Call that an excuse?

It’s been a while and one of the things happening is a severe lack of time to get everything done. As I look back I’m seeing masses of material that I haven’t published yet. There are blogs drafted in my mind and getting round to it is taking the natural order of slow. It’s the least to be expected from one person post editing but I will have plenty of time after the fringe to sit down and go through it all.
I know that there was a lot of trouble getting the sound right for the bands at the Peartree which discouraged me a lot as I’d hoped we could do at least a half decent job. I do know that with time now passed I won’t be so critical at my work and I will sift through what seemed like rubble to find the nuggets of gold that are there.

Snippet Video

Here is a snippet clip of the Fringe 2014 we did, they are quick and easy to do but they capture most that buzz and noise you get when walking around and watching what’s on offer. It starts off in true Fringe of the Fringe style with two guys that have wheeled an upright piano to the Fringe and ends with a guy who has made a guitar out of a suitcase and a plank of wood.

There’s talent out there

I’ve been blessed by the talent and people that I have got in touch with and know that my life is richer for it and the opportunities that it’s afforded me. I’m also aware that my getting involved has changed my view on things and a new perception is growing within my mind.

Some more Photos by Val Saville

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Here’s an interview we got with Adam Cadabra, a young man setting out on a career in busking. There is a living to be made and fun doing the things you like to do

So What’s Changing?

Val Saville Edinburgh Fringe_030814_0113The first new perception that’s changing for me is what is a busker? Now I know it may mean different things to different people but in my mind it was someone playing in the street and appreciative people giving them a donation. A simple view and was really the sum of my experience as a busker, someone trying to make ends meet with a few extra quid. Then as I was watching all the street acts my imagination was taken to a time in the past when the world was full of wandering minstrels, poets, artists and entertainers of all kinds with no electronic media and they would visit towns and cities to entertain, amaze us and make some money. They would parade through the town performing snippets from their show to entice customers to come and see the show later that evening. All a variation of what a “busker” does with more elaborate measures for more elaborate shows. And so all the shows and acts that are performing have, in my eyes, become buskers and the only difference is that they wander into a town that is now primed to exploit and make money from their efforts. An organised entrepreneur that wants to own and bring something that was not theirs in the first place. When all the cheque books are balanced who is credited for bringing the fringe? The performers who were coming here anyway or is it the council or the collective work of organisers and charities who put on the fringe? Do we see it as an event organised by Virgin?

Self Organising Buskers

Edinburgh Fringe by Val Saville and Derek Howden 58An interesting development in the busking world at Edinburgh is about a pitch that is very popular and works well for the acts who perform there. It’s between Hunters Square and the bottom entrance to the Royal Mile Fringe Zone and what’s happened is that the buskers have self organised the pitch and draw the names of everyone who wants on the pitch to allocate a time slot. This has stopped them queuing and wasting valuable time meaning that now they know what time they are playing they can just turn up at the right time leaving the queuing time free to busk somewhere else. People in general become self organising and it’s something that buskers have done for years worldwide and it’s understanding this that could be something that could lighten the load of the very busy staff who organise everything, whether it needs it or not.

Hamlet Private Eye

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We were invited along to film the play Hamlet Private Eye written and directed by Alex Perry and his team with Jack Federov playing Hamlet, Daniel Zachary playing John Hamlet Senior, Oliver Lovatt playing Yorick, Brian Madded playing Lieutenant Laertes of the NYPD, Cally Statham playing Rosie, Natalie Romero playing Gilda, Luke Roopchand playing Horatio Cain, Emma Stephenson  playing Artimus. The play was funny and engaging and if you know Hamlet, it’s a hoot and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it several times editing it. But we threw ourselves in the deep end and got caught out a bit with the lighting and not understanding how the dialogue was directed so getting good footage from our efforts was not as easy as I’d like it. More learning by doing has been taking place everyday but we’ll hear more about that later in another blog.

Here is the play

What have we got coming up?

Well as you know we are working on a documentary and we are out everyday getting footage for that and it’s slowly changing my view on things so it’s good to see that happen. We have some other interviews coming up and we are going to be filming the Showhawk Duo at the Tron on the last day of the Fringe. We’re also grabbing acts while we are up there and Val is inspired by snippets and is going to put something together as well which is fantastic.

If you haven’t noticed, we’re local people doing things for local people

and the Internet

 


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