May 28
I have been busy the last few months capturing many more hours of my footage taken so far for the documentary 'Vali The Fox: A film on Vali Myers' which is my current major project...although it will remain 'current' for several more months as it grows into a much larger idea than first envisioned (the story with most of my films).I have also traveled to New York to conduct some further research and explore Vali's creative hub at The Chelsea Hotel where she spent many years, over time, in transit from her much loved valley in Positano, Italy. I have also been busy continuing to meet the endless number of fascinating people that enjoyed moments in time with Vali throughout the world.
This is a trailer for the upcoming documentary 'Vali The Fox: A Film on Vali Myers'. Leonard Leong and I filmed much of this documentary over many months of late 2010 and I am currently working on editing a 15 min version for festivals and funding opportunities. I will be developing a 3 part TV series and a feature length project out of my research and provisional footage.
Vali Myers was an exceptional person who has inspired me greatly. Her way of life, her exquisite artwork, her friendships, her time in Paris and New York dancing and drawing, her 40 years in the valley of Positano, Italy with her lover and her wild animals and her last years spent in her beloved studio in the Nicholas Building, Melbourne are all fascinating times in the love and life of Vali. Check out my website for further information on the final short version and its travels.
May 28
Ok so I'm back, after a bit of a hiatus the last few months. The good news is, I have hundreds of blogs to get back in to writing with, as I have been busy shooting and editing my latest films, travelling to NYC, eating at several culinary treasures in Australia and o.s. and of course, occupying my mind daily with political, social and socio-economic debates....
First up, this is a promo I just finished editing for the annual Open Studios event in the Nicholas Building, Melbourne. I produced this promo while I was filming in this amazing buiding last year during my shoots for my 'Vali The Fox' documentary (currently in post-production). It is a captivating building which comes to life once a year when the artists open up their doors and let the public view their work spaces, fantastic work, which is full of individuality, creativity and loads of talent. So for more details about this years event check out this website and my blog which explains a bit more about the event! I also filmed a little doco on the importance of Art during these shoots and I will also post that and several other videos I've been working on soon!
Nov 17
A wagyu pie accompanied by a swirling mash and sensational pea puree washed down with a Spanish vino at the Heidi Gallery, Melbourne. Eating this scrumptious food in the Australian bush surrounds while filming my documentary makes for a hard days work. #art #lovemelbourne #ilovemyjob
Clare Peterson
Punchy Productions
Oct 19
In love with the little french style cafe under my office...beautiful food, coffee & juices and so very cheap! Almost makes renting an office while earning no income worthwhile! At least it's in my beloved Nicholas Building. #lovemelbourne #goodfood #needapayingjob
Clare Peterson
Punchy Productions
Oct 17
Web Therapy
This is a pretty funny set of webisodes and it offers a great reflection on opportunities that are now available for film or TV producers who want to produce work and distribute it at a low cost. There is also some serious money available from cable networks in the US, who are willing to pay for these unique, short and entertaining productions. a thought for the future months, once I finish uni...
Sep 21
Here are a few photos from my shoot at the Open House exhibition -an annual event in the Nicholas building where people open up their studios and display their art to the flock of people that trek up and down the stairs in this iconic Melbourne building. The atmosphere was electric and the art displayed was all entirely original and fantastically made - all by hand here in Melbourne in their Nicholas building studios. There was also a 'new world' in one of the studios, where you needed a visa to get in... The people (both artists and eager visitors) made it a really interesting and energising night - even if we were lugging our camera gear up and down the old staircases and close-the-door-yourself rusty lifts to see who we could interview next! It's a great building, with a great vibe and anyone interested in art, jewellery, books or any aspect of being alive- should really check out this next year. It was great to see a building full of artists and dreamers who had not been extradicted out of the city to produce their work in secret and 'more affordable' places that rich folk dont want to live in...yet.
Have a look at this blog for info - and this is also where our promo video will be posted to soon.
Sep 16
This a little video of my observations of the construction of 'Waterhaven' along the highway between Melbourne and Geelong...it speaks for itself really. It says something on the current housing developments in the outskirts of Melbourne or anywhere for that matter, where planning departments and developers are allowing the installation of a fake lake in the middle of the highway to be the incentive for people to move here and isolate themselves further in their new 'community'. Any notion of building a sustainable development here or anywhere is a distant option for the money hungry corporate developers and government planning authorities - who care little about the potential residents, stuck in the middle of nowhere, driving in their cars for everything, and less about the environment which they are destroying. The 'water', a fake lake, is being formed by digging a giant trench in once prominent farmland on the outskirts of Melbourne and the 'haven' I'm assuming will be created in the surrounds of this trench and unnecessary bridge which an array of families will no doubt move into, as it constitutes the only option they have in obtaining affordable accommodation. Yet its fake atmosphere and damaged environment is probably not something they would choose to be involved if other accommodation could be provided in sustainable and urban environments. It seems that when you drive through these spaces which are presented as pseudo 'places' you may think that people want to live in these cloned villages with identical brick houses, no backyards and cheap fittings made to look like an upmarket version of a fantastic furniture catalogue; yet it makes you think, where would people live if they had the option to have a different looking house, a backyard or dare I say it, even incorporate the existing farmland into their own backyard and allow them the opportunity to generate their own power and grow their own produce, rather than spend their limited disposable income at the single supermarket chain that charges them to import their banannas from asia or beyond. Is this where and how the next generation of home owners want to live?
This is a topic I will write more on and discuss more broadly at a later date, in the meantime, enjoy watching your farmland being sucked up by a multi-national developer and be replaced with roads to drive your 3 cars on and a far less expensive and less detailed copy of a film set from The Truman Show.
Just some thoughts people, where do you want to live?
Sep 9
So I just secured a new studio in the loveable old Nicholas Building...so who has some officey, studioy, writerly jobs for me to do??? No really, the rent is due Monday...
Clare Peterson
Punchy Productions
Sep 9
After our delectable dining at Hardware Lane, we stopped by
Robot Bar for a quick drink and a reminder of life in the 80's...
We sipped on frothy and chilled Espresso Martini's while we played Galaga on the big old brown box game machine (official name unknown...however I am sure my disappointed boyfriend will comment with it). We played, yelled, consoled while we fondly remembered our childhoods. The only regrettable incident from the evening was that when I finally managed to win a game, post serious RSI to my right thumb and possible, no definite disturbance to the other more relaxed patrons, I entered my name on the list of winners as 'AAA'...not sure if that means I had started my own association of AA or perhaps needed to, but none the less it was a sign it was time to cease drinking cocktails and journey home. It is a quirky, neo-Tokyo bar found at the end of another of the funky lanes found in Melbourne. If anime was/is your thing, you can gaze at your childhood heros pinned up on the walls or you can place your $1 in the game machine for the reward of 3 lives - if only life was this simple. So when you feel the need to step away from your busy world consumed with worries of jobs, relationships, politics, money and tomorrows pop down to Robot Bar and remember the joy of being a child and only worrying about who wins the next game...
Sep 9
Dining in Hardware Lane is much more fun than working here ever was...wish it paid the same. Actually no, wish it paid more. Hmmm, there's food for thought...
Photo: Swordfish Skewers from Campari House, Hardware Lane, Melbourne, which were tender, tasty and drizzled with lime juice and basil pesto. We also had crispy, salt encrusted prawns with a divine chilli aioli and a subtle and refreshing bottle of wine from Italy 'Crabilis, Verementino, I fiori, Pala - Sardegna 2007'...followed by the Capricosa pizza with chunky ham hock and hot salami. All while listening to the live musicians playing in the lane, a truly special part of Melbourne.
