ISSUE 4 Pre-orders Are Now Available!

Issue 4 is now available for pre-order on the Gorilla Film Magazine Website. All pre-orders come with Free UK Delivery, because we’re nice like that, letting you enjoy the ripe fruits of the latest issue (commonly known in our circles as ‘the best one yet’) without even leaving your home. We are also offering some exclusive deals, on our T-shirts and back issues.

Price: £3
Release date: May 15th 2012
Description: Jam packed with all the usual reviews of great short films, filmmaking tips like how to fund your movie or get the most out of that old tripod. Plus interviews with some very down to earth (if a little tired) filmmakers, a top five list of the sexiest movie monsters and various other exciting bits and bobs. Easily our best issue yet.

UK Delivery: Free UK delivery on all pre-orders!
Europe Delivery: £2.93
Worldwide Delivery: £3.86

Visit our website now to pre-order your copy of Gorilla Film Magazine Issue 4, before they’re all gone! 

Sci-Fi-London: The 11th Annual Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film

OK, so here’s the blurb: SCI-FI-LONDON is the UK’s leading genre event and an internationally recognised launch pad for genre movies. At each festival they have at least a dozen UK premieres and in the last few years they had the first public screening (ahead of the USA!) of films like 28 Weeks Later and Bruce (Iron Maiden) Dickinson’s Chemical Wedding. 

Their next event is the 11th Annual Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film, and it takes place next week, from the 1st to the 7th of May. 

Gorilla Film Magazine likes these guys, and we think you will too, so check out their website and if you’re available you’d be foolish to miss them next week.

Not only does the place have a great vibe, with screenings of a bunch of cool new films and huge costume parades (with prizes for the best) but they’re also responsible for an epic 48 Film Challenge, with many of the films going on to feature in other film festivals and even broadcast on Television. Hell, when Gareth Edwards won the competition in 2008, Vertigo Films were so impressed with his work they decided to develop a feature film with him. Something called Monsters, maybe you’ve heard of it?

Go check out the Sci-Fi-London website for more information about who they are, what they do, and what films are showing from the 1st to the 7th of May.

You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook and all that stuff!

The Story of Film DVD Contest

Courtesy of Network DVD, Kino London is giving away a steelbook box set of Mark Cousins’s fantastic documentary, The Story of Film. Made over six years, filmed on five continents, and spanning 15 episodes, it’s an epic project made all the more compelling by Cousins’s excellent narration and direction. Anyone who has misty-eyed memories of Moviedrome will know exactly what I’m talking about.

HOW TO ENTER:

Print off the Kino London logo, which has adorned almost all of the 1000+ films that have screened at Kino, take a photo of yourself with it, and upload the photo to our Facebook wall – if the picture is taken in an interesting/unusual/silly place, your chances of winning increase significantly. The competition runs for a month, and the winner will be notified in early May. To provide you with some inspiration, here is a sample entry:

To find out more go to kinolondon.com

On the 15th of May 2012 Gorilla Film Magazine is Back in Print!

What’s the News?

We’re back! As some of you are probably aware, Gorilla Film Magazine has always had a bit of a fetish for the smell of cheap paper, so we’re delighted to be back in print for issue 4. We tried the whole ‘online magazine’ thing and it’s not really for us, we’d much rather be poor and on shelves, so that you can clutch the new issue in your trembling hands and hold it against your beating chest.

So When is it Out?

As of 15.05.2012, you’ll be able to purchase Gorilla Film Magazine for £3, either in shops, at special film nights or on our website.

Wait, It Costs Money Now?

Yep, it has always cost us a lot to actually make the magazine, and we just can’t do it alone anymore. While most of your £3 will go towards all of our writers crippling alcohol addictions, some of it will go towards printing costs. At this stage Gorilla won’t be making any profit, but maybe some time in the future we’ll be just like a real magazine! We’re also having a bit of a makeover, with a splash more colour and a sexy spine to spice things up a bit. It’ll be worth every penny.

£3 Just isn’t enough! Can We Give You More Money?

Why yes, yes you can! There will be all sorts of special deals and offers for all you crazy fun lovers out there, including a sparkly new limited edition t-shirt design.

So What’s In Issue 4?

Loads of stuff. We take a look at the exhibition of short film, and the role the Internet has to play in the medium’s evolution. We’ve got a bunch of reviews of short films that are available to watch online. There are articles about self-promotion, movie funding, production board making and budget tripod solutions. And we interview filmmakers Frank Poulson (Blood in the Mobile), Will Jewel (Man in Fear) and Ben Cady (The Goat in the Well) the latter taking time out of his busy schedule to shed light on what it is to be an animator. We’ve also got a bit about the photogénie, a top five list of the sexiest movie monsters and various other interesting bits and bobs.

When is Out Again?

The 15th of May! It’s in the title of this blog post, for crying out loud! We’ll keep you updated as we go along, and we’ll be announcing pre-orders very soon!

Anything Else?

Yeah, we’re doing a Caption Competition over on Facebook, come up with the best caption for the image and you’ll win a copy of issue 4! Click on this link to play!

 

David Fedele’s e-wasteland: a visual portrait of unregulated electronic waste recycling in Ghana

You might remember David Fedele from the featured interview in Issue 3 of Gorilla Film Magazine. He’s the passionate documentary guerilla filmmaker responsible for PNG style (awarded Best Documentary at the Portobello Film Festival 2010) and Bikpela Bagarap, a film that explores illegal Logging in Papua New guinea. David’s a nice chap, refreshingly down to earth and eager to make a positive change in the world. He fell into filmmaking accidently (PNG style was originally just a way to document his trip and combat loneliness) but has since used it effectively as a tool to tell the human side of current events. His lack of experience as a professional filmmaker turned out to be a positive thing, as his work has an incredibly natural and honest feel, setting him a world apart from sensationalist and manipulative “documentaries” (such as the famous Kony video).

David Fedele’s latest film is e-wasteland, a visual portrait of unregulated e-waste (electronic waste) recycling in Ghana, West Africa, where electronics are not seen for what they once were, but rather for what they have become.

Here’s some information (copy and pasted) from the official site: In developing countries, the demand for second-hand electronic equipment is growing, due to increasing connection to the “global world”, and an inability to afford brand new products. Every year, around 200,000 tonnes of second-hand and condemned electrical goods arrive in Ghana, West Africa, mainly received from the “developed” world. Many of the electronics are nearing the end of their life when they arrive, and will soon be discarded as e-waste. A significant volume of electronics actually arrive as e-waste, exported illegally as second hand goods. 

e-wasteland is set entirely at Agbogbloshie slum in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Agbogbloshie is home to between 30,000 – 40,000 settlers, mainly from the poorer Northern regions of Ghana. It is also the largest e-waste dump site in Africa. Generally uneducated and with few employable skills, many of the settlers at Agbogbloshie are forced to make a small living salvaging and recycling e-waste. 

Find out more by visiting the e-wasteland website. You can also follow the project on Facebook.

Teddy Boy

Teddy Boy is the first feature from Colorado based filmmaker, Sean J.S. Jourdan, one that they are currently trying to finance through the crowd-funding site, Kickstarter.

The story follows a married couple, Jakob and Helene, who’s marriage is under pressure following the death of their son, a pressure that is ratcheted up when the couple become involved with a young tennis player who comes to stay with them. This sets us up for a clash of egos as the two men vie for Helene’s attention, a battle which comes to a head when a sailing trip goes awry and the three of them have to struggle through the Colarado wildnerness to survive. Also, Mountain Lions and sex.

With a story reminiscent of Roman Polanski’s first feature, Knife In The Water, and some early success with the script at a number of film festivals, there’s precedence to suggest this ambitious team may have a little gem on their hands.

But potential’s not enough, this film needs cash! They’ve set a Kickstarter target of $33,333 to raise by April 16^th. So far, they’re doing pretty well, and as of 30^th March they were $20,000 to the good, a hefty chunk of scratch, but admittedly with some work to do to reach the $33k target.

In their favour is pretty slick pitch campaign, with a video featuring the director, his wife and their baby daughter, presenting this labour of love with the aid of some rather attractive watercolour paintings illustrating key moments from the film. Featuring the whole family in the pitch might turn off some people, but it emphasises how personal this project is. Aside from the inspiration coming from a moment the couple had to together, and aside from the fact that every film is personal to the maker, this couple are putting in $30k of their own savings to realise this passion project.

You can find more details of the film on their site, and view the Kickstarter campaign too. And if you like it, bung ‘em a few quid and support a truly independent filmmaker.

Wastelander Panda

Epic Films is an independent production company based in South Australia. They’re currently working on a series set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, using Pozible (Australia’s version of Kickstarter) to raise funds. If you’re looking for a good example of a bunch of talented filmmakers earning support from the public, then look no further. Hoping to hit their target of $20,000 by the 14th of March, Epic Films have promoted the Hell out of their project with great success. The plan is to make a series of web episodes, and this $20,000 is the minimum amount of money they’d need to make it work.

So what is this series actually about? Well, the title should give you a clue as to what to expect. Wastelander Panda is a story about a world after the breakdown of society, along the lines of Mad Max, or Cormac Mccarthy’s The Road. Also, the protagonist is a Panda.

It’s an inspired premise, and wonderfully executed in Epic Films promotional videos, which show off a great deal of what to expect should the series go ahead. To show your support for Wastelander Panda, head over to the crowdfunding website Pozible and donate. There’s 6 days to go, and they’ve already raised $16,900 (although if they don’t raise the full $20,000 by the 14th, they’ll lose it all). There’s also a Facebook page you can like for updates about the project.

Basically, if you want to see some new and interesting projects, you’re going to have to get involved. It’s no good sitting on your hands and waiting for Hollywood to come up with something original, you have to show your support for new talent. Crowdfunding sites are an excellent way for people to show they care, and really help keep truly independent filmmakers alive.

The End is Nigh!

It’s Christmas in London. Unfortunately for lovesick teenager, Jamie, and his oppressive parents, it’s also the night of the Apocalypse.  

The End is an ambitious and effects-heavy spectacle, cleverly presented as a tightly focused drama. The story follows a young man who is attempting to find his identity in London’s night life, forsaking his domineering parents as he gives in to ‘temptation’. We’ve had a chance to see the film ourselves, and can confirm it’s a lot of fun, but it won’t be available to the public for a while. To rub salt in the wound, here’s a great little teaser for the film.

Hopefully The End will be making the Festival Rounds soon, and we’ll be sure to let you know if it’s playing near you, as it’s best seen on the big screen. Meanwhile, here’s a bit more info about the project, courtesy of the press pack.

Raising more than 11,000 dollars from over ten countries through Kickstarter and using Skype, WeTransfer and Google Docs to achieve round-the-clock collaboration, we crafted a grand-scale, Hollywood-style production that wouldn’t have been possible even a year ago at this budget and time-scale.

This technology allowed 22 year-old director Ted Marcus the chance to shoot on location in London with a Canon 5D and conduct post-production in Los Angeles, Massachusetts, London, Adelaide and Melbourne.

The online exposure gave Ted Marcus the opportunity to collaborate with the likes of James Mather (sound supervisor on the Harry Potter films), Hollywood mixing facility Todd-AO and a team of ex-WETA visual effects specialists lead by John Nugent of Sandbox FX to create the most thrilling and professional result possible.

Coming Soon: Issue 4!

The underlings have been hard at work at Gorilla Film Magazine, not only performing at the Student Film Festival but also keeping the website full of short film reviews and interesting articles. So far It’s been a very busy 2012, but there’s no time to take a break!

Get back to work, scum!

The time has finally come to start work on Issue 4, also known as “the one you’re going to pay for”. Why? Because we gotta eat too, y’know! We can’t afford to keep printing Gorilla Film Magazine without a little help from the consumers, so we’re working on getting our publication in shops. The truth is, either we can scrape enough money together to go to print, or Gorilla Film Magazine falls apart like a wet cake.

All of our work is designed by one man, a guy called Lee Yan Chak (Jack the Rabbit) who gets three meals of oats and water every day, so really has no right to complain. Last time we checked to see how he’s getting on designing the cover for issue 4, he sent us this…

You don’t think we’re working him too hard do you?

Gorilla Film Magazine at Kino London

Last night Gorilla Film Magazine went along to Kino London, the open-mic night for filmmakers that encourages creative collaboration and supports short film production. None of the films that are screened are pre-selected, so everyone gets a chance to show their film regardless of quality, which might go some way to explain how we managed to get Ways of Using Gorilla screened. The night was held at the Vibe Bar, on Brick Lane, and the venue was packed, full to burst. Being the shameless, capitalistic Gorillas that we are, we took the opportunity to plug our merchandise, and managed to sell ONE Gorilla T-shirt! We were so proud of ourselves, and we’re that little bit closer to printing issue 4!

Incidentally, if you’d like an exclusive GFM T-shirt, visit our website shop

We all had a lot of fun at the night, and really enjoyed the incredible range of short films, each casually introduced by their respective filmmakers. The best thing about it was the general feeling of goodwill, everyone was highly encouraging, bursting into applause at the drop of a hat. Here’s how Kino describes itself:

Kino London’s monthly open-mic film night is the only film night of it’s kind in London. Filmmakers register in advance to screen their short at the next event, sight unseen. There are no themes, no pre-selection and no restrictions, other than that films be under 6 minutes, on dvd, and include the Kino London logo at the end, just for our screening.

Filmmakers turn up with their film on the night, introduce it personally then stick around to discuss their work with audience and filmmakers alike. ‘Challenges’ are awarded to rule-breakers – a film that the audience decide the filmmaker must make and screen at Kino London.

Kino also runs a monthly filmmaking Challenge which is open to anyone who wants to work on a short – in any capacity. The film idea is provided by the audience, and the short is produced in the 30 days between screenings. More details here. 

Not only has Kino encouraged us to go along to more short film screenings, but it’s made us want to get out there and make more films. So watch this space, because Gorilla Film Magazine will be working on many more film projects in the near future. And I expect all of them will have the soul purpose of shamelessly promoting the magazine. Go capitalism!