I prefer myself as a writer rather than a dramatic artist, my style tending towards the comedic. But it's always good to keep my hand in on the adventure work.
See more at my website.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Doctor Who comic art updated
A sample Doctor Who comic page, now coloured and lettered by me. Mostly designed to entertain and impress the kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses, it's also another one for the portfolio.
I prefer myself as a writer rather than a dramatic artist, my style tending towards the comedic. But it's always good to keep my hand in on the adventure work.
See more at my website.
I prefer myself as a writer rather than a dramatic artist, my style tending towards the comedic. But it's always good to keep my hand in on the adventure work.
See more at my website.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Time of Angels Dr Who notes
Just watched Doctor Who A Time Of Angels. The first time this series I haven't been able to watch it live, but at least I got to watch it at home (ep1 watched on set at back of venue in Bath before show, with some audience trickling in, ep 2 on tiny TV in hotel room in Chorley before gig, ep3 on tiny TV in hotel room in Inverness).
It was very good. Mind you, putting Victory of the Daleks on last week was probably designed to make anything look good in comparison. (I was not a fan)
Time Of Angels was no Blink. It was like Aliens is to Alien, ie taking the best idea and spreading it a bit thin.
Amy is not a character, she's just a functional person put there to scream and be imperiled. And she doesn't even scream. Unlike Rose or Donna, we haven't been made to care for Amy. Maybe we cared for the 9 year old (or is it 7 year old) version of her in episode one, the 19 (or is it 23) year old version could be replaced by any other character with any other name played by any other actor and the viewer could not care less. Russell T Davies put that sort of thing first on his agenda, with sound explicable plots coming lower down. Moffat works the opposite way round. Great tight plots, but characters that are quite superficial. Scared Bob is the new Other Dave, that's not characterisation, that's labelling.
My biggest bugbear with this series is those bloody trailers. Every great bit of this episode was in the bloody trailers, include every bit of CGI, all the cliffhangers, and the last line of the entire episode. That is not helping. Who hadn't worked out from the trailer that the statues were all aliens?
Next episode is already half spoilt for me. (At least, watching it on Virgin Catch Up, I didn't get the credits ruined by Graham Norton popping up and shouting about the Wizard of Oz, so that's something).
However I did enjoy this episode, I did think it was the second best of the series so far, I am looking forward to next week, and it did "zhuzz" me up with Doctor-energy making me feel like walking out of the cinema and pretending I am the lead character (not that I don't do that most of the time anyway).
PS, having heard about it online, I watched my DVD recording of Time of Angels off BBC 1 to see the dreadful tralier the BBC has ruined it with. I have since complained to the BBC, using their formal complaint form. This is what I wrote:
Dr Who Time of Angels, the climactic moment, the final dramatic line, the close up of the Doctor's face, were vandalised by an animated picture of Graham Norton and a trailer for the next show.
This was dreadful, demeaning, insulting treatment of your viewers. Whoever was responsible for this act of badly timed idiocy deserves to have the real Graham Norton pop up unexpectedly and dance on their face.
Make sure this doesn't happen again please.
It was very good. Mind you, putting Victory of the Daleks on last week was probably designed to make anything look good in comparison. (I was not a fan)
Time Of Angels was no Blink. It was like Aliens is to Alien, ie taking the best idea and spreading it a bit thin.
Amy is not a character, she's just a functional person put there to scream and be imperiled. And she doesn't even scream. Unlike Rose or Donna, we haven't been made to care for Amy. Maybe we cared for the 9 year old (or is it 7 year old) version of her in episode one, the 19 (or is it 23) year old version could be replaced by any other character with any other name played by any other actor and the viewer could not care less. Russell T Davies put that sort of thing first on his agenda, with sound explicable plots coming lower down. Moffat works the opposite way round. Great tight plots, but characters that are quite superficial. Scared Bob is the new Other Dave, that's not characterisation, that's labelling.
My biggest bugbear with this series is those bloody trailers. Every great bit of this episode was in the bloody trailers, include every bit of CGI, all the cliffhangers, and the last line of the entire episode. That is not helping. Who hadn't worked out from the trailer that the statues were all aliens?
Next episode is already half spoilt for me. (At least, watching it on Virgin Catch Up, I didn't get the credits ruined by Graham Norton popping up and shouting about the Wizard of Oz, so that's something).
However I did enjoy this episode, I did think it was the second best of the series so far, I am looking forward to next week, and it did "zhuzz" me up with Doctor-energy making me feel like walking out of the cinema and pretending I am the lead character (not that I don't do that most of the time anyway).
PS, having heard about it online, I watched my DVD recording of Time of Angels off BBC 1 to see the dreadful tralier the BBC has ruined it with. I have since complained to the BBC, using their formal complaint form. This is what I wrote:
Dr Who Time of Angels, the climactic moment, the final dramatic line, the close up of the Doctor's face, were vandalised by an animated picture of Graham Norton and a trailer for the next show.
This was dreadful, demeaning, insulting treatment of your viewers. Whoever was responsible for this act of badly timed idiocy deserves to have the real Graham Norton pop up unexpectedly and dance on their face.
Make sure this doesn't happen again please.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Poor Old Horse - Socks In The Shed
The Socks, in the Shed , doing Poor Old Horse, along with award winning folk legends Jackie Oates & Jim Causley
PS: New design Socks t shirts have just been sent to their advance buyers. If you still want one, Paypal £18/ $28 to sockpuppets@sitcomtrials.co.uk and let us know your size and your address.
PS: New design Socks t shirts have just been sent to their advance buyers. If you still want one, Paypal £18/ $28 to sockpuppets@sitcomtrials.co.uk and let us know your size and your address.
Monday, 19 April 2010
The Election poster battle
I've just been doing a lot of travelling. And because of the volcanic ash situation I've been doing by it by train instead of flying, and before that by car. And there's an election on. So I've seen an awful lot of front windows and back gardens in the last week.
And what do you see in front windows and back gardens during election time? Posters and stickers. Some are diamond shaped, some are poster shaped, some are big banners, some on sticks, some on fences, but all serving the same purpose of saying "we support this party, vote for them".
And I have been keeping an eye out for them, from last week's travels through Hampshire (Tuesday), South Oxhey Hertfordshire (Weds), Harrogate (Friday), to Edinburgh to Inverness to Sutherland to Inverness then back home via Edinburgh, Carlisle, Birmingham, Bristol, home. And what have I seen?
A Lib Dem landslide. If the diamond shaped orange symbols on sticks mean anything at all, Britain (and Scotland) are going Clegg in a big way.
I have seen one or two SNP stickers, but vastly outnumbered by LibDem. I have seen Tory posters, but almost every one was the size of a small car and was attached to a gate or a haystack in the grounds of a farmer or wealthy landowner (which, let's remind them, adds up to just one vote. Probably two, if your wife's a) allowed to vote and b) doesn't vote LibDem).
I have not seen a single Labour poster, flyer, sticker, or thing-on-a-pole. Not one. I am a Labour voter and I am seriously considering sticking the LibDem diamond in my window because a) they bothered to post one, well three, through my door, and b) I live in Liam Fox's constituency and there is a serious likelihood that that corrupt and disgraced Tory could be ousted by a concerted tactical LibDem vote.
Liam Fox has shot himself in the foot with his election flyer, which we have had through the door. (Labour haven't even sent us a flyer, let alone the big sticker). Fox's photo is beside the slogan "Vote For Change". He has been the incumbent MP for 18 years. He might get change, and not the sort he was hoping for.
Kev F
PS: I have to confess to some hubris here. I booked a train ticket to get back from Inverness, secure in the knowledge that my plane would not be cancelled and I would get no refund for it. I now know both of my planes were officially cancelled so I'm into Easyjet to the tune of 92 quid. I'm like Basil Fawlty in that episode when he thinks he's won a bet on the horses, only to break a vase a few seconds later and... what I'm saying is I know the LibDems can't possibly win a general election, but just imagine if they did.
And what do you see in front windows and back gardens during election time? Posters and stickers. Some are diamond shaped, some are poster shaped, some are big banners, some on sticks, some on fences, but all serving the same purpose of saying "we support this party, vote for them".
And I have been keeping an eye out for them, from last week's travels through Hampshire (Tuesday), South Oxhey Hertfordshire (Weds), Harrogate (Friday), to Edinburgh to Inverness to Sutherland to Inverness then back home via Edinburgh, Carlisle, Birmingham, Bristol, home. And what have I seen?
A Lib Dem landslide. If the diamond shaped orange symbols on sticks mean anything at all, Britain (and Scotland) are going Clegg in a big way.
I have seen one or two SNP stickers, but vastly outnumbered by LibDem. I have seen Tory posters, but almost every one was the size of a small car and was attached to a gate or a haystack in the grounds of a farmer or wealthy landowner (which, let's remind them, adds up to just one vote. Probably two, if your wife's a) allowed to vote and b) doesn't vote LibDem).
I have not seen a single Labour poster, flyer, sticker, or thing-on-a-pole. Not one. I am a Labour voter and I am seriously considering sticking the LibDem diamond in my window because a) they bothered to post one, well three, through my door, and b) I live in Liam Fox's constituency and there is a serious likelihood that that corrupt and disgraced Tory could be ousted by a concerted tactical LibDem vote.
Liam Fox has shot himself in the foot with his election flyer, which we have had through the door. (Labour haven't even sent us a flyer, let alone the big sticker). Fox's photo is beside the slogan "Vote For Change". He has been the incumbent MP for 18 years. He might get change, and not the sort he was hoping for.
Kev F
PS: I have to confess to some hubris here. I booked a train ticket to get back from Inverness, secure in the knowledge that my plane would not be cancelled and I would get no refund for it. I now know both of my planes were officially cancelled so I'm into Easyjet to the tune of 92 quid. I'm like Basil Fawlty in that episode when he thinks he's won a bet on the horses, only to break a vase a few seconds later and... what I'm saying is I know the LibDems can't possibly win a general election, but just imagine if they did.
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Victory of the Daleks - well that was shit
Having had my hopes built up for tonight's Doctor Who episode Victory of the Daleks by the promo in the Guardian calling it "the new Doctor's first outright classic episode", I have to repeat a phrase that's been overused already this series: "What?"
I was very disappointed by this shallow and superficial story which, given it included Spitfires attacking the Daleks, was very static. Take out the cgi and there's a lot of people and Daleks just standing around talking. The camera moves much more than any of the cast. And so little happens, with no twists or surprise at any point, that it leaves little to praise. The characters are just cyphers, not in any way compelling or realistic, and the plot is reminiscent of the sort of nonsense you used to get in a Dr Who annual in the 1970s. The Daleks return, the Dr has a life or death choice, the Daleks set a risible-beyond-a-joke countdown before their bomb explodes and all's well. Rubbish. The in jokes were fun, but only served as window dressing.
Worst of all were the new look Daleks. I thought the designs on the cover of the Radio Times were a joke. The Daleks reimagined as a 2001 Mini? Shit on toast.
Having started so brilliantly, this series is worrying me that it could drop it's standard of writing so soon. I know if I'm so clever I should write an episode myself and prove I can do better. But till then I'll just say I was hoping for better from this episode.
And remember, I do actually do this for a living
I was very disappointed by this shallow and superficial story which, given it included Spitfires attacking the Daleks, was very static. Take out the cgi and there's a lot of people and Daleks just standing around talking. The camera moves much more than any of the cast. And so little happens, with no twists or surprise at any point, that it leaves little to praise. The characters are just cyphers, not in any way compelling or realistic, and the plot is reminiscent of the sort of nonsense you used to get in a Dr Who annual in the 1970s. The Daleks return, the Dr has a life or death choice, the Daleks set a risible-beyond-a-joke countdown before their bomb explodes and all's well. Rubbish. The in jokes were fun, but only served as window dressing.
Worst of all were the new look Daleks. I thought the designs on the cover of the Radio Times were a joke. The Daleks reimagined as a 2001 Mini? Shit on toast.
Having started so brilliantly, this series is worrying me that it could drop it's standard of writing so soon. I know if I'm so clever I should write an episode myself and prove I can do better. But till then I'll just say I was hoping for better from this episode.
And remember, I do actually do this for a living
Where has my virgin net email gone, Google?
Help. Please. I am trying to access my virgin.net email on an iPod in my hotel. I was able to this morning but at 8.30 suddenly it changed so that when I try and enter webmail .virgin.net it is taken over by googlemail which takes me to a new mailbox that contains none of my hundreds of emails
it says I can link to my previous mail but when I click on the links to do that I am taken to the same mailbox over and over again. My wife is able to access my virgin mail on the computer at home but it gets kidnapped and hidden by googlemail when I try it here on the iPod. What can I do to get back to my virgin.net emails?
kevf.Sutherland@virgin.net
it says I can link to my previous mail but when I click on the links to do that I am taken to the same mailbox over and over again. My wife is able to access my virgin mail on the computer at home but it gets kidnapped and hidden by googlemail when I try it here on the iPod. What can I do to get back to my virgin.net emails?
kevf.Sutherland@virgin.net
Friday, 16 April 2010
Post gig feelings
After a gig is a funny time. Well, no, not funny is the better way of putting that. In the case of many entertainers, tonight that means me, it's a solitary experience. You're either driving home alone, having fndured the silence of clearing up your props and stuff in that most silent of spaces an empty theatre, or like tonight it's back to a hotel room. Tonight, because of budget constraints resulting from having to book trains to replace my cancelled flights, it's a guest house which has free wifi - hooray - but no remote control for the Tv so I'm stuck watching Full Metal Jacket on Itv whether I want to
or not.
It was a brilliant gig to tonight. Ali Cook in support (actually double bill sorry) went great then the Socks had a perfect one. All improve and adlibs were spot on and they loved the main stuff. Even had a genuine encore. (of course they're all genuine , but tonight the word Encore was used. By the audience ). And it's after a gig
like that that you feel you deserve a drink and a relax. I had the foresight to get a bottle of wine before the show (I was right that such a thing cannot be found after 10.30 in Harrigate) and it awaited me in my room. Hey I've chilled now. Sorry for being so
moany earlier.
Listen my eye stings. Long story but I have an allergic eye all swollen up and stinging. I had to run to Boots this morning to try get eyewash (failed ) with only an hour to spare before my train (it can take an hour to get from my house to the train ) and pack my props up after a couple hours of trying to work out how the hell to get to Harrogate then to Inverness and home if my flights were cancelled thanks to this sodding volcanic ash. Oh whatever I did it I'm here and I'm tired. Tales to tell about trains but too late and I'm on sn iPod in my hotel room and ... Tomorrow vg'night.
or not.
It was a brilliant gig to tonight. Ali Cook in support (actually double bill sorry) went great then the Socks had a perfect one. All improve and adlibs were spot on and they loved the main stuff. Even had a genuine encore. (of course they're all genuine , but tonight the word Encore was used. By the audience ). And it's after a gig
like that that you feel you deserve a drink and a relax. I had the foresight to get a bottle of wine before the show (I was right that such a thing cannot be found after 10.30 in Harrigate) and it awaited me in my room. Hey I've chilled now. Sorry for being so
moany earlier.
Listen my eye stings. Long story but I have an allergic eye all swollen up and stinging. I had to run to Boots this morning to try get eyewash (failed ) with only an hour to spare before my train (it can take an hour to get from my house to the train ) and pack my props up after a couple hours of trying to work out how the hell to get to Harrogate then to Inverness and home if my flights were cancelled thanks to this sodding volcanic ash. Oh whatever I did it I'm here and I'm tired. Tales to tell about trains but too late and I'm on sn iPod in my hotel room and ... Tomorrow vg'night.
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