Over ten years ago I was doing some teaching assistant work at the University of Manchester to get some extra cash while doing my PhD. This involved running seminars on the politics of globalisation. As anyone knows when you first start working as a teaching assistant the trick is to just know a little bit … More Currency Wars
While I spend time fretting over insurance and budgets, Director Leanne and Cinematographer Craig have been drawing stick people and wheels on post it notes. And adding $$ signs to the screenplay to send me into budget-control overdrive. Note ‘DRONE?’ er, a drone? $$$$$!!!!! For anyone who spent their school years doodling on your homework … More Storyboarding
Walking into research receptions when you don’t know anyone and have a film to shout about is always nerve-wracking, fortunately for me my old friend Jamie had also been invited to the Axa Research Fund do in Westminster last night. This meant I not only got to catch up with a good pal over canapés … More Pili goes to Westminster
Squeaky bum time continues this week in pre-production planning. It has been another trying week with new obstacles cropping up, but these obstacles have been met with a solutions-orientated crew, committed people in Tanzania, a great support system at Queen Mary (with research manager and administration Director getting their heads around all sorts of … More Squeaky Bum Time, Swahiliwood and Shuga
A lot happened last week. We finalised our awesome crew with the addition of the great Tom Osborn the sound recordist – possibly one of the most important members of the crew, as it doesn’t matter how good your film looks or how good the story is, it is rubbish if you can’t hear anything … More Progress and holding your nerve
This exciting document landed in my inbox last night as I was leaving my office. It being January means I am trying (and failing) to create distance between work and non-work and thus thought best I resist reading the screenplay until the morning. What I have learned thus far about working on a film project … More We have a Screenplay!
Aesthetics are political and representations of Africa deeply political. The cinematography of the film is important both to enhance the story and to tread the delicate balance of representing the lives and stories of the women we are working with and avoiding racial and gendered metaphors of ‘Africanness,’ orientalist narratives of ‘otherness,’ and cosmopolitan clichés … More Cinematographer Craig, Aesthetics and Representations of Africa
2016 is a big year for HIV/AIDS. Strategy and investment meetings at the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will continue to shape the future of HIV/AIDS financing – and it’s not looking good; the 21st International AIDS Conference where scientific breakthroughs tend to be launched will take place in Durban in July; … More AIDS in 2016
You know you need a break when you start thinking there is wisdom to be found in Donald Rumsfeld. As the holiday season is upon us and I am trying to wrap up as much as possible before going on leave, it is Rumsfeld’s idea of known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns that are … More Known Unknowns
In an intense working environment it is always good to have some light relief. Light relief on our preparatory trip to Tanzania came in the small but perfect package of our driver Jackson Kilo and his battered and breakdown-prone Toyota Noah. Jackson likes: Congolese songs that last a minimum of 20 minutes (often then repeated); … More Jackson Kilo: Driver Hero
Not Another AIDS Film 