winding down and its welcome after the Manchester – Sheffield – Manchester – Liverpool – bury – Manchester – Liverpool – Manchester 3 days, it’s a good job I love my car. So I’m just coming to the end of the first of 2 days at work, nice 13 hour days though so tomorrow will just be as long as today but then I’m off for a few days and back for one before being off for a few days again. It’s a good job as I have a list of things to do around the flat one of which is play guitar hero but that seems to be missing of the list my girl friend gave me, strange, typo maybe?
I think this Christmas will be remembered for all the people I got to see, I nearly got to see everyone who I care about over the 4 days and I got it done without someone being unhappy I was late or not there on such a day, its been a while since it all came together this well, that said I’m going away next year.
Canon 450D and Jessops November 12, 2008
Posted by booncunian in manchester, photos.add a comment
So its my lovely girlfriends birthday tomorrow and I asked her what she would like to mark 23 years of being alive knowing she had been looking at dress makers dummies which are around £140, so when I got a Digital SLR back as an answer I need to get my skates on. My girl friend know what I’m like, I won’t buy anything until I have read every review on the planet, I like to make educated decisions and I would like someone who knows what they are talking about to tell me if its any good or not.
Well the Canon 450D came out on top for what she needs it for, the Sony was a close second. So off to Jessops we went last night to get the camera of her dreams, got it all sorted about 10mins before they close and off home we went, got back and I said I would cook and she could sit and play with her new camera, out it comes with all the cables, cards, camera body ………………. No lenses. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant quite tell you how I felt, angry and frustrated would be in the same park. Before we all start it would be the body and lens I asked for and I know you can just get the body. So got up early this morning ask being at work today for 14 ½ hours was not enough and set off back to jessops ready for a battle on my hands, the price of the lenses is £170 and the difference between the body and body + lenses was about £20, I was the first person through the door and after explaining what I wanted and what I got I was poised to explode at the slights hint that it would be a problem and it wasn’t, in anyway, they were the most kind and helpful people I have ever been served by, I even got £10 off for the mistake, I’m still sat here 6 hours on slightly gob smacked on how good they were, so I would recommend the Jessops on Deansgate if you ever need anything in the camera world.
As for the camera its perfect, once I get to play with it I’ll try and get a little review from a ‘not quite sure’ photographer.
Movie update November 12, 2008
Posted by booncunian in Film, Movies, cinema, manchester.add a comment
Hi all,
Ok I got chance to watch some good movies over the past few days, The Fall and Lars and the real girl. I don’t really want to go in to too much detail about the movies,
The Fall is a story about a man in hospital in the 30’s I think, I little girl befriends him and he tell her a tale of love, pirates, danger and friendship, its only after some time you realises the story is a little too close to home. The story is wonderful and keeps you locked in from start to finish but the film is just beautiful to watch, it has some of the most spectacular shots I have ever seen and in HD it makes you mouth water.
Lars and the real girl is about a man who doesn’t seem to have any friends, cant communicate to anyone and ends up very very alone, so he buys himself a sex doll, not a cheap one but a doll that looks very life like, he treats this doll like she is real and you see a real change in the ways Lars deals with real life. When I first viewed the trailer I thought I was going to be slightly more funny but I’m glad it wasn’t, it’s a real hart warming movie and it makes you feel very good once it is over.
Madagascar 2 starts in a few weeks in Manchester’s very own Imax, the first moves was entertaining but it looks like they have taken the new one to a new level, having seen some footage it looks to be a very funny movie and showing on the biggest screen you will ever see can only help to make this a wonderful pre Christmas movie. 
