Update

I'm just back from a day out in Glasgow meeting with the awesome Michael Sherrington, and having dinner with Simon Brown the not so awesome Calum MacPhail. I really should be editing but I'm too tired so I'll rant instead. Okay, first an update on the Attica Rage documentary. Right now I've still got some sit down interviews and some introductory reshoots to do but I've got enough there that I am progressing through editing at a decent pace. This is thanks to having a system that can deal with a project file which contains more that 150 hours worth of footage consisting of over 5000 clips. If anyone tells you that film making is easy then they are an idiot simple as. What I've got so far I'm kind of happy with, or as happy as I can be with it. As anyone who knows me will agree, I don't do happy. I'm hoping to get a rough cut done for the end of July. No promises though.

Still on the subject of Attica Rage. Anyone who reads Metal Hammer will know that the opening track, "36 Insane", from their new album, "Road Dog" is featured on this months cover disc. As a complete surprise to me, Jonny asked me to prepare a video to mark this event only 4 days before the issue release. Thanks for the notice Jonny, ko. Any way I chucked together a video in about a day that I think looks pretty good for what was a days work. I managed to give Magic Bullet Mojo a test on it and I have to admit it's a great wee plug in. It's especially effective of regaining detail in some over exposed footage. Very impressive tool but I expect nothing less from Magic Bullet. The video is below.



In other news I'm posting my honours year documentary, "Combat", exclusively on my website (www.colinwoodmedia.com) right now for everyone to watch and laugh at. If you want to see me completely humbled you should give it a watch. This film is a very significant step for me as I am extremely camera shy and am confronting this fear in this video. I plan on doing more of this style film in order to develop as a personality and also confront subjects that I care a lot about. Again, anyone who knows me and has had heard me rant can probably guess some of these. What can I say the world pisses me off. I blame all those pesky people.

Still on the subject of being pissed off, I'd like to take a minute to offer my condolences to my former colleagues at Haldanes in Larkhall. I hope you all find employment soon and become better off as a result of the company going in to administration. I've heard a lot of rumours going around about the management "shafting" the work force and taking their money and running. I'm sure this is just bitter ranting from individuals feeling cheated by the situation. I've been doing my reading on the whole situation and I highly doubt this is the case. There is not a business man on this earth who would set up a company with a substantial amount of his own money, in order to intentionally let it fail. That just seems plain dumb to me. Here is my take on the story. Basically Haldanes sued the Co-op based on them producing inaccurate data on the performance of certain stores when Haldanes purchased them and Co-op counter sued them for unpaid rent. Whether this is true or not we don't know but I would tend to believe it because I can see what the Co-op would have to gain as a result. By offering up fraudulent data on selected stores performance they would essentially be cutting Haldanes legs out from under them, setting them on a road to ruin before they even got going. With the failure of these stores the Co-op would potentially enjoy greater profits as they become the only game in town, creating a monopoly for a brief period until another company moves in. Unfortunately the victims are the poor Haldanes employees. But this is always the case in business. Faceless corporations have never and will never care about their employees because at the end of the day its all about turning a profit. Speaking as a former employee of the company I have to say that this is not really a surprising turn of events but it is a real shame and my heart goes out to you all.

I also heard through the grape vine that members of the public are coming in and giving abuse to the staff of Haldanes saying things like, "It's about time" and "I didn't think it would last this long". I am seriously enraged by this lack of empathy. How would these people like to lose their job... or their welfare. Seriously what kind of human being takes pleasure in someone losing their job. Quite frankly these people are a waste of fucking skin and I am ashamed to share a town with them.

There is a much broader subject at hand here which must be tackled and that is the power that companies like ASDA, Tescos and the Co-op wield. I put all this together during a discussion with a friend and mentor today. These corporations are destroying small businesses on our high streets. We can bitch and moan about the death of the high street all we want but the fact is this not their fault. It is OURS. These stores hook us in with their BOGOF deals and their convenience and we buy their goods like good little consumers. The price we pay is the death of the local butchers and local fruit and veg store. Unfortunately we live in a society of convenience. We want everything as cheaply and conveniently as possible because we are lazy and to an extend brain washed by these supermarket giants. I for one choose to shop at a butchers and from now on I will endeavour to shop at a fruit and veg shop whenever possible because at the end of the day as consumers it is OUR shopping habits that lead to these unethical companies destroying our high streets and employment opportunities. I urge everyone who reads this to do the same, even although you've probably branded me a nut by now. I don't want to see a country dominated by ASDA and Tesco's. It's like only having the choice of Coca Cola or Pepsi. One's slightly sweeter than the other but at the end of the day they are both still the same. When there is no high street left and all you have is ASDA and Tesco what is to stop them hiking prices and hurting your wallet? The answer, absolutely nothing. Where else are you going to shop? And we have no right to complain because at the end of the day we CHOOSE to shop with them and give them even more power. Call me a self righteous dick for getting up on my soapbox and saying this but it doesn't make me any less right.

That's enough ranting for one blog. Hopefully It'll be a little more light. hearted next time. Cheers.