Uchujin 2017 Review pt 2

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Self indulgence part 2, 2017 edition…….

The second (and I promise last) part of my Uchujin review of the year 2017…..(Part 1 is HERE if you are feeling masochistic)

July

Boys For Sale”  the documentary on Tokyo’s male sex workers I produced and DOP’d won its first award!! The Fox Inclusion Award at Outfest Film Festival in L.A.!!!

 

July marked 1 year since I’d escaped left Japan, so I made a series of “1 Year Later” blog posts about it, one of which went viral getting 30,000 views on this blog and significantly more on Hacker News in a matter of days. (Although to put that in perspective 4 people found this site through AOL over the last year:)

 

QPR Vs Union Berlin !!! #berlin # uchujin #rain

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I was in Berlin filming a piece about it’s football culture, unfortunately, the QPR vs FC Union Berlin match I was there to shoot was rained off after just 13 minutes!

 

Shooting today at Emissions Analytics @e_analytics

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I shot, edited and did the graphics on a piece for pretty amazing hydrogen fuel additive system company CGON (video over on their site) which included a visit to Emissions Analytics.

 

That’ll be one of the new tattoos then :) the amazing work of @garyburnstattoo . Thank you brother!

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I was super lucky and honored to get not 1 but 2 new tattoos by my incredibly talented friend Gary Burns on one of his guest spots at his old studio Tattoo Workshop in Brighton.

 


Being down in Brighton also meant I got to hook up with my dear old Hull friends the insanely talented Lonny and Pinky…..and meet Cosmo…..it was awesome :)


I did a shoot at Cherryduck Studios in London with the legend that is Mr Rodney Charters (“24” anyone?) and some famous bloke from youtube ;) It was about the Atomos Sumo 19 and theres a video in the post I wrote about it :)

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I saw some truly amazing skating at the St Neots edition of the UK vert series….it took me back……

August

 

Quite a nice day in Cornwall :) #costalpath #stives

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Mrs Uchujin and I had a lovely holiday down in deepest Cornwall with the ever lovely, inspiring and so talented it hurts Mujus……even the weather was kind!

I shot Palestinian artist Dia Batal putting up her work “Mourning Hall” at Leighton House in London for “Traces Of The Soul“.

 

Shooting @shohoteramoto for @tracesofthesouldoc today ;) #japanesecaligraphy

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I also shot Japanese calligrapher Shoho Teramoto producing some beautiful work for “Traces Of The Soul“.

Things for “Boys For Sale” (The documentary on Tokyo’s male sex workers I Produced and DOP’d) were starting to get very interesting with lots of festival screenings being announced and some great press!

 

This is the George Hotel in Huntingdon. It’s August 29th! WTAF Green King and @oldenglishinns ?

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I had a little run in with The Scum about a photo I’d taken of Christmas in August.

And…..I found this old (circa 2000) picture of me sitting on a lion in Pakistan that I thought I’d lost :)

September

 

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I was in Amsterdam for IBC 2017……

I got a new assistant for #IBC :)

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Shooting (as always) for Newsshooter, who kindly provided me with a new assistant….

That’s what you call catch lights ;) #IBC

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It made my eyes go all funny.


Boys For Sale” had it’s UK premiere at Raindance Film Festival, where 2 sold out screenings led to them adding a 3rd additional screening :) I did Q&A’s after each one with Executive Producer Ian Thomas Ash.

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The pedestrian crossing lights in Trafalgar square were on board with “Boys For Sale” success too.

I met Mike Rogers, who was also at Raindance with his film “Ghost Roads“. Mike and I had known of each other for 10 years in Tokyo but never met. Him and Ken Nishikawa (also Ghost Roads) made Raindance for me. Lovely men.

Raindance was a blast!

October

 

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Lunchtime drinking was scarier than I remembered…..

Boys For Sale” won the Best Documentary Film Jury Award at Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. We were very pleased……

 

People were saying some great things about the film too…..


I traveled to Berlin to represent “Boys For Sale” at the Porn Film Festival :)

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It was most definitely NOT Kansas…..


I had an absolutely fabulous time and the people there were so amazing and friendly, I even managed to get a Porn Film Festival T-shirt to wear next summer :)

We took delivery of some business cards for “Traces Of The Soul” with a great logo by KOBE one of the artists in the film.

@jonasschoenstein preparing to fly the #djimavicpro :)

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My good friend and cameraman extraordinaire Jonas Schoenstein came to visit and brought some toys….

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And….I started making my Christmas list early.

November

We were overwhelmed as “Boys For Sale” won two more Best Documentary awards!  At Playa del Carmen Queer Film Festival in Mexico and at El Sugar Sin Limites Film Festival in Ecuador!

Humbled and Proud to have been the Producer and DOP on a film that has been recoginsed around the world with awards and almost 30 festival screenings!


I did a shoot with Japanese forumla 1 turned Formula E driver Kobayashi Kamui at the Andretti team workshop at Donnington Park.


I was in London a lot at StormHD assistant editing and doing VFX for the calligraphy film “Traces Of The Soul” (which I also DOP’d) with Director/Editor Martin Cooper

Found some Xmas underwear for your mom :) #didnoonethinkthatthrough

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I found the perfect present for your Mum this Jesus’ Birthday.

December

 


Traces Of The Soul“, which took up a lot of my time this year and was fun for every minute of that, reached the rough cut stage…

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I shot a piece on the very VERY cool “Vicious Cunts” female custom motorbike gang. They were really rather nice and not vicious at all :)

 

Mediocrity #cablestreet

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The writing was on the wall….

And that was that, another year. My first full year back in the UK for nearly 20 years!!
Actually rather nice but, FFS will someone please sort out the infrastructure (phones that work inside buildings anyone?) and the GOD DAMN WEATHER!

Thank you to all my friends and colleagues (new and old). Hope everyone has a Merry Jesus’ Birthday and a Happy New Year!

Oh and feel free to hire me, I’m pretty damn good:)

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